Frank Yallop Thread

[Joe MacCarthy]

Tks to masster at Vs

I did a short interview with Frank Yallop that aired Friday, November 11th during a show called Sports Mag on CFML Radio.

The interview aired in the second segment of the show. I wish I could have gone in depth but most of the students and my instructors (who grade me on this) are not soccer fans so I had to keep it short (I've already been warned about putting too much soccer content in the show in the past). So the questions are pretty basic.

I asked some other questions that I had to cut out of the interview so when I get a chance I will transcribe them and post his answers.

After checking out some of these threads, I realize that I should have asked about Fernandes and gotten more details on friendlies but I didn't.

Yallop commenting on the U18s (or U20 development team) tour of England.

"I didn't go over for the trip but I spoke to Dale at length. We speak a lot anyway, but he felt very good about the group. He felt the time together was the most important thing they had. The games were good. They are playing against equivalent players to them which is good. Some positive results which is always nice to get your wins and your ties and all that other stuff under your belt. He felt that the time together was very, very beneficial for that group, that is going to grow into the team that is going to compete in the next World Cup for the U20s. And he felt good about it, and I would love to have the same sort of scenario with my team but obviously playing professionally in people's first teams it's difficult to get our players together as often as we'd like."

Yallop on Jonathan DeGuzman

"I've spoke to Jonathan a number of times and right at this point in his career he wants to concentrate on his club soccer. Doesn't want to get involved in any international football right now. So it's not something that we just ask him once and let it go. I've kept in contact with Jonathan. He's doing very well at his club. He still feels a tie to Canada which is great and wants to play for Canada, he thinks at some point, but right now he's not ready to commit. So it's a bit of a frustrating thing for us because we understand and we know he's a very good player and we'd love to have him involved. But what we don't want to do is put a gun to his head and put him under pressure and then he pulls away and we lose him. So it's a long process and hopefully you'll see him in a Canada shirt at some point."

Main points from the interview

Against Luxembourg Yallop expects to start with a 4-3-3 formation similar to the game vs Spain.

He obviously wants a win but winning is secondary. His main goal is to take a look at all the players at his disposal and experiment. He wants to be sure of the type of roster he has so the team can hit the ground running for the next round of WCQ. The way he sees it, the next two years are just preparation.

I asked about the positives we have seen from Canadians in Europe (Julian scoring, Radz v Stalteri in the Prem, Canadians at Tromso), his response was that it's great to see, and with the addition of the Toronto stadium, MLS to Canada and WYC 2007, it's his job to bring it all together and turn it into National Team victories.

Other info obtained during the conversation

There will be a national team training camp for him to look at players. It will run for a couple of weeks from the end of January to the beginning of February in Florida. There will be a couple of training matches against teams that have yet to be named.

Canada has submitted lots of requests to play friendlies prior to the WC. They have yet to hear back, but Yallop hopes to get a couple of weeks of training and games around that time.

He would like to try McKenna at forward again. But it was Kevin who felt he wanted to play in the back. I mentioned that I thought central D was our weakest position and although he didn't come out and say it, he kind of agreed. He would like to see Atiba in the mid as well, but he inferred that with Marco Reda out he doesn't really have a choice.

Then I asked if we had seen the last of Bircham and Hastings in a Canadian uniform. Once again, while he didn't come out and give a direct yes, it kind of sounded that way. He said he considers Bircham to be "down the depth chart" for our midfield. With regards to Hastings, he said he is more regularly featuring in the first team at his club, and there may be an opportunity to take a look at him again. So I think Bircham is finished and there is a very, very, very small chance that we might see Hastings.

All in all it was a fairly good interview, and the feeling I got from Frank was that there are some of the necessary pieces in place, now it's his job to get results.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Tks to Daniel at Vs who asked some questions of Frank Yallop at the recent game in Luxembourg.

Question answers that I can post before Quebec Soccer comes out this month (which is why my answers might seem incomplete)

General impressions: Nothing too enthusiastic, "a win's a win", "we improved in the 2nd half" etc

On Fernandes: FY mentioned how he's been getting noticeable results "just recently" and how he'd scout him once back in Canada (presumably on video).

On Nsaliwa: Was in camp eight months ago and it seems that when Canada calls "it doesn't always fit with his club schedule". Yallop did not look particularly enthused, and I don't expect that Nsaliwa will get many more chances (probably a few more, though).

Mentioned the Austria game, which we all thought was a scoop.

We should see something resembling an A team this year, I'll let you guess when.

Hutch: Hume laughed when I asked Hutch "about playing central defense" and said "good question". Hutch said he'd rather be playing mid. I asked about the quiet transfer rumour front and he said "we'll see", but it seems like he's hoping for something to happen

Bernier: Asked about a transfer, he seemed a little flat (although he's often like that) and didn't look convinced about his chances of moving this winter.

All the players thanked us for coming as they made their way to the bus from the main entrance (which was a cool thing about the small Lux stadium). Yallop had a word with the other Canadian fans before getting on the bus, which was nice.

[Joe MacCarthy]

The Frank Yallop Experience was on CanadaKicks Radio today, a one-hour weekly soccer show. The program will focus one half hour on world and one half hour on Canadian soccer.

Shows will be archived and be available by podcast

http://www.canadakicks.com/radio

[Joe MacCarthy]

Yallop: Not been contacted by Ipswich
May 19, 2006
Sportsnet.ca News
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/artic...19_183848_6596

(CP) -- Canadian national team coach Frank Yallop, who made 326 appearances as a player for Ipswich Town between 1983 and 1996, says he has not heard anything from the English soccer team in its current search for a manager.

The Football Championship side is looking for a successor to veteran manager Joe Royle, under whom the club finished 15th last season.

Former Ipswich captain Tony Mowbray, now managing Hibernian, has ruled himself out of contention for the job, according to the Ipswich website.

Ipswich was also denied permission to speak to Colchester manager Phil Parkinson. Former club captain Terry Butcher took himself out of the running when he signed a deal with Sydney FC.

Yallop said he had not been contacted by the English side, but saw his name mentioned among possible candidates in English reports.

"I was flattered, actually," he said Friday from Vancouver.

Asked if he would be interested in the job, Yallop said: "At some point in my career, I'd love to be able to go over to England to coach or manage. At this point, no. Not right away."

Ipswich chairman David Sheepshanks has said he would like a new manager in place by the end of June.

"Ipswich is a large club in the Championship," Sheepshanks was quoted in Ipswich's Evening Star. "There are many fans and I'm sure it will be attractive for many people."

Yallop, 42, is a former manager of the year in Major League Soccer with the San Jose Earthquakes.

Named Canadian coach in December 2003, Yallop was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame last year.

Ipswich is home to Canadian defender Jason DeVos, who captains the side, and midfielder Jaime Peters. In addition to Yallop, Canadian alumni at the club include former goalkeeper Craig Forrest.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Tks to Blizzard at Vs for headsup

Struggling Galaxy fire Sampson
By Larry Morgan, Staff writer
http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_3907236

CARSON — It was just over a week ago that Galaxy president and general manager Alexi Lalas sharply criticized the players for the team's abysmal start to the 2006 Major League Soccer season. Tuesday, he decided to spread that blame.

Lalas fired head coach Steve Sampson after the Galaxy won only two of their first 11 games. They have lost their last six in a row. The 48-year-old Sampson was hired on Aug. 18, 2004 to replace Sigi Schmid, now with the Columbus Crew, and won the MLS Cup and U.S. Open cups in 2005, but also had a disappointing regular-season record of 17-24-10 (.431).

Help is on the way, however, for the struggling franchise. The Galaxy are expected to announce today the hiring of Frank Yallop, the MLS coach of the year in 2001 when he was with the San Jose Earthquakes. Yallop, 43, won two MLS titles with the Earthquakes (in 2001 and 2003) and has been coaching the Canadian national men's team since 2004.

He takes over a Galaxy team that has played poorly from the start this season. They recently went on a scoreless streak that lasted 525 minutes and have the worst record in the league, 2-8-1.

"It has been an honor to be the head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy for the last two years," Sampson said in a statement. "It was truly a privilege to bring two championships to the fans of Los Angeles.

"I truly enjoyed my time here and wish everyone all the best in the future."

Lalas, who watched part of Tuesday's practice but left before it was over, said relieving Sampson of his duties was a difficult choice to make.

"I take no pleasure in doing this," he said. "But I'm in charge of the team, and I'm responsible to the fans to give them the kind of team they deserve. The Galaxy standard admittedly is very high, and this is not a question of blame but accountability.

"We are all responsible for the situation the Galaxy (find themselves) in right now, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Steve, who worked tirelessly to rectify the situation. But ultimately the decision is based on results, and those haven't been good enough for the Galaxy."

Galaxy midfielder Pete Vagenas said the move caught him off-guard.

"I think that everyone is a little bit surprised, to be quite blunt," he said. "At the same time, it is one of those things where we realize that this is a business and this is about end results. This is about what you have done for me lately.

"I think a clear message was sent, not only to our coaching staff in particular, but to our players. I hope this hits home."

Staff writer Matt Zimmerman contributed to this report.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men's National Team
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Yallop Leaves for MLS’ LA Galaxy
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/medi...?Press_ID=2458


Frank Yallop

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s Men’s National Team head coach, Frank Yallop, has decided to leave his current position for the vacant LA Galaxy head coaching position and will begin work with his new club immediately.

The MLS job was made vacant yesterday following the firing of head coach Steve Sampson, whose tenure as the Galaxy boss lasted nearly two years. Sampson, who had brought the ‘double’ to LA in 2005 after winning both the MLS Cup and US Open Cup in that year, was mired in the longest losing streak (6) in club history and found his Galaxy languishing at the bottom of the league table.

Yallop, whose record was 8-9-3 since his hiring on December 16, 2003, will be making a return to the league where he began his coaching career as an assistant in 1999 with the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Two years later, the former Canadian international took the reins of the San Jose Earthquakes and grabbed two MLS Cup titles in 2001 and 2003 before returning to Canada.

In a statement released today, the Canadian Soccer Association stated that “it was disappointed that Frank Yallop had made the decision to step away from his role as the head coach of Canada’s National Team; especially since the more recent results have looked very promising. However, the Association would like to thank Frank for his effort and dedication and wish both he and his family the best of luck in Los Angeles.”

The former Ipswich Town defender made 52 appearances for his country in an international career that spanned seven years. He made his debut against Mexico in 1990 and then became a regular on the Canadian defence, appearing in every match he was available for from his debut through to the end of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. His final game was against Costa Rica in 1997. Yallop also captained Canada in 1997 for a World Cup qualifier against the USA.

Canada’s search for Yallop’s replacement will begin immediately.

[Joe MacCarthy]

L.A. Galaxy name Frank Yallop head coach
Former Canadian national team coach won the 2001 and 2003 MLS Cup in San Jose

Los Angeles Galaxy Media Relations
http://la.galaxy.mlsnet.com/MLS/news...=.jsp&team=lag

CARSON, CA - The Los Angeles Galaxy named Frank Yallop as the new head coach of the team, the club announced today. Yallop, who most recently served as the head coach of the Canadian National Team, won two MLS Cup Championships with the San Jose Earthquakes and will guide the Galaxy into the Honda Super Clasico on Thursday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m. at The Home Depot Center. Yallop, 42, becomes the fifth coach in club history, succeeding former coaches Steve Sampson (2004-2006), Sigi Schmid (1999-2004), Octavio Zambrano (1997-1999) and Lothar Osiander (1996-1997).

"The Jewel of MLS just became more dazzling. It's a pleasure to bring Frank back to the League and, more importantly, to the Galaxy family," said L.A. Galaxy President and General Manager Alexi Lalas. "He's charged with returning this team to the championship caliber that our fans have come to know and expect, and I believe it's only a matter of time before he does exactly that."

After two years leading the Canadian National Team to an overall 8-9-3 record, Yallop returns to Major League Soccer, a league where he enjoyed unprecedented success in bringing the 2001 and 2003 MLS Cup titles to San Jose. The 2001 MLS Coach of the Year, Yallop currently owns the third-highest winning percentage (.595) in MLS history and was in charge as the Earthquakes posted a league-best 41-25-18 record in his three seasons.

"I am very excited to be joining the Galaxy and to be re-joining MLS," Yallop said. "I had a wonderful time in my three years with San Jose as a head coach and, obviously, I am very familiar with the League from my time as a player and an assistant coach in the years before that. It is a wonderful set up in L.A. It is one of the top club situations in MLS and I am really looking forward to getting going and working with the players."

A former Ipswich Town FC (England) and Canadian National Team player, Yallop took over the Earthquakes in 2001 and immediately engineered a historic turnaround, leading the Quakes to a 13-7-6 record and the MLS Championship following a 7-17-8 season the year before. In 2002, Yallop kept San Jose atop MLS for 21 weeks, equaling a then-club record of 45 points despite being forced to use 19 different starting lineups in 28 games. Yallop also served as the winning coach in the 2002 Pepsi MLS All-Star game, as his team of MLS Stars defeated Bruce Arena's U.S. National Team 3-2.

Yallop established San Jose as a true MLS dynasty in 2003, leading the Earthquakes to the clubs first-ever regular season Western Conference title with 51 points and compiling a 14-7-9 record while tying the MLS record for longest road unbeaten streak. Yallop and the Earthquakes rallied from an unthinkable 4-0 aggregate goal deficit in the Western Conference Semifinals to defeat the Galaxy 5-4 before beating Kansas City and then Chicago to secure his second MLS Cup title in three years.

Throughout his coaching tenure, Yallop has shown a shrewd eye for talent and an impressive ability to develop players, as four Earthquakes players made their first appearance with the U.S. National team under Yallop's direction and several others were considered for national team duty. Yallop virtually reconstructed the San Jose roster in 2001 and 2003, making a number of trades and acquisitions as he assembled MLS Cup winners.

Yallop began his coaching career in 1999, accompanying the U.S. Project-40 team on a five-game tour of England. After completion of the tour, Yallop was hired as an assistant coach to Tim Hankinson for the Tampa Bay Mutiny, where he played from 1996-1998. In 2000, he served as the top assistant to Thomas Rongen with D.C. United before joining the Earthquakes in 2001.

Before going into coaching, Yallop enjoyed an illustrious playing career that spanned nearly 20 years in England and the United States. Yallop made 376 appearances and scored nine goals for Ipswich Town FC and played 52 times for the Canadian National Team. Yallop spent three seasons as one of the top defenders in MLS for the Mutiny from 1996-1998.

Yallop currently holds a United States Soccer Federation "A" coaching license and a FA Preliminary Badge.

TRANSACTION: Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) name Frank Yallop head coach.

[Joe MacCarthy]

In another Galaxy
Yallop leaves Canada for Galaxy
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Can...619325-cp.html


Former team Canada coach Frank Yallop talks with reporters after being named the new head coach of the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy soccer. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

OTTAWA (CP) - The Canadian men's soccer program is looking for a new head coach after Frank Yallop unexpectedly resigned Wednesday for a job with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

The Canadian Soccer Association said a search will begin immediately to replace the 43-year-old Yallop, who took over the national squad on Dec. 16, 2003 and led it to an 8-9-3 mark.

"It didn't have anything to do with Frank being unhappy with the national team," said CSA spokesman Earl Cochrane. "Frank is still a young coach and I think he missed the day-to-day things associated with coaching a team.

"From our perspective, we are incredibly disappointed because things were looking up with Frank in charge. Now, it's the job of the CSA to find a person to take the national team forward."

Kevan Pipe, the CSA's chief operating officer, wasn't available for comment Wednesday. He's in Germany attending the World Cup.

Yallop, a Vancouver native, was introduced as the new Galaxy coach in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The move comes a day after the Galaxy fired head coach Steve Sampson amid a six-game losing streak, the longest in club history.

"I am very excited to be joining the Galaxy and to be re-joining MLS," Yallop said in a statement released by the team. "It is a wonderful set up in L.A. It is one of the top club situations in MLS and I am really looking forward to getting going and working with the players."

Yallop returns to the league where he began his coaching career as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1999.

Two years later, the former Canadian international over as head coach of the San Jose Earthquakes, leading them to MLS Cup titles in 2001 and 2003.

He was the 2001 MLS coach of the year and owns the third-highest winning percentage (.595) in league history.

"The Jewel of MLS just became more dazzling," team president and general manager Alexi Lalas said in a release. "It's a pleasure to bring Frank back to the league and more importantly to the Galaxy family.

"He's charged with returning this team to the championship calibre that our fans have come to know and expect, and I believe it's only a matter of time before he does exactly that."

Yallop, a former Ipswich Town defender in England, played 52 games for the Canadian national team over seven years.

He made his debut against Mexico in 1990 and became a regular on the Canadian defence, appearing in every match he was available through to the end of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup.

Yallop served as team captain in 1997.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Let's be Frank: Galaxy hire Yallop
By Luis Bueno / MLSnet.com Staff
http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/MLS/new..._mls&fext=.jsp

CARSON, Calif. -- On Tuesday morning, Steve Sampson led the Los Angeles Galaxy during their training session while Frank Yallop was at the helm of the Canadian national team.

Within the span of 24 hours, however, everything changed. Galaxy president and general manager Alexi Lalas fired Sampson, got in touch with Yallop and offered him the suddenly vacant coaching position.

"It basically snowballed from Tuesday morning," Yallop said. "I didn't have to go through an interview. I spoke to Alexi on the phone and it was pretty quick."

Yallop became the fifth coach in Galaxy history and was presented to the media Wednesday. Afterward, he ran his first training session as Galaxy coach. The Galaxy, who play Chivas USA in the second Super Clasico of the season on Thursday, provided Yallop with an opportunity he had longed for: the chance to return to Major League Soccer.

"I've missed the day-to-day grind and being around the players. I missed MLS. That was a big part of me coming here," Yallop said. "There is a lot of in-between time with the national program that are very boring. I want to work day-to-day and get results."

Yallop led the San Jose Earthquakes to MLS Cup wins in 2001 and 2003. Both championship paths went directly through the Galaxy's hearts. In 2001, Dwayne De Rosario's extra-time goal lifted San Jose to a 2-1 win over L.A. Two years later, San Jose overcame an aggregate 4-0 deficit to win 5-4 in a first round matchup in the greatest collapse in Galaxy history.

Players remembered Yallop as a hated rival.

"You say 'Frank Yallop' and usually my fists tighten because I know we're going to go in for a fierce battle, usually against San Jose," Galaxy captain Peter Vagenas said.

The tough battles in the California Clasico helped Galaxy players earn Yallop's respect.

"You gain tremendous amount of respect for the teams that sort of become your rivals because those are usually the most competitive games," Vagenas said. "We carry a lot of respect for him because we've been involved in such intense competitions against his teams."

The Galaxy (2-8-1, 7 points) enter Thursday with a six-game losing streak that ultimately cost Sampson his job. Coupled with a rivalry match, Yallop's arrival could boost the Galaxy's confidence and help snap the club's slide, players said.

"Frank made a point that our confidence was down and certain bounces, we weren't taking the opportunities that we should have," Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant said. "We're looking on the up and up and playing Chivas is good for us to keep that intensity high and to get things going."

Dunivant played for Yallop at San Jose and praised his coach's ability to bring out the best in every player on the roster.

"He's very good at getting the best out of the 20th guy, the 25th guy (on the roster) and not just focusing on the first 11," Dunivant said. "You'll see guys step up and wonder 'Where did that come from?' It comes from every day in training and Frank encouraging them and keeping their confidence high and that's something we need right now and that's one of his best attributes."

Yallop said he was familiar with many of the Galaxy players and that it would not take long before he knew the team inside out.

"I feel I can assess players pretty quickly in what they can do for the team. In the long term, you've got to give players the benefit of the doubt because they might not be playing as well as they can," Yallop said. "Thursday I'll find a few answers out. I'm looking forward to training next week when we can work on consistency and stuff that I really want to get to."

Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.

[holicman]

I remember watching Frank Yallop play for Ipswich, along the likes of Eric Gates youngest ever goalscorer at the time Jason Dozzell and former liverpool great John Wark.

He sounds like he has done quite well with the Canadian national team and hopefully he can continue on the same success with his next club

[Joe MacCarthy]

Biggest steps yet made to build men's team
By MORRIS DALLA COSTA -- London Free Press
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Can...20815-sun.html

Over the years the conductors have changed, so have the dance partners.

Unfortunately, they've always had the same music.

Until that music changes, Canada will continue to be an also-ran nation when it comes to men's soccer and every four years when other nations meet at the world's most recognizable dance, Canada will remain the perennial wallflower, asking what it has to do to get better.

The 2006 World Cup in Germany will mark the 20th year since Canada last participated in the event. The Canadian team played in Mexico City in 1986, losing all three games without scoring a goal.

Simply making the World Cup was supposed to be a turning point for the men's game in Canada. But it didn't take long before Canada was again wandering in the soccer wilderness, occasionally showing flashes of being competitive on the world stage, only to stagger back into oblivion.

But there appears to be some genuinely positive things beginning to happen for soccer in the country. Soccer fans have heard this before, of course. But even though these steps aren't huge, they're bigger than any that have been taken before.

Frank Yallop is Canada's national men's coach. He's played in the national team program and understands full well why soccer hasn't taken off at the men's national level in this country -- lack of a domestic soccer league, not enough time to develop young players, no soccer facilities and no money.

But he also sees movement in a good direction.

"We're moving in a positive direction," said Yallop. "Now that we're getting all the things in place to move the game forward, we have to get funding for it. That's going to be the issue. Can we keep up with the rest of the region on the competitive format and generate more money to compete against teams we have to be competitive against to make it to the World Cup?"

Those teams include the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and many other nations that sink big money into their soccer programs.

And it isn't all money spent at the national senior team level. It's money that's spent on national youth teams, teams that develop players who eventually play on the national senior team.

"You have to double the days when you can get together," said Yallop. "Our under-17s have two or three projects a year. The United States have a residential group that's together all the time, who live together, play together. A residential program would be great, just so we can keep the best talent in Canada."

It's a point that's been beaten to death over the years. Canada may produce 50 to 100 top-quality players, while other nations produce five times that many. The Canadian player often has to look to another country in which to play to make a living. Even young players head overseas to play on youth squads.

"Don't get me wrong, we produce good players, but there's no depth," said Yallop.

Yallop believes that if more money were available to train, keep players together and play in regular competitive events, Canada might keep more players in this country.

The biggest changes are the addition of Toronto FC to the MLS, the construction of a soccer stadium in downtown Toronto and the staging of FIFA's under-20 tournament in Canada in 2007

"Those will be the focus for young players in the country," said Yallop. "The MLS team is a huge point. You look at our players -- not everyone wants to live in Norway. Not all of them have the passports to play in Europe. They should be able to play here. We need to keep them here to have a chance to develop a program."

The goal clearly has to be the young player, providing a place to play for as many of those players as possible.

"If a player doesn't get selected to the under-17 program, where does he go? You might lose him," said Yallop. "We do need to do an academy-type thing, one in the east and one in the west, where we have an actual team rather than just get them together every once in a while to qualify.

"The big issue with us is: how are we prepared? Our kids go to these competitions and haven't been together very long and they're going against players who have been together a long time and are very competitive. That's where the money comes in. You need to keep them together and have them play competitively on a regular basis."

Like everything involved with soccer in Canada, the good news is always tempered by wariness.

"I'd like to think (we're moving in the right direction)," said Yallop. "We have the U-20 tournament, the new stadium in Toronto. We have some good ownership in the country. There's talk of a new stadium in Vancouver. I see some positives, but what I don't want to see is everyone looking at each other and waiting for someone else to do it. We need to all get together and do something."

[Joe MacCarthy]

Tks to DJT at Vs for headsup

Former head coach decries lack of CSA plan
Peter Mallett Globe and Mail Update
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...ry/Sports/home

A lack of focus by the Canadian Soccer Association on the men's national team led to his resignation as the head coach, Frank Yallop says.

“I needed to have a vision with the national team,” Yallop said in a telephone interview this week. “I felt that I was living day to day with the team and we never had a long-term plan for the country.”

Yallop announced his resignation on June 7, but he spoke this week in the wake of national technical director Richard Bate's announcement that he, too, was leaving the CSA.

Bate was hired in October of 2005, but announced last week he was leaving to take up a similar position with Watford, the recently promoted London club in the English Premier League.

“We have some great people at the CSA who are devoted and dedicated to their jobs and my purpose here is not to dump on any of them,” Yallop said. “Our program [senior men's team] was not the No. 1 program in the grand scheme of things. I would guess for the teams that made the 2006 World Cup, developing their senior [national] team was their main focus.”

Yallop also cited the limited number of international exhibition matches and training camps as a big reason for his departure.

This year, Canada's national team will play four exhibition matches; last year, it played eight.

Yallop said Canada needs at least 20 games a year to prepare itself to try for qualification for the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

“The next coach is going to need a plan and he is going to need to say, ‘These are the games I need and the players I want,' ” Yallop said. “He is going to have to tell the CSA point-blank that he needs five games just to get the team functioning as a unit and a minimum of 20 games per year. That is what everyone else who we compete against in CONCACAF [Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Associations of Football] gets.”

Kevin Pipe, the CSA's chief operating officer, said that Yallop's call for 20 games a year isn't possible, given the limited number of dates available on the international soccer calendar — days when professional clubs are mandated to release players for international duty.

“I am surprised Frank would say 20 games per year,” Pipe said. “There is no way to play that number of games, due to the FIFA international calendar. What is realistic? Ten or 12 games is a realistic target.”

Pipe said Canada spends $12-million a year on its 17 national men's and women's programs. He said that international dates and player availability, not money, are the real reasons behind the small number of games the men's national team plays.

Yallop had started to rebuild Canada's struggling senior men's team since taking over for Holger Osieck in January of 2004. He guided Canada to a respectable record of 8-9-3.

Before taking the job of Canadian coach, Yallop led the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer to two league championships and was voted as the coach of the year in 2001.

Even though Canada didn't qualify for a fifth consecutive World Cup, there was a sense among players and fans that things were starting to improve after the team defeated Austria 2-0 in March and tied the United States 0-0 in February.

Canada rebounded from its lowest world ranking in history, 91st in March of 2004, to its current level, 54th, when new criteria for ranking national teams was put into play this month.

Yallop has since taken over the coaching reins of the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS from former U.S. World Cup coach Steve Sampson after the team had stumbled out of the gate with a 3-10-2 record.

Since his arrival in Los Angeles, the Galaxy are on a four-game undefeated streak, after a 0-0 draw with Chivas USA last Saturday.

Pipe said that interim Canadian team coach Stephen Hart will receive some assistance from under-20 team coach Dale Mitchell for Canada's home-and-home series with Jamaica: in Montreal on Sept. 4 and in Kingston on Oct. 8.

He indicated a permanent replacement for Yallop likely won't be announced by the CSA executive committee until next year. He also said the hiring of a national technical director won't take place until December.

For now, Pipe said, the focus of the governing body should be preparing the under-20 national team for the under-20 World Cup next year — Canada is the host — and readying the women's team for the Gold Cup in November, a qualifier for the Women's World Cup in China next year.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Former Canadian manager savours life back in Major League Soccer
Aug. 4, 2006. 05:40 PM
NEIL DAVIDSON The Canadian Press
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...=1044529386722

Former Canadian national team manager Frank Yallop is relishing the day-to-day coaching he gets to do with the Los Angeles Galaxy these days.

And Yallop has already added a touch of Canada to his MLS roster, signing Ante Jazic. Once his work permit is in order, the 30-year-old from Halifax will probably slot into fullback.

After manager Steve Sampson was shown the door, Yallop inherited a 2-8-1 Galaxy side that had been outscored 12-1 in losing six straight. Under Yallop, Los Angeles has gone 3-2-4 the last eight weeks and did not yield a goal during a 521-minute stretch that finally ended in a 1-1 tie with Columbus on July 22.

In Los Angeles, Yallop has done what he does best. Keep things simple. Establish a system. Reward in-form players with playing time. Boost confidence.

``And away we go,'' said Yallop. ``The guys have stuck to it well, they've enjoyed the time we've had.

``But we've still a long way to go. We're still six points behind a playoff place.''

The move to MLS marks a return to the league where Yallop first made his coaching mark, turning San Jose from the league doormat to champion.

He took over the Canadian program in December 2003, inheriting a team that had endured a rollercoaster ride under Holger Osieck. The German native helped the team to the Gold Cup title, but his hard-nosed way took its toll on Canada's small talent pool.

Playing for Canada had stopped being fun, especially for European-based players who sacrificed their club position every time they left to play internationally.

Yallop also took over the national team with World Cup qualifying just around the corner. Canada failed to make it out of the CONCACAF region and ultimately went 8-9-3 on Yallop's watch. But the record book doesn't show how he made playing for Canada fun again and showed North American-based players they had a place in the squad.

Yallop clearly missed day-to-day coaching. Essentially Canada couldn't afford to fill the national team calendar, he says.

Yallop has no magic answers, other than a desire for soccer fans across Canada, especially corporate ones, to ask themselves how they can support the sport. Especially its bottom line.

Canada needs more international games at home, he says, so players can establish the home-field advantage so important in World Cup qualifying.

A gentleman, Yallop is not interested in pointing fingers or burning bridges. But he does hint that the Canadian Soccer Association needs to look at its priorities, noting that teams that made it to the World Cup were no doubt the No. 1 priority of their federation.

Asked if while watching the World Cup he thought Canada could have made it, Yallop paused.

``Yes. I do,'' he said.

``On the field, we have the talent and the players to go there,'' he added. ``It's not all about the players though.''

Canadian players know that. Houston Dynamo star Dwayne De Rosario, who has pulled on the Canadian jersey 37 times, makes no secret of his irritation at national team preparations.

De Rosario says while he understands why Yallop left, he was saddened by his departure.

``It's unfortunate, because with the talent that we have and the team that we have, for how many years, they (the CSA) don't give the coaches enough to work with. They don't put enough into the program and they don't support us enough that we could have good results.

``The CSA demands so much from us. They want us to get good results but yet they don't give us much to work with.''

Unlike Guatemala or Mexico, Canada's talent is spread around the globe and needs more training time together, he said.

``And the amount of international friendlies we do play is ridiculous,'' De Rosario added.