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CTV News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Canada Soccer preparing response to CONCACAF over alleged incident in Vancouver
Canada's head coach Jesse Marsch reacts during the second half of a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal soccer match against Mexico Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent) Canada Soccer says it is preparing its response to CONCACAF over an alleged incident involving suspended coach Jesse Marsch at Canada's 6-0 Gold Cup win over Honduras on Tuesday in Vancouver. CONCACAF said it has initiated disciplinary proceedings 'to investigate the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and its head coach, Jesse Marsch, for incidents that occurred during the 2025 Gold Cup match between Canada and Honduras on June 17, 2025. 'The Disciplinary Committee will review all available evidence, including official reports detailing that the CSA and its head coach disregarded regulations applicable to suspended match officials and used offensive language toward CONCACAF match officials.' Marsch, serving the first of a two-game ban, watched the game at B.C. Place Stadium from a suite alongside other Canadian team officials. TV showed him taking notes and watching, with a laptop in front of him. Assistant coach Mauro Biello ran the sideline in his absence. 'We received a notice from CONCACAF and are currently gathering the relevant information, for our submission, as part of the process to resolve this matter,' Canada Soccer said in a one-sentence statement Thursday. Canada, ranked 30th in the world, continues Group B play in Houston against No. 90 Curaçao on Saturday and No. 81 El Salvador on Tuesday. Marsch's original suspension stems from a red card received in the third-place game at the CONCACAF Nations League in March. In addition to the automatic one-game ban for the red card, Marsch was given another game by the CONCACAF Disciplinary Committee in mid-April 'for unacceptable conduct towards the match officials and for delaying the restart of the match by refusing to leave the field of play.' At the time, the Disciplinary Committee also warned Canada Soccer and Marsch 'that more severe sanctions could be taken should incidents occur during future matches.' Marsch was sent off in the 54th minute of Canada's 2-1 win over the U.S. on March 23 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., for protesting the lack of a penalty call by Mexican referee Katia Garcia. Marsch, still smarting over a missed penalty in the 2-0 semifinal loss to Mexico when Mexican captain Edson Alvarez got a piece of Derek Cornelius in the Mexican penalty box, saw red after Garcia waved play on after Jonathan David hit the turf for the second time in the U.S. penalty box. Replays seemed to show David lost his footing as he attempted a quick turn to evade defender Max Arfsten. David had also gone down minutes earlier in the U.S. box under pressure from Tyler Adams with Garcia waving play on. Marsch acknowledged that his anger at the no-calls was fuelled in part by his squad's ongoing frustration at their treatment in CONCACAF. 'I said this a little bit the day before the (third-place) match, the players made it clear to me that we needed to stand up for ourselves,' Marsh said at the time. 'Obviously I was disappointed with the referee (Honduran Hector Martinez) in the match against Mexico. But they were angry. There's a difference between disappointment and anger. And they were very clear that they think that we need to do something.' 'The only miscalculation I made was I should have had that reaction for the first penalty. Because the second one wasn't a penalty,' he added. Marsch reckons he had received four or five red cards previously in his managerial career — and two as a player. This report by Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press, was first published June 19, 2025.
CBC
10-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
With 'nothing to lose,' Steve Sir leads a hungry Canada into 3x3 basketball World Cup
A dejected Steve Sir stood on a basketball court with his Canadian teammates on June 12, 2018 following a quarterfinal loss in the team's FIBA 3x3 World Cup debut in Manila, Philippines. Sir has played basketball since he was six years old and was an NCAA standout at Northern Arizona, but he was green when it came to the fast-paced 3x3 format played on a smaller court with fewer players than the traditional five-on-five game. The Netherlands scored four points in 80 seconds on that June day for an 18-16 victory in a 10-minute contest that included five lead changes. Canada held a 16-15 edge with 73 seconds remaining on the clock. "The semifinals were right there for us. Knowing that you are an inch away from a chance to play for a medal for your country, those aren't opportunities you get every day," Sir recalled last week. "It was heartbreaking not to take the next step." Seven years later, Canada will have another chance at a World Cup medal when 20 teams gather in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the ninth edition starting June 23. Sir is the lone returning member of the squad, which opens pool play the next day against European powerhouse Austria and then China, which captured an Asia Cup silver medal in March. Canada falls to the Netherlands in quarter-final action at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Manila 7 years ago Duration 0:48 With family and friends watching back home in Edmonton, Sir expects the sweat, anticipation and nervousness to return when he's introduced for the Austria matchup with teammates Grant Audu, Jérôme Desrosiers and Alex Johnson. Representing Canada and wearing the family name on his back has been a lifelong dream for Sir. "One of my favourite Christmas gifts was getting the book Long Shot: Steve Nash's Journey to the NBA when I was a teenager," Sir remembered while speaking with CBC Sports recently. "A heavy part of that book was Steve [the two-time NBA MVP and Hall of Famer] talking about what it meant to play for Canada and how it was a lifelong dream. It left a major impression on me. "My big dream was playing Division 1 [college basketball] in the [United] States, but my apex was always getting the chance to play for Canada." Wearing a red zip-up top with "Canada" written in white lettering above his heart, Sir added the support from home during the 2018 World Cup has "kept me motivated, kept me playing and pursuing. It was a special feeling." From 2007 through 2016, Sir carved out a professional career in five-on-five basketball as an integral member of teams in Mexico, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, Edmonton and Halifax. WATCH | Steve Sir, 42, on how long he'll play 3x3 basketball: Steve Sir discusses his love for basketball training and competing 17 hours ago Duration 1:29 At 42, Canadian national men's 3x3 basketball player Steve Sir says he doesn't want to place a limitation on how long he will play competitively Five years later, the six-foot-five forward tried to make Canadian Olympic 3x3 teams. Canada won its first two games at a 2021 qualifying tournament in Graz, Austria before losing two straight and didn't reach the knockout stage. Last May, Canada had a 1-2 record in pool play but didn't secure a quarterfinal berth in Debrecen, Hungary. Now, the 42-year-old Sir is returning to the World Cup. Since 2022, he has been living in Mongolia, where he plays and coaches senior and under-23 clubs. His wife Caitlin and daughters Isabelle and Lyla live in Edmonton but have spent the majority of the past three summers in Mongolia. Canada goes 3-0 to clinch World Cup berth "That's the hardest part," Sir said of being separated from his family. Canada secured one of three available World Cup spots on May 25 with a 21-12 handling of Rwanda to cap a 3-0 performance in Baku, Azerbaijan. Montenegro and Great Britain also clinched berths. Desrosiers led Canada with seven points against Rwanda. The Canadians took both matches a day earlier, with Sir posting eight points and Audu seven in a 21-14 win over Great Britain. Sir led the way with 10 points in a 22-7 rout of Azerbaijan. The six-foot-four Audu, from Toronto, is in his first season with the team. His first major competition was the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup last December in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the Canadian program picked up its first-ever medal, defeating Mexico and Dominican Republic for bronze. The 27-year-old has brought an excitement and eagerness to the team, noted Sir, much the way Edmonton native Jermaine Bucknor did in 2018 as a newcomer. "What makes me proud of a player like Grant is he's not scared of the big stage, understands the responsibility and just competes," Sir said. In Mongolia, Canada will also face France, the 2024 Olympic silver medallists, Chile and Puerto Rico, which placed second at last year's AmeriCup. WATCH | Sir on a model Canada can follow to develop 3x3 game: Sir on Mongolia's blueprint to develop the 3x3 game and the model other countries should follow 17 hours ago Duration 1:26 To develop 3x3 basketball in Canada, Sir says smaller tournaments should be held to create enthusiasm and a knowledge base for players. The last 16 will be held June 27, followed by the quarterfinals the next day. The semifinals, third-place games and final will be contested on June 29. "It's a tough, tough group but what a great opportunity to compete. Let's see what we can do, nothing to lose," said Sir, who was fourth in scoring at the AmeriCup and named to the men's team of the tournament. "We shoot the ball well. We have good playmaking, experience. Jérôme [Desrosiers] has been playing on the World Tour the last few years and continues to get better. And Alex has represented Canada multiple times and his leadership is invaluable." In 2018, there was "so much" Sir didn't know about 3x3 basketball and plenty of room for improvement. "It's a new discipline and there's new nuances and intricacies you have to learn, not just to improve but to evolve with the sport and stay effective," he said. "Shooting has always been my strength, but I have found different ways to be effective — off the dribble, at different angles or with different footwork or fakes. "It still fires me up every day, the things you can do within this sport to get better. It's been a fun journey." More fun could be in store should a World Cup medal be placed around Sir's neck.
CTV News
03-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Ice climbing in June: Athletes preparing for international climbing competition
The hot weather is here to stay, but that isn't keeping ice climbers away as they prepare for the North American Cup Series. In Louise McKinney Park, an eight-storey climbing wall is offering ice climbers an ice-free training space. 'Athletes train year round on wooden structures, they use the ice axes on rock climbing type holds, and they use the crampons to kick into the plywood,' said Adam Luciuk, the owner of Climb YEG. 'That's the actual competition style of ice climbing that you see internationally. 'It's actually more challenging to climb than ice, you can create overhanging features, and it's also equal, the holds remain the same for every athlete.' Climbing wall A climbing wall being set up in Louise McKinney Park on Monday, June 2, 2025. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton Edmonton is one of the only places in North America where athletes can train at a high level for ice climbing, according to Luciuk. 'Some of the best countries, including South Korea, have training venues all over the country and it's seen in the results that you see worldwide on an international level,' he said. 'We're trying to support the Canadian team as they grow and as the sport grows into potentially becoming an Olympic sport.' The June event is a continental cup, just below the world cup level, Luciuk said. Competitors are at a skill level where they can climb 15 metres in around five seconds. Louise McKinney Park won't be home to the wall forever, Luciuk said they plan to move the structure after about a year to another location in the city. Climbing wall A climbing wall being set up in Louise McKinney Park on Monday, June 2, 2025. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton Keeping it outside will allow the city to host more climbing events in the future, as it can be difficult to find space indoors for an eight-storey wall and thousands of spectators. The North American Cup Series, hosted by Climb YEG, will run June 20 to 22 and is free for the public to attend. After the competition, the wall will be open again to climbers of all skill levels. In the winter, ice will blanket the wall for a chillier experience.
CBC
30-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Winnipeg's Desiree Scott bids farewell to soccer on home turf
It's not often the Canadian women's national soccer team comes to Winnipeg, but they're in town on Saturday to play a special match celebrating the contributions of Desiree Scott. The Winnipeg-born Olympian is retiring from the national team. Eager to pass the torch, she has advice for any aspiring professional athletes.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Canadian women's ski jumping team hopes to continue to soar to new heights
Members of the Canadian women's ski jumping team took the first step to getting back on the hill Thursday.
