BC Soccer News, Weekend, December 16-18, 2016

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

Bolaños up for CONCACAF Player of the YearWhitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Christian Bolaños was announced today as a nominee for the 2016 CONCACAF Male Player of the Year, which honours the top performer from official competitions in the region encompassing of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

MLS announces expansion process and timelineMLS
The process for Major League Soccer’s next round of expansion has been set. MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced Thursday that Teams 25 and 26 will be announced during the second or third quarter of 2017, at an expansion fee of $150 million each, and begin MLS play by 2020. Teams 27 and 28 will be announced at a later date, at a price delivered in conjunction with the timeline.

The 10 cities in the mix for an MLS expansion team Fox Sports
Which cities are in the mix for teams? These are the 10 that the league identified, although others could join in later on.

Soccer chief to David Beckham on Miami deal: ‘It’s time for us to reach a conclusion’Miami Herald
The head of Major League Soccer on Thursday continued to suggest diminishing patience for David Beckham’s elusive stadium deal in Miami, noting that sometimes “you move on” when hard-fought goals don’t materialize.

MLS has plenty of room for growth but needs to tweak structure, suggests reportInside World Football
The MLS ended its 2016 season with a series of record numbers from attendance to bigger and better TV deals. A stark contrast to the second tier NASL that is struggling for survival. But how sustainable is the MLS whose commissioner Don Garber said is still in “investment mode”. An analysis by Football Benchmark looks at the key criteria that defines the business model of the MLS model where franchises now cost upward of $100 million. MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said that fees could soon be “as high as $200 million”.

Pablo Mastroeni signs new three-year contract with Colorado RapidsMLS
It’s official: Pablo Mastroeni is staying in Colorado. The Rapids announced on Thursday that Mastroeni has signed a new contract through the 2019 season.

MLS Waiver Draft passes with no selectionsSN
The MLS Waiver Draft has come and gone without any of the league’s sides making a selection.

VIDEO: 2016: The year that was Bleu-blanc-noirMontreal Impact
A look back on 2016 for the Montreal Impact.

With all 22 coaches in place, breaking down the MLS coaching ranksMLS
With Curt Onalfo formally announced as the new head coach of the LA Galaxy and Pablo Mastroeni re-signed in Colorado, the 2017 MLS managerial group is all but officially set.

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BC SOCCER NEWS

Why 70 percent of kids quit sports by age 13Washington Post
According to a poll from the National Alliance for Youth Sports, around 70 percent of kids in the United States stop playing organized sports by the age of 13 because “it’s just not fun anymore.” I have three kids, all of whom play sports, and my oldest is about to turn 13. I may not have understood why this was happening a few years ago, but sadly, knowing what I know now, the mass exodus of 13-year-olds from organized sports makes perfect sense to me.

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.

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CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Sinclair wondergoal, players, and referees nominated for CONCACAF Awards CSA
Christine Sinclair’s incredible juggle-then-volley wondergoal that qualified Canada for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games has been nominated for the CONCACAF Goal of the Year.

Sinclair wins POTY award for the 13th timethe11.ca
Sinclair, to no one’s surprise, was announced as Canada’s top player on Thursday. And she accepted the award with the grace of the average Canadian, by wanting to talk about her team more than she wanted to talk about herself.

Cancer survivor Lapointe a champion on and off the fieldU Sports
Gabrielle Lapointe does not only defeat teams on the field, she kicks ovarian cancer to the curb.  Now five years cancer-free, the fifth-year veteran of Laval University’s women’s soccer team was diagnosed on Nov. 3, 2012, two days prior to beginning her CEGEP career – a pre-university college in Quebec.

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WFC2, USL & NASL NEWS

FC Cincinnati Signs Winger Dacres from RivalOrange and Blue Press
Rosedale, New York, native Kadeem Dacres spent last season terrorizing USL fullbacks with Louisville City FC. In 2017, he’ll suit up for the Orange and Blue as a key part of the second year club’s attack. On Thursday morning, FC Cincinnati announced Dacres’ signing as well as the re-signing of midfielder Eric Stevenson.

Lopes Appointed City Islanders PresidentUSL
The Harrisburg City Islanders have appointed Tiago Lopes as the club’s President, the team announced Thursday. Lopes will oversee all club operations in a return to the post he held during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Under Lopes previous direction the club grew its youth partnerships, sponsorships and attendance, and experienced on-field success with the club’s run to the championship final in 2014.

Where does the MLS-USSF partnership leave lower-division soccer?Four Four Two
MLS Cup week, like All-Star week, is something of a convention with a game attached. It’s one of the relatively few occasions when ownership groups and technical committees, normally scattered around a vast continent, can efficiently meet and discuss the business of MLS with any sort of macro perspective. And while the atmosphere in the host cities tends to be collegiate rather than frenzied, there’s at least a degree of logistical urgency that comes with taking advantage of these windows.

Westfield W-League – Round 7 previewW-League
Check out all the squad news ahead of Round 7 in the Westfield W-League, headlined by a massive match-up between Canberra United and Brisbane Roar.

Sierra Leone forced to ditch U-17 Women’s World Cup plansBBC Sport
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) says it is now focusing on staging a regional football tournament after establishing Uruguay will host the 2018 Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Man City, Arsenal must fix defences if they’re to challenge for the titleESPN FC
The Premier League is full of attacking flair this season but title winners generally boast a reliable defence, too. Sunday’s meeting between Manchester City and Arsenal is a clash between two sides unquestionably boasting the former, but yet to prove the latter.

Navas, Dempsey, Ruiz and Chicarito battle for CONCACAF awardsInside World Football
Fan voting has opened for the CONCACAF annual awards, the fourth time the awards have been held.

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekendThe Guardian
The balance shifts from Arsenal to Manchester City, Chelsea could take a defining step away from the pack and Jack Wilshere’s chance to crack on.

Everton: Gareth Barry, Leighton Baines and Mason Holgate sign new dealsBBC Sport
Midfielder Gareth Barry and defenders Leighton Baines and Mason Holgate have all signed new contracts with Everton.

Everton v Liverpool: match previewThe Guardian
The rivals approach the 227th Merseyside derby with morale lifted by important victories in midweek while also anxious to avoid a defeat that would ruin Christmas for one half of the city. Everton, who will be without the suspended captain, Phil Jagielka, are unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season but have not won any of the last 12 derbies.

Only one Premier League manager has been fired in 2016-17. Isn’t that weird?ESPN FC
It’s quiet in the Premier League right now. Too quiet. By this stage of the season, football managers should be an endangered species, especially in the English top flight and even more especially given that the dramatic rise in global TV revenues has only heightened the terror of relegation.

Monaco target Lyon revengeLigue 1
AS Monaco will be eager to exact revenge for what happened the last time they faced Olympique Lyonnais as the two sides meet at the Stade Louis II on Sunday evening.

AFC President hails Kashima Antlers for historic achievementAFC
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has hailed Kashima Antlers after the Japanese side became the first Asian team to qualify for the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Japanese fans lapping up festive atmosphereFIFA
Many of the Japanese fans who watched Real Madrid play Club America in the second semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2016 wore shirts that showed their support for the Spanish giants.

Video ref ‘confusion’ snags trials at Club World Cup in Japan Inside World Football
FIFA’s new video review system, championed by those who have long argued goalline technology alone does not go far enough, has not got off to the most auspicious of starts.

Zero unpaid wage complaints as La Liga cleans up its actAS
Efforts to financially shore up Spanish soccer clubs were hailed by La Liga’s organizing body on Friday with the announcement that no player in Spain’s top two divisions had complained of not receiving their wages in the last year.

Ballon sur bitume: celebrating street football in FranceThe Guardian
Over the past couple of weeks, a 50-minute documentary about street football in France has been quietly racking up views on YouTube. Ballon sur Bitume (Concrete Football) opens a window into the culture that has nurtured some of the most celebrated talents in international football and shows how community and talent have joined forces on concrete pitches to overcome adversity in urban arenas.

Posted in BC Soccer News.