. by Andy Fraser

When October rolls around, the eyes of the

Canadian soceer

enthusiasts will be vainly

focussing on Canada’s attempt to reach one of the

24 places

pen for the final round of the World

Cup scheduled for Spain in 1982.
See Te aed

In the early rounds set for
October, Canada will be
going up against the United
States and Mexico for the
privilege of advancing to the
next round.

As usual, Canada will be
fortunate to advance. But
this time it will not be
because of a lack of talent.

Take a good look around
the North American Soccer
League and the Canadian
players who are starters for
many of the teams. There is
an excellent group of players
with all the skills and desire
necessary to possibly. put
Canada on the soccer in-
ternational soccer map for
the first time.

But it won't happen. With
the early rounds set for the
fall, possible candidates for
the national team are still
totally in the dark as to what
is going on.

STILL WAITING

As of Saturday night, a
number of players who are
on the possible selection [ist
had not heard a word from
the Canadian = soccer
association, nor from the
administration of the
National team. And because
of this total lack of interest
in fielding a competitive
team, .many of the players
who should be on the squad
are hkely to say, “No” when
the selecton time rolls

Long layoff hurt

FROM PAGE B1

Vancouver Disco Sport Blue
Angels two games to none in
the five game final, after
defeating the Blue Angels
219° handily at the
Recreation Centre Monday
night

The Indians had to come
from behind to win the
opener last Thursday It was
the team’s first game in five
weeks and gencral manager

NV loses in provincial
women’s softball

North Vancouver was
climinated Sunday in the
provincial womens senior

A softball tournament by
Alpha Sports, who went on
to win the championships for
the bith ame in 12 ycar
Alpha defeated North Van
40 on the strength of a one
Alpha

hitter by pricher

around,

As John McGrane, the
former SFU star who is one
of the country’s finest centre
backs said recently, “I can't
wait for ever to hear from
them; I have to make my
own plans for the fall.”
McGrane would dearly like
to play for Canada.

The Glasgow born member
of the Los Angeles Aztecs
cites as his biggest thrill in
soccer the day he went out
on the field of the Olympic
stadium in Montreal in 1976
as a member of the Canadian
Olympic team to play the
Soviet Union.

And McGrane ts just one
of many. A number of
players are openly critical of

the Canadian soccer
association and the
organization. They can't

understand why the CSA
hasn't shown enough interest
in the guys who have to take
all the load on their
shoulders to even let them
know what the schedule ts
going to be.
Rumour has it that there ts
a list of 32 players who will
be asked to camp which will
begin here m Vancouver
September 7 for those
players whose teams are out
of the NASL playoff picture.
Bul the players haven't been
informed.
The World Cup is by far the
largest single sporting event
anywhere. It has the

Frank Baker had expected
his team to have ai lhitle
trouble at first’ because of
the long layoff

‘The team had a bye into
the finals, and = several
players had participated in
the Nations 80 tournament,
causing the long layoff

But the Indians, because
of a tremendous cfforn by
Deans Joseph in goal, were
able to get Ubcir game under
control aad went on to win

16.1)

Rosemary Fuller

Fuller struck oul mince
North Vancouver batten

Alpha then weat on to
beat Lehr Construction 10
in the final of the double
chmination tournament

Phe champions will play in
the Canadian finals August

19 241n Mall, Quebes

orld Cup hopes dim

tradition and prestige to
send soccer minded nations
into paroxysms of delight or
anguish depending on their
own results.

Around the world, most
nations are well advanced in

their planning and
preparation for the Cup
preliminiaries; in fact, a

number of nations have
already been involved.
Canada has never ranked
very high in the world of
sport, except for hockey
once upon a time, and that
was before the rest of the

world started to take up the
game with any degree of
seriousness. But despite our.
low rating, the athletes are
not at fault. Too often it has
been the self serving of-
ficialdom at the top who
have been busy pretending
to be big frogs in their very
little pond.

BLEEDING THE
ATHLETES

Over the years it has been
the athlete who has taken
the blame and who has been
made to look weak and
incompetent before the eyes
of the world while the of-
ficials sip their gin and tonics
in board rooms and jet
around the world while
bleeding the athletes.

And our national soccer
program is no different. It is
absolute garbage that a
country with the soccer
talent we have should be
sitting around in neutral,
then thinking we can put up
a good show come October.
It is farcical and stupid to
believe that a team can be

pulled together in a few
weeks then go out and take
on the rest of the world with
any degree of success,
especially when the rest of
the world has been preparing
since the World Cup of
Argentina in "78.

We seem to be a nation
who has a large inferiority
complex. We spend con-
siderable time picking scabs
off national unity, booing the
national anthem and
downgrading our leaders.
Wouldn't it be nice for once
if we had something to cheer
about? Even if it was a sport?
But don’t count on it hap-
pening in the soccer world
this year.

The players finally
selected will give it their best
shot and will deserve total
credit for whatever gains
they make. In fact most will
make a considerable
sacrifice to be a part of the
team. Isn't ita shame that the
same won't be said about the
officials and organizers of
our limited and silly litde
effort?

_ B3-Wednesday, August 13, 1980 - North Shore News

Avalon Blues
in Summer
Games

Avalon Blues, the Van-
couver Metropolitan soccer
league third division champs
will be representing Van-
couver at the B.C. Summer
Games starting in Kelowna
this week.

Blues, who will be in the
second division this up-
coming season because of
their championship are
expected to be one of the top
teams in the games tour-
nament which has a total of

eight teams répresenting
various sections of the
province.

The North Shore team,
under coach Andy Driver
has been working out in
preparation for the Games
and will be fielding the same
side which produced the
undefeated season.

The Summer Games will
also act as a tune up for the
up-coming season.

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