Subject :Its been a tough week if you are a fan of Canadian soccer. Omer Asik Pelicans Jersey . On Saturday,
Its been a tough week if you are a fan of Canadian soccer. Omer Asik Pelicans Jersey . On Saturday, the Vancouver Whitecaps came out of Dallas with their tails between their legs, having lost a crucial league game to fellow playoff contenders FC Dallas by a score of 3-1. The Whitecaps playoff hopes are dwindling, as they sit five points adrift of the final playoff place in the Western Conference. Later that night, after a battling first half performance, Toronto FC collapsed like a house of cards against the Portland Timbers, gifting the hosts their second goal on the way to a 4-0 drubbing. Only the Montreal Impact - 4-2 winners against the New England Revolution - spared Canadian fans blushes. Canadas mens national team also participated in their first training camp under new head coach Benito Floro last week. The camp included two friendly matches against Mauritania; the first game ended in a scoreless draw, while the second game saw a 10-man Canadian team (after Marcel de Jong was sent off for two yellow cards in the first half) lose 1-0. Yep...its been a tough week. After the two results against Mauritania, there was an inevitable outburst on social media, as fans (and those who simply enjoy criticizing Canadian soccer) took to Twitter to express their outrage at our failure to overcome a nation that most had never heard of. I could explain that this was just a training camp - a chance for Floro to take a look at every player at his disposal. I could further explain that losing to Mauritania is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. After all, if you cant experiment with players and new tactical ideas in friendly games played behind closed doors, when can you? But that would be insulting to supporters. Losing to Mauritania is an embarrassment, and something that should never happen. Trying to paper over the cracks by explaining the loss also distracts us from the real issue at hand. That issue is best captured by a quote from legendary basketball coach, John Wooden: Failure is not fatal; but failure to change might be. You see, no one knows if the CSA is doing anything to change the way players and coaches are developed in Canada. No one knows if there is a national curriculum in the works. No one knows when (or if) that curriculum will be completed, let alone how it will be implemented. No one knows if the Youth Coaching Licence that was proposed a short while ago is being developed, or if it has been put on the shelf indefinitely. No one knows if the next generation of players is going to be any better prepared to deal with the rigours of international football than the current crop. No one knows anything, because the CSA never tells anyone anything. Its been 10 months since the CSA hired Tony Fonseca as its Technical Director, the man responsible for galvanizing and inspiring the nation - for putting us all on the same page so we can work collectively to develop talented players who can one day represent us on the international stage. In the last 10 months, have you heard anything from Fonseca about how he plans to address any of the issues outlined above? Have you seen a press release or technical update from the CSA, addressing where we are, where we need to be, and how we intend to bridge that gap? Have you seen or even heard of the CSAs technical development plan - how it aims to go about fixing our broken development system for youth soccer in Canada? Of course you havent. Because none of that information has been released by the CSA. And in the absence of that information, the only option you are left with is to try to answer those questions yourself. Which goes something like this: Are the CSA developing a national curriculum? No. When and how is that national curriculum going to be implemented? It isnt. When will the Youth Coaching Licence be completed and available for coaches to take? Never, because it doesnt exist and it never will. Does the CSA have a technical development plan? No. Is the CSA doing anything at all to fix the broken mess of a development system that sees us produce, year after year, a shallow pool of talent from which to choose our mens and womens national teams? No. Now, I know that these answers are entirely unfair - because I know that there is a lot of work being done by the CSA to address these issues. But you dont. And that is a major problem. Supporters need to know what the CSA is doing to fix our problems. Supporters need to be able to read the CSAs technical development plan so that they can not only understand it, but more importantly, so that they can champion it. Not even the most ardent supporters can rally around a team that is reeling like our mens national team program is. Winless in 2013, with three draws, seven losses and only one goal scored. Supporters need to know that steps are being taken to address our problems - problems that extend all the way to grassroots soccer. If the measures being implemented require 10-15 years to come to bear fruit, at the very least, fans can support the CSA over that period of time and do their part to facilitate change, rather than wringing their hands in frustration because they suspect nothing is being done. Two very simple words of advice for the CSA: full disclosure. Spell out your plans in black and white; tell the fans what you are doing to affect change in Canada - and tell them often. Otherwise, fans will do what theyve always done in the absence of information. They will assume that you are doing nothing. Solomon Hill Jersey .J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle. Kendrick Perkins Jersey . "Hes over there," the first baseman said. "You dont need to talk to anybody else." Indeed, Peralta did it all as the majors top team won again.SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres remembered Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn before Wednesday nights game and then went out and honoured him the best way they could. Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday. "It was a little different today," said manager Bud Black, who played with Gwynn for one season at San Diego State. "Even when the game was over. I think everybody handles what has happened with Tony a little bit differently." Before the game, Mark Martinez, Gwynns top assistant at San Diego State, threw the ceremonial first pitch to Black. The Padres players and coaches then gathered around a large No. 19 painted on the grass in right field, which was Gwynns number and position, and observed a 19-second moment of silence. "It all sort of hit home and Im sure that the stadium, not just the 25 players, but all of us here in the stadium, have come across Tony," Black said. Starters Felix Hernandez and Andrew Cashner pitched well but didnt get a decision. Hernandez struck out 10 and allowed only three singles in seven innings, with no walks. But he allowed the Padres to tie it at 1 on a wild pitch with two outs in the sixth. Everth Cabrera started the winning rally by beating out an infield single on a chopper against Charlie Furbush (0-4). Cabrera was sacrificed over by Alexi Amarista and scored on Medicas liner to centre. James Jones throw home was late and off line. It was Medicas second game-winning hit of the season. Medica had met Gwynn a few times, and had played against San Diego State while at Santa Clara. The Padres lost their first two games after Gwynn died, at Seattle. "You could see it on the road, even in Seattle, I mean, there were Tony Gwynn jerseys all over the place," Medica said. "You could see how much he meant to baseball, let alone the San Diego Padres organization. You could see it again tonight, and all the great things hes done for this team and for baseball. Im sure he was smiling down after that win." It was the mmost runs the Padres have scored in four games. Jarrett Jack Pelicans Jersey. They had lost three straight, including two in Seattle. Joaquin Benoit (3-0) pitched a perfect eighth. Huston Street worked the ninth for his 19th save in as many chances. Hernandez allowed a leadoff single to Seth Smith in the first and then retired the next 15 batters until Amarista beat out an infield single. Cashner sacrificed Amarista, who took third on Smiths groundout and scored on Hernandezs wild pitch to tie the game at 1. "It was a changeup and I threw it too hard," Hernandez said. "That was a tough loss for us. I missed a lot of pitches." Said manager Lloyd McClendon: "It was a tough game for the Seattle Mariners, not just Felix. Those things happen. They had their best guy on the mound and we had our best guy on the mound. It was one of those games where we knew it was going to be close." Cashner allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings, struck out two and walked two. The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the second when Mike Zunino was hit by a pitch, took third on Dustin Ackleys single and scored on Brad Millers single. NOTES: The Padres are wearing a patch with No. 19 inside a home plate logo on their jerseys, over the players hearts. Theyre wearing a JC star patch to honour Hall of Fame broadcaster Jerry Coleman, who died Jan. 5 at 89. ... The Padres have scheduled a public tribute to Gwynn for June 26 at Petco Park starting at 7:19 p.m., symbolic because Gwynn made his Padres debut on July 19, 1982. ... Seattle DH Corey Hart (strained left hamstring) and OF Michael Saunders (right AC joint inflammation) are expected to come off the DL on Friday. ... Padres 2B Jedd Gyorko, who has plantar fasciitis in his left foot, is out of a boot and cast but apparently is a ways away from returning. "Its been better," Gyorko said of the injury. ... The Padres plan to place 1B Yonder Alonso (sore right wrist) on the DL and bring up Jake Goebbert. ... The series concludes Thursday afternoon when Seattle RHP Erasmo Ramirez (1-4, 5.27) is scheduled to oppose RHP Jesse Hahn (1-1, 3.72). Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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