BC Soccer News, Weekend, February 24-26, 2017

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

NEW YORK RED BULLS 1  VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC  1

QUARTERFINAL, 2ND LEG (1-1 agg.)

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017, 7:00 pm

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Whitecaps FC mourn the passing of beloved volunteer Emil Udovich – Whitecaps FC
Udovich, who has been a part of the Whitecaps FC family for nearly 20 years, passed away on February 20, 2017 at the age of 53. He was not only a passionate fan, but a valuable member of the club’s match day operations, bringing unwavering commitment to maintaining accurate statistics alongside fellow long-time volunteers Eric Udovich (brother) and Domenic Cimaglia (friend). He transitioned with the club from Swangard Stadium, through Empire Field, and to BC Place.

New York Red Bulls aim to connect in Vancouver – CONCACAF
After playing the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2016/17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, the New York Red Bulls know what they need to do in the second leg on March 2.

Whitecaps in strong position heading back to BC Place in CCL – Red Nation Online
The Vancouver Whitecaps scored a crucial away goal as they earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls in the opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. Kekuta Manneh scored a headed goal in the first half, before Bradley Wright-Phillips smashed home the equalizer in the second half.

FC Dallas cruises past Arabe Unido in first leg of CCL quarterfinal – SBI
FC Dallas took care of business in a big way in Thursday night’s CONCACAF Champions League clash with Arabe Unido.

Colman impresses in debut, but FC Dallas stress CCL series “not done yet” – MLS
The club officially signed Colman in the offseason to fill a need at the No. 9 spot, and Colman delivered after scoring on a bounce and a touch in the 30th minute, sparking Dallas to a dominating 4-0 win over Panamanian club Arabe Unido in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal.

Report: Seattle Sounders on the verge of signing Keisuke Honda – MLS
The Seattle Sounders could be on the verge of acquiring Japanese international Keisuke Honda from AC Milan, according to an Italian report.

Wallace Brings Experience to NYCFC – Empire of Soccer
The sting of how the 2016 season ended could still be heard when Patrick Vieira discussed the end of the preseason on Thursday. A New York City FC team that blossomed as the regular season progressed, wilted in the playoffs against a Toronto team that knew from experience what the MLS Cup playoffs are about. Learning from its miscalculations, City has added MLS experience in goalkeeper Sean Johnson and midfielder Rodney Wallace.

Philadelphia Union: 2017 Season Preview – MLS Multiplex
After a disastrous second half to the 2016 season, the Philadelphia Union are poised to erase last year’s disappointment and build toward a playoff run in 2017. Here’s a brief look at the season ahead for the Union.

Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley says Reds will ‘have their day’ — ‘It’s a mission’ to win MLS Cup – Toronto Sun
There have been moments when Michael Bradley felt uncertain. What he desired — his grand plan in joining Toronto FC — didn’t seem close to becoming reality.

SBI MLS Season Preview: LA Galaxy – SBI
The Bruce Arena era is officially over for the LA Galaxy, and the club is hoping the Curt Onalfo era will simply continue the progress made under the current U.S. Men’s National Team manager.

Ratings vs rankings: What the TV deals and MLS marketing push mean for Canadian soccer – Waking the Red
A new TV deal and an MLS marketing push in Canada gives us insight into the league’s complicated relationship with Canadian soccer.

MLS stadiums ranked: why Orlando City’s new home comes out on top  – The Guardian
Almost three-quarters of teams in the league now have soccer-specific stadiums. Simon Veness runs down the great and the not-so-good.

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BC SOCCER NEWS

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.

RASA & Burnaby square off in inaugural all-star match Friday – Richmond News
If the Richmond Adult Soccer Association was handing out an overall MVP award this season it would appropriately go to the league scheduler. A harsh winter has wreaked havoc with the all-city soccer circuit — forcing the postponement of a whopping 107 matches, including an eight-week stretch when the league stood idle.

Pinnacle joins the Clan – Penticton Western News
Bjorn Borren is happy to join the Clan — the Simon Fraser University men’s soccer team. Borren, a product of Pinnacles FC and the Thompson Okanagan Football Club, is the first signing by SFU for next fall.

CR Cermaq teams advance in cup play – Campbell River Mirror
This past weekend, the Div. 1 and Div. 3 Campbell River Cermaq men’s soccer teams were involved in cup play.

Mountain United Football Club 2004 Boys in Las Vegas – MUFC
The 2004 Boys team from BCSPL’s Mountain United FC were in Las Vegas for the Mayor’s Cup International Showcase from February 17-21.

VMSL Round-Up: League and Cup surprises shape last weekend’s action – AFTN
It’s been a while, we’ve missed it, but we’re back in the VMSL groove, taking in a couple of last weekend’s matches in both the league and the cup.

UNBC women’s soccer keeping it all in the family – My Prince George Now
The upcoming season for UNBC women’s soccer will include a sister act on the pitch. Hannah Emmond has committed to playing for the Lady Timberwolves for 2017-18 out of the Prince George Youth Soccer Association. The 17-year-old will be joining her older sister Madison at midfield and says it’ll be a great experience to play with family.

Canadian soccer star backing sports facility bid – Williams Lake Tribune
A group looking to build a multi-purpose indoor field sport facility has added some star power to its bid. Silvana Burtini — a police officer, former Williams Lake resident and former star player for Canada’s women’s soccer team  —  has jumped on board with her endorsement for the project, that was given support in principle by Williams Lake City Council in December.

BMO KICKIN’ WITH THE ‘CAPS COMMUNITY CLINICS – New Westminster – Eventbrite
A fun introduction to soccer from Whitecaps FC players and coaches! Registration is open for boys and girls ages 7 to 10.

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!

TSS FC Rovers Open Tryouts – TSS Rovers
Vancouver’s newest team, TSS FC Rovers, is looking for Canada’s best up and coming players to play for their first squad in 2017. If you are a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, could possibly play for our national team one day, and meet the age requirment of 23 and under, we want to see you play!

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.

FVSL All-Stars to face WFC2 in March – BC Soccer Web
January snow and ice in the Lower Mainland put the brakes on the annual clash between the Fraser Valley Soccer League All-Stars and the best from the VISL this year. That hasn’t stopped the FVSL from planning an ambitious All-Star series in March.

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.

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.

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 ends CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship with positive 2:0 win – CSA
Canada went out on a winning note at the CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship after a 2:0 victory over Antigua & Barbuda. Kris Twardek and Shaan Hundal were the goalscorers in the Thursday win in Costa Rica.

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Whitecaps FC 2 re-sign Deklan Wynne and Thomas Sanner, pick up option on Chris Serban – Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Friday that the club has re-signed left back Deklan Wynne and striker Thomas Sanner to Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) for the upcoming 2017 USL season, pending league and federation approval.

Former England International Shaun Wright-Phillips joins Rising FC – USL
Phoenix Rising Football Club announced on Friday the signing of former England international Shaun Wright-Phillips for the 2017 season. The signing is pending league and federation approval, and per club policy, the terms of the deal were not made public.

Sacramento Republic FC Sign Top 10 USL Goal-Scorer Sammy Ochoa – Sacramento Republic
Sacramento Republic FC have agreed to a contract with Sammy Ochoa for the 2017 USL season, pending league and federation approval.  Ochoa was the leading scorer for Tulsa Roughnecks FC in each of the last two seasons.

Match Recap: Fury FC -v- OKC Energy FC – Ottawa Fury
Fury FC remained undefeated in preseason play Thursday evening at IMG Academy, grabbing a 2-1 win over OKC Energy FC in a hard-fought battle that saw a combined five yellow cards and one red card issued during the match.

Ledgerwood’s two new roles: FCE’s captain and fatherhood – the11.ca
Nik Ledgerwood has two new titles this season. “Captain.” He was named FC Edmonton’s new captain earlier this week. “Dad.” He and his wife welcomed their son, Miles, into the world a little more than two weeks ago.

Bethlehem Steel FC gearing up for another season – The Morning Call
Many corners of the world, from Europe to Africa to Jamaica, will be represented in the Lehigh Valley this summer whenever the Bethlehem Steel play a soccer match at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium.

Exclusive: Orange County Group Closes In On NASL Expansion – Midfield Press
The Orange County bid would expand NASL’s presence into greater Los Angeles, the second largest metropolitan area in the country.

Announcing the Old Guard Shield – Old Guard Shield
Take a moment and go to Wikipedia and look at the current club list for the USL. Look at the founded column. There’s an awful lot of teams whose foundation year starts with 201x. Do you know what the average club age is for the league? A little over 6 years. The median? 3. It’s a young league, no one’s denying that, especially if you’ve been following the expansion race over the years.

Dash add to defense with signing of Claire Falknor – Houston Chronicle
The Dash continued to fortify their back line Friday with the signing of former Bayern Munich defender Claire Falknor.

Ali Krieger: Pride ‘Raised The Bar’ For The NWSL – Orlando City SC
When the Orlando Pride joined the NWSL at the start of the 2016 season, they became just the tenth team in the league. They were only the second team to join the league in its four-year history, following the Houston Dash in 2014. And some around the league were worried about garnering support, and potentially folding, as past women’s soccer leagues in the United States had.

Scotland women all full-time ahead of Euro 2017 finals – BBC Sport
Scotland’s home-based players are being funded to go full-time as they prepare for the Women’s Euro 2017 finals.

Women’s football round-up: Millwall face Bristol City test as Charlton hammer Old Actonians – London News Online
Millwall Lionesses have been drawn at Bristol City Women in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The tie will take place at the Stoke Gifford Stadium on March 19 (2pm kick-off).

FC Wichita introduces Wichita’s first outdoor women’s soccer team – Wichita Eagle
FC Wichita launched the first non-collegiate outdoor women’s soccer team in Wichita on Tuesday, announcing it will compete in the Women’s Premier Soccer League beginning this spring.

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Claudio Ranieri’s reign ends in cruel, brutal fashion as Leicester lose patience – The Guardian
Leicester owners lose faith in manager’s ability to keep team in Premier League but many will be saddened by the decision and puzzled by its timing.

Claudio Ranieri on Leicester sacking: ‘Yesterday my dream died’ – ESPN FC
“Yesterday my dream died,” Ranieri said in a statement. “After the euphoria of last season and being crowned Premier League champions all I dreamt of was staying with Leicester City, the club I love, for always. Sadly this was not to be.”

Sensationally firing Claudio Ranieri doesn’t cure what’s ailing Leicester City – Fox Sports
There are many reasons for Leicester’s decline, most of which come down to little more than regression to the mean. In 101 league games since the club returned to the top flight, it has taken 143 points. That is more than would realistically have been expected on the opening day of 2014-15.

Claudio Ranieri sacked: A despicable act of felony which shows how football has lost touch with its soul – The Independent
The club is now left with a fan base which, by very large measure, will find the actions unfathomable and a source of incalculable sadness at the way the light has gone out.

Premier League and EFL Cup final: 10 things to look out for this weekend – The Guardian
Managerless Leicester look to prolong Liverpool hoodoo, scoring first could prove a burden again at Wembley and Palace must shrug off home discomforts.

Gladbach, Anderlecht, Celta and Lyon take headlines – UEFA
A sensational comeback by Mönchengladbach, decisive late goals for Anderlecht and Celta, and a record-equalling win for Lyon were among the headlines as the round of 32 concluded.

Gent ousts Tottenham from Europa League; Alli sees red for horror tackle – SI.com
Tottenham is out of the Europa League after a 2-2 draw vs. Gent at Wembley Stadium on Thursday, with the Belgian side going through on a 3-2 aggregate.

Lyon puts seven past AZ to reach Europa League round of 16 – Sportsnet
In the latest show of strength in French soccer, Lyon powered into the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday by handing AZ Alkmaar a second heavy beating in a week.

Man United faces trip to Russia, German sides set to face off in Europa League Round of 16 – SBI
Manchester United’s quest for glory in the UEFA Europa League will go through Russia in the round of 16. The Red Devils were drawn with FC Rostov from the Russian Premier League in Friday’s draw. United will travel to Russia for the first leg on March 9 before playing the second leg a week later at Old Trafford.

America manager La Volpe feels the heat; Monterrey rounding into form – ESPN FC
La Volpe won’t be on the bench after being sent off for entering the field and tackling Chivas’ Jesus Sanchez in last weekend’s Clasico Nacional defeat. And if the talk in the Mexican press is anything to go by, his job could be at risk if America falls to a second-consecutive clasico defeat.

Electricity restored at Maracana after some late bills paid – NBC Sports
Rio’s electricity utility has turned the power back on at the famous Maracana stadium after it was shut off for almost a month in a dispute over $1 million in unpaid bills.

Rooney staying at Man Utd as big money Chinese move fails to materialise – Inside World Football
England captain Wayne Rooney has ended talk of a possible move to China saying he wants to remain at Manchester United.

VIDEO: Juan Mata’s hipster guide to Manchester – BBC Sport
Manchester United’s Spanish midfielder Juan Mata gives his personal guide to Manchester, including his favourite hangouts.

Open letter from the FIFA President – FIFA
To everyone who cares about football, This is not a celebratory letter. After all, nearly two years ago, FIFA seemed to have reached rock bottom. I am under no illusions: by the time I took over, the institution was unlikely to go anywhere but uphill from there. This is a reflection on the first 12 months of the path that we chose for the long and climbing journey and how these months have prepared the ground for the long-term future of the organisation.