A turning point in Canadian soccer

I agree with you that it is the lack of professional management of soccer that affects our ability to do better. I just started a business where have a professional working coach from Europe and I have major resistance from local soccer organization because I've employed this individual to teach our community. The local people think they know better about how to coach than this individual where this person is only weeks away from getting his masters in coaching.

Unfortuately we have had many incompetent hacks given the responsibility of selecting our provincial and national junior teams, like Paul James, who have made egregiously bad selections and passed over some strong players who could have been developed into international calibre stars. It's time for some better coaches and talent evaluators.

The CSA has also done a woeful job in managing player development for several decades.

I fully understand that our soccer skills have developed rapidly over the years. I still cannot understand when I played back in the late 70's and through the 80's that we have not broken through in any new areas. The soccer at grass roots level is strong, however once you hit high school, or college it lacks any coaching or further future in the sport. The system has been fighting politics for far to long. It's time that soccer Canada looks inwards and asks "Ok we have not been able to qualify at the World Cup (ranking in the wordls 104th), our kids are better, on the brink of being a top 15 Nation, our ladies are kicking butt, where can we improve as a whole, and put the game ahead with the players.
Canada should look inwards and bring the coaches back that have the knowledge, and skills to improve the players at all levels just not at the National Teams level. I'm sure across Canada there is a few dimonds in the ruff, it starts there not when the players are older or at 15.
I'm a true hockey fan, but I get upset when I see a sport that we can excel at be brushed aside because the "front office' lacks the focus, and vision it needs to a system in place to help the kids.

Dear Mr. Edzerza,

re: your posting July 14th 2007...

A Master's degree in coaching?...I hope that this is not the norm. for 'educating, coaching' our
young Canadians in all/any sports, athletics, activities etc.

We have too many people in Canada fwaving a University Degree as a key to the ability to do
anything...be it training aspirants to sports or most other activities. We DO NOT need more and
more people in our country with degrees....having sat behind a desk for a few years these folk think
that they 'know a lot', when in truth they know and can do little.

Coaching, training, managing.......call it what you will requires first and foremost a great amount of
EMPATHY with human aspirations, and the tricky handling of 'win and lose'. A good coach must be
very PATIENT and PERSISTANT in his/her approach to training our youngsters. In the case of
soccer, we must remember that we are not only training legs and feet, we are moulding minds.

In Canada, most of our young folk want to be 'prima donnas'.........ie. I want to score the goals, I
want to jump the highest, or run the fastest. This 'push for the Gold' is both incorrect coaching,
counter productive, and a wast of time and money. To illustrate this, just take a look at the
images of most coaches and their reaction to their team's performance. In the case of a goal or
some other fwinning eat, the coach practically leaps over the moon wiith 'joy', in the case of a missed goal etc or a failure to score etc. the coach usually goes into an apoplectic rage....I certainly would not allow that type of person to coach my children.

Further to the above, Canadian coaches have got far too much of a stranglehold on their (young) charges. I have actually seen sportspersons look toward their coach on the sidelines before making a move!!....oh, yes, this is control if ever I saw such.

Coaches in Canada are far far to belligerent, these jocks (type A individuals) are not needed. We, in
our country need to help form teams or individuals who, first and foremost know and accept HOW
TO LOSE. Our countrymen/women must realize that 'going for the Gold' may seem to be the object
of thier happiness (or misery), but this is the wrong approach. They have to learn, under all situations
that THE GAME IS THE MOST IMPORTANT part of their work. If our sportspeople neglect this
attitude, then not only will we ultimately continue to be 'poor performers' but we will never set a
standard of excellence in any of our sport efforts. We need to learn that team sports means exactly
that.....team sporting. Each player must identify with every other player, the team must act as one.
The amount of empathy demonstrated by one team member to another (in soccer) can be seen when
a player sees a team-mate laying on the ground, and walks away without a helping hand and some
words of consulation for any injury etc. This attitude must be weeded out or our team sports, and be
replaced by a genuine concern for the team spirit. A similar approach applies to fouls, harsh
'tackleing', overly aggessive play, etc. In short we must act more like GENTLEMEN/WOMEN. This
does not mean that we will be viewed as weak, in fact it demonstrates a high degree of strenght.

Playing the game to the best of a team's ability is paramount. If we lose, so what?, in a decade
good or poor performance is forgotten anyway. Canada is in a position to demonstrate a new
approach to sports, athletics, etc....it is an approach which will finally permeate the world, not only
in sports etc.

No, coaching goes far far beyond a University degree, in fact it is far better that a coach or trainer
eschew the higher learning for a grand, compassionate and empathic approach to his/her work.
Without the right spirit in our training of young people, be it in sports, driving a train or working to recuce pollution, we will remain what we are now.........frustrated losers..

ps. this last line is NOT ment to denegrate the fine efforts of our sportspeople, but it is meant to
reflect the feeling that many Canadians show with respect to the subject.

E&OE

Well said Craig. I played a bit of soccer at the high school level and some adult play. However, for most of my life I played ice hockey, mainly because our small town at the time did not have soccer. I have a 6 year old son who has been in tots lessons for two years and he is now going to play league this year. He loves that game and is very excited about league play. Hockey is overrated. Because it costs so much it isn't even represented by the better part of the world. I want to see Canada invest in the world's game. If we can pour so much money in the winter Olympics for world wide prestige, then we should be doing it for men's and women's football. We'll look better as a nation throughout the world if we can compete at the highest level in soccer as that is what even the smallest of countries in the world aspire to.

I think you hit the nail on the head Craig. Players who have succeeded at the highest levels like yourself (and others who play in Europe's top leagues) did it in spite of the CSA not because of any support or training they got from the CSA.

The raw talent is here in Canada but we need to approach player development with the same professionalism, dedication and desire that players like yourself employed to get where they got. Unfortunately at the CSA and provincial levels there are too many personal fiefdoms and acceptance of mediocrity to currently to do this.

As an aside having Canada's U20 team player in Edmonton was a horrible decision. They would of had far more of an advantage playing all their matches in Toronto, Montreal or Ottawa where the artificial surface would possibly seens them past Austria or Congo. Crossing two time zones and playinig in the cavernous confines of Commonwealth stadium was no advantage at all.

I think this tournament represents a milestone: this is the first time that I can watch soccer at home because it is broadcast on channel 5 which is a channel we can get. All my three sons (age 8, 10, 15) are watching and have become hooked. They will be just as hooked as many hockey players partly because they can watch fantastic players on television. Keep broadcasting and Canada's soccer team will get better!!!

Great comments Craig. Thanks for being honest and taking some shots at CSA. Canada has wasted millions of dollars closing Canadian force bases all over our country. CFB Chilliwack could of been used after they spent millions renovating it and then closing it down shortly after. Now the RCMP and many other federal departments are taking advantage of this prime site. They are even talking about putting another University in. This would also be great for our kids if we had this soccer facilities, schooling facility and dorm accomodations with a climate to train 12 months a year. If the government can spend foolish money time after time on projects that do not pan out they can at least try to put their money into our Canadian soccer programs to compete against the best in the world. We in the Fraser Valley of BC had quality coaching until just recently when all of a sudden Colin Miller gets scooped by Derby. What a blow to our kids and the future kids in our local area.
Thanks
for listening
Dean Lang

Great comments Craig. Thanks for being honest and taking some shots at CSA. Canada has wasted millions of dollars closing Canadian force bases all over our country. CFB Chilliwack could of been used after they spent millions renovating it and then closing it down shortly after. Now the RCMP and many other federal departments are taking advantage of this prime site. They are even talking about putting another University in. This would also be great for our kids if we had this soccer facilities, schooling facility and dorm accomodations with a climate to train 12 months a year. If the government can spend foolish money time after time on projects that do not pan out they can at least try to put their money into our Canadian soccer programs to compete against the best in the world. We in the Fraser Valley of BC had quality coaching until just recently when all of a sudden Colin Miller gets scooped by Derby. What a blow to our kids and the future kids in our local area.
Thanks
for listening
Dean Lang

Craig,

I've found your commentary during the Austria v USA very biased. You were certainly favouring the American squad.

For the yellow card that resulted in the American player being ejected, it was clearly a 'cardable' foul despite your commentary to the contrary. Not only did the player "go to ground" he also raised his spikes to the knee level of the Austrian player.

Despite this, the biggest evidence of your bias was when the American side had the opportunity to score a header in the first half of extra time you stated "That should have been OUR equalizer there". I'm not sure why you would refer to the American side as "our" team.

I thoughout the game your commentary was consistently biased and you should be aware of this during future broadcasts.

Grant
Calgary

If Canadian Soccer is anything like Hockey, then it's my opinion that it is a network of connected individuals who have agreed to look after each other's interests. These are individuals more concerned with assisting each other at the cost of the sport. I'm talking about the old boy system of "you rub my back and i'll rub your's" . I've seen it in Hockey where mediocre players are given more ice time than they've earned due to the fact that they're parents are very well connected within the organization, or very wealthy.
That is, in my opinion, the reason why Canadian Sports will gradually erode away into nothing. That is why the UK and U.S. are light years ahead of us and that is probably one of the big reasons why talented athletes head south or overseas as soon as they can, because they realize early on that staying in Canada is paramount to Career suicide.
That's the way I see it.

Although the US just lost in the quarter finals it cannot be denied that they have made huge strides since they hosted the senior World Cup in 1994. I can recall when Canada regularly beat the US throughout the 1980s. Perhaps we should be looking at what they have done for some lessons on what we could/should be doing. If you look at their roster the majority of their players have a university scholarship background. Why couldn't the CSA look to partner with the CIS to provide leadership in coaching and player development??

Nothing is new in what u said Craig, We heard that many years ago and having a frustrated powerless few fans is not necessarily a turning point Craig..it takes more than that...Professionals like u have some power to speak loudly about this crisis otherwise it;s just gonna be another cheap talk.

The problem, in my view, is that Canada seems to model itself after the english system, with brit volunteer coaches teaching the same old hum-drum type of Soccer. What we need is someone to coach attractive attacking style Soccer, with lots of flash and pizzazz.

Kids will be more interested in Soccer if they learn foot skill through learning tricks (tricks are cool and at the same time teaches ball control)

I prefer the way the Dutch teach Soccer. It is difficult though when "the old boys network" blocks change for a better system. Overhaul the whole program with fresh blood and get rid of the old red tape and favoratism we have now. And build some more covered stadiums so we can play all year round.

Good post. But isn't De Rosario one of Canada's best players? I suppose the goal called offsides against the US was worth 2 goals (to both tie and win the game!). Careful with unnecessary hyperbole.

Craig,

I think you're absolutely right. The CSA is underfunded and with the funds it does have it seems ineffective at developing youth players. As you said, the good young players Canada develops go to Europe, often on their own, and I saw a feature on David Edgar that spoke all about how he went to England as a youth and it was due in great part because of his father's background in English soccer. Maybe the MLS will help in this respect, but the CSA still needs to make a strong effort to develop youth players. If Canada had such a thing, perhaps Jonathan DeGuzman would feel a greater connection to "Canadian soccer" and would be willing to play for the national team. I don't know enough specifics to suggest concerete solutions, but its clear that the CSA is not doing its job.

I also wanted to address your comments in the last article you wrote. While the debacle of Canada's performance isn't entirely Dale Mitchell's fault, I don't see how you can say he's free of any blame. Mitchell had at least a year to assemble and coach this team for Canada's biggest soccer games in 20 years. I know he doesn't play the game and I could attribute the poor performance against Chile to nerves, but the losses to Austria and Congo were pitiful and the failure to score a goal was embarrassing. It doesn't matter how well Canada played in friendlies against other teams who were likely testing different players, lineup combinations and strategies. Mitchell's entire job for a year or more has been to prepare players for this tournament and he failed. It could be that Mitchell did everything humanly possible, but I'd rather not take the chance and instead bring in somebody else who may have fresh ideas and the ability to inspire. Compare the U20 team to the national team's play in the Gold Cup. There was a world of difference and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I'd be much more comfortable with Stephen Head (or another qualified candidate, perhaps even a foreigner) coaching instead of Mitchell.

There is not way to conclude that the Canadian team was motivated for their matches. Their performance against Austria was so lacklustre in a must-win game there must be some element there that one can trace back to Mitchell. He didn't adapt the team's strategy against Chile and Austria after it clearly wasn't working and Canada was losing both games. He changed for Congo, but I don't give him credit for that because it was no-risk and the team needed a miracle performance to qualify. He had nobody in the midfield who took control of the game. Canada gave away the ball too often in the midfield and was unable to start many attacks from that area. He relied too much on long balls, particularly to Lombardo, against Chile, even after it became evident Lombardo was being outjumped and beaten to the ball by Chilean defenders. Playing with two strikers seems to have been a mistake because the attack was non-existent against Austria and Chile. Peters was neutralized well by opposing defences, but again, a coach needs to come up with strategies that force the opposition to adapt. Mitchell needed to change Canada's tactics so focusing on Peters (and to a lesser degree the two forwards) left another weapon able to capitalize. Instead, the opposing defences just focused on Peters speed down the wing and the long balls to the two forwards and were very comfortable. The opposition was never forced to change their tactics and that is part of Mitchell's job.

It's certainly not all his fault, but the CSA can't take the chance that he was blameless for the disappointment.

Very very well said Mr. Forrest. As a U15 player currently involved in the GTA's rep system, I can attest to the poor quality of youth development in this country. Our lack of success on the international stage is not due to lack of skill (a friend of mine recently moved here from England, where he played for a Wimbledon youth team, and he feels that many of the players at my school would have little trouble being scouted in England). The scouting system is awful, and does nothing to encourage development. And even if a player makes it though the youth system, there is nowhere for these players to go. I can only hope Toronto FC establishes a youth academy, similar to the program you described at West Ham. Only by mirroring the time-tested player development strategies of European clubs can we hope to realize the immense potential our young players possess.

Craig, some great comments but let's not forget our WNT program who presently have no support from the CSA. Seems very strange in this day & age when 43% of the CSA is female. After all the WNT has played a significant role in laying the foundation for FIFA events in Canada. All going well Canada will host the WWC in 2011.

Your points on bringing the Euro farm/apprentice system to Canada is spot on in conjunction w/ pro clubs. The grassroots is ready to support a system like this but presently there is no where to funnel upwards the elite players.

Like you I live in Ipswich & saw some of my mates go from the local Hadleigh United club into the ITFC system for a look. For sure the Brits know how to pick out the kids early, how to support & development them.

Craig, it's very true that player development must start at the grass roots. After the calapse of the NASL, Canada was never been able to develope a national soccer league. You've had, and still have , too many "little leagues" across the country and personally until we acquire individuals who fully understand the game, we'll never get anywhere. The MLS after the "94 World Cup made great strides to blossom a professional league and from the high school and college levels, numerous players have become bonified footballers in their country. Canadian kids can do the same as our American counterparts.

Craig:
First of all let me say that you are a great example to the many players in Canada. You are one of the few Canadian Soccer broadcasters that I really look forward to hearing. Keep up the good work. You also represented our country at a very high level and played professionally. I actually went to England to see one of your games. I have been involved in this beautiful game for over 50 years as a player, coach and referee. I have also represneted Canada at the international level and feel that I have a good understanding of the frustration that we all feel as I have seen footbal all over the world in all three of these categories.
It is quite simple here. We expect unreasonable results with a system that does not address the model that is necessary to produce such results. We must adopt the club development model if we want our top players to develop from the ages of 12 to 18. They have similar skill levels and can compete up to about 13 internationally. I've taken teams accross the waters and they have done very well agaisnt some of the professional academies. Where we fall down is after 12. We just do not have the infrastructue to develop to the next level. This is a combination of coaching and competition.
In order to have academies and top coaches we need money. That is why the USA has bounded past us over the past 20 years. They injected millions into thei programs . Lets look at the CSA budget and compare it to other countries. It is a joke. Yes if every player payed $20 more we could develop a better system. We as leagues and clubs are very hesitant though to pay more because of the lack of success.
The Whitecaps are leading the way here in Vancouver with a good club model. Thanks to Bob, Dan and Greg for that. Despite that injection of funds the people in Vancouver are stonewalling the stadium. I spoke on behalf of the stadium at council but it is very frustarting to see the lack of vision by many citizens here in Vancouver. Infrastructure will also dvelop players. Imagine our kids with a stadium to hope to play in some day. Do you think that kids in Mexico city, when they see a game at Azteca dream of playing there some day. Sure they do.We will see the benefits in a few years. The Whitecaps are starting an academy at BBY Central High School for the top players. This is an expansion of a program that myself and others developed a few years ago at the same school despite enormous resistance. The BCSA in its wisdom dropped the program. The beaurocrats seem to say one thing but do another. This is why we as leagues just do not want to support an increase in fees. The administrators do not use the funding to develop players.
Well, all in all the U20 was a good tool to measure our standing in the worlds. So if we are that unhappy what are we willing to do about it. I say we are willing to support the CSA, our professional clubs and spokespeople like yourself who are prepared to put their job and/or reputation on the line for the improvement of the game we love so much.

Hi Craig,
Barry Crocker from Abbotsford here,
I have beeen involved in soccer here in Canada at all levels from National Team as a Physio for about 16 years and at youth club level for 20 years.

Everyone has their comments on what the problems are with our soccer programmes but very few reasonable ideas on how to solve the problems are forthcoming. What we hear is we should do it like the British, or Dutch, or Brazilian etc etc. I do not believe we have to copy anyone on the way we play, what we have to do is copy one factor which is common across the World, that is to have a club system.

We as a club have no standing or voice, we are represented by a district which is made up of several clubs. The clubs may have different philosphies and immediately we have administrative problems.

We have to realise that 80% of soccer players in Canada are recreational players who play purely for fun and the healthy and social aspects of the game, leaving 20% of our players looking at the sport as a serious game which can be progressed to a career or educational opportunities, or national team aspirations.

We can assume that parents of all these players run the cubs, districts and even to a certain extent the provinces. Very often these parents are only in the game for as long as their kids are active so the continuity of a club is compromised. Also the philosophy of the of the club is based on the directors views and we have an 80% chance of it being recreational.

Here in Abbotsford, when we hired Colin Miller in 2000 as the Head Coach we had to decide how we could best use him to influence the club as a whole and to make sure his knowledge and experience was passed on to the elite players of the club.

We did this by separating the club into the development and recreational wings with different payment scales etc.

Colin Miller was responsible for the development of the top players through the schools of excellence and development programmes and was paid for by the increased fees. The remaining coaches in the club were influenced throuh clincs and attending the school of excellence sessions.

We did have the arguments of "why should I pay for someone else's kid to be developed?". We had to make sure that all knew that it was totally user pay. That is the same argument that comes up when Craig's suggestion that all players pay $20 per year, comes up.

It took some time before it was accepted by all in the club and we we still have explain it all on a regular basis.

The reason I have explained some of this is that I believe that the only chance we have in the country is to separate the recreational from the development player.

We must form a competitive national organisation for clubs. We must accept that there should be a certain amount of clubs in each province whose sole aim is to develop players in a competitive atmosphere in a professional environment. The involved clubs should be have a 7 or 8 year programme to enable the to produce a plan for coaching from 5 year old to U18. There must be a template in place to give a basic direction but all clubs will have their own interpretation of the player development. Clubs will have to prove that they are viable, have facilities, have a programme with a suitably qualified Head Coach. There is no reason why the clubs cannot have members in the club who play just as they do now as well as have players in a development system

Why can't we do this ?
The District/Provincial/ National Bodies hold all the cards and legislation is such that an organisation just cannot form such a league.

Seven years ago I was at the inaugaral meeting of USClub Soccer where the plan was formed to produce a body with minimal legislation and red tape and an emphasis on player development. The administration was such that they were able to do so. That is now one of the leading organisations in the US , and I believe that it is just one of the factors in the success the US is enjoying.

Several of us across Canada have formed Canada Club Soccer in an effort to bring together clubs that see the value in such an organisation. A short while ago we called a meeting in Toronto where well over 60,000 young players were represented by administrators and coaches from many clubs particularly from B.C. Ontario and Alberta. Along with messages and calls from other areas we felt that indicated that many people in Canada feel there is a need for change in our ideas for player development.

There is so much inertia in the admin system across Canada that we feel as if we are in a quicksand. If the CSA could just recognise that the current system is not working and that allow some discussion with soccer professionals it would be a start.

There are enough good coaches, enough good players and enough good club .
Just give us the chance.

I am a founder member of the Canada Club Soccer , but have written this as an individual who is frustrated seeing our soccer programmes not doing justice to many of the good young players we have in Canada

Our country needs a complete revamp of its whole entire soccer structure from the top, all the way to the bottom, starting with Bob Lenurduzzi. The faster we realize this, the better off our country will be in the soccer world.

First of all, let me say how much of a fan I am of you Mr. Forrest, I have watched your career since arriving in Canada. My comment, as it is, will be from a foreigner point of view. Canada has the resources to put a good team, but I believe that we should use some of the Nationalized players, we have talent from all over the world living in Canada, Canadian Citizens that is, that can make an impact on the international level. Canada, has grat talent locally, like yourself, De Rosario, Brennen,
pescholsolido as some examples, but there is thousands of nationalized players that don't get the call, Why is that? As a foreigner, now a Canadian Citizen, proud to be the red and white, we need to open the doors to these players. I believe that alone will make some difference.

I worry that the coach of the U-20 will be taking over the Senior Men's team and the result will be less goal scoring by all Canadian teams. The coach's job is to get the players ready to play and this includes the psychological attitudes and readiness to get the job done. It did not happen until the last game. By then it was too late. Hopefully it was not a harbinger of things to come for the senior team. With motivation and spark the Canadian team could have shown much better. I don't blame anybody, it is just what happened, and with a different set of characters the result might have been worse. There were players on the bench, however, willing to show what they could do.

Support has to come at all levels - especially locally. I want to draw attention to some horrendously poor attention given to fields and facilities in Toronto. Over the past decade all our fields have slowly been neglected and are now at a point where many are too frustrating to play on due to ridiculously bumpy conditions - you can't complete passes when the ball deflects off the very ground it's supposed to roll on!

Our men's team has many participants in various community football groups discussing this issue. What's worse, is that discussing this with Toronto city officials (city of Toronto, yes the outskirts are different) we get stonewalled without debate. Do you know what they're told when they try to address this worsening state of football fields? "Toronto is a baseball town". Period.

No democracy, no debate, no attention to the growing majority of participation of football players at the youth level. Only arbitrary decision-making by banana republic officials playing their little fiefdom games with our children's future.

So what happens? We (all of us) play game after game on poor, unlit fields (yes many are lit, but many more baseball diamonds are lit than football IMHO), next to empty baseball diamonds, immaculately manicured, lit, and often empty.

The game starts there, if we can't even get that support, lord help the CSA because that's where the children they're going to want to practice are playing and the mindset they're up against.

I totally agree with Don Aurora who made a comment earlier about stupid coaches like Paul James taking initiative of our Provincial and National teams. Paul James is an example of a coach that selects players based on connections rather than talent. We need more genuine coaches here in Canada that can identify true talent to better or youth system.

CSA as do the provincial associations, have a problem. I have been coaching for the last ten years or so. I have obtained my preB provincial licence.

In order for me to take my Provincial B, I have to pay $350 (which I can't afford) and travel to Edmonton for a week, the week being when schoolstarts and I can't be away from home. This year the ASA is putting a B licence course in Calgary, thefirst week of school.

They really don't seem to take into account we the minor coaches who volunteer our 100 hours or so per year to coaching in a sport we love, as their schedules and timing are far more important.

The question I have though is where are the provincial coaches doing any types of seminars to educate us. The only ones available are through local clubs that bring someone over from the UK, or this year the Calgary Minor Assoc holding it in the middle of the season, when we all have games scheduled.

As a coach it is frustrating, as I wish I could learn more but I'm left to my own devices. Inhaving said that I am very fortunate to have a great technical director at my club who does teach us how to work with our player and spends the time doing so.

We also have the Alberta Soccer Association putting the kibosh on the Super Y league in Alberta. It was great for the season it lasted. To Barry Crockers point, the possibility was there for our kids to compete at a higher level, yet the ASA couldn't see the benefit, I think because they wouldn't have control.

I just wanted to say that Craig Forrest is a person that should be admired by all Canadians especially those with options to play for countries other then Canada. He has blessed Canada with his talent but also with his heart and passion for the game. I loved hearing him say during the world cup commentaries that if he had a chance for playing for Canada he would do it all over again. We should be proud of our country and help it get international recognition, and not bailing on a team because you do not believe in it. If you believe in yourself, it is all that matters, and we should love and appreciate our country for all it has to offer to Canadian-born players as well as foreign-born Canadians like myself. Thank you for the memories Craig Forrest!

A good article with insights from a great former player...having said that, I'll also add that the issues Mr. Forrest is pointing out are age-old issues and we have not solved them in Canada.

Besides the actual mechanics of our system and player development (or lack thereof), there are two more or less overarching barriers that soccer faces in Canada: a) our sports culture is still mostly hockey-based and also contains a lot of football and baseball, i.e. the American sports; b) there is not much money to be made at lower levels of soccer in Canada.
In Europe, where you have 2, 3, sometimes 4 divisions besides the actual national pro league - all of them professional or semi-professional, meaning that all the players get paid to some extent for playing and entertaining the spectators - there is lots of room for good players to move up and move around. In Canada, a player is either stuck player recreational type of soccer, albeit sometimes on a high level (premier divisions in most big cities are at a high level...), or they end up playing outside of the country, in Europe or the MSL. Beyond the varsity level, there is no other outlets for many players who end up going through the university system (what happens 90% of the time is you graduate from your alma mater and have to go into the wide world and get a job, not look around at what soccer teams would want you).

What I am saying is this - we have little depth in this sport in Canada. In order to produce a selection of outstanding players and build a decent national team programme, we need to create this depth and also need to widen the field of players to choose from. In Germany, there are millions of people playing soccer ever weekend, from kids through to Bundesliga. Italy, same thing. Brazil, same thing. The Dutch actually have the highest ratio of registered soccer players (i.e. on club level) to the general population...something like 1 out of every 15 people in the Netherlands is playing competitive soccer at some level. Now there's depth. And you can eventually find a Gullit, van Basten or Robben among those crowds of players.

Really nicely said:)

Our Canadian Team is very strong at playing systems and defending at all cost. Canadian soccer lacks flair and imagination because we are trained to coach system as opposed to style and imagination. All of the Canadian players have all the skills and physical attributes required to play the game but play like clones of each other when the time comes to step on the pitch. When eveyone is afraid to take a chance, beat a defender or assume responsibility our players hide under the guise of our system. We as Canadians have many more resources available to our players yet we choose not to take advantage of them. We need more soccer schools, year round training and outside support for training and evaluation. Why not bring in a proven top notch coach and evaluation team to assess our current system and make recommendations to change our style. Too many players are falling by the wayside and opting to play for other countries because of this. Can you imagine if Gretzky or Bobby Orr deciding to play for Ukraine or Scotland because there is no incentive to play for their own country?We've lost some key players to other countries because our development and evaluation program is weak and lacking a clear vision and direction. We continue to recycle our coaches and utilize a system that scored no goals in Mexico and other tournaments, but we are all o.k with this. We have to start thinking outside of our little box and look at what the world has to offer us!

Craig,

Finally, some truthful comments from you. After the last article about Mitchell I thought there was no hope.

Since you see that there is a problem with the system, and being in the position that you are in, why don't you stand up and help the youth of Canada who's voices are not being heard by the CSA? There is a problem. The CSA will not listen to the public. Perhaps if something is said by those who became something without their help, they will note the error in their ways and pay more attention to the future of our country.

I know for sure that players would pay a small amount for professional coaches, it is currently being done, but will that help when the CSA ignores those teams or players who have had that coaching? Those players are not necessarily being picked to represent their province, again whether their skills are exceptional or lacking. Politics overrides all of this.

It's time for you to stand up for soccer in Canada. Help us get the attention of the CSA. Help us make the change. No number of letters from "Joe Blow Canadian" is going to effect a change with the CSA, we need your help and the help of other "famous" Canadian soccer players to make this happen.

Are you up for that challenge?

Well said, Mr Forrest, and all the rest which have focused more on the institutional part, and real cause of the problem, rather then the individual players, coaches, and psychology..

Now, let's build this infrastructure and institution. From soccer schools, camps, recruiting, all the way to proper athletic medical care and international competitions....

Chris

After years of being forced fed Premier football at pubs around town by all of my buddies, I finally
gave into this great sport about four years ago.No more NHL I'm afraid, especially after the strike a few years ago that left a permanent scar on this "Canadian sport". My eleven year old son is playing rep soccer now and the hockey equipment has been put away. Premier soccer on the TV every Saturday and Sunday morning at our household.
The only thing that we are missing in Canadian soccer/football now is an ambassador to the sport to help promote it.

Hey maybe Don C can give us a hand!

Great Comments Craig,

I'd like to add to that by saying that many coaches here turn the game into such a constupated system that all flair and love for the game is lost. I lived in France for two years and you can see the players' development in the streets and at school. We all played for fun and tried new tricks and plays, then when we attended practice the coaches would just run some drills, let us play and correct any mistakes.

I played as the starting keeper and we managed to win the regional championship, I came back here looking for a team and I was told no by every team because I didn't "play" the position right (I played more of a sweeper keeper type position). It seems there is a "system" of play in place here, and given our successes or lack thereof the system needs to be changed. There is a serious lack of teamwork, flair and most of all comraderie with our teams at all levels and the blame lies squarely on our coaching and the CSA for its lack of action. We need academies with professionals who understand the game and most of all understand people.

Go ahead and bash the CSA but it was obvious that most of the Canadian players just didn't have the basic ball control skills to compete at this level.

I think a large part of the problem is cultural. We have a hockey culture not a soccer culture. How many kids play soccer as a passion and spend hundreds of hours playing "pick up" soccer, practising skills and tricks, etc? I suspect that the vast majority of kids who play soccer in Canada only play organized soccer. It's not a passion and our culture doesn't encourage it. Just compare the media coverage of Sidney Crosby to any young Canadian playing in the UK Premier League. I compare that to the pick up games of soccer I saw in Sudan, played on a dirt airstrip with a ball made of plastic bags and string. That's passion for soccer.

The other factor is climate. Let's be honest, in many parts of Canada you can't go outside and play soccer for 7 months of the year. Not a great situation for skill development. And what's our substitute - indoor soccer which looks an awful lot like hockey.

I'd love to see Canada be a major soccer nation but I doubt it will happen any time soon.

In response to John Ridden dated july 14, wow you got all that from my comments that this" coach is almost finished his master in Kinology" This coached was also on the youth national team of croatia before he had career ending injury. He now has the highest coaching licience in the world a UEFA A Level Certificate. He also lectures at their local university to other coaches with similar qualifications. His main focus in the pursuit of developing elite soccer players where he has to develop training methods to train athletes from grass roots to professional players. He understands all the psychological, mental, emotional and physical development of athletes.

I have worked with this individual for the past 2 years and he has trained my son for the same amount of time. This individual does not demonstrate any of the behaviors you have described and in fact all the youth he has trained have formed a close bond with him. I am a level 3 coach, played and coached for 20 years and I am still amazed and challenged by this coach's knowledge and ability as a coach. This was why I started a business surrounding this person coaching skills. The problem is that like all the other people have mentioned, " there is the old boys club" (CSA, PSA and LSO) who have made a business out selling us the idea that they have the skills to make our kids elite soccer players. These organizations have form a organizational structure which maintains their power base to benefit from the parents and children's hopes. I am overly generalizing but they is alot of this in the structure which has made it difficult to bring an individual like this person I have talked about to teach our kids what European kids learn very early in their development.

The dynamics I am describing are all soccer organizations are linking bureaucratic allegiance to "workable routines," with the concern for "job security " All one would have to do is check the personal records of our soccer organizations or even look how CSA rewarded our coach for a job well done. The other point in the study of bureaucracy, here is a quote from Max Weber:

Once it is fully established, bureaucracy is among those social structures which are the hardest to destroy. Bureaucracy is the means of carrying "community action" over into rationally ordered "societal action." Therefore, as a instrument for "societalizing" relations of power, bureaucracy has been and is a power instrument of the first order- for the one who controls the bureaucratic apparatus.

The perspective I bring is I believe that we have the numbers (all youth playing soccer) to develop but we lack true professional coaches who have the necessary qualifications. The coaches should have similar training requirements as teacher and governed by a coaching regulator body before they can market themselves as professional. Also there needs to be a method other than voting our CSA,Provincial soccer ass'n and local sport organization board members out, in order to hold them accountable.

A great mind once said" you can not expect the consciousness that develop the problem to solve it." I believe we need to move from there..

... on the front lines advocating for change that make sense.......... Ken

I mostly agree with what you are saying. However, it is important to note that when bringing up young talent the CSA most also not turn their back on their own players. point to be made, is Owen Hargreaves. I have been watching his career since he was 16. Last year, when his name came up during the World Cup, many who just learned of him called him a turncoat etc. for "turning his back" on Canada. This in fact was so far from the truth. It was the CSA that turned their back on him. As a Canadian-born Brit, like him, I fully understood his decision, and if I had been in the same position would have done the same. He owed nothing to his country of birth, when the soccer association turned their back on him. I fear the same might happen to Jonathan DeGuzman.

The CSA if they want results must not turn their backs on young players.

I agree with your comments Craig, and I really like Barry Crocker's idea of separating recreational play from competitive.

My comment is:
Let's not shoot ourselves in the foot by taking sides for systems or skill. The truth is we are under developed/coached in both. Timing is the key. Both skill and fun should be the target at young ages then gradually apply it to a system. By 15-18 focus will shift to mostly team play and systems. To my knowledge this is the formula that most centers use and it does not nescessarily need to be tampered with. Like Craig said it just needs to be much more heavily endorsed and supported.

As a player and coach, I'm not sure if we need scoring to sell the game. When I see kids playing in the street in Europe they are usually playing games of possession, not shooting at makeshift nets. Its not "constipated" its controlled. You can't play dump and chase style soccer and use the fore check. Teach our kids to keep the ball, play it simple. Only a small number of players will actually be goal scorers, players need to learn how to make the game fun (not always synonomous with exciting to watch) without having to put the ball in the net. If the kids like it it will grow, I think the bottom up approach is needed. Look at how skateboarding took off.

Great analysis Greg,

So how do we turn things around?

1) Support WhiteCaps bid for a new Stadium - maybe calling out the City council on live television may bring some needed attention.
2) Encourage TFC to built an Academy for boys and girls
3) It may be the perfect time to introduce a Canada Cup Tournament.. we can call it the "Forrest Cup"

I think from all the posts on this blog, we can safetly agree where the problem of soccer lies in our Country. The Bureaucracy of the CSA
So what can we do about that? Lots of finger pointing,rationalizations and only if scenarios
I want to know what I can do, Im tired of pitching my 2 cents

There is been lack of organization and a lot of politics involved in the game of soccer all along it is been said that to be the best you have to be english or scotish or at the latest any european decent as a player as a coach,as a ref or as any position at all levels of soccer withing the country.Even if you have the courses and licences that CSA requires to coach at any level if they don't like you,you don't get asigned due to the famous political moves that they do withing the provinces and the country in general...in Alberta to be exact the ASA have kill the game period instead they have focuse in making by laws and regulations like if that is more important that player development besides all the organizations are volunteer base and they have no respect or appretiation for knowledge as they don't know about soccer at all.

The problem with Canadian soccer is that they think that the whole of soccer in Canada revovles around Toronto.There are lots of good players else where in the country that are not on provincial teams because of the distance they have to travel to a so called main center.The amount of players they have in each age group at the provincial levels are to small,they need mutiple centers and at least 40 + kids at each age instead of developing just a hand full.Until the CSA actually gets serious about getting organised in each province and getting a set standard of coaching from coast to coast we will keep getting performances like we seen in the under 20's.Only 3 out of that team were any good, the passing ,movement and decision making were terrible no wonder they never scored.The OSA needs some re-organising and tap into the vast amount of good players playing outside of Toronto.It is called the OSA no the TSA for a reason.

Now that the MLS has been so successful in Toronto and the USL is firmly established in Montreal and Vancouver, I have always believed the system I propose would assist to quickly develop soccer from the grassroots to the professional level in Canada.

This system would see the following teams in the ;
1.MLS: 4 teams: Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal
2. USL; 8 teams: Victoria, Calgary, Saskatoon/regina, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Quebec City and Halifax
3. Development leagues (2 divisions, west and east of 10 teams each for cities with populations of 150,000+) This will total 32 teams, each with their respective reserve squads. Provincial soccer associaitons and soccer development centres would continue to assist to direct approrpriate under age players into this system.
I have always felt that a partnership with an established league such as the CFL would greatly assist soccer in Canada. Development and enhancement of stadiums to meet minimum standards would also be required.
I can see a similar set up for womans soccer in Canada. Obviously attracting 1.2 million spectators to the 2007 FIFA U-20 tournament clearly shows soccer is a lucrative and attractive venture that if marketed properly and supported by such a system, will encourage home grown development and investment.
I cannot see why professional soccer would not floursh. I can easily imagine the day when Canada is in the top 20 of the worlds rankings and fighting it out with the USA and Mexico for the top spot in CONCACAF. Private industry, Corporate Canada and all levels of government need to work together to set up and maintain this system. If it is a specific, appropriate, attainable product that is marketable and measurable, I feel its success would only be limted by one's imagination.

Everybody involved with developing elite soccer players in Canada will tell you that one of the biggest problems we have is not enough money is allocated for this.
My question then is, why do countries who are much worse off financially than Canada, like the African and Central and S. American countries, are able to produce some of the best teams and players in the world?

Uhm! let's recall some words from your Article
"We need better coaching which costs money. Professional people" => Which is to say, NOBODY in Canadian Soccer Culture will be able to get Soccer Senior Men Team to World Cup 2010?
I'd agree if CSA would had listened the Proposal of the Brazilian Coach in Feb-07 for a 7 year Plan to COLLECT Players and TEACH Coaches. The Plan was to lay ground for Canadian Soccer Platform from Now and Future Generations, with a Variety of European, South American Soccer Soccer Styles.
Another one:
"Canada represents the world from every corner", indeed it is, though the South American Soccer Style (also practices as Amateur level) should also be Part of those corners as You've mentioned.
In sum, there's Future for Canada in the Soccer arena, provided CSA officials OPEN THEIR MIND and LISTEN.
Lucky your self to get into English Premiership, during your prime ages; but how about the countless Canadian South-American Soccer Players in this Country?
I agree CHANGES are NEEDED. but LISTEN ALL CORNERS!!!