VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS
VIDEO: Our journey to the Champions League quarters – Whitecaps FC
A video showcasing how Whitecaps FC advanced to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Record 1 Million Viewers Watched Toronto FC-Montreal Impact Game on TSN and RDS, Marking Canada’s Most-Watched MLS Game Ever – Bell Media
Tuesday’s thrilling MLS Eastern Conference Championship featuring Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC game had it all – including record-breaking ratings. Overnight data from Numeris confirms that an average audience of more than 1 million viewers watched the Impact’s 3-2 victory over TFC on TSN (595,000*) and RDS (429,000*) – making it Canada’s most-watched MLS game ever.
Slender Leads in MLS Conference Finals Leave Everything to Play for in 2nd Legs – Bleacher Report
The 16-day layoff between the Major League Soccer conference semifinals and the first leg of the conference finals allowed all four clubs to produce excitement on fresh legs on Tuesday.
Toronto FC only really have one major problem to fix against Montreal – Waking the Red
The Reds did not execute at the Big O but do not need to drastically rethink their game plan.
Seattle Sounders hold edge vs. Rapids, but know they need to finish – MLS
The Seattle Sounders are 90 minutes from MLS Cup, but they are not yet ready to call themselves finalists.
Sounders unfazed by Rapids’ pledge to ‘asphyxiate them’ in the Colorado altitude – Seattle Times
Colorado Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni used colorful phrasing when asked how his team planned to overturn the 2-1 advantage the Sounders take into the second leg of their Western Conference finals series on Sunday in Commerce City.
Columbus Crew decline option on Clark as MLS clubs trim rosters – SN
The Columbus Crew have declined the 2017 contract option of goalkeeper Steve Clark, the club announced Wednesday as several teams provided roster updates ahead of the MLS offseason.
Portland Timbers’ Darlington Nagbe tours Celtic as transfer reports swirl – ESPN FC
Portland Timbers star Darlington Nagbe attended Celtic’s Champions League game against Barcelona on Wednesday amid reports the Scottish giants are interested in signing the U.S. international.
MLS Playoffs Deliver Thrills on Lousy Playing Surfaces – ASN
After a traumatic week for U.S. Soccer, the Major League Soccer playoffs returned fans’ attention to the action on the field—even if the fields themselves left a lot to be desired.
Western Sydney keen to bring Irish legend Robbie Keane to A-League – ESPN FC
Both the Wanderers and the Brisbane Roar have been linked to a pursuit of Keane since the former Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Ireland star announced he’ll be leaving MLS franchise LA Galaxy after six seasons.
Damion Lowe may have played way onto Minnesota’s MLS roster – Sounder at Heart
Drafted as a mere 20-year-old defender, Damion Lowe needed to first get healthy and then second get playing time. In 2015 that playing time was with S2. In 2016 he advanced a level, playing with Minnesota United of the NASL. There he started 25 times, subbed in three more games earning 2,241 minutes (good for 20th among NASL defenders). Still just 23 the Jamaican was the United rep for the NASL Young Player of the Year and earned a call to the full Jamaican National Team.
FC Dallas sign Bryan Reynolds, 15, as youngest Homegrown in club history – MLS
FC Dallas’ parade of young, local talent continued this week with the signing of US Under-17 international Bryan Reynolds, age 15, to an MLS Homegrown contract.
Audi Canada Becomes Official Automotive Partner of Major League Soccer in Canada – CNW
Audi Canada is proud to announce a new strategic marketing partnership with Major League Soccer in Canada in a multi-year deal. Effective immediately, Audi Canada becomes the Official Automotive Partner of Major League Soccer in Canada.
How to Avoid Politics at Thanksgiving: a 55.1 Guide – Fifty Five One
With Thanksgiving coming and perhaps the most divisive election since the 1860s in the rearview mirror, we at 55.1 want to provide a handy guide on how to avoid discussion of said election. Rather than tips like “cover your ears and run screaming from the room” or “drink yourself into a two-day stupor,” we’d like to provide safe, easy, accessible conversation alternatives for your family. For example, when will Minnesota United finally announce the coach?
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BC SOCCER NEWS
VISL Division 1 Matches, Nov. 25-27 – VISL
Here is what is on tap for this weekend in VISL’s Division 1.
VMSL Week 11 Round-up: No breathing space and all to play for between teams battling for promotion places – AFTN
The 2016/17 VMSL season reached the halfway stage this past weekend and the promotion races in Divisions 1 and 2 caught the eye with some entertaining and closely fought matches between the top challengers.
Cowichan LMG goes from fourth to first – Cowichan Valley Citizen
In just one weekend, Cowichan LMG vaulted from fourth place to first in Div. 1 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League.
Gorge, Lakehill meet in Div. 1 men’s Saanich soccer derby – Saanich News
Gorge FC look to take out Lakehill in Div. 1 men’s soccer this week. The Saanich derby goes Friday night under the lights at Braefoot Park, 8 p.m.
Powell River Villa climbs out of loss column – Powell River Peak
For the first time in weeks, Powell River Villa did not go down to defeat in Vancouver Island Soccer League Division 2 action.
GAMACHE NAMED TWU SPARTANS DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS – TWU
After an extensive search, Trinity Western University announced today that Spartan Alum Jeff Gamache will be the new Director of Athletics for the TWU Spartans.
Sabres not thrilled with 12th at soccer provincials – Kamloops This Week
The Sa-Hali Sabres have built their program on zone and provincial successes. But even good teams have difficult seasons.
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. 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
Is it over for hometown Olympian Melissa Tancredi? – Hamilton Spectator
On Feb. 4, she’ll be suiting up for the national team again in a friendly against Mexico at B.C. Place. It’s being billed as a celebration match for that medal at Rio. No way she’d miss that. But after the final whistle that night?
How ‘the Octopus’ Atiba Hutchinson has become an icon at Besiktas – The Score
In Istanbul, they call him ‘Spiderman’, ‘Perfect Machine’, or sometimes ‘The Octopus’. Atiba Hutchinson’s first name does sound a little similar to the Turkish word for the latter creature, Ahtapot, but watch the midfielder in action for Besiktas and you will soon understand that his moniker has to do with more than just pronunciation.
FC London’s Marcoccia Is 2016 League1 Women’s Coach Of The Year – League1 Ontario
In the seventh of a set of daily League1 Ontario 2016 Awards announcements leading up to the L1O Awards banquet on Sunday November 27, the 2016 Women’s Coach Of The Year has been revealed.
Soccer matches continue to draw record crowds across Canada – CSA
It was another landmark day for Canadian soccer on Tuesday night in Montréal, a thrilling five-goal rivalry match that put Impact Montréal FC ahead 3-2 in their playoff series with Toronto FC. The 2016 MLS Eastern Conference final featured a record crowd of 61,004 fans, the largest crowd for a match featuring two Canadian soccer teams. It will also mark the second year in a row that a soccer match has drawn the highest one-day attendance for an in-stadia competition in Canada.
Second OSA Town Hall sees a strong turnout in London – OSA
Ontario soccer continues to change and Wednesday night the OSA membership received another look at what is coming to the province in the near future.
Soccer club looking to grow numbers – NG News
There are many sports options for kids, even during the fall and winter months. Youth basketball, under the Pictou County Lightning program, has made strong inroads in the area over the last couple of years, and of course, hockey season never seems to end in Pictou County. That’s why proponents of the XFC soccer program want to issue a reminder that the sport of soccer is yet another option.
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WFC2, USL & NASL NEWS
Marc Dos Santos: SF Deltas will have Canadian content – the11.ca
Marc Dos Santos, the Canadian head coach of the San Francisco Deltas, is already talking to agents and watching plenty of video as he looks to build a team to begin play in the 2017 NASL season.
ANALYSIS: As USL Grows, Eyes D-II Status, Riverhounds Must Up The Ante – Pittsburgh Soccer Report
The league the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are a part of — United Soccer League (USL) — have expanded from 14 teams in 2014 to 24 in 2015 and 29 in 2016.
Why is there no promotion and relegation in the United States? – The Economist
In recent years a small groundswell of advocates have mounted an increasingly vocal campaign for football in the United States to adopt the global standard of promotion and relegation (P&R)—or “pro/rel”, as it is often abbreviated on Twitter.
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WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS
WPSL: Eight FC Dallas Women’s Players Named 2016 WPSL All-Stars – FC Dallas
Eight players from FC Dallas’ inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer League team were named 2016 WPSL All-Stars earlier this week.
U-20s Women’s World Cup : Asian pair grab semi-final spots – FIFA
Asia dominated the first day of quarter-finals at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup as Korea DPR secured a hard-fought win against Spain and Japan made lighter work of Brazil to become the first teams through to the last four.
2016 U-20s Women’s World Cup Preview: USA vs Mexico – Vavel
Two experienced sides from the same continent battle it out as Dos A Cero comes to the U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Melbourne derby takes centre stage – W-League
This Sunday’s TV match is one of the highlights of the Westfield W-League season as Melbourne bragging rights go on the line when City take on Victory at AAMI Park.
City launch Elite Women’s Training Facility – W-League
Melbourne City FC has launched its Elite Women’s Training Facility at the Club’s City Football Academy, which will become the home of the Club’s Westfield W-League team.
Melbourne City raise W-League bar again, unveiling new facilities – The Guardian
Melbourne City’s commitment to women’s football has reached a new high with the opening of a new dedicated facility at the City Football Academy in Melbourne on Thursday.
Second win for the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon in the 2016 women’s AfCON – Business in Cameroon
At about 4 p.m., life seemed to stop on 22 November 2016 in the city of Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital. When they did not go to the Omnisports stadium, the capital’s inhabitants remained glued to their television screens in their homes, or they flocked to televisions in pubs and other bars.
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WORLD SOCCER NEWS
Steven Gerrard, a symbol of Liverpool, retires still a legend at Anfield – ESPN FC
With all due respect to LA Galaxy, many Liverpool fans felt that Steven Gerrard had already retired when he left the club, but the official announcement came on Thursday. He was never really anyone else’s player.
Steven Gerrard retires from football after ‘incredible career’ – The Guardian
The former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard has announced his retirement from professional football, ending his 19-year playing career. Gerrard made 710 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 186 goals and winning eight major trophies, including the Champions League in 2005, before joining the MLS side LA Galaxy in 2015.
Soccer world lauds retiring Steven Gerrard on Twitter – NBC Sports
Gerrard, 36, called time on his playing career after 17 years with Liverpool and two more with the LA Galaxy.
UCL: Twelve of 16 berths in knockout stage are secure – Soccer America
Manchester City and Barcelona booked spots in the Champions League knockout stage, joining 10 other teams in the second round. City drew 1-1, at Fabian Johnson’s Borussia Moenchengladbach in a match that saw both teams have a player sent off. Barca won at Celtic, 2-0, on a pair of Lionel Messi goals.
Arsenal 2 Paris Saint-Germain 2 – Advantage PSG in battle for first as Iwobi own goal sees Gunners held – The Telegraph
Arsenal went into this heavyweight encounter knowing that they would be in the Champions League last 16 but came out of it once again staring at the prospect of a tough draw in the knockout stages.
Where does Beşiktaş rank among great Champions League comebacks? – UEFA
Beşiktaş pulled off a famous recovery on Wednesday, coming from three down to draw with Benfica. But they are not the first to do so (even in Istanbul) – and two sides even ran out winners.
Europa: Nice chase the dream, Sainté to qualify with win – Ligue 1
OGC Nice travel to Gelsenkirchen looking to keep their emaciated qualification hopes alive while AS Saint-Etienne can clinch their place in the round of 32 with a win at home to 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Thursday evening.
Manchester United vs. Feyenoord Preview –BBC Sport
Henrikh Mkhitaryan could make a rare start for Manchester United in their Europa League tie against Feyenoord after being named in the squad.
South American teams take over the latest FIFA rankings – Sportsnet
Brazil has risen to No. 2 in the FIFA rankings behind Argentina, with South American teams taking three of the top four spots.
African Nations Cup 2017 will not be moved from Gabon – CAF – ESPN FC
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has denied reports it plans to change the venue for next year’s African Nations Cup.
Paul Stewart: Football sex abuse victims ‘could number hundreds’ – BBC
“Hundreds” of children may have been sexually abused by figures within football, former England and Tottenham player Paul Stewart has told the BBC.
Prosecutors seek 10-year prison term for Samuel Eto’o – Sportsnet
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a prison term of more than 10 years for former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o for alleged tax crimes committed when he played for the Catalan club.
Henrik Larsson resigns as head coach of Helsingborg after fan attack – Sky Sports
Henrik Larsson has resigned from his role as head coach of Helsingborg after he and his son Jordan were attacked by fans following the club’s relegation from the Swedish top flight on Sunday.
Premier League plans to hold two Asia tournaments next July – source – ESPN FC
The Premier League aims to stage two preseason tournaments in Asia, involving six top-flight clubs, in the final two weeks of July, a league source has told ESPN FC.
Peru president OK’s extradition of ex-soccer boss to US – Metro
Peru’s president is signing off on the extradition of the country’s former soccer boss for his alleged involvement in a multibillion-dollar FIFA bribery scandal involving marketing and broadcasting rights.
Leicester City ‘clapper’ ban fans not so happy – BBC
A group of die-hard Leicester City supporters has been banned from using the club’s famous cardboard “clappers” at games. The fan-like items, which make a loud noise when hit into the palm of a hand, are given out before every match.
Premier League teams to support LBGT players and fans this weekend – ESPN FC
The Premier League, Football Association, English Football League and other sports clubs around Great Britain will wear rainbow laces in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexualfans and players.
Some teenagers play Football Manager. Ejdin Djonlic took his coaching badges – The Guardian
When Ejdin Djonlic realised he wouldn’t make it as a footballer, he started studying for his coaching badges. By the time he was 21, he had become the youngest coach to earn the Uefa A licence. Next stop: the Premier League