Whitecaps-Impact draw pales in comparison to FIFA World Cup

Carl Robinson could not be accused of putting a positive spin on his team's performance Wednesday night.
The Vancouver Whitecaps coach was less than impressed with their showing in a 0-0 draw with the Montreal Impact on Wednesday night.
The sellout crowd of 21,000 went home unhappy, even though the Caps (5-2-7) remained unbeaten in eight games after struggling against the Impact (2-7-5), who share last place overall in Major League Soccer with Chivas USA.
"It wasn't very enjoyable watching it, was it?" Robinson asked rhetorically. "I didn't enjoy watching it, and I think the players didn't enjoy playing in it. Bad day at the office,l I think we call it, and take a point. I think we're happy for a point. They could have won it. I think we could have won it."
Robinson said the Whitecaps, playing their first game after the MLS break for the FIFA World Cup, did not play up to the standard that they have displayed this season. He is in favour of not playing any games during the World Cup, which is continuing. Watching this game after viewing the 0-0 draw between France and Ecuador earlier in the day was like going from a pro game to a high school contest.
Since there was little to talk about in the game, other than the outstanding goalkeeping of Vancouver's David Ousted, Robinson broached a couple of subjects that merit further discussion. He is in favour of MLS not playing any games during the World Cup, and that is an idea that should be seriously considered -- just to avoid negative comparisons between North America's top professional circuit and the rest of the planet.
The NHL takes a break during the Olympics for obvious reasons. Most of the top players suit up for their countries in the Games. The same would not be the case for MLS players, because relatively few get called up to their national sides.
"There's arguments from both sides -- I think there really is," said Robinson of the decision to halt or continue MLS games during the World.een gr "It's been great watching the World Cup. The players have enjoyed watching the World Cup. It's hard to get back (after the break.) That's the reality. Constantly training players during the break, come September (and) October, then they get tired, then you haven't given them enough time off.
"When you find the answer, let me know, because figure (the solution) out, let me know, because I'm sitting and trying to figure out what it is."
One solution to brightening Wednesday's drudgery would be to decide the game in a shootout. In other words: Penalty kicks.
As the World Cup and other international events show, there is no shortage of suspense when a game is decided, after extra time, by penalties. A shootout would add more drama to a sport that, outside of playoffs, still welcomes draws. Few, if any, other sports in the world still allow ties to count in the standings.
Soccer prefers to hang on to a tradition that is badly out of date. Players might hate shootouts, and reporters on deadline are not overly fond of them, but fans would welcome them, and they would make a difference in the standings, since soccer awards three points for a win and one for a tie. Keeping the points system the same, but giving a point to the losing squad, as in hockey, would be a positive move.
Unlike in hockey, if winning teams get three points and losers get one, shootout wins in soocer would enable teams to gain clear separation from their rivals and make a significant difference in playoff positions. The possibility of going to the shootout, and only getting one point instead of three, would also motivate teams to seek wins in regulation time.
If a shootout were available, Wednesday's snoozer at B.C. Place Stadium would have been easily avoided, and Vancouver Whitecaps fans would have gone home entertained.

NHL clubs give unsung coaches their big breaks

A good week for unsung hockey coaches got better Wednesday.
Mike Johnston became the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins after losing out to Willie Desjardins for the Vancouver Canucks coaching post. Both Johnston and Desjardins received NHL head coaching gigs for the the first time in their long and distinguished careers.
Ironically, Johnston, 57, got the Pittsburgh job because Desjardins, also 57, turned down the chance to tutor Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin et al.
More irony: Johnston and Desjardins are old friends. They worked together with the University of Calgary Dinos circa the the late 1980s while they were completing masters degrees in coaching science and social work, respectively, before going into coaching full-time.
Johnston, a Nova Scotia native, wound his way to Canadian college hockey, with the Camrose Kodiaks, and Canadian national team program, before moving on to assistant posts in the NHL with the Canucks and Los Angeles Kings. Seeking a head coaching job, he took over the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, who were finalists in 2013-14 for the fourth consecutive season, and won the league title in 2012-13 while he was suspended because the league decided Portland had offered improper inducements to players and parents.
On Monday, after Desjardins' appointment was announced, Johnston and I spoke, and he talked as though he expected to return to Portland, because he preferred to be a head coach. But he obviously got the job he wanted.
Desjardins' first NHL job comes after his coaching journey began with waystops at the U of C, Japan, Canadian national team program and Medicine Hat of the WHL. In eight seasons, he guided the Tigers to a pair of WHL titles and a berth in the 2007 Memorial Cup final In the meantime, Desjardins served as an assistant and head coach with Canadian teams that won silver and gold in consecutive years at the world junior championships. Desjardins then spent two seasons as an assistant with the Dallas Stars before taking the helm of their Texas farm team because he preferred to be a head coach.
He led Texas to the AHL's Calder Cup title in the recently concluded season.
I've known Desjardins and Johnston for many years. Simply put, they are good people with outstanding hockey knowledge who have earned everything they have received the hard way. On first glance, they do not come across as typical coaches, because they appear friendlier than many peers who fit the bench boss stereotype better. However, they both know how to get players' respect and can lay down the law when necessary.
Desjardins is the opposite of former outspoken Vancouver coach John Tortorella, who was always good for a quote. But Desjardins, who admits that he doesn't like the spotlight, is still articulate, highly intelligent and willing to deal with media professionally.
The prediction here is that Desjardins will, ultimately, be a nice surprise for disgruntled Vancouver fans and prove his vow that the Canucks are "for real."
Johnston and Desjardins' hirings came in the same seven-day span that saw the Carolina Hurricanes give Bill Peters, 48, a former Detroit Red Wings assistant, his first head coaching gig after he spent more than two decades in lesser roles.
All in all, it's been a good week for unsung coaches as they finally get their big breaks in the NHL.

Geroy Simon aims to run a club one day

Geroy Simon doesn't play football anymore, but he is still reaching for the top.
"In 10 years, I see myself as being the GM or president of an organization," Simon said Friday as the B.C. Lions announced he would be placed in their Ring of Honour on July 25, when he will also have his jersey retired. "I don't wanna sit here and say I'm gonna be a regional scout. I wanna be running the show somewhere."
Simon, the CFL's all-time leading CFL receiver, retired recently after the Saskatchewan Roughriders, with whom he won a Grey Cup last season, and Lions, with whom he played 12 seasons before being traded in 2013, opted not to re-sign him.
"Once their decision was made, I just made the decision to retire," he said. "I wanted to play, but I also didn't wanna play anywhere else but B.C. or Saskatchewan."
Simon chose to accept a front-office position with the Roughriders, welcoming an opportunity to learn all sides of the team's operations, from the gridiron to the balance sheets.
He will maintain his family home in the Cloverdale area of Surrey, B.C. He does not rule out the possibility of returning to the Lions fold one day in a coaching or management role.
"I don't hold any animosity," he said about not getting a (playing) contract from the Lions. "That takes more effort, to be mad or to hold a grudge. I move on. I'm looking forward to my next career, and I'm happy with my decision everything that's happened."
There was clearly no animosity Friday as Simon was welcomed back at a news conference like a long lost son. It was another unusual moment for Simon and the Lions and reminiscent of his January 2013 trade to Saskatchewan.
On that day, he put on a suit and attended a Lions news conference, sitting alongside general manager Wally Buono.
The Lions guru said it was "extremely important" for the Lions to be able to honour Simon, who won two Grey Cups with B.C.
"It was really a no-brainer to acknowledge Geroy for what he did on and off the field," said Buono. "It's something that we're excited to do."
It also shows that Simon, the Lions and Roughriders, who gave their blessing to the B.C. occasion, are willing to do things differently than many others -- something that should always be lauded.
"I wanna thank Geroy for making this (Ring of Honour event) happen, because it would have been difficult to deal with (he didn't make it happen)," said Buono.
The Lions GM said Simon was the best B.C. player that he ever coach and predicted he will get a shot at running a team someday.
"He was the kind of guy that responded well to the challenges," said Buono. "The thing about players is, you want them to be able to expand the expectations. When you're the No. 1 receiver year in and year out, there's a tremendous price to play, because everybody'a after you and try to get you, to make you stop, and Geroy overcame all that."
Buono said he is willing to be a mentor to Simon again, if he is willing.
"If he wants to learn from me, I'll be very happy to help him, because I'm not going to be doing this for the rest of my life, either," said Buono.
But it's evident that football will still be a big part of Simon's life for many years to come. Even though he won three Grey Cup titles as a player, he still covets winning it again in his current and future roles.
"I'm not done at all," said Simon. "I'm gonna win a few more."

Herdman predicts Canada-U.S. Women's World Cup final in 2015

Usually, news conferences that include politicians, officials from a sport’s governing body and other dignitaries can get downright stuffy – quickly.

But, in a matter of a few minutes, Canadian women’s soccer coach John Herdman managed to make one unexpectedly special Friday. Never mind that this presser, at Terry Fox Plaza outside B.C. Place Stadium, was intended to promote the one-year countdown to the 2015 Women’s World Cup that Canada will host.

Herdman’s team will not be finalized for months, but he boldly promised that Canada will face its arch rival the U.S. in the final at B.C. Place.

“I’m predicting it,” he said. “If it doesn’t happen, I lose my job – but that’s life.”

That point alone was enough to make the presser interesting, but Herdman, an Englishman who guided Canada to a 2012 Olympic bronze medal after taking over the club’s reins in 2011, did not stop there.

“In one year’s time, this team will be ready,” he said. “Ready to do what? (Players) will be ready to make Canada proud, and that’s what we live for. We’ll be ready to make history. Ready to win the first World Cup from Canada. We’ll be ready to inspire new generations of female soccer players, just like we did in 2012. You imagine that opportunity. That gets us out of bed every single morning. Nothing else. I wake up at 5 a.m. every morning, because we’ve got that chance – and it’ll be one chance, because this isn’t going to come back in Canada for a while.

“And, everyone that’s involved in our sport knows that, or ought to. This is the time to do something special for women’s soccer, and you won’t get that chance again.”

Herdman vowed that the Canadian women’s team will be ready to connect the country again, just like it did in 2012, when a referee’s controversial decision ended its gold-medal hopes. As you might recall, Canada suffered a heartbreaking semifinal loss to the Americans after lobbying from U.S. star Abby Wambach, prompted the referee to award the U.S. a free kick because Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod was found guilty of holding the ball too long. The free kick led a Canadian hand-ball infraction in Canada’s penalty area, and a decisive American penalty-kick.

Herdman is ready for more moments – special or otherwise – that help the club bond with each other and other Canadians.

“Whether it’s referee decisions, whatever, we’ll laugh together, we’ll chew our fingernails together, and we’ll cry together,” he said. “And, hopefully, this time, they’ll be tears of joy.”

Standing and listening to Herdman as he spoke passionately during his speech and scrums later with reporters, one could not help but admire his chutzpah while contemplating many other thoughts. For instance, the Canadian squad was lucky that he chose not to put himself in contention for his native England’s women’s coaching job when it became available last year – much to the relief of Canadian captain Christine Sinclair.

Also, the hype that the presser created was more than a little interesting when you consider that it was a women’s sporting event being promoted. Pick another women’s team in any other sport but hockey, during or outside an Olympic year, that generates as much buzz as Canada’s women’s soccer squad. Herdman, with his enthusiasm and never-say-die attitude, has been largely responsible for the hoopla that has been building since Canada hired him after a disappointing early exit from the 2011 Women’s World Cup.

Last but not least, one could not help but be confounded by the hopes and dreams that the Canadian women’s team continues to inspire while the men’s squad, which has not qualified for the World Cup since 1986 and will be watching the upcoming Brazil World Cup with considerable envy, is languishing in the middle of nowhere. Canadian men’s coach Benito Floro, supposedly a Spanish legend has generated little, if any, buzz since he was hired in August 2013

The low-scoring men’s club has an extremely low profile in Canada, often training and playing friendlies against (ahem) juggernauts like Bulgaria and Moldava overseas. Identical 1-1 draws against those two nations this year are considered big rays hope for an eventual return to respectability. Now, contrast that outlook with Herdman’s expectations.

Floro has pledged to involve Canada’s three MLS teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps, Toronto FC and Montreal Impact, which are developing young domestic talent every day, in the national men’s development program. But, again, few, if any, strides appear to be occurring.

Given the many months that it took to hire Floro after Canada’s humiliating 8-1 loss to Honduras in World Cup qualifying, it appears that the men’s program, known for turf wars between soccer’s provincial and national governing bodies, is still in disarray. On the other hand, it seems like the sport’s poohbahs have left the women’s program alone – and it has flourished.

Of course, this is a grand simplification. Canada Soccer puts considerable resources into the women’s program, which has few professional players at its disposal due to limited funding for those assigned to fledgling National Women’s Soccer League teams. (The Canadian, U.S. and Mexican federations pay the salaries of players that they assign to NWSL teams.)

However, when it comes to soccer in Canada and its troubled history on the men’s side, perception is everything. As was clear Friday, John Herdman is creating a positive and highly meaningful image for the women’s program that will remain for decades to come. The men’s team? Not so much.

Sooner or later, the prediction is here, the search will be on for another national men’s coach, and Canada Soccer officials can only hope that they find another one like John Herdman.

In other words, it will be a long time before any Canadian men’s coach dares to predict that his team will win a World Cup.