I'm a soccer fan from Canada

[Dannyo]

had some good crosses (i dont know if it is the correct term-i mean that he played the ball high towards the opponent team's goal coming from the left wing  ).

Yes, had some good crosses

Here's the voting for the best Rapid player against Bregenz.

[CanadaFan]

Dannyo, Frosch

The Rapid should therefore win Saturday .... and people will dance in the streets.

Best of luck and have fun - soccer fans of Canada envy your league and the fact that you get to watch a National League.

We in Canada have no domestic Pro Soccer League - but have teams in the USA's A-League. We hope and dream to one day have a league such as yours.

I live in Calgary, Canada and I am fortunate to live in one of the few cities in Canada to have a pro soccer team - I just wish it were in a Canadian League.

Hope you or your group members don't mind updating the Canadian fans with little details about Ante?

We have a section on our website/chat forum about player's abroad and I would like to add Ante Jazic to that list so that the people of Canada are informed of his success or failures on a weekly basis. I would like to be able to ask you or the people within your chat forum once a week (after games) about how Ante and the Rapid have played so that I can inform the Canadian public with your knowledgeable, unbiased posts. Just a short paragraph about Ante and the Rapid would be spectacular. If you are unable to do that...it is ok...I'll just contine to translate through Google ... but I'm not sure how accurate it will be.

Cheers,

Georgio

[Dannyo]

No problem, I'd help you to write the Jazic paragraph at your database by posting a report about Ante's game every week. I think I'm not the only one at "ASB" who would do that for you.

Hmmm... as the major American sports like Baseball or Hockey have a US/Canadian-league too, the officials could think that it helps the club's professionalism to unite Canada's soccer league with the US soccer league.

I can imagine how awful this league organization is for you... i.e. no chance to follow your team to away matches.

But I think that Canada has two greater problems at soccer:

1.) Like in the US, Canada's college soccer isn't bad. Jazic for example played at college level before he was transferred to Hajduk Split. Canadian players who sign contracts in Europe become good or even very good players (I think about Radzinski or Stalteri). I think the next Canadian top-pro to come could be Ängelholm's Wyn Belotte, who is also very talented.

But the players who stay in Canada develope less intensive, because of the lack of international competition. As I know there are only a few real professional soccer academies, where the coaches and players work like in Europe's major soccer "schools" (Ajax Amsterdam, PSV, Barcelona or English clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Man.U oder even Crewe Alexandra).

2.) Only a few sponsors... too little money...

[CanadaFan]

dannyo, I appreciate your knowledge of foreign leagues and am impressed by what you pay attention to.

It would be preferable to have teams in the MLS and Canada is hopefully moving in that direction. The A-League is second tier US and has a very short, rigorous season (5 mths) so we need more options to develop and sustain talent. The problem with a US administered league is that they have control over imports and coaching. There has been a vast amount of undiscovered talent in Canada because we have no control over developing from within but must adhere to US team stipulations or leave players in amateur. The MLS started out as a league that would only allow 3 imports and have deveolped the League to such a high standard now that they can start allowing more imports over time. And this has effected of course there National Team with great results. We in Canada require either a full Canadian division within the top US league with majority control over those teams imports and player development or our own domesic league. The US are way ahead of us in development. Which ever way is most feasable. Things are improving in Canada but there is a long way to go.

Belotte has had real difficulties in the foreign markets and has not lived up to expectations - recently dropped by Winslow Krakow because the coach didn't believe he has the will power. Mayber he will turn things around. I would like for you to remember these two names: Ian Hume and Atiba Hutchinson who were on the U-20 Canada Team that made it to the Quarter Finals of the World Youth Cup. They are getting alot of press and Premier League teams, Serie A teams are paying alot of attention.

Also in the German league at Julian De Guzman who is no doubt our best player along with Radzinski and Stalteri. He is very skilled and fearless.

Then we have DeRosario in the MLS at San Hose who excellent.

Our best team would likely look like this:

Goal: Hirschfeld

Four Back: Stalteri Klukowski DeVos Jazic

Four Mid: Nsaliwa Aguiar De Guzman Brennan

Two Strikers: Radzinski De Rosario

Subs: Onstadt, McKenna, Hutchinson, Peschisolido, Pozniak, Bent, Bircham, Hume

[CanadaFan]

Oh and your right about the sponsors, soccer is not the media darling that Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and Football are in North America. Not enough media exposure and investment ............. yet! It's slowly moving into mainstream though. You can't kill a good thing. But a lot of North American journalists have tried over the years. It seems to be a social thing....I even hear on occasion that they equate soccer/football with socialism and even communism .... it's too european for the US (and canada's media is basically the US media) ... which is why when they had the NASL in the 70's that Pele played in, they were even trying to change the rules ... to appeal to north Americans (larger nets, no offsides, field dimensions).

Quite funny actually.

[shibuya]

lots of presence in the media, money through sponsors and commercialisation is not necessarily the key to success.

Be happy that the mass media is not as focused on football in comparison to b-ball, hockey and a. football.

In europe, many supporter groups are currently in the process of realising how betrayed they are by the media. previously building the solid base for commercialisation, they are now no longer welcome in the large new polished football+show domes of europe, which solely have the aim of attracting the new entertainable clientel. Money can also do a lot of harm to the football culture.

be patient with canadian football, and don't be overly concerned about undiscovered talents, sooner or later the one or the other will arise. Money can also do a lot of harm to the football culture.

while i'm at it, i would be interested to know more about the infrastructure. what's that about a joint league with the US?. what divisions does canada have? what are attendances like? is calgary any good? budgetal comparisons would also be very interested if you could get u r hands on those.

cheers

and btw: dont be mislead by the name of this board: the one and only genuine name of the game is FOOTBALL!