Match Picks of the Week

Selected games to watch from British Columbia's top senior men's and women's amateur leagues.
Please check league schedules for late changes.

PACIFIC COAST SOCCER LEAGUE

Monday May 20

Vancouver Whitecaps FC   Peninsula Co-Op Highlanders (Women)
3:00pm Simon Fraser University

 Tuesday May 21

TSS Academy vs Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Women)
7:00pm Minoru Oval

Wednesday May 22

Estrella de Chile vs Khalsa Sporting Club
8:30pm Newton Athletic Park #3

Victoria Highlanders vs Victoria United
7:00pm Hampton Park

Thursday May 23

Vancouver Thunderbirds vs  Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC
8:00pm Thunderbird Stadium

Saturday May 25

Kamloops Heat vs Victoria United
7:00pm Hillside Stadium

Victoria Highlanders vs Khalsa Sporting Club
3:00pm Tyndall Park

Okanagan FC vs Peninsula Co-Op Highlanders (Women)
2:00pm UBC Okanagan

Kamloops Heat vs Fraser Valley Action (Women)
2:00pm Hillside Stadium

Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC vs   NSGSC Eagles (Women)
2:00pm Coquitlam Towncenter

Sunday May 26

Bellingham United vs Vancouver Thunderbirds
3:00pm Civic Stadium

Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC vs  Victoria United
3:00pm Charles Best

Kamloops Heat vs Peninsula Co-Op Highlanders (Women)
12:00pm Hiilside Stadium

Okanagan FC vs Fraser Valley Action (Women)
2:00pm UBC Okanagan

NSGSC Eagles vs Abbotsford FC (Women)
6:30pm Windsor Secondary Turf

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Wednesday May 29

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Montreal Impact
7:00pm PDT BC Place, Vancouver

Whitecaps next on TV...

Wednesday May 29

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Montreal Impact
7:00pm Sportsnet One

Neither Vancouver Whitecaps FC nor Victoria Highlanders FC will field a USL W-League team in 2013. Both clubs however will play a full Pacific Coast Soccer League season again in 2013.

Canada's Other Teams

Waterfront Stadium

We can continue to dream!
Friends of Soccer
Stadium Now

BC League Schedules

CIS Canada West - Men
CIS Canada West - Women
Fraser Valley SL - Men
Lower Island Women's SA
Metro Women's SL
Pacific Coast Soccer League
PACWEST
SFU Clan - Men (NCAA II)
SFU Clan - Women (NCAA II)
Vancouver Island SL - Men
Vancouver Metro SL - Men
BC Soccer Premier League
Youth Leagues - Boys
Youth Leagues - Girls

MLS, NASL, USL Schedules

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Toronto FC
Montreal Impact
FC Edmonton

International Tournaments

Today in Football History

24 May 1999
Canada wins 2:0 over Mexico in a Women’s International Friendly match in Vancouver, BC. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc posts her first clean sheet in just her second match (her first as a starter).
(Canada Soccer)

friday, may 24, 2013

Whitecaps’ striker Kenny Miller addresses rumours of return to Scotland: ‘I’m contracted with Vancouver’ - Metro
In his own words, Kenny Miller doesn’t “live on another planet,” which means he’s aware of the persistent rumours of him heading back to Scotland. For months, Miller’s name has been linked to a return to Rangers in Glasgow. “I’m contracted with Vancouver until the end of the season, so it’s as simple as that,” said Miller, the Whitecaps’ 33-year-old striker.

Brovsky bounces back from break - Montreal Gazette
Other than a small scar on the bridge of his nose, along with a smaller one beneath his left eye, Jeb Brovsky appears fine and healthy, the nose relatively straight. And he’s not lost his sense of humour. “I asked for the Brad Pitt nose. I don’t know what they gave me. I haven’t looked in the mirror,” the Impact defender said.

Impact look forward to Nesta's return ahead of busy week of MLS action - Canada.com
Having Alessandro Nesta back on the field this week was a welcome sight for the Montreal Impact. The former Italian international defender has battled a nagging adductor injury since the third game of the Major League Soccer season, but looks ready to play again.

Toronto FC coach says playoffs still possible - Toronto Star
Post-practice press conferences are becoming more and more cryptic at Toronto FC's training ground, beginning with head coach Ryan Nelsen's insistence on Thursday that the MLS playoffs are still well within reach.

Toronto FC injured list grows ahead of visit to New England Revolution - Canada.com
Toronto FC is hurting ahead of Saturday's away game with the New England Revolution. Manager Ryan Nelsen says the injured list includes Justin Braun, Danny Califf, Bobby Convey, Richard Eckersley, Stefan Frei and Darel Russell.

Toronto FC growing pains continue: Will it get worse before it gets better? - WFP
A year ago at this time, the perennial MLS underachiever was 1-10-0 in the league basement and had just fired manager Aron Winter. Today the club sports a new president, manager, chief scout, two new assistant coaches and has brought in 19 new players since the end of last season. The team is 1-6-4, proving that progress can be painfully slow. It stands 18th in the 19-team league, is winless in nine league games and has lost four straight.

David Beckham To Earn Huge Windfall From New York’s MLS Expansion - Inside Soccer
As part of his deal with MLS when he played for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Beckham was given the right to buy an MLS expansion team for $25 million. The league has confirmed that Beckham has been having discussions with MLS recently about doing just that. Grabbing an MLS team for $25 million would be a huge windfall for the 38-year old Beckham.

Yankees To Partner With Manchester City In New York MLS Expansion Team - Forbes
It will be the 20th team in the league and the expansion fee is $100 million, according to sources familiar with the transaction. The most recent expansion fee paid was $40 million for the Montreal Impact in 2010.

Dos Santos to coach Ottawa Fury in NASL - Sportsnet
The Ottawa Fury has signed former Montreal Impact coach Marc Dos Santos to lead the club when it begins play in the North American Soccer League next season. Fury president and owner John Pugh made the announcement Thursday. Dos Santos signed a two-year contract.

"The difficulty of the challenge makes the project attractive" - Soccer Plus
The Ottawa Fury's head coach in its inaugural NASL season tells CSN about why he accepted the capital city club's offer to leave Brazil, what he learned from his two-year stay in the land of samba and what his squad could look like less than a year away from its official launch.

Dos Santos returns to NASL: Named new Ottawa Fury FC coach - The 11
Dos Santos coached the Impact youth side, was the senior team’s assistant coach when it reached the quarters of the CONCACAF Champions League, then coached the team to a Division-2 title. But, in the Impact’s final NASL season (2011), he cough, cough resigned when the team got off to a poor start and, eventually, missed the playoffs. But, as a youth coach in Brazil, he made his way to the famed Palmeiras club — and earned a lot of respect.

Highlanders Women Head On Road Trip Looking For Wins - Victoria Highlanders
The Peninsula Co-op Highlanders will be looking to win their second game of the Pacific Coast Soccer League season when they embark on a two-game road trip this weekend.  Following last Monday’s loss, Head Coach Dave Dew is optimistic following practices this week “Practices were good, really good,” says Dew. “The atmosphere was positive and players were feeling good about themselves."

the women's pro game

Nick Sabetti: Ottawa's 'labour of love' ready for expansion into resurging NASL - Goal
Professional soccer is coming to the nation’s capital. Owned by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), the team will take the name of Ottawa Fury FC and will kick off in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the spring of next year.

 Thorns and Reign paint picture of NWSL's mixed results in its opening season - Canada.com
The Portland Thorns' season couldn't be going any better. They're sitting atop the National Women's Soccer League's opening-season standings and drawing more than 11,000 fans to home games. And they've got Alex Morgan. But just a few hours' drive north, the Seattle Reign are struggling with a roster unexpectedly missing its star power, and with no wins and four total goals so far.

youth soccer

Seyhawks take their turn Seycove to defend B.C. title after tough win over Windsor - NS News
Shortly before the start of their win-or-go-home playoff match against the Windsor Dukes Wednesday afternoon, some of the younger members of the Seycove Seyhawks senior girls soccer team were expressing some trepidation to their co-coach, Carl Saunders.

university and college soccer

Dylan Bams on Team Canada for FISU Games - Comox Valley Record
A stellar five-year stint with the Toronto Varsity Blues has earned Dylan Bams the opportunity to wear Maple Leaf red. The 22-year-old Fanny Bay native is preparing to join his Team Canada soccer teammates for the 2013 International University Sports Federation (FISU) games, which run July 5-17 in Kazan, Russia.

Maple Ridge Soccer star gets full ride with NCAA's Alcorn State - Maple Ridge News
A lot of people in Maple Ridge are probably passingly familiar with Kimberly Connolly. She’s been the kid they have seen out on the pitch at Westview with a soccer ball, her dad playing goal for her as she hammers shots from 20 or more metres out, the ball curling and dropping into the top corners of the net. Now she’s the young woman who will be playing centre midfield for a NCAA first division team.

team canada

Canada announces roster for friendly against Costa Rica - CSA
Canada has announced its 18-player roster for the upcoming Men’s International Friendly against Costa Rica on 28 May (18.00 local kick-off) at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, AB. The match, Canada’s first home fixture of the 2013 campaign, will be broadcast nationally in Canada on all four Sportsnet regional channels (Tuesday 28 May, 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT).

Canada names squad for Costa Rica Friendly - Waking the Red
Colin Miller has named an 18-man squad for Canada's June 28th friendly against Costa Rica in Edmonton. The squad includes four Toronto FC players and a strong European contingent made up of many players who find themselves on the fringes of the National Team.

Time for Dwayne De Rosario, Team Canada to part ways - CBC
Dwayne De Rosario is a fantastic player.  It can even be said that he is arguably the best ever to suit up for the Canadian men's team. As a four-time Canadian player of the year, an MLS MVP (in a year when he played for three different teams no less) and the holder of the all-time leading scorer record for Canadian internationals, few are likely to ever reach his high water mark.

Miller says Gold Cup job still up in the air - The 11
When it comes to the 2013 Gold Cup, no one at the Canadian Soccer Association has yet approached Colin Miller to see if he’d be interested in the job. But, with each week that goes by, the Gold Cup gets closer. It kicks off July 7 and wraps up on the 28th. Conveniently, the NASL takes almost all of July off — and Miller could have the time on his hands.

south of the 49th

Down 3-0, Man City rallies to beat Chelsea - St. Louis Today
Chelsea and Manchester City put on a show at Busch Stadium on Thursday night, just what the 48,263 fans on hand wanted to see. The result did not matter, but that didn’t make it any less entertaining, especially for a fan base that has been starved for soccer of this sort. The game between English Premier League rivals produced plenty of scoring, plenty of chances, and plenty of deft footwork in close quarters, not to mention the second-largest crowd ever to see a soccer game in the state of Missouri.

world football

Champions League: Germany and Wembley - a football love story
Gareth Southgate's tame penalty is easily saved. Andreas Moller's thunderous strike hits the net as Germany see off England to reach the final of Euro 96. A final they go on to win. Naturally. It may seem like five minutes ago but it has been 17 years since a German team last won a truly significant match at Wembley - World Cup qualifiers don't really count, apologies - but the mythology that is attached to the stadium has been undiminished.

Lenarduzzi: The biggest club match in German history - The Province
The Champions League Final is Saturday at Wembley in the much-anticipated all-German clash between Bundelsiga champions Bayern Munich and their fierce rivals Borussia Dortmund. It’s being called the biggest club match in German history. I think most neutrals fans are pulling for Dortmund, a young skilful side that has earned many admirers with their attacking style. The pressure, meanwhile, is all on Bayern.

German soccer strength on display in Champions League final - CBC
They are the two best clubs in Germany. We've known that for a while. But this is not the German Cup Final. This is about becoming kings of Europe. Let's be honest. Most of us do not watch German league soccer on a regular basis. But clearly we should. Based on this season's UEFA Champions League, it is where the best European soccer is being played. Not in England, not in Spain and not in Italy.

Platini wants to establish European sports police - Sportsnet
UEFA President Michel Platini wants to establish a European sports police force to tackle betting, corruption, match-fixing, doping and hooliganism. Addressing the UEFA Congress in London on Friday, Platini said that his previous calls have been ignored by governments for six years.

Football's faded giants - FIFA
There is a tendency in modern day football to assume that each season will involve the same teams fighting for the same prizes. Check back this time next season and most would expect Barcelona or Real Madrid to have won the Spanish title, Bayern Munich to be there or thereabouts in Germany, and the established giants to have been vying for glory in England, Italy and elsewhere.But success is not always built to last.

Gibraltar gains entry with UEFA soccer nations - CBC
Gibraltar was accepted Friday as a full member by the UEFA Congress, becoming Europe's 54th official football nation. The move had previously been resisted by some politicians in neighbouring Spain, who wanted to stop the British territory on Spain's southern tip from joining UEFA. The decision will allow Gibraltar to enter into the qualifying competition for the 2016 European Championship.

Fan violence worries are high ahead of Italian Cup final - WFP
Worries of fan violence are high ahead of Sunday's Italian Cup final and Rome derby between Roma and Lazio. After audiences with both Pope Francis and Italy President Giorgio Napolitano this week, delegations of both squads have called for supporters to behave and close out the season peacefully. Several fans were stabbed and an ambulance was attacked before the teams' last meeting in April, which ended 1-1. Fans for both clubs have also come under attack this season for racist chanting.

7 Rapid Vienna fans to stand trial in Greece over 2012 Europa qualifier clashes - WFP
A panel of judges in Greece has ordered seven fans of Austria's Rapid Vienna to stand trial over violence that broke out last year during a Europe League qualifier.

thursday, may 23, 2013

Kenny Miller looking closer to Scotland - The Province
At this rate, Kenny Miller could prove as much a distraction to the Vancouver Whitecaps as a help, if and when he finally returns from a nagging hamstring pull. Miller’s former Glasgow Rangers and Scotland teammate Kris Boyd is the latest to cast doubt on Miller’s future in Vancouver.

Kris Boyd says Kenny Miller wants to “come home” Back of the Net
Kris Boyd, the former Rangers and Scotland teammate of current Whitecaps forward Kenny Miller, says Miller wants a return to Rangers.  “Kenny’s made his decision and he wants to come back home,” Boyd told the Evening Times.

Brad Knighton "needs to keep doing what he's doing" to remain top Whitecaps 'keeper - MLS
It’s uncertain whether Brad Knighton has won back the starting job in goal for the Vancouver Whitecaps. What is known is that last weekend, the Richmond, Va., native made his first Major League Soccer start of the 2013 season – this after head coach Martin Rennie made the surprising preseason move to go back to Joe Cannon as No. 1 following Knighton’s strong finish to the 2012 season, where he entered the playoffs as first choice.

Whitecaps to lose Darren Mattocks to Jamaica for World Cup qualifiers - Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Whitecaps will be without striker Darren Mattocks for a pair of road games early next month after his home country of Jamaica called him up this week for international duty.

Timbers rely on Will Johnson's 'will to win' - Soccer America
There's not much ambiguity in Will Johnson's game: after he gets under your skin and into your head, Portland gets the ball into the net, one way or the other. So it came to pass again last Saturday in Vancouver.

Countdown: Montreal Impact vs Philadelphia Union - Red Nation
Fresh off another bye week and having accumulated as much as four games in hand on fellow conference opposition, the Montreal Impact host the Philadelphia Union at Stade Saputo. This is a key match at this point in the season with both teams are separated by only two points in the tight Eastern Conference.

Romero showing his quality with Impact - Sportsnet
Nick De Santis always felt that Andrés Romero could bring something different. For Argentine Andres Romero, his biggest challenge in MLS hasn't been adapting to the physical nature of the league, but overcoming the language barrier - the 23-year-old only speaks Spanish.

Houston defender Boswell suspension doubled - Sportsnet
Houston defender Bobby Boswell’s suspension has been doubled to two games by the MLS disciplinary committee. Boswell was given a red card for a head butt against New England’s Dimitry Imbongo in the 39th minute on Saturday, resulting in an automatic one-game ban.

New York Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke looking forward to "smashing" New York City FC in 2015 - MLS
A day after MLS announced that New York City FC would join the league as an expansion team in 2015, New York Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke fired the first shots of this budding rivalry in the Big Apple. Petke said he was happy to have a “true rival” and that it was “good for the league” – but his praise ended there. “On the flipside of that, we have a history here,” said Petke.

Man City, Yankees partnership a home run for MLS - CBC
Talk about vast resources. Man City is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Mansour is worth more than $30 billion, which makes him the wealthiest owner in world football. There'll be no problem financing big names to fill those three designated player spots that MLS allows. Still, attracting NYCFC's equivalent of a Thierry Henry or David Beckham is not what's most exciting about the Manchester City connection.

A Stadium in Queens Is No Walk in the Park - New York Times
Inserting a soccer stadium into the green lungs of Queens County is not an incursion of the Yankees into Mets territory, nor is it an invasion of the dangerously furrin sport of soccer into sacred American territory. However — and this is a gigantic however — the awarding of the vital 20th team of MLS to New York City touches off a search for a soft spot to land, potentially in the shrinking acres of land available to the working people of Queens.

PDL: Know Thy Enemy, North Sound SeaWolves - Victoria Highlanders
The North Sound SeaWolves hail from Washington State and are led by new Head Coach Ed Moore. The SeaWolves look to regroup after a tough season last year. With new faces in the front office and on the field joining some talented core players, they look to change their style of play and develop a winning tradition. They lost their first game to the Portland Timbers, 2-1, and will be hungry and fired up against the Highlanders this Saturday at 7pm at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria.

Whitecaps FC U-23 travel to Oregon - Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 (1W-1L-0D) continue their United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) season this Thursday, May 23 as they travel to Oregon to face Portland Timbers U-23 (2W-0L-0D). Kickoff will be at 11 a.m. at JELD-WEN Field in Portland.

Langley youth, men's clubs now united Langley youth, men's clubs now united - Langley Advance
Langley youth, men's clubs now united The Langley United Soccer Association is entering the realm of men's soccer. The youth club and Langley United FC Men's club (LUFCA) have merged into the Langley United Soccer Association in time for the 2013 fall season that kicks off in September.

university and college soccer

TSS Elite Girls University Bound - TSS
As the second year of the TSS Elite program came to a close in April, players from the U19 Elite girls have now finalized their plans for university. In keeping with last year's success, every U19 player looking to play varsity soccer was offered spots on university and college teams. 14 players in total.

team canada

Canada's soccer team looking to add American-born Rachel Quon - CBC
She was born in the United States and has played all her soccer there, but Rachel Quon has been asked to join the Canadian women's team for a match against her home country. Quon was included on Canada's roster for its sold-out June 2 friendly with the U.S. at Toronto's BMO Field.

deVos: Creating a development system in Canada a challenge - TSN
On Wednesday John Herdman, announced his 18-player roster for Canada's upcoming friendly on June 2 against the United States. The squad contains a few surprises  but also some familiar faces. One of those faces was Melissa Tancredi. The problem is, Tancredi is currently finishing chiropractic school in St. Louis and hasn't played soccer since the Olympics.

Quon’s stunning switch highlights Canada roster for June 2 BMO friendly - The 11
For months, Canadian national team coach John Herdman has been lamenting the women’s national team’s lack of wing players, and how he needs to find young players who can bring width to the side.
Enter Rachel Quon.

Sermanni names USWNT roster for Canada match - SBI
Yesterday’s U.S. women’s national team roster announcement wasn’t much for the dramatic, but there were a few noteworthy developments. Head coach Tom Sermanni named 21 players who will take part in a training camp before a June 2 showdown with Canada at Toronto’s BMO Field, and there will be three important — if expected — absences.

world football

UEFA hopes to clamp down on racism with minimum 10-match penalty - CBC
The UEFA executive committee on Thursday ratified a 10-match minimum ban for racist abuse by players or officials. The changes were first announced last month by UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino and will now be included in the disciplinary regulations.

Atletico Madrid ordered to pay an owed $13 M - Sportsnet
A Spanish court has ordered Atletico Madrid to pay a media company 10 million euros ($13 million) after finding the club had breached a television rights contract. The court ruled in favour of Mediapro and instructed Atletico to pay money owed from rights ceded to Digital + in June 2012.

Champions League final preview - Goal Posts
The most anticipated match of 2013 is only two days away. After going close in 2010 and even closer last year, Bayern Munich are heavily favoured to defeat Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund in their third Champions League Final since the turn of the decade.

The Götze Conspiracy - Sportsnet
Soccer Central Insider Danny Dichio believes something fishy is up with Dortmund's Mario Goetze missing the Champion's League final.

Michalakos on Champions League: Not the same without Götze - Sportsnet
Unfortunately, the Bavarian-born attacking midfielder has been ruled out of the final due to a hamstring injury suffered in the semifinal second leg against Real Madrid last month. Despite his best efforts in training, a reoccurrence of the original injury has forced Götze to watch from the stands, leaving Dortmund without the services of their best player.

Chelsea players pleased manager Mourinho back - Sportsnet
Chelsea players seem pleased Jose Mourinho appears headed back for a second stint as manager, even after he failed with Real Madrid. Midfielder Juan Mata said Wednesday prior to the first of two U.S. friendlies against rival Manchester City that the 50-year-old Mourinho has been a winner in several countries.

Buriram’s run continues, Saudi duo shine - FIFA
Having seen all their three representatives progress into last year’s quarter-finals, Saudi Arabia once again emerged the most successful country in this year's AFC Champions League with Al Ahli and Al Shabab securing their places in the last eight.

Winterbottom, the father of modern English football - FIFA
Sir Walter Winterbottom, a visionary and pioneer of English football coaching, was honoured by The Football Association (FA) on 23 April 2013, when a bronze bust was unveiled by England manager Roy Hodgson at St. George’s Park, marking the 100th anniversary of Walter’s birth. Winterbottom had a profound effect on English football and his story has now been told for the first time in a new book: Sir Walter Winterbottom: The Father of Modern English Football.

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