BC Soccer News, Weekend, March 17-19, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC  vs.  TORONTO FC

MATCHDAY #3

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2017, 1:00 PM

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‘Caps host rival TFC Saturday afternoon at BC Place – Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC host longtime Canadian rival Toronto FC on Saturday in an afternoon affair at BC Place. And if last year’s meetings – a 4-3 thriller at BMO Field and heartbreaking Voyageurs Cup defeat at BC Place – are any indication, you probably won’t want to miss it.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Toronto FC | 2017 MLS Match Preview – MLS
A pair of Canadian rivals will face off in their lone regular season meeting of 2017 on Saturday, when the Vancouver Whitecaps will host cross-conference foe Toronto FC at BC Place.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Toronto FC Preview: East meets West for the first time this season – Vavel
After stuttering starts to the season, both teams will look to pick up their first three points of the new campaign.

Whitecaps – TFC has the makings of a great rivalry – TSN
Are the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC rivals? It’s a reasonable question to ask. The Canadian soccer fraternity brings the two clubs closer together, making them invested combatants at the very least. But the 3,364 kilometres separating the cities, playing just one league match all season and competing in different conferences does make the rivalry talk a tough sell.

TFC’s Bradley not concerned about slow start to season – Sportsnet
There’s no reason to be worried. If you’re panicking, take a deep breath and remind yourself that there are 32 games remaining in Major League Soccer’s regular season. It’s still incredibly early — far too early to draw any concrete conclusions or make any prognostications about how the rest of the year will play out.

TFC signs defender Hagglund to extension – Toronto Sun
Toronto FC revealed a pair of roster moves Thursday afternoon. Nick Hagglund has been signed to an extension following an impressive end to the 2016 season.

Toronto FC’s Armando Cooper shall not pass (but really should) – Waking the Red
Through the first two games of the season, the midfielder’s decision-making has been off.

Two Vancouver Whitecaps fans feel right at home at Monterrey match – The Province
Andrew McFee and Rod Coleman made the trip to catch the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal match between the soccer powerhouse Tigres and the underdog Whitecaps, and found themselves the only ‘Caps fans among 43,000 spectators in Estadio Universitario’s away section.

Aim not true enough for the Whitecaps – Soccer Shorts
If you do want good possession stats in soccer then money really is a persuasive talker because good players pass the ball better than bad players and good players command a higher salary than bad players do.

MLS Weekend: Three Games to Watch – Soccer America
After just two rounds of the 2017 season, three teams are already looking a lot better than they did last year, and all three face road tests this weekend that can validate their apparent upgrades.

New York City FC vs. Montreal Impact: Preview – MLS Multiplex
2016 Eastern Conference regular season runners-up New York City FC play host to Montreal Impact at the Yankee Stadium in week 3 of MLS action.

Sounders wary of Red Bulls’ pressing tactics – Sounder at Heart
Two of the goals Sounders have allowed this year came directly from turnovers.

Real Salt Lake vs. LA Galaxy | 2017 MLS Match Preview – MLS
A pair of winless Western Conference foes will take the field at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday evening while already combatting a mix of injuries, suspensions and a general malaise brought about by underperformance relative to expectations. The beginning of 2017 has been kind to neither of the teams who were constantly at or near the top of the table for the first half of the decade.

Minnesota United vs Colorado Rapids Preview – Prost Amerika
Minnesota have had a less than fairy tale start to their time in MLS as the expansion team have yet to earn a single point through their first two games and have been soundly beaten in both the season opener, a 5-1 demolition at the hands of Portland Timbers, and a 6-1 drubbing, in the Minnesota snow, against fellow expansion team Atlanta United.

With Kaka hurt, well-traveled Giles Barnes ready to fill huge Orlando void – MLS
Giles Barnes has been on something of a rollercoaster ride over the past nine months, but he’s hoping his arrival in Orlando will slow things down and enable him to get back to what he’s known for best in the league: Scoring goals.

Nick Lima’s rookie season is off to a dream start – SN
Nick Lima loved to score goals. That’s a trait shared by pretty much all soccer players but especially forwards, which is the position Lima played growing up. That love led him all the way to Pac-12 power California, but it didn’t take his college coach long to see a different future for Lima – one that would be centered more around preventing goals than scoring them.

For NYCFC’s Chanot, a Good Start to a Young Season – Empire of Soccer
Maxime Chanot has settled into life at New York City FC. He was able to spend an entire preseason with the team for the first time and started both games at the start of the 2017 Major League Soccer season. Chanot said he has plenty to be happy about.

BWP Got His Green Card, No Longer an International – NYRB
Bradley Wright-Phillips is no longer an International player for the New York Red Bulls. Head Coach Jesse Marsch confirmed on Wednesday that BWP received his green card during the offseason.

Dom Dwyer secures U.S. citizenship – SBI
Dom Dwyer has made no secret of his desire to one day play for the U.S. Men’s National Team. He has cleared a major hurdle toward making that dream a reality.

MLS PHOTOS: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 Philadelphia Union 0, March 5, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

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VMSL round-up: Promotion/relegation battles become clearer ahead of cup semi-finals – AFTN
With snowmageddon over (we hope!), the games are coming thick and fast now in both VMSL leagues and cups, and some champions, and promotion and relegation issues are now either decided or becoming pretty clear cut. It’s also semi-final weekend in all of the cups, so there’s a lot of meaningful matches for you to take in over the next week.

Cowichan LMG escapes crazy one with Saanich Fusion – Cowichan Valley Citizen
In a clash between first and worst in Div. 1 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League, Cowichan LMG was fortunate to escape with a 3-2 win over Saanich Fusion last Saturday.

Heat soccer adds Kathleen Deady from Coquitlam – UBCO
Kathleen Deady will join the UBC Okanagan Heat women’s soccer program next season after a successful high school career in Coquitlam. The 5’9” defender is currently the captain of her high school team at Charles Best Secondary, where she and her side took home a provincial championship in 2015. Outside of school she has also played with Coquitlam Metro Ford in the BCSPL for the past five years, beginning with the u13 team there.

‘Spring training’ coming to Ladysmith over March Break – Ladysmith Chronicle
The International Soccer Academy of Vancouver Island (ISAVI) is holding its spring soccer camp at Ladysmith Secondary, offering opportunities to focus on improving individual skill development.

BC Soccer Assoc. Scholarships – BCSA
BC Soccer is proud to award scholarships every year to players and referees proceeding on to post-secondary education. The Scholarships are presented at a special Scholarship Celebration at a Whitecaps FC match in June/July each year. Applications must be received by the British Columbia Soccer Association Office by March 31st.

REVIEW: The Miracle Mile. Stories of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – BC BookLook
Author Jason Beck is curator of the BC Sports Hall of Fame in BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, and convenor two years ago of an excellent exhibition about the 1954 Games. In his first book, he proves to be a meticulous researcher, a compelling story-teller, and a crafty realist who knows how to hook his readers. Watch how, two pages into the book, he uses filmic technique to evoke the arriving athletes’ youthful buzz and give period colouring and costuming, but then smartly moves his camera in to introduce his stars.

TSS Rovers launch website & 2017 Season Ticket Campaign – TSS Rovers
TSS FC Rovers play their inaugural season in the PDL at iconic Swangard Stadium. Season Tickets are $70 for Adults, $49 for U12 Youth.

Becoming a BC Soccer Referee – BCSA
Whether you are an experienced referee new to British Columbia or if you are new to the discipline of refereeing BC Soccer Assoc. has a clinic and a pathway for you.  The minimum age to become a referee is 12 years old (small sided) and 14 years old (11-a-side). Please enjoy the short video showcasing some Referee programs that BC Soccer offers and continue below for more on how to become a referee in BC!

To our Readers: A Choice – BC Soccer Web
Soccer has brought us to the United States many times. It’s a great place with decent people. We especially look forward to our Cascadia trips to Seattle and Portland. They’re incredible cities with wonderful supporters. That’s why it was so disheartening to see chaos and fear take hold in the airports and borders of our neighbours to the south.

BC Soccer Assoc. is Now Accepting 2016-2017 Awards Nominations – BCSA
We are pleased to inform everyone that BC soccer Assoc. is currently accepting Awards nominations until the submission deadline date of March 31, 2017. Selection of the award recipients is based on many factors including the individual’s commitment, community involvement and willingness to give back to the game. This year any BC Soccer Assoc. member and their affiliate clubs may submit a nomination.

2017 BC Soccer Assoc. is accepting candidates for its Board of Directors – BCSA
BC Soccer Assoc. is accepting candidates for its Board of Directors for terms commencing June, 2017 (following the BC Soccer Annual General Meeting).

Victoria Highlanders 2017 Season Passes now on sale – Highlanders FC
Support local soccer on Vancouver Island. Join the excitement of Highlanders FC PDL Soccer!

PHOTOS: CANADA WEST WOMENS FINAL, UBC 3, TWU 0, NOVEMBER 6, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

2016 BC Soccer Provincial Cup Photo Galleries – BC Soccer Web
Westhills Stadium & Goudy Park in Langford hosted the 2016 BC Soccer Adult Provincial Cup Finals. It was a thrilling weekend of soccer on Vancouver Island that saw seven champions crowned. Richmond FC & Surrey Pegasus qualified for the National Championships this Fall in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Both Coquitlam Metro-Ford Masters & Classics sides qualified for the Western Canadian Masters Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In all, it was a clean sweep for teams from the VMSL & MWSL. Monique Lamoureux & Bill Currie from BC Soccer Web were on location that weekend, capturing the all the action.

Free Physiotherapy Clinical Trial for Achilles Pain at UBC – UBC Centre for Hip Health & Mobility
Do you have Achilles pain? Interested in free Physiotherapy? If yes, join our clinical trial to look at the effectiveness of intramuscular stimulation (IMS), a form of acupuncture therapy, in treating Achilles tendon pain.

The BC Soccer Web Guide to Empire Field – BC Soccer Web
Empire Fields and Plateau Sports Park is the lofty and formal name given to Vancouver’s newest addition to the soccer scene. Yet, anyone who’s ever kicked or carried both kinds of footballs around these parts knows the place by heart.

Introducing BC Soccer Web Syndication – BC Soccer Web
You can now add BC Soccer Web news to your website simply by adding our new RSS Feed! Find out more.

Send your Soccer News to BC Soccer Web! – BC Soccer Web
BC Soccer Web is the hub for soccer in British Columbia. We want to share your soccer news with the entire province, and you can help by letting us know! We want your match reports, club news, league standings, and info on upcoming tournaments and clinics. Whether you submit links to existing news on the web, or your own original writing, we want to share it with the soccer community in B.C.

3v3 Live Soccer Tour Comes to Canada

CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Canada set to appoint Octavio Zambrano as new men’s national team head coach – Waking the Red
It’s now being widely reported that Octavio Zambrano will be the new Canada men’s national team head coach.

Five Canada Games soccer players joining Memorial men’s team – The Telegram
The Memorial Sea-Hawks men’s soccer team and coach Jake Stanford has announced the addition of five players to the MUN roster for the 2017 AUS season.

Canada Soccer looking for candidates to serve on the Board of Directors starting May 2017 – CSA
Deadline for application is 4:00 pm ET on Wednesday, 22 March 2017.

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WFC2 Signs PDL Standout de Vries – USL
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 announced on Thursday that the club had signed center back Francis de Vries. The signing is pending league and federation approval.

Toronto FC II Signs Lars Eckenrode – Toronto FC
Toronto FC II announced Thursday that the club has signed defender Lars Eckenrode to a USL contract.

2017 USL Preview: Ottawa Fury FC – USL
Ottawa Fury FC makes its debut in the USL in 2017 and brings a number of familiar names to USL fans, as well as a strong core of Canadian internationals, as it looks to make an immediate impact in the Eastern Conference. Fury FC should also benefit from its partnership with the Montreal Impact, with players already making their way to Canada’s capital from la belle province.

Republic FC Signs T&T International James – USL
Sacramento Republic FC have agreed to a contract with Julius James for the 2017 USL season, pending league and federation approval. A Trinidad & Tobago international, James has made more than 150 professional appearances in his career.

Go Deltas! Professional Soccer Comes to San Francisco –  NBC Bay Area
The inaugural season for the San Francisco Deltas starts a week from Saturday, though the team already has been on the field, playing friendlies. But on March 25, the Deltas make their official debut in their North American Soccer League opener against the Indy 11 at Kezar Stadium.

Cosmos Coming to MSG Networks – Empire of Soccer
The club said on Thursday that 13 of its North American Soccer League Spring Season games would be carried by MSG Networks, beginning with the April 8 match at Miami FC. MSG is also the TV home of the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer.

Carli Lloyd on playing with Manchester City: ‘There’ll be lots of doors that will open’ – Excelle Sports
Two-time FIFA Player of the Year Carli Lloyd will launch her career with Manchester City as the reigning Super League champions face Reading on Saturday.

Brazil set to play USA, Japan and Australia this summer – Women’s Soccer United
Brazil face some tough challenges ahead as they plan many international friendly matches for 2017.

Breakers sign midfielder Morgan Andrews – Boston Breakers
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft out of the University of Southern California, Andrews won a NCAA National Championship with the Trojans in 2016. She was named to the 2016 NCAA Women’s College Cup All-Tournament Team.

Panico first female Italy Coach –  Football Italia
Former women’s football star Patrizia Panico will make history, acting as the Coach of the Under-16 men’s squad for two games. She will be the first ever woman to sit on the bench of an Italy men’s national side.

Fading, decaying RFK Stadium holds much WoSo history – The Equalizer
You don’t have to step foot inside of present day RFK Stadium to understand of what’s become of the 57-year old sports venue. The discoloration and rust that dominate the outer shell of the stadium give way to even more severe signs of neglect and aging inside.

Captain America: Rampone’s legacy transcends generations – Four Four Two
The lack of huge goal totals meant she was overshadowed, but Christie Rampone earned her place among the legends of U.S. soccer.

Khalida Popal, Afghanistan football pioneer: ‘If the haters couldn’t stop me, Trump can’t’ – The Guardian
She was the face of women’s football in Afghanistan but had to flee because of death threats. Now Popal is living in Denmark, defying the US president and helping women gain confidence through sport.

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Bob Lenarduzzi: Man City hopes it’s home cooking vs. Liverpool – The Province
Manchester City hosts Liverpool on Sunday as two of the Premier League’s top four sides battle for position. City is level on points with Tottenham, and just a point up on fourth-place Liverpool.

Champions League quarter-finals: Leicester City to face Atlético Madrid – The Guardian
Leicester will face 2016 runners up Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with Bayern Munich facing holders Real Madrid.

Soccer weekend: What to watch in Europe’s main leagues – North Bay Nipissing
What to watch out for in the leading soccer leagues in Europe this weekend.

Schalke, United, Lyon and Ajax into Europa League last eight – Reuters
Schalke 04 hit back from two goals down to draw 2-2 and overcome fellow Germans Borussia Moenchenglach on away goals in their Europa League last 16 tie while Manchester United edged Rostov 1-0 to progress on Thursday.

High-flying Monaco head to Caen on cloud nine – Ligue 1
Monaco have been top since Week 20, though the principality club’s last seven days will nonetheless take some beating. Leanardo Jardim’s men beat Manchester City 3-1 on Wednesday to win through to the Champions League quarter-finals for the second time in three years, while Kylian Mbappé – who got the opener – has been named in the latest France squad for the first time, alongside teammates Thomas Lemar, Djibril Sidibé and Benjamin Mendy.

Mario Balotelli vows to stop giving interviews after negative portrayal – ESPN FC
Mario Balotelli has vowed to not give anymore interviews after the way in which French media distorted a recent sit down with the Nice forward.

Last Germany call-up for Lukas Podolski, 1st for Timo Werner – Sportsnet
The 31-year-old Podolski will play his 130th and final game for Germany in Wednesday’s friendly against England in Dortmund. The Galatasaray player announced his retirement after last year’s European Championship. Since making his debut on June 6, 2004, the Polish-born forward has scored 48 goals for Germany.

Barcelona were the only team to help Chapecoense after crash, says president– SN
Chapecoense’s president has revealed that Barcelona were the only team in Europe to give financial aid following the tragic plane crash in November 2016.

Aloys Wijnker is new U.S. Soccer DA director – Soccer America
Aloys Wijnker, the Dutchman who has served as U.S. Soccer Coach Educator since January 2016, is the now Director of the Boys U.S. Soccer Development Academy. He will serve as the “technical lead” of the boys DA, a role played by Director of Scouting, Tony Lepore, since 2008. Lepore will now serve as the Director of U.S. Soccer’s newly established Talent Identification Department.

Long knives at the museum: FIFA consigns another 36 staff to history – Inside World Football
The swathe of redundancies at FIFA’s once trumpeted but increasingly troubled museum in Zurich shows no sign of diminishing.  After eight employees were dismissed at the beginning of the year, the management is now getting rid of another 36, according to Swiss reports.

Lack of winter break or not good enough: why are English clubs failing in Europe? – The Guardian
Gruelling festive fixture lists may not be good preparation for playing Champions League football in February but Tottenham were already out by Christmas.