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With the New Year now upon us, I have been thinking about how events could unfold in 2015 with respect to the game that I love. Ultimately, when it comes to the world of soccer, I just want to see a lot of great games. I’d also love to see less diving from players and more playing the game how it’s supposed to be played. It’s a contact sport, so we need to end stopping the play with phantom fouls and all that extra activity you see when someone gets fouled.
I also have to say the bringing the ball into the corner that players do when they are winning is killing me. I believe that even if you are winning, if you want to kill time, pass the ball around. That is the beauty of soccer, not holding it in the corner and not moving. I think that kills the game. If I was ever told to bring the ball to the corner, I couldn't because in a way I'm then telling myself and my team that we have to waste time because we don't think we can play soccer. That is just my opinion.
Looking at the UEFA Champions League and how it will pan out, it is a tough one because, as a player myself, I know that sometimes you can have a good game or a bad game. So that being said, star players who should shine sometimes underachieve and the Champions League is now at the stage where you have to play your best in two legs or you are out. Right now, if I look at the teams that are still in the competition and their current form, I expect either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid to win the competition, with an honourable mention and dark horse status going to Barcelona.
Bayern have players who know what it takes to get to the final and win the Champions League and Real Madrid won the tournament last year and did do in a fashionable way. I do like how both teams have been very consistent over the last two years and are showing signs of getting better and better. However, in my opinion, Barcelona can never be underestimated because they have three truly great strikers in Messi, Neymar and Suarez. So no one should sleep on this team because they still have that firepower and demand your respect.
Closer to home, the Canadian Men’s National Team will have a busy year as the squad plays in the Gold Cup with an eye on qualifying for the Copa America. Unfortunately, I don’t see Canada qualifying for the Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América as something that is very realistic. The Canadian team is still in the rebuilding stage. Of course every professional athlete hates to hear that term because they want to get on that stage and win and do it as soon as possible. High level athletes don’t want to hear that the team needs time – they always want that time to be now. Realistically, we need more structure and our form as a national team has to be more consistent. We can’t be ripping a team like Jamaica and then playing a decent team like Iceland and losing or drawing. It’s all about consistency. Every winning program in the world is consistent.
In my mind Canada needs more consistency with the players, with the coach’s selections and the players who are picked have to be better. It’s an honour to play for your country and I think that sometimes players are feeling satisfied with being selected and forgetting that there are still games to be won. Again, we have to build a culture of winners and that also means we need to have an infusion of money into Canadian soccer from leagues in Canada and more soccer specific facilities.
Overall, it’s not like Canada doesn't have the talent, it’s that we don't have a real process of selecting players and scouting players. Personally, it took me years to be selected and it’s not like I wasn't a good player or winning awards personally and with my team. There was simply no proper scouting. Especially being from Windsor, I still wasn't getting recognized. I believe we have the players to be successful but we do need the veterans to teach the young gunners. You can’t minimize the importance of that, as that transition is so important.
We have Atiba Hutchinson for example. If he's not there consistently, who is our next Atiba Hutchinson? So now you maybe can see what I mean. We need swap for swap, player for player with the skills being very close. The younger generation has to see the veterans play and then gradually integrate them into the squad.
In terms of my Women's World Cup predictions, I feel as though Germany, Brazil, USA and, of
course, my team Canada are the favorites. I do believe Canada should win if all goes well in this big event that we will have in our own backyard. Women's soccer has come a long way and I think the tournament is going to be fantastic and I will be following it.
Some other big predictions for the world of soccer in 2015: Real Madrid, PSG, Roma, Chelsea and Bayern will win their domestic leagues.
Lastly, if the Canadian Men’s National team picks the right players and they perform, we should hopefully be ranked the highest we have been in years.
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