Why can't Canada get a worthy FIFA team together?

[SRT]

We all know there are enough immigrants in this Country to put together a super fucking hybrid team..so why hasn't it happened yet?

[Skyline_Addict]

Because Canada in general, doesn't care about soccer.

[Modelexis]

Either way you would be cheering for immigrants, so why not just pick a team, 'Canada' is a concept within your mind anyway.

[Mibz]

Fantastic troll.
Subtle and relevant.

A-

[arian_ma]

Because we won Gold in hockey. Can't be the best at everything now...

[Schwa]

omg your so raciest and retarted!!

[BrknFngrs]

Because we focus on good sports?

[Modelexis]

Originally posted by Schwa
omg your so raciest and retarted!!

QFF

[arian_ma]

Originally posted by BrknFngrs
Because we focus on good sports?
:rofl: I'm sorry man but even I can't let this one pass, that was retarded.

[SRT]

Originally posted by Schwa
omg your so raciest and retarted!!

I'll Racie you to the goal post!


















(but race is off if you are an immigrant)

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by SRT
We all know there are enough immigrants in this Country to put together a super fucking hybrid team..so why hasn't it happened yet?

You tried to practice in -20C?

And soccer is boring and for girls.

[supe]

Jerome cant do it all...

[Shunsui]

Originally posted by arian_ma

:rofl: I'm sorry man but even I can't let this one pass, that was retarded.

+1 that guy is an idiot. All we have is hockey which means nothing outside of north America.

[Jim Rome99]

Originally posted by Shunsui


+1 that guy is an idiot. All we have is hockey which means nothing outside of Canada.

fixed

[2Valve0]

Originally posted by Shunsui


+1 that guy is an idiot. All we have is hockey which means nothing outside of north America.

Are you serious? Hockey is one of the top sports in Europe. Japan is huge for hockey(they import europeans and canadians to play there, not top quality but still there).

Sure soccer is THE biggest sport in the world no doubt because it is easy to set up, all you do is kick a ball. Hockey requires ice which isnt possible in most countries but is still completely relevant on a world level.

[Canucks3322]

Because they don't play Soccer in China or India either?!?!.....:dunno: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[5hift]

MONEY

Many of the weaker world cup teams have players born on different continents.

We need to follow the route of some of the Euro Football powers, get scouts to find good youth footballers in Africa, South America, etc and pay their families to immigrate to the country and obtain citizenship. Kids would have football skills down, but mature here with the program.

If Canada dumped a bunch of money into a program like this as the US has done, we could catch up as they have.


But it wont happen, right now the teams barely have enough funding to travel for weak ass tournaments.

[Cowtown_Raider]

5hift beat me to it...lol

Even though soccer is the most popular sport in Canada by participation, there isn't much pro-level interest as hockey or football. There will be 3 Canadian pro soccer teams in MLS by 2012 according to wiki. Soccer would need a program like "Own the Podium", i.e. a lot more money for development programs to improve our chances of getting a team to the World Cup. A friend of mine (huge soccer freak) did tell me just yesterday that he thinks our chances for 2014 are actually decent.

[Gainsbarre]

Because of traitors like this guy?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Hargreaves



As a Canadian with a Welsh mother and an English father, Hargreaves was eligible to represent Canada, Wales or England. He opted to play for the England U-21 team in 2000 and was capped by the senior squad the following year. He is the only player to have played for England without having previously lived in the United Kingdom, and only the second to have done so without having previously played in the English football league system.

That, despite being born and raised right here in Calgary.

I'm pretty certain we lost another big name player recently -- born and raised in Canada but he plays for the Croatian or Bosnian national side now (and I don't care to lookup who he is).

[5hift]

Another thing to keep in mind is Canada does produce some talent, the problem is the players always leave for better competition and money elsewhere, switch citizenship along the way (Owen Hargreaves).

I think our best bet is to let Christine Sinclair grow her lady beard out and suit up for the men`s team.

[5hift]

Originally posted by Gainsbarre
Because of traitors like this guy?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Hargreaves



That, despite being born and raised right here in Calgary.

I'm pretty certain we lost another big name player recently -- born and raised in Canada but he plays for the Croatian or Bosnian national side now (and I don't care to lookup who he is).

One thing to keep in mind about Owen is if he stayed in Canada, he would have had to play for the Canadian team for free while working a 9-5 job. Who is going to pass up playing for Man U and the celebrity lifestyle that comes with it, to ride a greyhound bus to Winnipeg for a pan am tourney.

[Kavy]

Originally posted by Schwa
omg your so raciest and retarted!!

The irony in this post is overwhelming.

[Gainsbarre]

Well Hargreaves was playing for Bayern Munich for a number of years -- I'm sure he made decent money there. And I don't think it would be that big of a deal to play at the club level in Europe (where the $$$ is) and at the international level for Canada. Nearly all of the top South American stars play for European teams at the club level.

[Proyecto2000]

Originally posted by supe
Jerome cant do it all...

:rofl:


:goflames:

[5hift]

Originally posted by Gainsbarre
Well Hargreaves was playing for Bayern Munich for a number of years -- I'm sure he made decent money there. And I don't think it would be that big of a deal to play at the club level in Europe (where the $$$ is) and at the international level for Canada. Nearly all of the top South American stars play for European teams at the club level.

But those South American stars that return to play for home, are returning to good, World Cup qualifying teams. If Hargreaves played for Canada at a international level, he never would have gotten a chance to play in either the Euro Cup or the World Cup. To miss out on a chance like that due to nationalistic pride is ridiculous.

[5hift]

.

[eb0i]

Originally posted by 5hift


But those South American stars that return to play for home, are returning to good, World Cup qualifying teams. If Hargreaves played for Canada at a international level, he never would have gotten a chance to play in either the Euro Cup or the World Cup. To miss out on a chance like that due to nationalistic pride is ridiculous.

:werd:

IMO he made all the right choices.

Like Steve Nash busting his ass for Team Canada Basketball and it getting us nowhere because he has no other talent on the team to work with.

[Shunsui]

India doesn't even have a team. They seriously can't even find 10 dudes to play?

[Jim Rome99]

We can't put together a decent international team for many reasons. The main one is weather. I was in Holland last year and it was amazing how many pitches were all over the place - people out playing every night of the year, pretty much. Here in Calgary, I'm a avid player but you can only play from the first week in May until mid-September. Indoor is crap, not real soccer, more like hockey with a soccer ball.

If you want to be real contender at the international level, it requires much more practice time than Canada has to offer.

[Jim Rome99]

Originally posted by Shunsui
India doesn't even have a team. They seriously can't even find 10 dudes to play?

Ever been to India? All the kids play cricket, they don't care much for football.

[Shunsui]

Still though there's a billion of them. Everyone thinks we all play hockey but that's not true either.

[black13]

Because in Canada, your almost not considered an pro athlete if you don't play hockey. It's practically part of the culture. Hence why even other sports don't make it that big here.

Same with India except they live and breath cricket and nothing else matters.

[Jim Rome99]

Originally posted by Shunsui
Still though there's a billion of them. Everyone thinks we all play hockey but that's not true either.

I've been to India. Cricket IS all they play.

Ever wonder why China can't come up with a decent team? They're all five feet tall! Seriously. They got killed in the 2002 World Cup because of this.

[C4S]

Originally posted by Xtrema




And soccer is boring and for girls.

Oh man .. are you serious ..

Look how many chicks fans!

Lots of them are hot!!

[HondaKid]

Canada's best bet would be to adopt a small, poor country in need of healthcare and donuts. Or just nab a few dozen street kids from Brazil, odds are they will grow into fine players.

[Jim Rome99]

Anyone here ever heard of Maik Taylor? Worth looking up, trust me!

[Skyline_Addict]

Good points mentioned. Weather, culture, etc are definetely part of it. Canadian's don't take soccer seriously, as you can tell by a few posts in this thread. In countries in South America and Europe, it's treated like a religion. It's marketable and profitable there. It's not Hargreaves fault for wanting to play for England and get paid 30,000 euros a week at Manchester United.

[911fever]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict
Good points mentioned. Weather, culture, etc are definetely part of it. Canadian's don't take soccer seriously, as you can tell by a few posts in this thread. In countries in South America and Europe, it's treated like a religion. It's marketable and profitable there. It's not Hargreaves fault for wanting to play for England and get paid 30,000 euros a week at Manchester United.

QFT


Originally posted by 5hift


One thing to keep in mind about Owen is if he stayed in Canada, he would have had to play for the Canadian team for free while working a 9-5 job. Who is going to pass up playing for Man U and the celebrity lifestyle that comes with it, to ride a greyhound bus to Winnipeg for a pan am tourney.

LOLOL you get it. Why would Hargreaves in his right mind, play for a Canadian team where he doesn't get any recognition for his skills, doesn't even get mentioned on the tuesday morning back page of the sports section in the paper, gets paid a grand total of $0, has to work 9-5 at a lumber mill to support himself and the airfare it costs to fly from like Calgary to Winnipeg or better, Calgary to St. John's, and worse, doesn't even have the option to be on a team that would be in the World Cup?

[borN]

Originally posted by Jim Rome99
We can't put together a decent international team for many reasons. The main one is weather. I was in Holland last year and it was amazing how many pitches were all over the place - people out playing every night of the year, pretty much. Here in Calgary, I'm a avid player but you can only play from the first week in May until mid-September. Indoor is crap, not real soccer, more like hockey with a soccer ball.

If you want to be real contender at the international level, it requires much more practice time than Canada has to offer.

I wouldn't necessarily blame weather for the most part, even though it does play a factor in Canadian football. Holland plays on pitches for probably about 1-2 months out of the year more than in Calgary. It gets pretty cold in Holland even though it only gets to about -10 degrees, and the pitches become rock hard.

What I don't agree with is the excuse that indoor is crap. Futsal in Europe is huge. Gym's in the Netherlands have so many players coming to play futsal from October - May. It serves its purpose to help players develop key footwork skills and short, accurate passing. After playing futsal for a season in the Netherlands, my outdoor game has exponentially improved. Don't get me wrong, I love outdoor football, but I think both have their benefits.

[Jim Rome99]

Originally posted by borN


I wouldn't necessarily blame weather for the most part, even though it does play a factor in Canadian football. Holland plays on pitches for probably about 1-2 months out of the year more than in Calgary. It gets pretty cold in Holland even though it only gets to about -10 degrees, and the pitches become rock hard.

What I don't agree with is the excuse that indoor is crap. Futsal in Europe is huge. Gym's in the Netherlands have so many players coming to play futsal from October - May. It serves its purpose to help players develop key footwork skills and short, accurate passing. After playing futsal for a season in the Netherlands, my outdoor game has exponentially improved. Don't get me wrong, I love outdoor football, but I think both have their benefits.

The Dutch season runs from August until May. I'm confused.

[95teetee]

Originally posted by BrknFngrs
Because we focus on good sports? that's right- if I want to watch guys run around aimlessly, and be lucky to put up one goal a game, I'll watch 2010 Flames highlights.

:D

[borN]

Originally posted by Jim Rome99


The Dutch season runs from August until May. I'm confused.

That's professional football, I'm mainly generalizing and talking about recreational football and futsal, which spawns competitive play at higher levels. On a side note though, I've never understood why the european leagues start late summer and move on until spring, playing through the winter months.

[hb2k]

i believe this clip sums it up perfectly.

noOHdTQd6H8&hl

[Skyline_Addict]

Originally posted by borN


I wouldn't necessarily blame weather for the most part, even though it does play a factor in Canadian football. Holland plays on pitches for probably about 1-2 months out of the year more than in Calgary. It gets pretty cold in Holland even though it only gets to about -10 degrees, and the pitches become rock hard.

What I don't agree with is the excuse that indoor is crap. Futsal in Europe is huge. Gym's in the Netherlands have so many players coming to play futsal from October - May. It serves its purpose to help players develop key footwork skills and short, accurate passing. After playing futsal for a season in the Netherlands, my outdoor game has exponentially improved. Don't get me wrong, I love outdoor football, but I think both have their benefits.

I'm surprised even one person brought up Futsal in this thread. Futsal is THE alternative to outdoor soccer, not the crap indoor soccer we have with boards.

Even alot of committed soccer colleagues I play with in Calgary have yet to experience (nevermind, even heard of) Futsal. I play Futsal in a small league during the winter season.

CUSA managed to get a league going for one season, about 2-3 years ago, but it hasn't continued since, due to lack of participation. Even for the one season the league was open, there was a huge disparity between skill level of different teams, as there was only enough teams for one division. So you'd have teams with premier players playing against teams with people trying out futsal for the first time. It probably lead to alot of disinterest after the first season was over. Futsal really needs to be promoted more in Calgary. I heard it's bigger out in eastern Canada.

After playing Futsal for a couple of years, I too feel it has really improved my outdoor game. Really helps with touch and quick passing.

[95EagleAWD]

Originally posted by Schwa
omg your so raciest and retarted!!

Hopefully he's smart enough to spell RETARDED correctly.

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by 5hift


But those South American stars that return to play for home, are returning to good, World Cup qualifying teams. If Hargreaves played for Canada at a international level, he never would have gotten a chance to play in either the Euro Cup or the World Cup. To miss out on a chance like that due to nationalistic pride is ridiculous.

With Hargreaves and De Guzman Canada would have had the best central midfield in CONCACAF and qualified for the World Cup. Begovic in net would have also shored up things.

Now Begovic was Canada Soccer's fuck up. He was suited up and on the bench and all they had to do was put him in the game for even 30 seconds to get him committed for life. I don't blame him at all for going to greener pastures. Hargreaves and De Guzman were different entirely (though De Guzman could still play for Canada, even if he'd rather just watch the World Cup from the stands for the Oranje). But they had their reasons and I can't hold it against them either, especially with the people running things for Canadian soccer.


Basically until the CSA gets their shit together Canada will be treading water. They have no money which is a problem, but since its run by idiots it wouldn't matter if they did.

[Feruk]

Originally posted by 2Valve0


Are you serious? Hockey is one of the top sports in Europe. Japan is huge for hockey(they import europeans and canadians to play there, not top quality but still there).

Sure soccer is THE biggest sport in the world no doubt because it is easy to set up, all you do is kick a ball. Hockey requires ice which isnt possible in most countries but is still completely relevant on a world level.

Europeans care about hockey? Being born in Europe myself, I can say you're absolutely right. We see it as a novelty; sort of like watching a video of a retarded kid roll down a hill in a garbage can. But when it comes to sports, it's soccer, tennis, and maybe some basketball. Even the Americans would rather watch baseball or football.

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by Feruk


Europeans care about hockey? Being born in Europe myself, I can say you're absolutely right. We see it as a novelty; sort of like watching a video of a retarded kid roll down a hill in a garbage can. But when it comes to sports, it's soccer, tennis, and maybe some basketball. Even the Americans would rather watch baseball or football.

I had no idea that Europe was some sort of homogeneous melting pot when it comes to sporting preference.

[Oz-]

IMO for Canada to succeed there are a few factors.

CSA - You cannot have soccer dads/moms running the organization. The power for this organization is made up of the heads of provinces/territories SA, who are volunteers. They have the power over the coach/technical director/etc. Upside down IMO. Hockey Canada had a similar structure many years ago, but they changed that around greatly by professionalizing the organization.

MLS youth academies - many of these South Americans, euros. They are scouted in they early teens, sometimes even before and go off to start training full time. Once the Whitecaps, TFC, and Impact get this structure setup there is a possibility to begin nurturing the next players for this.I remember being in Argentina when Leo Messi was sold to the Barcelona youth academy from River Plate for a ridiculous amount - he was 12 at the time.

Futsal - This is a very popular game out in Eastern Canada. Why it hasn't caught on here? Politics IMO. The indoor game that is played here is trash. There is no growth for the player from a football standpoint other then more cardio. The centres that are setup right now could house probably double of the player capacity instead of those sheit turf fields. Additionally, you could utilize the vast majority of gymnasiums that likely sit empty around the city.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict
Good points mentioned. Weather, culture, etc are definetely part of it. Canadian's don't take soccer seriously, as you can tell by a few posts in this thread. In countries in South America and Europe, it's treated like a religion. It's marketable and profitable there. It's not Hargreaves fault for wanting to play for England and get paid 30,000 euros a week at Manchester United.

This is exactly it. Religion-like status.

In addition, we don't have nearly the amount of knowledge, coaching and overall unity that other countries have with respect to soccer. I mean fuck, we call it soccer and not football!

Canadian teams are really only good at hockey anyways because that's where the money goes and because that's what most people care about. Look at soccer, football, baseball, basketball...

Participation is likely up because it's a hell of a lot cheaper to put your kid in soccer than it is with hockey. Doesn't mean the kid likes or wants to play it. Maybe things are changing now and that would be awesome. I've played indoor and outdoor since I was under 10, and when the age groups were divided by odd numbers instead of even :rofl: I'm all for support of soccer but it's going to take more than a generation or two for it to catch on. There are way too many dads out there that think soccer is for nansies. This is largely stemming from bullshit diving which I can't help but loath so in part, I guess I can't blame them. However, I'd dare any of them to play a premiere league or even div 1 game and see how many times they get checked, shoved, elbowed, keepers punching you in the head etc. If you think it's just a bunch of mindless retards who can run fast, dance around with a ball while a defender watches them go by, there is no convincing you.

My biggest argument is try it. People arguing that it's boring or stupid, have maybe tried it at a rec level. Well woopy fucking do.

[mac_82]

Originally posted by kertejud2
Hargreaves and De Guzman were different entirely (though De Guzman could still play for Canada, even if he'd rather just watch the World Cup from the stands for the Oranje).

Watching De Guzman play for TFC, he is a bit over rated. But he was invited along with De Rosario to play for Canada when we played Argentina in that friendly we lost 5-0 just before the World Cup started. De Guzman was hurt though so he didn't make the trip. De Ro came back from that game and looked inspired playing in the MLS, and is continuing to light it up, 8 goals in 10 games so far.

[mac_82]

Originally posted by Oz-
IMO for Canada to succeed there are a few factors.

MLS youth academies - many of these South Americans, euros. They are scouted in they early teens, sometimes even before and go off to start training full time. Once the Whitecaps, TFC, and Impact get this structure setup there is a possibility to begin nurturing the next players for this.I remember being in Argentina when Leo Messi was sold to the Barcelona youth academy from River Plate for a ridiculous amount - he was 12 at the time.

Couldn't agree more. The MLS academies will play a huge role in developing talent. With MLS teams in Toronto, soon to be Vancouver, Montreal, maybe Ottawa, and Edmonton getting a team in the USL all these teams will need to have Canadian players, so nothing but good things can come from that.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by eb0i


:werd:

IMO he made all the right choices.

Like Steve Nash busting his ass for Team Canada Basketball and it getting us nowhere because he has no other talent on the team to work with.

Well, Nash also decided to quit playing for Team Canada because he didn't like that Jay Triano was let go as Head Coach.

But I think the point that Gainesbarre is trying to make is that I don't think there is anything stopping Hargreaves (or any other talented Canadian) from playing professionally in Europe AND playing for Canada in tournaments like the World Cup, is there? Much like Yzerman played professionally in Detroit but played for Team Canada. The two reasons I can think of for not doing this are 1) As mentioned, he'd be coming back to a not-so-great team, as far as I know. But it's not like I'm a good judge of soccer anyways; And 2) He has some disagreement with Soccer Canada at the organizational level.


Originally posted by Oz-
Additionally, you could utilize the vast majority of gymnasiums that likely sit empty around the city.

As a basketball coach, I can assure you that Soccer consumes every available gym time in the city. We get the leftovers

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by mac_82


Watching De Guzman play for TFC, he is a bit over rated. But he was invited along with De Rosario to play for Canada when we played Argentina in that friendly we lost 5-0 just before the World Cup started. De Guzman was hurt though so he didn't make the trip. De Ro came back from that game and looked inspired playing in the MLS, and is continuing to light it up, 8 goals in 10 games so far.

Julian plays for TFC and is capped for Canada. His younger brother Jonathan plays for Feyenoord (well, he's a free agent now) and is capped at the U23 level for Holland.

[NightFX2]

Originally posted by 95teetee
that's right- if I want to watch guys run around aimlessly, and be lucky to put up one goal a game, I'll watch 2010 Flames highlights.

:D

Sad but true :rofl:

[littledan]

Didn't owen hargreaves get cut by the u17 canadian team thus motivating him to not want to have anything to do with the canadian soccer association??

[Skyline_Addict]

Originally posted by msommers


My biggest argument is try it. People arguing that it's boring or stupid, have maybe tried it at a rec level. Well woopy fucking do.

Yup! In my game today, my goalkeeper got winded by a player who was atleast 220 pounds while challenging for the ball in the air Scott Stevens vs. Paul Kariya style. People were jumping over eachother and getting flipped onto the ground when going up for headers. Legs getting kicked, feet getting stepped on, cletes gouging your legs. While most of this stuff might not be as "ooo-ahh" as a open ice hit or Dion Phaneuf body check...it can hurt just as bad. Remember, the only protective equipment being worn are shin pads. Nothing to absorb the impact of a flying elbow to the chest or head. Soccer, when played in any sense of being competitive, is not for physically weak people. While it's more forgiving to more frail people vs. a sport like hockey, those guys usually get cut first or play 10 mins a game so they won't get owned.

I bet most of the people who think soccer demands no skill or physical strength/aptitude probably would be out of breath within 5 mins of a any somewhat competitive match.

[8Ball]

answers are here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_men%27s_national_soccer_team

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by kertejud2


I had no idea that Europe was some sort of homogeneous melting pot when it comes to sporting preference.

Haha, :werd: In Finland hockey is #1, huge in Sweden, Switzerland, pretty big in Germany etc. Huge in Russia as well, but not sure if you would classify that as Europe or Asia. In the whole of Europe soccer is bigger, but hockey is pretty huge.

[mac_82]

Why is it the Canadian women's team is ranked top-10 in the world? Any thoughts on why they are so much higher than the men's team?

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by mac_82
Why is it the Canadian women's team is ranked top-10 in the world? Any thoughts on why they are so much higher than the men's team?

The women probably don't leave Canada for good money in a women's soccer league.

[tomt64]

Originally posted by Gainsbarre
Because of traitors like this guy?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Hargreaves



That, despite being born and raised right here in Calgary.

I'm pretty certain we lost another big name player recently -- born and raised in Canada but he plays for the Croatian or Bosnian national side now (and I don't care to lookup who he is).

If you were given that choice Im pretty sure you would represent England too. Only reasons being Canada and Wales will not qualify for the world cup just by having him on the team. Play for a team with high caliber players or for one w/ mostly unknowns? Hard choice.
Sucks but I cant think of another reason why.

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by mac_82
Why is it the Canadian women's team is ranked top-10 in the world? Any thoughts on why they are so much higher than the men's team?

The little money we spend on soccer goes much farther for women than men. Add to that a lot of soccer mad countries don't give a damn about women's sports means there's less competition and less of a chance for the gap to be widened.