BC Soccer News, Tuesday, January 10, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

Loan update: Adekugbe makes FA Cup debut in return from injury – Whitecaps FC
After missing over three months due to injury, Sam Adekugbe returned to first-team action with Brighton & Hove Albion FC on Saturday. And he did so in impressive fashion.

MLS signs new media rights partnerships in Canada with TSN & TVA Sports – MLS
Big news for Major League Soccer fans in Canada. On Tuesday morning, MLS announced new landmark media agreements in Canada that include a five-year extension with TSN, and a new five-year agreement with TVA Sports that will see the network provide French-language broadcasts in Canada.

Kekuta Manneh is ready to show Whitecaps what he’s learned – The Province
Kekuta Manneh belongs on the field — dribbling, darting, pulling fans out of their seats. For the final four months of the 2016 season, though, he had to settle for a view from the press box.

San Jose Earthquakes targeting Club America’s Darwin Quintero – sources – ESPN FC
The San Jose Earthquakes are accelerating their search for attacking players, with Club America forward Darwin Quintero at the top of their shopping list.

Lucas Melano departs Portland Timbers on year-long loan to Belgrano – MLS
After considerable speculation, Lucas Melano is on his way back to Argentina. The winger, who spent a season and a half with the Portland Timbers, helping them win the 2015 MLS Cup, has been sent on loan to Argentine side Club Atletico Belgrano for the remainder of 2017, according to a release from the Timbers.

Philadelphia Union announce two new signings – Prost Amerika
The Philadelphia Union have announced 2 new signings this week, in an effort to shore up its forward and backline. Both signings were announced as discovery signings and will take up the Union’s final 2 international slots.

Former TFC midfielder Johnson left because Reds ‘disrespected’ him – Toronto Star
Former Toronto FC midfielder Will Johnson believed he was embarking on a long-term relationship when he signed with the Reds in December 2015.

New Legislative Session Means Restart on Minnesota United’s Soccer Stadium Tax Bill – Fifty Five One
Despite Minnesota United’s soccer stadium tax exemption bill being passed by both House and Senate in last year’s session, the provision will have to do a rewind and start all over again in 2017.

Sigi Schmid: The changes I would make to college soccer – MLS
There are still changes that can be made to the college game to enhance player development, as well as improving the quality of play. In fact, University of Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski is currently leading a push to build support in the college ranks for some of these initiatives.

US Club Soccer boss Payne calls for culture change as NSCAA opens its doors – Inside World Football
Tomorrow the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) opens their annual conference in Los Angeles, the largest soccer convention in the world and the largest coaching convention of any sport worldwide. More than 20,000 participants are expected to attend, an increasing number of them international visitors.

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BC SOCCER NEWS

Improving the Highlanders Fan Experience Part 1: Sights & Sounds – Northern Starting XI
2016 was a big year for the Victoria Highlanders. Not only did it mark their return to the PDL after a spending a year treading water in the PCSL, it also marked a change of stadium. With the team having relocated from Royal Athletic Park, which now serves as the Victoria Harbourcats (baseball) home field, up to the University of Victoria’s Centennial Stadium, there was quite an adjustment to the game-day experience.

Academy Centre Players of the Month – December – Whitecaps FC
Below are the Whitecaps FC Academy Centre Players of the Month for December.

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

Canada could be a winner in World Cup expansion – Toronto Star
The quality might suffer, sure, but Canada could find its place in soccer’s biggest tournament, as players and hosts.

Thunder Bay-born soccer player to attend powerhouse U.S. university – CBC
Hannah Melchiorre, 17, has received an athletic scholarship to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

Over Fifty League1 Ontario Players Sign Professional Contracts Since Fall 2014 – League1 Ontario
After only three seasons, League1 Ontario has had a remarkable number of players showcased in this Division III standards-based league move on to fully professional environments around the globe.

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USL Announces 2017 Conference Alignment – USL
The United Soccer League (USL) today announced its structure for the 2017 season, which will feature 30 teams playing an expanded 32-game schedule as the League continues in a two-conference alignment that began in 2015.

NASL Introduces New Direction In 2017 – NASL
The NASL is pleased to have received confirmation from U.S. Soccer that it has retained Division II status. This news helps provide important stability to the NASL, which enters the 2017 season with eight clubs.

Commisso finalizes Cosmos purchase; Savarese to return in 2017 – SBI
Just several weeks ago, the New York Cosmos appeared to be all but dead once again. Now, with a new owner set to step in, the Cosmos are poised to compete in 2017.

NASL parts ways with Bill Peterson – SBI
The league and commissioner Bill Peterson opted to part ways on Monday. While the search for a new commissioner takes place, Rishi Sehgal, the current director of business development and legal affairs will serve as interim commissioner. Peterson had been commissioner of the league since 2012.

Peterson’s departure marks another step on the path to a kinder, gentler NASL – the11.ca
The next step to create a kinder, gentler North American Soccer League was taken on Monday. The league announced that it and now-former commissioner Bill Peterson had parted ways. A release put out by the league indicated it was an amicable split.

FC Tucson coach Rick Schantz resigns to become assistant on Phoenix team – Tuscon.com
Rick Schantz, who has led the team from its 2010 inception through its time as a USL Premier Development League power, resigned Monday to join the Phoenix Rising coaching staff. The USL team is coached by Frank Yallop, a longtime Major League Soccer boss and former and Canadian National Team coach. The league is a step up from the USL PDL, and one level below MLS.

Details Emerge for Minnesota United Development Reserve Team; Academy to Launch in Fall – Fifty Five One
FiftyFive.One has learned that Minnesota United will start their Development Academy (DA) program in fall of 2017 with U-13 and U-14 age groups. A spokesperson with the team confirmed this report. It’s also believed that Rochester, Minn. will be the future home of their USL D2 reserve team. This would not occur until 2018.

Lloyd named FIFA Women’s Player of the Year second straight time – Empire of Soccer
For the second straight year, Carli Lloyd has picked up FIFA’s top individual award. Monday afternoon, Lloyd was named 2016’s FIFA Women’s Player of the Year. Lloyd, the United States Women’s National Team co-captain, is just the fourth player in to win this award in consecutive years.

Lloyd: I want to keep getting better – FIFA
What makes Carli Lloyd The Best, is her desire to continue improving. Crowned yesterday as The Best FIFA Women’s Player – an award voted for by players, coaches, media and fans from across the globe – the USA international has retained her title as the world’s top female footballer.

Neid named best women’s coach in FIFA awards – UEFA
Silvia Neid, who led Germany to Olympic gold last summer, was named best coach at The Best FIFA Football Awards in Zurich as Melanie Behringer just missed out on the top player gong.

North Carolina Courage to join the NWSL – Prost Amerika
In a press conference held Monday in Chicago, it was officially announced that the North Carolina Football Club has acquired the rights to the Western New York Flash. The former Flash will now be known as the the North Carolina Courage with their official field being WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

2017 NWSL College Draft: Parsons and Thorns FC ready for deep draft – Timbers.com
Less than a year ago, Portland Thorns FC selected defender Emily Sonnett from the University of Virginia with the first pick of the 2016 NWSL College Draft.

The Lowdown: My annual attempt to unlock the NWSL Draft – The Equalizer
In the world of wins, losses and draws, there remains one day when everyone can at least claim to have had a good day. Draft day. Overhyped by most in the states and misunderstood by most around the world, draft day is filled with limitless hope and unchecked emotion. For a few hours, young women who have devoted much of their formative years to soccer will realize their dreams of joining a professional team. Over the years the size of the draft room has grown exponentially, but they have yet to find a setting big enough to contain the exuberance.

WSL Spring Series: Manchester City Women start against Chelsea Ladies – BBC Sport
Women’s Super League One champions Manchester City will start their Spring Series campaign at home to 2016 runners-up Chelsea on Sunday, 23 April.

Women’s FA Cup third round draw takes place – Vavel
With WSL 2 teams entering the hat for the third round the draw for the 2017 FA Cup has thrown up a couple of WSL 2 derbies along with plenty of intrigue from the WPL teams still

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

FIFA increases World Cup teams from 32 to 48 from 2026 – France 24
The World Cup will expand to 48 teams from its current 32, starting with the 2026 edition of soccer’s showpiece tournament, the game’s governing body FIFA decided on Tuesday.

World Cup 2026: How will a 48-team tournament work and who stands to benefit? – Sky Sports
FIFA members have voted unanimously to expand the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, but how will the revamped tournament work and who will benefit?

Money makes the World Cup go round: more teams means more cash – The Guardian
Fifa’s Gianni Infantino has pushed through his 48-team World Cup but those complaining, mostly from Europe, must know that the modern tournament has always been about commerce and politics as much as football glory.

World Cup expansion offers definitive proof that supporter concerns will always give way to commercial imperatives  – The Telegraph
A 2026 World Cup of 48 teams offers a vision of football flying back and forth across Donald Trump’s border wall for a tournament jointly hosted by America, Mexico and Canada: a sprawling bonanza of 16 groups and 80 matches after the 2022 version in Qatar, a kind of Rutland with oil.

Cristiano Ronaldo wins FIFA award for best men’s player of 2016 – Fox Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo has put the finishing touch on a trophy-filled 2016 season, winning the FIFA award for best men’s player on Monday.

Paul Pogba wants Man United to finish Hull in EFL Cup semifinal first leg – ESPN FC
Paul Pogba wants Manchester United to try to finish off Hull City in the first leg of the EFL Cup semifinal at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Valencia concedes late equalizer against last-place Osasuna – Sportsnet
Valencia was dealt another heartbreaking blow when it missed a late penalty kick then conceded in injury time to let last-place Osasuna escape with a 3-3 draw, a result that extended the club’s winless streak to eight games in the Spanish league on Monday.

All the Champions League sides’ winter transfers – UEFA
UEFA.com rounds up all the ins and out from the 16 sides in the knockout stages, with Norway wonderkid Martin Ødegaard’s departure from Real Madrid confirmed on Tuesday.

Report: CONCACAF Gold Cup to expand to 16 teams in 2019 – Stars & Stripes
The President of CONCACAF, Victor Montagliani, reportedly told the Jamaican press that the Gold Cup will expand to 16 teams for the 2019 tournament. Nathan Carr tweeted out the quote on Monday.

Black Stars Hope To End Trophy Drought – All Africa
Despite enthralling displays at two FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and 2010, the Black Stars have failed to replicate them in continental championships. The Black Stars of Ghana will once more make their appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Uganda and Zimbabwe finally clear money hurdles on route to AFCON in Gabon – Inside World Football
Zimbabwe and Uganda have both faced financial problems that at one point looked to threaten their participation of the African Cup of Nations, but the two countries are now set to play at the tournament in Gabon.

Falcão: A perfect ending to my career – FIFA
Falcão caught up with FIFA.com moments after The Best FIFA Football Awards to give his thoughts on being the 2016 recipient of the FIFA Award for an Outstanding Career.

RIP Roberto Cabanas, ‘an idol wherever he went’  – Soccer America
There’s the notion that the old North American Soccer League was an elephant’s graveyard. And it was certainly home of many aging greats like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff, Gerd Mueller and George Best. But not every player was old.