ISM Issue 101

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IN THIS ISSUE: PLAN FOR A SUCCESSFUL SEASON 2013 GOLD CUP SCHEDULE DO WE REALLY NEED ELECTRONICS? MATT LAM: A LONG WAY FROM HOME

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5 February/March 2012

ISSUE #101 APRIL/MAY 2013

INSIDESOCCER e Magazin Publisher Emeritus

Alfons Rubbens - alfons@insidesoccer.ca

WWW.INSIDESOCCER.CA

IN THIS ISSUE...

Publisher/Editor

Mark Miller - mark@insidesoccer.ca

Art Director

Steve Smiley, RGD - steve@the-carlisle-group.com

Director of New Business

Susan Elliott - susan@insidesoccer.ca

Director of Business Operations and National Accounts

Branden Clark - branden@insidesoccer.ca

Marketing and Special Event Coordinator

Justin Clark - justin@insidesoccer.ca

News Editor Joe Duarte

Senior Staff Writers

Dennis Fitter, Bob Koep, Kris Fernandes, Mike Toth

Website Operations

Alfons Rubbens: Marketing and Content Olga Demidova: Technical Saul Markowicz: Research Jeff Hamilton: Design

Contributing Writers Armen Bedakian, Richard Bucciarelli, Les Jones, Dave Kenny, Mike Kenny, Tokunbo Ojo, Steven Sandor

Contributing Photographers Kevin Beattie, The Canadian Soccer Association, FC Edmonton/Andreas Morse, Les Jones – Covershots Inc., Montreal Impact, Toronto FC INSIDESOCCER Magazine is published six times per year by INSIDEOUT Publishing and Marketing Services.

ISM provides authoritative editorial coverage of Canada’s premier soccer community.

Information contained in ISM has been compiled from sources believed to be correct. ISM cannot be responsible for the accuracy of articles or other editorial matter. Articles in this magazine are intended to provide information rather than give legal or other professional advice. Articles being submitted for review should be e-mailed to branden@insidesoccer.ca Undeliverable copies, advertising space orders, copy, artwork, proofs, etc., should be sent to:

INSIDEOUT Publishing and Marketing Services P.O. Box 151, King City, Ontario L7B 1A5, Tel: 905.833.1973 Web site: www.insidesoccer.ca Printed in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without written permission of the publisher © Copyright InsideSOCCER Magazine

6 February/March 2012

8 RYAN NELSEN: A SILENT GLADIATOR IN TORONTO’S SOCCER ARENA

BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN

32 IN THIS KINGDOM OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME, LET KING MESSI REIGN!

BY TOKUNBO OJO

12 MATT LAM: A LONG WAY FROM HOME

BY STEVEN SANDOR

33 BEHIND THE WHISTLE – THE RE-LAUNCH OF CAN-SO-REF MAGAZINE

BY MIKE KENNY

14 DO WE REALLY NEED ELECTRONICS?

BY BOB KOEP 18 COMING UP SHORT IN CYPRUS

BY STEVEN SANDOR 19 PLAN FOR A SUCCESSFUL SEASON

BY DAVE KENNY 24 2013 GOLD CUP SCHEDULE 26 CONFEDERATIONS CUP A TASTE OF WORLD DOMINATION

BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN

34 INSIDESOCCER MARKETPLACE 38 TORONTO FC’S JUNIORS KEEPING BUSY

BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN 39 INSIDESOCCER’S SUPER FAN QUIZ 40 FC EDMONTON SEASON PREVIEW: OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW

BY STEVEN SANDOR

28 KICKING AND SCREENING FOR SOCCER

BY LES JONES 30 PRE-SEASON FITNESS TRAINING WITH TORONTO FC ACADEMY

BY RICHARD BUCCIARELLI ON THE COVER: Samuel Piette, Dylan Carreiro, and Marco Lapenna celebrate a goal against Nicaragua in the Group Stage of the 2013 CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship.

The Canadian’s went on to defeat Nicaragua 5 – 1 but ended up losing to the United States in the Quarterfinals.

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RYA

BY Armen Bedakian

Ryan Nelsen looks like a head coach. Wearing a crisp black vest and a simple white shirt, Nelsen sits on the sidelines and watches.

8 April/May 2013

His salt-and-pepper hair, combed straight, and the five o’clock shadow painted across his sharp jaw no longer bring about images of crunching tackles or rising headers. He does not bark orders at his fellow defenders, shouting instructions instead at the eleven footballers he now oversees.

As Nelsen paces back and forth, his shined shoes crunch against the artificial turf below his feet. His hunger for success is obvious. In this mid-March encounter, his appetite is satiated with a serving of baby blue: Toronto FC and Sporting Kansas City meet at the Rogers Centre.

Nelsen celebrates. Not once, but three times. Robert Earnshaw, one of many new warriors donning the red and grey of Toronto FC, brings upon Nelsen’s first two cheers. Earnshaw has netted two goals before the 15-minute mark. At whistle’s final blow, the scoreboard flashes 2-1, and Nelsen shares a shake of the hand and a smile with his assistant coach, Fran O’Leary. A crowd of more than 30,000 in number celebrates with him.

Toronto FC’s last victory came in July of 2012; it is now just a memory.

The Rogers Centre is Toronto’s coliseum. Inside the curved walls, surrounded by mountains of cheering fans, the club remains undefeated.

Toronto has taken on the lions of England when Liverpool came to town, and the chariots of the region in Kansas, in Los Angeles, fast and fierce enemies that seem unstoppable, until they are toppled to the ground below them.

On this day, Toronto FC stands as Spartacus. Kansas is but a downed Roman soldier. The patchy green turf serves as

N NELSEN a Silent Gladiator in Toronto’s Soccer Arena

Photographs by Les Jones – COVERSHOTS Inc. substitute to the sands of the arena. For Kansas, a loss to Toronto is a minor speed bump in a season destined for success; for Toronto FC, every victory is glorious – this one is no exception.

Though fate may see Toronto FC struggle once again this season, under Nelsen, the team shows a level of promise unmatched by any manager before him.

It is, perhaps, in the reformed structure of management that Toronto FC will finally succeed. With Nelsen as head coach, O’Leary his assistant, and Kevin Payne the club president, the direction of the team is clear.

The trio, alongside Earl Cochrane, Jim Brennan and Jason Bent, form the core of the club’s front office.

With a new managerial structure comes a new system of running a football club, and signs of change have already started to show: Already, Toronto FC has changed the practice of signing players, utilizing loan options to give the club a chance at testing a player out before committing long-term.

These new signings include the next generation of players who don the red and grey of Toronto FC: footballers like Earnshaw, John Bostock, Kyle Bekker, Justin Braun, Julio Cesar, Danny Califf and Hogan Ephraim supplement a squad in need of strength in multiple positions.

The regular faces remain; Luis Silva, Stefan Frei, Richard Eckersley and Darren O’Dea are important pieces for success in 2013. Terry Dunfield and Jeremy Hall

symbolize the hardworking everymen who keep teams in Major League Soccer together.

Playing in a 4-4-1-1 formation, Toronto FC has combined the efficiency of a three-pronged midfield attack with the security of a four-man defensive core in the middle. Earnshaw plays up top with three of Ephraim, Luis Silva, Bostock, Reggie Lambe and Bekker behind him. Two wingers and one attacking midfielder contribute to both the offense and defence.

Meanwhile, Dunfield and Hall have

been anchoring the central core of the team, playing behind the two forwards.

The formation allows for Toronto FC to switch to a 4-2-3-1 seamlessly, while also allowing wingers to push in for fullbacks to run into space higher on the flanks.

It’s a system many teams are using around the world, and though the numbers of the formation may differ, the basic concept remains the same; service to the central striker is crucial, whilst defensive-minded midfielders help keep things compact.

In order to utilize this formation,

Jonathan Osorio scored his first career MLS goal in the 78th minute to give TFC a late 2-1 lead against the LA Galaxy.

InsideSOCCER 9

Robert Earnshaw scored his team-high fourth goal in a 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy at BMO Field.

Toronto FC needs tons of depth, something the team hasn’t had since its inception. This season, again, shows tangible improvement.

Players like Gale Agbossoumonde, Ashton Bennett and Doneil Henry have yet to feature much for Toronto FC, but they are quality options to have; meanwhile, youngsters like Bekker, Emery Welshman and Jonathan Osorio (all Toronto locals!) give the club energy in the last thirty minutes of the game.

Danny Koevermans is slowly but surely making his recovery and would really offer Toronto FC some attacking options!

Let’s not forget Logan Emory, Darel Russell, Taylor Morgan, Andrew Wiedeman and Ryan Richter, who are all capable depth players for the club and can slot into multiple positions when required. Joe Bendik has done well replacing Stefan Frei for the first part of the season, and goalkeeper coach Stewart Kerr’s praise of 18-year-old Quillan Roberts is a sign of hope between the posts for years to come.

With all this depth, it’s a wonder Toronto FC can afford all these players.

The club currently employs 28 players with the promise of more signings in the near future. Torsten Frings’ retirement and Eric Hassli’s trade gives Toronto FC two free Designated Player slots, and with it, nearly three quarters of a million dollars of room in the salary cap.

New names that have been floating around include Newell’s Old Boys forward Maximiliano Urruti, as well as a few Honduran midfielders. TFC head scout Pat Onstad visited Argentina and said a 10 April/May 2013

deal for a new player - potentially a young designated player - could be concluded within the next few weeks.

But new players will come and go as the club continues its transformation under Payne and Nelsen. For now, a healthy mix of British and Canadian players gives Toronto FC its new style of play on the field.

Gone are the days where defenders would boot the ball up the field, bypassing the midfielders, hoping that a forward would latch onto the ball. Instead, Toronto FC players are keeping the ball on the ground and passing among themselves, with possession stats staying much more level than in years past.

This reformed style of play is what led to Toronto FC’s triumph at the Rogers Centre in the middle of March, against MLS giants, Sporting Kansas City. Graham Zusi and co. just couldn’t topple Toronto, after the Reds took a 2-0 lead early in the game and held Kansas 2-1 until the final whistle.

Earnshaw connected well with Bostock on the right wing and Ephraim right behind him in the hole, and the trio of British footballers are showing the kind of first touch and passing ability that comes from meticulous practice in

Instead, Toronto FC players are keeping the ball on the ground and passing among themselves, with possession stats staying much more level than in years past.

England’s footballing system.

Aside from the offensive front, however, Toronto FC has shown a new outlook in defensive discipline. No longer is Toronto struggling to contain strong opposition offenses, with Richard Eckersley, Danny Califf, Darren O’Dea and Ashtone Morgan working well together.

Defensively, Toronto FC is holding stronger, and that will be a crucial element in finding any sort of success in 2013; the club held the league-worst goals against last season, and needs to be tighter in the backline to prevent a similar collapse.

Yet, with defensive strength, offensive prowess and a win against Sporting Kansas City under its belt, Toronto FC hasn’t enjoyed as stellar a start as their neighbours in Quebec; the Montreal Impact won their first four games in a row, including a game where the club hosted Toronto at Olympic Stadium. The result, a 2-1 win, gives Montreal an advantage over their rivals in the 401 Derby.

Toronto FC will have plenty of opportunities for revenge. In a long season, the club has many games to prepare for, and still has lots of work to do. This is not, by any means, a finished product. Toronto FC does not stand an undefeatable gladiator in the arena. The weaknesses exist. They, too, will be corrected.

Yet at this time, Toronto FC as a team has taken a much anticipated, heavily promised but often denied step forward.

There is progress. There is depth. So bring on the rest of MLS! Under Ryan Nelsen, Toronto FC looks a team capable of winning games again.

Playoffs? One can always dream!

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Canadian midfielder Matt Lam is reinventing his soccer career, and rediscovering his roots at the same time.

MATT LAM A Long Way From Home

BY STEVEN SANDOR Photographs Courtesy of Matt Lam & Kitchee SC Lam, who spent the 2012 season with his hometown team, FC Edmonton, signed with Hong Kong First Division power Kitchee SC in January. Lam’s father, Wilson, was born in Hong Kong, and the move allows Lam to get his official residency — which will help him long after his soccer career is over. Lam is on an 18-month contract, but an option does come up right at the end of the 2012-13 season.

Lam made his Kitchee debut in March, starting in a 2-2 draw with Woofoo Tai Po. In the following interview, Lam discusses his move to Hong Kong.

InsideSOCCER: You don’t speak Cantonese — how is the adjustment to the language barrier?

Matt Lam: It’s interesting because the coach (Josep Gombau) is Spanish, most of the foreign players — all except for one — are Spanish. So, in training, he coaches mainly in English and his assistant speaks Spanish, Chinese and English, so he translates for the Chinese boys and a little bit of English to me and a little bit of Spanish, as well. We have all three languages going on.

IS: You aren’t the only Canadian in the league. Michael Luk (ex-Toronto Lynx) is with your rival, South China AA...

ML: I’m familiar with Luk; I’ve heard his name quite a 12 April/May 2013

bit. I’ve recently been e-mailing back and forth with (former FC Edmonton teammate) Dominic Oppong and he grew up playing with Michael Luk, so he mentioned that.

IS: Your team plays Manchester United this summer...

ML: It’s part of its preseason tour, it’s coming over here. Kitchee has established some pretty good relationships with some big European clubs; it played Arsenal last

preseason. Now, Manchester United is coming over. There’s a huge United fan base over here, well everywhere of course, but Hong Kong people are pretty fanatical about Manchester United, from what I’ve seen. It’ll be a fantastic experience to play the best of the best.

IS: Why go to Hong Kong?

ML: It really came out of nowhere.

At first there was interest from South China (Kitchee’s rival club) and then Kitchee came into it and it was the one that acted quicker. At first, when South China contacted me I wasn’t sure about it, but the chance to play here as a local player, because my dad was born here, that made it really possible. In the next few weeks I hope to get my permanent identification.

IS: Were there other clubs in play?

ML: I was trying to head over to Finland, the same club (Haka) at which Nana Attakora was; it was trying to bring me over right after my release from FC Edmonton but I wasn’t able to transfer until the window. It was still an option, and I was considering some MLS trials, but I really enjoyed my time in Asia the first time I was over (Lam spent the 2011 season on loan from FC Edmonton to Japanese second-division side JEF United), and I wanted to open those doors again.

IS: Leaving Edmonton, you’re away from your family and friends again.

ML: I have become pretty used to it. Since I was 16 I have mostly been away and last year with FC Edmonton, that was kinda against the norm of what I’m used to. But it is tough to be away from my girlfriend (former Edmonton Aviator Lyndsay Stewart) and family and everything but I hope to be able to bring them over as much as possible and get a nice break in the summer, as the schedule here is the same as it is in Europe.

IS: What’s your status for other club competitions?

ML: We’re still in the group stage of the AFC Cup (sort of like Asia’s answer to the Europa League; at press time, Kitchee topped its group), and hopefully I can be added to the roster. That’s what I heard, that I can be added

Canadian midfielder Matt Lam signed with Hong Kong First Division power Kitchee SC in January. watch, before I was registered and able to play, the two teams just parked the bus and sat back and Kitchee had to break them down in those games. And the stronger clubs are very direct in the way they play, route one and battling.

The level, I’d compare it... because Hong Kong is a more established league, I’d say that it had a slight edge over the NASL, but they are comparable leagues.

The stadiums are quite nice and the level of soccer has been quite good.

IS: How would you describe Kitchee’s style?

ML: With Kitchee, with the Spanish coach, his background is with the Barcelona youth systems. He prefers the passing game, very much the Barcelona style, we’re not at that level, but he wants to create the environment where we focus on ball possession and attack. But the league itself, the first games I went to

Matt Lam (right) in Hong Kong with Chinese boxing gold medalist Zou Shiming.

to the roster for elimination games. I am not that familiar with the rules but management has told me that it can submit a new list for their round of 16. It’s only a few games into the group stage and anything can happen but it’s looking good so far.

IS: Attendance reports really vary in the Hong Kong league. Kitchee’s last home game drew only about 700, but sometimes it draws big numbers.

ML: It’s different all the time. I’m sure when we play South China, it’ll be a packed house, as South China does have the biggest supporters groups. From what I hear, Kitchee is not a district club.

Hong Kong has all these different districts and a number of the clubs are solely district sides and all the people from those districts will solely support their ‘club.’ Kitchee is a club that all of a sudden blew up in the last 10 years or so and have been topping the table. Last year, it won it. It’s different, a different atmosphere.

Lam made his Kitchee debut in March, starting in a 2-2 draw with Woofoo Tai Po.

InsideSOCCER 13

BY Bob Koep

DO WE REALLY NEED

ELECTR 14 April/May 2013

Photograph courtesy of FC Edmonton

Is it really here to stay? I mean electronic goal control that can tell precisely whether a ball has fully crossed the goal line.

But do we really want a game where, on occasion, the human element is taken out of it? Could we one day have a system where any critical play will be reviewed and time outs could destroy the flow of the game?

Of course the ball having crossed the line without being recognized by the referee is the reason for arguments and accusations including the usual charges that the referee is blind. (only by fans of the disadvantaged side) But soccer is a game with faults.

That is really why we like it. Yes, referees sometimes miss a call and also blow a call altogether. You call this human element and in most cases players and fans eventually accept a seemingly wrong call and life goes on. Players too, are not infallible such as missing a goal from three meters out, but they are not getting the gears as much as referees do.

A ball crossing the line undetected actually happens rather infrequently and shouldn’t be reason for major concerns.

In fact one hears about such a situation maybe once or twice a year on the major league level. Many more goals are being denied, or given for other reasons and that doesn’t seem to matter all that much.

One of the most talked about goals (was it in or not) was the World Cup winning goal in 1966 at London’s Wembley Stadium scored by England over West Germany in overtime to break a 2-2 tie.

A shot by Geoff Hurst bounced off the underside of the crossbar and hit the ground before being kicked back into the field.

Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst had his view blocked by other players and after consulting with his linesman decided to call it a goal.

It comes down to the fact that referees have to make a split-second decision on what they see or think they see.

That call started things going.

Excitement ruled for months. In England, the University of Oxford conducted months of studies without coming to a conclusion. In Germany things were at a fever pitch and stand-up comedians had a field day. One of them said there are two things Germans will never live down: The third Reich and the third goal.

You see, a simple shot on the soccer field can get entire nations into overdrive and that is what FIFA is probably trying to counter with its electronic control.

Actually the subject was rather ignored for decades until it gathered speed at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, again during a game between England and Germany.

This time a shot by Frank Lampart hit the bar and then went well over the line, German goalie Manuel Neuer stopped it behind the line and pulled it back while the Uruguayan referee just didn’t have a clear view and let the game go on.

That shot would have been the tying goal at 2-2 and the game’s pace could have changed. As it was Germany went on to win 4-1 and once again the subject was back on the table.

But since these two instances are highly publicized, goals scored or denied because the ball barely crossed the line are relatively few and far between and should not call for dramatic changes in the approach to the game.

There are many other causes for excitement in soccer especially when it comes to offside calls in close proximity to the goal. Frequently a player of the attacking side is temporarily offside, if only by inches, and a goal scored in this situation is then not given. ( or is given, depending on the call) In an experiment during a referees seminar FIFA run movies highlighting such situations where players were offside for a moment while everybody was milling around in front of the goal, or someone seemed to be offside while playing the ball. Just about half the referees in attendance said it was a goal and the other half said it was not. So far for human judgement.

It comes down to the fact that referees have to make a split-second decision on what they see or think they see.

So it all comes back to the FIFA rule book where it says in just about every rule that a call should be made: in the opinion of the referee.

And that is the bottom line: In the

ONICS? InsideSOCCER 15

opinion of the referee. Somebody has to make the call and let the game go on. A referee has to make some 180 to 200 decisions during a game and obviously the one or the other ends up being wrong.

Of course such calls will excite a lot of fans and cause countless arguments all over.

And that, too, is part of the game.

What would a game be without some really good controversy?

Without anything to talk about?

Without fans of the losing side having something to bitch about and fans of the winning side gracefully overlooking a bad call.

As an Italian friend of mine once told me: In Milan there are 80,000 experts watching a game and the only person in the stadium who has no idea at all about soccer is the referee.

Yes, referees sometimes miss a call and also blow a call altogether. You call this human element and in most cases players and fans eventually accept a seemingly wrong call and life goes on.

One wonders why someone would want to be a referee and yet, there are thousands of dedicated people spending half their lifetime doing what they enjoy doing.

I just hope that the introduction of electronic goal control is not the beginning of something that in the end will resemble the way they run American Football; games with multitudes of time outs, play reviews and other delays that seem to be ideal to squeeze a few more commercials into the telecast.

If that ever happens, you might as well say good by to soccer the way we know it.

And as a bit of a cynic I secretly hope not a single ball will cross the goal line and bounce back at the upcoming Confederation Cup and thus convince FIFA to scrap the whole idea of leaving it to an electronic gadget to make a call.

WHAT WOULD A GAME BE WITHOUT SOME

REALLY GOOD

CONTROVERSY?

16 April/May 2013

3 February/March 2012

COMING UP SHORT IN

CYPRUS

BY STEVEN SANDOR

Photo courtesy of the Canadian Soccer Association

Thirteen years ago, a young Rachel Yankey made the move from England to play soccer in Canada; she was loaned to Les Dynamites de Laval of the W-League and spent the 2000 season in Quebec.

Thirteen years later, she’s the most capped player in English football history.

She’s a mainstay at Arsenal, which boasts England’s best women’s program (people who say that Arsenal doesn’t win trophies anymore only follow the men’s side of the club). And, in the final of the 2013 Cyprus Cup, her second-half goal ensured that Canada would finish second-best at the tourney for the second year in a row.

England beat Canada 1-0 in the final, with Yankey getting the winning goal.

We’d love to write more about the match: Heck, we’d love to write more about the entire tournament. There were some great storylines there; Canadian women’s team coach John Herdman’s tactics, the performances of promising youngsters, including midfielder Christabel Oduro, and Christine Sinclair’s return from her fourgame FIFA ban to score her 144th and 145th career international goals in group-stage 18 April/May 2013

Christine Sinclair returned from her four-game FIFA ban to score her 144th and 145th career international goals in group-stage triumphs over Finland and the Netherlands. triumphs over Finland and the Netherlands.

Unfortunately the biggest complaint Canadian soccer followers would have about the Cyprus Cup was that they couldn’t, well, follow it. None of the games were available to watch, even by stream. Coverage of the event was limited to Twitter reports from the Canada Soccer account plus game summaries and highlight reels that showed up on the Canadian Soccer Association website hours after the fact. That’s not to blame the sole media person the Canadian Soccer Association had at the event — he did his best with the resources available.

After the Olympics, the Canadian women’s soccer program is slowly sliding back into a scary state of out of sight, out of mind. Since the glory of the women’s team winning bronze at the Olympics, Canada’s soccer community has had to wait until June 2 to see the team play a home friendly — a match against the United States at

Toronto’s BMO Field. In the meantime, the Canadian women took their regular trips to China’s Yongchuan Cup and the Cyprus Cup, which, frankly, is a second-tier tourney to the Algarve Cup, that’s played at the same time and features the likes of the Americans, Germans and Swedes. When we see attendances from the Cyprus Cup, they are scary numbers like 50 or 150.

These tournaments do allow Herdman the chance to build the team and work in some of the U-17 and U-20 talent into the system — which he previously warned he would have to do over the next couple of years. But, when it comes to keeping women’s soccer in the national sports conversation, they do absolutely nothing.

Meanwhile, since winning gold at the Olympics, the Americans have played 12, count ’em, 12 friendlies on home soil.

They’ve played in the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, in the southwest, on the east coast. The American women have exposed their game to as many admiring fans as they possibly can. Yes, the Canadian Soccer Association doesn’t have the same budget as U.S. Soccer does, but there were opportunities there to call on one or two of the teams that were going to be part of the 12-game U.S. friendly schedule, and see if they’d be willing to make a short trip up to Canada for a game or two.

Yes, the Canadian women still get feted by fans across the country. In February, Sinclair, keeper Karina LeBlanc, midfielder Diana Matheson and veteran Rhian Wilkinson led two days’ worth of sold-out clinics in Edmonton and were feted at City Hall.

Sinclair noted how much the women’s team success, especially when it’s close at hand, can boost the game. In Alberta, after Edmonton hosted the 2002 U-19 Women’s World Championship final, which packed Commonwealth Stadium, soccer registrations in Alberta rose by 40 percent.

“I think we have started the process,” said Sinclair. “Just listening to the stats from 2002 of the growth of soccer in Edmonton, with the upcoming Women’s World Cup it can continue and become that much bigger.”

But that World Cup is still a couple years away. And the only home friendly Canada’s women have scheduled since the Olympics is, ironically, played in a city that’s not part of the Women’s World Cup. Oh, and a Cyprus Cup second-place finish which you might have heard about on Twitter.

COACH DAVE: MY CORNER

PLAN FOR A

SUCCESSFUL SEASON

BY DAVE KENNY

This article will help promote proper planning to enhance your team’s success during the upcoming season. As a coach, the preseason can be just as important as the actual season. Here are some tips to help you plan for a successful soccer season: Picking Your Team Staff The players are selected, the snow has melted and the season is only a month away. Now is the time to plan in order to have a successful season.

By “successful” I do not mean trophies.

Individual success for a player will come with improved skills. Team successes may result in trophies but REAL success will be measured by whether or not the players and parents have enough enjoyment during the season to return to the club next year. Notice, I included “parents” in that statement. Unfortunately, if the parents do not have an enjoyable season, it will have an influence on whether or not the player returns. Over the years, I have seen many parents ruin a good soccer experience for the player. If we can please the parents AND the players, we as coaches (and clubs) have a better chance of retaining the player in the game and participate in “Soccer For Life,” as the LTDP wants us to do.

Often, as coaches, we select the team

before we have even had a chance to assemble a staff of assistant coaches, coaches, a manager and maybe even a trainer. In an ideal world, the staff would be in place before the tryouts. Due to unforeseen circumstances we sometimes have to wait until the team is selected before we can recruit a parent to assist us.

Part of a seasonal plan is to make sure you select a staff with which you can work.

CHOOSING AN ASSISSTANT COACH In planning for the season, start by selecting an assistant coach or coaches.

The first consideration is trust. Can you trust him/her? This is the person that needs to support you; someone who will not be “working behind your back” to undermine your team and the program. You will have a personal and confidential relationship with this person and therefore, you must think similarly with this person, but not necessarily exactly alike. This does not mean you cannot disagree with each other, but it

is very important that you (as a coaching staff ) present a united front to players and parents. For many years I assisted my good friend Mark in our coaching adventures. We had a few differences of opinion, discussed our thoughts and came to a cohesive conclusion. I knew he had the ultimate decision. Your assistant MUST understand his /her role and accept that the final decision still belongs to you, as Head Coach.

I like to source an assistant coach who brings something a little different to the team. For instance, I know my style of coaching is to teach defense first. When I first took over as Head Coach with my current team, I purposely looked for a more offensive minded assistant. I also looked for younger assistants who could bridge the age gap between me and the team. Younger coaches are also great for demonstrations, especially when my old knees prevent me from demonstrating drills and plays personally!

A simple test to determine if you have a good fit with an assistant is to ask yourself a few questions.

1. How did he react when you

presented your expectations?

2. Can you leave him on his own

with confidence?

3. Does he understand his role as an

assistant (i.e. does not take over)?

4. Does he make you feel energized?

The last point is very important in order to keep you, as Head Coach, fresh and enthused. It is very easy to fall into the “I know it all” mentality. Staying enthused keeps the interest level up and players and parents alike will notice and reap the rewards as a result.

You will have a bad fit with an assistant if...

1. You have doubts.

2. He does not listen to you and begins

to do his own thing or takes over.

3. He embarrasses you CHOOSING A TEAM MANAGER Once you have your assistant coach(s) in place, the next step is to find a manager. A good manager can be the difference between a well-run team and a very confused team. The manager needs to be the voice connecting you to the parents. Again, the manager needs to be someone you can trust. He/ she will be in InsideSOCCER 19

discussions with the coaches as well as hear all the comments from the parents’ side of the field. The manager looks after tournament registrations, player registrations, handles all the money and keeps good records. The manager needs to be strong enough to influence action amongst parents (i.e. fundraising), be a good listener and most importantly, NOT coach! Your manager also needs to be well organized and have the ability to multitask on a moment-to-moment basis.

Coaches will often appoint their spouse as manager - this is not a good idea. The manager needs to be a separate voice and someone in whom the parents can confide. A good manager can often solve a problem without bringing it to the attention of the coach. If the manager is your spouse, there is a good chance that the issue is coming home. Worse, the issue never gets to the manager and a parent stews long enough to turn a molehill into a mountain or in soccer talk, turn an issue from a size 3 ball into a size 5.

CHOOSING A TRAINER The position of trainer can take on many different roles on a team. In very general terms, the trainer is most often responsible for first aid. In some cases, your trainer may also be responsible for fitness training. Again, you need to make sure you can trust the trainer and you must trust his or her opinion. If your trainer is in a “First Aid” position and tells you a player is injured, the player should not play. Take the trainer’s word for what it is. Ultimately, the safety of your players is your responsibility and your trainer should be consulted and her advice adhered to.

A parent is usually the easiest person to get to volunteer to be a trainer - one with a medical background is ideal.

Otherwise a first aid course should be taken or in some cases, is required. For young male players, a mom or dad can fill this position. For all females, I recommend finding a mom to be trainer, particularly if the coaching staff is all male. Girls tend to be more comfortable with a mom looking after their injuries. As boys get older, they generally become more comfortable with a guy treating their injuries and replacing the mom as trainer should be considered.

While coaching a sixteen year old girls’ team, I was fortunate to have a female trainer who looked after injuries and 20 April/May 2013

fitness. She was in her early twenties and served as a role model and inspiration to the players as well as taping ankles and massaging sore muscles. As a result, that team was probably one of the fittest teams I have ever coached and one of the closest knit teams, with players and the trainer still friends many years later.

Now your team staff is complete.

The next step is to make sure players and parents each understand your expectations and their responsibilities.

In order to have a successful season, the next step is to make sure the players and parents are all working with the same plan.

MEETINGS In order to have a season of success, in this case, it can be measured by the enjoyment and satisfaction of all parties, parents included. It is important to keep parents informed of your “team plan” for the season. Always remember, the parents are still paying the bills for the team so keeping them informed will help keep things running smoothly. If the parents understand the plan well ahead of time, they are more likely to support the coach all the way through the season.

If you are not organized and always look like you are making things up as you go, it does not leave a good impression, which often results in a lack of confidence that parents may have in your coaching abilities. It is important to be prepared.

PARENTS’ MEETING It is important to call a mandatory parents meeting as early as possible to outline the team plan for the season.

Follow an itinerary to show how organized you are. It does not have to be complicated.

Below is a basic model to follow: Parents’ Meeting Agenda Attendance and Introductions: introduce your staff and their qualifications, have parents introduce themselves.

What is expected of parents: the Team’s Code of Behaviour: get player there on time; what you can yell and what you can’t on the sidelines (my rule: DO NOT YELL “KICK IT.” We, dribble, pass or shoot the ball. We do not just kick it!)

Coaches’ Code: What parents can expect from coaches. Explain the rules that you and your staff, will apply and play by. I like to explain here the

difference between “everybody will have an opportunity to play” and “equal playing time.” Explain to the parents that if a player is too injured to attend training on Monday, don’t expect him to play in Tuesday’s game.

Players’ Code: Mention a few general rules about being on time etc. but make sure the parents understand the players will be making some of the rules themselves at their meeting (see below).

Schedule: Explain who and where you will be travelling throughout the season. Expected game nights and projected tournaments as well as projected training schedules should be mentioned here. It helps to verify the level of commitment that will be required by parent and player.

Team Budget: After the schedule has been discussed, it is a great time to bring up the expenses that will be incurred with the operation of the team. Be sure to include all tournament entry fees, first aid, referee costs, cost of practice facilities, bus rentals etc. These costs can add up in a hurry if you have multiple long distance away games.

Volunteers Committees: This is a main area where parents can be involved with the team. Once the team costs are announced, it is a good time to look for Fundraising Leaders who may volunteer to head up chicken sales, dances, bottle collections etc. Other volunteers may be needed to put up nets, corner flags, report scores to the local paper or refreshments. Additionally, I like to use tournament lunches as team building opportunities. Our team recruits a couple of parents to organize a picnic lunch for the team. Players make their own sandwiches from a selection of cold cuts and we also include fruit, granola bars and other healthy alternatives. It keeps the team together, giving them a bonding opportunity and avoids the temptation for parents to take the players to a fast food location.

PLAYER’S MEETING The final pre-season meeting should be a team staff and player meeting.

Not only can this opportunity be used to make sure the players know what is expected, it can also be an ideal time for team building. Some of the team rules need to be set by you, the coach, but others can be determined by the players

themselves. Again, it is important to have an agenda to keep your meeting moving and to cover all the necessary topics. Here is a basic outline for a player meeting.

One Minute Bio: Start with yourself and talk about yourself for one minute.

Then have each assistant, manager and trainer do the same. Then have the players follow suit. Depending on the age, players may need some prompting statements such as “Tell me about your pets.” Start with returning players (who presumably have done the exercise before) and integrate in new players.

The purpose is to get the players to learn something about each other and find a connection.

Team Rules: Start with coaches’ rules such as “No talking when coach talks” or “Never act a fool-we are representing our city.” Once some rules are set, open it up to player suggestions. These suggestions can be molded to what the coach ideally •

wants, but actually can come from the players. When the players participate in setting rules, they will be more likely to follow them. Player suggestions that are now part of my team rules include “If you don’t practise, you don’t play”, “Team bags must be zipped and lined up” , and “Look after your own equipment and water ( i.e. no parents carrying water bottles over to the bench at half time)” Once a set of team rules have been established, the last part of the player meeting should have the players leaving in a good state of mind. This can be done by establishing personal and team GOALS. Goals: Start with personal goals.

These can be kept private or made public.

I like to have the players write their own goals on paper and give them to me. I review the goals of each player part way through the season, to see if the player has reached their goals or see what we can do to help them reach said goal.

I also want the players to set team goals. The wording of these can be shaped to ensure they are attainable. For instance, winning the Ontario Cup would NOT be attainable for a team who has not won a game in two years. A more realistic goal might be “To win a tournament.”

The coach can help achieve this goal by finding a tournament that has teams of similar caliber with similar goals.

Once the team goals are set, the coach should remind the players throughout the season and give feedback as to how close the team is to achieving each goal.

It helps to keep the team focussed and offers an opportunity for celebrations as each goal is reached.

Once all the meetings are concluded, you will be ready for the start of the season. Parents and players will be fully informed of rules and expectations and you will be on your way to a successful season before it even begins. Game On!

DRILL OF THE MONTH: Goalkeeper Fast Feet SET UP

• Mark off a 10 yard square with cones or pylons.

mobility and fitness training. Rather than finish with a player “diving” on the ball, a player must control the ball with his feet.

• This drill can also work with the second goalkeeper acting as “coach” by having players rotate between “working” and “resting”

• One ball.

• One coach with stopwatch.

• One “working” goalkeeper

Why This Works

START • Goalkeeper begins in the middle of the square.

• Goalkeepers develop foot speed and agility, reacting quickly to directional change.

• Coach holds the ball.

• Goalkeepers learn to smother a loose ball

• Goalkeeper stays facing the coach at all times.

• Goalkeeper starts by “running on the spot” with quick steps.

•

The coach then gives instructions to the goalkeeper, directing him to the different corners of the square by verbal commands and hand signals.

•

Goalkeeper must “back peddle”, “shuffle” or “sprint” to the corner as directed while maintaining eye contact with the coach to ensure he does not miss the next instruction.

• Goalkeeper should work for short periods of time (20-30 seconds). At the

end of each session the coach tosses the ball into the square and the goalkeeper should dive to recover the “loose ball”

• Communication improves

• Have a 30 second rest period and repeat 4 times.

Coaching Points • Goalkeeper must never be flat footed • Encourage quick changes of direction • Ensure good communication and clear instructions

Variations • This drill can be used by all players for InsideSOCCER 21

22 April/May 2013

Toronto FC Flying High!

Robert Earnshaw has provided TFC with some much needed spark in 2013, scoring 4 goals in just 5 starts this season!

Photos by Les Jones – Covershots Inc.

5 February/March 2012

InsideSOCCER 23

The CONCACAF Gold Cup™ is the biennial nations championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean, and is the confederation’s premier event.

The Gold Cup evolved from a series of championships in the region dating back to 1941. It began in its current structure in 1991. At times, the CONCACAF championship also served as a qualifier for the World Cup, but since its inception, the Gold Cup has been an independent championship irrespective of other tournaments. However, once every four years, the winner of the Gold Cup serves as the region’s entrant to the FIFA Confederations Cup.

the best players from the region, and between 1996- 2005 included guest teams from South America, Africa and Asia. Mexico has won the most titles, five, one more than the United States. Canada claimed the remaining crown. From a relatively modest 40,000 that witnessed the first Gold Cup final at the Los

Initially an eight-team event, the Gold Cup finals have grown into a 12-nation championship with countries qualifying from the three regions of CONCACAF, North America, Central Americaa (UNCAF) and the Caribbean (Caribbean Football Union). The tournament features

Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1991, when the United States outlasted Honduras on penalties 4:3, the Gold Cup has grown to the region’s most anticipated soccer event, routinely drawing a capacity crowds.

THE EARLY YEARS Prior to the formation of CONCACAF, football in the region was divided into smaller, regional divisions. Two main bodies existed: the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF) founded in 1938 and the North American Football Confederation (NAFC) founded in 1946.

The CCCF held 10 championships from 1941-1961, Costa Rica winning seven (1941, ‘46, ‘48, ‘53, ‘55, ‘60, ‘61).

DATE

STADIUM

LOCAL TIME / ET

QUARTERFINALS Saturday, July 20

3:00 ET / 3:00 ET 6:00 ET / 6:00 ET

SEMIFINALS Atlanta, GA Wednesday, July 24 Georgia Dome A2 Vs. B2 6:00 CT / 7:00 ET A1 Vs. B3/C3 9:00 CT / 10:00 ET

Dallas, TX Cowboys Stadium C1 or A3/B3 Vs. B1/C2 A1 or B3/C3 Vs. A2/B2

Sunday, July 21

4:00 ET / 4:00 ET 7:00 ET / 7:00 ET

Baltimore, MD FINALS M&T Bank Stadium Sunday, July 28 B1 Vs C2 C1 Vs. A3/B3 3:00 CT / 4:00 ET

Chicago, IL Soldier Field Winner SF1 Vs. Winner SF2

www.goldcup.org 24 April/May 2013

GAME

GROUP STAGE DATE

STADIUM

LOCAL TIME / ET

GAME

Sunday, July 7

Los Angeles, CA Rose Bowl

2:30 PT / 5:30 ET 5:00 PT / 8:00 ET

Canada Vs. Martinique Mexico Vs. Panama

Harrison, NJ Red Bull Arena

7:00 ET / 7:00 ET 9:30 ET / 9:30 ET

El Salvador Vs. Trinidad & Tobago Haiti Vs. Honduras

Portland, OR Jeld-Wen Field

5:30 PT / 8:30 ET 8:00 PT / 11:00 ET

Costa Rica Vs. Cuba Belize Vs. USA

Seattle, WA CenturyLInk Field

5:30 PT / 8:30 ET 8:00 PT / 11:00 ET

Panama Vs. Martinique Mexico Vs. Canada

Friday, July 12

Miami, FL Sun Life Stadium

7:00 ET / 7:00 ET 9:30 ET / 9:30 ET

Trinidad & Tobago Vs. Haiti Honduras Vs. El Salvador

Saturday, July 13

Salt Lake City, UT Rio Tinto Stadium

2:00 MT / 4:00 ET 4:30 MT / 6:30 ET

USA Vs. Cuba Costa Rica Vs. Belize

Sunday, July 14

Denver, CO Sports Authority Field

2:00 MT / 4:00 ET 4:30 MT / 6:30 ET

Martinique Vs. Mexico Panama Vs. Canada

Monday, July 15

Houston, TX BBVA Compass Stadium

6:00 CT / 7:00 ET 8:30 CT / 9:30 ET

El Salvador Vs. Haiti Honduras Vs. Trinidad & Tobago

Tuesday, July 16

Hartford, CT Rentschler Field

5:30 ET / 5:30 ET 8:00 ET / 8:00 ET

Cuba Vs. Belize USA Vs. Costa Rica

Monday, July 8

Tuesday, July 9

Thursday, July 11

www.goldcup.org 5 February/March 2012

InsideSOCCER 25

Before the eyes of the world turn to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup – a tournament that Brazilians have demanded their national team win (so no pressure!) – football fans will get their international fix in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Confederation a Taste of World Domination!

BY Armen Bedakian

Every four years, and one year before the FIFA World Cup, winners of major international tournaments converge to take each other on in a mini-World Cup affair. The host country of the biggest tournament in the world gets the chance to hold a trial run a year before they take on the responsibilities of 32 national teams within their borders.

The Confederations Cup is a tournament played with eight teams, each qualifying for the tournament after winning their regions’ respective tournaments. The host country, Brazil, automatically qualifies, as do previous World Cup winners, Spain. That leaves six spots for six football confederations to fill.

From CONCACAF comes Mexico, which won the 2011 Gold Cup and Uruguay, victors of the 2011 Copa America. While Spain may have won both the FIFA World Cup and the 2012 UEFA Euro Cup, it is Italy that will qualify for a spot in the Confederations Cup, after it came in second. That leaves Japan, champions of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, Nigeria, winners of the 2013 African Cup of Nations, and minor outfit Tahiti, current holders of the 2012 OFC Nations Cup. Eight teams set to duke it out in six stadiums across Brazil. It’s a chance for each country to try out new players in new configurations, test out potential 26 April/May 2013

line-ups for the grand affair a year later, or, for some, a chance to take on some of the planet’s best footballers in an effort to improve their own skill levels.

Brazil and Spain are surely favourites, but Mexico, Uruguay and Italy are no sleeper sides.

In particular, Mexico has had Brazil’s number for the last few years, besting the South American side in the 2012 London Olympic Games (earning gold in the process) as well as knocking it out of the 2011 Copa America. Mexico’s golden generation of footballers include Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Giovani dos Santos, and Andres Guardado, among others.

Though Mexico isn’t the out-andout favourite to win the Confederations Cup, it is perhaps the most complete and ready nation of the eight. Brazil has yet to establish a firm core, and with so many young attacking midfielders attempting to break into the starting eleven, it’s no wonder Brazil hasn’t fielded the same outfit two games in a row.

There’s Neymar, of course, and Alexandre Pato, but beyond those two, Brazil is a constantly evolving national team that sees young

players mix with old; Ronaldinho and Luis Fabiano are the latest senior footballers to be given the call-up, while Fred, who had faded into obscurity years ago, has made a comeback and is a real possibility for selection come 2014.

What Brazil lacks in consistency, Spain makes up for on the other extreme. The Spanish national team hasn’t undergone much change for the better part of the last five years. Still, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta command the midfield, feeding the likes of Fernando Torres and David Villa up front, while Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos mind the defensive side. With so many familiar names, one must wonder if Spain has peaked, since the next generation of Spanish footballers have hardly featured for the national team, though not for any real lack of quality.

While Juan Mata, Jesus Navas, Cesc Fabregas and the like ride the bench, Xavi and Iniesta slowly get older. It’s hard to replace genius, but for a national team to keep winning, younger players must be injected into the squad; one such player is Jordi Alba, who has made the left back slot his own for FC Barcelona, and

s Cup will most likely command the spot for Spain, too.

The Italians will be relishing another chance at taking on high-quality opponents, too. With Juventus soaring high and A.C. Milan proving capable in Serie A, too, the Italian national team has benefited from a renaissance of talent, especially in midfield. Yes, Andrea Pirlo will still be calling the shots from deep within the midfield, but Roberto Montolivo and Claudio Marchisio are newer, fresher, and more sustainable options for Italy, while Sebastian Giovinco is one of the hottest

GROUP A

attacking players in the world right now.

Uruguay and Japan are always good for an upset, too; don’t expect the two nations to fold easily. Japan is a hardworking side with a lot of sleeping talent, and players like Shinji Kagawa can punish lazy defenders. Uruguay has a trifecta of talent up front with Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan and Edison Cavani, making it a real threat against any side.

Nigeria is a strong physical threat, with players like John Obi Mikel bossing the midfield. Expect a tough test for some, but a relatively easy win for the likes of Spain or Brazil. As for Tahiti, well – let’s just say its players get to enjoy a trip to Brazil!

Also worth noting is the fact that Uruguay, Italy or Spain each have a chance at becoming the first team to win all three major FIFA tournaments; the World Cup, the Confederations Cup and

GROUP b

the Olympic games.

Sure, it’s a smaller tournament, but each of these teams will give it its all in an effort to capture but a taste of the real glory that comes in defeating the planet’s greatest names in a year’s time. The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup is a time for managers and players to establish a system and allow confidence to grow, all the while building up to the moment of which some players can only dream.

For lovers of the international game of football, the 2013 Confederations Cup helps curb the hunger of the beautiful game on a global scale. So even if your team isn’t in the mix, pick a side, ride the tournament through, and enjoy the preshow before the main event!

The 2013 Confederations Cup runs from June 15 to June 30, 2013.

GROUP A MATCH DATE / TIME

BRAZIL

japan

spain

uruguay

1

15/06 16:00

BRAZIL

JAPAN

2

16/06 16:00

MEXICO

ITALY

5

19/06 16:00

BRAZIL

MEXICO

6

19/06 19:00

ITALY

JAPAN

9

22/06 16:00

ITALY

BRAZIL

10

22/06 16:00

JAPAN

MEXICO

GROUP B MATCH DATE

mexico

italy

5 February/March 2012

tahiti

NIGeria

3

16/06 19:00

SPAIN

URUGUAY

4

16/06 16:00

TAHITI

NIGERIA

7

20/06 16:00

SPAIN

TAHITI

8

20/06 19:00

NIGERIA

URUGUAY

11

23/06 16:00

NIGERIA

SPAIN

12

23/06 16:00

URUGUAY

TAHITI

InsideSOCCER 27

There are over 100 soccer themed movies and most of them should have been red carded years ago. Victory, Gregory’s Girl, Fever Pitch and Bend it Like Beckham have been a few of the exceptions, but most of the rest may have convinced thousands to take up synchronized swimming instead.

KICKING & OVER SOCCER

BY LES JONES

However, a new generation of soccer films is being unearthed in North America of all places! While past experience may well make you reluctant, you should drag yourself off to the Kicking & Screening Soccer Film Festival in New York this summer.

Rachel Markus, Kicking and Screening Co-Founder (middle) with some festival goers in NY.

It’s the soccer fanatics’ nirvana. Four playful days of classic footage, world premieres of new films, photographic displays, literary readings, and presentations by writers, celebrities, producers and directors from around the world. And it all has to do with soccer.

As compelling as watching Real Madrid from the players bench.

The goal is to serve as a forum for filmmakers, artists, writers and bloggers to showcase their work, while throwingin great entertainment - parties, panel discussions and quizzes. For those of a delicate nature, be warned – some of these sessions can get heated. You’ll no doubt rub shoulders with past and present soccer celebrities and you’ll definitely see Greg Lalas, brother of Alexi. He had a brief stint playing in MLS and is currently the editor-in-chief of 28 April/May 2013

MLSSoccer.com, the official website of Major League Soccer. He founded the festival in 2009 with Barca fan Rachel Markus, whose brainwave started the ball rolling.

Four years later, it’s a team effort with a volunteer staff of five and such wellknown names as US international Shep Messing, East Enders actor Tom Watt and $1 million Survivor winner Ethan Zohn in

SCREENING advisory capacities. The Festival began small, but quickly became big league and is expected to be close to a sell-out this year. In 2012 a fan flew in from Chile just for the event!

The festival has presented seven world premieres and in recent times has featured such films as Argentina Futbol Club (the rivalry between Boca Juniors and River Plate) Gringos at the Gate (US vs. Mexico matches) One Night in Turin (England at Italia ’90) and The Four Year Plan (Queens Park Rangers

2007-2011). This year’s theme is ‘Special Players’ and there will be around 10 movies, from full length to short documentaries, in addition to the displays, contests and audience participation events.

K&S has been such a success that it has already been replayed in such diverse venues as London, Washington, Houston, Amsterdam, Kerala, Liverpool and Portland. It could soon be up there with the Toronto International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival.

At the very least, Kicking & Screening is the best named film festival and just as much fun.

Book today. You’ll kick yourself if you miss it.

NOW PLAYING THE KICKING & SCREENING FESTIVAL runs June 18-21 in New York with satellite events following in Austin (Sept 7-8) and Portland (Oct 11-12) They are always looking for new material.

If you have an idea to pitch, check the website www.kickingandscreening.com

A few of more than 100 soccer themed movies to grace cinemas over the years. Some good, some well...

InsideSOCCER 29

FIT FACTS

Pre-Season

FITNESS TESTING with the Toronto FC Academy

BY RICHARD BUCCIARELLI At Manchester United, coming into training camp five pounds overweight can cost you $5,000. In fact, in most professional first and even second division teams, players are fined between $100 - $1,000 per pound of extra weight gained in the off-season.

Elite players also stand to lose something even more valuable than money – playing time – if they show decreased performance on endurance testing when training camp begins.

Taken together, these facts serve to highlight the importance of physical and physiological testing for elite level soccer players.

At the Toronto FC Academy, I am in charge of physical development of over 150 players from U-12 to U-20 age categories. With the start of the 2013 outdoor season just around the corner in late March/early April, evaluations of players’ fitness levels become increasingly more valuable to me and the Coaching Staff. Overall, there is less importance placed on body weight/ body composition with these players (especially the youngest ones) however, testing and establishing standards for physical ability is a prime area of importance for me.

Tests of physical ability in soccer need to be selected because they are – and have proven to be – valid to the sport. For a particular test of a particular physical ability to be seen as “valid” two main questions or criteria need to be met: 30 April/May 2013

Do the tests differentiate between higher and lower levels of play in the sport?

Do players at higher levels of play Provincial, junior National, senior National, and Professional – score higher on these types of tests than players at lower levels of play?

Is the test a predictor of performance in the sport?

Do players who score higher on these tests perform more physical work during competition?

At Soccer Fitness, we reviewed a decade’s worth of literature on performance analysis in soccer, including time-motion-analysis of soccer games at various different levels of play, when selecting and developing our testing protocols. The two main physical abilities we found to be both differentiators of performance levels, and predictors of physical performance in games, are speed, and high intensity running ability. Below is a brief summary of these two physical abilities, how they relate to soccer, and the rationale for the tests chosen to measure these physical abilities.

Speed: What is Speed?

Speed is defined as the ability to move the body – or parts of the body – quickly.

Speed is used in soccer to dribble around opponents, make runs into open space, and close down attacking players.

How can we measure Speed?

At Soccer Fitness, we use photo-cell timing gates (Brower Timing Systems) to

measure speed at 3 different distances: 10 metres: the shortest distance, and a good measure of starting speed or explosive speed 20 metres: the average distance of a sprint in soccer 35 metres: the maximum distance of a sprint in soccer

High Intensity Running Ability:

What is High Intensity Running Ability?

High intensity running ability is the ability to perform high intensity running (that is, running which is done at a speed between 80-100% of an individual’s maximal running speed).

How can we measure High Intensity Running Ability?

In soccer, high intensity running ability is the number-one factor that differentiates different levels of performance. At Soccer Fitness, we have selected the test which has the highest correlation to the amount of high intensity running players do in games: the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test. Comprising a 2 x 20 metre shuttle (signaled by audio signals on a prerecorded tape), followed by 10 seconds of rest, the test gradually decreases the time interval of the 20 metre shuttle run audio signals but keep the 10-second rest period the same. Eventually, the test becomes 2 fast runs, followed by 10 seconds of rest, and then 2 fast runs, over and over again until the athlete is not able to keep up with the pace of the audio signals.

Figure 1 explains some of the

standards and norms for male soccer players at different levels of play. As you can see, the higher the level of play, the better the scores (faster speed, and higher yo-yo scores) seen on the tests. Thus, the tests do differentiate between different levels of play in soccer.

Figure 2 comprises a score-sheet for the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1. Each stage in the test is shown

directly above a number – representing the distance (in metres) covered during the test. Match analysis studies have shown that players who cover a certain distance in the Yo-Yo test will tend to cover similar distances at high intensity (running speeds at or above 80 percent of maximal running speed) during games.

Thus, the Yo-Yo tests are not only able to differentiate levels of play in soccer; they

TEST

REGIONAL TEAMS (U16)

JUNIOR INTERNATIONAL TEAMS (U18)

SENIOR INTERNATIONAL TEAMS

10 METRE SPRINT

2.09 s

1.85 s

1.79 s

20 METRE SPRINT

3.20 s

3.12 s

2.96 s

35 METRE SPRINT

5.06 s

4.89 s

4.69 s

YO-YO INTERMITTENT RECOVERY TEST, LEVEL 1

19.1

19.1

20.1

YO-YO INTERMITTENT RECOVERY TEST, LEVEL 2

21.4

21.8

22.4

Figure 1: Standards and Norms for Provincial, National and Professional Male Soccer Players.

are also reliable and valid predictors of performance in the sport.

Richard Bucciarelli is the President of Soccer Fitness Inc., a company that provides soccer-specific strength and conditioning training to individuals and teams throughout the GTA, and also the Fitness Coach for the Toronto FC Academy. For more information, please visit www.soccerfitness.ca.

Figure 2: Score Card (with distances covered) for Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1

Science-Based, Soccer-Specific Fitness Training

Soccer Fitness Training Centre Trio Sportsplex, 2nd Floor 601 Cityview Blvd.

Vaughan, ON, L4H 0T1 (905) 417-4110 richard@soccerfitness.ca

SPEED COMPETITION 1

RICHARD BUCCIARELLI President BKINE, CSEP-CEP, CSCS, CK OSA “B” Licence USSF “A” License

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING High-speed treadmill training Plyometric training Soccer-specific running and kicking cords Soccer-specific fitness assessment

ON-FIELD TRAINING

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InsideSOCCER 31

When the history of the world’s greatest soccer players of the 21st player is written, one wonders what the history books will say about Lionel Messi? Will he be named the greatest of all or not?

In this kingdom of the beautiful game,

let King Messi reign!

BY Tokunbo Ojo

Twenty- six year old Messi, Barcelona’s Argentina-born striker, is the world’s number one soccer player at present. With the exception of FIFA World Cup and Copa America Cup, he has won virtually every title that a true genius could possibly win in top-flight professional soccer in a short space of time. In his trophy cabinet, he already has five Spanish league titles, three UEFA cup titles, one Olympic medal and one FIFA U-20 trophy. Other trophies in his cabinet include five Spanish super-club trophies and two UEFA super-club titles.

In addition to all these, he has won FIFA’s player of the year award as the best player in the world for four consecutive years. With age still on his side, and barring any career-threatening injuries, he can continue to mesmerize the fans of the beautiful game for another decade or more and might win more trophies and awards before he officially retires from professional soccer.

Given his impressive achievements so far, Sid Lowe, Madrid based columnist for the UK Guardian, did not mince words when he wrote: “It is no longer about whether or not Messi is currently the best player in the world; it is about whether he might even be the best there has ever been.”

However, he is like a Biblical prophet without honour in his home land. For many in his native country of Argentina and some in the South American region, Messi is not the king the international football community makes him out to be. For his critics at home, he is only a great player for Barcelona, not for his nation.

Without a World Cup trophy in his resume, they believe he should 32 April/May 2013

not be mentioned in the same context as legendary players such as Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane and Pele who singlehandedly propelled their countries to World Cup victories. This is the hallmark of a great player, in their views.

It is a sentiment that’s equally shared by the “great” Pele himself.

“When Messi’s scored 1,283 goals like me, when he’s won three World Cups, we’ll talk about it,” Pele told Le Monde newspaper in 2012,” he said. “Football changes. Records are there to be broken, but it will be hard to break mine.”

Indeed, it is such an interesting perspective to take. But the reality is that the standard and quality of soccer in the days of Pele and Maradona are not on the same level as the contemporary forms of

soccer. It was less technical and tactical in nature, in comparison to the contemporary version with which Messi grew up and to which he is accustomed.

Hence, it was easier then to build a winning squad around one or two talented individuals, as was the case with Argentina in Mexico ’86 World Cup, and be victorious in the major global championships. These days, mere talents cannot take you that far.

Without a combined force of football intelligence, proper organizational structure, technical skills and knowledge, victory is not guaranteed at the global stage for any country. The victories of Holland at the 1988 European Cup, Greece in the 2004 European Cup, France in the 1998 World Cup and Spain in World Cup 2010 confirmed this emerging fact of 21st century soccer.

Arguably, if Messi had played in the same era as Pele or Maradona, he would have been idolized as the best the world has ever seen. However, that is beside the point now. Every generation produces its own great legendary players and for his generation, Messi is the best. Whether he wins honours for Argentina or not, it does not matter.

The likes of George Weah of Liberia and Johan Cruijff of The Netherlands did not win any global trophies with their respective countries, yet they are ranked among the best in modern soccer. How much greater is Messi, who has surpassed them all?

It’s time to let King Messi enjoy his moment on the throne!

BEHIND THE WHISTLE

BY MIKE KENNY

THE RE-LAUNCH OF

CAN-SO-REF MAGAZINE Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Behind the Whistle’. After a winter hiatus, I am happy to be a part of InsideSOCCER Magazine’s 101st edition. I wish ISM all the best for the next 100 editions. I am happy to announce that ‘Behind the Whistle’ is back bigger and better than ever.

From now on, ‘Behind the Whistle’ will now be a feature of the re-launch of Can-so-Ref Magazine. Bill Hoyle launched Can-so-Ref many years ago as a voice for Referees throughout the country. Many editors came and went including, Roy Cummings, Don Pearce, Claude Henoud and others. But the theme remained the same...to provide Referees with a forum to promote accomplishments, share stories, debate issues and most importantly, to let Referees know that they were not out there on the field alone.

The future of Can-so-Ref looks brighter than ever with the partnership of ISM. For years, Referee issues were kept amongst Referees. Now, players, coaches and

administrators will be informed of Referee news while they enjoy reading ISM. In future issues of ISM, Can-so-Ref will feature good stories about young up and coming Referees, as well as share stories from more experienced Referees that will amuse and educate younger Referees and others who love this game.

CALLING ALL REFEREES

Can-so-Ref, within InsideSOCCER Magazine, wants to hear from you!.

Please email us your stories, concerns and comments that has anything to do with Referees. To the local regional associations that are affiliated with the Ontario Soccer Referees Association (OSRA), please

send us your news. This is your forum to announce education sessions, mentorship programmes, etc. You can reach Can-soRef at cansoref@gmail.com.

A PERSONAL NOTE Unfortunately, I need to finish on a sad note. Over the winter, we lost a member of the Referee community that I was personally touched by. Derek Smith was a long time Referee within York Region, especially in Richmond Hill. Derek officiated in the old NASL and was a long time friend of my parents. Derek was my first Referee Instructor back in 1980 and his influence continues to guide my Refereeing style.

VIEWS FROM THE YORK REGION SOCCER REFEREES ASSOCIATION York Region Soccer Referees Association (YRSRA) recently had their AGM and are happy to announce their Executive team for the 2013 Season: President

Mike Kenny

Vice President

Joe Piacente

Secretary

Jeff Briggs

Treasurer

Jeff Best

Committee

Rick Singh, Everton Lake, Ronen Weiser

The YRSRA would also like to congratulate Rick Singh who is about to receive the OSA Meritorious Award for over 25 years as Richmond Hill Soccer Club’s Head Referee as well as his time on the Executive of the YRSRA and also an OSA Instructor. Well done Rick and long overdue.

CALLING ALL YORK REGION REFEREES: Inside Soccer Magazine (ISM) and the York Region Soccer Referees Association (YRSRA) are pleased to announce that they have agreed to extend their relationship whereby all members of the YRSRA will receive a year’s subscription to ISM. This is part of a membership push about to be launched by the YRSRA. Membership for new Referees is free of charge.

Returning Referees only pay $10 annually.

Membership also includes discounts at soccer retailers in York Region, food deals at local restaurants as well as other benefits. Please visit YRSRA.ca for details of the launch date and location for 2013.

InsideSOCCER 33

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InsideSOCCER 37

TORONTO FC’s

JUNIORS KEEPING BUSY

BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN

Toronto FC’s junior academy had a chance to take on some pretty big names in the AEGON Future Cup in March, playing against Tottenham Hotspur from England, Ajax Amsterdam from Holland, Bayern Munich from Germany and Sao Paolo from Brazil.

Other teams included Anderlecht from Belgium, Benfica from Portugal, and FC Barcelona from Spain.

The AEGON Future Cup is a tournament featuring eight teams from around the world. It features players 17 and younger, displaying and showcasing future talents - thus the name. Toronto FC was invited to the competition, and the Toronto FC U17 team flew over to Holland, where it had a chance to get some valuable experience under its belt.

Notable players for Toronto FC include Jordan Hamilton, Mark Rogal, and Marquis Pitt.

With such tough competition, Toronto FC Academy finished in sixth place overall.

In the club’s first encounter, the Reds struggled to find a goal against a tough Ajax defence. Ajax, who was hosting the tournament, contained Toronto FC Academy well, limiting any offensive danger. Then, using its prowess in set pieces, Ajax opened the scoring and kept the game at 1-0 until the final whistle.

Starting off the tournament with a loss, Toronto FC found its first (and only) win of the competition against a pretty massive outfit, Tottenham Hotspur. It was, in truth, a surprising win and a real high point 38 April/May 2013

for Toronto in the tournament. Toronto’s Marquis Pitt opened the scoring, after a good pass by Jordan Hamilton gave him the chance, and Toronto held the 1-0 lead until the match was over.

Also worth noting was the solid performance of TFCA goalkeeper Mark Rogal, who kept Tottenham scoreless and preserved a clean sheet for Toronto FC. With their Dutch and English opponents out of the way, Toronto FC’s U17s took on Brazil’s favourite club, Sao Paolo. With a win against Tottenham under its belt, Toronto FC could potentially have made the semi-finals with a win against Sao Paolo. With this in mind, Toronto FC kept the game tightly contested, but fell 2-0 against the tough Brazilian outfit.

Unable to escape its group, Toronto FC had one final chance to advance to the semi-finals, playing in a 5th/6th place game against Bayern Munich. Toronto did well at first but conceded a goal late in the first half - a goal that kept the two teams separated throughout the match, as Bayern Munich added another two, beating Toronto FC 3-0.

In the end, Toronto FC went into the AEGON Future Cup as the heavy underdogs, playing against giants like

Bayern Munich, Sao Paolo and Ajax, and finished sixth out of eight, finishing ahead of FC Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur.

With a hard-fought win over Spurs under their belts, Toronto FC’s U17 Academy side can say that the AEGON Future Cup saw them take on some of the world’s best and come out on top.

The future looks bright for Toronto FC; results like these are the shining beacons.

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2013 GMartinique t s o H a 5 A) is NOT Canada 201dmonton g n i w llo up C) E f the foen’s World C ronto o h c i Wh FA Wom B) To I F r e e th couv Congratulations to Nancy Pereira, Luis Kroeker, Cuilean Hendra, Lyric Sandhals, A) Van Tania Pedron, Kevin Smith, Joseph DeGiorio, Barry Hoffman, Ian Hilgendorff and Thomas McGee for successfully answering the February/March Super Fan Quiz!

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OR email your answers to branden@insidesoccer.ca Deadline May 25th, 2013

FC EDMONTON

SEASON PREVIEW:

Out with the Old AND In with the NeW...

BY STEVEN SANDOR Photographs Courtesy of FC Edmonton

Last season, Canadian defender Paul Hamilton was named FC Edmonton’s MVP by the team’s supporters.

He was the only member of the last-place Eddies to make the NASL Best XI. And, in 2013, he didn’t make the team out of training camp.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, shows just how much new FCE head coach Colin Miller has wiped the slate clean than his decision not to bring Hamilton back to the club. When he inherited the team in November, he declared that all returning players would be “trialists,” indicating no job was safe.

Before Hamilton was released in February — after a few uncomfortable weeks of training camp where he remained with the team without a contract — Miller also gave the bad news to Canadian midfielders Kenny Caceros and Chris Kooy. Remember that Kooy played the most minutes in NASL two seasons ago.

“We finished last in the league, last season. Last! We can’t keep things as they were,” Miller said during training camp.

“That’s not to say that Paul Hamilton was the reason we finished last, not at all, FC Edmonton Technical Director Joe Petrone (left) and Head Coach Colin Miller.

40 April/May 2013

but the guys here know what’s expected of them. They know what their deficiencies are. I can’t control what happened last season. But I can control it now that I am here.”

So, what will Edmonton’s centre of defence look like in 2013? Albert Watson, a former Northern Ireland U-21 captain, came over from Linfield FC along with striker Daryl Fordyce. Watson tore his MCL in training camp and likely won’t be ready

for the start of the season — but Miller made him the club’s new captain, and the no-nonsense, safety-first defender will be a sure-fire starter once he’s back to 100 percent.

As soon as Miller was hired in November, he began discussions with his former employers, the Vancouver Whitecaps, to acquire Trinidad and Tobago international Carlyle Mitchell on loan. In March, the deal finally came to pass — and Mitchell and Watson look to be the new pairing on defence. Mallan Roberts, the Sierra Leone-born defender who will get his Canadian citizenship this year — and would have been a shoo-in for the U-20 team in its last cycle had he owned the right passport — was brought up from the Reserves team along with Canadians Chris de Guise, Sadi Jalali, Ajeej Sarkaria and Canadian U-17 midfielder Hanson Boakai. Roberts will likely become the apprentice, but could see action in the Amway Canadian Championship semi-final against the Whitecaps, as Mitchell’s loan deal prevents him from playing against his parent club and Watson’s knee might not be ready.

Mitchell might not be the only Whitecap to spend the season in the Alberta Capital. Miller confirmed the Whitecaps and FC Edmonton continue to talk about more loan deals, and the relationship between the clubs is getting stronger. NASL sources indicated

Albert Watson (middle), likely won’t be ready for the start of the season, but Colin Miller has made him the club’s new captain.

the Eddies were very close to getting Caleb Clarke, the Canadian forward who scored twice at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship; but in the end the deal did not come to pass.

So, as it stands, the offensive sparkplug remains Shaun Saiko — the Eddies’ hometown hero and leading scorer last year. He will be given more of a free role as a no. 10.

When Miller was introduced, both Saiko and Edmonton-born-and-bred right back Antonio Rago — maybe the most underrated player on the team over the last two seasons — came to all the optional workouts, getting to know their new teammates and Miller months ahead of the start of training camp.

And that’s what made the Hamilton situation so difficult — while he soldiered on in camp without a contract, the rest of the veterans were embracing Miller’s fitness-first, get-stuck-in attitude. Where former coach Harry Sinkgraven was an Xs-and-Os coach, Miller prides himself on being a motivator and a communicator.

When camp started, Saiko said it was a refreshing change. The way Miller ran things reminded Saiko of his days with Middlesbrough.

But, other than Saiko, and the goalkeeping tandem of Canadian John Smits and American Lance Parker, FCE may start a different lineup in 2013 than it did in 2012.

Not only did Miller bring in the Linfield players and the Whitecaps’ loaners, but he will also field a team that has far more second-division savvy than any other previous edition of the Eddies.

In 2012, the Eddies brought in a group of French players — ex-Montreal Impact fullback Kevin Hatchi, central defender Jonathan-Joseph Augustin and midfielder Serisay Barthelemy, who the Eddies signed out of the NASL combine.

All three struggled last season — most notably Barthelemy, who had injury issues and couldn’t click with teammates when healthy. The French experiment was a key part of the team’s plummet in the standings in 2012.

So, the 2013 rebuild, despite the signings of Watson and Fordyce, isn’t based on European imports. It’s based on bringing in NASL vets. Before Miller was hired, the team signed ex-Minnesota holding midfielder Neil Hlavaty, regarded as one of the best at that position in NASL, if not the best. And, also before Miller, exFort Lauderdale Striker Lance Laing, the left back who finished the 2011 season as a Best XI pick, was signed to bolster a position that has been the Eddies’ biggest sore spot over the past two seasons.

But the NASL vets kept coming.

Canadian Edson Edward, who spent last season with the Puerto Rico Islanders, was brought in. Ex-Whitecap and San Antonio Scorpion Wes Knight was signed. And Chris Nurse, an ex-Islander and former Carolina RailHawk, was inked to a deal.

“Wes Knight, he’s won at this level (got to a final in ’09 with the Whitecaps),” said Nurse during camp. “(Neil) Hlavaty has won a championship. I’ve won a championship at the second-division level. We have done it before and we can win another second-division title.”

If Nurse’s prediction is to come true, the following things have to happen.

FCE will need to score more goals. The team had just 26 in 28 games last season.

Saiko had seven goals and six assists. He figured in half of the team’s goals. This puts an immense amount of pressure on Fordyce. Michael Cox looks to have bulked up and can also provide some minutes, but needs to remain healthy. He can be an intimidating centre-forward

presence when he’s at 100 percent.

London, Ont.’s Elvir Gigolaj scored his first NASL goal on the final day of the 2012 season. He will return and we’ll see if he gets more opportunities to show why he was one of the most dynamic forwards in CIS two seasons ago.

Saiko will likely get a lot more freedom to create under Miller than he did under Sinkgraven, and this is his year to prove to Canadian followers that the question they should be asking is “what the heck is Saiko still doing in second division?”

The second key will be set pieces. FCE was brutal last season on corners, free kicks and long throws, and surrendered many back-breaking goals late in games on plays. Watson and Mitchell should help, and the team, which was easily the smallest in the NASL last year, has boosted its size from back to front.

With Clarke Stadium boosted from 1,200 to more than 4,000 seats ahead of the season, this is the make-or-break year for owners Tom and Dave Fath. Edmonton City Council has adopted an “if they come, we will build it” attitude. A soccer-specific stadium has been pitched, one that could hold 8,000-12,000 fans and could be expanded in the future. Edmonton’s civic politicians have said the stadium will only be considered if FCE can prove there’s a demand for the game in the city.

That means the city wants to see Clarke’s benches filled on a regular basis.

And nothing will do more to fill seats than winning.

InsideSOCCER 41

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