Voyageurs Cup matchday 3 report

MONTREAL 0:0 VANCOUVER


Goals: none
[match stats]

Headline: Nothing settled after opening leg of Voyageurs Cup (News 1130)
Good to see some media outlets catching on to the preferred nomenclature

A story in pictures


Jeb Brovsky had his face re-arranged by the Whitecaps' Jordan Harvey, undoubtedly the most interesting happening of the match.



One paragraph analysis

While Montreal fielded close to a first-choice lineup, Martin Rennie clearly set up his Vancouver side in an effort to keep a clean sheet. Evidence of such a plan included starting centre back Brad Rusin, a man without a creative bone in his body, in midfield, and moving the team's best player, Nigel Reo-Coker, to right back. It appeared to work as Vancouver looked under-manned going forward, while Montreal's forward thrusts were too easily broken up.

In the second half I went for a run. Not much seemed to have happened upon my return.

Attendance check: 12,016 at a rainy Stade Saputo

Canadian content report
With Montreal's defensive corps returning to health, there was no room in the squad for Karl Ouimette or Maxim Tissot. Patrice Bernier carried the flag for Montreal, as did Russell Teibert for Vancouver.

Both Teibert and Bernier should feature in the finale, as interim national team boss Colin Miller has announced he will not be selecting either play for the Costa Rica friendly the previous night in Edmonton.

MONTREAL IMPACT Patrice Bernier 90 Total Mins 90 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS Russell Teibert 90 Total Mins 90

TOP SCORERS Player	Team	Goals
Marco di Vaio	Montreal	2
Camilo	Vancouver	2
Michael Cox	Edmonton	1
Chris Nurse	Edmonton	1
Justin Mapp	Montreal	1
Andres Romero	Montreal	1
Andrew Wenger	Montreal	1
Daniele Paponi	Montreal	1
Doneil Henry	Toronto	1
Andrew Wiedeman	Toronto	1
Tommy Heinemann	Vancouver	1
Corey Hertzog	Vancouver	1

NEXT MATCH
2013.05.29: Montreal at Vancouver

CONTEST UPDATE
The contest standings have been updated.

Voyageurs Cup contest standings, matchday 3

Wednesday's 0-0 draw between Montreal and Vancouver in the first leg of the Canadian Championship was a dire affair (stay tuned for the report, 5 days late). It seems everyone was expecting more action as nobody had the correct score. The closest was a prediction of 1-0 by Brenton, which has catapulted him into the lead heading the May 29th final.

Mimglow and Ditty have separated themselves from the pack in the race for the lanterne rouge.


Spreadsheet: All prediction entries

MATCHDAY 3
Difference	Entries
9	Brenton
10	Seth Greenan, Nos, Latetedefred, Duane Rollins, Imma Gonna Ween
11	Lord Bob, coxon, squadplayer, Ivan Drago, shermanator, kodiaktfc
12	Soka, mowe, Pej, Mike McGuire, Cormac, Grossi, M@, TheKottonMouthed
13	Casual Soccer Fan, Jake Vendramin, StartingEleven, Havelock Howel, PSoNumber9, Philip, GoF
14	Mr. Impact, MulliganL, Abou Sky, shawn_strat, Kirk Dobbs, Seathanaich, adrenaline11
15	Marauder, Beat the Limpact, TFCMike P, Pompey Canuck, Duncan Fletcher, Sir Alphonso Applegate, rob.notenboom
16	Stouffvillain, DelChuck
17
18	Ditty
19	mimglow

Voyageurs Cup matchday 2 report

Montreal and Vancouver are into the final. There are some things to discuss.

MONTREAL 6:0 TORONTO

Goals: Justin Mapp 24', Daniele Paponi 33', Marco di Vaio 44', Andres Romero 61', Marco di Vaio 90', Andrew Wenger 90+
[match stats]

Headline: L'Impact écrase le TFC (Le Devoir)
We're a bilingual country. And because the French verb, écraser, is way more evocative than to crush.

A story in pictures

The real story was told this past Saturday, with demands from the hardcore supporters to take the competition seriously. I think they will have found their club to be in compliance with those demands.

One (okay, two) paragraph analysis

Montreal's supporters groups were not happy about the tepid effort their team put in last Wednesday at BMO Field. Marco Schallibaum fielded a less-than-full-strength squad, and those players who did see action did not seem interested in making a match of it. Some observers will look at this 6-0 scoreline and, with the benefit of hindsight, suggest that the teams' respective squad choices this week made a Montreal comeback all-but inevitable. That's bullshit. Toronto started Robert Earnshaw, and had exactly the same number of first-choice starters in defense that Montreal had (1 each). Perhaps the most important addition for Montreal was Andres Romero who had a goal and was, on the whole, excellent. But it was the Impact's other winger, Justin Mapp, that was the man of the match.

I was glad to see Montreal win. For maybe the first time since they won the cup in '08, the team appeared to give a shit. The message sent by the supporters was clearly received, no doubt reinforced by a tongue lashing from owner Joey Saputo. On the other hand, I was disappointed that Toronto's Canadian contingent put in such a poor showing. Like the week previous, the midfield pairing of Jonathan Osorio and Kyle Bekker had a slow start, but unlike last time they never were able to work themselves into the match. They were outclassed by Patrice Bernier and Davy Arnaud, but then so were Luis Silva and Jeremy Hall who entered as replacements. Doneil Henry earned a yellow and could easily have seen a second. And if you watch the video highlights of the six goals, you will see Ashtone Morgan making a critical mistake on nearly every one. For a team that entered the match clearly in the driver's seat, TFC seemed to give up ever so easily. Have they squandered any gains made in the early going under Nelsen?

Attendance check: 14,931 jubilant fans at Stade Saputo. From the very beginning, they were bringing it.

Canadian content report
There were six Canadians that featured on the day, and another, Wandrille Lefevre, who could well be on the path to citizenship. Lefevre, Maxim Tissot, and particularly Patrice Bernier were good for Montreal. No Toronto player can claim to have played well.

MONTREAL IMPACT Maxim Tissot 90 Patrice Bernier 90 Total Mins 180 TORONTO FC Doneil Henry 90 Ashtone Morgan 90 Jonathan Osorio 74 Kyle Bekker 45 Total Mins 299

VANCOUVER 2:0 EDMONTON

Goals: Corey Hertzog 58', Shaun Saiko (o.g.) 67'
Ejections: Adrian LeRoy 51'
[match stats]

Headline: Whitecaps' rally and 3-2 win prevents embarrassing night in Edmonton (Vancouver Sun)
Headline selected only because, despite the 3-2 win, it ought to have been considered an embarassing night for one particular 2-goal Whitecaps forward.


One paragraph analysis
In many ways, this match went much the same way as the previous encounter at Commonwealth. Edmonton defended well, were in the match, and then were undone by poor refereeing combined with a fitter and more talented opponent. Don't get me wrong: on the balance of play over two legs Vancouver were the better team and deserved to win. But Edmonton conceded two questionable goals in the first leg (a curious interpretation of the offside rule on one, an egregious Camilo dive for a penalty on another). In this match, the score was 0-0 until an incidental tangling of feet was adjudged to be a red-card offense by Edmonton defender Adrian LeRoy. Edmonton ought to take encouragement from their performance. After a slow start in the league they have delivered three straight creditable efforts, including their first NASL win of the season. Vancouver will be glad to advance to the final round without having to call upon too many of their starting players. The 5:2 aggregate close to what many had expected, but the manner of the victories tells a more complicated story.

Attendance check: 14,892 at BC Place

Canadian content report
Russell Teibert was man of the match for Vancouver, while Edmonton produced a total of  9 Canadian starters and subs.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
Russell Teibert	90
Total Mins	90

FC EDMONTON
Mallan Roberts	90
Edson Edward	90
Adrian LeRoy	51
Antonio Rago	90
Massimo Mirabelli	59
Michael Nonni	45
Michael Cox	72
Shaun Saiko	31
Sadi Jalali	18
Total Mins	546

TOP SCORERS Player	Team	Goals
Marco di Vaio	Montreal	2
Camilo	Vancouver	2
Michael Cox	Edmonton	1
Chris Nurse	Edmonton	1
Justin Mapp	Montreal	1
Andres Romero	Montreal	1
Andrew Wenger	Montreal	1
Daniele Paponi	Montreal	1
Doneil Henry	Toronto	1
Andrew Wiedeman	Toronto	1
Tommy Heinemann	Vancouver	1
Corey Hertzog	Vancouver	1

NEXT MATCH
2013.05.15: Vancouer at Montreal 7:45 pm et / 4:45 pm pt

There is a week off before the first leg of the final at Stade Saputo.


CONTEST UPDATE
The contest standings have been updated.

VCup contest standings, matchday 2

Nobody called Montreal beating Toronto 6-0. Don't believe anyone who tells you they did. Closest was Duane Rollins who said 3-0. There were plenty predicting a 2-0 Vancouver win.

Spreadsheet: All prediction entries

STANDINGS: MATCHDAY 1
Difference	Entries
7	Seth Greenan, shermanator
8	Lord Bob, Nos, Walms, Latetedefred, Mike McGuire, Brenton, Duane Rollins, Imma Gonna Ween, Cormac
9	Soka, coxon, mowe, Andrew Bates, squadplayer, Ivan Drago, Grossi, Wince, M@, GoF, kodiaktfc
10	MulliganL, Abou Sky, Pej, Casual Soccer Fan, Wet Coast,  Wanderers, Jonesy, StartingEleven, adrenaline11, Havelock Howel, PSoNumber9, Philip, TheKottonmouthed
11	Mr. Impact, Tuscan, Beat the Limpact, TFCMike P, Jake Vendramin, Kirk Dobbs, rob.notenboom
12	Marauder, shawn_strat, Seathanaich, DelChuck
13	Stouffvillain, Pompey Canuck, Duncan Fletcher, Sir Alphonso Applegate
14	Ditty
16	mimglow

Watch your inbox for an email requesting your picks for the two final round matches in the next day or so

Voyageurs Cup matchday 1 report

A day late, here's a look at Wednesday's opening matches in the Amway Canadian Championship

TORONTO 2:0 MONTREAL

Goals: Doneil Henry 49', Andrew Wiedeman 81'
[match stats]

Headline: Toronto continues dominance over Montreal (Soccer America)

One paragraph analysis

A sloppy first half could have been expected. The two teams combined to field perhaps a half-dozen regular starters. An experience and talent gap between the two central midfield duos -- Patrice Bernier, shouldering most of the load for Montreal, and Kyle Bekker and Jonathan Osorio for Montreal -- was evident in the early-going, but the young Toronto pair managed to work their way into the match by the end of the first half. The second half was a different story, as an inexperienced Montreal defense (Hassoun Camara should never play in the middle) couldn't clear a corner and were punished by Doneil Henry's strike. A later, rather needless, giveaway by Karl Ouimette set the table for Toronto, as Luis Silva and Andrew Wiedeman (or, as Gerry Dobson kept calling him, "Wiederman") didn't have much work to do to get it to the back of the net. Post-game Marco Schallibaum was making the right noises about getting the goals back in Montreal, but it was clear Toronto cares more about winning this competition.

Attendance check: 11,043 at a rainy and cold BMO Field

Canadian content report
There were 8 Canadian starters on the day. It was good to see two young Canadian defenders, Ouimette and Maxim Tissot for Montreal, but in the end it was inexperience by those two that was at fault for both goals against. Bekker and Osorio were poor in the first half, but got better.

MONTREAL IMPACT Karl Ouimette 90 Maxim Tissot 90 Patrice Bernier 90 Total Mins 270 TORONTO FC Doneil Henry 90 Ashtone Morgan 90 Jonathan Osorio 90 Emery Welshman 90 Kyle Bekker 72 Total Mins 432

VANCOUVER 3:2 EDMONTON

Goals: Camilo 5', 83' (PK), Michael Cox 8', Chris Nurse 28', Tommy Heinemann 89'
[match stats]

Headline: Whitecaps' rally and 3-2 win prevents embarrassing night in Edmonton (Vancouver Sun)
Headline selected only because, despite the 3-2 win, it ought to have been considered an embarassing night for one particular 2-goal Whitecaps forward.


One paragraph analysis
There can't be many observers of this match that felt good by the end. Neutrals would surely be won over by Edmonton's first half tenacity, a bit of ball luck on their first goal, and the romantic notion of a plucky D2 side knocking off their supposed betters. And make no mistake: Edmonton was running things in the first half and could easily have made it 3-1 at points, though at the cost of a great effort that could not be sustained. Things were different in the second half, as Edmonton boss Colin Miller seemed to have instructed his charges to adopt a more energy efficient and defensive posture. They were bunkering successfully enough until the 80th minute, when Camilo made exactly the sort of reprehensible dive that he has become known for, and that referee Silviu Petrescu bought hook, line, and sinker. Even with the 2-1 lead, Edmonton was never likely to win over two legs. The Camilo penalty took all the wind out of their sails, produced a well-earned tirade and ejection of Miller, and the inevitable late winner but Vancouver caveman Tommy Heinemann. To all but the most blind Vancouver partisan, this was football injustice.

Attendance check: 2,836 at Commonwealth Stadium.

Canadian content report
Russell Teibert carried the flag for Vancouver, while Edmonton produced a total of 7 Canadian starters and subs, including a debut for newly-minted Canadian Mallan Roberts.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
Russell Teibert	90
Total Mins	90

FC EDMONTON
Mallan Roberts	90
Edson Edward	90
Adrian LeRoy	90
Shaun Saiko	90
Michael Cox	85
Edem Mortotsi	31
Sadi Jalali	5
Total Mins	716

TOP SCORERS
Player	Team	Goals
Camilo	Vancouver	2
Tommy Heinemann	Vancouver	1
Michael Cox	Edmonton	1
Chris Nurse	Edmonton	1
Doneil Henry	Toronto	1
Andrew Wiedeman	Toronto	1

NEXT WEEK
2013.05.01: Toronto at Montreal 7:45 pm et / 4:45 pm pt
2013.05.01: Edmonton at Vancouver 10:15 pm et / 7:15 pm pt

CONTEST UPDATE
The contest standings have been updated.

VCup contest standings, matchday 1

Here's a quick glance at the standings after matchday 1. A few entries had TFC winning 2-0, but the close (and high-scoring) Edmonton-Vancouver result was costly for a lot of people.

Spreadsheet: All prediction entries

STANDINGS: MATCHDAY 1
Difference	Entries
1	Seth Greenan
2	Soka, coxon, Walms, Abou Sky, Mike McGuire, Imma Gonna Ween, PSoNumber9, Grossi
3	Lord Bob, latetedefred, Brenton, Jonesy, shermanator, Wince, TheKottonMouthed
4	Mowe, Nos, Andrew Bates, shawn_strat, Jake Vendramin, Ivan Drago, Kirk Dobbs, Duane Rollins, StartingEleven, Havelock Howel, Sir Alphonso Applegate, Cormac, M@, kodiaktfc
5	Marauder, MulliganL, Stouffvillain, Pej, Casual Soccer Fan, Beat the Limpact, TFCMike P, squadplayer, Wet Coast Wanderers, Duncan Fletcher, Seathanaich, adrenaline11, rob.notenboom, Philip, GoF
6	Mr. Impact, Tuscan, Ditty, DelChuck
7
8	Pompey Canuck, mimglow

Voyageurs Cup: All-time player stats

I've updated a spreadsheet of all players to have taken part in a Voyageurs Cup match in the Canadian Championship era (2008-present). You can have a look at the data using the link below

Voyageurs Cup player data 2008-present

Some interesting factoids:

• All-time goals leader in the competition is Dwayne De Rosario with 4
• Active (in the sense of being a current player on Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or Edmonton) goals leader is Reggie Lambe (2)
• All-time minutes leader is Nevio Pizzolitto with 930
• Active minutes leader is Stefan Frei (810)
• Adrian Cann, Terry Dunfield, Eddy Sebrango, Zourab Tsiskaridze, Tony Donatelli, Kevin Hatchi, Jeb Brovsky and Alex Surprenant have played in the competition for two different teams.
• Toronto's Logan Emory is on the books with the fewest minutes of any participating player: 1

Watch the games tomorrow and enter my contest.

Voyageurs Cup pool: 2013 edition

Another year, another contest to predict the outcomes in the matches of the Voyageurs Cup. The corporate moniker is the Amway Canadian Championship, and that is the last you'll hear of that title in this space.

The contest got its start in 2009, won in style by former some canadian guy talking about soccer and now merely some canadian guy squizz. If you're curious how the contest has turned out over the years, consult the following summaries:

• 2012 (winners: Tuscan and Diego R)
• 2011 (Free Kick and Casual Soccer Fan)
• 2010 (Lank)
• 2009 (squizz)

Here's the important information:

RULES

• Participants will predict the final score of each of the 6 NCC matches in two stages: a) The initial entry must include predictions for the first 4 matches (both legs of each of the two legged ties, then b) Once the finalists are known, an emailed prediction for both legs of the final
• Total discrepancy from the final score of each match will be tallied. e.g.: If you predicted Toronto 1 - 0 Montreal for the opening fixture, and the final was 2-2, your discrepancy factor would be 3 goals (off by 1 for Toronto, off by 2 for Montreal). Lowest total score over all matches wins.
• For these two-legged ties, the CSA is applying the away goals rule. If matches go to extra time, the scoreline after 120 minutes is the one that will be used for contest purposes.
• First tie-breaker will be total number of exact scorelines. Second is total number of correct results (win/draw/loss). Third will be correctly predicting the tournament's high goal scorer.

PRIZES

The lanterne rouge is a cycling term to designate the last-placed finisher in a race. The last-placed finisher will choose a team scarf from one of the tournament teams to be awarded to the winner.

If the number of entries goes beyond 60, a second winner will receive a prize. 100 is the threshold for a third prize.

Or, if you have a company that wants to market to diehard Canadian soccer supporters, get in touch to donate or sponsor a prize.

HOW TO ENTER

All entries must be submitted via email in order for me to be able to solicit your final round picks in a timely fashion once the finalists are known. Any entries left in the comments will not be included; I'll try to contact you to get an emailed response.

Please include the following details in your entry

• The exact score of each of the first 4 fixtures (in the correct order, please)
• Your prediction for tournament leading goal scorer.
• A nickname to be displayed on the results page. If none is given, your real name will be used.

To make life easier for me, simply copy/paste the following into your email, and change the XXs into scores.

DATE	HOME		AWAY
24/04/13	Toronto	XX	Montreal	XX
24/04/13	Edmonton	XX	Vancouver	XX
01/05/13	Montreal	XX	Toronto	XX
01/05/13	Vancouver	XX	Edmonton	XX

Nickname: My nickname or real name here
Golden boot: John Doe

I know some email programs will garble the formatting of that table, but don't worry about it, I'll figure it out.

Once the finalists are known, you will receive an email inviting you to submit your second round of picks.

All entries must be emailed to blogdumpster@gmail.com.

CONTEST DEADLINE: All entries must be received by 8 pm eastern (kickoff time) on Wednesday 24 April 2013, the day of the opening encounters.

I'm shooting for maximum participation, so if you have a platform for promoting this thing (twitter, blog, semaphore, etc.), I'd appreciate the support that way.