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  #181  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2020, 8:52 PM
elly63 elly63 is offline
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'I think he might smoke me!' - Liverpool youngster Millar on Alphonso Davies' Bayern rise
Neil Jones sportingnews.com 06/02/2020

Liam Millar starts with a confession.

“I used to think I could take Alphonso in a race,” the Liverpool youngster laughs. “And then I watched the Chelsea game…”

The Alphonso he is referring to, of course, is Alphonso Davies, the Bayern Munich star, and Millar’s international team-mate with Canada. ‘Fonzie,’ to his friends.

Just 19, Davies is already emerging as one of the world’s brightest young talents. He is the poster boy of Canadian football, the great hope in what many feel is the country’s ‘golden generation.’

. . .

Last edited by Xelebes; Jun 14, 2020 at 6:45 PM. Reason: Don't post full articles
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  #182  
Old Posted Jun 13, 2020, 6:28 PM
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Canada I really, really do want to see them qualify for Qatar 2022. I really do but I doubt it. Why? Canada even though they have a golden generation of players in this current set up, this current crop of CanMNT players have failed to live up to expectations. They haven't won any CONCACAF Gold Cups under Herdman and they have not qualified for a World Cup since 1986. By 2022, it would be 36 years since Canada was last there.

2026, we are hosts yes but if it had not been for FIFA awarding us the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a co host with USA and Mexico, do you all think Canada realistically would have any chance at qualifying if Morocco won the bid instead of us? We basically got a freebie for 2026.

I mean don't get me wrong Canada has the quality, the individual quality to qualify for a World Cup. Or we should but for every single major tournament, Canada can't seem to put it all together. I wonder if it is mental? Or if it is just something else that holds Canada back from their true potential.
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  #183  
Old Posted Jun 13, 2020, 7:06 PM
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Canada I really, really do want to see them qualify for Qatar 2022. I really do but I doubt it. Why? Canada even though they have a golden generation of players in this current set up, this current crop of CanMNT players have failed to live up to expectations. They haven't won any CONCACAF Gold Cups under Herdman and they have not qualified for a World Cup since 1986. By 2022, it would be 36 years since Canada was last there.

2026, we are hosts yes but if it had not been for FIFA awarding us the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a co host with USA and Mexico, do you all think Canada realistically would have any chance at qualifying if Morocco won the bid instead of us? We basically got a freebie for 2026.

I mean don't get me wrong Canada has the quality, the individual quality to qualify for a World Cup. Or we should but for every single major tournament, Canada can't seem to put it all together. I wonder if it is mental? Or if it is just something else that holds Canada back from their true potential.
I agree we have the most talented crop of players in a long time but the changes in the WC qualifying format for CONCACAF don't do us any favours. The refereeing standard in CONCACAF leaves a lot to be desired as well.

I think should make it more difficult for visiting countries to play Canada by bypassing the bigger cities and playing home matches in places like St John's, Saskatoon, Victoria etc. This would prevent a lot of the expat support away teams get and also make it more difficult them to travel and settle before matches. We employed a similar strategy when we qualified for Mexico '86 and only played one match in Toronto during qualification. If we can win the majority of matches at home and grind out some results away our qualification prospects would improve.
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  #184  
Old Posted Jun 13, 2020, 11:17 PM
elly63 elly63 is offline
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Canada I really, really do want to see them qualify for Qatar 2022. I really do but I doubt it. Why? Canada even though they have a golden generation of players in this current set up, this current crop of CanMNT players have failed to live up to expectations. They haven't won any CONCACAF Gold Cups under Herdman and they have not qualified for a World Cup since 1986. By 2022, it would be 36 years since Canada was last there.

2026, we are hosts yes but if it had not been for FIFA awarding us the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a co host with USA and Mexico, do you all think Canada realistically would have any chance at qualifying if Morocco won the bid instead of us? We basically got a freebie for 2026.

I mean don't get me wrong Canada has the quality, the individual quality to qualify for a World Cup. Or we should but for every single major tournament, Canada can't seem to put it all together. I wonder if it is mental? Or if it is just something else that holds Canada back from their true potential.
I believe Mr Herdman would like to address this post (starting at 7:10)
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  #185  
Old Posted Jun 13, 2020, 11:36 PM
elly63 elly63 is offline
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I think should make it more difficult for visiting countries to play Canada by bypassing the bigger cities and playing home matches in places like St John's, Saskatoon, Victoria etc. This would prevent a lot of the expat support away teams get and also make it more difficult them to travel and settle before matches. We employed a similar strategy when we qualified for Mexico '86 and only played one match in Toronto during qualification. If we can win the majority of matches at home and grind out some results away our qualification prospects would improve.
A couple of the reasons given to play in Toronto or Montreal is that they are the only stadiums that have turf which most players prefer to play on They are also easier to get to with flights from Europe.

Having said that, we have played WCQ on artificial turf in Vancouver and there wasn't much fallout from that. Aside from (unfortunately the best stadium in the country - Regina) every major stadium has an acceptable FIFA 2 star rated artificial surface. The only problem with Regina is that the football markings are permanently embedded in the surface, so that kills it for the CMNT.

Traveling fans will get to the games that they want to get to, it is up to Canadians to get off their ass and go support the team. The classic story is that a bunch of Hondurans ended up in Saint John NB in 1986 instead of St John's.

In the past the CMNT's reluctance to play outside Toronto has hurt them, the women would play anywhere marketing themselves across the country, that's why Canada is one of the few places where the women's team are better known and supported than the men.

It's slowly changing though, as history reversed itself with one man hurting the program (The Ho) and another resurrecting it (Phonsie)
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  #186  
Old Posted Jun 14, 2020, 3:01 PM
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Alphonso Davies is ranked amongst top 10 young footballers in the world as it stands in 2020, he is 9th on that list. But next to him you have stars in Jonathan David and Liam Millar who have that potential to be as special or as world class as Davies but they need to move to better clubs.

The rest of Canada's team right now for the Men they play in clubs all across Europe and North America and we should do that more especially if we want to succeed and become a superpower in CONCACAF
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  #187  
Old Posted Jun 14, 2020, 5:40 PM
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Liam Millar who have that potential to be as special or as world class as Davies but they need to move to better clubs.
Better than Liverpool?
If David is able to continue his past history he will move on to a big club, everybody is already looking at him.
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  #188  
Old Posted Jun 14, 2020, 6:31 PM
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Better than Liverpool?
If David is able to continue his past history he will move on to a big club, everybody is already looking at him.
Yeah because Liam is not getting any playing time over there but apparently Manchester United, Arsenal, RB Leipzig, Dortmund, AC Milan and Inter Milan are interested in David
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  #189  
Old Posted Jun 15, 2020, 1:47 PM
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Yeah because Liam is not getting any playing time over there but apparently Manchester United, Arsenal, RB Leipzig, Dortmund, AC Milan and Inter Milan are interested in David
I'd much rather David go to a Bundesliga team like Leverkusen where he'll be a starter rather than going to United or Arsenal and toiling on the bench.
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  #190  
Old Posted Jun 15, 2020, 3:58 PM
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I'd much rather David go to a Bundesliga team like Leverkusen where he'll be a starter rather than going to United or Arsenal and toiling on the bench.
If he goes to Leverkeusen I wouldn't mind it but a perfect move for him would be AC Milan especially with the youth movement they have already in place over there, David would fit right in
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  #191  
Old Posted Jun 15, 2020, 8:05 PM
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I'd much rather David go to a Bundesliga team like Leverkusen where he'll be a starter rather than going to United or Arsenal and toiling on the bench.
If the press on this story can be believed, I think he would rather go to Germany.
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  #192  
Old Posted Jun 15, 2020, 8:09 PM
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If the press on this story can be believed, I think he would rather go to Germany.

Then Dortmund or Leverkeusen make sense
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  #193  
Old Posted Jun 17, 2020, 11:56 AM
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Alphonso Davies is officially a Bundesliga champion now...so damn proud of him winning the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich...that is 8 consecutive titles for Bayern Munich now as a club in the Bundesliga. Now if Alphonso can win the UEFA Champions League title with Bayern Munich, he would be a shoe in for that Golden Boy award.
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  #194  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2020, 2:27 PM
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Now Davies wins Bundesliga Rookie of the Season
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  #195  
Old Posted Aug 19, 2020, 10:41 PM
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Lille announce signing of Canadian Jonathan David
Associated Press August 11, 2020

Canadian forward Jonathan David has completed his record-breaking transfer to Lille on a deal that runs through 2025.

The French club, whose full name is Lille Olympique Sporting Club, unveiled its new signing via a video showing off a highlight reel of his goals. Another video showed the 20-year-old parading around the team’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy with a Canadian flag.

David, voted Canada’s player of the year in 2019, arrives from KAA Gent in the Belgian league where he tied for leading scorer with 18 goals this season.

Lille said David, with 48 goals and 20 assists in 95 games in all competitions in his first two pro seasons, "has lit up the playing fields" since his arrival in Belgium in 2018.

"We are very proud today to welcome Jonathan David, a great talent who has already demonstrated at his young age all his potential and his many qualities within the Belgian championship," Lille CEO Marc Ingla said in a statement Tuesday.

"He is a player with not only great physical and technical abilities, but also mental qualities which make him particularly alert, agile and decisive."

The transfer is a Canadian-record transfer fee of 30 million euros ($46.8 million), according to a source not authorized to speak on the record.

The previous Canadian record transfer was Alphonso Davies’ move to Bayern Munich from the Vancouver Whitecaps. That July 2018 deal involved a fixed transfer fee and additional compensation that could total more than $29.25 million.

David will help fill the void left at Lille by the July 31 departure of Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen to Italy’s Napoli for a reported 70 million euros ($109.3 million) plus another 10 million euros ($15.6 million) in bonuses.

"This is a very good team with great players," David said in a statement. "I want to play and to progress and I think that this is the perfect place. I’m a player who knows his place on the pitch. I love to play to my qualities — notably with speed and technique."

Lille (15-9-4) was fourth in France’s top-tier Ligue 1 when the season was put on hold due to the global pandemic. England’s Leeds United and Arsenal were also reportedly interested in the young Canadian.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., David was three months old when his family moved to its native Haiti and six when the family came north to Ottawa.

With 11 goals in just 12 senior appearances, he is already halfway to matching Dwayne De Rosario’s Canadian men’s record of 22 national team goals. De Rosario, who doubled as an attacking midfielder and forward, compiled his total in 81 games between 1997 and 2015.

"He’s a special talent," Canada coach John Herdman said last September. "I think he’s got big things coming."

Six of those David goals came at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he won the Golden Boot as top scorer and was named to the tournament’s Best XI.

A forward with a nose for goal, David can find a crease in the defence and is able to score with both feet or his head.

A trial with KAA Gent came in 2017 after a scout saw him on video. He went to Belgium twice that year, spending time with the second team before earning a full-time invitation. After finishing high school in Ottawa, he returned to Europe to focus full time on his soccer.

David had to wait until he turned 18 in January 2018 before he could sign a pro contract. In June 2018, he turned heads in Canadian colours at the renowned Toulon youth tournament in France.

He moved up the ranks rapidly after starting with the Gent reserves.

David made his senior debut for Canada in September 2018 in an 8-0 Nations League qualifying game against the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thirty-two minutes into the match, he was the youngest player ever to score for the country on his debut. Another five minutes later, he was the fifth player to score twice in his first outing for Canada.

David set a Canadian men’s record with eight international goals in 2019, a mark matched soon after when fellow striker Lucas Cavallini tied the eight-goal record a month later.

David, who grew up a striker but he is comfortable playing all across the frontline, joined a select group with 20-plus combined goals for club and country.

Since the turn of the century, Canada Soccer says only five other Canadian men have scored 20-plus goals in a calendar year: Tomasz Radzinski (2000, he also did it in 1999), Simeon Jackson (2009), Olivier Occean (2011), De Rosario (2011) and Cyle Larin (2015).

Last edited by elly63; Aug 19, 2020 at 11:53 PM.
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  #196  
Old Posted Nov 17, 2020, 2:52 AM
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Tony Waiters, who coached Canada to its only World Cup appearance, dies at 83
The Canadian Press November 10, 2020

Tony Waiters, who coached Canada in its only appearance at the World Cup and led the Vancouver Whitecaps to the North American Soccer League championship, has died. He was 83.

Waiters will be forever linked to one of Canada’s biggest soccer memories — the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The Canadian men failed to score a goal or register a point but held their own against mighty France, Hungary and the Soviet Union.
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Canada has been trying to get back to the World Cup since.

“It’s with heavy hearts and much sadness that we must inform of the passing of our beloved Tony,” his family said in a statement Tuesday. “He achieved a great deal in his life, his legacy speaks volumes. Our family is beyond devastated with the loss of a wonderful husband and a hero of a father.”

Canada Soccer called Waiters “a tremendous ambassador for the game.”

“His passion for football and the people he touched throughout his career is unparalleled in Canada,” added former Canadian international goalkeeper Craig Forrest.

“This one hits hard He gave so much to Canadian soccer and so much to me personally,” former Canadian 'keeper Paul Dolan said.

“Tony was a gentleman, leader, mentor and one of the most significant people in Canada football history,” said HFX Wanderers FC coach Stephen Hart, a former Canada coach himself.

Waiters, a former England goalkeeper, is also remembered as a coach who always had his teams organized and prepared.

Going into the ’86 World Cup, Waiters admitted to being “a little bit nervous.” Star-studded France was European champion and Hungary had beaten CONCACAF’s El Salvador 10-1 at the 1982 tournament.

“My fear was we could get blown out of the water and it would just reflect on the game in Canada,” Waiters said in an April interview. "The way that we prepared was that we were going to be combative and competitive. And that wasn’t difficult with the Canadian players because they worked very hard in practice, to get themselves fit, to get themselves right.

“We played a high-pressing game and we competed. It was a great experience. What I was concerned about was being embarrassed. And we weren’t embarrassed.”

Under Waiters, the Canadian men also reached the quarter-finals of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, eventually losing to Brazil in a penalty shootout.

Waiters came to Canada to coach the Whitecaps during the 1977 NASL season after being fired as manager of Plymouth Albion. At the time, he thought he might only stay for a few months.

But Canada became his home, with the Whitecaps becoming a sensation after defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 1979 Soccer Bowl.

Waiters lived most recently on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, where he built a home three years ago.

He remained closely involved with the game. He was president of the National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada at the time of his death and served as an adviser to soccer organizations on both sides of the border. He worked with Cliff Avenue United FC, a team in Burnaby, B.C., looking for ways to bring inner-city children to the game he loved.

He also operated World of Soccer, a long-standing company that offered a wide array of coaching manuals. It was a family affair, with wife Anne overseeing the operation and daughter Victoria handling the graphics.

“It keeps me out of mischief,” said Waiters, who also had a son, Scott.

Waiters never lost his eye for talent, enjoying the growth of Canadian international Alphonso Davies. “He’s quite remarkable.”

Waiters was born Feb. 2, 1937, in Southport, just north of Liverpool, on the English coast. He served in the Royal Air Force and earned his teacher’s certificate in physical education from Loughborough College.

“Liverpool’s my team in the sense that I was brought up 18 miles from Anfield,” Waiters said. "I spent two seasons on the staff, which was the best soccer experience that I’ve ever had. Because [manager Bill] Shankly was there, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, the whole Merseyside atmosphere.

“It was terrific, actually. I think I learned more [there] than at any other ... time in the game.”

He started his playing career as an amateur with Bishop Auckland in 1957 before moving to Macclesfield Town. But he spent the bulk of his career with Blackpool, making more than 250 appearances from 1959 to 1967.

He won five caps for England in 1964 under Sir Alf Ramsey at a time when Gordon Banks was early in his career as England No 1.

Waiters retired at 30, eventually working for England’s Football Association. He recalled doing a goalkeeping presentation in Blackpool, which one participant called “naive in concept.”

He ended up at the English national training centre that summer at Lilleshall. When an instructor was called away, he did the same presentation on short notice and was offered a job at Liverpool.

“It was simple and to the point,” Waites said of his presentation. “And that’s what I continued to learn when I went to Liverpool football club. Shankly, he’d say ‘Play it to the nearest red shirt. The giving and taking of passes is the essence of football.'”

Shankly made Waiters Liverpool’s youth coach. After a year, Waiters looked at Paisley and Fagan and wondered how he would get past them. “And I knew I couldn’t. I had no right to do so.”

Instead of going into management on his own, he got an offer from Jimmy Adamson of Burnley. The Burnley goalkeeper at the time was Peter Mellor, who had a dislocated shoulder.

He was asked to come in as a player coach to back up Mellor. “Two weeks later I was back in the First Division.”

Mellor eventually needed an operation so Waiters had another year and half before retiring in 1972.

Waiters then got into coaching full-time, working at Coventry City with Noel Cantwell and then Tranmere with Ron Yates, a former Liverpool centre back who was player-manager. He also served part-time as manager-coach of the England youth team.

A scouting trip for Chelsea at Plymouth Albion with his wife somehow led to a job interview after the game.

“I ended up at Plymouth [in the Third Division]. I was there for five years. Four of them were good. The fifth one got me to Canada,” he said.

Waiters brought in Paul Mariner and Billy Rafferty to lead the attack. Plymouth, once battling to avoid relegation, reached the League Cup semi-final in 1974 and won promotion to the Second Division after the 1974-75 season.

FIFA and the English national team were among those honouring Waiters on Tuesday.

Plymouth observed a one-minute silence for its “club legend,” flying the flags at Home Park stadium at half-mast.

“An extremely popular person, as well as football coach, Waiters' management style was well ahead of its time,” the club said in a statement. “Under the Southport-born manager’s leadership, the club developed Harper’s Park, the training ground still used today, as well as adopting the use of video analysis.”

But back then money was tight and the club had to sell players.

“Things deteriorated the final season. And that gave me the opportunity to come to Canada,” Waiters said. “I needed a job. It was towards the end of the season when I got fired. And jobs weren’t going to come too quickly at the time.”

Waiters was hired on a short-term contract by the Whitecaps during the 1977 season.

“The way we viewed it, we’d use it as a working holiday and then get back and see what we could do back in the old country,” he said. “But things went well and the next thing was they got me tied down to a three-year contract. And in the third year, we won it all.”

Waiters inherited a solid roster in Vancouver, saying he could have “turned out a team of Canadians without using any import players and been competitive.”

But he added to that talent, bringing in wingers Gordon Taylor, now chief executive of Professional Footballers' Association, and Derek Possee, formerly of former Tottenham and Millwall, among others.

In his first full season with the Whitecaps, Waiters led the team to a 24-6 record and the conference semi-finals, good enough to earn the NASL’s Coach of the Year honours.

The ’79 championship team featured Whitecap icons Bob Lenarduzzi and Carl Valentine and big-name imports such as Alan Ball, Roger Kenyon and Kevin Hector.

The Whitecaps dispatched the rock-star New York Cosmos in the ’79 playoff semi-finals and then sealed the deal with a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay at Giants Stadium before 50,699, thanks to two goals by former England international Trevor Whymark.

A crowd of 100,00-plus welcomed the team home. Vancouver was in love with the Whitecaps. But it was to mark Waiters’s swansong with the team.

“Changes were made. I ended up being the president and general manager which didn’t suit me. And so I resigned and went working for the Canadian Soccer Association.”

He was hired as Canada’s head coach and manager on Dec. 4, 1982, helping Canada qualify for the 1984 Olympics just 16 months later.

The Canadian men had a good run at the Los Angeles Games, eventually losing to Brazil in a penalty shootout after the game finished tied at 1-1. Waiters never forgot an offside call that cost the Canadians the go-ahead goal.

“If I showed you the video, you’d see that it wasn’t,” he said. “That would have put us through.”

The Canadian men have never been back to the Olympics.

Colombia was originally slated to host the 1986 World Cup but gave way to Mexico. The U.S. failed to reach the final three-team round of CONCACAF qualifying, finishing runner-up to Costa Rica in its group.

So Canada was the only CONCACAF team to qualify, booking its ticket with a famous 2-1 win over Honduras in St. John’s, N.L., on Sept. 14, 1985.

The Canadians were in unaccustomed circumstances in Mexico, in elite company. Waiters recalled his players looking at the French stars across from them in the tunnel waiting to take the field in Leon in their first game.

“They were lined up waiting to go on and they’re looking across and they’re seeing Michel Platini and saying ‘What are we doing here?'” Waiters said.

But Canada proved a tough out. The French hit the woodwork three times but did not go ahead until a 79th-minute goal by Jean-Pierre Papin that proved to be the difference.

“We were a bit unlucky against France in the opening game because we should have repelled the goal. It was a bad play from a throw-in,” Waiters said.

“But we created a good impression because a lot of people watched that game.”

There were two unfortunate goals in the 2-0 loss to Hungary. A bad bounce in the penalty box in the first. The second came after Canadian 'keeper Tino Lettieri made a good save, only to see a rebound knocked in.

“By the time we played Russia, all of our directors had gone home because they had assumed it was all over,” Waiters recalled. “Had we won that game — had we, we didn’t — we would have a stood a chance of qualifying because of the number of teams that did qualify for the second round.”

The Soviets won 2-0 and Waiters’s team was done. Thirty-four years later, Canada has yet to go back.

“People say ‘Oh you did great, went to the World Cup.’ But there’s no satisfaction really to have gone there and not gone again,” Waiters said.

Still, he took solace in the advances that were to follow thanks to Major League Soccer.

Waiters stepped down as Canada coach after the World Cup but returned for a second stint from October 1989 through the 1991 Gold Cup. He was influential away for the pitch, using his coaching expertise with both CONCACAF and FIFA.

Waiters was awarded the Aubrey Sanford Meritorious Service Award in 1996 for outstanding service to Canadian soccer. He was inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Soccer Hall of Fame in British Columbia as part of its inaugural class in 2019.
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  #197  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 11:30 PM
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TFC's Ayo Akinola accepts invite to Canadian national team camp
20-year-old also eligible to play for U.S., Nigeria
Neil Davidson The Canadian Press Dec 23, 2020

Toronto FC striker Ayo Akinola will get a chance to see how the other half lives next month at a Canadian national team camp in Florida.

The 20-year-old Akinola, who was born in Detroit but moved to Canada when he was one, is eligible to play for Canada, the U.S. and Nigeria. He made his debut for the U.S. senior side earlier this month, scoring in a 6-0 win over El Salvador, but was not cap-tied since the match was a friendly.

Akinola, whose Canadian-born younger brother Tom has featured in the Canadian youth setup, has come up through the U.S. ranks and played at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.

Canada Soccer has stayed in touch with Akinola, who turned heads with five goals in two games at the MLS is Back Tournament in July. He finished with nine goals in 15 MLS games this season.

"He's got big decisions to make. We're very respectful of that," said Canada coach John Herdman. "The one thing he has wanted is that opportunity to experience Canada. There are some big pros and cons for the decision both ways, whether it's the U.S. or Canada.

"We've had a lot of conversations over the last seven, eight months and he's kept his word to come in with us," he added. "We'll just be ourselves and show him what Canada has to offer."

Akinola still has time to ponder his international future. But the clock is ticking with World Cup qualifying and the CONCACAF Gold Cup looming in 2021.

The 28-player Canadian camp is slated to run Jan. 9 to 24 in a bubble at the IMG Center in Bradenton, Fla, where the WNBA returned to action. It will include two training scrimmages against as-yet-unannounced opposition as well as a Canada intra-squad scrimmage.

Marcelo Flores is another talent with international options invited to the camp. The 17-year-old Canadian-born forward, who is in the Arsenal setup, has already featured in the Mexican youth program thanks to his father's bloodlines. Canada Soccer would like to claim him.

Two other camp invitees have already opted for Canada.

Theo Corbeanu, an 18-year-old from Hamilton, has switched allegiance from Romania to Canada. He made the bench Monday for Wolves' 2-1 loss at Burnley in English Premier League action.

Frank Sturing, a 23-year-old defender from the Netherlands who is eligible for Canada through his parent's bloodlines, has also declared for Canada. A centre back currently playing for FC Den Bosch in the Dutch second division, he was part of the larger Canadian squad for the postponed CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship.
"There's been some good work done behind the scenes during this period," said Herdman, referencing the players choosing Canada.

Herdman has a lot to do in a short time, with CONCACAF World Cup and Olympic qualifying set to start in March and the Gold Cup in July. And he knows things could change quickly given the pandemic.

The January camp falls outside of the FIFA international calendar, so Herdman has elected to focus on players out of season in North America and Europe. Twenty-two of the 28 players are from Major League Soccer, including seven from Toronto FC, six from the Montreal Impact and four from the Vancouver Whitecaps.

1 CPL player to attend camp


The Canadian men, currently ranked 72nd in the world, have not played since Jan. 15 when they lost 1-0 to Iceland in Irvine, Calif. That friendly followed a camp in California and a pair of 4-1 wins over Barbados on Jan. 7 and 10.

The pandemic subsequently grounded the Canadian program. A men's camp planned for November in Europe was called off on the advice of medical experts.

Herdman knows COVID-19 could still affect the January camp. Two invitees — Flores and Corbeanu — are with English clubs with travel to and from Britain complicated by the discovery of a new strain of the virus there.

Marcos Bustos of Pacific FC is the lone Canadian Premier League player summoned although Impact defender Joel Waterman previously played for Cavalry FC.

Akinola, Corbeanu, Flores, Sturing and Waterman are among 11 newcomers to the senior squad. The others are Cristian Gutierrez of the Whitecaps, Dayne St. Clair of Minnesota United, Alistair Johnston of Nashville SC, Tajon Buchanan of New England Revolution, Ralph Priso of Toronto FC and Belal Halbouni of Germany's SV Werder Bremen.

Gutierrez, who was born in Quebec but moved to Chile when he was three, represented Chile at youth level but is in the process of changing his international allegiance.

Buchanan, Johnston and St. Clair all turned heads in MLS this season while Priso looked older than his years in brief appearances for Toronto.

There are 18 players born in 1997 or later, making them eligible for the rescheduled CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship.

Veterans called up include Mark-Anthony Kaye of Los Angeles FC, Lucas Cavallini and Maxime Crepeau from the Whitecaps, Richie Laryea and Jonathan Osorio from Toronto FC, Samuel Piette from the Impact, Tesho Akindele from Orlando City SC, and Samuel Adekugbe from Norway's Valerenga Fotball.

Canada is scheduled to finally open its 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign March 25 at home to Bermuda, the first of a possible 20 matches if the Canadian men are to book their ticket to Qatar.

After opening Group B play against No. 169 Bermuda, the Canadians play March 28 at the 193rd-ranked Cayman Islands and June 5 at No. 200 Aruba before wrapping up first-round play June 8 at home to No. 141 Suriname.

Full roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); James Pantemis, Montreal Impact (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).

Defenders: Derek Cornelius, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Belal Halbouni, SV Werder Bremen II (Germany); Kamal Miller, Montreal Impact (MLS); Frank Sturing, FC Den Bosch (the Netherlands); Joel Waterman, Montreal Impact (MLS); Samuel Adekugbe, Valerenga Fotball (Norway); Zorhan Bassong, Montreal Impact (MLS); Zachary Brault-Guillard, Montreal Impact (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, New England Revolution (MLS); Cristian Gutierrez, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Nashville SC (MLS); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS).

Midfielders: Tesho Akindele, Orlando City SC (MLS); Marco Bustos, Pacific FC (CPL); Liam Fraser, Toronto FC (MLS); Mark-Anthony Kaye, Los Angeles FC (MLS); Noble Okello, Toronto FC (MLS): Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Samuel Piette, Montreal Impact (MLS); Ralph Priso, Toronto FC (MLS).

Forwards: Ayo Akinola, Toronto FC (MLS); Lucas Cavallini, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Marcelo Flores, Arsenal (England); Jayden Nelson, Toronto FC (MLS); Theo Corbeanu, Wolverhampton Wanderers (England).
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  #198  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 11:32 PM
elly63 elly63 is offline
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Canadian Alphonso Davies named to L'Equipe's world team of the year
Edmonton native, 3 Bayern teammates on squad assembled by French newspaper
The Canadian Press Jan 04, 2021

Canadian star Alphonso Davies earned another honour Monday, named to L'Equipe's world team of the year for 2020.

The 20-year-old fullback from Edmonton is one of four current Bayern Munich players on the all-star team assembled by the respected French sports daily. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, midfielder Joshua Kimmich and striker Robert Lewandowski are also featured, as is former Bayern midfielder Thiago Alcantara, now with Liverpool.

Davies has already been named to the FIFPRO men's World 11, the first North American to be voted onto the all-star squad by his peers. In 2020, he won the Champions League, Bundesliga title. DFB Cup and UEFA Super Cup with Bayern. He was named Bundesliga rookie of the year for 2019-20.

The L'Equipe world team also includes Liverpool defenders Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander- Arnott, Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Paris Saint-German forward Neymar.

There was no place for Barcelona star forward Lionel Messi.
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  #199  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 11:35 PM
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Canadian international Liam Millar joins Charlton Athletic on loan from Liverpool
21-year-old forward from Brampton, Ont., had been playing with club's under-23s
Neil Davidson The Canadian Press Jan 06, 2021

Canadian international Liam Millar has joined Charlton Athletic on loan from Liverpool through the end of the season.

The 21-year-old from Brampton, Ont., who impressed during two previous loan spells at Scotland's Kilmarnock, has been playing with Liverpool's under-23 team.

Charlton (9-5-5) currently stands sixth in League One, the third tier of English soccer. The London club is managed by former Leeds United midfielder Lee Bowyer.

Millar's preferred position is left winger, although he can also play on the right or up front.

"He's an exciting player, he wants to travel with the ball and he wants to go past people, that is what we need," Bowyer told the club website.

Millar, who has won eight caps for Canada, made his first-team debut for Liverpool last February in an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Shrewsbury Town.

Millar's father Alan spent several years in the Charlton system an injury cut his career short.
Liam Millar, who grew up playing for Brampton Youth SC and North Mississauga, moved to England with his father to pursue his soccer dream when he was about to turn 13.

He found a soccer home at Fulham, drawing the attention of Liverpool after a fine under-16 season and an impressive showing against the Reds in a friendly. His family eventually reunited in Liverpool.

A young Millar — at 10 or 11 — didn't make the cut during a tryout with the Toronto FC academy. He was told he was too small.

Millar was 14 when he made his debut in the Canadian youth program in 2014. He made his senior debut in March 2018 against New Zealand in John Herdman's first game at the men's helm.
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  #200  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 11:39 PM
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Canada calls up 16-year-old Toronto FC midfielder Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty
Brampton, Ont., native is youngest-ever call-up by the national men's team
Neil Davidson The Canadian Press Jan 09, 2021

Toronto FC midfielder Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty has been summoned by Canada, making the 16 year-old the youngest-ever call-up by the national men's team.

Marshall-Rutty turned 16 on June 16. The previous youngest men's call-up was Alphonso Davies, who was also 16 when he got the invitation on June 6, 2017 — the same day he got his Canadian Citizenship.

Marshall-Rutty has five days on Davies when it comes to call-ups. But Davies, who made his debut for Canada against Curacao a week after being called into camp, will remain the youngest Canadian male to earn a cap.

Marshall-Rutty saw just 18 minutes of action in MLS play with Toronto last season, coming off the bench in a 5-0 loss in Philadelphia on Oct. 24.

Fellow Toronto midfielder Jacob Shaffelburg and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder/forward Theo Bair, both 21, have also been added to the roster for the Canada camp, slated to run through Jan. 24 in a bubble at the IMG Center in Bradenton, Fla, where the WNBA returned to action.

The camp officially started Saturday, although some players are still in transit.

It's the second national team call-up for both Shaffelburg and Bair. Shaffelburg has won one cap for Canada while Bair has two.

Coach John Herdman originally called up 28 players for the camp. Canada Soccer has yet to confirm whether all 28 will make it given the pandemic, injuries and travel issues.

The Canada camp is expected to feature two training scrimmages against as-yet-unannounced opposition as well as a Canada intrasquad scrimmage.

The camp falls outside of the FIFA international calendar, so Herdman has elected to focus on players out of season in North America and Europe. Twenty-two of the original 28 were from Major League Soccer, including seven from Toronto FC, six from the Montreal Impact and four from the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The roster includes Toronto FC striker Ayo Akinola, who was born in Detroit but moved to Canada when he was one. He made his debut for the U.S. senior side earlier this month, scoring in a 6-0 win over El Salvador, but was not cap-tied since the match was a friendly.

Akinola is eligible to play for Canada, the U.S. and Nigeria.

The Canadian men, currently ranked 72nd in the world, have not played since Jan. 15, 2020, when they lost 1-0 to Iceland in Irvine, Calif. That friendly followed a camp in California and a pair of 4-1 wins over Barbados on Jan. 7 and 10.

They face a busy 2021 with CONCACAF World Cup and Olympic qualifying set to start in March and the Gold Cup in July.
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