As another year in the soccer world comes to an end, it is important to note it does so without a real feud between the international and club game. Nike Free Ireland . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Although it is has always been this way, it does not make it right. Playing for your country in any sport should be an honour, yet it is on this premise that the international game has gotten away with so much in recent years. Should it really be an honour to have to leave your team in the middle of an important part of the season to head to some foreign land to play an international match that may or may not mean anything? Never mind the middle of the season, what about the start of it? Is that still an honour that should force players to go? Once again at the start of this European club season, a nonsensical international window was put in by FIFA, allowing countries to claim their players away from their clubs just hours before they kicked off a new campaign. At the moment, the relationship between the international game and the club game could be described as moderate. It is a high-profile game of chess being played out in front of billions of people using millionaire players as pieces on the board. Too many high-profile managers are afraid to speak out against governing bodies such as UEFA and FIFA while on the other side of the table sits the governing bodies plotting their next move. Chess players know how important it is to think three moves ahead and, although the 2014 calendar will be dominated by images of the World Cup in Brazil, the years to follow will feature a long list of international games that will mean very little. UEFAs decision to move to 24 teams for the 2016 European Championships in France mean even fewer qualifiers will matter. Countries like Spain, Germany and Italy, for example, could send their under 21 teams to all their qualifiers and easily reach the tournament. And these will be the games that matter. Sprinkled amongst them will be friendly games arranged for international managers to see their players close up and try things with them in a game. These are the matches the governing bodies know they need to change. As we move into 2014, the sports consumer is demanding something important all of the time. A tell me it matters attitude is forcing sports all over the world to come up with tournaments and formats that stop as many meaningless games being played as possible. And then there is soccer. A sport dominated by club teams that, in 2013, still allow countries to take their players all over the globe to play games that mean nothing. It simply cannot continue down that path for much longer. Players like Sami Khedira and Christian Eriksen picked up bad injuries in recent international friendlies that significantly affected their club teams. Imagine Lionel Messi breaks his leg playing one of these friendly games for Argentina? One of two things need to happen, and will happen sooner rather than later. FIFA/UEFA will come up with a format to make these games matter, to put countries in league tables – similar to their world rankings – where they will get benefits of seeding for major tournaments and play more teams within their league. This is likely to happen soon because if it doesnt, the clubs will eventually have every right to put pressure on their players to not go for meaningless international matches. A World Cup year is magnificent for the international game but the four years in between are dangerous for FIFA/UEFA, even moreso now that the major tournaments – Euro 2016, Copa America – feature very little serious qualification, if any, for the major countries. Here in Canada, of course, we watch as outside observers. As 2013 turns into 2014, the sport again reaches new heights in terms of popularity. More people than ever are watching Premier League, Champions League and MLS games on television. With the lack of success of the Canadian mens national team, it is little wonder why most conversations about the professional game in Canada surround club football. The international game remains popular and Canada will be a wonderful place to sit and watch the 2014 World Cup amongst so many people from different countries. It is, indeed, one of the many things that make this country so great. However, we must remember it is still Canada. The mens national team has a long way to go to get back on peoples radar but, as we head into 2014, it is clear the same cannot be said about the womens game. In 2014 and 2015 Canada are ready to welcome the world. The 2014 Womens Under 20 World Cup will be a great dress rehearsal for when the main event comes to these shores a year later. The challenge for all international teams is to come close to the cohesion – on and off the pitch – displayed by club teams. That is already an advantage for Canada, as one of their star players, Diana Matheson, recently told me. "We really are like a family, the core of the team has been together for a long time and as we get older, we are making sure that everyone new into the camp feels part of it," she said. Matheson and some of her teammates are not far away from seeing their faces everywhere across Canada during the 2015 World Cup. "We have a hope of how big we want it to get," she said. The Canadian Soccer Association is blessed to have the Under 20 World Cup in 2014 as a way of gathering excitement for the big tournament the following summer. However, as national team defender Carmelina Moscato told me, it is more than just a promotional tool and those playing for Canada in that event will benefit tremendously. "The tournament in 2002 was what changed our lives – eight or nine of us on the team right now, thats the core group. It was such a kickstart to our careers that its exciting to know that opportunity is here again and see the next generation of players blossom in their own country." "Playing at home is an incredible experience," added captain Christine Sinclair.If you wish to watch those games, you should know that venue packs for the FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup Canada 2014 are on sale now and start as low as $40 plus fees. Of note, purchased venue packs in host cities that will also be part of the FIFA Womens World Cup Canada 2015™ will give purchasers an opt-in opportunity to be placed on a priority list to purchase venue packs to the 2015 competition in the same official host city. The full pricing chart is available online at FIFA.com/Canada2014. Nike Free Clearance Ireland . This week they discuss the Philadelphia 76ers, Gregg Popovich, Royal and Ancient Golf Club and Bill Belichick. Nike Free Shoes Clearance . Leave it to Matt Niskanen, the newly proclaimed Eddie Haskell of the Washington Capitals.TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger gathered for the latest installment of Insider Trading and the topics discussed included the Buffalo Sabres general manager search, the resurfacing of former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson, Team Canadas captain and the Edmonton Oilers asking price for Sam Gagner. Who will become the new general manager of the Buffalo Sabres? McKenzie: The very clear front-runner and Pat LaFontaines first choice is Ottawa Senators assistant general manager, Tim Murray. As of Tuesday evening, no formal offer had been made to Murray and no contract negotiations have taken place as of yet. However, it is clear LaFontaine would like Murray to be the guy. In related news, Boston Bruins assistant general manager Jim Bennings window of permission to talk to the Sabres expired Tuesday. He is now out of the picture, there are also other finalists that have been told they are no longer part of the mix. Right now it is headed toward Tim Murray, but there is no formal offer or contract negotiations taking place just yet. Who will become the GM of the Calgary Flames? McKenzie: Brian Burke is getting set to commence his search, it is likely to be a slow and deliberate pace and it could be until the draft before Burke has picked a new GM. Burke has no intention of doing the job himself long-term, but he may fill the role for the balance of this season. There are several reasons for this, he will looking at many experienced candidates such as Joe Nieuwendyk and Darcy Regier, as well as up and comers like Mike Futa from the Los Angeles Kings and Brad Treliving of the Phoenix Coyotes. Due to the length of the Buffalo search, many teams granted their officials a window to interview and are not in position where they want to grant permission again and have their guys flapping in the breeze for another search. Therefore, this could drag out for quite some time. Ron Wilson walked away from hockey after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, is there a chance he may resurface? Dreger: Wilson basically disappeared after the disappointment with the Leafs in 2010, 2011, 2012. There is a chance he could return, he is discreetly putting word out there that his ready, waiting and willing to coach again. For some, he may be considered a long-shot and it is relatively quiet on the coaching front but aside from his coaching record with the Maple Leafs, he is considered to be a very good coach, as his record of 1,400 games would indicate. Who will be Team Canadas captain, it seems obvious with Sidney Crosby but Jonathan Toews has two Olympics appearances, two Stanley Cups and was terrific in the 2010 Games, is there a possibly a question there? LeBrun: Toews will be in his second Olympics and there is some argument, and how could there not be after everything Toews has accomplished, but the betting money is obviously on Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world. Nike Free Shoes Online Shopping. Whats interesting to me is the dynamic between Toews and Crosby, mutual admirations aside, I remember when Toews got a text from Crosby when Toews was named captain of Chicago, that meant a lot to him. I remember in September we asked top players who their top forward in the NHL was and most of them, of course, said Crosby but Toews said "and by 30 per cent its Sidney Crosby." So there is, I think, a special bond between those two guys and theyll both wear a letter in Sochi. We expect Crosby, Kunitz, Stamkos on the top line but if Stamkos isnt ready to go, do they have a list of top two replacements for him? Lebrun: They have some candidates, I think among those at the top is Claude Giroux, a big surprise omission from Team Canada, hes one of those strong candidates if he continues to play well. James Neal is another option, a great triggerman, a guy like Stamkos that could fill the net. Those are the top two guys. Is there an X-factor for Team Canada? LeBrun: Ralph Krueger, the former Switzerland national coach, talked to the Canadian national coaching staff and they cannot believe what impact hes had in his feedback for them on the big ice and international hockey. In fact, Kruger is going to meet with head coach Mike Babcock on the Detroit Red Wings upcoming western road trip. Hell update Canada again on what hes seen overseas. P.K. Subban is on Team Canada, how are his contract negotiations going with the Montreal Canadiens? McKenzie: Negotiations are ongoing, there is no real hard news to report there other than we know Dion Phaneuf signed a long-term deal with the Maple Leafs worth $7 million a year. P.K. Subbans asking price will be somewhere from $8 million to $9 million a year. I am sure the Canadiens will not be thrilled about that and I suspect its going to be tough sledding for some time to get this deal done. Dreger: We will also continue watch the speculation around the Edmonton Oilers and Sam Gagner, there is no question the Oilers would consider moving him. The expected rate of return would be a top-six forward, a top-four defenceman or a starting goalie. 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As another year in the soccer world comes to an end, it is important to note it does so without a real feud between the international and club game. Nike Free Ireland . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Although it is has always been this way, it does not make it right. Playing for your country in any sport should be an honour, yet it is on this premise that the international game has gotten away with so much in recent years. Should it really be an honour to have to leave your team in the middle of an important part of the season to head to some foreign land to play an international match that may or may not mean anything? Never mind the middle of the season, what about the start of it? Is that still an honour that should force players to go? Once again at the start of this European club season, a nonsensical international window was put in by FIFA, allowing countries to claim their players away from their clubs just hours before they kicked off a new campaign. At the moment, the relationship between the international game and the club game could be described as moderate. It is a high-profile game of chess being played out in front of billions of people using millionaire players as pieces on the board. Too many high-profile managers are afraid to speak out against governing bodies such as UEFA and FIFA while on the other side of the table sits the governing bodies plotting their next move. Chess players know how important it is to think three moves ahead and, although the 2014 calendar will be dominated by images of the World Cup in Brazil, the years to follow will feature a long list of international games that will mean very little. UEFAs decision to move to 24 teams for the 2016 European Championships in France mean even fewer qualifiers will matter. Countries like Spain, Germany and Italy, for example, could send their under 21 teams to all their qualifiers and easily reach the tournament. And these will be the games that matter. Sprinkled amongst them will be friendly games arranged for international managers to see their players close up and try things with them in a game. These are the matches the governing bodies know they need to change. As we move into 2014, the sports consumer is demanding something important all of the time. A tell me it matters attitude is forcing sports all over the world to come up with tournaments and formats that stop as many meaningless games being played as possible. And then there is soccer. A sport dominated by club teams that, in 2013, still allow countries to take their players all over the globe to play games that mean nothing. It simply cannot continue down that path for much longer. Players like Sami Khedira and Christian Eriksen picked up bad injuries in recent international friendlies that significantly affected their club teams. Imagine Lionel Messi breaks his leg playing one of these friendly games for Argentina? One of two things need to happen, and will happen sooner rather than later. FIFA/UEFA will come up with a format to make these games matter, to put countries in league tables – similar to their world rankings – where they will get benefits of seeding for major tournaments and play more teams within their league. This is likely to happen soon because if it doesnt, the clubs will eventually have every right to put pressure on their players to not go for meaningless international matches. A World Cup year is magnificent for the international game but the four years in between are dangerous for FIFA/UEFA, even moreso now that the major tournaments – Euro 2016, Copa America – feature very little serious qualification, if any, for the major countries. Here in Canada, of course, we watch as outside observers. As 2013 turns into 2014, the sport again reaches new heights in terms of popularity. More people than ever are watching Premier League, Champions League and MLS games on television. With the lack of success of the Canadian mens national team, it is little wonder why most conversations about the professional game in Canada surround club football. The international game remains popular and Canada will be a wonderful place to sit and watch the 2014 World Cup amongst so many people from different countries. It is, indeed, one of the many things that make this country so great. However, we must remember it is still Canada. The mens national team has a long way to go to get back on peoples radar but, as we head into 2014, it is clear the same cannot be said about the womens game. In 2014 and 2015 Canada are ready to welcome the world. The 2014 Womens Under 20 World Cup will be a great dress rehearsal for when the main event comes to these shores a year later. The challenge for all international teams is to come close to the cohesion – on and off the pitch – displayed by club teams. That is already an advantage for Canada, as one of their star players, Diana Matheson, recently told me. "We really are like a family, the core of the team has been together for a long time and as we get older, we are making sure that everyone new into the camp feels part of it," she said. Matheson and some of her teammates are not far away from seeing their faces everywhere across Canada during the 2015 World Cup. "We have a hope of how big we want it to get," she said. The Canadian Soccer Association is blessed to have the Under 20 World Cup in 2014 as a way of gathering excitement for the big tournament the following summer. However, as national team defender Carmelina Moscato told me, it is more than just a promotional tool and those playing for Canada in that event will benefit tremendously. "The tournament in 2002 was what changed our lives – eight or nine of us on the team right now, thats the core group. It was such a kickstart to our careers that its exciting to know that opportunity is here again and see the next generation of players blossom in their own country." "Playing at home is an incredible experience," added captain Christine Sinclair.If you wish to watch those games, you should know that venue packs for the FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup Canada 2014 are on sale now and start as low as $40 plus fees. Of note, purchased venue packs in host cities that will also be part of the FIFA Womens World Cup Canada 2015™ will give purchasers an opt-in opportunity to be placed on a priority list to purchase venue packs to the 2015 competition in the same official host city. The full pricing chart is available online at FIFA.com/Canada2014. Nike Free Clearance Ireland . This week they discuss the Philadelphia 76ers, Gregg Popovich, Royal and Ancient Golf Club and Bill Belichick. Nike Free Shoes Clearance . Leave it to Matt Niskanen, the newly proclaimed Eddie Haskell of the Washington Capitals.TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger gathered for the latest installment of Insider Trading and the topics discussed included the Buffalo Sabres general manager search, the resurfacing of former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson, Team Canadas captain and the Edmonton Oilers asking price for Sam Gagner. Who will become the new general manager of the Buffalo Sabres? McKenzie: The very clear front-runner and Pat LaFontaines first choice is Ottawa Senators assistant general manager, Tim Murray. As of Tuesday evening, no formal offer had been made to Murray and no contract negotiations have taken place as of yet. However, it is clear LaFontaine would like Murray to be the guy. In related news, Boston Bruins assistant general manager Jim Bennings window of permission to talk to the Sabres expired Tuesday. He is now out of the picture, there are also other finalists that have been told they are no longer part of the mix. Right now it is headed toward Tim Murray, but there is no formal offer or contract negotiations taking place just yet. Who will become the GM of the Calgary Flames? McKenzie: Brian Burke is getting set to commence his search, it is likely to be a slow and deliberate pace and it could be until the draft before Burke has picked a new GM. Burke has no intention of doing the job himself long-term, but he may fill the role for the balance of this season. There are several reasons for this, he will looking at many experienced candidates such as Joe Nieuwendyk and Darcy Regier, as well as up and comers like Mike Futa from the Los Angeles Kings and Brad Treliving of the Phoenix Coyotes. Due to the length of the Buffalo search, many teams granted their officials a window to interview and are not in position where they want to grant permission again and have their guys flapping in the breeze for another search. Therefore, this could drag out for quite some time. Ron Wilson walked away from hockey after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, is there a chance he may resurface? Dreger: Wilson basically disappeared after the disappointment with the Leafs in 2010, 2011, 2012. There is a chance he could return, he is discreetly putting word out there that his ready, waiting and willing to coach again. For some, he may be considered a long-shot and it is relatively quiet on the coaching front but aside from his coaching record with the Maple Leafs, he is considered to be a very good coach, as his record of 1,400 games would indicate. Who will be Team Canadas captain, it seems obvious with Sidney Crosby but Jonathan Toews has two Olympics appearances, two Stanley Cups and was terrific in the 2010 Games, is there a possibly a question there? LeBrun: Toews will be in his second Olympics and there is some argument, and how could there not be after everything Toews has accomplished, but the betting money is obviously on Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world. Nike Free Shoes Online Shopping. Whats interesting to me is the dynamic between Toews and Crosby, mutual admirations aside, I remember when Toews got a text from Crosby when Toews was named captain of Chicago, that meant a lot to him. I remember in September we asked top players who their top forward in the NHL was and most of them, of course, said Crosby but Toews said "and by 30 per cent its Sidney Crosby." So there is, I think, a special bond between those two guys and theyll both wear a letter in Sochi. We expect Crosby, Kunitz, Stamkos on the top line but if Stamkos isnt ready to go, do they have a list of top two replacements for him? Lebrun: They have some candidates, I think among those at the top is Claude Giroux, a big surprise omission from Team Canada, hes one of those strong candidates if he continues to play well. James Neal is another option, a great triggerman, a guy like Stamkos that could fill the net. Those are the top two guys. Is there an X-factor for Team Canada? LeBrun: Ralph Krueger, the former Switzerland national coach, talked to the Canadian national coaching staff and they cannot believe what impact hes had in his feedback for them on the big ice and international hockey. In fact, Kruger is going to meet with head coach Mike Babcock on the Detroit Red Wings upcoming western road trip. Hell update Canada again on what hes seen overseas. P.K. Subban is on Team Canada, how are his contract negotiations going with the Montreal Canadiens? McKenzie: Negotiations are ongoing, there is no real hard news to report there other than we know Dion Phaneuf signed a long-term deal with the Maple Leafs worth $7 million a year. P.K. Subbans asking price will be somewhere from $8 million to $9 million a year. I am sure the Canadiens will not be thrilled about that and I suspect its going to be tough sledding for some time to get this deal done. Dreger: We will also continue watch the speculation around the Edmonton Oilers and Sam Gagner, there is no question the Oilers would consider moving him. The expected rate of return would be a top-six forward, a top-four defenceman or a starting goalie. 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