2018 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
CANADA vs. BELIZE
1ST LEG
4:30 PM, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
BMO FIELD, TORONTO, ONT.
(TV: TLN TV LIVE STREAM: canadasoccer.com)
CANADA SOCCER NEWS
Time for rest of Canada to host national team – 24 Hours
Do you feel slighted? Or perhaps even a bit snubbed? You’re not alone – it actually is a common feeling if you are a fan, or attempting to be a fan, of the Canadian men’s national team and happen to live outside the Greater Toronto area.
Progress continues ahead of Canada-Belize series – CSA
Canada’s FIFA World Cup Qualifiers preparation camp continued in Alliston, Ontario on Tuesday, now just three days away from a Friday night home match at BMO Field in Toronto. Canada will face Belize in a home-and-away series in CONCACAF Round 3, with Canada hosting the 4 September opening leg and Belize hosting the 8 September return leg.
Canada vs. Belize: Hosts look to stay calm – Goal
Canada is trying to stay calm ahead of the first leg of its World Cup qualifier against Belize. Benito Floro’s men welcome Belize to the BMO Field in Toronto on Friday before the return leg in Belmopan four days later. Canada reached the third round of qualifying thanks to a 6-0 thrashing of Dominica in a two-leg playoff.
Edgar relishing leadership mantle with Canada – Red Nation Online
With the Canadian Men’s National Team continuing its evolution under the guidance of Head Coach Benito Floro with training sessions this week and two World Cup qualifiers against Belize, the Spanish gaffer will continue to depend on a handful of key veteran players to help lead a squad that contains a number of young players still finding their way at the International level.
Road To Russia: Canada v Belize Preview – Northern Starting IX
Having dispatched Dominica in their first round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Canadian men’s national team will now travel a familiar road in a home and home series against Belize, starting Friday night in Toronto.
De Guzman and the ultimate goal – FIFA
Canada captain Julian de Guzman has one thing on his mind: Goals. And he is not the only one. “It’s what everyone’s talking about up here,” he told FIFA.com in a hushed tone. “No goals at the Gold Cup. It was our downfall.”
FC Dallas striker Tesho Akindele using Canada call-ups to grow: “It opens your mind to the bigger game” – MLS
For FC Dallas forward Tesho Akindele, bouncing back and forth between MLS and the Canadian national team has exposed him to a variety of different coaching styles.
Larin highlights Canada WCQ roster – Amandala
The Canadians will face Belize in a two-match series, hosting the Central Americans on September 4 at BMO Field in Toronto, before the return leg four days later at FFB Stadium in Belmopan.
Cyle Larin, the Most Exciting Canadian Prospect Since… – 24th Minute
When was the last time Canada had such a promising striker emerge for the National Team?
Floro: Osorio was a victim of the numbers game, Bekker “a very good player” – the11.ca
Canadian national-team coach Benito Floro re-affirmed his belief in Kyle Bekker, but said that the return of veteran midfielders Atiba Hutchinson and Will Johnson meant that there was no room at the inn for Jonathan Osorio.
Reigning national champs Laval, York open at No. 1 in soccer – CIS
Reigning champion Laval (women) and York (men) top the first national rankings of the 2015 CIS soccer season. On the women’s side, Laval received 49 points in the inaugural coaches’ poll to open at No. 1 for the second time in program history (2003). Trinity Western (45), Ottawa (37), Fraser Valley (29) and Montreal (27) round out the top five.
Canada Soccer appoints Isaac Raymond new Manager, Referee Department – CSA
Canada Soccer is pleased to announce the appointment of Isaac Raymond, FIFA Futuro III referee technical and fitness instructor, and national assessor, as new Manager of Canada’s Referee Department, effective immediately.
Mixed results for Canadians in NWSL this year – Sportsnet
Having the FIFA Women’s World Cup in June and July meant most of the players were away from their NWSL teams for much of the season and at times the transition back to the club game wasn’t easy for Canada’s national team members.
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WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS
VOTE: Ousted up for MLS Save of the Week – Whitecaps FC
With four clean sheets in eight matches David Ousted has had a pretty good month between the sticks in August. However the Great Dane’s nomination doesn’t come from one of his shutouts, but for the reactionary save he made during last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Houston Dynamo.
TFC coach: ‘Giovinco’s injury not serious’ – Sportsnet
Coach Greg Vanney told reporters Tuesday that Sebastian Giovinco’s abductor injury isn’t serious, and that while he likely won’t be available for this Saturday’s road game in Seattle, the hope is the Italian will be ready for TFC’s three-game stretch from Sept. 13-19 when they play New England, New York City FC and Colorado.
TFC Stats Watch: Club Looks To Set New Records in September – Toronto FC
Toronto FC is on the cusp of setting a number of records in 2015. More importantly, the club is on course to make the playoffs for the first time in club history.
Saturday Proved It: BMO Field is Becoming a Fortress Again – Waking the Red
The stadium is getting louder, and for once, those in the stands have something to be proud of as a renovated BMO Field is becoming a fortress for the home team again.
Bradley Wright-Phillips wins MLS Player of the Week honors for two-goal, one-assist Atlantic Cup showing – MLS
On Tuesday morning, Bradley Wright-Phillips was named MLS Player of the Week for his two-goal, one-assist performance in the New York Red Bulls’ 3-0 dismantling of rival and Eastern Conference leading D.C. United on Sunday.
Orlando City Loans Adam Bedell to Danish First Division Team HB Køge – Orlando City SC
Orlando City SC has loaned forward Adam Bedell to Danish first division side HB Køge until December 31, 2015, the Club announced today. Per Club and league policy, additional details were not disclosed.
MLS’s new gold standard – Soccer America
Heading into the final two months of the MLS regular season, D.C. United leads the Eastern Conference by two points over the New York Red Bulls. But after a 3-0 loss at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, D.C. coach Ben Olsen said the Red Bulls were the Eastern Conference’s “gold standard.” Indeed, the Red Bulls lead all MLS clubs in points-per-game, making them the favorite for the 2015 Supporters’ Shield.
City Football Group and NYCFC Demand Fair and Ethical Treatment of Fans – Change.org
“During the home game against Columbus Crew on August 29th, a fellow supporter was tasered by the New York Police Department (NYPD). We believe the use of the taser was not necessary and indicative of the way we are treated by stadium personnel.”
Rough run in the middle third ousted Klopas – Soccer America
The middle third of Montreal’s schedule collapsed right on the head of head coach Frank Klopas, who late Saturday night got the news by phone that he’d been fired.
Soccer Hall of Fame remains on track for Dallas suburb – Washington Post
Frisco, Tex., home to MLS’s FC Dallas and an expansive athletic complex in the fast-growing north Dallas suburbs, is the clear front-runner to become the site of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, multiple sources told the Insider.
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BC SOCCER NEWS
Soccer CIS Top 10: Trinity Western women, UBC men top Canada West squads – Canada West
A total of seven Canada West soccer squads earned a place inside the first CIS top 10 soccer polls of 2015 on Tuesday, as four conference teams cracked the women’s poll, while a trio of Canada West teams appeared in the men’s poll.
WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM OPENS AT NO. 2 IN CIS TOP 10 RANKINGS – TWU
The defending CIS silver medalist Trinity Western women’s soccer team will start its 2015 campaign ranked No. 2 in the country, as the season-opening polls were released Tuesday.
Cascades women’s soccer team No. 4 in first CIS rankings of season – UFV
The Cascades, coming off a fourth-place finish at last season’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national championship, return nearly every key contributor this fall. They hold down the No. 4 spot in the first CIS coaches’ poll, released Tuesday.
Vikes women’s soccer host UBC to open CIS campaign – UVIC
It will be a year of unknowns for the 2015 University of Victoria Vikes women’s soccer squad who lost five fifth-year players from last season and return only six players in fourth or fifth year. Head coach Tracy David, who enters her 14th season, is confident about the possibilities with this year’s group which includes 11 new additions. The Vikes women host the CIS ranked UBC Thunderbirds this weekend, Sept. 5, in a single-header home opener match up at 5:00 p.m. at Centennial Stadium.
TRU WOLFPACK ATHLETICS; WSOC PREVIEW TO SEASON OPENER – TRU
For the first time in school history, the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack will be playing a soccer match in the province of Manitoba. The WolfPack women’s team will head to Winnipeg for matches Friday (Sept 4) and Saturday (Sept 5) against the Manitoba Bisons and the Winnipeg Wesmen.
Vikes men head to mainland to kick-off season against T-Birds – UVIC
The University of Victoria Vikes men’s soccer team enter the 2015 Canada West and CIS season with a strong midfield line up and a few key recruits. The Vikes men will begin their season this weekend with a single road game, Sept. 5, in Vancouver against the CIS No. 5-ranked UBC Thunderbirds.
POOR FIRST HALF FOR SPARTANS – TWU
The Trinity Western University men’s soccer team finished their preseason exhibition tour with a disappointing 4-0 loss to the Corban University Warriors Tuesday afternoon in Salem, Oregon.
Clan men foiled by rival UBC in soccer matchup – Burnaby Now
Former Simon Fraser University student scores game winner on defensive miscue.
Men’s soccer kicks off inaugural Ice Breaker Classic – Campbell River Mirror
Teams competing are from the Vancouver Island Soccer League and feature teams from Div. 1 and 2. A very high level of soccer is expected and will be worth watching for all Campbell River soccer enthusiasts.
Fraser Valley Soccer League Schedule Released – FVSL
The FVSL has released its winter schedule for all 12 of its divisions.
Opinion: Girls soccer team taking on bigger playing field – Sooke News Mirror
We formed a girls travel team in Sooke that consisted of 12- to 14-year-old girls. The purpose of this team was to give female soccer athletes a chance to travel to a tournament and set their skills against other teams from another country.
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PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
The Best Way to Cheer for Your Child – Wall Street Journal
We’ve all read about parents who yell and get into fights at their children’s games. But how are parents supposed to behave on the sidelines? What type of cheering helps? What adds pressure? Is coaching from the sidelines ever OK? Here are some ground rules.
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WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS
NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush: ‘We need time to build it responsibly’ – Seattle Times
Jeff Plush is nearing the end of his first season as the National Women’s Soccer League commissioner, and he visited Seattle this past weekend to present the Reign with the Shield as the league’s regular-season champions.
SPIRIT’S CRYSTAL DUNN VOTED NWSL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – NWSL
Washington Spirit forward Crystal Dunn was voted the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Week by the media for Week 20 of the 2015 NWSL season.
NWSL: The Lowdown: What we know, what we don’t know – The Equalizer
As the calendar flips to September and takes NWSL play with it for the first time, there is still much to be worked out regarding this year’s playoffs. The four combatants are known but the order remains up in the air. We know the Reign will finish first and host a semifinal and that FC Kansas City will be on the road for their semifinal. The Breakers have also been assured of finishing bottom of the table and are unofficially on the clock for the 2016 draft. With a week to go here’s what we know, and what we don’t know.
Jess Clarke – Wounded warrior Jess is tying ’em in Notts! – The Football League Paper
JESS CLARKE is used to overcoming obstacles. After all, with her mum out working hard to keep her daughter’s football dreams alive, Clarke could only get to training on a 40-minute bus ride across Leeds.
Natasha Dowie: Liverpool Ladies striker eyes England recall – BBC Sport
Liverpool Ladies striker Natasha Dowie says she would “love” to be recalled to the England team for their upcoming Euro 2017 qualifiers.
2015 a big year for women in sports, but will it carry over? – Chicago Tribune
The question, as always, is whether the passion so many have shown for women’s sports is more than a summer romance, an abiding love more than a one-season stand, a caring for and celebrating the ordinary along with the extraordinary.
Alex Morgan to be featured in ‘Becoming’ series produced by LeBron James – Metro
Soccer star Alex Morgan will be the first athlete profiled on Disney’s inspirational “Becoming” series produced by LeBron James. Morgan helped the United States win the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer. Her path from childhood to Olympic gold medallist will be told in the Sept. 13 premiere episode.
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NASL NEWS
Aaron Davidson’s Stunning Soccer Bribery Case Could Clean Up FIFA’s Corruption – Miami New Times
A long-haired whirlwind of energy, Aaron Davidson cut a larger-than-life figure in South Florida’s sleepy soccer scene, speaking five languages and helming the entire NASL, a renegade league he’d helped form as part of a mad plot to topple the more popular and better-funded Major League Soccer. Now, in the wake of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers’ greatest on-field accomplishment, Davidson had bad news for the team’s leadership: He was slashing the payroll by $200,000. For an already-bare-bones operation, it was a brutal blow.
MLS rival accuses league of violating antitrust laws – NY Daily News
Amid the turmoil of the U.S. government’s crackdown on FIFA corruption, American soccer authorities are facing accusations that the nation’s top professional league, Major League Soccer, violates antitrust laws. The allegations come from the North American Soccer League, a smaller rival to MLS that consists of 11 teams, including the New York Cosmos.
Haji Wright, the young star who chose New York Cosmos over MLS and Europe – The Guardian
It came as a shock across the US soccer landscape earlier this year when Haji Wright, star of the American U-17 team, onetime member of the Los Angeles Galaxy academy, and rumored target for European powers such as Schalke, chose to sign with the New York Cosmos.
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WORLD SOCCER NEWS
Premier League clubs make 2015 the first £1bn calendar year for transfer spending – Inside World Football
Transfer spending by Premier League clubs was more than double any of the other ‘Big Five’ West European leagues in the summer transfer window, as gross expenditure by the English elite reached £1 billion in a single calendar year for the first time.
Financial fair play: how can Manchester City still spend £130m in one window? – The Guardian
It has been another transfer window with colossal sums of money changing hands. Manchester City, for example, have achieved a net spend of more than £130m. Wasn’t Uefa’s financial fair play supposed to put the brakes on this sort of thing?
TV cash takes more than England’s elite beyond reach of continentals – The Guardian
The astonishing amount of money spent in this summer 2015 transfer window by the two Manchester clubs on three particular players has lent the impression that football has gone mad again, paying record sums in a Premier League awash with improbable TV fortunes.
Manchester United are forging a bad reputation by targeting galacticos like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar – The Telegraph
Ed Woodward’s determination to target – and then failing to sign – superstars beyond his reach could hurt the club in the long run.
Euro 2016: Scotland: Andrew Robertson says Georgia game has a ‘must win’ feel – BBC Sport
Andrew Robertson says Scotland’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Georgia in Tiblisi has a “must-win” feel about it. The Hull City defender flew out with the rest of the squad from Glasgow ahead of the Group D match on Friday.
US, Swiss federal prosecutors to give update on FIFA cases – Yahoo Sports
On Sept. 14 in Zurich, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch will join her counterpart from Switzerland, Michael Lauber, for a news conference about their separate investigations of corruption in world football.
Mutko heads Russian football ahead of World Cup – Sportsnet
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has taken over control of the country’s football association ahead of the 2018 World Cup, with promises of government money for the sport.
World Cup 2018: Michel Platini and co have to tackle Vladimir Putin – The Guardian
Before Steven Seagal can chat with Jeremy Corbyn at the opening ceremony, Fifa’s presidential candidates need to address the serious possibility of boycotts of the finals in Russia.
Nigeria’s Segun Odegbami unveils Fifa presidential bid – BBC Sport
Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami has announced his intention to become the next Fifa president. The 63-year-old, who won the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations as a player, is the second African to go for football’s top job, after Liberia’s Musa Bility.
Dimitar Berbatov: Ex-Man Utd forward joins Greek club PAOK – BBC Sport
Former Tottenham and Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has signed a one-year deal with PAOK of Greece.
Spector added to USMNT roster ahead of Peru, Brazil friendlies – SBI
U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that Klinsmann has added fullback Jonathan Spector to the U.S. Men’s National Team roster ahead of friendlies against Peru and Brazil. The USMNT, which now sees its roster rise to 24 players, is currently training in Washington D.C. ahead of Friday’s clash with Peru.
Emmanuel Adebayor refuses to leave Tottenham Hotspur because he needs a sign from God – The Telegraph
Spurs striker who demanded his contract be paid in full to leave for Aston Villa also pulled out of transfer on the advice of his pastor.
Scottish referees’ spokesman slams ‘unjust criticism’ – BBC Sport
Scottish referees claim the most recent examples of the “ongoing trend of personal and unjust criticism” towards top officials is “unacceptable.”
QATAR: Khalifa International Stadium growing skywards as structure completion approaches – FIFA
With the concrete structure approaching conclusion and new levels of seating areas adding to the height of the stadium, approximately 90 per cent of the structural concrete has been laid and is expected to be fully completed within two months.
FFA muzzles Postecoglou after pay dispute criticism – Goal
Australia coach Ange Postecoglou has retracted his criticism of Football Federation Australia (FFA) and condemned Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) for playing out a pay dispute ahead of World Cup qualifying.
Socceroos refuse all FFA event in solidarity with A-League and Matildas counterparts – Inside World Football
According to a statement by the PFA on Monday, the players “would not attend FFA commercial events and appearances and will instead seek to undertake additional community and charity appearances to ensure fans do not miss out on meeting the players.”
C.K. Gyamfi: Legendary Ghanaian footballer and coach dies – BBC Sport
Legendary Ghanaian former footballer and coach C.K. Gyamfi has died aged 85. Gyamfi was the first African player to play in Germany, when he joined Fortuna Dusseldorf in 1960, and he also captained the Black Stars.