The Vancouver Whitecaps and the World Cup of Soccer -Germany 2006 June 9 -- July 9
I have to admit, the title is a contrived concoction which in a round-about-way allows me to answer a question, which finally has came down to even my level, as a non-soccer fan.
In view of the World Cup of Soccer- Germany 2006, the world's premier sporting event, about to start in various cities in Germany - -
What is Canada's position in the World Cup of Soccer -- Germany 2006?
Firstly, it is safe to assume that any reader would be far from Vancouver so first things first.
The Vancouver Whitecaps is a professional soccer team playing in the USL (United Soccer Leagues) since 2002. (http://whitecapsfc.com)
Their games are played at Swangard Stadium- capacity 5,000- located in Burnaby, near Vancouver.
I have been bloging about urban renewal in Vancouver and if the Whitecaps have their way, they would like to construct a new 16,000 seat, outdoor stadium/concert venue over the railyards between Richards and Cambie Street near Gastown. Only approval from city hall is keeping the project from going ahead. They hope to have the project completed by the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The USL First Division is second-tier level of soccer in the U.S. and Canada. It has a 12 team league playing a 28 game schedule among the following teams:
Rochester Rhinos
Portland Timbers
Vancouver Whitecaps
Miami FC
Montreal Impact
Puerto Rico Islanders
Seattle Sounders (clever name!)
Charleston Battery
Atlanta Silverbacks
Minnesota Thunder
Toronto Lynx
(the order of teams represents their standing as of this date)
http://www.uslsoccer.com/statistics/index_E.html
For games scheduled for the Whitecaps
:http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2005/22394.html
The Whitecaps has enjoyed a degree of success based on a model of strong support for community soccer. This assures a level of player development and interest in the sport which has not been the norm in Canada.
Despite being the world's number one sport and a beautiful game, soccer's success in Canada has been very spotty.
The World Cup of Soccer or FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 as it is officially known, seems to have eight groups made up of six teams, making it a competition among 48 teams from around the world.
A close perusal of the list confirms that Canada is not one of the 48 teams who are participating in this event which like the Olympics is held every four years.
How is this possible?
An article (Sat. June 3) written by Dan Stinson in the Vancouver Sun makes light of this question.
- in the qualifying rounds which have been going on for the last year, Canada failed to qualify
- Canada last qualified in the 1986 World Cup tournament in Mexico
- Canada's "March to Mexico" was helped in part by many of its players participating in the North American Soccer League- a continent wide, star-studded circuit that at its zenith featured players like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Alan Ball and Johan Cruyff
- this raised the level of play of Canadian players
- Canada clinched a World Cup berth by a 2-1 victory over Honduras in 1985
- pitted against France, Hungary and the Soviet Union, Canada performed respectably but failed to score a single goal
- Canada's failure to qualify over the last 20 years is put largely at the failure to have a dedicated Canadian Soccer League such as what operated between 1987 and 1992 before its demise due to financial problems
- many good players came out of the CSL which ended up playing in Europe
- some are of the opinion that, if we don't have our own league we will continue to struggle in international soccer
- the other argument presented is, that the current USL in which the Vancouver Whitecaps play is the way to go
- both Calgary and Edmonton had teams which folded in 2004 in this league, causing some to conclude that three professional teams in Canada is not enough
- youth development (7-9 years of age)is essential to future success
- Canada will host the FIFA World Youth Cup tournament in 2007 (under 20 years of age)
- in the latest ranking by FIFA, soccer's governing body, Canada ranks 83rd
I become a soccer fan every four years and in doing this blog I have learned a bit about the state of Canadian soccer and our place in the soccer world.
It is obvious that soccer faces a steep, uphill battle in North America, due to the fact that there are indigenous sports such as American and Canadian football, baseball, basketball and of course hockey, which have been around a long time and which have completely caught the imagination of North American sports fans. Soccer does not seem to face that type of cometition in other parts of the world.
Despite the fact that soccer was the sport that I played in elementary and high school, it quickly disappeared from my radar screen due to its lack of exposure in the media.
As I watch a soccer game it appears slow and predictably low scoring. Having said that, the international rivalries inherent in the World Cup overcomes any perceived shortcomings of the game.
I have no shortage of candidates to cheer for. If you have been reading my blog from Argentina you should not find it surprising that I will be cheering for their team. While in Argentina, my opener for a conversation with taxi drivers and others was-"Do you think Argentina will win the World Cup of Soccer?". Names like Juan Riquelme, Herman Crespo and teenage sensation Lionel Messi, dubbed by some as, "the new Maradonna", were oft repeated in the conversations. However, it also didn't take too long for Brazil to come up as the winner. The verdict on Argentina was -- too much youth and not enough experience.
Last February (in the middle of summer), I attended my one and only professional soccer game at La Boca Stadium in Buenos Aires to see CABJ (Club Atletico Boca Junior - the former club of Diego Maradonna) play. I was surprised to hear, despite being perhaps the best team in Argentina, that not a single one of their players was on the national team of Argentina. It seems most of the excellent Argentinean players are playing elsewhere in the world. This has allowed clubs ,with deep pockets, like Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and even Shanghai etc. to field superb teams.
Other teams I could cheer for are Germany, my country of birth, as well as France, a country I have gotten to know very well through extensive language study and bike tours.
On a negative note, I am disturbed by the hooliganism, racism and visceral rivalries that are associated with soccer. Throw into that mix the potential for terrorism and you wonder why any country would bother with staging such a potentially explosive mix.
The answer of course lies in the unprecedented reaping of economic benefits and the prestige associated with the staging this sports event, which is the "show of all shows".
May the best team win in Germany, but it would be nice if it were Argentina.
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