Team Canada devastated
Winless at the FIFA under-20 World Cup, bounced from the women’s World Cup and a national office that operated under a cloud of controversy.
It was a tough 2007 for Canadian soccer.
Not all the news was bad though, as Canada finally had a Major League Soccer squad to call its own in Toronto FC, the Canadian men’s team put forth a decent showing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and players such as David Edgar and Dwayne De Rosario shone abroad.
Canada hosted the under-20 World Cup this past summer, but the home team made a dismal exit from the tournament, failing to win a game or even score a goal in the 24-country event. The Canadians were officially ousted in a 2-0 loss to Congo at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, the despair and disbelief apparent on the faces of the players as the whistle sounded to end the game.
"Tournaments are about momentum and ours never got going," Canadian coach Dale Mitchell said after the game.
The match marked Mitchell’s final appearance with the under-20 team before assuming his new job as head coach of the senior men’s side.
Off the pitch, the tournament that was held in six Canadian cities and featured 52 games was deemed a success with a record 1.2 million fans taking in the event, more than double any of the previous three world under-20 tournaments.
It wasn’t without its controversy, however, as Chilean players brawled with police following a semifinal game against Argentina at Toronto’s BMO Field.
Argentina went on to win the tournament, beating the Czech Republic 2-1 in the final.
The senior women fared barely better at their World Cup. The No. 11-ranked Canadians, who had finished fourth at the World Cup four years earlier, were dispatched in the first round following a 2-2 tie with Australia.
"We need to do better than we did here, just to prove we are not just an average team on the world stage," said captain Christine Sinclair of Burnaby, B.C.
The team’s performance prompted harsh words from head coach Even Pellerud, who pointed to a lack of support from the CSA for his women’s squad.
The disappointing finish wasn’t a huge surprise though after the team’s disappointing third-place finish at the Pan American Games that included a 7-0 rout by Brazil and a loss to an American youth team.
The program took another hit when Canada lost to Germany in its bid to host the 2011 women’s World Cup.
A couple of milestones were set on the women’s side in 2007: Sinclair earned her 100th cap, passed Charmaine Hooper to become the all-time female goal-scorer, and was shortlisted for the FIFA women’s player of the year award. Veteran midfielder Andrea Neil retired after 18 seasons with the national program.
The senior men’s side had a better run in 2007, going 4-3-3, the highlight being the Gold Cup where Canada narrowly missed out on a spot in the final in a heartbreaking and controversial result.
The Canadians were ousted 2-1 by the U.S. in the semifinal in Chicago after a goal by Atiba Hutchinson was disallowed when a linesman ruled it offside _ replays showed Hutchinson appeared to be clearly onside. The distraught Canadian players complained bitterly to the referees after the match.
"I think throughout the tournament we played very, very good football, it’s probably some of the best football we’ve played together as a team," Hutchinson said following the match. "We should just keep building on that and take it into every game we play."
Off the pitch, Canadian soccer made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Colin Linford resigned less than 15 months into his term as president of the national organization, citing a lack of support for his initiatives.
Linford hired Fred Nykamp as CEO in May. But the CSA board blocked the hiring, and Nykamp is suing the organization for more than C$1.75 million for wrongful hiring and firing.
The controversy at the CSA angered fans, and when Canada played Costa Rica in a friendly at Toronto’s BMO Field in September, fans attended the game wearing black "Sack the CSA" T-shirts in protest.
Dominic Maestracci was appointed interim CSA president until a new president is voted in in May.
On the professional pitch, soccer-starved Toronto fans had an MLS franchise, as Toronto FC played its inaugural season _ a big success at the box office, not so much on the field. Toronto finished 6-17-7 and last in the league in a season that included a 12-game losing streak and an MLS record goal-scoring drought that stretched 824 minutes.
Despite the team’s struggles, players such as Danny Dichio, who scored the team’s first goal, and team captain Jim Brennan quickly became soccer heroes in Toronto. TFC midfielder Maurice Edu, the No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft, earned rookie of year honours.
But the biggest story may have been in the stands. Fans turned out in record numbers to BMO Field, with every game a sellout in the 20,000 seat stadium. Toronto was third in the league in attendance behind the Los Angeles Galaxy and DC United.
After the team’s final game, the squad did a victory lap applauding the crowd.
"I hate doing a lap of honour when you haven’t won anything, but we had to because the fans deserved it, the way they showed up each week," said Toronto head coach Mo Johnston. "They are the best in the MLS easily."
Toronto announced it has already sold out its 16,000 season tickets for 2008.
A pair of Canadians performed well south of the border as De Rosario and goalkeeper Pat Onstad led the Houston Dynamo to their second consecutive MLS title. De Rosario scored the game-winner in Houston’s 2-1 win over New England 2-1 in the final. Onstad quietly made MLS history with his season, leading the league in save percentage, goals conceded, and consecutive shutout minutes.
Overseas, David Edgar made headlines in only his second appearance with Newcastle’s senior side in the English Premiership. The defender from Kitchener, Ont., scored the tying goal in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United on New Year’s Day, bending a shot from 30 yards out past United ‘keeper Edwin Van der Sar.
Elsewhere, midfielder Julian de Guzman is making an impact as a regular starter with Deportivo La Coruna in Spain. His brother Jonathan, a midfielder with Feyenoord Rotterdam of the Dutch league, is rumoured to be transfer target of English clubs.
On the college pitch, Toronto’s O’Brian White, a forward at the University of Connecticut, was a finalist for the prestigious M.A.C. Herman award, which goes to the NCAA Division 1 player of the year. The junior topped the NCAA in scoring with 23 goals and 53 points.
The UBC Thunderbirds won their 11th Canadian men’s university title, beating Laval 2-1 in the final. And the Cape Breton Capers claimed their first CIS title in any sport, with a 2-1 win over the York Lions in the women’s soccer final.
Source: A very bad year for Canadian soccer
