BC Soccer News, Tuesday, November 22, 2016

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

Fraser Aird Done with the Vancouver Whitecaps?Eighty-Six Forever
If Fraser Aird’s twitter account is any indication, it looks like his time with the Vancouver Whitecaps has come to an end. Aird posted this tweet recently, and it certainly looks like a farewell message to fans.

Whitecaps FC launch new Academy Centre in partnership with Ottawa South UnitedWhitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Monday the launch of a new Whitecaps FC Ottawa Academy Centre in partnership with Ottawa South United.

2016 Whitecaps Review – Part 1: MLSNorthern Starting XI
This is part one of a five-part series reviewing the 2016 season for Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Whitecaps FC 2.

Montreal-Toronto series could be defining moment for soccer in CanadaFour Four Two
It will take years to truly know the legacy of this TFC-Impact Eastern Conference Championship, but for a few hours, two MLS teams will be the most important spectacle in Canadians’ sporting world.

Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact: Which Canadian team has the edge?MLS
Ahead of the Eastern Conference Championship between Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact, MLSsoccer.com breaks down the two finalists position-by-position. The two teams will face off in the first leg at Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.

Toronto FC must protect against Impact’s dangerous counter-attackSportsnet
Muhammad Ali would be proud. Borrowing from the iconic boxer’s playbook, the Montreal Impact have used their version of the classic “rope-a-dope” down the stretch of Major League Soccer’s regular season to clinch a playoff berth. They continued to use the technique to great effect in the post-season, securing three consecutive wins.

MLS conference finals: Canadian sides tangle and Sounders target maiden titleThe Guardian
Montreal and Toronto will face off in an all-Canadian tie for the right to face either Seattle or Colorado in the MLS Cup final.

Sounders vs Rapids Western Conference Finals Preview Prost Amerika
The Western Conference Finals are finally here after the long international break and Tuesday night sees Colorado Rapids travel to Seattle to take on the Sounders at CenturyLink Field.

Match Preview: consistent Colorado ready for surging Seattle in first legColorado Rapids
Injuries to both sides have dominated the build-up to the Western Conference Championship between Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders FC.

MLS Conference Finals Preview: Big crowds expected for first legsEmpire of Soccer
After a lengthy wait, Major League Soccer’s conference finals kickoff Tuesday night. Stadium conflicts in the East and West have created a midweek doubleheader, but that hasn’t depressed attendance any. You can expect big crowds for a Canadian derby in Montreal and for the Western Conference Final in Seattle.

A-League clubs raiding Hollywood for Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane Sydney Morning Herald
The A-League is preparing an audacious raid on Hollywood after targeting former Los Angeles stars Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane as potential guest-player signings during the upcoming January transfer window.

Hedges, Urruti, Akindele among contracts exercised by FC Dallas SBI
FC Dallas has not wasted any time in planning for the 2017 season. The club announced on Monday that it exercised the 2017 contract options for 10 players. The list includes MLS Defender of the Year Matt Hedges, Maynor Figueroa, Tesho Akindele, Michael Barrios, Maxi Urruti, Jesse Gonzalez and Chris Seitz.

MLS Moves: Crew’s Higuain, Meram and Trapp will returnSoccer America
Columbus Crew SC exercised the contract options on Designated Player and midfielder Federico Higuain and midfielders Justin Meram and Wil Trapp, who have combined for 370 matches played in MLS.

Nicolas Lodeiro Wins 2016 MLS Newcomer of the Year AwardMLS Multiplex
Seattle Sounders’ midfielder and playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro wins the 2016 MLS Newcomer of the Year after 6 months of exceptional play.

Ibrahimovic aims to outdo Napoleon and conquer USASN
Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has compared himself to Napoleon, but wants to outdo the French military leader by conquering America in MLS.

Town Hall event to cap off MLS Commissioner Garber’s visit to CincinnatiMLS
MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s upcoming visit to Cincinnati is hotly anticipated in Southern Ohio, and it looks like he will have a busy day, capped off with a Town Hall event in the Queen City.

Amazon explores MLS streaming rightsEmpire of Soccer
Major League Soccer is among several sports entities that have been in talks with Amazon regarding the rights to stream live games.

Train With Champions TWU Spartan Female Soccer Academy

BC SOCCER NEWS

Residency win and draw final home matches of 2016, prepare for Winter ShowcaseWhitecaps FC
Whitecaps FC Residency teams took to the pitch for their final home matches of 2016 on Saturday, taking on Crossfire Premier at SFU.

Brandon Watson Named NCAA Academic All-AmericanSFU
Brandon Watson earned third-team Academic All-American honours after registering nine shutouts and finishing his career with a GNAC record 31 career clean sheets.

Nanaimo United wins via shutout Nanaimo News Bulletin
Nanaimo United won this weekend to extend its unbeaten streak to four games. United (5-2-3) shut out Vic West FC by a 2-0 score on Saturday night at Merle Logan Field.

Vernon’s Maddy Laranjo collects TOFC scholarshipVernon Morning Star
Vernon’s Maddy Laranjo loves soccer so much, she knew she wanted it to be part of her future. But she had no ideas about setting goals. Enter Neil McPhie.

Vancouver Winter Futsal & Indoor Soccer Events, Tournaments, and LeaguesVFW
Vancouver Futsal is proud to host its 7th annual Vancouver Futsal Adult Winter Cup.

PHOTOS: CANADA WEST WOMENS FINAL, UBC 3, TWU 0, NOVEMBER 6, 2016BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

VMSL PHOTOS: Richmond FC Hibs 1, ICSF Columbus FC 0, November 5, 2016BC 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 VancouverCSA
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, 2016BC 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 ReviewBCSA
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 MandateBCSA
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 SyndicationBC 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

FC London’s Gigolaj And Kovacevic Claim League1 2016 Men’s and Women’s Golden BootLeague1 Ontario
In the fifth of a set of daily League1 Ontario 2016 Awards announcements leading up to the L1O Awards banquet on Sunday November 27, the 2016 Golden Boot winners have been revealed, featuring two outstanding performers from the 2016 season.

Hamilton politicians consider funding 2017 North American Indigenous GamesHamilton Spectator
Hamilton will be hosting for the first time ever the North American Indigenous Games next July.

Sports Dome collapse leaves 4 Thunder Bay soccer clubs, new gym hunting for spaceCBC
The collapse of the Sports Dome in Thunder Bay, Ont., during a winter storm on Nov. 18 has athletic clubs scrambling to find alternative training and playing space, and is again raising the question of whether the city should support the construction of a permanent indoor field.

Trojans rookies sweep Rookie of the Year Awards The Weal
For the first time in SAIT history, two Trojans soccer players – William Akio, of the  men’s team and Deanna Kuan, of the women’s – have both been awarded male and female Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Rookie of the Year awards.

 Capture the  game in HD using aerial video, book now at www.gamevision.ca!

WFC2, USL & NASL NEWS

Popovic Unveiled as Rangers’ New Coach USL
Former assistant helped lead Swope Park to Western Conference title in 2016.

Year in Review: FC CincinnatiUSL
Blockbuster attendance and impressive performances on the field saw FC Cincinnati land in the USL with a splash in 2016. The club set new highs for cumulative attendance in the USL regular season, and single-game attendance records in both the regular season (24,376) and playoffs (30,187) as the side finished third in the USL’s Eastern Conference.

Puerto Rico FC Wins Luis Villarejo CupNASL
The club earned its first piece of silverware with the win over Criollos FC.

Miami FC Announces Roster AdjustmentsMiami FC
The Miami FC, Miami’s only professional fútbol club, today announced a number of roster adjustments in preparation for its 2017 campaign. As a result of these adjustments, the following players have been released by the Club: F Roberto Alterio; F Pablo Campos; D Joe Franco; D Hugo Leroux; M Wilson Palacios; M Dane Richards; M Connor Rezende.

Q&A With San Francisco Deltas Coach Marc Dos SantosNASL
After a year working in America’s heartland, the young and well-respected coach is ready for his next challenge: Building a new team in the NASL.

Ups and downs in the US. Is it time to end the closed-shop league structure?Inside World Football
A report by Deloitte’s sports business consultancy into ending the closed shop league system in the United States and introducing promotion and relegation in the MLS says that there would be substantial long term gains for the sport and professional game in the country.

Opinion: Deloitte’s Pro/Rel Study is Useless Fifty Five One
It’s hard to convey in writing the absurdity of the whispered buzz that this embargoed report generated after its existence was leaked to the general public on Saturday. Suffice to say, if you knew nothing about it until now, your life was better for it because it is a hypeburger packed with empty calories.

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WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS

Frauen-Bundesliga – Matchday 9 Review: Munich reach summitVavel
With just the four games this week (Potsdam, Wolfsburg, Essen and Leverkusen will play their game in hand in the middle of December) Bayern took the opportunity to go top for the first time this year with Freiburg, Frankfurt and Sand all doing their best to keep pace.

W-League: Kelsey Wys tears ACL in Newcastle winThe Equalizer
In week 3, all four Westfield W-League games were played on Sunday, November 20 with Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC securing victories to pull joint level with idle Melbourne City, who have a game in hand on both teams, at the top of the table.

England Women’s vice-captain Jordan Nobbs says Lucy Bronze is yet to peakSky Sports
Manchester City Women’s defender Lucy Bronze is on course to become one of the best players in world football, according to England vice-captain Jordan Nobbs.

Primera Division – Week 11 Review: Top three move ahead Vavel
The Primera Division’s title race seems to have gone from four to three clubs as Levante’s win over Valencia sees the gap between third and fourth grows to seven points.

Castellanos: These awards help women’s footballFIFA
“It won’t be too long before she’s the best player in the world, no question.” That was the emphatic opinion of former Venezuela international Juan Arango when asked by FIFA.com for his views on compatriot Deyna Castellanos, who is fulfilling her rich promise faster than anyone expected.

Karachi United’s women football team is transcending borders and kick-starting a revolutionDawn
With skilled kicks and tackles, a budding crop of women’s football teams is breaking new ground in Pakistan. One such team is the Karachi United’s Women’s Division.

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Jurgen Klinsmann fired as manager of United States men’s national team ESPN FC
Jurgen Klinsmann has been fired as the manager of the United States men’s national team, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced on Monday.

Jurgen Klinsmann fired himself with ego and chaos, which U.S. Soccer must reverseSN
An inconvenient truth about the firing of Jurgen Klinsmann on Monday afternoon is that it will cost U.S. Soccer several years of progress. This move is entirely about survival. When dangling from the ledge of a building, one does not worry about making the Dean’s List or getting promoted to vice president. One merely looks forward to the next visit to the bathroom.

Bruce Arena’s dual-national stance clouds welcome returnEmpire of Soccer
Asked to bail out the US Men’s National Team from Jurgen Klinsmann, Arena is likely to take over a team very different than the one he left ten years ago. In that time, the integration of dual-nationals has permanently altered the team’s fabric and those players are now key pieces of the current team.

Bruce Arena a solid option for US Soccer but there are other wildcard candidatesThe Guardian
The Galaxy coach will almost certainly succeed Jürgen Klinsmann. But if he is a stop gap until 2018, who are the long-term candidates?

Moise Kean poised to make Champions League historyUEFA
Moise Kean could become the fourth youngest player ever to appear in the UEFA Champions League – and the first born in this millennium – should he feature for Juventus at Sevilla.

Tottenham must halt Falcao’s revival to keep Champions League hopes alive The Guardian
The Colombian provoked little but pity in his two seasons in the Premier League but with seven goals in nine games there are traces of a renaissance at Monaco.

Serge Aurier: PSG defender refused entry to UK before Arsenal gameBBC Sport
Paris St-Germain full-back Serge Aurier was stopped from entering the United Kingdom for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Arsenal.

Sarri: Napoli reborn? We never died!Four Four Two
Maurizio Sarri was not too happy at the suggestion that Napoli were “reborn” in their 2-1 Serie A win over Udinese.

They scored, now YOU vote! FIFA
Prepare to shout with joy and to be left dumbstruck with wonder: the ten nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award 2016 have been announced!

Crystal Palace consider Sam Allardyce to replace Alan Pardew – sourcesESPN FC
Former England manager Sam Allardyce is in the frame for the Crystal Palace job should they sack under-pressure boss Alan Pardew, sources close to the club have told ESPN FC.

Claudio Ranieri not worried about potential Leicester relegation despite poor league formVavel
Claudio Ranieri insists he has no qualms over Leicester City’s chances of relegation from the Premier League, the English champions currently sat just two points above the bottom three after a disappointing start to the season.

How Monaco became the top goalscorers in Europe – without a prolific strikerThe Guardian
Monaco do not boast an outstanding goalscorer but Thomas Lemar, Falcao and Fabinho have scored five goals each in Ligue 1 to make them a fearsome force.

NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Rewind: Maryland crashes out, SIUE upset Butler, and moreSBI
There was a bit of shaking up in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, with the tournament favorites being knocked out in a high-scoring matchup.

Thailand advance to AFF Championship semi-finalsAFC
Substitute Sarawut Masuk took Thailand to the semi-finals of the 2016 AFF Championship after snatching a late goal to defeat Singapore 1-0 in Group A at the Philippine Sport Stadium on Tuesday.

Referees suspended by Caf for ‘poor performance’ BBC Sport
Two referees and one assistant referee have been suspended for three months by the Confederation of African Football after poor performances in 2018 World Cup qualifiers in November.

Belgian players face suspensions for betting on club matchesInside World Football
The Belgian FA, the KBVB, is set to punish Olivier Deschacht (Anderlecht), Knowledge Musona (Ostende), Tuur Dierckx (Antwerp) and Laurent Henkinet (Beveren), for betting on Belgian club matches.

Steven Gerrard move into management is a ‘matter of time’, says CarragherThe Guardian
The ex-Liverpool and England captain is understood to have turned down the chance to take over at MK Dons after his playing contract with the LA Galaxy expired.

In sporting wilderness, Crimea team seeks fixtures Yahoo Sports
Crimea, caught in a sporting limbo after Russia annexed it from Ukraine, is to field a national soccer team in a tournament it plans to host next year, but its only likely opponents are statelets without international recognition.

Manchester United fans hid in Old Trafford toilet overnightBBC Sport
Two Manchester United fans spent Friday night undetected in an Old Trafford toilet in an attempt to see Saturday’s Premier League game against Arsenal.

Worst miss ever? Serbian striker squanders open goalESPN FC
We know that YouTube is positively awash with clips pertaining to be the “worst open-goal miss ever” but this next example really is something extra special.

Posted in BC Soccer News.