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SOCCER MEDIA REPORTS:

COMPENDIUM OF PRESS REPORTS November 2006 – January 2007

5th January 2007

LONG WAIT BEGINS AS NATIONAL WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM LOOKS FORWARD TO FIFA WORLD CUP 27th December 2006

Jim Morris of the Canadian Press reports that the long wait has begun for Canada’s National Women's Soccer squad. The team accomplished their 2006 goal of securing a berth in next September 2007’s FIFA Women's World Cup, and now coach Even Pellerud faces the task of maintaining and improving a team that won't play another important game for 10 months.

Pellerud believes an emotional, 2-1 overtime loss to the U.S. in the 2006 CONCACAF Gold Cup final will help motivate the squad over the winter. The Americans won the game on a controversial penalty kick in the 30th minute of overtime.

"Despite the loss, the match really built momentum and confidence in the group," Pellerud said before the team returned to Vancouver before Christmas "We are a better team than before. There was great improvement in the team."

In contrast to Canada, the Chinese women have already scheduled 38 exhibition games between now and the World Cup opening game on 10^th September 2007.

Pellerud would be thrilled if his side can arrange to play about half that number.

"I think 20 is on my wish list," he said. "If we can get 10 or 12 that would be OK too. All the countries that have qualified (for the World Cup) are eager to play games. We will probably need to go to the States and even travel to Europe."

Captain Christine Sinclair said she wants to play teams like Germany, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, the No. 2-ranked U.S., China and Norway. "In order to perform with them we need to play against them," said Sinclair, a nominee as FIFA's 2006 women's player of the year awards dinner." Practising and being in residency camp can only do so much for you. You need to play international games to be able to perform, come the World Cup."

Canada lost to the U.S. in the bronze medal game of the 2003 World Cup.

Over the Christmas holiday, National team players scattered to their homes across the country. They meet up again on 21^st January 2007 in Vancouver

The women played 17 games in 2006, compiling a 10-3-4 record.

All three losses were against the U.S. However, the games were close, an indication Canada is narrowing the gap. "When we can compete with one of the best teams in the world, then it gives us confidence and makes us excited for what's going to come in the future," said goalkeeper Erin McLeod of Calgary

A major building block for the national team this year was the introduction of a residency program that allows players to live and train together in Vancouver for several months at a time. The program is funded by Greg Kerfoot, the owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps. It pays national team members a yearly salary - on top of their Sport Canada funding - so they can concentrate full-time on soccer.

Midfielder Amy Walsh said the residency is an improvement over the old system, where the team would gather for a training camp in the weeks leading up to a game or major competition. "By putting us all in one spot and focusing all our resources on this three-month preparation, we've seen just how far this team can go," said Walsh, of St. Bruno, Que. "It's a pure practice atmosphere."

Brittany Timko, a forward from Coquitlam, B.C., said the women have also benefited from off-the-pitch bonding. "You see with some of the most successful teams in the world that off-field chemistry sometimes determines what you do on the field," said Timko. "That's been a big part of this."

The team that we have today is the strongest team we've ever had," said defender Randee Hermus who scored for Canada in Sunday's loss. "We play well together and have a cohesion we've never had before. We're the strongest team we've seen. That's why we can compete at this level."

Pellerud is looking forward to some injured players returning to the lineup. Goalkeepers Karina LeBlanc (knee) and Taryn Swiatek (ankle), forwards Kara Lang (knee) and Katie Thorlakson (knee), and midfielders Amber Allen (leg) and Amy Apps (neck), all missed the Gold Cup.

They will be back in the New Year and we look forward to creating even more competition within the group," Pellerud said

NATIONWIDE WUSA RELAUNCH ON TRACK FOR 2008 27^THJanuary 2007

Meanwhile, at the Club level Tim Grainey of World Football Pages reports that there is a prospect for the return of a Women’s professional soccer league in 2008, after the FIFA World Cup of Soccer.

It is now over three years since the demise of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), the professional league of eight American clubs that ran 2001 to 2003. Since then, there have been major strides taken to re-establish the league. Potential Franchise Markets include eight teams. Leading candidates for charter franchises may include:

Chicago
Dallas
Kansas City
Los Angeles
Metropolitan New York City
Rochester
St. Louis
San Diego
Washington D.C.

Other potential markets include in the shorter term Atlanta, Boston, Cary N.C. and Portland, Oregon, and in the longer term Cleveland, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The new League will avoid “stand alone women’s soccer franchises,” aiming instead to work with USL and MLS Men’s teams, and seek steady growth while creating synergies with soccer specific stadiums. Canadian franchises are being considered in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Few reports of the new League have been evident so far as the organizers intend that when they make a commitment publicly, they will have everything done, so that the new league meets fans’ expectations. The market is hungry for the league to come back.

WOMEN’S WORLD FOOTBALL RANKINGS January 2007

In the FIFA World Rankings Canada is now at 10th, equal with Italy - a much fairer assessment than their previous ranking. In Women's World Football Rankings,Canada is placed at 9^th and is described as “Improving.”

In Top Club Teams, the Ottawa Fury are ranked 9^th, while the Vancouver Whitecaps are ranked as high as third. Canada’s Christine Sinclair is ranked 20^th in the top twenty players in the world, and none rank in the top money earners in the world. Kara Lang and Sophie Schmidt both feature as top Junior players in the world, while the W League is ranked 3^rd and Norway's Topserrien 4^th in top Leagues in the world.