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USA meets Honduras in CONCACAF Men’s Olympic final

"Soccer Day light time" for CONCACAF tournament teams

We can take solace to the fact that the end to winter is near in spite of the unpredictable February winter weather with its record snow fall and extremely cold temperatures .  “March Break” will start the “Soccer Daylight time” which signals the start of the CONCACAF Men’s Olympics finals and also the start of CONCACAF Champions’ Cup which also equates to brighter days heading into the second round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying towards the end of the month.  

The CONCACAF Olympics finals will be hosted in three US cities from March 11-23 with eight teams playing double headers within their two groups while the Champions’ Cup on the other hand will be playing on a home and away basis from March 11 to May 01 with the same compliment of teams on a head to head aggregate format.

CONCACAF

        Final Round  Group A

 Final Round   Group B

Semifinals

Third Place

Final

CONCACAF  Champions Cup Schedule &Results Click here

Semifinals

Final

Group A of the CONCACAF Men’s Olympics finals will be playing in Tampa, Florida and comprise of Cuba, Honduras, Panama, and USA while Group B is made up of Canada, Mexico, Haiti and Guatemala playing in Carson, California.

The Olympics teams will begin their schedule next Wednesday March 11, with Panama up against Honduras at 17:30 and USA faces Cuba in the last game at 20:00.  On the following day Haiti will play against Guatemala while Canada will be in tough against Mexico in last game of the double header. The two teams in the CONCACAF Olympic final will automatically qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. 

The CONCACAF Champions’ Cup first round quarter finals opens with Pachuca CF of Mexico against CD Motagua of Honduras in Series one on March 11 while Habour View of the Jamaica Pro league will be playing DC United of the MLS in Series two of one of the four series match ups of the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup.  Harbour View first game is scheduled for March 12 at 19:00 in Kingston Jamaica, with their return game on March 18 at 19:30 in Washington, D.C.

In series three Atlante FC of Mexico will play Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica on March 13 while the Dwayne De Rosario lead Houston Dynamo of the MLS will play CSD Municipal of Guatemala in series four. The first game of this series will be played at the Ciudad de Guatemala on March 12, with the return game on March 19 in Houston, Texas.

When you add the qualifying teams of the Women’s Olympic of Mexico, Canada, USA, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago and the CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship qualifying teams of USA, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago, to the Men’s Olympic teams mentioned above, and the country of origin of the CONCACAF champion Cup teams, it should be a clue to the legitimate contenders at the third round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

However since upsets is also a part of sports I am lead to believe at this point that that El Salvador is the most dangerous team heading into the second round of the World Cup qualifiers but Panama their opponent is also a dangerous team to go all the way

A Reggae Boyz team comprising of home based players opened their seven game Brazil tour with a 1-0 win over 2^nd Division Tigers of Brazil and a 2-2 tie in their second game against another second division team. The results of the game on the tour seemed to be exactly what Jamaica's Technical director Brazilian Rene Simoes was seeking out of their three-week camp in Brazil as he intends to play tougher opponents towards the end of the tour. As he insist the objective of the exercise is to develop confidence and mental toughness in his players and he was reported as saying that the group of players has shown maturity and is more professional than the players he had when he arrived in Jamaica in 1994. Based on the performances of the Reggae Boyz of late there is no reason to doubt that Rene Simoes and the Reggae Boyz program may have turned the corner. Only time will tell

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Update

  The already winding road to the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 got a bit bumpy for some teams at the first stage of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers after the half time scores of most of the games turned out to be final result. This means that some coach’s tactical adjustments are working to perfection to gain their desired result.

The first final result of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers was between the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. The visiting Cayman Islands pulled off a 1-1 tie with Bermuda at the Hamilton’s National Sports Centre on February 2, after tying the game towards the end of regulation time. Tyrell Burgess opened the scoring at the 18th minute to give Bermuda the lead, but Cayman Islands Allean Grant scored the equalizer with only three minutes left to give Cayman Islands the much needed tie heading into the teams second leg game on March 26.

The action turned to the Centro Deportivo Guillermo Trinidad in Oranjestad where Antigua & Barbuda defeated host Aruba 3-0 with goals from George Dublin and Grayson Gregory at the 22nd and 27th minute respectively. Aruba close the door on themselves when they score an own goal at the 40^th minute to seal the 3-0 win for Antigua and Barbuda. The team’s second-leg game is scheduled for the Antigua Recreation Ground in St. John’s on March 26.

Barbados and Dominica played to a 1-1 tie in yet another game where all the scoring was done in the first half. Barbados Jeffrey Williams tied the game at the 42nd minute mark after Dominica Richard Pacquette opened the scoring at the 20th minute. The teams will meet again at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on 26 March in the second-leg.

El Salvador demolished Anguilla 12-0 at the Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador,

In one of the less than competitive contest in the first leg of the CONCACAF W/C qualifiers. Rudis Corrales scored five times for his team goals while his teammate Ronald Cerritos added another to give El Salvador the lopsided win.

The record books opened as Turks & Caicos Islands outlasted St Lucia 2-1 at the Providenciales’ National Stadium after hosting their first ever CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying game. Gavin Clinton and David Lowery scored for Turks & Caicos Islands, while Gilbert Nyhime scored the lone goal for St. Lucia. The teams will meet again at George Odlum National Stadium in Vieux Fort, St. Lucia on 26 March in the second-leg match.

Belize also entered the record books when they registered their first victory in the history of CONCACAF World Cup Qualification with a 3-1 win over St. Kitts & Nevis at the Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Belize opened the scoring at the seventh minute on a Deon McCalauy goal, but St. Kitts & Nevis Gerard Williams equalized six minutes later.  Harrison Rochez scored what turned out to be the game winner at the 22nd minute while McCalauy provided the insurance goal four minutes before halftime. The team’s second leg game at Warner Park Stadium in Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis on 26 March.  

In yet another game that was decided by a fist half score the Netherlands Antilles defeated the host Nicaragua 1-0 on a goal scored by Anton Jongsma at the 15th minute mark. The game was played at the Estadio Cacique Diriangen in Diriamba and the win was the first for the Netherlands Antilles since 2004 which gives them a distinct advantage for the second-leg at the Ergillo Hato Stadium in Willemstad on 26 March.

British Virgin Islands will also visit the Bahamas at the BFA National Centre in Nassau on 26 March for their late first leg encounter. The first-leg encounters single elimination game of the 2010 CONCACAF World Cup Qualification for Puerto Rico match up with the Dominican Republic, Grenada with US Virgin Islands, and Montserrat with Surinam will take place during the second-leg encounters of the stage 1 on 26 March.

Caribbean teams “Last Lap” before World Cup qualifiers

What is considered to be carnival “Last Lap” in Trinidad and Tobago will in fact coincided with the last lap for a number of teams in the Caribbean before they embark on their World Cup 2010 qualifying schedule. For those who are not familiar with the term, “last lap” it is a terminology used for the window of opportunity when one can celebrate and be festive before the official end of an event. For most of the Caribbean teams, this year T&T Carnival on February 4&5 marks the end of their football preparation and Ash Wednesday on February 6 will signal the start of their CONCACAF World Cup journey.

 Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors will be playing against Guadeloupe in Port of Spain on Ash Wednesday and although the game is an international friendly, barring personnel problems Guadeloupe should present a good challenge to the Soca Warriors if they can play at their Gold Cup semi final form. Also prior to this game the T&T Soca Warriors will travel under recently appointed interim head Francisco Maturana to play Puerto Rico on January 26. Puerto Rico will be coming off a pair of friendly games against Bermuda in Hamilton Bermuda on January 16 and 18. The same can be said of the game between Jamaica and Costa Rica in Kingston on February 6 as Costa Rica will be determine to get their team on track to end their eight game winless streak after a 1-0 lost to Sweden.

Bermuda will be hosting the Cayman Islands at the National Sports Centre in Hamilton on 3 February 2008 to kick off the CONCACAF World Cup Qualification Bermuda and does not have the luxury of a last lap as the other Caribbean teams. The other six games of the first-leg of the CONCACAF W/C Qualification will  continue on Ash Wednesday February 6 with Dominica at home against Barbados at the Windsor Park Stadium in Roseau, while Turks & Caicos Islands will be hosting their first ever CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying game against St. Lucia at the Providential’ National Stadium.

At the same time Aruba will face Antigua & Barbuda at the Centro Deportivo Guillermo Trinidad in Oranjestad, while Belize plays at home against St. Kitts & Nevis at the Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City.

Also on Ash Wednesday, El Salvador will be hosting Anguilla at San Salvador’s Estadio Cuscatlan while host Nicaragua plays Netherlands Antilles at Estadio Cacique Diriangen in Diriamba.

The CONCACAF World Cup Qualification first-leg Stage one will close off with the British Virgin Islands against the Bahamas at the BFA National Centre in Nassau on 26 March.

 FIFA also announced that three originally scheduled Stage one elimination match-ups between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, Grenada versus US Virgin Islands, and Montserrat against Surinam will be scheduled during the second-leg encounters of stage one in late March and will no longer be played as a home-and-away series but as a single elimination game due to several National Associations not meeting the new FIFA Stadium standards and being unable to secure a home venue.

The remaining fixtures for the second-leg encounters for Stage one of CONCACAF World Cup Qualification scheduled for 26-30 March will be unveiled at a later date. The winners of Stage one will join the 13 remaining teams in Stage two of CONCACAF Qualification set for June.

The eventual top three teams from the CONCACAF Final Round in 2009 will automatically qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup while the fourth place finisher will play in a home-and-away playoff series with the fifth-place team of the CONMEBOL’s for one of the last berths to the FIFA World Cup South Africa.

CONCACAF World Cup Spots Wide Open

The year 2008 is upon us and my how quickly time has passed when you are having fun. Although the FIFA World Cup is played every four years, for some reason it seems like it was just yesterday when packages were offered to travel to World Cup Germany and the Soca Warriors was the talk of the town.

However with the arrival of 2008 it is anticipated that discussion for World Cup 2010 in South Africa will continue with the fans of the Caribbean teams pondering their decision to attend. Some Caribbean fans are rationalizing the South Africa trip as an opportunity to visit the mother-land, for what it is worth, while the majority of fans are undecided and anxious to see if their team secures one of the four CONCACAF spots before making their plans. 

Whatever the fans decide there is no doubt that the 12 top seed in the second stage of the CONCACAF qualifying round is capable of securing one of the four CONCACAF spots into the final grouping for South Africa based on the  showing of the teams at the 2007 tournaments within the CONCACAF region. The two tournaments are the Digicel Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

At the Digicel Cup for Caribbean supremacy, Haiti defeated host Trinidad and Tobago and won their first became the 2007 Caribbean Champions their first title since 1973.  Jamaica Reggae Boyz the defending champion at the time was defeated by St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to signal the start of the end for the Reggae Boyz in 2007. Failure to make the final four at the Digicel Cup automatically eliminated the Boyz from the Gold Cup USA 2007.

Although the Gold Cup tournament results were somewhat predictable as host USA successfully defended their title, Mexico the #1 ranked in CONCACAF was defeated not once but twice at the Gold Cup. Their first loss was at the hands of Honduras in Group C action and was ruled as the biggest upset in Gold Cup history. Mexico their second loss was to USA 2-1 after Mexico had a halftime lead. Most importantly was the fact that Mexico struggled with Cuba, Panama, and Costa Rica during the tournament.

It should be noted that Panama was the best playing team at the Gold Cup USA and Canada performance lead by Gold Cup MVP Julian De Guzman signaled that they were not far away from a World Cup berth.  However the Canadian Soccer Association would have to remedy the lack of support shown at home at their last friendly game against Costa Rica at BMO Field in September. Canada was favored to replace Costa Rica for the third CONCACAF spot to South Africa but with the lack of support and their projected group of death with the likes of Mexico, Jamaica, and Honduras, it  seem like the wheel is still turning and anything can happen.

Jamaica football is now on the upside, since their poor showing in the 2007 tournaments. The Jamaica Football Federation has turned their program completely around with whole scale changes through out their system and with a string of International victories at home, the Reggae Boyz may be the dark horse with their feared 12^th man advantage.

Trinidad and Tobago football on the other hand seemed to be under constant pressure since their World Cup Germany and needs to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In moving forward I think that it will become important for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation to sign an agreement with the players involved in the outstanding dispute, in the event that the arbitrator decision is favorable to the players. The agreement document should allow the affected T&T players to continue their participation for the duration of the 2010 World Cup qualifying rounds. The inclusion of Dwight York and/or Russell Latapy or both into an assistant coaching position would also jump start the T&T program and provide the continuity that is required to instill and reinforce the confidence in the Soca Warriors team.

El Salvador is in a position to create upsets in the CONCACAF beyond the first round and the last I saw of Cuba, their team was only a couple of players away from being a legitimate contender. Panama with Perez up front will be dangerous and I suspect at the end of it all a South American for the fourth spot would present defensive challenges for the fourth place CONCACAF team in the playoffs to South Africa.  

New York Giants win Super Bowl XLII 

New England Patriots attempt to make history as the NFL's first unbeaten team since 1972 evaporated in 2:59 seconds as the New York Giants rallied to score a late touchdown with 35 seconds left to upset the Patriots 17-14.  As a result the Patriots stocks spiraled down pass the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers Championship teams of ‘84’ & ‘85’ respectively since those teams also posted 18-1 records but was deemed as more dominant and also won their last (Super Bowl) game.  The New York Giants Super Bowl win also left the ‘72’ Miami Dolphins as the only undefeated team in NFL history.

The Giants deserve a lot of credit for their Super Bowl winning performance as New England was aware of fact that Steve Spagnuolo the Giants defensive coordinator, was going to bring heat on their quarterback Tom Brady but the Patriots still had no answer for the Giants relentless pass rush and disguised blitzes by Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora.

The Giants defense was the X factor in the game as they kept their team within striking distance of the most potent offense in the history of the NFL. Giants coach Tom Coughlin could not have asked for a better script to his team Super Bowl win, as his defense had control of Brady and the New England offense while his offense showed that they can move the ball after their opening drive took over 9 minute off the clock and ended with a three point lead on a field goal.

New England responded well to the Giants opening drive and scored with a 1 yard touchdown run by Laurence Maroney to take a 7-3 lead into half time. At this point of the game New England undefeated run seemed ripe for the picking, and although Bill Belichick and his Patriots were very good at making adjustments during games, it was quite obvious that the Patriots were struggling and having major problems with the physical play of the Giants. However the big question was whether or not, Eli Manning and the Giants could capitalize on their advantage.

As the second half started the Giants defense adjusted further and shut down the run with their run blitzes which put the ball in Tom Brady’s hands as the Giants went for the jugular. After several change of possessions, Giants woke up offensively as Eli Manning threw a perfect 12 yard TD pass to David Tyree to take a 10-7 lead. Although the thought of an upset loomed large there was over 11 minutes left in the game and what was certain is that Tom Brady as he has done so many times in the past would try to bring the Patriots back. This he did as he drove his team down the field and connected with his All Pro receiver Randy Moss in the end zone for a 9 yard TD pass that gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead with under 3 minutes remaining in the game.

The last three minutes was the game in a nutshell as the New York Giants turned in one of the most memorable scoring drives in Super Bowl history.  On the drive, the Giants barley converted on a 4^th down and 1 with Ahmad Bradshaw on a running-play, and on a 3^rd down and 11 yards, Manning hit Steve Smith to the sidelines for a first down and stop the clock in the process. For excitement you can also add  Manning being caught twice from behind trying to scramble away from Patriots defenders.

Then came the big play of the game with the ball on their own 43 yard line the Giants was on a 3^rd down and 5 yards play when Manning broke free of two Patriots defenders to deliver a 32 yard pass to David Tyree who made a circus type catch in mid air with a Patriot defender draped all over him and held on to the ball. The Tyree reception set up a 17 yard touchdown strike from Manning to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left to give the Giants the 17-14 win.

 Brady and the Patriots got the ball back with one last gasp with 33 ticks on the clock, the ball on their own 21 yard line, and with all three of their time outs left. That was to no avail as the Giants defense kept up the pressure and sacked Brady and forced New England to turn the ball over on downs with 1 second left. Eli Manning was voted as the Super Bowl MVP which marked the first time that brothers have won the Super Bowl MVP and also in consecutive NFL seasons. 

T&T player excelled for Croatia in CSL

Toronto Croatia won the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) Championship 2007 after they defeated Serbian White Eagles 4-1 in the first game of the adapted two game weekend CSL Championship series, and held the Serbians to a scoreless tie in the second game. Both games were played at Ester Shiner Stadium.

 With Toronto’s finest in attendance, the on-field behavior of the players was not what I considered to be of a professional nature. The players on both team (whether in the tackle or not), were appealing and wining to all four officials on every tackle in an effort to get a man advantage through ejection and that is not what is considered to sportsmanlike conduct.    

To avoid a clash of fans the games were also played with each team having their supporters for only one of the games due to previous incidents between the two teams.                  

 The CSL reported that the two-game two day  championship game was decided due to concerns for safety after two regular season league games in 2006 between Toronto Croatia and Serbian White Eagles had a clashed of fans at Lamport Stadium in Toronto and Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton where there was considerable damage to the facility.

The first game with Croatia fans only, started with the cheers out weighing the jeers as Croatia took an early lead on a header by Bustamante at 13 minute mark. The Serbians move down the field on the ensuing touch off and tied the game with a looping volley by defender Dragorad Milicevic from way outside. Croatia responded and struck again from a left footed bullet from 30 yards by forward Peter Curic put Toronto Croatia 2-1.  In an effort to stay ahead Toronto Croatia scored their third by Bustamante to give Croatia a 3-1 lead at the interval.

The second half was a disaster in terms of the level of play as the game was played in gusting winds. The Serbians had the better of the exchanges but for the most part the play was ragged due to the conditions and no support for the underdog or losing team.

Things got worst for White Eagles as Trinidad and Tobago national player and Croatia stand out Hayden Fitzwilliams, scored a late goal to give Toronto Croatia a strong 4-1 hold on the series heading into the second game.

The Sunday game was played in cold but sunny 7 degree temperatures, before an almost sold out Ester Shiner stadium of Serbian supporters. The game started with Serbian White Eagles in search of at least a 3 goal margin victory to set up overtime and a chance at the championship.  Their overwhelming number of supporters, high powered offense, and the fact that anything is possible in sport was the only thing the Serbians had to bank on because the law of averages says that a 3 goal margin in soccer is almost insurmountable.   

Croatia came out with a defensive set and style of play that had the White Eagles scored early or took the lead before the half it would have made the game a very interesting match. However it was not to be and as much as the Serbs dominated the game Croatia flankers were up to the task defensively. The standout in this regards was Hayden Fitzwilliams who was the driving forced behind Toronto Croatia 2007 soccer season success.

It has been reported that Fitzwilliams could be on the move since there are several professional teams (at a higher level) that are interested in his services. Hayden Fitzwilliams played for Trinidad and Tobago against Northern Ireland in a friendly and against the Dominican Republic during the Soca Warriors 2005 World Cup qualifiers. He has also represented T&T against Antigua, Cuba and Guadeloupe in the 2003 Gold Cup. In Canada he has played for Toronto Olympians (01) and Metro Lions (02-04) before joining Toronto Croatia for the 2005 season.

USA CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions 2007

In a thrilling finish to CONCACAF Gold Cup 2007, USA defeated Mexico 2-1 before a pro Mexican crowd at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Americans reached the final after defeating Canada 2-1 in the semi final, in what turned out to be a very controversial offside call by the referee. The offside call negated Canada’s second goal that would have tied the game in the dying seconds of injury time in regulation play. 

With all things considered, USA was the team in the tournament that was more deserving to be the champion. They played consistently all the way through and finished the tournament with an unblemished 6-0-0 record 

USA faced their stiffest challenge in the semis and final games against Canada and Mexico respectively. They were a bit lucky to be ahead of Canada 2-0 at the half, based on Canada having a good part of the run of play. Canada held its own and scored the only goal of the second half which had the Americans defending vigorously to protect their one goal lead. 

In the final  the Americans proved that they go both ways against a Mexico team that may have been overrated. USA defended when they had to, and maintained their dangerous  offense when needed in a come from behind win over Mexico. USA was trailing 1-0 after one half of play as they held on for the half to regroup.  

Mexico was the # team in the CONCACAF region heading into the Gold Cup tournament but they could not secure the lead against a well precision USA attack. As a result they gave up two goals in just over ten minutes to scramble at the end in an effort to score the equalizer which never came.

Gold Cup 2007 proved that the CONCACAF teams have improved their soccer programs to the level that shows that any team from the region can qualify for the future FIFA tournaments.

Canada performed well at Gold Cup 2007 and if their personnel and level of play can be maintained, Canada would have a very good chance of qualifying for World Cup South Africa 2010

Magic Athletic S C 13^th Annual Indoor Tournament

last Saturday at Centennial College Progress campus with a compliment of 8 teams participating in two divisions. In Division One the teams were Magic A.C. Boca Junior, Square Root, and Toronto Mas while Division II teams comprised of Santos, Young Guns, United Strikers, and Westway.

The tournament opened with Magic AC defeating Boca Juniors 2-1 and they continued their winning streak to clinch the division by disposing of Square Root and Toronto Mas by 1-0 decisions. Square Root wins finished second the division with two wins. Competition in Division II was a lot closer with Santos winning the division on goal difference over Westway after finishing with six points after both having two wins.

With the customary crossover of divisional heading into the playoffs Magic A.C. was match up against Westway and Santos had to get past Square Root in the other semi-final. In the first semi-final played between Magic and Westway the game was close with tight marking and loose balls treated as a potential scoring opportunity. The level of play suffered a bit because of the anxiety level but this was understandable as it was the play-offs with the “knocked out” mentality. Although Magic positional game was noticeably superior, Westway seemed younger and fitter and was compensating for their miscues. The game went down to the wire 0-0 which may the last minutes very nerve racking for the fans of the both teams and exciting to everyone else. The game ended goalless and Magic advanced to the final after scoring their first penalty shot while Westway kicked their penalty wide.   

The second semi-final game between Square Root and Santos was the better of the semi-final in terms of the skill and overall talent of the teams.  This was a nail biter and with less than three minutes of a scoreless game Square Root scored and held on to win 1-0 to set up a revenge meeting against Magic the only team they lost to in divisional play.

The final was a well played game and you would have to say the best team Square won. They conceding a goal with under two minutes left in the first half but returned the favor by scoring with under two minutes left to tie the game and invoke penalty kicks to determine the Tournament Champions. FIFA rule was in effect for the penalties which meant that each team had a compliment of five penalties to win or sudden penalties will apply. Magic missed their second on their five penalties while Square Root scored all of their attempts to clinch the 13^th Annual Magic Club Linton Clark Indoor Tournament.

Canada women lose Heartbreaker USA           

Canada’s women soccer team suffered a heartbreaking loss to USA on a penalty kick called in the dying seconds of the second half of overtime. The game was played at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California and the infraction occurred when Canada’s #18- Robyn Gayle, attempt to screen out a USA player. Canada entered the game having secured a spot at the women World Cup 2007 in China after defeating Jamaica 4-0 in the semi final days earlier.

Unlike the Jamaica game Canada fell behind early. USA took a 1-0 lead against the run of play on a goal scored by Leslie Osborne from a rebound. Canada showed character and returned the favor in the 40^th minute after midfielder Randee Hermus pounced on a rebound and unleashed a left foot half volley into the roof of the USA net.

The second half saw USA in total command but not exactly in control. As a result time expired in regulation play with the score still tied to send the game into overtime.

Overtime usually spells p-r-e-s-s-u-r-e for the favorite team and in this game it looked no different. The pressure was clearly on USA to get a score before the introduction of the dreaded penalty kicks. The arrival of penalty kicks means that the ego of favored team can be broken and in that light, the underdog’s chances are better.

USA, desperate to end the game was moving forward with everything in attack which opened up their defensive coverage somewhat, and Canada’s striker Christine Sinclair shot wide from a golden opportunity to score. On the other end of the field Canada’s goalkeeper Erin McLeod was kept busy and responded well with some brilliant saves that kept Canada in the game.

With no ticks left on the clock USA made a long throw into the Canadian 6 yard box that created the untimely penalty that was scored by USA striker Christine Lilly. As a result USA defeated Canada 2-1 to win the Gold Cup 2006.

Canada and USA women team advance to the World Cup 2007 in China while third place Mexico will play Japan in a home and away series to advance. The Mexicans clinched third spot by eliminating Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago by the same score of 3-0.  

Canada women Advance to W/C

Canada women's soccer team lead by captain Christine Sinclair two goals, secured a spot at the women World Cup 2007 in China. They defeated Jamaica 4-0 in the first semi final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup played at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California and will meet the winner of the Mexico versus USA on Sunday. Jamaica will have to wait to play the loser of the next semi final for the third spot to face Japan (from the Asian Football Confederation) in a home-and-away playoff for the final berth in the FIFA tournament.

Christine Sinclair led the Canadian attack with two goals in the 40th and 70th minute while Rhian Wilkinson and Melanie Booth both scored in the 51st and 88th minute respectively. Although Canada had defeated Jamaica four times previously (with a goal differential of 31:0), this game was anticipated to be a close encounter by the recent showing of the Jamaica defense.
The Jamaica women started well but as the game progressed Canada shut down their early advances and systematically took control of the midfield.  Canada missed several  good scoring opportunities and one was beginning to wonder if those missed chances was going to be their downfall. However the talented Sinclair made no mistake in the 40th minute when she chest trap a cross from the right side at the far post and buried a left foot volley into the net to open scoring just before the half.

The second half started with Canada piling on the pressure but for the most part the play was a little shabby.  Rhian Wilkinson scored the second goal with a neat placement from a backward cross along the ground from Sinclair after Sinclair ran out of real estate after eluding the Jamaica defense. Sinclair closed out her play after pouncing on a rebound off the cross bar and showed the calm of a veteran when she hammered home the ball pass the stranded Jamaica goalkeeper to give Canada a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Although Canada had their way in terms of the run of play, the Jamaicans deserve a lot of credit for keeping their composure and doing a decent job of ball possession in the second half of the game in spite of the score. In  future Canada would have to concentrate on more ball possession in games where they have a sizable lead. This tactic can be very effective in preventing injuries.

 All in all it was a good display of aggressive soccer by Canada and Jamaica would have to regroup for their next game for third place against most likely Mexico. 

 Canada – 22-McLeod, Erin; 2-Kiss, Kristina (18-Gayle, Robyn, 77); 3-Booth, Melanie; 8-Matheson, Diana; 9-Chapman, Candace; 10-Franko, Martina; 11-Hermus, Randee; 12-Sinclair, Christine (C) (7-Morneau, Isabelle, 75); 13-Walsh, Amy; 16-Wilkinson, Rhian; 17-Timko, Brittany (5-Neil, Andrea, 83)
Head coach: Even Pellerud
Subs not used: 1-Alcia, Leisha; 4-Andrews, Sasha; 6-Schmidt, Sophie; 14-Tancredi, Melissa; 15-Robinson, Jodi-Ann; 19-Vermeulen, Amy

Jamaica - 13–Paula Jackson; 4–Alicia Wilson; 6–Audia Sullivan; 9–Natalya Manyan; 11–Kimmia Parker; 12–Peta-Gaye Soman; 15–Nicola Bell; 16–Yolanda Hamilton; 17–Diane Hue; 18–Stacy-Ann Johnson (10-Hishamar Falconer ,72); 19–Rochelle Bryan (10– Omolyn Davis, 60)
Head coach: Vin Blaine
 

"Toronto FC" new MLS Franchise

Toronto soccer fans could look forward to a treat with the arrival of its first Major League Soccer franchise the Toronto FC, which is scheduled to play its first game at the new 20,000 seat BMO Stadium at Exhibition Place next spring. Toronto FC is the first MLS expansion outside of the United States.
In an effort to boost attendance the Toronto FC is in search of talented local soccer players who are willing to take their playing career to the next level. The team will be conducting tryouts at the Ontario Soccer Centre in the City of Vaughan and registration can be done online at www.torontofc.ca. The try-outs are open to persons 14 years and older and registration deadline is November 27, 2006. The registration will be limited to the first 1,000 people who register on line.

On the national scene the Canadian women senior team is in serious training for the upcoming Gold Cup in California, USA in November. The Canadian women will be playing the winner of the Panama versus Jamaica game in the semi final on November 22. Reigning Women’s Gold Cup Champions, USA will meet the winner of the Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago game in the next semi final.
The Champion team and the runner-up will automatically qualify to the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China. The third-place finisher in the CONCACAF event will face Japan (from the Asian Football Confederation) in a home-and-away playoff for the final berth in the FIFA tournament.

The Canadian senior men team is also in preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup as they join Mexico and host USA in the North Zone that waits the advancing teams from the Caribbean Digicel Cup tournament and Central American zone. Four out of the twelve teams from the Caribbean Digicel Cup will advance to the twelve-team Gold Cup.
Final Round will be held in Trinidad & Tobago with five teams from the Central American Qualification zone (2007 UNCAF Nations Cup hosted by El Salvador) and three automatic qualifiers from the North Zone (Canada, Mexico and USA), and four teams from the Caribbean zone. The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup is s