All 2010 Carolina Challenge Cup games will be held at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. This is Toronto FC’s 4th consecutive appearance at this pre-season tournament.

Carolina Challenge Cup Schedule
Saturday, March 13
Real Salt Lake vs DC United – 5:00 pm
Toronto FC vs Charleston Battery – 7:15 pm

Wednesday, March 17
Charleston Battery vs Real Salt Lake – 5:00 pm
Toronto FC vs DC United – 7:15 pm

Saturday, March 20
Toronto FC vs Real Salt Lake – 5:00 pm
Charleston Battery vs DC United – 7:15 pm

“Jamaica came out stronger than they did when we played them eight days ago,” said national head coach Bryan Rosenfeld. “They were stronger and put pressure on us. Eventually, we were able to break them down.”

Canada’s previous 4:1 victory over Jamaica was on 3 March at the Women’s Under-17 Four Nation Tournament in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago.

For the opener of the CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship, Rosenfeld’s starting XI featured Sabrina D’Angelo in goal, Katherine Caverly at left back, Alison Clarke and Nicole Setterlund at centre back, Ally Courtnall at right back, Kylie Davis, Diamond Simpson and Chantale Campbell at midfield, and Caroline Beauline, Nour Ghoneim and Haisha Cantave up front.

Canada attacked from the opening whistle, winning back-to-back corner kicks in the first few minutes. While Canada did not score on those first two opportunities, it did score on its third try. Following a great run down the wing by right back Courtnall , Canada won its third corner kick in the seventh minute. Campbell took the kick and Davis knocked it in for a 1-0 Canadian lead.

As the first half continued, Canada maintained plenty of possession. It had its fair share of chances, too. In the 10th minute, Beaulne broke in, but put her shot just wide. Then in the 15th minute, it was Simpson with a run, but she was stopped by the goalkeeper Shantel Graham.

In the 19th minute, Campbell struck a powerful shot from 25 yards out that hit the crossbar.

In the 32nd minute, Courtnall had another good run, but this time cut in and came down the centre. She nearly beat the goalkeeper Graham, but was tackled just in time.

In the 38th minute, Jamaica won what could have been a dangerous free kick, but the kick from 25 yards out was struck wide.

As the first half neared the end, Canada again forced Jamaica back on its heels. In the 42nd minute, Simpson and Davis combined well, but the return couldn’t meet an on-rushing Cantave. Just two minutes later, Davis in the penalty area played it perfectly over to Ghoneim who made no mistake for a 2-0 Canadian lead.

In the second half, it was more of the same as Canada continued its attack on Jamaica . Davis had the first good shot from close range in the 47th minute, but it was stopped by Graham. In the 54th minute, Beaulne got past the defence, but slipped before she could fire a shot. Then in the 58th minute, captain Setterlund fired a powerful shot that just went over the crossbar.

In the 63rd minute, Ghoneim made it 3-0 after taking a long pass from Caverly. Ghoneim made a touch to get around the goalkeeper and then fired it into the goal.

Up 3-0, Canada made its first of two substitutions, replacing Cantave for midfielder Sabrina Hémond. Canada’s second substitution was made shortly after it conceded the Jamaica goal, replacing Beaulne with Zakiya McIntosh.

Jamaica’s lone goal was scored in the 76th minute. A Jamaica long ball was played over the Canadian defence and won by Williams against an on-rushing D’Angelo. Williams stepped past a fallen D’Angelo and slid the ball into an empty net.

As for Canada’s fourth goal, it was scored in the 87th minute by Hémond.

“We stuck to the game plan and we played a great game,” said Canada’s first goal scorer Davis.

Canada now has two days of rest before it takes on Panama on Saturday 13 March. Canada’s third match of the group stage will be Monday 15 March.

Milltown’s First Season tryouts will be held each day on the new turf at Bishop Reding Secondary School in Milton, Ontario.

“We will use these open tryouts to identify players who will be part of our organization either with the first or reserve teams for the 2010 Season”, said Milltown FC’s Director of Soccer Operations and Head Coach, Rafael Carbajal.

“Our operating philosophy is Discipline, Respect and Hard Work and we are looking for players who are not only talented soccer players but who also possess the necessary level of professionalism, dedication and commitment that we value in our organization.”

Milltown FC is primarily seeking players aged 18 years and up. However, younger players will be given every opportunity to compete for a spot with the First Team or Reserve squad if they can show that they have what it takes to play at this level.

The top players at these Tryout sessions will be invited to join Milltown FC at its inaugural Training Camp, which will kick off the week of April 5, 2010.

All players interested in taking part in this tryout camp must pre-register online by March 24, 2010. Each tryout candidate will be required to pay a $20 registration fee to participate and will receive a free T-Shirt.

View Tryout Registration Form

Further details regarding these tryouts will be posted on the club’s website in the lead up to the March 27-28 weekend. Soccer fans who are interested in information about Milltown FC should visit the Milltown FC website for the latest information about season tickets/club memberships, tryouts, important team updates and more.

“Our team is anxious to compete in the CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship,” said national coach Bryan Rosenfeld. “We just finished competing in three important international matches in preparation for this competition. With a few days of rest and recovery from that competition, we are ready for our first group game against Jamaica .”

In preparation for the CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship, Rosenfeld and his squad recently took part in the Women’s Under-17 Four Nation Tournament in Trinidad and Tobago. Canada finished second behind Mexico after posting one win, one draw and one loss in three international games in San Fernando , Trinidad and Tobago. The San Fernando camp was Canada’s second women’s U-17 camp of the 2010 season.

“All three matches brought different challenges, so I was pleased as to how the team responded,” said Rosenfeld. “I was pleased as to how the team responded with each game.”

All 20 players selected to Canada’s teams have previously participated in either the National Training Centres or BMO National Championships or both. Of note, two players are taking part in their second CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship, goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo and Diamond Simpson.

Canada has spent the last few days in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The team departs for Alajuela, Costa Rica on Tuesday March 9. In Costa Rica, Canada will face Jamaica on March 11, Panama on March 13 and Mexico on March 15. The semi-final stage is 18 March while the final is 20 March. All 16 matches in the eight-team championship will be played at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto. Every match will be broadcast live via CONCACAF.com.

The CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship is played every team years. This year, only the top-two teams will qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Trinidad and Tobago 2010. As host of this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Trinidad and Tobago has already qualified and will not compete in the confederation championship.

No excuses for de Guzman this season
If Toronto FC expect to challenge for a playoff spot this season, then designated player Julian de Guzman will have to make an impact. So far he has received a tepid reception by TFC fans.

Joining the team during the final phase of the 2009 season, de Guzman looked a little off the pace, especially considering TFC director of soccer Mo Johnston laid out millions to acquire the Toronto-born talent.

While reasons for his lacklustre displays can be pinned on his inactivity for most of the 2009 Major League Soccer season – a layoff caused, in part, by the wrangling with his former European club, Deportivo La Coruna in Spain – there can be no such excuse this season.

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Canada’s all-time record at the Cyprus Women’s Cup is now nine wins, one loss and one draw. Canada previously finished second in 2009 and first in 2008.

“It feels great to win this tournament,” said Carolina Morace. “We may not have played as freely as we would have liked in the first half, but we played some very good football in the second half. New Zealand was very physical, but we were the better team in all phases of the match.”

For the final, coach Morace’s starting XI featured Karina LeBlanc in goal, Rhian Wilkinson at left back, Candace Chapman and Emily Zurrer at centre back, Marie-Eve Nault at right back, Diana Matheson at left midfield, Carmelina Moscato at centre midfield, Kelly Parker at right midfield, and the trio of Jodi-Ann Robinson, Christina Julien and Christine Sinclair up front.

As Canada had qualified for the final after just two matches, much of Canada’s lineup had rested two days earlier in the final group match against South Africa. Still, Canada’s lineup was slow to find its feet in the first 15 minutes. The battle in the midfield was especially frantic as both teams struggled to maintain possession.

New Zealand then fashioned the first opportunity after a soft foul was called against Wilkinson at the edge of the Canadian penalty area. The resulting free kick was blasted high over LeBlanc’s bar.

As the first half progressed, Canada started to find its feet. In particular, Parker was flying down the right and was creating chances for the Canadian attack. Then in the 28th minute, Sinclair nearly broke through, but was tackled before she could get in alone on the goalkeeper.

In the 31st minute, a trio of short Canadian corners nearly broke the deadlock. Parker, Wilkinson and Matheson combined to good effect as Sinclair, Moscato and Julien all narrowly missed as a result of the corner kicks.

On one final Canadian chance in the first half, Sinclair fired a 25-yard half volley, but the shot bounced kindly in the goalkeeper’s hand.

As one final note to the first half, goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc received a caution in the 21st minute for handling the ball just outside the penalty area. It was Canada’s first caution in three matches.

In the second half, Canada came out strong, pushing New Zealand deep in its own half right from the whistle. Within five minutes, Canada was almost up on the board. In the 49th minute, Parker crossed the ball to Robinson who unleashed a vicious first-time shot that hit a defender on its way to the goal. Julien was the first to react, but her shot also hit a defender.

In the 62nd minute, Canada broke forward with a four-on-three opportunity, but Matheson’s heavy shot from distance was stopped by the New Zealand goalkeeper. Two minutes later, Canada again built its attack as Sinclair fired a cross to Julien, but the Julien shot went back across the goal and into the goalkeeper’s hands.

In the 66th minute, coach Morace made her first change as she replaced Robinson with midfielder Desiree Scott. Less than five minutes later, Canada took the 1-0 lead with the Matheson goal from distance.

It was a moment of brilliance as Matheson fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the goal from outside the New Zealand penalty area. The New Zealand goalkeeper did not have a chance to move before the ball was in the net.

Canada was utterly dominant in those first 25 minutes of the second half. With the lead, Canada dropped back and changed its formation from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2. As for Canadian goalkeeper LeBlanc, she was only finally called upon to touch the ball for the first time in the second half in the 71st minute.

Canada defended well for the rest of the way as New Zealand seemed to tire. Canada kept strong and did not allow New Zealand to threaten. In the 90th minute, Morace made her second and final substitution of the final as she replaced Julien with midfielder Sari Raber.

Canada celebrated the final whistle as 2010 Cyprus Women’s Cup champions. After the game, the team was presented with the championship trophy.

A big year ahead for Canadian soccer
It’s OK to jump on football’s bandwagon in a World Cup year. If you want to drive around with a flag of choice adorning your vehicle, honking your horn in pride and celebration, I have no problem with that (on the understanding you don’t honk outside my house at two in the morning or behind me at a red light). It will be a memorable year, not only in South Africa, but also in our own backyard.

The light will shine brightest for a month in places like Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town where the world’s finest players will showcase their dazzling talents. The global festival will attract hundreds of thousands of fans and millions of dollars and after it’s over we can all rest our ears when the incessant buzz of vuvuzelas no longer fills the living room.

A world away from the World Cup, it will also be a year to remember in Canadian soccer. New teams, new coaches and a new attitude will all spring to mind when we reminisce about 2010.

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Spain continue to lead the away ahead of Brazil and the Netherlands at the top of the table, but further back Germany (5th, up 1) and Portugal (6th, down 1) swap places, as do England (8th, up 1) and Argentina (9th, down 1). Greece (10th, up 2) also return to the top ten for the first time since June 2008.

Their fortunes are in sharp contrast to those of Egypt , last month’s major movers. The Africa Cup of Nations winners fall seven places and are now in 17th place in the ranking. The Pharaohs are still the highest-placed African team, however, just ahead of Cameroon (20th), Nigeria (21st) and Côte d’Ivoire (22nd).

The majority of changes in this month’s ranking are due to the devaluation of results from last year. Korea DPR (102nd, down 17) have fallen significantly, for example, due to the devaluation of their victory over Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifying match last year. Teams inside the top 50 that have benefited from the devaluation of past results include Serbia (13th, up 6), Slovenia (27th, up 6) and Slovakia (31st, up 5). Two teams – Montenegro (71st, up 1) and the Comoros Islands (175th, up 1) – are currently in their highest-ever position in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

Thirty-one matches, all friendlies, have been taken into account in this edition of the world ranking, taking the total number of international “A” matches played so far in 2010 to 98. More movement can be expected in the next edition of the ranking as a considerable number of matches will be played on 3 March, a date reserved for friendly matches in the international match calendar. It is an opportunity for many teams, not just those who have qualified for the World Cup, to make progress in the ranking.

View The Complete Ranking

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on March 31, 2010.

Canadian soccer landscape needs to find a dream
As a Canadian viewer it was not easy controlling the lump in your throat during the past few weeks of a wonderful performance by all involved at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal was the icing on the cake of a Canadian Olympic vision made possible by the unfairly criticized Own The Podium program.

If the intent by Simon Barnes from The Times in London, who took a scathing swipe at Canada’s performance and ability to host was to embarrass us as a nation then it fell to the ground like a lead balloon. On the contrary, it appeared to propel the Canadian athletes to winning more gold medals in a Winter Olympic Games than had ever been achieved by any other nation.

Barnes’s reference to China and Australia coming of age through their own hosting of an Olympics was ironic when watching the hundred’s of thousands of Canadians taking to the streets to celebrate the athletic success of our own country. A sporting nation was forged as our athletes and supporters came of age in Vancouver. It was good to be a Canadian on Sunday night.

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With first place in the group already secured, Canada made several changes to its starting XI. Coach Morace featured Erin McLeod in goal, Robyn Gayle at right back, Myriam Bouchard and Cindy Walsh at centre backs, Marie-Eve Nault at left back, Jodi-Ann Robinson at right midfield, Laura Chénard and Sari Raber at centre midfield, Caley Miskimmin at left midfield, and Kendra Flock and Christina Julien at forward. McLeod wore the captain’s armband. Bouchard, Chénard and Miksimmin were all making their national debuts; Scott and Flock were cracking the starting XI for the first time.

“The match today was played in a great atmosphere as both teams had nothing to lose,” said Canadian head coach Carolina Morace. “For us, having already qualified was a great scenario as players who haven’t seen much action in the tournament were able to play. I thought these players played well. In the second half when we added our more experienced players the match changed.”

Canada started quickly and nearly had the ball in the back of the net within the first minute. Chénard rose highest to meet an early Canadian corner kick, but her headed effort was well caught by the South African goalkeeper.

In the eighth minute Robinson broke down the right wing and centered for an open Flock in the South African box. Flock did well to receive the pass, but her low effort bounced wide of the goal.

In the 20th minute, it was South Africa’s turn as the team attacked with a sweeping move that started deep in its own half. A series of short passes brought South Africa to the top of Canada ’s box, but forward Matlou could not supply the finish as her first-time shot flew over the bar.

Five minutes later Canadian goalkeeper McLeod was called into action. South Africa caught the Canadian defence napping with a quickly-taken free kick. Midfielder Hlengiwe Modiko hit a hard rising drive that McLeod dove to catch at full stretch.

Canada made two planned changes in the 32nd minute as Morace rotated her regular starters to give them rest ahead of the Cyprus Women’s Cup final in two days time. Robinson and Nault were replaced by Julien and Wilkinson.

Neither team was able to create any further clear chances until a flurry of activity late in the first half.

First, Wilkinson hit Miskimmin in full stride with an excellent diagonal ball across the field. Miskimmin took two touches down the right side and hit an inch-perfect cross to an onrushing Julien. The Canadian forward hit the waist-high volley with her right foot, but the bullet shot blazed a foot over the bar.

Just two minutes later, South Africa took the lead in added time. Forward Maltou collected a loose ball at the top of the Canadian box and rode several tackles before toe poking her shot beyond a charging McLeod. South Africa had the 1-0 lead.

Before the start of the second half, Canada made a pair of substitutions and changed its formation. Veterans Sinclair and Diana Matheson replaced Miskimmin and Gayle. Canada ’s formation changed from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 with Flock, Sinclair, and Julien at the top of the Canadian attack.

Canada immediately went on the attack after the second half restart as Sinclair wasted little time in making her mark on the match. Fellow substitute Julien played a perfectly, weighted through ball into Sinclair’s path inside the South African penalty area. Sinclair, however, could only hit the side of the goal from 12 yards out.

Canada’s substitutions and change in formation was proving too much for South Africa . Finally in the 54th minute, Canada equalised. The impressive Sinclair found Flock behind the South African defence and Flock made no mistake rolling the ball into the goal with a defender hanging on her back. It was Flock’s first international goal in just her second appearance for Canada.

Two minutes later, Canada could have had a second if not for the acrobatics of the South African goalkeeper. Sinclair again worked space before unleashing a rocket of a shot that was palmed away by the goalkeeper. The ensuing corner kick found Julien at the back post, but her driven shot was blocked by the defenders.

Canadian centre back Bouchard was shown a yellow card in the 63rd minute after being forced to take down Maltou on a rare South African attack in the second half. The resulting free kick caused no danger.

Morace made her last change of the afternoon as Chénard came out of the match to be replaced by Moscato in the 65th minute. Ten minutes later, Canada took that decisive 2-1 lead with a goal from Julien.

Matheson moved the ball through the South African back line to Sinclair who gathered the ball, looked up, and picked out an unmarked Julien at the far post. Julien duly dispatched the ball into the empty goal. For Julien, it was her third straight match with a goal at the Cyprus Women’s Cup.

All three of Canada’s forwards (Sinclair, Julien, and Flock) had further opportunities to score. Canada continued to attack the South African goal, but no more goals would be needed on this day. South Africa did try to mount a late attack, but to no threat to McLeod.

Canada has won three-straight games at the 2010 Cyprus Women’s Cup. Canada has won all four of its international games in 2010.