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RHIAN'S SOCCER JOURNALS:

ANDREA NEIL'S RETIREMENT

7th December 2007

On Monday 3rd December 2007, Andrea Neil announced her retirement from the Canadian Women's National Team. What more can I say that has not already been said by the newspapers and better writers than I?

It is a sad day for all her teammates, past and present, as well as for Canada. It has been 18 years since Andrea first put on the jersey for her country and each and every time she donned the jersey after that, she gave everything she had out on the field.

At the press conference and retirement announcement, the entire team came out to give her support and to wish her well on the next stage of her personal journey. It was definitely an emotional time for everyone present.

Even though I know I have played my last international soccer game with Andie, I know she will continue to be a close friend, making the goodbye easier to handle.

Some excerpts from Newspaper tributes:

Vancouver Sun 3rd December 2007

The next logical step for Andrea Neil is coaching. People around her have been suggesting it in recent years, and the voices are louder now - the day after her retirement as Canada's most accomplished soccer player. But Neil will take some time before deciding whether to exchange her game jersey for sideline sweats.

"I'm going to take a little bit of a respite from soccer," said the veteran midfielder, who announced her retirement Monday at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. "I'd love to have a coaching opportunity somewhere down the line, but first I need to get my head around the fact that I'm no longer a player. Being a player and being a coach is a totally different mindset. To regenerate myself immediately from player to coach would be a mistake."

Neil has certainly earned her respite. She made her international debut for Canada at age 19 -- on 19th April, 1991 in a Women's World Cup qualifying game against Jamaica in Haiti.

Her last game was on 15th September 2007 in a World Cup tournament match against Ghana at Hangzhou, China.

Along the way, the 36-year-old Vancouver native made soccer history. Her 132 caps are more than any other Canadian player, male or female. Her 24 goals for the World Cup and Olympic teams are the fifth-highest all time. And she was an integral part of Canada's best -ever placing in a World Cup -- fourth at the 2003 tournament in the United States.

"I'd have to say that was my career highlight," said Neil "The team was so young in 2003 and not much was expected of us. We were quietly confident going into the tournament, but I don't think any of us expected to finish fourth. That's why so much was expected of us this time around."

An older and more experienced Canadian team was eliminated in the group stage of this year's Women's World Cup by the narrowest of margins. Australia's 2-2 equalizing goal in stoppage time sent Canada home, and put a damper on an otherwise memorable career for Neil.

She was a trailblazing pioneer. Neil played for Canada in the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 Women's World Cup tournaments, but that was only part of her resume. She also donned the Maple Leaf for the 1991 and 1994 CONCACAF zone championships, the 2004 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, and the 2000, 2002 and 2006 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments.

Neil became Canada's most-capped player on 30th August 2007 in a friendly match against Japan's national team in Tokyo. It was her 131st appearance, eclipsing Ottawa's forward/defender Charmaine Hooper's 130 caps.

"Actually, I never kept track of the caps," said Neil "I was more focused on team performance than anything else. Personal accomplishments didn't really matter to me. I always describe myself as a player that, if you closed your eyes, you could hear me in the harmony if the team was singing. It was always more of a team thing for me."

Neil combined part of her international career with club soccer, playing for the Vancouver Breakers and Whitecaps in the W-League. She played six seasons with the teams, from 2001 to 2006, and established club records for games played (69) and minutes played (6,066). Neil finished her club as the Breakers' and Whitecaps' all-time assists leader, with 22, and is tied for third in goals, with 24, including eight game winners. Her 70 total points is also third all time. Neil also served as the Breakers and Whitecaps captain. She won W-League championships with the Whitecaps in 2004 and 2006, and was the team's player assistant coach from 2004 to 2006.

Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi paid tribute to Neil, " I always thought that Andrea was from a work-ethic background because that's the way she played," said Lenarduzzi " She left everything on the field. She had very good possession on the ball, was a great passer and could score goals. And she was excellent in the air." Lenarduzzi suggested that Neil might soon serve in a coaching capacity with the Whitecaps. It was a thought that just won't go away. We haven't had any dialogue with Andrea in that regard, but we would want her to be involved in a coaching capacity with the club," said Lenarduzzi. He made a point of adding:"If she so desires."

The Province Classy player ends career with class by Steve Ewen

Andrea Neil smiles at her retirement announcement on Monday. She passed striker Hooper in games played this summer. A longtime stalwart of the Vancouver Whitecaps women as well, Neil announced her retirement Monday at a press conference attended by most of the current Canadian national squad and some Canadian Soccer Association officials.

And the tone of it all wasn't lost on her. "I think of all the players who have gone before me and just dried up and gone by the wayside. For me, it was more important to leave happy and feeling respected by the game and respecting the game. "For those players who didn't get an opportunity like this, it's really sad, because they paved the way for the players now."

"To leave on a high note for her, and us as teammates, is just fantastic," said National Team defender Randee Hermus.We know she's been an integral part of this program and she's recognized as that even more today."

Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi added:" She gets recognized for the work she's done and the legacy she's left behind and now, with some time away, she's got a chance to come back and contribute even more." That seemed to be the prevailing hope. Lenarduzzi, national team coach Even Pellerud and CSA vice-president Victor Montagliani all spoke Monday about Neil getting into coaching.

The Canadian Press

Andrea Neil hoped she would know when the time was right to step off the pitch. And, as another national team training camp was about to begin, and her body and her mind were still feeling the effects of a long summer of playing, Neil knew the time had come.

The veteran midfielder called it quits Monday after 18 seasons with the Canadian women's soccer team. "The thought process going into it was difficult, but the decision was easy in the end," Neil said on a conference call Monday. I wanted to leave with passion and respect and energy still left in the tank for the game, and for me that time was now to walk away."

Neil has 132 caps, retiring as the leader in games played for Canada. The 36-year-old is the only Canadian to appear in four FIFA women's World Cups. She scored 24 goals over her career, including a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Scotland at the 2002 Algarve Cup.

Her one regret: that she never played in the Olympics. Canada failed to earn a berth in the 2004 Games in Athens after they were upset by Mexico in a qualifying game.

"Those quite often are the moments that define a team or an athlete, to leave you want to get to the next level," Neil said."We can't have that back, but we used it as motivation to help the program and the closeness, and to right some of the things that impacted our non-success in that case.

For players now, they have that in the back of their minds, but filed deep in the back of their minds. They're focused on qualifying and they'll do it this time around."

Neil considered sticking around through the next few months as her team attempts to qualify for the 2008 Games in Beijing. But something told her it was time to go. "There was just something in me that I guess I've always said it comes down to passion and injuries, making sure my body's OK, and of course coach's deliberation, and for me, there was something in my heart that said that was the time," Neil said. "And I think when you get close to the end, you realize that even something just a few months down the road seems like a long way off.

"And it would probably come at a toll from my body's perspective, and not only that, maybe at the end I wouldn't be able to leave with as much passion that I continue to have for the game."

Neil said she had a "great conversation" with head coach Even Pellerud several weeks ago about her role on the team. After informing Pellerud recently about her decision to leave, she immediately called each and every one of her teammates.

"To let them know how much I appreciated them, I was thanking them for being great teammates to me, and how important they are. They're the reason why I love this game so much. I feel very blessed to have been a part of that."

Neil doesn't plan to leave the game for good. She had started to lay the groundwork to become a coach a few years ago before playing for the women's team became a fulltime commitment. She plans to take some off before exploring her options, but there's a could chance she could be patrolling the sideline of a pitch sometime in the near future.