denime
07-25-2008, 06:12 AM
Nash 'pretty amazing' on a pitch
PETER MALLETT
TORONTO -- Steve Nash, the two-time NBA most valuable player, not only dazzled members of the news media with his soccer skills in a game against the media yesterday morning, he also confirmed his intention to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Vancouver.
The Vancouver Whitecaps have scheduled a news conference for this morning in Vancouver. A news release said the team "will be making a major announcement about the future of soccer in Vancouver and British Columbia."
"I'm just excited that I am part of a partnership group to bring MLS soccer to Vancouver," Nash said after the MLS All-Star Media Cup at BMO Field. "I think it is an outstanding soccer area and has a great tradition dating back to the Whitecaps of the [North American Soccer League] and all of the support that they drew.
Read more (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080725.SOCCERNASH25/TPStory/Sports)
Garber: McBride saga 'resolved'
During halftime of Thursday's MLS All-Star game, MLS commissioner Don Garber said that there would be an announcement regarding Brian McBride on Friday.
"It got resolved today," said Garber when asked about trade talks involving the Fire and Toronto FC. "We'll announce something tomorrow. Brian McBride will be in our league.
"It's taken us awhile to come up with a resolution that's fair. But that resolution is complete."
The Fire has been unable to sign McBride because Toronto owned the highest allocation ranking, giving it first dibs on any U.S. national team player returning to MLS. The two teams have been involved in ongoing trade talks since May but had been unable to come to an agreement.
Read more (http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/soccer_redcard/2008/07/garber-mcbride.html)
Fan protest puts damper on MLS showcase
Cathal Kelly (http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columnists/94561)
Five years ago, after their team had dropped a few games in a row, fans of Croatian side Hajduk Split snuck into the home ground one night. When the players showed up for practice the next morning, they found eleven graves dug in the middle of the pitch.
Milan supporters once protested a more rigourous frisking at the gate by smuggling a scooter into the San Siro, lighting it on fire and chucking it off a balcony.
Then there are the semi-regular locker room invasions, public beratings and the odd coordinated attack that fans in Italy, Spain and South America inflict on their beloved home sides.
Being Canadians, we prefer our protests more by way of Gandhi than Che. The local wrinkle being that we also try to bore you into submission.
The Toronto FC firms promised to disrupt last night's MLS all-star game by refusing to engage in it. They hoped to embarrass Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment on the phantom issue of expanding BMO Field to accommodate CFL games.
For the team's owners, it was a glimpse of what Leaf games would sound like if they were played outdoors. If the fans proved anything, it's that they are the best reason to attend a Toronto FC game.Read more (http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Soccer/article/467136)
Scarborough's De Rosario fires home winner
Hometown hero scores on penalty as record BMO crowd watches Blanco upstage Becks
MORGAN CAMPBELL
Malvern's Dwayne De Rosario played hometown hero with his winning penalty kick, but the all-star who shone brightest in the MLS squad's 3-2 win over West Ham was the big-name veteran who joined the league midway through last season.
You know the guy.
He's supposedly past his prime but still deadly on dead balls; a legend in his native land; a player so famous that when his MLS team announced they were signing him last year 5,000 fans showed up at the news conference.
Of course, you know him. He made his MLS all-star debut last night.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
What, did you think it was someone else?
Read more (http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Soccer/article/467138)
Canadian content hits the spot
LARRY MILLSON
TORONTO — Canadians Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad hardly had enough energy left to whimper "Let's play two" last night after helping the Major League Soccer all-stars defeat West Ham United of the English Premier League 3-2.
They were playing in their second game in the same day after each played the full 90 minutes for the Houston Dynamo in a 2-0 victory over D.C. United in an MLS game at RFK Stadium, which was delayed because of severe weather and did not end until early yesterday.
It turned out to be a particularly sweet homecoming for De Rosario, a native of Toronto, because he scored the winning goal in the 69th minute on a penalty kick before a record BMO Field crowd of 20,844.
And Onstad, a native of Vancouver, who took over in goal for the final 20 minutes, made a late-game save to ensure that MLS would win its fourth consecutive all-star game against European competition.
Read more (http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080724.wsptmls24/GSStory/GlobeSportsSoccer/home)
De Rosario lifts MLS all-stars over West Ham
By John F. Molinaro
On a night when all the focus was on David Beckham, it was Canadian Dwayne De Rosario who stole the show at Major League Soccer's all-star game.
The Houston Dynamo midfielder emerged as the hometown hero after he scored the winning goal in the 69th minute to lift the MLS all-star team to a 3-2 win over English Premier League club West Ham United Thursday night in Toronto.
With the game tied 2-2, De Rosario, from Scarborough, Ont., was tackled from behind after bursting into the West Ham box and then converted from the penalty spot by slamming a powerful shot off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.
"Man, what a great feeling. I couldn't ask for anything more," De Rosario said. "Scoring in my hometown in a game of this importance, it's a dream come true for me."
Read more (http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2008/07/24/mls-allstars-westham.html)
Kid has a lot of Gall
By DEAN MCNULTY (dean.mcnulty@sunmedia.ca)
The offensively challenged Toronto FC had a young striker with English Premiership experience within its grasp earlier this season but couldn't get his name on a contract because of Major League Soccer's policy of owning all league players.
Kevin Gall, a 26-year-old forward, even came to Toronto to train with TFC in March and was excited about joining up with his former Newcastle United coach, John Carver.
Gall, now back in England, told the BBC yesterday that he was impressed with the TFC program at BMO Field and didn't have any problems with playing on an artificial surface.
"It was a great place and I enjoyed my time there," Hall said. " I knew the coach (Carver) from my time at Newcastle and they have signed Laurent Robert, who would have been great to play with."
Read more (http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2008/07/25/6259896-sun.html)
Canada steals the show
Fans appeased by play of De Rosario, Brennan following anthem snubBy DEAN MCNULTY (dean.mcnulty@sunmedia.ca), SUN MEDIA
If Major League Soccer was looking for a home-pitch advantage against English Premiership side West Ham United in last night's all-star match at BMO Field, it started off on the wrong note.
And in spite of the 3-2 result over the Hammers, it took until the 59th minute and the arrival of Toronto FC captain Jim Brennan to lift the fans from their seats.
Not even the play of all-world midfielder David Beckham in the first half could draw cheers from the record 20,844 fans at the Lake Shore Blvd. stadium.
What started the fans' disenchantment was a decsion to play both the English and American national anthems in the opening ceremony for the ESPN-TV feed being broadcast back to the U.S.
It wasn't until after the TV opening was complete that the Canadian flag appeared and a Canadian Armed Forces honour guard was brought to sing O Canada.
Read more (http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2008/07/25/6259901-sun.html)
MLS keeps perfect record intact
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO -- When a weary Dwayne De Rosario finally arrived in Toronto on Thursday, he didn't know if he could even play, let alone contribute.
But in a game that was touted as David Beckham's long-awaited debut in Toronto, it was the city's own De Rosario that wound up the hero of the 2008 Major League Soccer all-star game.
The Canadian's penalty kick in the 69th minute gave the MLS All-Stars a 3-2 victory over English Premiership squad West Ham United at BMO Field, in the annual soccer spectacle's first foray into Canada.
"It's a great feeling, especially being in my hometown," De Rosario said. "Can't ask for any more. Fans were great, atmosphere was great. Scoring in my hometown is a dream come true for me playing a game of this importance."
Read more (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2008/07/24/mls_all_star_game/)
SUNSHINE (http://www.torontosun.com/SUNshineGirl/home.html)
:hump:
PETER MALLETT
TORONTO -- Steve Nash, the two-time NBA most valuable player, not only dazzled members of the news media with his soccer skills in a game against the media yesterday morning, he also confirmed his intention to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Vancouver.
The Vancouver Whitecaps have scheduled a news conference for this morning in Vancouver. A news release said the team "will be making a major announcement about the future of soccer in Vancouver and British Columbia."
"I'm just excited that I am part of a partnership group to bring MLS soccer to Vancouver," Nash said after the MLS All-Star Media Cup at BMO Field. "I think it is an outstanding soccer area and has a great tradition dating back to the Whitecaps of the [North American Soccer League] and all of the support that they drew.
Read more (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080725.SOCCERNASH25/TPStory/Sports)
Garber: McBride saga 'resolved'
During halftime of Thursday's MLS All-Star game, MLS commissioner Don Garber said that there would be an announcement regarding Brian McBride on Friday.
"It got resolved today," said Garber when asked about trade talks involving the Fire and Toronto FC. "We'll announce something tomorrow. Brian McBride will be in our league.
"It's taken us awhile to come up with a resolution that's fair. But that resolution is complete."
The Fire has been unable to sign McBride because Toronto owned the highest allocation ranking, giving it first dibs on any U.S. national team player returning to MLS. The two teams have been involved in ongoing trade talks since May but had been unable to come to an agreement.
Read more (http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/soccer_redcard/2008/07/garber-mcbride.html)
Fan protest puts damper on MLS showcase
Cathal Kelly (http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columnists/94561)
Five years ago, after their team had dropped a few games in a row, fans of Croatian side Hajduk Split snuck into the home ground one night. When the players showed up for practice the next morning, they found eleven graves dug in the middle of the pitch.
Milan supporters once protested a more rigourous frisking at the gate by smuggling a scooter into the San Siro, lighting it on fire and chucking it off a balcony.
Then there are the semi-regular locker room invasions, public beratings and the odd coordinated attack that fans in Italy, Spain and South America inflict on their beloved home sides.
Being Canadians, we prefer our protests more by way of Gandhi than Che. The local wrinkle being that we also try to bore you into submission.
The Toronto FC firms promised to disrupt last night's MLS all-star game by refusing to engage in it. They hoped to embarrass Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment on the phantom issue of expanding BMO Field to accommodate CFL games.
For the team's owners, it was a glimpse of what Leaf games would sound like if they were played outdoors. If the fans proved anything, it's that they are the best reason to attend a Toronto FC game.Read more (http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Soccer/article/467136)
Scarborough's De Rosario fires home winner
Hometown hero scores on penalty as record BMO crowd watches Blanco upstage Becks
MORGAN CAMPBELL
Malvern's Dwayne De Rosario played hometown hero with his winning penalty kick, but the all-star who shone brightest in the MLS squad's 3-2 win over West Ham was the big-name veteran who joined the league midway through last season.
You know the guy.
He's supposedly past his prime but still deadly on dead balls; a legend in his native land; a player so famous that when his MLS team announced they were signing him last year 5,000 fans showed up at the news conference.
Of course, you know him. He made his MLS all-star debut last night.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
What, did you think it was someone else?
Read more (http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Soccer/article/467138)
Canadian content hits the spot
LARRY MILLSON
TORONTO — Canadians Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad hardly had enough energy left to whimper "Let's play two" last night after helping the Major League Soccer all-stars defeat West Ham United of the English Premier League 3-2.
They were playing in their second game in the same day after each played the full 90 minutes for the Houston Dynamo in a 2-0 victory over D.C. United in an MLS game at RFK Stadium, which was delayed because of severe weather and did not end until early yesterday.
It turned out to be a particularly sweet homecoming for De Rosario, a native of Toronto, because he scored the winning goal in the 69th minute on a penalty kick before a record BMO Field crowd of 20,844.
And Onstad, a native of Vancouver, who took over in goal for the final 20 minutes, made a late-game save to ensure that MLS would win its fourth consecutive all-star game against European competition.
Read more (http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080724.wsptmls24/GSStory/GlobeSportsSoccer/home)
De Rosario lifts MLS all-stars over West Ham
By John F. Molinaro
On a night when all the focus was on David Beckham, it was Canadian Dwayne De Rosario who stole the show at Major League Soccer's all-star game.
The Houston Dynamo midfielder emerged as the hometown hero after he scored the winning goal in the 69th minute to lift the MLS all-star team to a 3-2 win over English Premier League club West Ham United Thursday night in Toronto.
With the game tied 2-2, De Rosario, from Scarborough, Ont., was tackled from behind after bursting into the West Ham box and then converted from the penalty spot by slamming a powerful shot off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.
"Man, what a great feeling. I couldn't ask for anything more," De Rosario said. "Scoring in my hometown in a game of this importance, it's a dream come true for me."
Read more (http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2008/07/24/mls-allstars-westham.html)
Kid has a lot of Gall
By DEAN MCNULTY (dean.mcnulty@sunmedia.ca)
The offensively challenged Toronto FC had a young striker with English Premiership experience within its grasp earlier this season but couldn't get his name on a contract because of Major League Soccer's policy of owning all league players.
Kevin Gall, a 26-year-old forward, even came to Toronto to train with TFC in March and was excited about joining up with his former Newcastle United coach, John Carver.
Gall, now back in England, told the BBC yesterday that he was impressed with the TFC program at BMO Field and didn't have any problems with playing on an artificial surface.
"It was a great place and I enjoyed my time there," Hall said. " I knew the coach (Carver) from my time at Newcastle and they have signed Laurent Robert, who would have been great to play with."
Read more (http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2008/07/25/6259896-sun.html)
Canada steals the show
Fans appeased by play of De Rosario, Brennan following anthem snubBy DEAN MCNULTY (dean.mcnulty@sunmedia.ca), SUN MEDIA
If Major League Soccer was looking for a home-pitch advantage against English Premiership side West Ham United in last night's all-star match at BMO Field, it started off on the wrong note.
And in spite of the 3-2 result over the Hammers, it took until the 59th minute and the arrival of Toronto FC captain Jim Brennan to lift the fans from their seats.
Not even the play of all-world midfielder David Beckham in the first half could draw cheers from the record 20,844 fans at the Lake Shore Blvd. stadium.
What started the fans' disenchantment was a decsion to play both the English and American national anthems in the opening ceremony for the ESPN-TV feed being broadcast back to the U.S.
It wasn't until after the TV opening was complete that the Canadian flag appeared and a Canadian Armed Forces honour guard was brought to sing O Canada.
Read more (http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2008/07/25/6259901-sun.html)
MLS keeps perfect record intact
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO -- When a weary Dwayne De Rosario finally arrived in Toronto on Thursday, he didn't know if he could even play, let alone contribute.
But in a game that was touted as David Beckham's long-awaited debut in Toronto, it was the city's own De Rosario that wound up the hero of the 2008 Major League Soccer all-star game.
The Canadian's penalty kick in the 69th minute gave the MLS All-Stars a 3-2 victory over English Premiership squad West Ham United at BMO Field, in the annual soccer spectacle's first foray into Canada.
"It's a great feeling, especially being in my hometown," De Rosario said. "Can't ask for any more. Fans were great, atmosphere was great. Scoring in my hometown is a dream come true for me playing a game of this importance."
Read more (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2008/07/24/mls_all_star_game/)
SUNSHINE (http://www.torontosun.com/SUNshineGirl/home.html)
:hump: