More Opinion

• Ben Rycroft Defensive game won't take England far at Euro England was perfectly content to sit eight men across the top of the box against France and counter attack when they saw the opportunity. However, those tactics won't work when they come up against the more technically proficient clubs like Germany, Spain and the like. Posted: Monday, June 11, 2012 | 06:19 PM
• Nigel Reed Spain tested by rejuvenated Italy Now we know. Spain's sharp edge is absent and being missed. Four years ago Fernando Torres' goal won it all. Two years ago David Villa led Spain to the top of the world. We have known for some time Villa would not be involved because of a broken leg. We've also known Torres is simply not the clinical goal poacher he once was. Posted: Sunday, June 10, 2012 | 06:40 PM
• Ben Rycroft Canada takes step in right direction with win over Cuba Canada didn't concede to a lesser opponent. They held their ground, took the lead and even when goalie Lars Herschfield took a brainless red card for handling the ball outside the box, they didn't collapse and went on to beat the Cuban national team in the opening game of the second round of World Cup qualifying. Posted: Saturday, June 9, 2012 | 09:48 AM
• Nigel Reed New TFC coach Paul Mariner ready to set new course New Toronto FC coach Paul Mariner clearly wants this team to play to its strengths - whatever they are. Mariner is not interested in discussing systems or formations, at least not publicly.But, unlike the departed Aron Winter, he believes the players must dictate the tactics, not vice versa, to give themselves the best chance of being successful. Posted: Friday, June 8, 2012 | 11:42 AM
• Ben Rycroft Distractions hit England, Italy ahead of Euro 2012 It takes just one miss, one flub, one moment of wandering concentration and a country's tournament can be over at the European Cup. In a competition so close, one that has proven time and time again that anything can happen - anyone can be bounced - that managers, players and UEFA still entertain the dangers of distraction can be baffling. Posted: Thursday, June 7, 2012 | 12:03 PM
• Ben Rycroft Canada begins difficult World Cup qualifying round As the Canadians head into this next round of World Cup qualification, they will need to take a full six points from a home-and-home with Cuba if they hope to advance out of a group that includes Honduras and Panama. Posted: Wednesday, June 6, 2012 | 09:28 AM
• Nigel Reed Euro 2012: Contenders and pretenders If you are of Spanish, Dutch or German descent - congratulations! These three, from a field of 16, are surely the only nations which can entertain realistic hopes of Euro glory. Posted: Thursday, May 31, 2012 | 12:00 PM
• Ben Rycroft 10 players who can be difference makers at Euro 2012 These aren't the top 10 players at Euro 2012 but rather 10 players who can make a difference for their country in the opening round at this tournament. Posted: Thursday, May 31, 2012 | 01:10 AM
• Nigel Reed Canadian pride sees Reds rise again Toronto FC is Canadian champion for the fourth straight year but the best team in Canada? Hardly. Yet the Voyageurs Cup will get a regular polish at BMO Field until at least 2013. Posted: Thursday, May 24, 2012 | 08:14 AM
• Ben Rycroft Canada crams for Olympic 'reality check' Part of preparing for the enormity of the challenge facing Canada's national women's soccer team at the London Olympic has meant taking the players out of the gym and putting them in the classroom. Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012 | 09:37 AM
• Nigel Reed Manchester City begins quest to build dynasty Winning the title is one thing. Building a dynasty is quite another. Manchester City will begin next season in the unfamiliar position of championship favourites. The pressure will be on from the get-go and they will be the team everyone else wants to beat. Posted: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 | 01:07 AM
• Nigel Reed TFC's troubles coming to a head In a results-oriented business the team owners would have no choice but to bite the bullet and relieve the TFC coach Aron Winters of his duties should the team's free fall continue. Posted: Monday, May 7, 2012 | 10:02 AM
• Ben Rycroft The roadblocks to becoming a Canadian soccer coach The road to becoming a professional soccer coach in Canada isn't easy. In fact, it's damn hard.Multiple rounds trips across the Atlantic Ocean, tens of thousands of dollars in registration fees and nearly a decade of commitment will get you a UEFA pro license - but, what then? Jobs are few and far between and even in your own country where the clubs are always looking for something more. Posted: Monday, May 7, 2012 | 09:51 AM
• Nigel Reed Canadian quartet locks horns The Canadian Championship may just be the smallest cup competition in the world. The soccer snobs can go ahead and ridicule a national championship with so few contestants. But, like the Canadian weather, you have to live here to get it.   Posted: Monday, April 30, 2012 | 08:42 PM
• Nigel Reed Soccer's hidden medical dangers The subject of professional soccer players with undetected medical ailments losing their life on the pitch is back on the front burner in 2012, with the soccer industry having done little to prevent such tragedy. Posted: Monday, April 23, 2012 | 10:22 AM
• Nigel Reed Ghost goals have got to go It is coming and it will change the game. Until its arrival, goal-line technology, like hindsight and the IT guy at work, is never around when you need it. Posted: Monday, April 16, 2012 | 02:28 PM
• Ben Rycroft Canada in tough for World Cup qualification Last year, when Canada learned of its route to World Cup qualification, pundits called it a dream draw for the Canucks, pointing out the minnows they would have along the way.   Posted: Thursday, April 12, 2012 | 03:28 PM
• Ben Rycroft Toronto FC's Montreal pilgrimage This past weekend over a thousand Toronto FC fans hopped on planes, trains and automobiles to find their way to Montreal for the team's first meeting in MLS. If the league can learn to embrace them, these kinds of rivalries will help it grow. Posted: Monday, April 9, 2012 | 07:23 PM