BC Soccer News, Weekend, July 8-10, 2016

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC  vs. COLORADO RAPIDS

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2016, 7:00 PM

BC PLACE, VANCOUVER, BC

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Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Colorado Rapids | 2016 MLS Match Preview – MLS
Whitecaps FC weren’t able to build upon a first win in their last four matches, falling 2-0 to the LA Galaxy on Monday evening at StubHub Center.

How do the Rapids of 2016 compare at the halfway stage of the season? – Colorado Rapids
With the 0-0 home tie against Portland Timbers on Monday, the Colorado Rapids arrived at the midway point of their 2016 regular season. And so, as a way to highlight the impressive, sustained start to the season, find below the numbers for ‘halftime’ of each of the Rapids’ 21 seasons. As many suspected, it’s been a very good season so far.

Robinson hopes bench lights a fire under Manneh – The Province
The response to Kekuta Manneh’s Monday benching in L.A. has been loud and varied. That tends to happen when the coach plants his second-leading scorer in the press box for a big game, and then you lose the game.

Vancouver Whitecaps: Think of a word – Soccer Shorts
What a strange old season it has been for the Vancouver Whitecaps so far. A heady mix of goal fests, injuries, suspensions and trades with the promise of even more to come, but if we were to stop for a moment and reflect on all that has happened thus far how would we define it?

RSL faces Montreal; Colorados seek first place; Vieira clicking with NYCFC – ESPN FC
The Rapids may not hold the lead in the West anymore, but they remain the league’s best team in terms of points per game. That means quite a bit with the MLS schedule putting teams on different numbers of games played at the effective halfway point. If Colorado maintains this rate, it will find itself back on top soon enough.

MLS Week 18: A Look Ahead – SBI
After a busy holiday, MLS returns with yet another full slate as all 20 teams take the field over the weekend.

MLS Talking Points: Players face former clubs, Galaxy and Sounders renew rivalry – Goal
Kei Kamara faces off against the Columbus Crew, Chris Pontius plays against D.C. United, and the LA Galaxy and Seattle renew their rivalry in MLS Week 18.

Nicolas Lodeiro deal “getting close”, Boca Juniors boss says – Sounder at Heart
Although Angelici doesn’t explicitly say which team Lodeiro might join, he does acknowledge that a team in the United States is a possibility and that they’ve made a good offer.

Toronto FC striker Jordan Hamilton grabs chance to show he belongs – Globe & Mail
Jordan Hamilton was taken aback and “really humbled” when he was recognized recently walking down Yonge Street.

New York Red Bulls trade winger Lloyd Sam to D.C. United – ESPN FC
D.C. United added winger Lloyd Sam from the New York Red Bulls on Thursday in a trade for general allocation money.

From MLS to Tel-Aviv, Aaron Schoenfeld embarks on adventure of a lifetime – MLS
He’s scoring goals, inspiring fans, generating big-money transfer rumors and even picking up some national team buzz.

Orlando City reaches turning point with Heath dismissal – SBI
In truth, it was probably coming. Given everything the club had been facing, both on the field and off of it, Adrian Heath seemed to be a dead man walking even prior to Wednesday night’s dismissal.

Kaká: Heath’s departure “a big sign” that more is expected from Lions squad – MLS
Just in case Orlando City’s players thought they might have escaped scrutiny in Wednesday’s parting of the ways with head coach Adrian Heath, captain Kaká sounded a stern warning about their own part in proceedings.

Alberg comfortably adjusting in first year with Union – SBI
The transition from Europe to Major League Soccer can be an arduous one for many players. Some players don’t pan out at their respective clubs, or in the case of the Philadelphia Union’s Roland Alberg, it takes a while to make an impact on the squad.

Atlanta United Anniversary: Celebrating 1 Year – Atlanta United
Exactly one year ago today, thousands of Atlanta soccer fans gathered to witness the introduction of the united circle, the gold “A” and the iconic black and red stripes that would put a face to the city’s new MLS Franchise.

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

BC SOCCER NEWS

Whitecaps FC U-18s defeat Sacramento Republic FC 5-3 to advance to semifinals – Whitecaps FC
The ‘Caps now advance to the final four of the 74-team USSDA, taking place at the StubHub Center I Carson, California. The semifinals will be played this coming Thursday, July 14. This is the furthest playoff run for a Residency team since the U-18s made the USSDA Championship Final during their first season in 2011-12.

Hardest games still to come as Vancouver Whitecaps U18s book place in USSDA Final Four – “They’ve accomplished nothing at this point” – AFTN
It was a performance and a game to lift the spirits of even the most downbeat Vancouver Whitecaps fan at a drenched Dhillon Field up at UBC on Thursday afternoon.

Pinnacles FC U15 girls pound Kootenay South in provincial soccer opener – Penticton Western News
Allyn Deakin netted five goals to help the Pinnacles FC under-15 girls soccer team crush the Kootenay South Storm 9-2 in their opening game of the B.C. Soccer B Provincial Cup championship Thursday.

Jay DeMerit launches Rise & Shine Captain’s Camp in Pemberton – Rise & Shine Foundation
A captain is an individual who unifies teammates into one team.  A captain has to be well rounded to lead by example. At the Rise & Shine: Captains Camps, the curriculum is specifically built around creating a balance of elite soccer training on the field, and all encompassing life skills training off the field.

Pinnacles lose tight match to Khalsa Sporting Club – Penticton Western News
The Penticton Tim Hortons Pinnacles lost to the Khalsa Sporting Club 1-0 and are now winless in eight Pacific Coast Soccer League matches. The Pinnacles have two matches remaining against Kamloops, including their first home game that is that is to be rescheduled on a date to be announced soon.

Calmets nets two for Penticton United – Penticton Western News
Yann Calmets scored twice, while Sean Goodsell, Steve Grant, Derrick Webb and Robert Jackson also found the back of the net in Penticton United’s 6-2 win over Soccer United on July 4. Penticton is in second place in the Capri Okanagan Oldtimers 45-plus League.

BC Soccer Assoc. Releases their 2015-2016 Year in Review – BCSA
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 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.

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!

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

This Week in League1 Ontario – L1 Cup final creeps ever closer – League1 Ontario
This Week in League1 Ontario action saw one undefeated streak extend, a pair of undefeated streaks come to an end and a few more teams creep ever closer to the L1 Cup final.

Three wins and a tie for N.L. in Atlantic Showcase openers – The Telegram
Thursday was a good day for Newfoundland and Labrador as four Atlantic Showcase age-group soccer tournaments got underway.

Local minor soccer association still going strong – Sackville Tribune Post
Soccer has become the game of choice during the summer months in Sackville with more than 200 boys and girls ranging in age from four to senior having registered for the season, which runs from mid June until well into August.

Hamilton youth soccer jamboree heads into second year – Hamilton Spectator
The Hamilton Youth Soccer Jamboree, established last year by the Mount Hamilton Youth Soccer Club to celebrate the Pan Am Games soccer tournament in Hamilton and promote youth soccer in the area, is back for a second year, bigger, co-ed, and outdoors.

Cornwall’s Tessier is Gothia Cup bound – Standard-Freeholder
Seeing Cornwall’s Evan Tessier without a soccer ball nearby? It doesn’t happen often. “He had a ball at his feet before he could walk,” mom Louise Tessier said of her now 14-year-old son.

Erin McLeod: It’s time to Motivate a Nation! – themotivenation.ca
After building a successful e-commerce (www.peaudeloup.com) and a physical retail store in West Vancouver (CAPOSHIE) Women’s National Team Goalkeeper Erin McLeod has decided after a series of misfortunate events it’s time to branch out on her own with her new inspiration project, Motive Nation, launching to the public on July 1st, online at www.themotivenation.ca.

T2 Fights Back to Draw with Switchbacks – USL
Kharlton Belmar tallied in the waning minutes to rally the Portland Timbers 2 to a 1-1 draw against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Thursday at Merlo Field. The erases a three-game losing streak for Portland. Switchbacks captain Luke Vercollone scored the opening goal in the 16th minute. T2 moved to 5-9-3 (18 points) overall and 4-4-2 at home.

San Antonio Announces Signing of 18-year-old Garcia – USL
San Antonio FC announced on Thursday the signing of 18-year-old local midfielder Diego Garcia .

FC Edmonton find replacement for departed fullback Eddie Edward – Edmonton Sun
FC Edmonton believe they found a replacement for fullback Eddie Edward in Shawn Nicklaw. A product of San Diego, California, Nicklaw was acquired by Edmonton in a trade with the Jacksonville Armada FC for midfielder Jason Plumhoff and is expected to eventually slide into Edward’s position at right back.

Brazilian opens his scoring account with Eddies – Edmonton Journal
The Brazilian midfielder hammered a left-footed shot from 25 yards out into the top corner of the net against Rayo Oklahoma City on Saturday to give FC Edmonton a 1-1 tie.

Keegan Making Waves in NASL – Binghampton Univ.
This past winter, Keegan signed with F.C. Edmonton of the North American Soccer League (NASL). Through 11 matches, he leads the squad with four goals and has been one of the focal points of its significant rise in the NASL standings. A year after finishing seventh out of 11 teams, F.C. Edmonton is currently in third place with a 5-3-3 record.

Nashville FC Season Ticket Reservations Surpass 1,500 – Nashville FC
Owners of Nashville FC, Nashville’s new United Soccer League franchise unveiled last week, announced Thursday that they have surpassed 1,500 season tickets reserved in six days.

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WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS

USWNT ramps up ‘Equal Play Equal Pay’ campaign – Goal
Members of the women’s national team plan to publicly escalate their campaign for increased pay as part of an ongoing dispute with U.S. Soccer.

One month from Rio, Rapinoe back to full training – Equalizer
Megan Rapinoe has returned to full training with the United States women’s national team, less than one month ahead of the start of the soccer tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Laure Boulleau ruled out of Olympics – Vavel
Due to a right knee injury, the French left-back will not play at the Olympic Games.

Orlando Pride defender Cami Levin fights to return to pitch – Orlando Sentinel
Defender Cami Levin played for the Orlando Pride for the first time on May 8, entering the fourth game of the season in the 64 minute. She would not be able to play again for more than six weeks.

Toppserien Week 14 Preview: Top two to clash in another exciting round – Vavel
In the last round of games before the summer break, there’s a mouth-watering encounter between the league’s two best placed teams. Elsewhere, the fight for third place is heating up, and both Kolbotn and Stabæk will be chasing three points to ensure it will be theirs at the end of the season.

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EURO 2016 & WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Euro 2016 final preview: France vs Portugal, a party waiting to happen – Inside World Football
No side ever wins a major football tournament without a modicum of good fortune and France arguably had theirs in the semifinal against Germany when they were outplayed for large parts of the game and were awarded a soft penalty.

Euro 2016: France beats Germany, advances to final – Sportsnet
France is heading back to soccer’s elite, and Antoine Griezmann is the man leading the way.

France win back fans by reaching Euro 2016 final – France 24
France has rediscovered its love for the national football team after years of scandal and disappointment, as well as a new sports hero in sure-fire striker Antoine Griezmann.

Karembeu wary of history-chasing Ronaldo – Four Four Two
Portugal’s star captain Cristiano Ronaldo will pose a major problem to France in the Euro 2016 final, says Christian Karembeu.

The anatomy of Cristiano Ronaldo: How he became perfect footballing specimen – The Telegraph
Cristiano Ronaldo has that potent combination of not only being a great finisher, but having the instinct for goals that all great strikers have.  He strikes the ball in a unique way. For most great finishers it is about placing the ball in the right spot, aiming for the corners with the stroke of the boot.

France get final wish after Antoine Griezmann’s double sinks Germany – The Guardian
The din that greeted the final whistle served as an exorcism. The French need never shudder again at the memory of traumas suffered at the hands of these opponents in Seville and Guadalajara three decades ago, or even the deflation endured in the steamy heat of the Maracanã at the last World Cup.

Antoine Griezmann, the player who got away – Soccer America
Griezmann played for local clubs l’Entente Charney Macon and UF Macon, but Lyon, Auxerre, Sochaux and St. Etienne — among the most best producers of French talent — all turned him down. Metz rejected him twice, the second time after first saying they’d take him.

Euro 2016: France boss Didier Deschamps says final is lifting nation – BBC Sport
France reaching the final of their home Euro 2016 is helping to bring back a feelgood factor in the country, says manager Didier Deschamps.

LOW WON’T MAKE RASH DECISION ON GERMANY FUTURE – Goal
The 56-year-old, who guided Die Mannschaft to the 2014 World Cup, says he is keen avoid rushing a call on what is next for him following his side’s Euro 2016 exit against France.

‘I close a beautiful chapter’ – Cech retires from international football – Goal
The Arsenal goalkeeper has brought an end to his career with Czech Republic, stating that he does not feel he would be able to carry on through the next World Cup.

Revealed: the origin of Iceland’s ‘Viking Thunder-Clap’ celebration – The Telegraph
Iceland’s unlikely journey to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 has undoubtedly been one the stories of the tournament.

Victor Valdes: Middlesbrough sign former Barcelona and Man United goalkeeper – BBC Sport
The 34-year-old, who has played 106 Champions League games, has signed on a two-year deal after being released by United in June.

Independiente del Valle stun Boca Juniors in Copa semifinal 1st leg – ESPN FC
Independiente del Valle will take a 2-1 advantage to Buenos Aires after beating Boca Juniors by that scoreline in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores semifinal in Ecuador on Thursday.

Roberto Mancini could be tempted to become England’s new manager – The Guardian
Roberto Mancini would be interested in taking on the England manager’s role vacated by Roy Hodgson following the side’s elimination from the European Championship but Harry Redknapp has been ruled out.

FA wants England manager to build strong identity, not short-term fix – BBC Sport
England bosses want the next manager to build a strong team identity rather than provide a short-term fix.

Sunderland agree £4m deal to sign Davide Santon from Internazionale – The Guardian
Davide Santon is set to join Sunderland from Internazionale with a medical apparently the only obstacle between the Italy full-back and a £4m return to the north-east, where he played for Newcastle United.

Liga president fears Messi could leave after fraud verdict – Sportsnet
The president of the Spanish football league says he is worried that Lionel Messi could leave to play in another country after being found guilty of tax fraud.

Bielsa resigns as Lazio boss after two days – Goal
The former Chile and Athletic Bilbao coach has sensationally walked away from the Biancoceleste a matter of days after being confirmed.

Match-fixing: Brazilian police arrest 7 in Sao Paulo as investigation widens – Inside World Football
Seven people suspected of match-fixing – including players, coaches, agents and club presidents – have been arrested in Brazil.

Australian goalkeeper Brad Jones signs for Feyenoord in Eredivisie – The Guardian
The former Liverpool and Middlesbrough stopper has reached an in-princple agreement with the Rotterdam-based club to move across from Eredivisie rival Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie (NEC).

Cork City squeeze past Linfield in Europa League; Aberdeen advance – ESPN FC
Cork City won their Europa League first qualifying-round clash with Linfield 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in Thursday’s second leg.

KWAK JOINS AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALISTS FC SEOUL – AFC
Veteran defender Kwak Tae-hwi has joined AFC Champions League quarter-finalists FC Seoul, it has been announced

The Trusted Grown-Ups Who Steal Millions From Youth Sports – NY Times
Prosecutors in several states say embezzlement investigations involving youth sports have become common.