Steven Sandor's Blog, page 10

Herdman brings his philosopher-king air to Canada’s men’s program

Training for the Canadian men’s national team includes passing drills, running, meeting with alumni of Canada’s Gold Cup and ‘86 World Cup squads — and meeting with members of the military and talking about what their uniforms mean to them.

Welcome to the culture of John Herdman, one of the philosopher-kings of modern soccer. When he took over the women’s program seven years ago, he immediately set into a program of healing after the national side crashed and burned at the 2011 World Cup. Now, only months into the plan as he works to rebuild the men’s program from scratch, we’re already seeing Herdman ask players to buy into the program on a much deeper level than get off the plane, go to training, put on the shirt, play the game, fly back to your club.

Like he did with the women’s side, he’s introducing the work of Austrian philosopher and concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl, about keeping positive attitudes in even the toughest situations. He’s talked with players about Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist,  a modern parable about a shepherd boy’s adventures as he searches for the largest imaginable treasure.

During his media call on Friday, ahead of the Oct. 16 Nations League qualifier against Dominica at BMO Field, he praised his players for how “well-read” they were. Because, you know, so many coaches of sports organizations will talk about how well-read their players are. 

And, by exposing the current players to those who played for Canada in the past, to member of the military, he hopes to build a new culture around the team, one that’s deeper than just playing football.

“We want to unlock the potential of the leaders he have here,” Herdman said.

“We want to build a solid, resilient, culture,” Herdman said.

Herdman wants the culture to be so strong that “the team binds together in big moments.”

When you have a leader with Champions League experience like Atiba Hutchinson, when you have players like Lucas Cavallini in Mexico or Jonathan David baning in goals in Belgium, when you have Alphonso Davies heading to Bayern Munich, the Canadian camp has to be more than about, well, soccer.

“We have players who are playing at the highest levels of the game,” Herdman says. “We’re not going to teach them a lot about their core sport. They’ve put in their 10,000 hours. They’re experts in their field.”

So that’s why Herdman thinks it’s important to look at cultures outside of soccer, from philosophers to the NFL to the military, to bring new ideas to the group. To build the team.

“When a new coach comes in, there’s always going to be a period of evolution,” he said.

And Herdman repeatedly stated during the call that he wasn’t going to judge any coach who came before him. He wouldn’t speak to how his method’s might have compared to Octavio Zambrano or Stephen Hart. He said that the truest assessments of how his philosophy is being received can only come from the veteran players. He said he’s looking forward to meeting with Hutchinson on Saturday, to get the midfield general’s take on the transformation going on inside of the Canadian team.

“That’s the test,” said Herdman. “The key influencers in the group — what’s their passion like?”

Canada wins its CONCACAF group, will face Panama in semis

Canada will play Panama Sunday, with the winner getting one of CONCACAF’s qualification spots at the Women’s World Cup.

Canada secured top spot in Group B of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship Thursday night in Edinburg, Tex. with a 3-1 win over Costa Rica. The CWC also serves as the World Cup qualifiers, with three spots going to CONCACAF nations. Both finalists get in, while the two losing semifinalists will battle it out for the third spot. The semifinal loser has a chance to get in via a playoff with Argentina.

Costa Rica, the pre-tournament pick to get out of Group B with Canada, is going home. Jamaica took second spot and will play the United States, gulp, in the other semifinal.

Costa Rica qualified for the 2015 Women’s World Cup and finished with two draws and a loss in the group stage. So, not even making it to the playoff rounds of the CONCACAF tourney is a major step back for that country.

Janine Beckie opened the scoring thanks to an awful piece of goalkeeping from Costa Rica’s Daniela Solera. Canadian midfielder Jessie Fleming pushed a hopeful ball into the area. Solera was first to it, but somehow managed to let the ball get right through her, allowing Beckie to run onto it and score on the empty net.

Solera wasn’t done. She muffed what should have been a fairly routine catch of a cross from Beckie, leaving the ball for Nichelle Prince to push in the net.

But Solera did recover in the second half to temporarily deny Christine Sinclair’s attempt for her 175th career goal, palming the shot away from the Canadian veteran, who was on the break and looking to get closer to Abby Wambach’s all-time international goal mark of 184.

Sinclair, though, would get that 175th goal in the 58th minute, and Canada was on cruise control from that point on.

Gloriana Villalobos danced through the Canadian backline to score a second-half consolation for Costa Rica, the first goal Canada has surrendered at the tournament.

 

FIFA wants to “optimize” women’s World Cup qualifying — CONCACAF is the place to start

On Monday night, the Canadian national women’s team rained goal after goal down upon their Cuban opposition in their group-stage match at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.

But, essentially, we all see it as a World Cup qualifier — as the top three out of this tournament punch their tickets for the big tournament in France in 2019.

The game was held in a USL stadium in Edinburg, Tex. — capacity 9,700. There may have been hundreds in attendance, though. Canada vs. Cuba is not going to be a big sell in the Rio Grande Valley.

Just hours after Canada scored its 12th goal, FIFA released its “Women’s Football Strategy.” As in: How can soccer associations around the world — and FIFA itself, do better to grow the women’s game? The fact that it was released after one of the top-ranked teams in the world played in an almost-empty second-division stadium, well, we can’t see the irony in that at all, can we?

Now, let’s focus on one section of FIFA’s new women’s football strategy. And that was on how to better raise the profile of international tournaments. Here’s how it read in FIFA’s statement:

SHOWCASE THE GAME … IMPROVE WOMEN’S COMPETITIONS

Build on the existing popularity of the FIFA Women’s World Cup
Develop new FIFA competitions
Strengthen women’s international match calendar
Optimise regional competitions at all levels

Goals: Optimize regional qualifying for FIFA competitions and develop those events to build top-level players at a young age. Advance and launch new international competitions and improve the professional club framework. Have one billion broadcast viewers watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019.

“Optimize regional qualifying for FIFA competitions.” Hmm.

Here’s a suggestion. What would be a hell of a lot better than streaming a World Cup qualifying match from a mostly empty 9,700-seat USL stadium in Edinburg, Tex.? Seeing Canada playing World Cup qualifiers in Ottawa or in Toronto or in Vancouver or in Winnipeg or in Edmonton. Or Victoria. Or Moncton. Heck, there’s a decent stadium in Fort Mac. I streamed the game last night with my daughter sitting next to me. She cheered extra loudly when Diana Matheson scored, because Diana Matheson is one of her favourite players. But she asked why no one was watching the game in the stadium. And, for a young girl who dreams of maybe, just maybe, wearing a Canada shirt, it was kinda disheartening to see the lack of atmosphere or interest in the host city.

We’ve talked a lot over the years when it comes to the inequalities that exist between the men’s and women’s games. Pay. Playing surfaces. And, recently, news that the Women’s World Cup final in 2019 is scheduled to be played on the same day as the Gold Cup and Copa America championship games.

But, to me, where I see a massive gap is how we qualify for World Cups. The men play a full qualifying schedule. The process takes years, and sees Canada play home and away against its CONCACAF rivals. There are chances for Canada to play meaningful games at home.

The women, though, still qualify in the same sort of tournament format CONCACAF uses for youth soccer. The biggest teams in the region all travel to one CONCACAF nation — it’s the United States, this time — and play a quick tournament, with only a couple of days off between matches. The only team the home fans care about is the host nation. Everyone else plays in front of empty stadiums. There are no chances to grow the game by having the national sides all playing for-keeps home and away matches. Basically, the way it’s done now is antithetical to FIFA wanting to “optimize” tournaments.

So, even though Canada hosted the most recent Women’s World Cup, even though games filled cavernous venues like BC Place and Commonwealth Stadium, the mainstream attention placed on qualifying for the next World Cup is basically nil. Canada women’s team has disappeared off the radar.

Sure, Canada Soccer brings in top-flight opposition such as Brazil and Germany to play our women’s national team in this country. But, well, friendlies are friendlies. In the end, home fans need to see matches that mean something.

To me, the greatest inequality between the men’s and women’s games in North America is how both qualify for World Cups. The men’s program is built to maximize attention, the women’s system is about getting it done in a hurry. Sure, women’s soccer is structured differently; women’s national sides get together for extended camps, then play a slew of games. Men get together for half a week, play one match (maybe two), then go back to their clubs.

Sure, spreading out the women’s calendar would cost more. A lot more.  And there’s an argument that it might drive smaller federations away from women’s soccer — as they simply can’t justify the costs.

But isn’t there a bigger benefit here? At some point we’re going to need to say that “good enough” is just another excuse to spin our wheels. Sooner or later, we need to ask if we want to build the women’s game, or keep things pretty much status quo.

Canada scores a dozen against Cuba

Christine SInclair’s foot swept the ball into the goal, the 174th marker of her international career and Canada’s 10th goal  on the night.

When her teammates came over to embrace Canada’s all-time leading scorer, Sinclair told them not to celebrate  (Or at least, that’s what my lip-reading skills suggested to me). In a blowout like this, there was no point in rubbing the noses of the Cuban players into it.

Canada would go on to beat Cuba 12-0 in Edinburg, Tex. on Monday.

Canada came into its second group-stage game of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship as the heavy favourites against Cuba. And, the Canadians also knew that Costa Rica, who had been expected to be the danger team in the group, had been upset earlier in the day by Jamaica. So, already having beaten Jamaica, an expected win over Cuba would put Canada clear at the top of their group.

And, well, it was like watching… training. Coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller didn’t start the strike force from the win over Jamaica — Sinclair, Janine Beckie and Nichelle Prince, choosing instead to rotate the Jordyn Huitema, Deanne Rose and Adriana Leon into the front line.

Huitema scored four. Leon scored four. Rose got one, thanks to a nice through ball from Sophie Schmidt.

With the game already in hand, Sinclair was introduced at the start of the second half, clearly an effort to get her closer to all-time women’s international goal scoring leader Abby Wambach’s total of 184. On a two-player break, SInclair opted to pass to Huitema for a tap-in rather than take it herself. And when Sinclair got no. 174, she did not scream or raise her arms in triumph. She led her teammates quietly back to half.

Heck, there will be Canadian soccer followers who will be gutted that Sinclair “only” bagged one goal in her 45 minutes of work.  But, really, not to sound too much like the code-loving everyman from the sport with the skates and the puck, but it’s not the Canadian way to ask Sinclair to simply shoot, shoot, shoot when playing a minnow.

Rebecca Quinn and Diana Matheson also scored in the rout.

Soolsma rocks you like a Tiger Hurricane

Ontario and British Columbia teams faced each other in the men’s and women’s senior championships, and the provinces had to settle for a split.

On Sunday, Scarborough GS United got an extra-time goal from Laura Callender to give the Ontario champs a 1-0 decision over Surrey United in the Jubilee Trophy final.

On Thanksgiving Monday, in snowy and windy Saskatoon, led by ex-Toronto FC man Nick Soolsma, the Surrey BC Tigers Hurricanes (I think I a “Tiger Hurricane” is kinda like a Sharknado, except with tigers) absolutely romped over Caledon SC. Soolsma scored four and set up two more in a 7-3 win.

Surrey went out to a 4-0 lead at halftime, and those four goals came into the teeth of the wind in Saskatoon. Ryan Dhillon got his first of two when Soolsma got to the end line, then was able to poke the ball in front of goal for his Surrey teammate.

Pavi Dhillon made it 2-0 with a great right-footed strike, the only goal that Surrey scored where Soolsma’s name didn’t show up as the scorer or provider,

Soolsma made it 3-0 with a great free kick, then 4-0 after converting the penalty that he drew.

Soolsma scored just seconds into the second half to get his hat trick, then added a fourth when he chipped the keeper after finding himself on a clear breakaway.

Soolsma, late in the game and part of a two-man break, chose to set up Ray Dhillon’s second rather than score his fifth.

It was an absolute blowout, and Soolsma was denied a couple of times by Caledon keeper Matthew Grant. Really, the former Red could have had more than his four-plus-two. It was as dominant a performance by a single player in a men’s amateur senior final that I can remember. He’s the first person to score four goals in the final since 1962, and only the third to do it in the history of the trophy.

And, of course, that spurs my annual call that the Challenge Trophy winner get a spot in the Voyageurs Cup. With the addition of Canadian Premier League teams next season to join the PLSQ and League1 Ontario entrants, a case is there for the men’s senior amateur champs as well. After all, everyone loves an underdog story — and Cups are all giving the less-fancied teams a chance in the spotlight against the professional big boys.

The Jubliee final didn’t feature nearly the amount of fireworks as the Challenge Trophy final did. Scarborough’s extra-time winner was a strange one. Long-throw specialist Vonya Beckles hurled the ball into Surrey’s penalty area. It went off of a couple of heads, pinballed over the keeper’s arms and off the bar, and fell to Callender to stick into the open goal.

Inescapably Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 32/USL Week 30

It was quite the weekend for players who have formerly worn the “next great hope” title in Canadian soccer.

First, it was the “Canadian Soccer Jesus,” Russell Teibert, who got the first goal for the Whitecaps in a 2-1 win at Toronto FC, a result that eliminated the Reds from playoff contention. And, I mean, if you haven’t heard yet, Teibert used to be with TFC’s Academy. (That goes up there with “did you know John Tavares, as a child, dreamed of playing for the Leafs?”)

Kyle Bekker, a former high draft pick of Toronto FC’s didn’t rest on his laurels in the weekend following him being named the USL’s player of the week. He scored again for NCFC, albeit in a loss.

And, Keven Aleman, another former “next great one” on the Canadian soccer scene, bagged a pair of goals for the playoff-bound Sacramento Republic.

There were a couple of other Canadian scorers of note; Raheem Edwards scored in Chicago’s 2-1 loss to D.C. United. And, as TFCII winds down its final season in USL before moving to the new USL division three in 2019, Jordan Perruzza got a goal to celebrate.

Here are the rankings after the 32nd week of MLS play/30th week of USL action:

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Samuel Piette, Montreal, 2820 (32)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 2429 (28)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 2244 (29)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 1943 (25)
Raheem Edwards, Montreal/Chicago, 1606 (25)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC, 1582 (20)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 1403 (20)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 1290 (17)
Dejan Jakovic, LAFC, 1148 (15)
Doneil Henry, Vancouver, 990 (11)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 876 (19)
Ryan Telfer, TFC, 865 (15)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 833 (15)
Jordan Hamilton,TFC, 803 (13)
Brett Levis, Vancouver, 703 (11)
Michael Petrasso, Montreal, 692 (13)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 596 (16)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 580 (16)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, 563 (16)
Liam Fraser, TFC, 458 (8)
Shamit Shome, Montreal, 249 (5)
Brian Wright, New England, 201 (8)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 168 (7)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 143 (6)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 109 (4)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFC, 104 (2)
Mathieu Choiniere, Montreal, 59 (4)
David Choiniere, Montreal, 12 (1)
Aidan Daniels, TFC, 12 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

Toronto FC, 6978/31 (225.1)

Vancouver, 6630/31 (213.9)

Montreal, 5054/32 (157.9)

LAFC, 2730/31 (88.1)

Orlando City, 2111/30 (70.4)

Chicago, 800/32 (25)

FC Dallas, 563/31 (18.2)

New England, 201/31 (6.5)

NYCFC, 143/32 (4.5)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Jordan Schweitzer, Colorado Springs, 2894 (33)
Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa, 2700 (30)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 2583 (31)
Karl Ouimette, Indy, 2573 (29)
Kyle Bekker, NCFC, 2527 (31)
Jordan Dover, Pittsburgh, 2479 (29)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 2439 (28)
Robert Boskovic, TFCII, 2419 (28)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 2309 (26)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 2230 (26)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 2150 (29)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 2146 (28)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, 2088 (24)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 1898 (27)
Chris Mannella, Ottawa, 1848 (27)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 1763 (28)
Drew Beckie, OKC Energy, 1710 (19)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 1679 (21)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Fresno, 1657 (19)
Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Fresno, 1655 (19)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 1546 (27)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 1529 (20)
Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC, 1462 (23)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 1437 (25)
Nana Attakora, Ottawa, 1434 (17)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 1339 (20)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 1287 (20)
Mastanabal Kacher, Real Monarchs SLC, 1253 (22)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 1148 (29)
Noah Verhoeven, Fresno, 1085 (23)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 1080 (12)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 1079 (23)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 1014 (12)
Ryan James, Nashville, 921 (15)
Keven Aleman, Sacramento, 865 (17)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 810 (9)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 810 (9)
David Edgar, Nashville/Ottawa, 785 (12)
Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, Ottawa, 711 (10)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 649 (10)
Tyler Pasher, Indy, 641 (9)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 581 (8)
Terique Mohammed, TFCII, 562 (9)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa/Tampa Bay, 560 (8)
Jordan Faria, TFCII, 549 (14)
Michael Cox, Nashville/Saint Louis, 545 (14)
Daniel Haber, FC Cincinnati/Ottawa, 490 (17)
Mauro Eustaquio, Penn FC, 462 (7)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 450 (5)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park Rangers, 450 (5)
Gianluca Catalano, TFCII, 434 (5)
Luca Petrasso, TFCII, 418 (7)
Marco Bustos, OKC Energy, 413 (8)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 342 (14)
Zak Drake, Las Vegas, 296 (6)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Reno, 278 (4)
Doneil Henry, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Matthew Baldisimo, Fresno, 264 (3)
Steffen Yeates, TFCII, 196 (4)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Daniel Kinumbe, Ottawa, 166 (3)
Kunle Dada-Luke, TFCII, 148 (5)
Luca Ricci, Phoenix, 124 (4)
David Monsalve, Ottawa, 90 (1)
Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 63 (1)
Daniel Da Silva, TFCII, 59 (1)
Terran Campbell, Fresno, 53 (5)
Clement Bayiha, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Maxim Tissot, Ottawa, 48 (2)
Monti Mohsen, Ottawa, 45 (1)
Jordan Perruzza, TFCII, 44 (2)
Malyk Hamilton, TFCII, 42 (2)
Jordan Dunstan, Nashville, 1 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

TFCII, 19753/32 (617.2)

Ottawa, 19449/33 (589.4)

Fresno, 4713/33 (142.8)

Indy Eleven, 3394/33 (102.8)

Colorado Springs, 2894/33 (87.7)

Real Monarchs SLC, 2715/33 (82.3)

Tulsa, 2583/32 (80.7)

NCFC, 2527/32 (79)

Pittsburgh, 2479/32 (77.5)

Swope Park Rangers, 2538/33 (76.9)

Charleston, 2230/33 (67.6)

OKC Energy, 2123/33 (64.3)

Reno, 1565/33 (47.4)

Nashville, 1386/32 (43.3)

Bethlehem Steel, 1148/33 (34.8)

Richmond, 1080/33 (32.7)

Sacramento, 865/33 (26.2)

Phoenix, 466/32 (14.6)

Penn FC, 462/32 (14.4)

Tampa Bay, 360/33 (10.9)

Las Vegas, 296/32 (9.3)

Saint Louis FC, 281/32 (8.8)

FC Cincinnati, 201/33 (6.1)

 

Prince’s two goals put a shine on an uninspired Canadian effort

OK, there’s a sports adage that I’ve heard over and over that tells us “don’t criticize the wins.”

So, after Nichelle Prince’s brace gave Canada a 2-0 win over Jamaica in their group-stage opener at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship, all is sweetness and light. Right? Right? A Friday night match in a Texas USL stadium in front of, well, hundreds didn’t provide a lot of fireworks, but three points is three points, uh huh?

Oh, who am I kidding? A win is nice, sure, but Canada didn’t hit its highest gears at any time in the match. And, as CONCACAF begins its Championship-which-also-serve-as-World-Cup-qualifiers, it was a worrying game, considering that Costa Rica put eight by Cuba in the group’s other match.

Prince’s first goal was an absolute gift, as well. The first half-marker was presented to her on a platter. She was standing in the Jamaican penalty area, in the right place at the right time, as the ball was presented to her by a yellow-jerseyed defender. The initial sequence came from a Canadian corner, and Jamaica had two chances to clear the ball — fairly simple opportunities to clean things up, actually — and, instead, went short and up the middle each time.

Her second goal was a pretty one, as she dashed on to a wonderful through ball by Adriana Leon and slotted a low shot past Jamaican keeper Sydney Schneider.

But, outside of that, Canada did little to impress, unlike the marker Costa Rica threw down earlier on Friday in Edinburg, Tex.

Throughout the first half, Canadian fullbacks Ashley Lawrence and Allysha Chapman were able to get down the wings, but the Jamaicans crowded the middle of the area, daring the women in red to make inch-perfect crosses or win second balls. Canada didn’t do either. And, when the chances came, the shots were wayward. We’re still waiting for the Christine Sinclair’s moon-shot free kick attempt from the first half to return to Earth.

Sinclair missed on some good chances. In the second half, after Lawrence had the keeper beat, she managed to have her shot blocked away by the Jamaican defence. Leon missed from in close.

And, when the score was only 1-0, Canada caught a break. On the counter, Jamaican striker Khadija Shaw found herself in a one-on-one battle with Canadian centre back Kadeisha Buchanan. The two came together at the top of the Canadian penalty area, and Shaw, the smaller of the pair, went down. Referee Francia Gonzalez Martinez waved away the penalty appeals, though it was pretty clear Buchanan took out Shaw’s leg and didn’t get any of the ball. At that point, it could have been, should have been 1-1, but Canada got let off the hook.

But, that, really, was the theme for this whole game. Canada had outscored Jamaica 40-1 in five previous matches in this tournament’s history. And while those were different players from different eras, it is indicative of the gulf between the two programs.

Canada, though, wasn’t impressive. But, we’ll all forget this stutter if Canada recovers to play at a higher standard the next time out. Teams have to pace themselves, right? Because that might offer an explanation for a game as flat as this one was.

Tabla and Hutch and Davies and David. And, maybe, a lot of empty seats

There are two weeks to go until Canada plays its first-ever Nations League home game. Dominica will provide the opposition in Toronto, and will be expected to be nothing more than cannon fodder,

On Tuesday, Canada Soccer announced the national team’s roster via press release — and it’s a strong, strong team. Veteran and all-time Canadian great Atiba Hutchinson returns! Soon-to-be-Bayern Alphonso Davies! Jonathan David and Cyle Larin, both impressing in Europe, up front! And Ballou Tabla, from Barcelona no less, joining the squad!

So many exclamation points.

Yet, go to Ticketmaster’s website, search out the Oct. 16 match, click on the link for BMO Field’s seat map, and you find enough blue dots — which represent unsold seats — to make up an ocean. At this point, it looks like it would take a fantastic surge just to get the lower bowl half full.

“It’s up to us to take care of business on the field and do what they [fans] want,” Herdman said in a conference call Tuesday. He said it’s up to the players to create the energy and score goals.

“It’s Tuesday night, it’s going to be cold, and what we’re explaining to the fans is come on and let’s get out tonight, let’s make that little bit of an effort and turn your TV off, bring your son along and start this journey in earnest.”

There have been ticket specials for this game, as well. And, right now,  a seat in section 115 will set you back just $24, including fees. You can sit at midfield, just a few rows from the sidelines, for $55.50.

When it comes to the modern sports marketplace, these are not expensive tickets. And, if you go to StubHub, the resale ticket marketplace, you’ll find tickets in section 114 for less than $18 US each.

Despite fairly decent ticket prices and Canada’s most star-studded lineup in a generation, this game is falling flat when it comes to fan interest.

I’d argue that the format of Nations League qualifying, which sees the team at the top of the qualifying group win places into the “A” pool with the likes of Mexico and the United States, is a deeply flawed system. Basically, the top teams will all finish 4-0-0, so it comes down to goal difference. So, Canada needs to bludgeon its opponents, then bludgeon them so more. Canada set a record for goals in its first Nations League qualifier, in Florida against the US Virgin Islands.

But, blowouts, while they can be fun, don’t make for compelling viewing. And, even with the home team on the winning end, it’s hard to get people to spend money on a game where they know the outcome going in.

Yet, deep down, I know this fans-won’t-pay-for-blowouts argument is flimsy. Because that would assume that most fans are educated enough about the Nations League to make that kind of judgment. Truth is, outside of the hardest of the hardcore, sports fans in this country have no clue what the Nations League is or why it matters. There really is no understanding of why being at the top of the table is so important. Heck, most don’t even know there even is a table.

I mean, credit to CONCACAF, it has created a new tournament, a new vision for the region, and has basically kept it a secret from the mainstream.

And, the hard sell can be tough for Canada, as it’s not like you can bring Davies in from Vancouver or a guy from Europe to do a  bunch of talk radio in Toronto. Herdman is the tool Canada does have — and he needs to be used. The game, face it, needs to be pushed.

It’s great for Canada that Herdman has put together the best team this country has seen since, well, I was young and thin. But it won’t be a great look if this new, maybe golden generation, makes its home bow in front of a lot of empty seats.

 

CANADA ROSTER

1- GK- Simon Thomas | NOR / Kongsvinger IL

2- FB- Zachary Brault-Guillard | FRA / Olympique Lyonnais

3- CB- Manjrekar James | DEN / FC Fredericia

4- CB- Derek Cornelius | SRB / FK Javor Ivanjica

5- CB- David Edgar | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC

6- M- Samuel Piette | CAN / Impact de Montréal

7- M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

8- M- Scott Arfield | SCO / Glasgow Rangers FC

9- F- Cyle Larin | TUR / Beşiktaş JK

10- M- David Junior Hoilett | WAL / Cardiff City FC

11- F- Tosaint Ricketts | CAN / Toronto FC

12- W- Alphonso Davies | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | TUR / Beşiktaş JK

14- W- Liam Millar | ENG / Liverpool FC U-23

15- CB- Doneil Henry | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

16- M- Jay Chapman | CAN / Toronto FC

17- FB- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC

18- GK- James Pantemis | CAN / Impact de Montréal

19- F- Lucas Cavallini | MEX / Puebla FC

20- F- Jonathan David | BEL / KAA Gent

21- M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC

22- GK- Alessandro Busti | ITA / Juventus FC U-23

23- M- Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla | ESP / FC Barcelona B

 

Smyrniotis takes the reins at Forge FC

As the third instalment of the “Got Game” Canadian Premier League trials got underway on Monday, it was as good a time as any for Forge FC to announce Bobby Smyrniotis as the club’s head coach and technical director.

After all, the trials will be held in Hamilton the next couple of days. And, while Smyrniotis was spotted by keen eyes in some of the photos that emerged from last week’s trials in Montreal, there’d be no way to hide the coach of the Hamilton-based team in the Hamilton-based tryout.

With the announcement, all of the head coaching puzzle pieces are in place for the seven existing CanPL teams ahead of the league’s inaugural season, which kicks off next April.

Smyrniotis isn’t moving far — just a little further west down the QEW — to take the job in Hamilton, as he was at the head of League1 Ontario’s Sigma FC, where he worked with the likes of Cyle Larin, Kyle Bekker and Manjrekar James, who have all featured for the men’s national team.

Smyrniotis also worked in the academy of the Greek league’s Olympiacos before coming to Sigma.

“Bobby and his team at Sigma have created one of the best soccer development institutions in North America.” said Forge FC owner Bob Young in a release issued by the club. “They have done it by developing talented Canadians from southern Ontario into outstanding national caliber soccer players, many of whom are now professionals playing here and in Europe. We have great aspirations for Forge FC. The success of Bobby’s work with Sigma is a perfect fit for the vision of the Canadian Premier League, and specifically with our goals for Forge FC.”

Of course, with Smyrniotis’s Sigma connections, we all have to wonder how many of his former L1O players will show up in Forge FC orange in 2019 — and beyond.

Inescapably Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 31/USL Week 29

With the MLS ad USL seasons winding down, it’s almost impossible to see any other players outpacing Samuel Piette (MLS) and Jordan Schweitzer (USL) as their respective leagues’ leaders in minutes played by Canadians. Both continued to hold commanding leads.

In terms of clutch performances, Karl Ouimette scored for Indy Eleven in a win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Jordan Hamilton found the net in a TFCII win over Skylar Thomas and his Charleston Battery mates.

But standout performance of the weeks goes to NCFC’s Kyle Bekker, who scored twice against Richmond over the weekend; a vital performance for a team that’s in a real fight for playoff position.

Here are the rankings after the 31st week of MLS play/29th week of USL action:

 

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Samuel Piette, Montreal, 2730 (31)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 2339 (27)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 2175 (28)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 1867 (24)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC, 1582 (20)
Raheem Edwards, Montreal/Chicago, 1529 (24)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 1313 (19)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 1290 (17)
Dejan Jakovic, LAFC, 1117 (14)
Doneil Henry, Vancouver, 900 (10)
Ryan Telfer, TFC, 865 (15)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 851 (18)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 833 (15)
Jordan Hamilton,TFC, 803 (13)
Michael Petrasso, Montreal, 692 (13)
Brett Levis, Vancouver, 615 (10)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 596 (16)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 580 (16)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, 563 (16)
Liam Fraser, TFC, 458 (8)
Shamit Shome, Montreal, 249 (5)
Brian Wright, New England, 201 (8)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 154 (6)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 143 (6)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 109 (4)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFC, 104 (2)
Mathieu Choiniere, Montreal, 45 (3)
David Choiniere, Montreal, 12 (1)
Aidan Daniels, TFC, 12 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

Toronto FC, 6863/30 (228.8)

Vancouver, 6293/30 (209.8)

Montreal, 4950/31 (159.7)

LAFC, 2699/30 (90)

Orlando City, 2021/29 (69.7)

Chicago, 723/31 (23.3)

FC Dallas, 563/30 (18.8)

New England, 201/30 (6.7)

NYCFC, 143/32 (4.5)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Jordan Schweitzer, Colorado Springs, 2804 (32)
Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa, 2700 (30)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 2493 (30)
Karl Ouimette, Indy, 2483 (28)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 2439 (28)
Kyle Bekker, NCFC, 2437 (30)
Jordan Dover, Pittsburgh, 2391 (28)
Robert Boskovic, TFCII, 2329 (27)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 2309 (26)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 2150 (29)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 2148 (25)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 2146 (28)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, 2010 (23)
Chris Mannella, Ottawa, 1848 (27)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 1808 (26)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 1763 (28)
Drew Beckie, OKC Energy, 1710 (19)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 1589 (20)
Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Fresno, 1584 (18)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Fresno, 1567 (18)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 1529 (20)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 1477 (26)
Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC, 1461 (22)
Nana Attakora, Ottawa, 1434 (17)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 1416 (24)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 1286 (19)
Mastanabal Kacher, Real Monarchs SLC, 1253 (22)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 1249 (19)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 1133 (28)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 1068 (22)
Noah Verhoeven, Fresno, 1066 (22)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 1014 (12)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 990 (11)
Ryan James, Nashville, 901 (14)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 810 (9)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 810 (9)
David Edgar, Nashville/Ottawa, 785 (12)
Keven Aleman, Sacramento, 770 (15)
Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, Ottawa, 711 (10)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 649 (10)
Tyler Pasher, Indy, 641 (9)
Terique Mohammed, TFCII, 562 (9)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa/Tampa Bay, 560 (8)
Jordan Faria, TFCII, 549 (14)
Michael Cox, Nashville/Saint Louis, 534 (13)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 491 (7)
Daniel Haber, FC Cincinnati/Ottawa, 490 (17)
Mauro Eustaquio, Penn FC, 462 (7)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 450 (5)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park Rangers, 450 (5)
Gianluca Catalano, TFCII, 434 (5)
Luca Petrasso, TFCII, 418 (7)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 342 (14)
Marco Bustos, OKC Energy, 334 (7)
Zak Drake, Las Vegas, 296 (6)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Reno, 278 (4)
Doneil Henry, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Matthew Baldisimo, Fresno, 264 (3)
Steffen Yeates, TFCII, 196 (4)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Daniel Kinumbe, Ottawa, 166 (3)
Kunle Dada-Luke, TFCII, 148 (5)
Luca Ricci, Phoenix, 124 (4)
David Monsalve, Ottawa, 90 (1)
Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 63 (1)
Daniel Da Silva, TFCII, 59 (1)
Terran Campbell, Fresno, 53 (5)
Clement Bayiha, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Maxim Tissot, Ottawa, 48 (2)
Monti Mohsen, Ottawa, 45 (1)
Malyk Hamilton, TFCII, 42 (2)
Jordan Perruzza, TFCII, 23 (1)
Jordan Dunstan, Nashville, 1 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

TFCII, 19181/31 (618.7)

Ottawa, 19449/33 (589.4)

Fresno, 4533/32 (141.7)

Indy Eleven, 3304/32 (103.3)

Colorado Springs, 2804/32 (87.6)

Real Monarchs SLC, 2714/32 (84.8)

Tulsa, 2493/31 (80.4)

NCFC, 2437/31 (78.6)

Pittsburgh, 2391/31 (77.1)

Swope Park Rangers, 2460/32 (76.9)

Charleston, 2148/32 (67.1)

OKC Energy, 2044/32 (63.9)

Reno, 1564/31 (50.5)

Nashville, 1366/31 (44.1)

Bethlehem Steel, 1133/32 (35.4)

Richmond, 990/32 (30.9)

Sacramento, 770/31 (24.8)

Phoenix, 466/31 (15)

Penn FC, 462/31 (14.9)

Tampa Bay, 360/31 (11.6)

Las Vegas, 296/31 (9.5)

Saint Louis FC, 270/31 (8.7)

FC Cincinnati, 201/32 (6.3)