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| 802 Beiträge - Forenjunkie
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MONTREAL -- Coach Andrew Olivieri says Canada may discover a new Christine Sinclair when it plays host to the FIFA womens under-20 World Cup this summer. Olivieri, at city hall to help kick off ticket sales for the Aug. 5-24 event to be held in four Canadian cities, said Wednesday that Canada has a new generation of talent on the rise that can make its name just as Sinclair did at the same event in 2002 in Edmonton. "Kadeisha Buchanan plays a different role at centre back, so she probably doesnt get the exposure of a forward who scores a lot of goals," said Olivieri, in his second year as coach of the national womens U20 side. "And (fullback) Sura Yekka is only 16. "The last player who played on the senior team at 16 was Christine. So those could be your next Sinclairs." The 2002 tournament was for under-19 players when Sinclair led Canada to a silver medal. The Canadians drew 47,784 spectators -- still a tournament record -- to Commonwealth Stadium for the final. "It was a really unbelievable event," said Carmelina Moscato, a national team defender who was part of Canadas thrilling run through the 2002 tournament. "It was something that obviously changed our lives, and probably one of the reasons I came back to play was I never really played in an adult championship, that was my only experience to draw on and I wanted to experience something of the sort again. That was a big motivating factor for me." The 2014 event will have 16 teams playing the opening round in four groups in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Moncton, N.B. Canada will play its first two games in Toronto and finish off group play at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, which will also play host to the final and bronze medal games. "Its just such a good opportunity, especially being able to play games in Toronto," said Yekka, who made her debut with Canadas senior side in a 3-0 win over South Korea on Oct. 30. "Its going to be really exciting, since Im from the GTA, all my friends and family from Tornoto can come support." The draw will be held March 1 in Montreal. Canadian womens soccer is still on a high from its bronze-medal performance at the 2012 Olympics in London, when the senior national team gained national attention in a controversial semifinal loss to the United States before defeating France to finish third. The pressure is on for another medal performance from the under-20s on home turf. "The game has grown in our country, but its also grown around the world quite rapidly," said Olivieri, a former Montreal Impact goalkeeper. "The competition is fierce. "In 2002, the public awareness of the womens game was still fresh and new. It was enlightening to see how well those girls did. There are greater expectations now, especially after the success of the senior team. This should be a wonderful event." It is the first of back-to-back major FIFA events for Canada, which will host the 24-country Womens World Cup in 2015 in Montreal, Moncton, Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Toronto could not take part because it is hosting the 2015 Pan Am Games. The Canadian Soccer Association is also considering making a bid for the big one -- the mens World Cup -- in 2026. Organizers feel that getting strong fan support and running glitch-free womens events could help convince FIFA that Canada is ready to put on a World Cup. The bid got enthusiastic support from new Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, the former federal Liberal cabinet minister. He encouraged the CSA to push hard for the 2026 tournament. "We have more soccer players than hockey players in Canada," said Coderre. "But we have to show we can receive (a tournament) and that we have the greatest fans, so that we can show FIFA and the world that its about time Canada received the World Cup, eventually. "We have all the ingredients. We have a perfect storm here to make it happen." Venue pack tickets, which give buyers seats at all games played at each stadium, went on sale through the FIFA.com/Canada2014 website. Packs range from $40 to $90 for all games in Edmonton (seven games including a quarter-final); $50 to $125 in Moncton (eight games including a quarter-final and a semifinal); and $50 to $120 in Toronto (seven games including a quarter-final). There are two packs available for Montreal -- a range of $50 to $125 for eight games but not the final and bronze medal games, and $65 to $165 for 10 games including the final and third-place games. Bo Jackson Jersey . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Authentic Kenny Stabler Jersey . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray w
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| Beitrag vom 16.08.2016 - 17:29 |
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