Comments on: Questions Please For Paul Peschisolido http://www.epltalk.com/questions-please-for-paul-peschisolido/12148 Daily News & Analysis of the English Premier League Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:29:27 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: LS http://www.epltalk.com/questions-please-for-paul-peschisolido/12148#comment-78946 LS Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:43:08 +0000 http://www.epltalk.com/?p=12148#comment-78946 Paul James writes a good column for The Globe and Mail. You should check it out. In particular, this one might be of interest to you: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/james-on-soccer/cis-seeking-respect/article1313743/ You can also hear him talk about some of the same CIS issues during this interview: http://canadianterracetalk.mypodcast.com/2009/10/Canadian_Terrace_Talk_Episode_Twelve_Developing_Canadian_Talent-245054.html Paul James writes a good column for The Globe and Mail. You should check it out. In particular, this one might be of interest to you:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/james-on-soccer/cis-seeking-respect/article1313743/

You can also hear him talk about some of the same CIS issues during this interview:
http://canadianterracetalk.mypodcast.com/2009/10/Canadian_Terrace_Talk_Episode_Twelve_Developing_Canadian_Talent-245054.html

]]> By: Lars http://www.epltalk.com/questions-please-for-paul-peschisolido/12148#comment-78695 Lars Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:03:00 +0000 http://www.epltalk.com/?p=12148#comment-78695 There has been a lot of success and horror stories to come out of Canada over the past five years in the beautiful game of football. Canada has been robbed of chances in CONCACAF competitions by shady refereeing, but has experienced stunning successes in these same competitions. We have seen the success at the professional level with the rise of three strong clubs in the Impact, Whitecaps and Toronto FC, (four of the past five USL titles have been claimed by the Impact and Whitecaps, while TFC has been a remarkable MLS success story in terms of support for the game) but experienced some crushing blows (Impact and TFC) in competitions such as the CONCACAF Champions league and Major League Soccer. The questions we, as fans, seem to be asking ourselves is: When will we qualify for the World Cup again? What does the honourable manager believe to be the long term developmental challenges facing Canada at the international level which have prevented our success? Does the manager believe there is corruption in our region which is preventing Canadian success within CONCACAF? There has been a lot of success and horror stories to come out of Canada over the past five years in the beautiful game of football. Canada has been robbed of chances in CONCACAF competitions by shady refereeing, but has experienced stunning successes in these same competitions. We have seen the success at the professional level with the rise of three strong clubs in the Impact, Whitecaps and Toronto FC, (four of the past five USL titles have been claimed by the Impact and Whitecaps, while TFC has been a remarkable MLS success story in terms of support for the game) but experienced some crushing blows (Impact and TFC) in competitions such as the CONCACAF Champions league and Major League Soccer.

The questions we, as fans, seem to be asking ourselves is:

When will we qualify for the World Cup again?

What does the honourable manager believe to be the long term developmental challenges facing Canada at the international level which have prevented our success?

Does the manager believe there is corruption in our region which is preventing Canadian success within CONCACAF?

]]> By: Jon http://www.epltalk.com/questions-please-for-paul-peschisolido/12148#comment-77481 Jon Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:32:08 +0000 http://www.epltalk.com/?p=12148#comment-77481 Paul, I would be interested in your views on the development of football players in Canada. I could be wrong, but there appears to me to be a gap in development from a youth level to higher levels and into the national side. According to FIFA, we are currently ranked 53rd in the world and have only ever qualified for the World Cup once. Yet, we're a country of 33 million, and youth soccer is overwhelmingly popular (I don't have statistics, but I would guess that it is the most popular youth sport in the country). Somehow we don't develop players on to a higher level who go on to play at the highest club levels and achieve international success. There are only a handful of Canadians that play in the EPL at any one time, for example. Croatia, by comparison, has a population of only 4.4 million, and yet it regularly qualifies for the World Cup and provides top levels players to all the big leagues in Europe. I know that the impulse is to say that Canada is a hockey country, and all our sporting resources and good athletes are diverted into ice hockey programs, but Slovakia also has a population of only 5 million, qualified for the World Cup, also has a world class ice hockey program and provides many players to the NHL. It seems to have been able to develop both world class football and hockey talent simultaneously. Why do you think that Canada, with a much larger economy and population, can't do the same? Is it structural - lack of funding and support from government, for example? Cultural? Lack of quality of academies and opportunities? Having experienced it firsthand, what are your views? Paul, I would be interested in your views on the development of football players in Canada. I could be wrong, but there appears to me to be a gap in development from a youth level to higher levels and into the national side.

According to FIFA, we are currently ranked 53rd in the world and have only ever qualified for the World Cup once. Yet, we’re a country of 33 million, and youth soccer is overwhelmingly popular (I don’t have statistics, but I would guess that it is the most popular youth sport in the country). Somehow we don’t develop players on to a higher level who go on to play at the highest club levels and achieve international success. There are only a handful of Canadians that play in the EPL at any one time, for example.

Croatia, by comparison, has a population of only 4.4 million, and yet it regularly qualifies for the World Cup and provides top levels players to all the big leagues in Europe. I know that the impulse is to say that Canada is a hockey country, and all our sporting resources and good athletes are diverted into ice hockey programs, but Slovakia also has a population of only 5 million, qualified for the World Cup, also has a world class ice hockey program and provides many players to the NHL. It seems to have been able to develop both world class football and hockey talent simultaneously.

Why do you think that Canada, with a much larger economy and population, can’t do the same? Is it structural – lack of funding and support from government, for example? Cultural? Lack of quality of academies and opportunities? Having experienced it firsthand, what are your views?

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