FIFA U-20 Bloggers

Dick Howard joins CBC's broadcast team as a studio analyst for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. A former Canadian national team member and coach, a former professional soccer player, and a member of the FIFA Technical and Development Committee, Howard brings exceptional knowledge to the team.

Howard is also revered as a seasoned World Cup soccer journalist and broadcaster.  An in-depth knowledge of the global game led to his involvement as an on-site colour commentator on CBC Radio for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, and his broadcast career has continued to the present day.  At the conclusion of the 2006 World Cup, he had covered more than 300 games in five World Cups as a studio analyst for The Sports Network (TSN) and was an on-site reporter for EURO 1996 and 2000 as well as a studio analyst for EURO 2004.  Additionally, Howard hosted a popular series on classic FA Cup Finals on ESPN Classic Canada and continues to work as a colour commentator on the Fox Soccer Channel.

Howard's professional playing career started with Chester FC in England in 1965 and concluded in 1976 with the Boston Minutemen of the North American Soccer League.  In his 11 years as a goalkeeper, he played for the Hamilton Primos, Detroit Cougars, Rochester Lancers and Toronto Metros.  He was selected for the All-Star teams of all the leagues in which he played in North America and represented Canada in the qualifying rounds of the 1974 World Cup.

Howard has had an extensive coaching career at all levels of the game, including being a member of the coaching staff of the CanadianU-16 andU-20 national teams as well as the World Cup Team in 1981 when Canada came within one goal of qualifying for the World Cup Finals in Spain. He was also Canada's first evernational goalkeeping coach.

In his role as CSA Technical Director from 1986-92, Howard was instrumental in developing the mini-soccer manual and for the implementation of the unique Soccer 2000 concept across Canada. He has since written several coaching manuals, co-authored a book on soccer with the late Ben Wicks, and was a soccer columnist for the Toronto Sun during the 1990's.

Howard is the most experienced FIFA Coaching instructor in North America and has conducted more than 50 FIFA projects in 30 countries around the world since 1988.  He has also been a member of the prestigious FIFA Technical Study Group at three U-20 World Championships in Portugal, Nigeria and Argentina, as well as at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.  In addition he was a member of the FIFA planning group for the unique FUTURO world wide education program.

Howard was appointed to the FIFA Technical and Development Committee in 1998 and is also currently Chairman of the CONCACAF Coaching Committee.  He was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.

John F. Molinaro is a reporter for CBC Sport Online whose chief love is international soccer. John served as senior editor of Sports Online's Euro 2004 website, which helped him win a CBC.ca Award of Excellence, and was the driving force behind our coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He holds an honours BA in sociology from York University and a print journalism diploma from Sheridan College, and is also the author of The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time (Stewart House, 2002).

Mitch Peacock joins CBC’s broadcast team for the FIFA U-20 World Cup as a sideline reporter. A feature host and sideline reporter for CBC’s Major League Soccer broadcasts, Mitch is also an anchor on theFox Soccer Report and host of MLS Pulse.

Peacock’s career as a sports broadcaster began in 1995 when he first took to the radio airwaves doing Junior ‘A’ hockey play-by-play. After several years calling games at the Major Junior and Minor Pro level, Mitch graduated to the NHL in 2000 as host of Calgary Flames radio.

In May of 2003, Peacock moved to television as a sports anchor for Global TV Regina. In autumn of that year he joined what is now known as the Fox Soccer Report as an anchor and reporter.

Experienced in the booth and studio as well as on the pitch, Mitch is a former soccer defender and goalkeeper and played one season of collegiate soccer as a fullback at SAIT(Southern Alberta Institute of Technology).

Holder of a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta, Peacock also combined education and athletics while taking graduate courses at Queen’s University where he played a season of Varsity Hockey for the Golden Gaels.

Nigel Reed will lend his extensive experience, passion and knowledge of the game of soccer to his role as play-by-play announcer for CBC’s coverage of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Also known as the voice of CBC’s Major League Soccer broadcasts, Reed has more than 20 years experience covering soccer, most notably a five-year stint from 1999 to 2004 where he was a host and producer for the English Premier League for BBC.  He also covered English Premier League giants Liverpool and Everton for BBC Radio and provided analysis for both BBC TV and the BBC web site.

More recently, Reed was an analyst and reporter covering the 2006 FIFA World Cup for Toronto sports radio station the Fan 590, where he also hosts The Soccer Show, a weekly platform he has used to become one of the country’s most noted commentators and promoters of the sport.  Reed is also the English-language voice for Italian Serie A Championship Soccer on TLN.

Covering Blackburn’s Premiership winning season in 1995 and his involvement in Liverpool’s triple winning campaign in 2001 are among his career highlights. Reed firmly believes that professional soccer in Canada can both survive and thrive.