Ballack out, Fabregas in?

According to ESPN Soccernet, German captain Michael Ballack is doubtful for tomorrow's Euro 2008 final match. This would unbalance the German side, as Ballack has been central to most everything his team has done well in this tournament.

This development comes alongside the possibility widely reported that Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas may be the one to replace the injured David Villa. Fabregas had a significant impact on the Spanish attack once he came on in the semi-final, replacing the injured Villa. With Fabregas in and Ballack out, the scales may be tipping in favour of a Spanish team that hasn't been in a final since 1984.

The Footy Show

Hats off to the Footy Show for an excellent podcast they released Friday. Joe Ross and James Sharman, the pods usual hosts, spent half an hour talking with former Canadian international and U20 coach Paul James about the state of football in this country. I didn't agree with everything James had to say (such as suggesting the men's national team should shut up and play where the CSA tells them to), but I think he had some great insight into where the Canadian game should go (he likes MLS in Ottawa and believes the collegiate system in Canada should be our route to producing players). Available through iTunes and the Score website, this is great listening for anyone who loves the game in Canada.

Canada in Montreal

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to see Canada play St. Vincent & the Grenadines in Montreal on Friday, June 20. The game was less than good, with the visitors lacking any real quality and Canada not really taking advantage, but the home side won 4-1 nonetheless. Both Ali Gerba and Dwayne De Rosario had excellent games for Canada, Gerba coming close to a hat trick several times but settling for a brace.

Saputo Stadium, nestled under the shadow of Olympic Stadium in east Montreal, is a top class facility. The pitch was immaculate and the atmosphere was decent. Richard Starnes, who blogs for the Ottawa Citizen, was amongst the journalists to suggest many of the Canadians would like to play their upcoming group stage matches exclusively at the new Montreal stadium.

This is unlikely as the CSA wants the games in Toronto and Edmonton, but I'm sure top-level football is sure to return to la belle province in the near future. Particularly if Canada makes it through its group of Mexico, Honduras and Jamaica into the final group stage, where five games will be played on Canadian soil.