BC Soccer News, Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Will the real Whitecaps please stand up? – 24 Hours
The drought is over — let the goal-scoring reign begin. At least, that’s what would seem to be the case after Vancouver Whitecaps FC scored three against FC Dallas last weekend.

‘I wish she was still here:’ Why Manneh’s goal against FC Dallas was extra special – Whitecaps FC
Kekuta Manneh’s goal against FC Dallas on Saturday was a special one. It was Manneh’s first goal of the season and it ended Vancouver’s open play drought – if you don’t count the own goal. But you already knew that. Turns out it was a little more personal for Manneh.

Whitecaps FC captain Pedro Morales set for return from injury: ‘He’s raring to go’ – Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson confirmed on Monday that Morales “will be involved at some stage” on Wednesday when the ‘Caps host Sporting Kansas City at BC Place (7:30 p.m. PT on TSN1 – tickets still available). The Chilean playmaker suffered a left hip strain back on April 2 against LA and had been out ever since.

Toronto FC’s Beitashour the right back for the job – Toronto Sun
Long story short, through seven games the Reds have the best defence in the league. The Whitecaps, meanwhile, have conceded twice as many goals as TFC.

PRO announces referee assignments for Week 9 of MLS season – MLS
The Professional Referee Organization has announced the referee assignments for Week 9 of the 2016 MLS season.

VIDEO: Hislop: MLS refs are costing teams  –ESPN FC
ESPN analyst Shaka Hislop looks at the state of MLS officiating in week 9.

Impact plays New York City FC this Wednesday at Yankee Stadium – Montreal Impact
“New York is a team that pushes numbers forward and try to unbalance opponents,” said head coach Mauro Biello. “We have to close down and be very compact. We have to be solid defensively to transition forward and give opportunities to our attacking players.”

MLS: Montreal hits new mark in season-ticket sales – Soccer America
The Montreal Impact, in its fifth MLS season, has passed the 9,500 mark in season-ticket sales for the first time ever. That includes 3,500 new season tickets and the club’s best renewal rate in its history: 91 percent.

Pari Arshagouni named Chief Soccer Officer – Montreal Impact
Pari Arshagouni was general manager of the Montreal Supra in the late 1980s and was part of the transition team of the Impact, between 1997 and 2000. More recently, he spearheaded the Montreal organizing committee for the U20 FIFA World Cup, in 2007.

TFC notebook: Vanney downplays early-season hype – Sportsnet
Toronto FC was back in training on Tuesday ahead of its road game against the Portland Timbers this weekend. Here are some news and notes from today’s practice at the club’s training facility in Downsview.

NBA owners Tom Gores, Dan Gilbert partner to bring MLS team to Detroit – MLS
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert announced on Tuesday that they are partnering to form an investor group to bring an MLS expansion club to downtown Detroit.

Detroit City FC Statement on Major League Soccer to Detroit Developments – Detroit City FC
While details are forthcoming, recent developments have centered on the possibility of a future bid for a Detroit Major League Soccer franchise led by a group of local investors. In light of this speculation, Detroit City FC would like to make the following statement pertaining to Detroit soccer.

From the Pigeon Loft: Faust, part one – AFTN
This is a ridiculous sport. It defies logic, it pulls on the heart, it requires unnameable rites at times to get a result.

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BC SOCCER NEWS

KYSA round-up to April 24 – Kamloops This Week
Alysha Muzio tallied twice to lead the way for the Kamloops Blaze in a 3-1 victory over hometown Kelowna United in under-14 girls’ play on Sunday.

Pacific Soccer Coaching Conference – June 3-5 at SFU – BC Soccer Web
The Pacific Soccer Coaching Conference is back for its second year. Learn from some of the best coaches in the game. This year’s conference features speakers from Arsenal, Leicester City, Southampton, the English FA and more. Register before April 30 for early bird pricing.

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.

Victoria Highlanders 2016 Season Tickets Now Available – Select Your Seats
The Victoria Highlanders are ready to return to the PDL for 2016. BC Soccer Web encourages all soccer fans on Vancouver Island to get behind their team. Season tickets are now on sale and extremely affordable. Support Local Soccer!

BC Soccer Assoc. is Now Accepting Candidates for its Board of Directors – BCSA
BC Soccer Assoc. is accepting candidates for its Board of Directors for terms commencing June 11, 2016. Prospective candidates are invited to review the information provided on the BC Soccer web site www.bcsoccer.net. Candidates who provide notice to BC Soccer Assoc. of their intent to stand for election by May 1, 2016 will have their applications circulated to the membership in early May.

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.

EPIC presents the 2016 Western Canada College ID Camp

CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Tickets on sale to crucial Russia 2018 Qualifiers match in Vancouver – CSA
Canadian soccer fans can be the 12th man with tickets now on sale to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifiers match at BC Place in Vancouver on Tuesday 6 September 2016. Tickets to the crucial Canada v El Salvador match are available via Ticketmaster.ca

PODCAST: The Stolen Game: Karina LeBlanc, Soccer and the 2012 Olympics – CBC
It was a scrappy match that ended in tears. And for Karina LeBlanc, the women’s soccer semifinals at the London Olympics was a heartbreaking game, punctuated by a questionable call. This is Karina’s Back Story.

FC Barcelona opens local soccer academy in Spruce Grove – Edmonton Sun
FC Barcelona officially opened an academy in Spruce Grove in an effort to expand their global brand and spread their soccer philosophy. The FCBEscola Edmonton is one of over 20 worldwide academies with ties to the famous club and the third based in Canada.

Soccer takes the stage at Hall of Fame banquet – Lethbridge Herald
The Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet will feature a strong dose of local soccer glory when it inducts University of Lethbridge Pronghorns standout Laura Tsujikawa and the 1963 Lethbridge Hungaria soccer team.

Hungaria caught fire to win title – Lethbridge Herald
The Hungaria men’s soccer team were underdogs who got hot when it counted, and the result was a championship for Lethbridge. The 1963 Hungaria team will be inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Hall’s induction banquet.

Closure of UPEI turf field leaves teams, leagues scrambling – PEI Guardian
Affected groups include the P.E.I. Soccer Association, which had to cancel its bid to host the under-16 national soccer championships.

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WFC2, USL & NASL NEWS

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUE

WFC2 vs. SWOPE PARK RANGERS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 5:00 PM

SWOPE PARK SOCCER VILLAGE, KANSAS, MO.

USL LIVESTREAM

Game Preview: Swope Park Rangers to host Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 at Swope Soccer Village – Sporting KC
The Swope Park Rangers will return to action on Wednesday, April 27 when they host Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 in the club’s first-ever home game at Children’s Mercy Victory Field in Swope Soccer Village. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT and the game will be live streamed on SportingKC.com

USL Preview: Swope Park Rangers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 – USL
The Swope Park Rangers will try to bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they host the undefeated Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 at Children’s Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village on Wednesday night. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT.

Fatawu Safiu named to USL Team of the Week after comeback performance – Whitecaps FC
Whitecaps FC 2 striker Fatawu Safiu was named to the USL Team of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday. The forward from Ghana opened his WFC2 account in a big way last Friday, tallying a goal and an assist as the ‘Caps came back from a two-goal deficit to notch a hard-earned point on the road against USL-leading LA Galaxy II.

Eight years in the making: The naming of the Swope Park Rangers – Sporting KC
While the Swope Park Rangers were officially introduced as Sporting Kansas City’s USL team on October 22, 2015, the name itself has in fact circulated for the better part of a decade. It was former Kansas City Wizards account executive Darren Gertsen who first coined the name in 2008, and we caught up with Darren via email ahead of the Rangers’ first-ever game at Swope Soccer Village on Wednesday, April 27.

MLS expectations hard to ignore after FC Cincinnati’s dream start – Four Four Two
FC Cincinnati wanted to make an impression in its first season. It aimed merely to enter the conversation. Now, the city and the club were thrust into the center of the buzz in the American soccer conversation.

Gerardo Bruna Wants To Do His Part In Ottawa – NASL
Ottawa Fury FC will take the field at TD Place for the first time in the Spring Season on Saturday. It will be an opportunity to return to the site of some of last season’s successes, including winning The Championship Semifinal, and a chance for new players to drink in home support.

Goalkeepers Shine as Monarchs, S2 End Deadlocked – USL
Both Real Monarchs SLC and Seattle Sounders FC 2 created chances, but neither was able to capitalize as the sides played to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Cosmos Meet RailHawks In Critical Spring Season Match – NASL
The unbeaten and first-place RailHawks visit New York for two sides with Spring Season title ambitions.

Life under Traffic has given way to a Carolina RailHawks revival – Four Four Two
Carolina RailHawks president Curt Johnson was sound asleep in the early-morning hours last May 27 when his phone rang. He knew, with a glance at caller ID, that something was wrong. “We need to talk,” NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson told him.

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WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS

The Lowdown: Taking in Orlando’s soccer culture – Equalizer
Saturday afternoon, I set sail from my hotel for the mile and a half walk to the Citrus Bowl. As I made the walk with my pal Jen Cooper from keepernotes.com on a pleasant Orlando afternoon we passed the time doing what soccer writers normally do—thoroughly analyzing the highs and lows of our time spent in the sport and reassuring each other that our ideas were the ones that would indeed carry the women’s game into the next realm.

REIGN FC MIDFIELDER KIM LITTLE VOTED PLAYER OF THE WEEK – NWSL
Seattle Reign FC midfielder Kim Little was voted the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Week by the NWSL Media Association for Week 2 of the 2016 NWSL season. Little, 25, had a goal and two assists to lead Reign FC to their fifth-straight road victory in a 3-0 win over the Boston Breakers on Sunday. The five consecutive away wins are a new NWSL record.

Canberra United star Sykes wins Julie Dolan Medal – Westfield W-League
Ashleigh Sykes from Canberra United took out the Julie Dolan Medal at the gala Dolan Warren Awards night which were held at the Carriageworks in Sydney tonight.

WNL Cup Preview: UCD Waves v Galway WFC – Continental Tyres WNL
Meabh DeBurca wants Galway WFC to finish their impressive season with a blast as they travel to UCD Waves for their Continental Tyres Women’s National League Cup semi-final.

Lindsey Vonn: U.S. Soccer’s Fight for Equal Pay Could Revolutionize Women’s Sports – Time
During the TIME 100 Gala this year, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn addressed the federal wage discrimination suit five U.S. women’s soccer players have filed. The women’s team just won a World Cup, but the members are reportedly still paid just 40% of the mediocre male U.S. soccer team.

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

UCL Preview: Atletico Madrid hosts Bayern Munich in semifinal first leg – SBI
In Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League semifinal tie, Atletico Madrid looks to advance to what would be its second Champions League final in three years. Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich stands between the Rojiblancos and their quest for the final, having defeated Benfica in the quarterfinals.

Guardiola: Bayern success hinges on Champions League – Goal
The Bavarians’ boss believes his reign at the club will be judged on whether he wins Europe’s primary club competition this season.

Without Ronaldo, Madrid draws Manchester City in Champions League – Sportsnet
Real Madrid failed to turn late domination into a goal without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo as Manchester City held on for a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday.

Copa Libertadores Review: Pumas trail after first leg – Goal
Deportivo Tachira secured a 1-0 advantage over Pumas UNAM, while Atletico Nacional kept Huracan scoreless.

23 players failed doping tests in Mexico in 2012-13 – ESPN FC
Twenty-three players from Liga MX or featuring in matches involving Mexican Football Federation (FMF) teams tested positive for banned substances between 2012 and 2013, documents show. The FMF and Liga MX have never acknowledged or publicly released information that three out of 120 random drug tests in 2012 came back positive, as did 20 of 248 tests in 2013.

Special new Copa America Centenario trophy to be unveiled Thursday – MLS
The 2016 edition of the Copa America tournament will be a special one — and it’s getting a special trophy to go along with it. The South American Football Confederation, or CONMEBOL, will unveil a new, one-of-a-kind trophy on Thursday in Colombia. The trophy will be awarded to the winner of the Copa America Centenario taking place this summer from June 3 to 26.

Will America go all out to make history in CCL final? – Goal
With a chance to become the region’s most successful team in continental championships, will Club America deploy an attacking game plan in Wednesday’s second leg?

The Hillsborough verdict brings vindication after a comprehensive police coverup – Toronto Star
After dozens died in the crush at Hillsborough Stadium, English officials painted fans as culpable drunks. Behind the scenes, a comprehensive effort was being made to suppress the truth.