For once, the music blared in the Toronto FC locker-room.
The worst team in Major League Soccer is now champion of Canada thanks to a 1-0 win on the night and 2-1 on aggregate over the Vancouver Whitecaps.
"You lose nine games, all of a sudden you're a champion," said Toronto goalkeeper Milos Kocic, acknowledging the irony while enjoying Wednesday's result.
"It's kind of like a different mentality in the locker-room now. You can hear everybody's happy, everybody's laughing. We need to celebrate. You need to feel happy inside."
The Amway Canadian Championship win before 13,777 at BMO Field allowed Toronto FC to retain the Voyageurs Cup for a fourth straight year -- and returns them to the CONCACAF Champions League, where they made it to the semifinals this year.
http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/mls/story/?id=396713
Minimum MLS salary: $33 750
MONCTON, N.B. - Christine Sinclair scored in injury time as Canada scratched out a 1-0 win over China in a women's exhibition soccer match Wednesday.
Sinclair got to a Diana Matheson free kick and expertly redirected the ball past Chinese keeper Wang Fei and into the goal.
"It was a great ball by Matheson, her and I have a connection," Sinclair said. "It would have been hard to miss."
It was Sinclair's 134th career international goal, which is the third highest total ever. It came in a tightly played Olympic warmup with very few chances for either side.
http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=397260
Brendan Rodgers, ex of Swansea City (the only non-English side in the English Premier League), has been named the new manager of Liverpool FC. He's a good bloke with a promising future (that he just threw away for a few moments aboard a sinking ship).
Pity.
That's my sinking ship your dissing, Catchfire.
Oh was it? (blinks eyes innocently) My deepest and sincere apologies.
Speaking of sinking ships:
P.S. If the moderator does it, it's not trolling.
Could the male moderator from the Jest Coast remind me of how many championships and Cups Hibs has accumulated?
That information escapes us at this time.
Let me help you then. Hibs has 4 League titles, 2 Scottish Cups and 3 Scottish League Cups.
Contrast this with the Glasgow Rangers:54 League titles, 33 Scottish Cups and 27 Scottish League Cups.
Number of times club entered into administration:
Hibs: 0
Rangers: 1
So I guess the forces of darkness win that race too!
Hibs losing any game only 1-0 should gives its fans something for which to cheer.
Hey-o!
ETA. Good one, but you fail to realize what it's like supporting a terrible team -- one that barely survived relegation (basically a win!) and has lost to its cross-town derby rivals something like eleven times in a row (the latest cruelly coming in the Scottish Cup final). Jibes about poor records fall dead like chances to a Hibs centre-forward!
Stephen Hart took a lot of positives away from Canada's 0-0 draw with the United States in an international friendly Sunday.
And the coach of the Canadian men's national team hopes to carry that momentum into the next stage of World Cup qualifying, which begins Friday.
"Overall, two different halves for us," Hart said. "In the first half we showed good discipline, good organization but we were a little sloppy with the ball at times and a little bit, too, maybe nervous.
"But I was very pleased with the way we played in the second half."
The game's most exciting moments came in second-half stoppage time as both teams missed glorious chances to snatch a winner.
Canadian substitute Simeon Jackson failed to hit the target from in close after taking a pass from Dwayne De Rosario in stoppage time in front of the crowd of 15,247 at BMO Field.
Then seconds later at the other end, Canadian goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld knocked a ball over the bar on a header from Clarence Goodson off a free kick.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2012/06/03/sp-soccer-canada-us-men...
I posted here about newly minted England manager Roy Hodgson's decision to pick racist thug John Terry to the national team and omit Rio Ferdinand for "footballing reasons." (Terry is facing charges for racially abusing Rio's brother on the pitch earlier this year.) Well, after England lost another defender to injury (after losing veteran Frank Lampard and holding midfielder Gareth Barry last week), the only decent choice left for Hodgson was Ferdinand. But instead of offering the serial champion and former England captain his 82nd cap for England, Hodgson opted for Liverpool's back-up right back Martin Kelly, who started just 12 times for the Reds last season.
Ferdinand aptly tweeted "What reasons?????????" on Sunday following his snub. Considering it's now fairly clear that Hodsgon is not picking Ferdinand because of his personal dispute with Terry, it is absolutely disgraceful that the England manager is siding with the racist rather than the objector. Shame.
Oh, and England fans better find another side to follow in the Euros. I will be surprised if they get out of their group (France, Sweden and Ukraine). Group D would be the group of death if it weren't for Group B, which houses four teams in the FIFA top ten: Germany (2nd), Netherlands (3rd), Portugal (5th) and Denmark (10th). That's why the Euros are the best tournament in football!
I shall be actively cheering against Jollie Olde Englande.
Hear, hear! I don't know who to support. Germany could be fun, as could Holland -- but they gave me a really bad buzz after the WC final. I won't be supporting Spain -- I've had enough of them. France? Definitely against England in the opener. After that, I shall let my capricous whims dictate!
As well, although I'll be focussing on the Canada-Cuba match first.
Pretty fucked up racism goin on in lots of fronts? Terry? Really?
C'est la vie?
Roy Hodgson dismays anti-racism group with handling of Rio Ferdinand
Toronto FC head coach Aron Winter is stepping down after a dismal start to the season that has left the club in Major League Soccer's basement.
TFC is 1-9-0 and has been outscored 21-8 this season.
The 45-year-old Winter leaves Toronto with a regular-season mark of 7-22-15, winning just one game on the road.
His team was outscored 80-44 during his tenure.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2012/06/07/sp-mls-soccer-torontofc...
VALENCIA, Spain -- Spanish football team Villarreal's newly appointed coach Manuel Preciado died of a heart attack on Thursday. He was 54.
Preciado, who only agreed to take charge of the team on Wednesday, had a one-year deal and was set to be presented Friday at Villarreal. The team was relegated from the Spanish league last season.
http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=397827
It was a game that seemed destined to end in yet more Toronto FC disappointment. But this time there was a happy ending for the MLS cellar-dwellers.
Terry Dunfield scored five minutes into stoppage time to give Toronto FC a 3-2 win over Vancouver in a wild game Wednesday night that appeared headed for a heartbreaking tie after the home side had gifted a goal to the Whitecaps on an earlier injury-time mistake.
http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=400420
Exciting second half with an incredible ending.
That was an exciting match, from what I saw of it. Unlucky for the 'Caps!
John Terry cleared of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand
What I find interesting about this case is that the question of race-based insult invited a public order offence, but the court basically established that a gender-based insult ("cunt") was absolutely fair play and, in fact, to be assumed on the football pitch.
"Liverpool FC is taking a stand against homophobia this weekend by becoming the first Premier League club to be officially represented at a UK 'Pride' event.
The club will provide a banner for Liverpool Pride on Saturday, while representatives from LFC Ladies and the LFC Foundation will march alongside LFC LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender)."
http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/reds-set-for-pride-march
State of Play: Euro 2013, Football and Palestine (and vid)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSgqErDOAwI
A film by Gregg McDonald of Consequential Films
Brazil just thumped Spain 3-0 in a (uncharacteristically) hotly contested Confederations Cup. The brilliant young phenom Neymar scored a cracker and helped set up the other two. Spain, who had so dominated the world stage for the last six years looked feeble and out of ideas. They did lose this tournament in 2009 before going on to win the World Cup in 2010, but it's hard not to look at the game and think that the world power dynamic is shifting.
Neymar, incidentally, was just bought by Barcelona. He will be playing with Iniesta, Xavi and Leo Messi. Why do other teams bother playing football anymore? Just kidding: Bayern Munich just bought every other good player in the world, most of whom played for their domestic rivals and awesome club, Borussia Dortmund.
Plus, David Moyes just had his first day as manager of Manchester United yesterday, after the retirement of fellow Scot Alex Fergusson after some 23 years on the job, two Champions Leagues and countless other trophies. I give Moyes ten days before getting sacked.
How do you like that Iceland team eh? Sweet!
Montreal Impact just bought half of Bologna FC, plenty of synergies to turn a phrase
Is Saputo getting into the cured meat business?
Sounds like a huge mess is brewing here.
Germany warns Uefa may quit Fifa if World Cup report not published• German League president attacks ‘complete loss of credibility’
• Report summary clears Russia and Qatar of wrongdoing
• Investigator says his findings were misrepresented
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/nov/15/fifa-uefa-world-cup-germ...
#MatchMourinho: Jose Reveals His Picks For World Cup Knockout Stage Glory (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/sport/429481-match-mourinho-world-cup-prediction/
"Jose Mourinho has revealed the teams he thinks will go all the way to the semi finals at the World Cup in Russia this summer..."
The Stan Collymore Show (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/shows/stan-collymore-show/429102-ryan-giggs-world-cup/
"Ryan Giggs, Polish 'Eagles' and Street Child World Cup.."
Looks like Brazil is favoured to win the Russian World Cup but my hunch is that Germany will win it.
2018 World Cup Predictions
Soccer Power Index (SPI) ratings and chances of advancing for every team, updating live.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-world-cup-predictions/
Germany was my pick also. We'll see...
Matches/Standings
https://www.rt.com/fifa2018
June 14: Russia-Saudi, June 15: Egypt-Uraguay - Morocco-Iran
As long as it's not Engerland.
Timetable of all the matches:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/worldcup/fifa-world-cup-schedule-1.4646655
Russia wins 5-0 in their 1st match
Thrilled that FIFA has selected CANADA, Mexico and the US to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup!
And FIFA wants to expand it to 48 teams
Russia vs Saudi Arabia
https://youtu.be/y_Fo6nU4iD0
CGI version
Go Morocco Go!
"Palestinians injured by Israeli forces during the Great March of Return organize a football match as the World Cup kicks off in Russia."
https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1007380188274089984
Iran has one shot on goal in second half score, and win 1-0. Incroyable!
As a Liverpool fan, I was pulling for Egypt today. Hopefully, Salah will get into the next game.
In less than 1 hour, Portugal vs Spain
Go Portugal!
What a start!
Ronaldo 1 Spain 0
Half Time
Agree with the announcer who said he didn't want half-time to come.
It really is: The Beautiful Game!
Ronaldo 2 Spain 1
Spain leading 3-2 with 1/2 hour to go
Ronaldo 3 Spain 3
Truly amazin!
A masterpiece by Ronaldo!
Iceland Wow!
Tied big mouth Argentina 1-1
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