BC Soccer News, Monday, January 2, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

Five things to look forward to in 2017 – Whitecaps FC
The calendar has turned and Vancouver Whitecaps FC are now less than a month away from kicking off the preseason and less than two months away from opening their 2017 campaign in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.

Episode 170 – The AFTN Soccer Podcast (Ring out the old, bring in the new roundtable) – AFTN
Ring out the old, ring in the new. Or from a Vancouver Whitecaps perspective, bring in the new. Is there anyone who isn’t glad to see the back of 2016? Happy and healthy New Year salutations to you all from all of us here at AFTN.

Striker Masato Kudo moves on – Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Friday that the club has parted ways with striker Masato Kudo. The club and Kudo have mutually agreed to a contract termination.

‘I will be the biggest supporter:’ Masato Kudo pens goodbye letter – Whitecaps FC
Former Whitecaps FC striker Masato Kudo says goodbye after he and the club mutually agreed to part ways last week. Kudo has subsequently joined J-League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

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BC SOCCER NEWS

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.

VMSL PHOTOS: Richmond FC Hibs 1, ICSF Columbus FC 0, November 5, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

Tickets now on sale for Canada Soccer Women’s National Team celebration match 4 February in Vancouver – CSA
Individual tickets to the Canada v Mexico Women’s National Team Bronze Medal celebration match on 4 February 2017 in Vancouver are now on sale to the public. Complete ticket information can be found at CanadaSoccer.com/Tickets.

MWSL PHOTOS: Van United Primas 0, Fraser Valley Action 2, October 30, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

PHOTOS: GNAC Women’s Soccer: SFU 1 Concordia U. (Ore.) 0, October 20, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

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

Counting down the Top 10 Canadian players in MLS in 2016 – MLS
Our lives are governed by a certain set of immutable laws; one of these laws is that noteworthy people, events and ideas naturally coalesce into groups of 10.

Q&A: Victor Montagliani reflects on his time in charge of Canada Soccer – MLS
The torch is about to be passed up north, as 2016 marks the final full year of Victor Montagliani’s tenure as president of the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) before he fully assumes his new role as president of CONCACAF.

Canadian soccer stars Buchanan, Lawrence ponder futures – CBC
The club future of two of Canada’s finest women’s soccer players will be decided in the coming days. And Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence have lucrative options.

Playing surfaces, competing Olympic bid: A joint World Cup bid has a lot of hurdles to clear – the11.ca
Victor Montagliani, who at the moment is president of both CONCACAF and the Canadian Soccer Association, says he will speak to federations in Mexico and the United States about a joint bid for the 2026 World Cup.

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Atlanta Group To Bring Pro Soccer To DeKalb County – Midfield Press
The Atlanta Silverbacks provided the area with pro soccer for many years, but dropped out of the NASL after the 2015 season (the name lives on in the NPSL).  Atlanta United FC will debut in MLS in 2017, sharing Mercedes Benz Stadium with their sister organization, the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.  Midfield Press was able to connect with Trey Brantley, one of the partners in a group looking to bring NASL and NWSL franchises to the eastern Atlanta market.

Hammer Time:  Grassroots Club Taps Into Birmingham’s Soccer Potential – Midfield Press
Birmingham is one of the largest metro areas in the USA without MLS or one of the four major league pro sports.  With a population of 1.1 million, Birmingham is a bigger TV market than established major league towns Buffalo, New Orleans and Jacksonville.  The area has an appetite for soccer, as evidenced by the USWNT drawing over 35,000 to Legion Field for a friendly against Haiti in September 2015.

USWNT, U.S. Soccer continue on without CBA – The Equalizer
The end of 2016 brought with it the end of U.S. Soccer’s collective bargaining agreement with the women’s national team. The deadline came and went quietly with the only news of note over the last month being the split between the players and attorney Rich Nichols.

Champs held by Adelaide – W-League
Melbourne City were held to a 1-1 draw by Adelaide United on Monday, after Jess Fishlock’s spectacular free-kick was cancelled out by Rachael Quigley at CB Smith Reserve.

India enter SAFF Women’s Football final – Indian Express
India produced a clinical display as they beat Nepal 3-1 to enter the final of the SAFF Women’s Football Championship at the Kanchenjunga Stadium here today.

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Giroud’s ‘scorpion’ goal helps Arsenal beat Crystal Palace – Sportsnet
With Alexis Sanchez’s cross floating into the penalty area behind him, Olivier Giroud only had one choice: A back-heeled overhead flick.

Sam Allardyce says Premier League fixture organiser should be sacked – The Guardian
Sam Allardyce, after winning one point from his first two games in charge of Crystal Palace, has called for the Premier League fixture organiser to be “sacked”.

Ramos expects to miss Sevilla clash – Four Four Two
Real Madrid are likely to be without Sergio Ramos for the Copa del Rey meeting with Sevilla on Wednesday.

Paul Clement set to leave Bayern to become Swansea manager – Metro
Bayern Munich has given assistant manager Paul Clement permission to hold talks with Swansea over becoming manager of the English Premier League club.

Premier League: Middlesbrough, Leicester play to scoreless draw – Sportsnet
Gaston Ramirez’s late miss provided a timely reminder of Middlesbrough’s need for attacking reinforcements in a 0-0 draw with struggling champion Leicester in the English Premier League on Monday.

Transfers – January 2017 – BBC Sport
Keep up to date with all of the confirmed deals in our list below.

The worst January transfers every year since the winter window started – The Guardian
Some got roughed up by Gary Neville, others had an obsession with Twitter, but from Michael Ricketts to Oumar Niasse, these players all have a dismal January transfer in common.

Kashima Antlers win Emperor’s Cup to land domestic double – AFC
An extra-time goal from Brazilian midfielder Fabricio helped Kashima Antlers beat Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 on Sunday to secure a fifth Emperor’s Cup title and complete a memorable league and cup double.

27 wins in a row for record-breaking TNS – UEFA
Welsh champions The New Saints have recorded a 27th consecutive competitive victory, eclipsing a world-record mark set by Ajax’s all-star squad in 1971/72.

World football’s dates for your diary in 2017 – FIFA
Happy New Year! 2017 is upon us and is set to feature fantastic football aplenty. To make sure that you do not miss any of the must-see events in store, FIFA.com has rounded up the highlights on the horizon. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your new diary and note down the following key dates!