Busy Month For Canada’s Youth Squads
Busy month ahead for Canadian youth teams
Four Canadian national youth soccer teams will be in action over the next four weeks heading into a busy month of August. Canada’s national men’s U-20, men’s U-17, women’s U-17 and women’s U-15 teams will all hold camps in the coming weeks following the BMO National Championships Nutrilite All Stars.
Also in August, Canada’s Para Soccer team as well as Canada’s men’s national team will be in camp, with the latter assembling at the end of the month before what will be a busy September for Canada’s two national “A” teams.
Already in 2010, Canada has held national camps for five different youth age teams – men’s U-20, men’s U-17, women’s U-20, women’s U-18, and women’s U-17. The addition of two U-15 teams – girls in early August and boys later this year – marks seven different national youth teams in 2010.
Add in the activity for the men’s full national, men’s U-23/Olympic, women’s full national and Para-Soccer teams, that makes 11 different national soccer teams in play this 2010 season.
Following this week’s BMO National Championships Nutrilite All Stars, Canada’s men’s U-17 team will assemble in Sherbrooke under head coach Sean Fleming. The players will be selected directly from the competition and remain in Sherbrooke from 25 July to 1 August. This team is in its early preparations for the 2011 CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship.
Also following the weekend, Canada’s women’s U-17 team will hold its next camp in Santiago, Chile under head coach Bryan Rosenfeld. The camp runs 25 July to 3 August. This team has already won the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship (March in Costa Rica) and is currently preparing for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Trinidad and Tobago 2010 (September 2010).
At the end of July, Canada’s women’s U-15 team will group in Sunrise, FL, USA under coach David Benning. This camp will run 30 July to 9 August. Finally, Canada’s men’s U-20 team will meet in Spain for a camp and competition from 9-21 August. The men’s U-20 team is coached by Valerio Gazzola.
Men’s International Friendlies
In September, Canada’s men’s national team will host two Men’s International Friendly matches – 4 September against Peru in Toronto and 7 September against Honduras in Montréal. Tickets to both matches are available now (Toronto via Ticketmaster / 416.872.5000 / ticketmaster.ca; Montréal via Admission / 1.800.361.4595 / Admission.com). Canada’s women’s national team, meanwhile, will face reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Germany on 15 September in Germany.
Gutsy Leadership Required
Paul James
writes James on Soccer at GlobeSports
Turning around Canadian Soccer
It was good to hear Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson being interviewed on TSN’s Off The Record. When asked about Canadian soccer and our lack of success, he commented about the geographic disadvantages we face and the lack of motivation our players have once they reach 16. True enough, although rather simplistic for the 21st century.
Not to be too critical of Sir Alex, after all, he was not asking the questions and what would he know of the ingrained soccer problems we face in our country. He has never lived the experience.
Le Toux Penalty Beats Toronto FC
CHESTER, PA — A last-minute penalty kick in stoppage time from Sebastien Le Toux snapped Toronto’s eight-game unbeaten streak and gave the host Philadelphia Union a dramatic 2-1 win on Saturday at PPL Park.
The Union picked up their third win in five matches at home this season and foiled TFC’s impressive run thanks to a late handball from Maxim Usanov on a shot in the box from Jack McInerney. Le Toux coolly converted the ensuing kick for his seventh goal of the season and to erase some bitter memories from a dramatic late loss last week on the same field.
Philadelphia also received the first career MLS goal from Michael Orozco Fiscal, who headed home a Le Toux corner kick in the 61st minute to spice up an at-times sleepy and very steamy match played at temperatures hovering around 95 degrees.
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Best Way To Cure Post-World Cup Blues
Ben Knight
writes and publishes Onward!
It’s always soccer season somewhere
I remember standing in the back row of a rickety, bare-bones soccer stadium in – of all places – Venice, Italy.
Venezia. La Serenissima. A town where, on many of its winding, warren-like alleyways, the average building is a 16th-century palazzo.
It was 1997. I hadn’t come specifically for soccer, but I wasn’t going to let this dream vacation pass without attending a match.
