If you register for free, you will be able to post threads, vote on polls and lots more. If you have problems with the registration or logging in, please contact the administrator.
TORONTO (CP) – The Frank Yallop era is dead before it even got started.
Reports state that Yallop, named head coach of the Canadian men’s national soccer team on December 16, has stepped down from the job just over a month after his appointment. An unidentified source told the Canadian Press that Yallop has accepted a management position at Ipswich Town in England, which Yallop played at for several years.
“He didn’t want to leave the Canadian team so suddenly, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up,” said the source, who also revealed that Yallop has been offered a 3-year contract at Ipswich.
The timing could not be worse for Canada, as preparations have already started for FIFA World Cup qualifying, with the national team due to start play in June. Canada has only qualified for the World Cup once in their history, in 1986.
CSA to hold major press conference tomorrow; MacKinnon in frame
VANCOUVER (CP) – The Canadian Soccer Association has announced a “major” press conference will take place at Swangard Stadium tomorrow, where it is expected that Colin MacKinnon will be named as the new head coach of the Canadian men’s soccer team.
MacKinnon’s appointment is quite unexpected, given that the Montreal native was expected to take a back seat to Berti Vogts, who was widely considered as the top choice following his departure from the Scottish national team on December 25 of last year.
Still, it seems clear that the CSA brass have high hopes for the 29-year old, who displayed remarkable tactical skill in coaching Miramar Rangers to the New Zealand championship last June after simply answering an ad in the local newspaper while on vacation.
After hoisting the championship, MacKinnon was quickly called back to Canada by the CSA, who have apparently been grooming him for a high-level spot by having him assist in youth developmental camps for the U-23 and U-20 teams.
The CSA likely did not anticipate moving MacKinnon into the position of head coach of the national side so early, but apparently felt that given the timing of former coach Frank Yallop’s resignation on January 20, it was best to hire from within and prepare for FIFA World Cup qualifying, which will start for Canada in June.
(This is the first time I'm managing the home team too, so don't feel bad. )
"...And now that the official statements have been made, we will have a general question and answer period. Please wait for the runner with the microphone to arrive at your seat before asking your question."
Q: Obviously the first question that comes to the mind of many soccer fans, both avid and casual ones, would be to question your appointment as head coach, that you don't have enough experience or savvy... What would you say to them?
A: Well, first off I don't like the term "head coach". I know that technically it's correct, but I like the European way of looking at it... I'm the manager of the team. I have to coach the team on the field, keep track of players off the field, ensure that players can be released for matches, arrange friendly matches... It's much more than just going out, kicking the ball around at practice and then playing 90 minutes.
As far as the question goes, the fans have every right to doubt my abilities. It's not every day that a manager who's several years younger than the veteran players gets placed in charge. I've kept track of the game since I was a youngster, I've been involved in coaching youth teams since I was 16, and I've had success in New Zealand and have been fortunate enough to receive some great instruction under the CSA's wing. Those aren't the credentials of a Scolari or an Eriksson, but they obviously trust me. And I don't want to let them down, believe me. If I felt that I couldn't do the job, I would have turned the job down. And they gave me that option, mind you.
Q: Before we even mention the World Cup... Obviously Canadian soccer is in a pretty, to be frank, sad state. What do you think can be done about this while in charge of the team?
A: Well, we need to put more focus on our grassroots programs. No question. We've lost too many players due to not having high quality coaching and scouting, and it's definitely affected the overall makeup of the squad. Having said that, I'm going to be paying close attention to promising youngsters and give them exposure through the under-20 side, which I will be coordinating along with Colin Miller. If we can achieve success on the field, and if more of our players can start successful careers both in North America and in other leagues around the world, then they'll improve and the profile of the game in Canada will increase. We could sit here all day talking about funding, forming a professional league, government intervention and so on, but as a manager I can only do so much.
Q: Well, obviously you have an eye on qualifying for the World Cup, which is every nation's dream... Do you think Canada's chances of qualifying are good, or even realistic?
A: When I was hired for this job yesterday, I was told that we really need to make it to the World Cup. I couldn't agree more. We're in a position now where we haven't gotten the job done for a while... We couldn't make 1994, we came short for 1998, and we didn't even get out of the starting block for 2002. As a Canadian soccer fan, I can understand the frustration people have felt because of this. I feel that we have a team that can make it to the final round of qualifying and can hopefully make it to the World Cup. I'm not promising any miracles, but I know that we have many hard-working players out there who have a lot of individual skill. It's my job to mold them into a winning team, and I feel that with the talent available at my disposal, we'll make other teams in the CONCACAF region realize that Canada isn't a soccer minnow by any stretch of the imagination; we have boys here that can play soccer.
Q: How will the squad look for qualifying? Will you be sticking to veterans or looking at youngsters?
A: A little of both, actually. I really can't say for sure what shape the team will take because I still have to contact players and spend the next little while keeping tabs on everyone's performance for their club teams. I think we have some fine established players who can make a difference, but I also feel that we have a lot of young talent that's been overlooked. I doubt that we'll be able to get a friendly in before qualifying starts, meaning that I'll have to hope that we can afford to look at a few players during the two-leg tie. So the answer's basically a good mix, but how much of a mix I really can't say at this time.
Q: Do you have any specific style of play you'd like Canada to adopt?
A: Not really. I think we have to play a good, cohesive game as a unit, but it'll all depend on how the players gel with each other. We're not going to bang 4 or 5 goals into the net each game, but I'm not going to sit back and go for boring 1-0 wins either, to put it bluntly. I'm going to emphasize teamwork above all else, and if everyone's on the same page we can look at using the team's strengths to our advantage.
Q: Will anyone be assisting you in coaching the team?
A: I believe so, but I haven't talked with anyone yet. I plan to do so in the next few days, because I would like some veteran leadership on the team to assist the guys. I feel that's key.
Q: Do you plan to have one friendly in Canada at least every 4 years?
*laughter fills the room*
A: A home friendly? Are you nuts? *laughs* Seriously, I know that Canadian fans are frustrated that we don't play at home very often, and I think that we need to reach out to the fans and allow them to come see us play. I definitely see a few home games a year in our horizon, as we need to establish a presence in Canada. We don't need to alienate our fanbase.
And with that, I think they're signaling that my time is up... For today at least. In closing, I'd like to thank the CSA again for this opportunity, and I'd like to say to the fans that they're in for a treat. We're going to make Canada proud this time around. Thank you.
If you couldn’t tell by now, this is an attempt at getting Canada to the World Cup, trying to right the wrongs that happened when trying to qualify this time around. FM 2005 (with 5.02 patch) is being used, Large database, all players from CONCACAF nations loaded, one league (Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Peru, South Africa, USA) active in each continent. The match reports/goings on between match dates will be more or less personal, but there’ll be quite a bit of media stuff here and there. Enjoy!
(I know - it's so refreshing to see something a little out of the norm. )
February 6, 2004
I managed to get my two coaches within the week; Dominic Mobilio (***) (25 caps/0 goals) and Garreth Kusch (22 caps/1 goal). They certainly had their time in the spotlight for the national team and should help me prepare the team for our first match.
((***) - Mobilio actually was killed a few weeks ago in a car accident. I chose him for two reasons; to keep his memory alive and because he had good stats. So there.)
February 18, 2004
Results from today’s FIFA World Cup CONCACAF First Round, First Leg qualifiers:
Apparently the Faroe Islands would get a kick out of us traveling there 4 days before a potential qualifier for a friendly on November 13. If they wanted to come here, sure, but since they didn’t, it’s no good. Honestly, do they think we have the time to make a potential trip from the Faroes to Mexico or Honduras and be nice and rested? Talk about a lack of logic...
March 31, 2004
Results from today’s FIFA World Cup CONCACAF First Round, Second Leg qualifiers:
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Antigua & Barbuda 2-1 Bahamas(4-2 on aggregate)Belize 4-1 Netherlands Antilles(6-2 on aggregate)Bermuda 3-1 Anguilla(5-3 on aggregate)Cayman Islands 1-1 Grenada(1-4 on aggregate)Dominica 2-1 British Virgin Islands(3-4 on aggregate)Dominican Republic 3-0 Montserrat(4-1 on aggregate)Nicaragua 2-1 US Virgin Islands(3-2 on aggregate)St. Lucia 2-1 Guyana(3-3 on aggregate, Guyana wins penalty shootout 2-1)St. Vincent 2-1 Aruba(3-2 on aggregate)Turks and Caicos Islands 1-0 Surinam(1-3 on aggregate)</pre>
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (AP) - The United States will play Guyana in the second round of FIFA World Cup CONCACAF qualifying.
The draw, held in Kingston this morning, saw favorable draws handed to the other North American teams as well. Mexico was drawn to face Nicaragua, while Canada will face St. Kitts and Nevis. 2002 World Cup qualifiers Costa Rica will battle Belize.
The draw itself tossed up few surprises, although first round winners Grenada will certainly fancy their chances against Haiti.
The draw in full, with matches to take place on June 12 and 19:
Guyana vs. U.S.A.
Antigua & Barbuda vs. Panama
St. Vincent vs. Honduras
Grenada vs. Haiti
Nicaragua vs. Mexico
Surinam vs. Cuba
Bermuda vs. Jamaica Canada vs. St. Kitts & Nevis
Belize vs. Costa Rica
British Virgin Islands vs. Trinidad & Tobago
Dominican Republic vs. Guatemala
Barbados vs. El Salvador
TORONTO (Canadasoccer.com) - Canadian men's national team manager Colin MacKinnon has announced his 23-man lineup that will face St. Kitts and Nevis in the second round of FIFA World Cup CONCACAF qualifying.
"I worked very hard to come up with the right mix of players that would ensure qualification, and I'd like to think I succeeded in that regard," Mackinnon stated at this afternoon's CSA press conference in downtown Toronto. "I think that we should qualify fairly easily for the semi final stage, but I hope for the sake of the team that we can afford to do a little experimentation in the second leg."
The squad named for the two matches against St. Kitts and Nevis on June 12 and 19:
Goalkeepers:
Lars Hirschfeld (Dundee United, Scottish Premier League)
Pat Onstad (San Jose Earthquakes, MSL)
Greg Sutton (Montreal Impact, A-League)
Defenders:
Jim Brennan (Norwich City, English Premiership)
Jason De Vos (Ipswich Town, English Championship)
Kevin Harmse (Rochester Raging Rhinos, A-League)
Stathis Kappos (AEK Athens, Greek National A Division)
Mike Klukowski (La Louviere, Belgian First Division)
Kevin McKenna (Hearts, Scottish Premier League)
Marco Reda (Sogndal, Norwegian Premier Division)
Adrian Serioux (Millwall, English Championship)
Paul Stalteri (Werder Bremen, German Bundesliga)
Midfielders:
Patrice Bernier (Tromso, Norwegian Premier Division)
Marc Bircham (Queens Park Rangers, English Championship)
Maycoll Canizalez (Hannover 96, German Bundesliga)
Julian De Guzman (Hannover 96, German Bundesliga)
Iain Hume (Tranmere Rovers, English League One)
Atiba Hutchinson (Helsingborg, Swedish Premier Division)
Tam Nsaliwa (Saarbrucken, German 2. Bundesliga)
Forwards:
Dwayne De Rosario (San Jose Earthquakes, MLS)
Oliver Occean (Odd Grenland, Norwegian Premier Division)
Rob Friend (Molde, Norwegian Premier Division)
Tomasz Radzinski (Fulham, English Premiership)
Canada: Climbing Out of the Abyss 
)
Linear Mode
