BC Soccer News, Monday, March 13, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

TIGRES UANL (MX) vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

SEMI-FINAL, 1ST LEG

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017, 7:00 PM

ESTADIO UNIVERSITARIO, SAN NICOLAS DE LOS GARZA, NUEVA LEON

TV: TBD  ONLINE: TBD

Whitecaps see red as Earthquakes rally from 2-goal deficit – CBC
​Anibal Godoy scored in the 79th minute, capping the San Jose Earthquakes’ comeback from a two-goal deficit in a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night.

Report and Reaction: Vancouver Whitecaps looked to be in dreamland but nightmares returned in San Jose – AFTN
Previous games in California between Vancouver Whitecaps and San Jose Earthquakes have served up some dull and low scoring affairs, but Avaya Stadium was the place for action and thrills on Saturday night in a match that turned on David Ousted’s sending off midway through the first half.

Vancouver Whitecaps Fall 3-2 to Earthquakes in San Jose – Eighty-Six Forever
What Started as a Dream, Ending in a Nightmare. The Vancouver Whitecaps took an unusual route, but in the end, their matchup against San Jose Earthquake ended the way we had predicted: a loss.

Hurtado, Mezquida score but Quakes come back to win 3-2 over 10-men ‘Caps – Whitecaps FC
Anibal Godoy’s second-half wonder strike completed a 3-2 comeback win for San Jose Earthquakes (2W-0L-0D) over 10-men Vancouver Whitecaps FC (0W-1L-1D) on Saturday evening at Avaya Stadium.

Whitecaps soar before falling in San Jose – Soccer Shorts
In San Jose on Saturday evening they raced into a two goal lead over the Earthquakes before a defensive mix up between Kendall Waston and Christian Dean enticed David Ousted to rush out of his penalty area and leave a trailing leg to bring down Chris Wondolowski and earn a red card.

Into the Lion’s Den: Montero, Rosales draw on Mexico experiences heading into Tuesday’s Tigres showdown – Whitecaps FC
For most Vancouver Whitecaps FC players, Tuesday night’s CONCACAF Champions League semifinal vs. Tigres UANL in Monterrey, Mexico will be an entirely new experience.

Valentine’s Mexico memories: ‘One of the toughest places to play’– Whitecaps FC
Club legend Carl Valentine shares his memories playing in Mexico ahead of Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Champions League semifinal clash vs. Tigres UANL on Tuesday night in Monterrey, Mexico.

Know thy enemy: ESPN’s Tom Marshall digs deep on Tigres UANL – Whitecaps FC
On Tuesday night in Monterrey, Mexico, and then again on April 5 at BC Place, Vancouver Whitecaps FC will face reigning Mexican Liga MX champions Tigres UANL in two of the biggest matches in club history.

Week 2 MLS Recap | Atlanta rules in the snow | 4 squads stay perfect – MLS
Portland continued their perfect start to the season with a somewhat nervy 1-0 away victory again a shorthanded LA Galaxy side. RECAP

Minnesota United left to look for answers after second blowout loss –  MLS
This was not the home opener Minnesota United envisioned. The Loons were put on ice early in their first MLS home game, falling 3-0 within the first 27 minutes at TCF Bank Stadium before losing 6-1 to fellow expansion side Atlanta United. The Western Conference club never found its footing, allowing a goal in the third minute and struggling to recover.

By the Numbers: Worst starts by expansion teams – Soccer America
Minnesota United isn’t the only expansion to lose its first two games. Five expansion teams lost their first two games and three others were winless after two games, but no team has lost as badly as the Loons did in their first two games, dropping 5-1 and 6-1 decisions.

Galaxy staying positive despite rough start – Prost Amerika
The last time the Galaxy started out a season 0-2 was 2001. That season, the Galaxy eventually made it to the MLS Cup final, where they lost to its arch-rival San Jose Earthquakes in Columbus on a stoppage time goal by Dwayne DeRosario. While it’s too early to seen how the remainder of the Galaxy’s season will turn out, LA is nevertheless trying to stay positive following its 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers at StubHub Center on Sunday evening.

Toronto FC’s Armando Cooper brings much good, some bad, to Reds – Toronto Star
Armando Cooper has been good for Toronto FC. But with the good comes the much smaller portion of bad with the Panamanian international, who was culpable on the Philadelphia Union’s game-tying goal in a 2-2 finish Saturday night.

Sounders use late, late comeback to grab a point in Montreal – GoalWA
The Montreal Impact and Seattle Sounders bounced back from opening-week losses, drawing 2-2 on Saturday at Olympic Stadium after a late Seattle comeback.

Collapse aside, Montreal Impact showed improved play versus Sounders – Sportsnet
You could see the contempt in Mauro Biello’s eyes, hear the seething rage in his voice. “It’s as if my team was just waiting for the final whistle, and that’s what pissed me off. In the end, you have to play with urgency all the time,” Biello fumed.

MLS Counterattack: Rough start to season for Giovinco – Sportsnet
We’re two weeks into the MLS season and all three Canadian teams have yet to pick up a win, and they have combined to take just four out of a possible 18 points. Time to panic, right? Nah, it’s still early.

Timbers’ Guzman hurts himself diving, gets Van Damme sent off – Four Four Two
This one will go on the wall of shame. Diving is an ugly part of the beautiful game, but it really hits rock-bottom when you start injuring yourself in the process.

Robles ‘Grateful’ After Record-Breaking Start – Empire of Soccer
Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles made history on Saturday breaking a Major League Soccer record with his 142nd straight start. The record was previously held by the Kansas City, Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles midfielder Chris Klein from 2005-9.

MLS Home Opener Meant Big Day for Soccer Fans in Minnesota – Fifty Five One
Soccer fans gathered for a celebration on Sunday. It was the very first MLS home opener for Minnesota United and 35,043 supporters came to celebrate. And in keeping with Minnesota’s obsession with weather, mother nature didn’t disappoint with temperatures in the low 20s, snow, and a little wind to boot.

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

Train With Champions TWU Spartan Female Soccer Academy

BC SOCCER NEWS

VISL Results and Standings – March 10-12 – VISL
Cowichan mathematically needs 1 more win to clinch the Cup.  Or, a draw might be enough if Vic West does not earn a goal differential of 14 over the next 2 games.

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific Mourns the Loss of Bill Thomson – CSI Pacific
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Bill Thomson, ChPC, a true visionary in our Canadian sport community who played a pivotal role in the growth and formalization of coaching in Canada. As the inaugural Chairman of Canada’s first National Coaching Institute (NCI) in Victoria, B.C., Bill mentored more than 250 coaches during his tenure as they gained their National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Level 4/5 accreditation and National Coaching Institute Diploma in high performance coaching.

Juan de Fuca scores biggest win of the VISL season – Saanich News
A big finish carried the Juan de Fuca Division 3A men’s team to a whole lot of glory Friday night at Hampton Park in Saanich.

SFU Men’s soccer edged out by Whitecaps FC 2 in six-goal contest – The Peak
SFU men’s soccer was unlucky to come away empty-handed from their meeting with Whitecaps FC 2 on Friday evening, as an entertaining affair on Terry Fox Field saw the visiting Vancouver side outscore their hosts 4–2.

SFSS reopens possibility of creating a stadium after all – The Peak
After the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) abruptly cancelled the stadium project as part of Build SFU last August, the announcement that the project would be reviewed came out this week. This comes after the decision to cancel the project was met with severe backlash, and came in the midst of a series of controversies for the SFSS. Now, as this board winds down the last two months of their elected term, they are seemingly making good on the claims from SFU Athletics that “SFU students deserve better.”

3v3 Live Soccer Tour is starting Canadian Tour – 3v3 Live
3v3 Live Soccer Tour and Holbrook Sports Management are excited to announce the expansion of the 3v3 Live Soccer Tour into the Canadian soccer market.  With the first event taking place on the August 19/20 weekend in Surrey, BC, plans are to expand this exciting tournament concept across Canada.

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!

TSS FC Rovers Open Tryouts – TSS Rovers
Vancouver’s newest team, TSS FC Rovers, is looking for Canada’s best up and coming players to play for their first squad in 2017. If you are a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, could possibly play for our national team one day, and meet the age requirment of 23 and under, we want to see you play!

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.

FVSL All-Stars to face WFC2 in March – BC Soccer Web
January snow and ice in the Lower Mainland put the brakes on the annual clash between the Fraser Valley Soccer League All-Stars and the best from the VISL this year. That hasn’t stopped the FVSL from planning an ambitious All-Star series in March.

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.

Connect with Soccer in British Columbia! Advertise on BC Soccer Web today!

CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Canada to host Curacao in Montreal ahead of Gold Cup – Sportsnet
Canada’s men’s soccer team will play Curacao in an international friendly in Montreal this summer ahead of the biennial CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Canada Soccer invites 34 players to western identification camp – CSA
Canada Soccer has invited 34 players to the Boys’ U-15 identification camp as part of the Men’s EXCEL Program. The four-day camp, led by staff coach Rob Gale, runs 13-16 March in Burnaby.

Five More League1 Players Sign Professional Contracts – League1 Ontario
Five more men’s League1 players signed professional contracts in the past week, bringing the total number that have moved on from this Canadian division III pro-am league to fully professional clubs around the globe to 64 players – in just two and a half years.

Karina LeBlanc: Past and present – Prost Amerika
Asif Burhan catches up with Karina LeBlanc during the FIFA Conference of Equality and Inclusion to talk about her career.

Danny Dichio and Toronto FC III prepared for Viareggio Cup experience – Waking the Red
Toronto FC’s representatives – a combination of players from TFC II and the top academy side, TFC III – at the 69th Viareggio Cup kick off on Monday morning at 10am (3pm local time) with a match against SS Maceratese.

League1 Ontario Unveils Men’s And Women’s 2017 Regular Season Schedule – League1 Ontario
League1 Ontario, Ontario’s regional division III pro-am men’s and women’s senior league, today unveiled its 2017 men’s and women’s regular season schedule.

Soccer fans hit the field to raise awareness, funds for Yemen famine crisis – CBC
A seven-a-side soccer tournament, Goals 4 Yemen brought out around 150 people to the Oakville Soccer Club to raise awareness about the conditions in the impoverished Arab nation — and raise money for milk powder and food that will be distributed directly to Yemenis through the Islamic Humanitarian Service.

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.

 Premium Classified Advertising on BC Soccer Web Starting at 50 cents per day!

WFC2 Earns Victory in Preseason Clash – USL
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 earned their second consecutive win of the preseason with a 4-2 victory against Simon Fraser University on Friday night in preparation for the 2017 USL season.

OSEG Founding Partners Earn Hall of Fame Honor – USL
The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame announced today that the founding partners of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) will be its 2017 Hall inductees. The OSEG founding partners include Roger Greenberg, John Ruddy, Jeff Hunt, John Pugh and Bill Shenkman. They will be honored at the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which takes place on June 2 at the Horticultural Building at Lansdowne Park.

North Carolina FC announces the US’ largest youth academy – MLS Multiplex
Through acquiring the massive CASL network in the Raleigh, NC region, North Carolina FC now controls the largest youth academy system.

Another group emerges with plan to bring soccer to San Diego – 10News
Mind Soccer Group, comprised of investors and former professional soccer players, revealed to 10News that it plans to submit an application to the North American Soccer League (NASL) to bring a team to San Diego. It would submit the plans in the next couple of weeks.

Downtown Boise baseball, soccer stadium in the works at Americana and Shoreline – Idaho Statesman
The stadium would be the new home for the Hawks, the Treasure Valley’s minor league baseball team, and potentially for a minor league soccer team. And there is some hope that Boise State University would use the field for new men’s baseball and women’s lacrosse teams.

Houston Dash Acquire 2018 Third-Round Pick from FC Kansas City for Moros – Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dash have acquired FC Kansas City’s highest third-round draft pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft in a trade for defender Rebecca Moros, the club announced Friday.

FA unveils plans to strengthen women’s football – sport.co.uk
The Football Association wants to double participation in the women’s and girls’ game to nearly six million by 2020. The FA’s ambitious strategy, “The Gameplan for Growth” was outlined at Wembley Stadium on Monday.

Football Association ‘let down’ women’s football – Martin Glenn – BBC Sport
The Football Association “let down” women’s football in the past, chief executive Martin Glenn has said. The FA banned women’s football from being played at Football League grounds in 1921 and did not take the sport back under its jurisdiction until 1993. Glenn said: “We even banned it in its pomp and we were slow to introduce it. We are addressing these failings.”

SWPL 2017 Previews – Scottish WPL
The 2017 SWPL season got underway on Sunday. It promises to be even more exciting than last season. Here we preview each of the 16 SWPL clubs.

WSL 2 Week 3 and 4 Review: Durham rise to the top – Vavel
Even in the whirlwind of the Spring Series, teams are already at different points of their season with the Belles registering a win in their first game, Brighton and third draw and Everton and second win.

2017 Continental Tyres WNL launched – Irish WNL
The opening weekend kicks off on Saturday, March 18 with all eyes on Shelbourne Ladies as they prepare to defend the title against Cork City WFC, Galway WFC, Kilkenny United WFC, Peamount United, UCD Waves and Wexford Youths WFC.

VAVEL UK sits down with Elise Kellond-Knight – Vavel
The Australian midfielder is happy in Germany, despite the lack of surfing.

Jordan gets women’s stadium for 2018 Asia Cup –  World Soccer Talk
The Jordan Football Association on Sunday inaugurated its first women’s stadium in the capital Amman that is to feature in next year’s Women’s Asian Cup. Jordan will become the first Middle East nation to host a top Asian women’s football tournament when the cup is staged in April 2018.

Find a Team or Find a Player with BC Soccer Web FREE Classifieds!

WORLD SOCCER NEWS

European Weekend Rewind: Deportivo upsets Barcelona, Juventus tops Milan and more – SBI
Barcelona overcame all odds to secure a historic Champions League result midweek, but the Spanish giant couldn’t quite muster enough energy to role that momentum into league play.

Madrid leapfrog Barcelona, Bayern and Monaco prevail – UEFA
Real Madrid returned to the Liga summit after Barcelona were brought crashing back down to earth, while Robert Lewandowski brought up a century of goals for Bayern and Monaco won in France.

La Liga table: Results, standings and recap after Week 27 – SN
Real Madrid took a huge step towards winning La Liga by beating Real Betis courtesy of yet more Sergio Ramos heroics after Barcelona had lost to Deportivo La Coruna.

Allegri: ‘Juventus deserved victory’ – Football Italia
Max Allegri insists “Juventus deserved the victory against a Milan side that never gives up” and reveals he didn’t see Paulo Dybala take the penalty. Carlos Bacca had replied to a Medhi Benatia goal for 1-1, but with the final kick of the game Dybala converted a penalty for a controversial handball decision.

Referees Refuse to Work Soccer Games in Mexico – NY Times
Mexican sports fans mourned a weekend without soccer after referees for the country’s first-tier league refused to officiate games in protest of the decision not to impose tougher punishments on two players who shoved officials.

Week 29 review: Paris back on track as Lyon roar again – Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain bounced back from Champions League agony with a somewhat nervy 2-1 win in Lorient to stay within three points of leaders Monaco; Memphis Depay scored a stunner as OL backed up Europa League success with a big win over Toulouse.

Arsenal ends Lincoln City’s unlikely FA Cup run – Toronto Star
Fifth-tier side made history by reaching quarter-finals, but couldn’t match Premier League side.

Craig Shakespeare named Leicester manager until end of season – The Telegraph
Leicester City have confirmed Craig Shakespeare’s appointment as manager for the rest of the season, ahead of the club’s biggest game in their 133-year history. Shakespeare has been handed the task of taking on Sevilla in Tuesday night’s Champions League second leg as the Premier League champions bid to reach the quarter-finals.

Steve McClaren sacked for the second time by Derby County – Vavel
After less than six months in charge, the Championship outfit have called time on McClaren’s second stint in charge.

Rangers’ Clint Hill strikes late to deny Celtic in Old Firm game – The Guardian
For 89 minutes the curious aspect of this Old Firm fixture was the blatant lack of controversy. There had also been a glaring lack of quality, although that is more of a staple scenario when Celtic and Rangers meet. Pedro Caixinha, the incoming Rangers head coach, would have been given a harsh lesson in the ugliness of Scottish football while watching from the main stand.

Serie B side Ternana terminate ex-Liverpool star Sissoko’s contract after just 25 days – SN
Former Liverpool and Juventus midfielder Mohamed Sissoko has had his contract terminated by Ternana less than a month after he joined the club.

Malawi withdraw from African Nations Cup qualifying due to lack of funds – ESPN FC
The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says it will withdraw from 2019 African Nations Cup qualifying because it cannot afford to fund its team’s campaign.

Sydney FC’s underwhelming crowds should be cause for alarm – The Guardian
The A-League premiers-elect may not have been helped by scheduling or some inclement weather, but the low average is remarkably at odds with their success.

Premier League Can Block IPTV Boxes During Games, Judge Says – Bloomberg
The English Premier League won a court order to block illegal streaming of soccer games on so-called IPTV, or Kodi, boxes.

Has the US lost its appetite to police the world’s football corruption? – Inside World Football
Concerns that football’s worst ever corruption crisis may no longer be a priority under the Trump administration have been heightened by the resignation of Robert L Capers, among 46 United States Attorneys who have stepped down on the orders of new Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

From Politics to Sport – The Donbass Conflict and Shakhtar Donetsk – Futbolgrad
In April 2014, following the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, armed militants overtook government buildings in Donetsk and Luhansk. At the start of the Donbass conflict, clubs such as Shakhtar and Zorya Luhansk began to panic as they were unsure of what would happen to their players, their fan base, their stadiums, and their franchise.