Mattias Öhlund - The Province Home Page | The Province

Serving the Beautiful Game

The Soccer Skort: All with the

Female Player in Mind

By Kelly MacDonald &

Dominique Falls

Mattias Öhlund

Red Card for Bottled water!By Meera Karunananthan &

Blair Redlin

A Night in LiverpoolBy Shivan Skipper

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Contents4 Contributors

5 Editor's Note

6 The Soccer Skort: All with the female player in mind By Kelly MacDonald & Dominique Falls

8 You'll Never Walk Alone: A Night in Liverpool By Shivan Skipper

10 RedCardforBottledWater! By Meera Karunananthan & Blair Redlin

12 MattiasÖhlund By Carrie Serwetnyk

16 Carolina Morace 19 Red Card Yellow Card

Recipe: Palak Paneer By a chef in India

20 Cosmo Striker By Piper Bradley

21 KidzSection

22 SoccerScopes

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Editor’s Note

Contributors

Neil Humphrey, WebmasterNeil is a passionate local coach and suit in the football community. His multi-talented skills in competitive sailing and the beautiful game gave him a compass to travel extensively around the world. Here at home, he consults in marketing, PR, Internet sectors and all the latest soccer junkie info. Beware Voyageurs!

Free Kick TeamLindsay Marsh, Editorial AssistantEquipped with a BA in English Lit and a Sustainable Community Development Post-Bacc Diploma, Lindsay spent 3 years teaching and volunteering in Japan and SW. Asia. Her passion for sports led her to many muddy games of soccer with boys and girls at a children’s home in Thailand. www.go-mad.org

Fernando Fei, Design & ProductionRaised in Argentina, Fernando always jokes that football runs through his veins. His passion, knowledge, and design talent gives Free Kick its face.

Piper BradleyAnna is a 17 year old Vancouver artist who is crazy for cartooning…and just a bit crazy in general. She migrates around the city in her cardboard starving artist box doing art for food and stealing your single socks from laundry machines.

Carrie Serwetnyk, First Woman Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame

Free Kick is a free publication. It is published bimonthly and distributed to retail soccer stores, stadiums, sporting retailers, communiy centers, and many pick up locations throughout the greater Vancouver area. For more information please contact [email protected] or visit our website at www.freekickmag.com.

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Publisher’s Note:

Why “Serving the Beautiful Game?”

As a magazine we have the ability to give a much needed acknowledgement to individuals who contribute their energy to soccer. Our mission is to serve the players, fans, parents and coaches who want information and

support for their passion.

Brazilian star Pele’s most renowned quote was when he called “football” the “beautiful game.” The quote

speaks for itself to all those who have played soccer or admired it in the stands. It hits the mark between how it looks on the outside and how it feels on the inside

playing it.

We feel the combination to “Serve the Beautiful Game” matches our ambitions as a magazine.

Serving the Beautiful Game

Copyright © 2007. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Free Kick Magazine is an environmentally friendly publication. Printed on recycled paper.

CoverPhotobyBrittneyKwasney

Kelly MacDonald & Dominique FallsKelly and Dominique, both passionate about the game of soccer, are M.A. Candidates working in the Sociology of Sport at UBC. They have teamed up to voice their concerns over the proposed introduction of skirts in soccer.

Shivan SkipperShivan is a Vancouver-based international photographer, writer, designer and a life long soccer fan.

Meera Karunananthan & Blair RedlinMeera is a national water campaigner for the Council of Canadians. Blair is a researcher with the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Together, they combined words to educate and encourage athletes to drink from the taps rather than purchasing bottled water.

Welcome. In the soccer world beyond our borders most seasons are coming to an end. Most notable was the clash between Barcelona and Manchester United Champions

League Final where football purists enjoyed two teams who have mastered the ideology of the “beautiful game.” As club shoes start to hang up for the year, all eyes will be on qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

In our issue, we chose to focus on the hottest topic in our backyard – the Vancouver Canucks, who were Canada’s closest hope for the Stanley Cup. With Mattias Öhlund, the longest standing Canuck venturing into free agency, we thought his background in Swedish football and his love for the game would be of interest to the multi-sport nature of our Canadian psyche. Given the popularity of soccer at Toronto FC, where Maple Leaf fans have a place to go when their hockey guys hit rock bottom, the Vancouver Whitecaps will offer a crash pad in the 2011 MLS for the city’s beloved Canucks.

In creating this issue, we took on a few topics that may be divisive or inspire a sense of activism to our readers. Recently, I attended a film that changed my knowledge and attitude towards bottled water. We are so fortunate to have fresh flowing water from our taps in all of our homes. Why we would even consider paying for it is beyond ridiculous. In a film called Blue Gold, I became privy to the affects bottled water has on our ecosystem, third world nations and the corruption the industry has created. As a member of the soccer community, I felt it was necessary to pass on the need for change through the article Red Card for Bottled Water, written by environmental and political activists.

Also in the spirit of expression, I can share the voice of my colleagues in how appalled we were in hearing that PUMA, the 10 million dollar sponsor of the USA Women’s Professional League, designed a skirt as an optional choice uniform for the players’ kit and then paraded players as fashion models prior to the kickoff of the league. I was asked by men, who like the idea of watching sexy girls in skirts kick around a ball, why it is so offensive. My only answer to them is suggesting that they wear Speedo’s or thongs instead of shorts to attract more sponsors, fans and revenue. Interestingly, most men are silenced with that image in their minds. Women have struggled for decades (and centuries) to achieve slivers of equality, to earn the right to participate in the Olympics, World Cups and professional leagues and to prove themselves as athletes. If they want to wear a skirt off the field then let’s keep it off the field.

In this issue, we hope to still make you laugh, to enjoy the passion of the game and to think a little more about your impact in the sports world. Best wishes.

Brittney Kwasney, PhotographyBrittney is a lifelong soccer lover and the owner of Vancouver's Bright Photography. Raised in hilly Kimberely, BC, Brit not only developed great soccer and hockey legs but a keen eye for capturing beautiful and interesting images. Brit is 100% gluten-free. www.brightphoto.ca

Be in the Game!Free Kick is distributed throughout Greater Vancouver area to a readership of 42,000. Partnered with The Province, our magazine is now available online in the sports section. Approximately 300,000 viewers visit The Province daily. We are also at a number of the Vancouver Whitecaps home games, including Family Nights with our Free Kick Wall in the Fun Zone. Come test your shot!

contact: [email protected]


Five years ago, FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, announced that women’s soccer should promote a more aesthetic look and suggested that the players compete in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball. The

comment was met with resistance from professional female players who denounced the suggestion and cried sexism and prejudice. However, three years later, an amateur Dutch Women’s soccer team ditched their shorts for skirts. The women said the new uniform was an attempt to bring femininity to the game in hopes of drawing bigger audiences to the sport. The team captain was quoted as saying “female football is not so popular at the moment. In the Netherlands, there is an image that it’s more for men, but we hope that can change,” she said, adding that she thought the use of skirts would encourage more girls to join (Hornby, 2008). Canadian and American fans were quick to label this behaviour as another example of how women’s soccer in Europe is backwards. “That stuff would never happen here” we said in an almost mocking tone. After all, we gloated, “nowhere else is women’s soccer the cultural equivalent of – or even superior to – the men’s game as it is in the United States and Canada” (Markovits & Hellerman, 2003). Then in February 2009, the US Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league unveiled the inaugural season team uniforms. Reminiscent of the movie ‘A League of their Own’, players like Christina DiMartino and Heather O’Reilly strutted down the catwalk, hair down, in full make-up, sporting their new jerseys and skirts – that’s right, skirts. The uniforms, designed by Christian Siriano (winner of Project Runway 4), consist of a pair of shorts with a removable flap in the front to convert the bottoms into a skort. (I know what you’re thinking). WPS fans were even invited to watch the evening’s events online as they unfolded. We were brought backstage and introduced to the runway models, squeezed into their red cocktails dresses. Nothing says “launching of a professional sport league” like high heels and cocktail dresses, n’est-ce pas? When Anson Dorrance, former US National team head coach, was

asked what he thought of the skorts, he diplomatically answered, “Not for me!” Additionally, former Canadian women’s National Team head coach Even Pellurud stated that, “it’s the right thing to have a discussion about it.” He compared the WPS’ uniform decisions to those of other sports: “Well, I am surprised because we have seen that development in other sports, like beach volleyball and handball. I guess to promote the girls’ sport... I find it surprising for sure and wonder if it’s a step

in the right direction. There are more valuable things to the ladies themselves. You would hope that people would be out supporting players for their play and style and touch on the ball.” Although Pellurud felt that Nike’s uniforms, which are cut for the female body, are a positive step forward and are “appreciated by the girls”, a skirt was “going to the next level.” He contended that “...it is now the trend in society to focus on the sex and attraction value of sports. This is, no doubt, a step accommodating that view promoting women’s sports through other means rather than just the play. That is for sure a discussion the sports’ society should have. But it is not a discussion limited to sports. What about female actors and singers? It affects the whole society.”

Current Ottawa Fury player Sari Raber, a former well-capped member of the Canadian U-20 National Team and graduate from the University of Nebraska, also shared her thoughts with us. Raber reflected on an image she carries with her of the travelling

art exhibition entitled, Game Face: What does a female athlete look like? Thinking of the picture of a female track athlete preparing for a race with a caption that asks, “How good does a female athlete have to be before we just call her an athlete?” Raber responded: “That statement is so powerful for me. I think these skorts send the wrong image for athletes because they just reinforce society’s already over-sexed representation of females.”

The Soccer Skort: All with the Female Player in Mind

Similar comments were seen on the WPS Fan Corner Web site and ranged from confusion to disgust. One blogger said, “I cannot believe this. Have we made no progress at all? Do we have to sexualize and trivialize women’s soccer with uniforms like this? Is this the message we want to send to girls (and boys, for that matter?) Shame on you, Puma. Shame on you, WPS”. Similar messages sparked a response from the website managers who indicated that they had taken “cues from the trends in female sports gear today” and had designed them “with the female player in mind.” Fans were also ‘gently’ reminded that “Puma, the world’s leading sport lifestyle brand, always does something a little different and

fun as part of its collections.”

Different and fun? Or a throw-back to the 1940s? The WPS’ poorly thought-out responses failed to address bloggers’

concerns about the feminizing capabilities of the uniform and inequitable treatment of the female soccer players.

What is troubling – or perhaps symptomatic of the degree to which professional athletes’ opinions are controlled by their corporate sponsors – is how the few players who were interviewed about the skorts gave rather innocuous responses. St. Louis defender Lori Chalupny felt the skorts were “interesting.” “Puma always throws something into the outfit that makes you think.” Gold Pride midfielder Christina DiMartino called the skort “fashion forward.” Ok – is this DiMartino talking or Puma? Jersey Blue Sky forward and U.S. National Team member Natasha Kai was the only player quoted as opposing the introduction of the skort. What a coincidence that she wasn’t one of the “models” at the unveiling.

The promotion of uber-femininity in sports is a trend that many of us hoped had faded. We were proud it had never been a part of women’s soccer in North America. The addition of the skort is not only a reminder that female soccer players are being treated differently than men by league officials, but also that it is assumed the only way to appeal to fans is by focusing on the women’s appearances. Women’s soccer deserves fan support not because of what the girls are wearing, but because their game is exciting, powerful and great entertainment. Young girls need strong role models to show them we are more than just a nice pair of legs in a skirt: we are strong, athletic, determined soccer players. When Pele called it the “beautiful game”, he wasn’t referring to the players’ appearance. This is a game of guts and glory, not a beauty contest.

By Kelly MacDonald & Dominique FallsPhotos by WPS

football & fashion


Story by Shivan SkipperPhoto by Torl Porl

Ever since I was a young lad, I’ve always rooted for Liverpool. Back in the early 80’s, Ian Rush was the most exciting player on the squad

and maybe in the entire league. On the rare occasion where English Football was available on local television, I always made sure to tune in and watch. I imagined how exciting it must be to actually cheer them on in the stands and watch such great games, with all the noise, passion and history of not just Liverpool, but European football of any kind.

On a recent trip to India, I was invited to visit friends in Liverpool. On a hunch, I checked the LFC schedule and sure enough, there was a match with Westham United happening while I was in town. I scored a press pass and soon enough I was inside the fabled Anfield stadium.

I was directed to the special room for the print media types. About 25 men, all packing laptops, were milling about in the stuffy room, the smell of bangers and mash wafting from the corner with several urns of tea and coffee close by. Nothing fancy here. The room was strangely quiet, barely a word spoken amongst the reporters present. I looked around to have a conversation with someone and quickly realized this was not a place to chat. English football is a serious matter. I spent my time texting my friends back home.

I decided to pass on a plate of bangers as I waited in silence. We were finally escorted as a group to the press section seating. After giving my credentials to the usher, I was directed to a narrow seat against a short wall that separates the press section from the huddled masses. I squeezed into my place and five reporters quickly filled all their spots on my left. The chap beside me spilled his tea all over the desk and never even managed a “sorry” as I mopped up the mess with my well-used Kleenex from my jacket. A trip to

the loo before halftime was out of the question as these guys weren’t going to budge for anything. My seat, although cramped, gave a commanding view of the pitch, 30 rows up and around 40 seats to the right of centre field. It was bloody cold that night. The temperature hovered around 5 degrees Celsius at the most and I found myself wishing I had worn a third layer to keep me warm. My toes were soon numb and my nose wouldn’t stop running.

I settled in for the match taking in the expansive stadium and the capacity crowd. After all these years, I was actually sitting at a British football match! This was very cool.

The visiting West Ham fans, took up two whole sections behind their goalie and were soon circled by orange-coated security as they began chanting and singing in competition to the home crowd. It was no match actually, as the Liverpool fans just sang louder and louder.

After some introductions and announcing the teams I was expecting to stand and sing God Save the Queen. No. Instead I was shocked at my forgetting about the song I had heard so many times before. The crowd in full voice broke into Liverpool’s venerable team anthem: “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” filling the entire stadium and sending shivers up my spine. Meanwhile, in the press section there was no singing, and as the game progressed barely any talking, just the sound of fingers banging on laptops whenever there was some action worth reporting during the match. A part of me wanted to jump the wall beside me and join the crowd as there was definitely a party atmosphere happening in the rest of Anfield.

The fans sitting immediately to my right had obviously spent some time in one of the many pubs before the match, the smell of beer filling the air around me.

As the match started, the crowd became

near deafening at times, between songs and f-bombs as the fans yelled and cheered for their Reds.

The game was evenly played with both teams getting a couple great scoring opportunities early on. The Liverpool netminder, was especially hot this night, especially in the second half where he turned away four quick shots by West Ham, the last being directed over the net near the 75 minute mark, probably West ham’s best chance of the game.

A nice perk of being in the press section was having a small 8-inch TV monitor mounted on the desks in front of us, allowing instant replays and isolation shots of the benches and players. There was no ‘jumbotron’ in Liverpool.

Halftime provided an opportunity to thaw out the toes and down a couple of cups of tea. Although the game was well played with plenty of end-to-end action in both halves, the final score was nil-nil, a minor disappointment for me, since it would have been nice to see a home team victory.

At the final whistle after six minutes of extra time, Anfield quickly emptied; the departing West Ham fans receiving a cordial escort from their seats from the ubiquitous Anfield security. The place was empty within 15 minutes.

On the walk back to my car, past the overflowing pubs and jammed streets, I took note of the well behaved crowd. No yelling, screaming or brawls between competing fans nor hooligans in sight anywhere. Attending the match in Liverpool was definitely memorable, though next time I will find a seat in the noisy beer drinking and join in the chorus to bolt out all those legendary hits.


Red Card for Bottled Water!

By Meera Karunananthan & Blair Redlin

1. Bottled water leads to water shortages.

According to the Earth Policy Institute, water shortages have been reported in the Great Lakes region near water bottling plants. In Guelph, Ontario, a citizen’s coalition called the Wellington Water Watchers (WWW), has launched a campaign against Nestlé. The corporation’s water-taking of 3.6 million litres per day is causing a reversal of groundwater flow to Mill Creek.

Manufacturing water bottles also requires huge amounts of water. It takes three to five litres of water to produce every one-litre plastic bottle. The demand for bottled water is also contributing to the global water crisis. Water shortages caused by Coca Cola’s groundwater draining in Plachmada, India have led thousands of people to demand the closure of the Coca Cola plant in their community. Medha Patkar, a social activist leading the battle in Plachimada recently told the media, “The bottling of water has really exploited our ground reserves […] killed our aquifers, and […] encroached upon the people’s rights to natural resources and the right to plan with those resources.”

2. Bottled water contributes to climate change.

The bottled water industry requires massive amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture and transport their products. According to the Bow River Keeper, a citizens’ group that protects the Bow River watershed in Alberta, one quarter of the 89 billion litres of bottled water consumed every year are bought outside of the country where they are produced. The transportation of the bottles produces large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. The Bow River Keeper estimates that “the manufacturing and transport of a one kilogram bottle of Fiji water consumes 26.88 kilograms of water (7.1 gallons), 0.849 kilograms of fossil fuel (one litre or 0.26 gal), and emits 562 grams of greenhouse gases (1.2 pounds).”

3. Our landfills cannot support bottled water.

Canadian landfills cannot support the amount of garbage generated by the bottled water industry. According to a recent Toronto Sun article, “as few as 50 percent of the water bottles Torontonians consume everyday are actually being recycled. That means as many as 65 million empty

plastic water bottles per year end up as garbage in a landfill waste site.” In some communities the percentage of water bottles that end up in landfills can be as high as 80 per cent.

4. Bottled water is not safer.

In order to persuade people to spend 200-3,000 times what they spend on tap water, bottled water companies advertise their products as a “safer and healthier alternative.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Bottled water is regulated as a food product under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. As such, water bottling plants are inspected on average only once every three years, according to the Polaris Institute, an Ottawa-based research organization. Tap water regulation, on the other hand, is far more stringent. Municipal tap water is tested continuously – both during and after treatment.

5. Water is a human right.

Around the world, there is a growing citizens’ movement working to establish a global “right to water,” affirming that water is an essential and irreplaceable resource for people’s health and for our planet as a whole. The Canadian government has been blocking recognition of the human right to water – an issue that affects billions of people who live without access to safe, clean water. Canada first took this position in 2002 in a vote at the Human Rights Commission. In March, our country confirmed its stance at the new Human Rights Council by leading the efforts to gut a resolution on the right to water. Water is a human right and should be guaranteed to all people regardless of their ability to pay. The bottled water industry has worked hard to undermine our faith in public water even though Canada has one of the best public drinking water systems in the world. The Council of Canadians has focused its efforts on fighting for a National Water Policy that would improve the public system, enshrine the human right to water in legislation, and ensure clean drinking water standards for all communities across the country. For all those reasons, everybody - including people who need cool rehydration after a solid game - need to think twice before choosing bottled water. Healthy public water from the North Shore mountains is a far better alternative.

Here are 5 reasons why bottled water should get a red card:

Bottled water is a common sight on soccer fields throughout the Lower Mainland. There’s no doubt a full-on game works up a big thirst. But given

we’re blessed with some of the cleanest and healthiest public water in the world, why do players so often buy packaged bottled water instead of sipping tasty tap water from reusable containers? The answer isn’t clear, but what is clear is that bottled water is not a benign choice. In Canada, we are not immune to the growing threats of water scarcity. 25 percent of municipalities have faced shortages in recent years. Canada is a net exporter of

bottled water, selling its ancient glacier waters all over the world mostly for the profit of huge international water companies.

In Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, Council of Canadians Chairperson Maude Barlow writes, “Most provinces charge these companies next to nothing to extract this water from springs and aquifers, and whole watersheds are now under threat from this practice.” But citizens are pushing back. Questions are being asked in communities across Canada about the extensive and damaging water-taking practices of bottling companies.


I assume you are a big football fan coming from Sweden. What are your roots or inspiration as a football player?

Well, football has been so huge back in Europe… I played from age seven to fifteen and at fifteen I had to stop because hockey took too much time. I was never a great great player but I loved playing and it’s a great sport. I played midfielder most of the time and then when I got older, around fourteen or fifteen, I got slower, so they put me back on defense.

Did that happen in hockey too?

No (he laughs). I am defense but I don’t know if that’s what happened, too. We all played, all my buddies played.

Did you dream of becoming a professional player?

Absolutely. When I grew up, I dreamt as much about soccer as I did about hockey. I dreamt that one day I am a good or decent player. I watched all the big leagues over the years when I was younger. Even today, I follow it a lot. In Sweden we have a lot of great players.

Did you have a favourite player?

I am a big Man United fan, I watched them a ton before I came over here between the ages seventeen and twenty. I have been to Old Trafford to watch a game, walked around there for a while. My favourite? I loved Maradona. In Sweden, we had a guy named Thomas Brolin who played a number of years in Italy. He stopped playing when he was 28, but he was the number one guy in Sweden.

Your kids play.

Absolutely. It’s a great sport. I love the fact that it’s outdoors and they are outdoors and it’s easy - you put on a pair of shoes or go barefeet in the summer time. We play all the time. We go back to Europe and we have a nice big grass backyard at our summer home. We have nets sets up. Me and my buddies play all the time.

If your kids had the same athletic ability you have, which sport would you like them to choose?

I don’t know. They can do whatever they want. I know that obviously I love my sport but I love soccer, it’s so easy. Kids spend a lot more time

indoors way more than we did so I love that they are outside.

We talk about the World Cup in 1994 when Sweden lost in the semi finals to Brazil.

Everything stopped that summer for a couple of weeks. I remember it like it was yesterday. Those games they played were unbelievable.

You are the longest-lasting Canuck. Are you planning to stay?

I have no idea what is going to happen. We will see. I have been here for a long time and it’s a great city. And maybe it’s time to go see something else strictly from a hockey standpoint. We will see what happens in the next few weeks. We will figure it out.

Would you keep your family here?

No. In our business, I have been lucky to be in one place for so many years, especially with young kids. I probably have one move in me and then it’s done.

I kept hearing from folks in Vancouver about how nice of a guy Mattias Öhlund is. I was not disappointed. Gracious with his time and humble in speech, the longest-standing Canuck and I met to talk about the world game that rivals his hockey passion. With his two boys immersed in youth soccer and his ancestral links to Europe, it is natural for him to be intimately connected to the beautiful game.

Mattias Öhlund

PhotobyBrittneyKwasney

By Carrie Serwetnyk


Congratulations Whitecaps!

Do you think you will play in the Olympics this year?

I sure hope so. I have played three times before and it’s a fantastic experience. Especially over here in Vancouver where I have so many friends, so many good years…it will be a special special thing.

I read about the your experience with the gold medal where you were hurt for the final in Turin. The Sedin twins offered their medal if the Olympic committee didn’t give you one. You must have really felt like brothers after such an offer.

Absolutely … at the end I did get the medal. We have a great group of guys and we always do when we play with the national team. I did feel like I was a part of that team, even though it ended in a sour way not to play. But that’s part of getting injured and that’s part of sport. I guess you have to learn to accept that.

Zidane is coming to town on July 4th for a charity match. Would you like to play? Oh, I would love to but I don’t think I can run with him. I have watched him over the years and he is obviously one of the best that has ever played and yes it would be fun. Most of us Canucks would be concerned about hurting ourselves.

Most guys are really careful in the off season with what they do.

Are you not allowed to play?

I would be surprised if they got Canuck players because of the injury factor -if you hurt yourself or blow your ACL. We are not allowed to ski, for example, or do water sports. Guys obviously do at times but you have to be careful.

Cross training … as a soccer player what do you think the benefits are from playing hockey?

Hockey players today have done so many weights. I am 230 today. I think there are few soccer players so heavy, they are obviously way quicker and the endurance is way better than ours. Our game is very different. Even though both sports have very good athletes, we are built really different. Soccer training would be more beneficial for us for quickness.

If you do leave Vancouver, how would you like people to remember you?

Oh I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it – just an honest hard working guy, I am not that complicated. Luckily if I move, I am excited about the future. Who knows I might be back one day. You never know.

Photo credit The Province & Nick Procaylo


What are your goals for the Canadian team?

When I was hired, one of the main objectives was to get Olympic and World Cup medals. But actually, we are ranked eleventh by FIFA. So I know it’s not going to be easy to get a medal.

Looking at the team now, what are the biggest challenges?

I have already done a number of technical and tactical changes. At the physical level, we find the training is not related to the soccer game. The players are running running running. The soccer game is not a marathon. Players are not marathoners. I have changed the training concept because I think the soccer player is like a sprinter – short 10 to 15 yard sprints.

What about the physique of soccer players?

After we did the first physical test of the players, we found the upper body of the girls was stronger than the lower body, which didn’t seem to make sense since so much of soccer requires stronger legs. We think the previous combination wasn’t working well.

We really stress the fact that we want to work on quality rather than quantity. The quality of the run is very important. Strength in soccer is very important to sprint, stop, and change direction right away. The players on the team were

not used to that. We found the girls welcomed this change and understood this was soccer.

Looking back at past World Cups games in which Canada played, a lot of people were frustrated by the style of play. What was your opinion watching it?

I appreciate there are different ways to play the game. I realize the long ball type of game is one way to build up the play, but it’s all connected with the way you train, the way you prepare for the game, and the way you play the match.

The Italian men have had very defensive teams in the past. Will this be a style used for Canada?

I don’t agree that Italy has been a defensive style team. Maybe before with Trapattoni (2000–2004) or Sacchi (1991–1996) but with Donadoni (2006–2008), the style changed.

Morace then politely excused herself to move on to her presentation, where she wowed viewers with her Italian flair and knowledge of the game. As she tactically explained how players would weave the ball out of the back from defender, to midfielders to strikers, it was evident that a completely new style of possession, control and precision is in store for the female Canadian player. Canada made great strides through past leadership, including a fourth place finish in the 2003 World Cup, but now we are finally moving forward to a more complete version of the “beautiful game.”

Carolina Morace Photo by Terry Sue

Free Kick met up with the Canadian Women’s new head coach, Carolina Morace, prior to her presentation as the keynote speaker at the BC Coach’s Conference. Morace is a former striker and head coach for Italy. She has a law degree, is a regular TV football analyst in Europe, and was named the World Ambassador for Women’s Football by FIFA.

Many Canadians have welcomed the change after years of a long ball physical-style that left possessive-style footballers shuddering.

Like most Italians, her first language is football and her third is English, so we spoke through an interpreter and wished we had a film camera to convey the passion, knowledge and spirit that the women’s team will inherit through her leadership. Her answers are short and diplomatic, but behind them one can observe the Canadian team is in for catalytic changes.

Coach’s Corner


We interviewed folks about their ‘nightmare’ dating moments. You know those situations, when you are on a date and suddenly the other person says or does something that makes your head swivel, eyes bulge, or sends a shiver of major doubt down your spine. Just for fun, YOU get to be the referee in this scenario. Does this person get a red card, yellow card or would they be a perfect match for your team?

She told me I have the sexiest soccer tan she has ever seen. Dale, Victoria

If we have kids, he wants us to move to Europe so his “son” will have a better chance to become a professional.Louisa, Toronto

She has a soccer ball tattooed on her ankle and wants me to get a matching one.Mitch, Surrey

I passed the ball with him one day and he has been so disappointed with me since he hasn’t wanted to go out on the field again. He

keeps calling me “shank,” which is really starting to annoy me.Tanya, Maple Ridge

He won’t wear the birthday uniform I gave him because he says he doesn’t like that team.How was I supposed to know?Kris Mississauga

He’s trying to get a coaching job with a women’s team because he says they’re all hot and they come to him to talk about their personal problems.Linda, Calgary

She wears my uniform.Russ, Vancouver

Red Card Yellow Card

Palak Paneer: from a chef in India



SoccerScopesAries: Singing football songs on the way to training and matches will increase your chance to appear on Canadian Idol.

Taurus: Your devotion to the Stanley Cup playoffs will be considered evil to your devout footballites, best to keep your “other” passion quiet to avoid a snubbing from purists friends.

Gemini: The urge to kick the shins of nearby pedestrians may occur. Wearing sandals may lessen the temptation.

Cancer: Fluorescent shoelaces will lead to more passes from your teammates.

Leo: Shining your shoes prior to games will impress your chances with the referee.

Virgo: Dancing with the corner post after scoring a goal has been recommended by the Surgeon General. Best to listen to your doctor’s advice and score lots of goals. Libra: Hockey checks on defense will lead to you seeing red and yellow.

Scorpio: Diving in the box could lead to a higher scoring record.

Sagittarius: Sporting the latest Beckham hairstyle will increase your romantic opportunities.

Capricorn: Shouting at opponents, referees, even kids in a park will be good for opening up your throat Chakra.

Aquarius: Your soccer passion will benefit from your financial woes. Best to save money juggling your ball instead of splurging on expensive entertainment events.

Pisces: Standing in the free kick wall may be dangerous to your health.

What was your first sports injury?

free kick24 April 2009

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