More Potluck!
September 17, 2008 10:15 AM
With all that is going on in 'The Beautiful Game' at the moment, it's hard for an enthusiast like me to have my thoughts transfixed on any one topic. Therefore, I give you all another installment of my musings in the world of association football (formal name for soccer, by the way…).
Let's start with the United Soccer Leagues First Division. It's a nice feeling to know that the Whitecaps will be in the postseason. This time last year, many of us weren't sure if a playoff spot would materialize. While faint hopes remain of a first-place finish, we are likely heading into the first round of the playoffs as the number two seed. Though Atlanta Silverbacks and Carolina RailHawks might make it, I feel we will play Minnesota Thunder over two legs in a week-and-a-half. Fair play to Donny Gramenz's side, they have hit form at the right time to be where they are at present and considering they held the Whitecaps to a draw earlier this month, we are likely in for a tricky series. As for leaders Puerto Rico Islanders, it has been an impressive season put together by their head coach Colin Clarke, who I think must rival our chief Teitur Thordarson for USL-1 Coach of the Year. I would anticipate Darren Tilley also being considered for the award, as he was given little chance (me included in this) of being able to take Rochester Rhinos to the playoffs after the troubles that the club had back in the spring. Last year's winner in Portland Timbers head coach Gavin Wilkinson is unlikely to win again, having seen his side slide away from playoff contention in recent weeks. Poor away form, less than stellar performances at home, and ill-discipline on the pitch contributed to their woes, though I feel few fans in Seattle and Vancouver are going to shed a tear for their Oregon rivals. As for The Blue & White, it would be nice to cap a fine regular season campaign with the Cascadia Cup back in our hands on Saturday night…
Like many of you, World Cup qualifying has yet again left me sick in the stomach by Canada's woes to reach the finals for the first time since 1986. Yet, you could trace my ill feeling back to the day the qualifying draw was made last November. I'll make this short and simple: Canadian soccer fans could not have expected their national team to get out of a semifinal group that has two of the three countries THAT WILL qualify for South Africa 2010 from CONCACAF. As painful as it was to watch, Canada is not good enough right now to play the top international sides in our region. That's not to say that it cannot change, but Honduras and Mexico have given me plenty of reason to believe they will join the USA in qualifying in a year's time. The Americans and Costa Ricans are having a picnic in the other semifinal groups, and had Canada been drawn in either of those two brackets, then things might have been different. For me, the biggest shame will be that Canada may not have the chance to compete in (but more importantly, experience) the final round qualifying stage in the New Year. Those 10 games over the course of 2009 would have been invaluable to the squad and the program – even if we had little or no chance of qualifying for the finals at that stage. Add that with next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, and Canada would have had a productive 12 months. It may be a lot of forward thinking, but experience counts for so much. For me, our side did not deal well enough with the pressure and expectation that was put on them in recent weeks, and that in the end, saw two disappointing performances at home. Of course, a lot of this may have been avoided had Canada played more friendly games and helped boost its world ranking. That way, we could have missed out on the 'Mission Impossible' path we were drawn into this time around…still, going out at the semifinal round for the third straight time must be considered a disgrace…I can't think of a better reason for a shake-up of things come our inevitable doom...the question is will such things take place…
Though it is looking gloomy on the international stage, Montreal Impact have the chance to highlight themselves and bring some redemption to Canadian soccer when they start their Group C campaign in the CONCACAF Champions League this week. A home win over Caribbean upstarts Joe Public on Wednesday will be needed, as many are likely tipping Mexico's Atlante and Honduran giants Club Deportivo Olimpia to be group favourites. Yet, it's important to keep in mind that this is a brand-new competition, and that anyone can beat anyone at any stage. A look at the results in the preliminary round should be proof enough. Though they arguably had a tougher path to the group stage, I think Puerto Rico Islanders can do well in Group D, but home form will also be a key factor for them. Houston Dynamo and Pumas UNAM will be favoured in Group B, while Group A must have the 'Group of Death' tag on it. DC United, Costa Rican giants Deportivo Saprissa, Mexico's Cruz Azul, and CD Marathon from Honduras will fight it out to see who finishes in the top two come Halloween time…
Thought I would also give my 'two cents' on Toronto FC. To say their second season in Major League Soccer has been a shambles is an understatement. I can't see them making the playoffs at this point, even if they have six games left. It's hard to fault John Carver for what has happened, but I start to wonder about Mo Johnston as director of soccer. Some of his acquisitions have obviously not been the best (…Laurent Robert, please stand up…), whether it has been the late timing of the arrivals to BMO Field or what they have offered in terms of their contribution on the pitch. The assumption that TFC could waltz to the Nutrilite Canadian Championship title this summer was amusing to me, and the fact that they fell short in that competition should have raised enough alarm bells for Reds fans. If the pressure was not on Johnston and Carver to get it right in 2008, they will certainly have that pressure in 2009. Getting a Designated Player might boost things, but I would think having the bulk of the squad signed up before preseason starts must be one of TFC's main aims for next season. They can't afford to leave their fans with the uncertainty they had last spring regarding new signings…
Finally, a quick look at the UEFA Champions League, and what are we to make of Romania's CFR Cluj. I know that Canada goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld plays for them, but go into Rome's Stadio Olimpico and see off AS Roma 2-1 on Tuesday leads to think that we should know more about the Eastern European newcomers. And what about Anorthosis Famagusta from Cyprus. To claim a goalless draw with Werder Bremen in Germany has to go down as one of their best-ever results in club history, surely…
Posted By: Simon Fudge on September 17, 2008 10:15 AM
