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Max Bell
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9 months ago
in Canadian National Team: Hopeless on Major League Soccer Talk
The thing is, that most of us Canadian fans would agree with those two comments. So who are you getting mad at?
9 months ago
in Canadian National Team: Hopeless on Major League Soccer Talk
As a long time Canadian supporter, here is best I can give you:
Don't discount just how disfunction the CSA is, and how much on am impact that has on our national team. What is important to understand, is that with the exception of Hockey Canada, there is a culture of mediocrity rampant through Canadian sporting associations. Basketball Canada is another prime example, just ask Steve Nash. This is in part, a reflection of Canada's social values, our money is deeply invested in healthcare and social programs and competitive sports just isn't high up on our national agenda.
The CSA however, is not just mediocre, they are downright destructive. The upper echelons of management, Montagliani, Ursini, etc.. are publicly proven to be inept in understanding the challenges facing our national team. Soccer is massively popular in Canada, and any semi-ambitious association would have sponsorship money pouring in at vastly more profound rates. The current budget limitations are the root of the problems facing the Canadian team.
Partly due the a lack of funding, the CSA hired coach Dale Mitchell after he led Canada to an appaling performance at the U-20 World Cup that we hosted in 2007. The team did not manage a single goal during the whole tournament at home. Despite the senior team's outstanding performance at the 2007 Gold Cup under interim manager Stephen Hart, the CSA went ahead with Mitchell's dubious promotion to national team manager. That was the beginning of the end.
The player's weren't pleased, and Mitchell proved them all right. He was unable to motivate them, unable to make the proper tactical assertion and most importantly unable to turn this team into a cohesive emotional and competitive group.
But to take the focus off of Mitchell for a second, Canada has much larger problems to conquer as well:
- the board-driven nature of our association makes it near impossible to institute changes for positive progress
- there is virtually no mechanism for ridding the board of the inept members running it right now
- our technical program entitled "Wellness to the World Cup" lacks both vision and ambition, and will never deliver the results necessary for international competition
- the national team lacks sufficient media coverage to develop the necessary pressure to have all of these things addressed
What is required is a replication of Australia's success with the Crawford Report in 2003. An independant analytical assesment of the financial, technical and governing practices of the CSA and a detailed plan for instituing positive changes moving forward.
This certainly includes the termination of most of the current CSA administration.
As for our failures this cycle of WCQ. The players themselves have to take some responsibility as well, their performance was dreadful. Missed opportunities, poor defending and a visible lack of integirty plagued the team (despite some courageous individual performances).
I think you will see an even stronger movement for soccer revolution growing in Canada within the next 6-8 months.
Let us pray.
Don't discount just how disfunction the CSA is, and how much on am impact that has on our national team. What is important to understand, is that with the exception of Hockey Canada, there is a culture of mediocrity rampant through Canadian sporting associations. Basketball Canada is another prime example, just ask Steve Nash. This is in part, a reflection of Canada's social values, our money is deeply invested in healthcare and social programs and competitive sports just isn't high up on our national agenda.
The CSA however, is not just mediocre, they are downright destructive. The upper echelons of management, Montagliani, Ursini, etc.. are publicly proven to be inept in understanding the challenges facing our national team. Soccer is massively popular in Canada, and any semi-ambitious association would have sponsorship money pouring in at vastly more profound rates. The current budget limitations are the root of the problems facing the Canadian team.
Partly due the a lack of funding, the CSA hired coach Dale Mitchell after he led Canada to an appaling performance at the U-20 World Cup that we hosted in 2007. The team did not manage a single goal during the whole tournament at home. Despite the senior team's outstanding performance at the 2007 Gold Cup under interim manager Stephen Hart, the CSA went ahead with Mitchell's dubious promotion to national team manager. That was the beginning of the end.
The player's weren't pleased, and Mitchell proved them all right. He was unable to motivate them, unable to make the proper tactical assertion and most importantly unable to turn this team into a cohesive emotional and competitive group.
But to take the focus off of Mitchell for a second, Canada has much larger problems to conquer as well:
- the board-driven nature of our association makes it near impossible to institute changes for positive progress
- there is virtually no mechanism for ridding the board of the inept members running it right now
- our technical program entitled "Wellness to the World Cup" lacks both vision and ambition, and will never deliver the results necessary for international competition
- the national team lacks sufficient media coverage to develop the necessary pressure to have all of these things addressed
What is required is a replication of Australia's success with the Crawford Report in 2003. An independant analytical assesment of the financial, technical and governing practices of the CSA and a detailed plan for instituing positive changes moving forward.
This certainly includes the termination of most of the current CSA administration.
As for our failures this cycle of WCQ. The players themselves have to take some responsibility as well, their performance was dreadful. Missed opportunities, poor defending and a visible lack of integirty plagued the team (despite some courageous individual performances).
I think you will see an even stronger movement for soccer revolution growing in Canada within the next 6-8 months.
Let us pray.
