BC Soccer News, Tuesday, April 18, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

 PORTLAND TIMBERS  vs.  VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

CASCADIA CUP / MLS MATCHDAY #7

SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2017, 1:00 PM

PROVIDENCE PARK, PORTLAND, OR

TV: CTV & TSN 1, 2 ,4, 5   RADIO: TSN 1040  ONLINE: TSN GO

MLS PHOTOS: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 Seattle Sounders FC 1, April 14, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

Written in the stars: Montero named to MLS Team of the Week after sinking former club – Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC striker Fredy Montero has been named to the MLS Team of the Week after scoring both of Vancouver’s goals in a 2-1 win over Cascadia rival Seattle Sounders FC – Montero’s former club – on Friday night at BC Place. The Colombian now has three goals and one assist in three starts, and six appearances, so far this MLS regular season.

Montero puts Sounders to the Sword – Whitecaps Fan Blog
Don’t ever diss the baby faced assassin. When Fredy Montero came to the Vancouver Whitecaps his old Sounders teammate Brad Evans made said he would “…never play for a rival team”.   If you are a plodder like Evans no other team wants you anyway.  That is the difference between the two players.  Montero showed Evans and the rest of the Seattle Sounders what a quality footballer is by putting two striker’s goals in Seattle’s net to win the match.

Fredy Montero’s revival in MLS mirrors Vancouver’s rebirth as a contender – ESPN FC
If it still seems somewhat incongruous to see Fredy Montero in a Vancouver Whitecaps jersey, perhaps Seattle Sounders fans are a little bit more inclined to move on from their fond memories of the man after the events of Friday night.

Episode 188 – The AFTN Soccer Show (The State Of The Whitecaps) – AFTN
A two and a half hour roundtable discussion on the state of Vancouver Whitecaps and Canadian Soccer? Yes please! But don’t worry, you don’t have to listen to it all in the one sitting because we’ve split Sunday’s mammoth CiTR radio show into two podcasts.

San Jose Earthquakes hire Neymar scout Bruno Costa as scouting head – MLS
The San Jose Earthquakes have hired Bruno Costa as their head of scouting, after an extensive career in Brazil’s top flight and with the Brazilian Football Confederation. Costa’s finds for the Brazilian national youth program include such stars as Neymar Jr., Willian and Philippe Coutinho.

MLS Week Seven Review: Sporting Kansas City rise, Philadelphia Union continue to falter – Vavel
The Western conference saw a surprise result as Sporting KC came away with a big win in Portland while the Union are in dire straits and don’t seem to have any answers.

Jozy Altidore becoming increasingly crucial to Toronto FC’s success – Waking the Red
Since his arrival in 2015, 27-year-old Jozy Altidore has turned many heads in his time in Toronto after coming off an unsuccessful two-year spell in the English Premier League with Sunderland. His importance to the Reds’ squad should not go unnoticed.

King Gustav Svensson finds his way with Sounders FC – Red Nation Online
Major League Soccer is the next stop in the whirlwind career is Swedish defensive midfielder, Gustav Svensson. Seattle Sounders FC signed Svensson on January 30, 2017 after he decided to try his traits in MLS. The 30 year-old, Svensson played 33 games for Guangzhou R&F in the Chinese Super League China last season.

Mistakes take their toll for Dynamo in tie with Minnesota – Prost Amerika
There was a match full of contrast in Houston on Saturday night. The Dynamo could not keep up with the two goal lead they had after the first half, and the Loons fought back to get a much needed point for them.

Impact players walking on sunshine after first win – Montreal Gazette
The blaring music could be heard from the hallway in the bowels of Saputo Stadium, and when the door to the Impact’s dressing room finally opened, it was Ambroise Oyongo singing at the top of his lungs and dancing to the methodic beat, in a world of his own.

Sébastien Le Toux reaches 250 MLS appearances – DC United
Continuing the trend of Black-and-Red players reaching career milestones early this season, MLS veteran Sébastien Le Toux hit an impressive benchmark when he came on as a second-half substitute for Nick DeLeon in United’s match against the New York Red Bulls on April 15: 250 regular season MLS appearances.

Real Madrid announced as 2017 MLS All-Star Game opponent – MLS
The most decorated club in European history will face off against the best of MLS this summer.

MLS’ era of attacking fullbacks has changed cap management, development – Four Four Two
They’re no longer the weak spot in the XI. Fullbacks have become transformative presences in Major League Soccer.

3v3 Live Soccer Tour Comes to Canada

BC SOCCER NEWS

Denied US visas, Tibetan women soccer team now travelling to Canada – Yahoo Sports
Sixteen players of a Tibetan women’s soccer team, who were denied US visas to participate in a tournament in Texas owing to the Trump administration’s new immigration laws, are now travelling to Canada to play a tourney, the team’s coach said on Tuesday. “Our team will travel to Canada this summer to compete in the Vancouver International Soccer Festival! We have received visas and are ready to go!”

Whitecaps FC U-15 Residency conclude play in Rotterdam Football Cup – Whitecaps FC
Whitecaps FC U-15 Residency played their final matches in the Rotterdam Football Cup in the Netherlands on Monday, facing the Irish FA (Northern Ireland) and PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands).

Fred Jopson, Canada Soccer Life Member, passes away – CSA
Jopson was vice-chairman of the Canadian Youth Soccer Association for 11 years, then a Canada Soccer Youth Committee member for another seven years after the old CYSA was absolved by Canada Soccer. He also served for over 25 years with the BC Youth Soccer Association and was the organisation’s chairman in 1968 and 1969.

Get To Know Your TSS Rovers: Zach Verhoven – AFTN
Zach Verhoven is likely not a name many TSS FC Rovers fans will know unless they followed UBC Thunderbirds’ fortunes last season. But we have a feeling that he’ll be a name on a lot of people’s lips by the time the Rovers first PDL season wraps up this summer.

BC Soccer Women’s Provincial Cup Draw Monday April 3, Men’s Provincial Cup Draw April 13 – BCSA
Complete brackets and results for the 2017 Women’s and Men’s Provincial Cup Tournaments.

2017 VISL JACKSON CUP PHOTOS: Nanaimo Utd. 2 Cowichan LMG 1 (XT), April 2, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

FVSL PHOTOS: Pakenham Cup Final, PMO Rangers 1 PMO Lordco Gunners 0, April 1, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Richard Howes.

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.

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.

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

CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Canada’s joint World Cup bid supported by Oceania soccer confederation – CBC
The United States, Canada and Mexico bid to co-host the 2026 World Cup is supported by the 11-nation Oceania soccer confederation.

A NAFTA World Cup? Just the thing to improve relations – LA Times
We must foster, as we have sought to do in the past, an understanding that each society in North America is a stakeholder in the success of the other. And as it happens, the soccer federations of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. recently engineered a potent symbol of our interconnectedness: They presented a joint North American bid to host the 2026 World Cup.

Teen Calgary soccer player gets a chance to play in the UK – Calgary Herald
Last week, Moneer Mehalhel saw three big dreams come true: he flew to Europe for the first time, got to ride on the London Eye giant ferris wheel and played soccer alongside some of the best young players on the planet. “It was all pretty exciting,” he says with a big smile.

PLASTIC PITCH 12 is out now! – the11.ca
The spring issue of Plastic Pitch is now live in the app and can also be found at our Shopify store! Why is this issue worth  five dollars of your hard-earned money? From the Canadian Premier League to Toronto FC, there’s lots to read.

Windsor TFC appoints Piatkiewicz as head coach – Windsor Star
Windsor TFC has appointed Zibby Piatkiewicz as head coach of the League One Ontario soccer franchise.

New League1 Ontario Club Profile: West Ottawa Soccer Club – League1 Ontario
With four new clubs being added to the league, and a brand new region in Ottawa via the additions of OSU Force in the men’s east division and West Ottawa Soccer Club in the women’s division, the league is now up to 27 teams and extends from Windsor in the southwest to Ottawa in the northeast.

Returning players back to soccer safely after a concussion – Ontario Soccer
Ontario Soccer and the Concussion Centre at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital announced in August, 2016 a comprehensive three-year collaboration with a plan to enhance soccer player safety through the implementation of a first-of-its- kind integrated concussion strategy.

Register for the UBCO High-Performance Summer Training Camp in Kelowna

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUE

WFC2  vs.  SAN ANTONIO FC

SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2017, 3:00 PM

BUY TICKETS

THUNDERBIRD STADIUM, VANCOUVER, BC

LIVESTREAM: WHITECAPSFC2.COM

WFC2 Grabs Late Victory in Portland – USL
Thomas Sanner scored with six minutes to go to earn Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 a 1-0 victory against the Portland Timbers 2 on Sunday afternoon at Providence Park.

Toronto Signs Onkony to USL Deal – USL
Toronto FC II announced on Tuesday that the club has signed defender Brandon Onkony to a USL contract.

Fury FC’s Dos Santos Stuns Kickers – Ottawa Fury FC
A spectacular goal from the halfway line by Steevan Dos Santos lifted Ottawa Fury FC to its first win in the USL on Saturday evening as it defeated the Richmond Kickers 1-0 at City Stadium.

Miller on North Carolina defeat: “We didn’t do ourselves any justice” – FC Edmonton
Quality finishing from NCFC and lapses in defence from FC Edmonton in the first half of last Saturday’s loss to North Carolina created an early mountain for the Eddies to climb.

USL Rewind: Louisville celebrates another milestone – Soccer America
Good news off the field often begats success on it. Such was the case for Louisville City, which during the week unveiled plans for a 10,000-capacity stadium in the Butchertown section, and on Saturday knocked Tampa Bay from the unbeaten ranks, 2-1.

MATCH PREVIEW: Harrisburg City Islanders v Orlando City B – City Islanders
The Harrisburg City Islanders will look to keep their winning streak going and cap off the first home-stand with a win when they take on Orlando City B on Tuesday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. PT at FNB Field.

Rochester 0-5 Charleston Battery: Romario Williams Embarrasses the Rhinos with First Half Hat-Trick – The Bent Musket
The Rochester Rhinos suffered a near-historic loss on Saturday night in Charleston, South Carolina. Rochester’s 5-0 defeat to the Battery was the second worst result in club history. Head coach Bob Lilley’s 1-1-1 record after three road games to start the season is not terrible but questions remain over how much the heavy loss will weigh on the team ahead of the home opener against New York.

United Soccer League submits proposal to lease Cashman Field in Las Vegas – KNTV
Professional soccer may be a possibility again in Las Vegas. On Wednesday, the city council will discuss a proposal from the United Soccer League to lease Cashman Field.

Kitsap adds Lomeli, Mota, Philp to NPSL roster – GoalWA
Kitsap Soccer Club announced the signings of three players Monday, attacking midfielder Romario Lomeli, right back Anthony Mota and central midfielder/defender Jack Philp for the 2017 National Premier Soccer League season.

USL PHOTOS: WFC2 3 SOUNDERS2 0, Saturday, April 8, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Richard Howes.

NWSL Rewind: Injuries mar opening weekend – Soccer America
Knee injuries to FC Kansas City forward Amy Rodriguez in her first game back after sitting out the 2016 season while on pregnancy leave and Washington Spirit midfielder Joanna Lohman marred the opening weekend of play in the NWSL.

NWSL Week in Review: League Should Not Get Complacent – The Equalizer
On this Easter holiday, the women’s soccer community is certainly thankful to have a professional league, one that appears to be stable and in little danger of collapsing rapidly as its two predecessors did, painful memories we’d rather not relive here.

USWNT’s 18-year-old rising star Mallory Pugh to leave UCLA, turn pro – SI.com
Mallory Pugh, the most coveted teenager in U.S. women’s soccer, has decided to turn pro and leave UCLA before she ever played a game there, SI.com first reported on Monday night.

Women’s Champions League semi-finals: form guide – UEFA
Ahead of Saturday’s last-four first legs, Manchester City booked a place at Wembley, Lyon and Paris set up a French Cup final showdown and Barcelona went joint top in Spain.

FA Cup semi-final Review: Manchester City and Birmingham City both progress to the FA Cup final – Vavel
Manchester City fought hard to overcome Liverpool Ladies, whilst Birmingham City beat 2016 finalists Chelsea Ladies.

Toppserien week 1 review: LSK make early statement – Vavel
The Toppserien season kicked-off on Easter Monday and the winners of the round were LSK who cruised to a big win over ten-man Klepp, elsewhere Avaldsnes, Stabæk and Trondheims-Ørn grabbed second-half wins as both Medkila and Grand Bodø left it late to grab unexpected draws.

#SWPL17 – Game 4 Round up – Scottish WPL
Hibernian remained top of the SWPL 1 with a win against Hamilton whilst Celtic beat Stirling at Celtic Park. In the SWPL 2, Forfar beat Glasgow Girls to move top whilst Motherwell and East Fife picked up their first wins of the season.

WSL 2 – Week 6 Review: Everton make ground on top two – Vavel
Millwall, Sheffield and Everton all notched important wins as Brighton found their first against WSL 2 opposition with the Belles holding on at home.

Algeria’s women target African breakthrough – FIFA
The gifted Rayan Brahimi is one such player, having graduated from Algeria’s U-17 and U-23 teams to the senior women’s side in 2013. “Women’s football has had many ups and downs in Algeria,” she told FIFA.com. “Things are gradually improving, though, and the sport is really developing here. There’s been a lot of progress over the past few years, but we have to keep working hard to catch up with other nations. We also have to improve our grassroots training and adopt a long-term strategy which will guarantee a future for women’s football in our country.”

Former Matilda goalkeeper Theresa Deas spends her days supporting women and girls on soccer pitch – Herald-Sun
If there is one thing Theresa Deas has proven after more than four decades in the football world, it’s that women and girls have plenty to offer the sport.

UCL Preview: Bayern travels to Real Madrid, Barcelona hosts Juventus, and more – SBI
For several teams this week, they will book their place to the UEFA Champions League semifinals, while others will see their dream of reaching Cardiff for June’s final come to an end.

Monaco eye Champions League history to awake fans from slumber – ESPN FC
One day before arguably the biggest game in Monaco football team’s season, there is no football fever. No Champions League passion. No enthusiasm.

What hope do Barcelona have against Buffon? – UEFA
As if it wasn’t tough enough for Barcelona to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Juventus, they have to do so against Gianluigi Buffon. We break down the goalkeeper’s numbers.

Leicester making most of Champions League moment – Toronto Star
Players know it may be a long time before Leicester gets another chance to host a Champions League match.

Chelsea captain John Terry to leave club at end of season – Sportsnet
Chelsea captain John Terry will end his 22-year association with the London club at the end of the season, but the veteran defender wants to keep on playing.

Chelsea’s last man standing Terry will be missed more than you think – SN
Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack, John Obi Mikel, Branislav Ivanovic and now John Terry – Chelsea’s greatest ever team will finally be dismantled in the summer.

Week 33 review: Falcao fires to keep Monaco clear – Ligue 1
Following Paris’ 2-0 win in Angers, Monaco were under pressure but captain Radamel Falcao fire in the 2-1 victory over Dijon; SC Bastia closer to the drop after their clash at home to Lyon was abandoned due to crowd disturbances.

Bastia game abandoned after Corsican fans attack Lyon players – France 24
For the second time in a week, a high-level football match in France was marred by crowd violence on Sunday when fans of Corsican side Bastia twice invaded the pitch and attacked players from the opposition.

Bastia files lawsuit against fans following players attack – Metro
Bastia has filed a lawsuit against the hardcore fans who attacked Lyon players over the weekend and closed the east stand of its Armand Cesari stadium. The French league match between Bastia and Lyon was abandoned at halftime on Sunday after supporters from the Bastia 1905 group of fans twice invaded the pitch to attack Lyon players.

Argentina’s new top brass head for Zurich in bid to get Messi ban halved – Inside World Football
Lionel Messi could have his four-match international suspension halved at an appeal hearing next month, according to Argentina reports.

Tigres’ confidence grows ahead of SCCL final – CONCACAF
With the SCCL final, first-leg encounter against visiting Pachuca set for Tuesday, the defending Mexican champion appears poised for a pair of title runs over the next few weeks.

Why getting fleeced out of games in joint 2026 FIFA World Cup could be a blessing in disguise for Mexico and FMF – Prost Amerika
If Mexico got more games out of the deal, there are other costs the municipalities and metro areas within Mexico would have to worry about, including sites that could serve as base camps for the teams, transportation infrastructure, and that FIFA would deem none of the stadiums as being “good enough” for the bid.

Liga MX Relegation Battle is Heating Up – Futebolcidade
Liga MX does many things different from the rest of the football world. Be it three digit shirt numbers, or the fact that Liga MX seasons are split into two full seasons—the Apertura and Clausura—which means that Liga MX has playoffs twice a season. But it is not just in the championship race that Liga MX does things differently, for there are also special Liga MX relegation rules.

What can the Premier League elite expect from Brighton & Hove Albion? – SN
Brighton & Hove Albion were homeless and heading out of the Football League 20 years ago. On the final day of the 1996-97 campaign, little over 3,000 Albion fans witnessed the Seagulls scrape a 1-1 draw at Hereford United to retain their league status in one of the most important days in the club’s history. On Monday, 30,000 were on hand at the state-of-the-art American Express Community Stadium to watch Chris Hughton steer them into the Premier League.

Harry Redknapp returns to management at struggling Championship side Birmingham City – SN
Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has been parachuted into the recently-vacated Birmingham City job as the club fight for Championship survival.

Rangers: Alex McLeish had reservations about possible Ibrox return – BBC Sport
Alex McLeish admits he never came close to beating Pedro Caixinha to the Rangers job and that he had reservations about a return to Ibrox.

AC Milan target their own stadium, a market listing and Chinese opportunities – Inside World Football
New owner, a new stadium and a new stock market listing. AC Milan has completed one of the three with the new owners promising that the other two are on the cards.

Panama footballer murder: Four held over deadly shooting – BBC
Police in Panama say they are holding four people in connection with the murder of international footballer Amílcar Henríquez.

CAF chief Ahmad wants Somalia to host international fixtures again – ESPN FC
New Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad says he is open to Somalia hosting international games again and has invited the country to start with a friendly against neighbours Djibouti.

Football youth development in England: ‘We’re shouting and screaming. What have we become?’ – The Guardian
In an extract from a new book, Michael Calvin looks at an environment in which talented young players have become commodities not looked after properly.