BC Soccer News, Weekend, September 15-18, 2016

CASCADIA CUP

SEATTLE SOUNDERS vs.  WHITECAPS FC

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016, 1:00 PM

CENTURYLINK FIELD, SEATTLE, WA.

TV: TSN 1   RADIO: TSN 1040  LIVESTREAM: TSN GO

Big stakes on Saturday as ‘Caps, Sounders FC clash at CenturyLink Field – Whitecaps FC
Carl Robinson wasn’t pulling any punches when asked about Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s MLS playoff chances following Tuesday’s historic CONCACAF Champions League win in Kansas City.

Portland Timbers dispute penalty calls in Champions League loss to Saprissa – MLS
The Portland Timbers knew their Wednesday CONCACAF Champions League visit to San Jose, Costa Rica, would present a difficult challenge. And an early goal from Diego Valeri didn’t change that.

Dempsey returns to practice after undergoing tests for irregular heartbeat – SBI
Following a health scare that threatened to sideline him, Clint Dempsey has returned to the practice field. Dempsey returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since an Aug. 27 announcement that the forward would miss time as he underwent examinations for an irregular heart beat.

Sounders “cautiously optimistic” about Clint Dempsey returning in 2016 – MLS
Almost three weeks after it was announced that he would be sidelined indefinitely to undergo a medical evaluation for an irregular heartbeat, Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey made a much-anticipated return to the practice field on Wednesday at Starfire Soccer Complex.

Toronto FC can clinch MLS playoffs berth on Sunday – Waking the Red
Toronto FC can guarantee their second-ever berth in the MLS playoffs by beating New York Red Bulls at BMO Field on Sunday.

CCL Preview: Red Bulls Looks to Win Group Against Alianza – Empire of Soccer
New York Red Bulls have a chance to win their group and advance to the knockout stage of the CONCACAF Champions League with a win against Alianza FC on Thursday night at Red Bull Arena.

Talk of treble not heard at FCD – Soccer America
A drought of nearly two decades without a trophy ended Tuesday night at Toyota Stadium when FC Dallas shook off the concession of an early goal to roll over New England, 4-2.

Minnesota United making list of coaches for next season – source – ESPN FC
With its entry into MLS confirmed for 2017, Minnesota United is compiling a list of managerial candidates for next season, even as manager Carl Craig finishes out the current campaign, a source with knowledge of the club’s thinking told ESPN FC.

Garber says MLS still taking moderate path on expansion – Goal
The MLS commissioner said that while the league is growing and has more new markets in mind, it must avoid the errors made by its predecessors.

How MLS embraced Latinos: ‘We view the Hispanic market as part of our DNA’  – The Guardian
MLS leads the way among sports leagues in targeting Hispanic fans – and it does so by understanding the culture, and not just the language.

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BC SOCCER NEWS

Cowichan FC ready for a kick at another VISL title – Times Colonist
Ready or not, here they come. They being two-time defending Jackson Cup champions Cowichan FC, who open Vancouver Island Soccer League Division I play Friday at home against a revamped Gorge FC roster.

LMG expects a challenge from Gorge in opener on Friday – Cowichan Valley Citizen
Cowichan LMG will begin their defence of the Garrison Cup title this Friday when they open the Vancouver Island Soccer League season at home against Gorge United at the Sherman Road turf at 7:30 p.m.

Port Moody Gunners shoot down Coastal 7-0 in opener – Tri-City News
The Port Moody Gunners have set the tone for the season in their opening Premier League soccer game last weekend. The club blew the doors off of Coastal FC, shutting out their opponents 7-0 in a dominating win that saw the home team build up an early lead at Trasolini Field.

New VMSL season kicks off with some impressive performances – AFTN
The new Vancouver Metro Soccer League season kicked off last weekend, and if the opening games are a good guide, it’s going to be another entertaining and highly competitive year.

Weekend soccer preview: Huge home games for Cascades – UFV
The University of the Fraser Valley soccer teams are at MRC Sports Complex this weekend for a slate of four pivotal Canada West home games.

WolfPack Women’s Soccer Anxious To Debut At Home – Canada West
It could be nerves. It could be excitement.  But whatever it is, the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s soccer team is happy to be able to play before their home fans for the first time this Canada West Season.

SFU striker takes starring role on California trip – Burnaby Now
Those inaugural first days in a new classroom and on a new team can be awkward. Freshman Emma Pringle is having none of that.

Thunderbirds take on division rivals in two pivotal road games – UBC
UBC was held scoreless in two of its first three games this season, but hope to solve their offensive woes and climb back up the rankings with a change of scenery this weekend.

T-Birds look to stay undefeated as Prairie rivals come to town – UBC
The UBC Thunderbirds, ranked second nationally, continues its six-game homestand this weekend.

PREVIEW: Vikes head into the weekend eyeing top spot in Canada West – UVic
There will be a battle for Canada West supremacy when the Vikes women’s soccer team travels to the lower mainland this weekend, to play the Trinity Western University Spartans and the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades.

PREVIEW: Vikes continue home stand against Wesmen and Golden Bears – UVic
The Vikes men’s soccer team will look to keep the ball rolling and add to their only win of the season when they host the University of Winnipeg Wesmen as well as the University of Alberta Golden Bears this coming weekend.

This Week in Sparta – TWU
This week, the No. 3 Trinity Western women’s soccer team is at home for the first time this season, while the No. 6 men’s soccer team is also back in Langley at Chase Office Field.

PHOTOS & RESULTS: VANCOUVER METRO SOCCER LEAGUE 2016-17 OPENING DAY – BC Soccer Web
It was a feast of football in Coquitlam as the Vancouver Metro Soccer League launched the 2016-17 Premier League season with all twelve clubs in action.

Canada West to livestream over 100 Soccer matches in 2016-17 – Canada West
With the 2016-17 Canada West regular season set to open later this week, Canada West is proud to launch passes for Canadawest.tv – the official streaming home of the conference.

BC Soccer Assoc. Releases their 2015-2016 Year in Review – BCSA
After another successful year of soccer in British Columbia, BC Soccer Assoc. is pleased to release their 2015-2016 Year in Review.  The creation of the BC Soccer Club Charter Program, delivery of a FIFA Live Your Goals Festival, along with the numerous Grassroots Festivals across the province and Coach Education highlight some of the major successes this past year.

BC Soccer Assoc. Delivery of Coach Mandate – BCSA
IMPORTANT:  If you are coaching in the ages U6-U12 you are required to complete the age appropriate course(s) even if you have a higher level of certification (ie. Soccer for Life, B pretest, C License, B License or A License). In order to enable our membership to deliver on the coaching mandate, BC Soccer Assoc. will be scheduling Learning Facilitator training sessions to assist organizations to have qualified individuals to deliver in-club coach certification courses to their coaches.

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.

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CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Canada Soccer announces Benito Floro will not continue as Men’s National Team Head Coach – CSA
Canada Soccer has announced that it has exercised its option to not renew the contract with Men’s National Team Head Coach Benito Floro. The announcement comes at the end of Canada’s 2015-16 cycle of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifiers in which Canada came within a point of reaching the CONCACAF Hex.

Canada Soccer dumps Floro, looks for new coach – Cambridge Times
Canadian soccer has claimed another coaching victim. The Canadian Soccer Association dumped Benito Floro on Wednesday, opting not to renew the well-travelled Spaniard’s contract in the wake of Canada’s most recent failed World Cup qualifying campaign.

Benito Floro out, and another coaching search begins for Canadian men – Yahoo Sports
With the Canadian Soccer Association announcing that Benito Floro’s time as men’s national team head coach has come to an end, the carousel begins again.

Canada not rushing to appoint next head coach following Benito Floro’s exit – MLS
The Benito Floro era is over. For now, that’s pretty much all we know for sure. The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) on Wednesday confirmed that it would not be renewing Floro’s contract, one week after the men’s national team’s 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign officially came to an end.

Benito Floro out as Canada’s coach — but who comes next? – The Province
Two of the heroes of Canada’s last significant achievement in men’s soccer want to see a Canadian in charge of the program again. “I really do think we have coaches in this country who are capable of doing well with our national team,” said Craig Forrest, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame goalkeeper and MVP of the 2000 Gold Cup.

Canadian soccer president confident that MLS, NASL roster reform to come in coming months – the11.ca
Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani says he’s confident that we’ll see reforms made to roster rules in both MLS and NASL before the end of the year.

Local players attend high performance clinic – Truro Daily
A group of local soccer players had the opportunity to learn from one the country’s best female players during a training event in Halifax.

PHOTOS: 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Canada 3 El Salvador 1, September 6, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie

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Hometown goalkeeper frustrates FC Edmonton – Edmonton Journal
FC Edmonton needed a win and played for one Wednesday night against Rayo Oklahoma City. However, the ball is not rolling for the local North American Soccer League team at the moment and an Edmonton product came back to stymie them in an entertaining scoreless draw at Clarke Stadium.

“It felt like I was in my backyard”: Rayo OKC keeper enjoys stellar Edmonton homecoming – the11.ca
Daniel Fernandes grew up just a couple of blocks away from Clarke Field. He remembers walking past the stadium day after day. He kicked his first ball in Edmonton.

NASL ROUNDUP: Cvitanich helps Miami FC sneak into second place – Big Apple Soccer
Dario Cvitanich scored seconds after entering the match as a second half-substitute to give Miami FC a 1-0 win over the Carolina RailHawks at FIU Stadium Wednesday night.

LA Galaxy II get back to winning ways against Rio Grande Valley FC, 1-0 – LA Galaxy
Los Dos have now made it to the postseason in each of their three years as a USL club. With a 1-0 win over Rio Grande Valley FC (12-6-9, 45 points) on Wednesday night at StubHub Center, LA Galaxy II (11-7-10, 43 points) clinched a playoff spot in the 2016 USL Playoffs behind another goal from Ariel Lassiter.

Kickers, Charlotte play to scoreless draw – Richmond Times-Dispatch
The City Stadium scoreboard all but shouted its message: 0-0. The scoreboard was incorrect, Richmond Kickers coach Leigh Cowlishaw said.

Race for eighth in USL Eastern Conference is down to four teams – Once a Metro
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds have bowed out of the race for the USL Eastern Conference playoffs. The team needed to win its last three games – and get some help – to stay even mathematically capable of clinching the eighth and last open post-season berth, but it could only battle FC Cincinnati to a 0-0 draw at home on Wednesday, September 14.

Defender Elliott Hord comes full circle with Republic FC – Sacramento Bee
Sacramento Republic FC defender Elliott Hord talks about his late-season signing with the hometown USL team after a training session Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, at Cosumnes River College. The former UC Davis soccer player said it’s nice to play in Sacramento, where his parents watched one recent match at Bonney Field.

2016 USL Cup to Air Live in Prime Time on ESPNU – USL
The 2016 USL Cup, the United Soccer League’s annual championship game, has been scheduled for Sunday, October 23, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The game will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider, as well as globally via ESPN International and the network’s international partnerships.

Cincinnati Surpasses 20,000 Tickets Sold for Home Finale – USL
FC Cincinnati announced on Wednesday it had sold more than 20,000 tickets for the club’s regular-season home finale on Saturday night, as the club welcomes Orlando City B to Nippert Stadium.

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WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS

Kerr voted NWSL Player of the Week – Empire of Soccer
Now the rest of the country knows just what a spectacular season Sky Blue striker Sam Kerr is having. Kerr was named the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Week for week 18 of the 2016 season. She was selected by the members of the NWSL Media Association.

This week in women’s college soccer – Soccer America
In an early season marked by some stunning upsets, one of the biggest was Sunday’s 3-2 victory by Georgetown over Virginia.

Mark Sampson wants his Lionesses to raise the bar – The FA
After steering England to next summer’s Euro finals, head coach Mark Sampson wants his side to keep raising the bar.

2017 UEFA Women’s Euro Qualifying Fixtures and Results – UEFA
Live updates from Thursday’s Women’s Euro qualifiers.

‘She was a great servant to the game’: Tributes paid to ex-ladies football international Sylvia Gore – St. Helen’s Star
TRIBUTES have been paid to a former international women’s footballer who scored England’s first goal. Prescot-born Sylvia Gore passed away on Friday, September 9 aged 71.

Christillin raises issue of clichéd lesbian ‘image’ but says focus must be on equality – Inside World Football
In a bizarre take on her new role at the top table of FIFA, which is trying to enhance gender equality, Italy’s Evelina Christillin, elected on Wednesday as the sole candidate for the position, took reporters somewhat by surprise when asked about her key challenges.

Weekly Comic: Let It Reign – Seattle Weekly
The many reasons why you should be watching Seattle’s women’s soccer team.

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Real Madrid get late win, Leicester and Manchester City win in UCL – ESPN FC
Champions League holders Real Madrid earned a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon in their opening Group F match at the Bernabeu thanks to late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata.

Monaco spoil Tottenham’s Wembley debut in 2-1 upset – France 24
Monaco stunned Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium in their Champions League Group E opener on Wednesday in front of a record attendance for an English team at home in the competition.

Time to appreciate the Europa League for what it is – Sportsnet
Sometimes it’s any wonder UEFA still bothers with the Europa League. It is the ugly sister, unwanted sibling of European soccer, sitting alongside the Champions League like an eyesore marring a spot of natural beauty. In fact, an eyesore marring a natural spot of beauty might get an easier ride than soccer’s unloved mutant.

Europa League offers Memphis Depay one final Man Utd chance – Goal
The forgotten man of the Mourinho regime will have a chance to impress during the European opener against Feyenoord and he must take it to prove he’s worth keeping around.

Sergio Aguero determined to seal Champions League glory at Man City – ESPN FC
Sergio Aguero says he is determined to end his Manchester City career with a Champions League winners’ medal.

Argentina tops latest FIFA Rankings – FIFA
Canada drops to 103rd in the FIFA rankings.

Melbourne Victory close on Michael Essien guest marquee signing – The Guardian
Melbourne Victory are interested in taking advantage of the A-League’s new guest player rule with the signing of former Chelsea star Michael Essien.

Paolo Di Canio suspended as TV presenter due to fascist tattoo – ESPN FC
Paolo Di Canio has been suspended by Sky Sport Italia after the channel received complaints about a fascist tattoo on his right upper-arm that was visible while he was presenting a show earlier this week.

Colin Powell Emails: ‘I’ll be cheering for Team USA!’ – Soccer America
The hacked files from former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Gmail account included tons of barbs at and gossipy remarks about political figures, including both presidential candidates. Many of them were email exchanges with aides, including one about what to post about the USA-Belgium game at the 2014 World Cup.

Manchester City announce a raft of big new signings … robots – ESPN FC
As the professional game continues on its unstoppable march into the future, Manchester City have announced that their latest batch of big-money signings are in fact robots.