Humber star Roberto Galle ends 2012 on a high!

It’s been a good year for Humber midfielder Roberto Galle as he’s become a national champion and a member of Toronto FC’s senior academy.

COURTESY HUMBER ATHLETICS
Humber defender Roberto Galle, 22, celebrating with the CCAA national title

Toronto FC academy coach Danny Dichio spotted Galle, 22, a second-year recreation and leisure student, while playing in the Canadian Soccer League with Toronto Croatia. Galle joined the TFC’s senior academy in June and has been training and playing with them ever since.

Galle had a busy summer on the field with Toronto, and believes the training has helped develop his game a lot.

“Joining the senior academy team improved my conditioning, and training every day allowed me to work on things such as my first touch, moving the ball quicker and making better decisions,” Galle said.

In his five months with the club, Galle has been called up to three reserve MLS matches and a friendly against Premier League side Liverpool Football Club. These games gave Galle experience at the highest level and he was honoured to play his first professional game in front of his friends and family.

“Playing against Liverpool in front of 30,000 fans, with family and friends watching, was the best experience I’ve had in my soccer career,” said Galle. “I still can’t believe I played in that game.”

Galle brought the experience gained this summer to the Humber men’s varsity soccer team. Galle’s transition into a right fullback brought a new dimension to the Hawks’ shape. He provided the width Humber needed to break down organized defenses.

Although Galle enjoys life as a member of the senior academy, he’ll always cherish the gold medal Humber won at nationals this year.

“The feeling of winning a national championship was unbelievable, and to know that you’re the best college team in Canada is amazing,” Galle said.  “The best part about it was winning with not only my teammates, but also some of my good friends.”

Hawks assistant coach Mike Aquino feels Galle’s transition from a right midfielder to a right fullback hasn’t been an issue.

“Roberto’s work ethic is second to none and his ability to get from box to box as a full back is incredible,” Aquino said.

“He offers us an attacking minded right back with his surging runs and overlaps, which cause problems for our opponents. He is a good defender with plenty of attacking options.”

Hawks captain Marcelo Capozzolo believes Galle benefitted from his experience gained from the academy.

“Roberto has always been a good player, from rookie year till now. The difference is that he is playing with confidence now,” Capozzolo said.

“He made my job easier, he was probably our most consistent player all year and he played a big role in our road to nationals.”

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Germain Sanchez is Humber College’s Sir Alex Ferguson

Germain Sanchez will go down as arguably the greatest coach in Humber’s history as he reaches a 25-year milestone with the Hawks.

Germain Sanchez marks 25 years. COURTESY HUMBER ATHLETICS

Throughout his illustrious career as coach of the men’s varsity soccer team, Sanchez has led the Hawks to eight provincial titles, three national championships and 10 indoor provincial gold medals.

Sanchez believes it will be very hard to replicate his achievement, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it occurred.

“It has been a great place to work at and with the support and leadership provided by (athletic director) Doug Fox, my fellow coaches can go forever,” Sanchez said.

“I feel that I have achieved what I promised Doug Fox when he hired me. My promise was to resign if I couldn’t build a winning team,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez’ time at Humber hasn’t always been an easy one, as he’s overcome multiple obstacles throughout his career as Hawks coach.

“It hasn’t been an easy ride, every year I’ve had to deal with players with strong and sometimes conflictive personalities, young men that could not adjust to my discipline,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez and his coaching staff realized the challenge was getting his players to play as a team and learn his tactics. Another challenge he faced throughout his career was balancing his family life.

“This job is stressful, time consuming and demanding, but that was because my expectations were always high, I had to be the best,” Sanchez said.

Jason Mesa, a former Hawks player, and now assistant coach believes Sanchez’ ability to work with his staff makes him unique.

“Germain has his tactics, but he discusses it with his staff and takes our feedback so we can get the best out of our players and maximize his tactics,” Mesa said.

Mesa said Sanchez taught him about the importance of having discipline as a player.

“It wasn’t just about keeping our emotions in check on the field and not retaliating, but also being disciplined enough to follow the tactics and coaches’ instructions,” Mesa said.

Not only did Mesa learn from Sanchez as a player, he was also shown that open communication with your coaching staff is important.

“As a coach you can have a vision, but sometimes you may not see it from all angles. Germain taught me that it’s great to work on that vision as a team because great success can be found,“ Mesa said.

Hawks goalkeeper Eugenio Garro, 19, first-year HVAC student, feels Sanchez’s connection with his players and his experience as a coach is vital.

“Germain is a class act on and off the field. Not only does he teach you about the game of soccer, but also on what being a Hawk is all about,” Garro said.

“What better way to celebrate 25 years than with another provincial and national title. It’s no fluke he’s been around for so long, he’s a proven winner.” Garro said.

When asked about stepping down as Hawks coach, Sanchez laughed and said, “It might be a good idea to step aside when you’re at the top, don’t you think?”

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Hawks sink Sting to Claim third straight OCAA TITLE

The Humber Hawks men’s soccer team proved defense wins championships, as they claimed a third consecutive Ontario Colleges Athletic Association title with a 2-0 win over Seneca Sting.

Humber forward Aleks Janjic, scorer of the Hawks’ second goal, powers his way past a Seneca player during the OCAA final Oct. 27. COURTESY HUMBER ATHLETICS

The Hawks displayed why they held the best defensive record in the OCAA as they didn’t concede a goal in the playoffs.

“It came down to consistency, speed and good leadership from the captain and central defender Marcelo Capozzollo,” said Hawks head coach Germain Sanchez.

In the semifinals the Hawks edged out the Sheridan Bruins 1-0, courtesy of a late Marcos Nunes goal. The win earned them a spot in Nationals, but also set up a showdown against Seneca in the finals.

In the gold medal match, goals from Matthew Rios and Aleks Janjic, were enough to secure the title.

After a dull first half, the Hawks were allowed more space as the Seneca players tired. This allowed them to control the tempo of the game and create several goal-scoring opportunities.

“We tried to impose our style that was so successful this season, we kept the ball on the ground, used the wing to stretch the game, and patiently waited for our opportunities,” Sanchez said.

“Seneca is a very good team, but we did a great job closing them down quickly which is why they couldn’t get any shots in our third of the field.”

Humber’s defense had an easy time recording their eighth clean sheet of the season, as Seneca lacked cohesion when attacking.

Hawks keeper Eugenio Garro feels his side was dominant on the ball for large portions of the game, making it hard for Seneca to find its rhythm.

“Our passes were quick and precise which is why they had trouble keeping possession of the ball,” Garro said.

Although Humber dominated the second half, Seneca’s tight defensive formation was coping with the pressure, and ultimately it took two moments of intense and inspired effort from the Hawks to separate the sides.

“We had a few chances in the game to score and our clinical finishing was the difference maker,” Garro said.

Seneca defender Joe Amato believes his side played a good game, but they could’ve been better going forward.

“We didn’t attack with numbers and pace, the play would always slow down when it passed half which allowed Humber to get numbers behind the ball,” Amato said.

The Sting entered the finals with 14 first year players, and Amato felt Humber’s experience played to their advantage.

“Humber played a great game, they defended well, had multiple attacking threats, and their experience in big games was vital,” Amato said. “Humber has a lot of great individual players that can change the game and all it took was one small mental lapse and they punished us.”

Humber and Seneca will both travel to New Westminster, B.C., where they’ll represent Ontario at the CCAA Nationals Nov. 7 to 10.

The Hawks are aiming to win their first gold medal for men’s soccer at Nationals since 2001.

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It’s Time for Canadians to embrace LTPD

This year, I received the opportunity to cover the Humber Hawks men’s varsity team in the fall edition of the Humber Et Cetera. Besides the poor quality of soccer and dreadful web streams, I witnessed Humber win their third straight OCAA (provincial) title and first CCAA (national) title in 11 years.

The Hawks cruised through the OCAA season in convincing fashion, conceding four goals and losing twice to St. Clair and Sheridan. As great as the achievement sounds, it was far from an impressive championship run. Along with Humber being far superior against sides such as Fleming and Lambton, the Hawks won many games on moments of brilliance or poor defending from the opposing team.

Humber faced off against Seneca in the OCAA finals in a comfortable encounter. Despite Seneca having lots of the possession, they lacked cohesion going forward, and Humber simply broke them down on the counter.

Humber and Seneca were off to nationals in New Westminster B.C. to represent Ontario in the CCAA championships, with both sides coincidentally meeting in the semi-finals. It was déjà vu for Humber as they cruised by Seneca 3-0, advancing to the CCAA final having yet to face a quality side.

Humber faced off against VIU in a match that I’ve been waiting to see all season; certainly the Hawks were expected to face competent opposition in a national final.

VIU pushed Humber to their limits — they outworked and outplayed the Hawks for large portions of the match. VIU were the superior side that looked like national champions, but the Hawks were resilient and they dealt with everything the B.C. outfit threw at them, ultimately winning the game in a shootout.

Now don’t get me wrong, Humber is a great side, but we only caught flashes of how good they really are.

Many ask me, how could a team that hasn’t played great soccer become national champions?

As much as I’d like to say, “defence wins championships,” that wasn’t the case for the Hawks’ triumph. Humber had solidity at the back, but the fact that Canada’s national champions are unable to control the tempo of a game or string together several passes in a row is an indictment of the quality at this level.

Is it Humber’s fault for playing this way? No.

Could they have been better throughout the season? Definitely.

Humber should be proud of their achievement and cherish the moment for the rest of their lives. What I got out of this experience wasn’t how great this Hawks side was. But through covering soccer at the college level I received a wakeup call.

After Canada’s embarrassing exit in their final group game against Honduras, many fans were left furious. I stumbled upon comments on twitter such as “Why are these guys on the team?” “We have better players in Canada,” “Sack Stephen Hart,” and “Why not Morgan, Cavallini or Henry.”

To set the record straight, Hart was never going to avoid the sack after being humiliated in such a manner. The youth is promising, but the chance of these players changing the game against a superior side in Honduras was very unlikely. Lastly, and I repeat, CANADA DOES NOT HAVE BETTER PLAYERS.

Many feel that we have better players since our country is multi-cultural, but in reality we don’t. Having the chance to go through the youth system in Ontario and watch the best our country has to offer at the college level opened my eyes.

Canada has players with raw talent, and that’s no surprise based on our large population, but we don’t have the right system intact to develop elite players. We focus on building “super-teams” as early as 12 to compete in the OYSL, leaving leagues and competition imbalanced. We focus on running, scrimmaging and winning, when we should be focusing on the fundamentals.

Winning is an important part of the game because everybody wants to be a winner, but is winning all that matters?

Many parents in this country dish out hundreds of dollars yearly so their children can be a part of a winning team and many of those children fail to play outside of Canada.

Young players in this country lack the fundamental skills, tactical awareness and tactical intelligence needed to succeed at the highest levels in football.  Players struggle to string together several passes, they’re unable to dribble past defenders, they provide no movement off the ball and many never fully understand their positional role

Now who do we put the blame on for these issues our youth face in this country?

Well anyone who’s been involved or associated with a soccer team at a competitive level in this country (parent, coach or player) needs to take a look in the mirror and hold his or herself responsible for our nation’s failure at the international level.

The problem with youth soccer in this country is the win-at-all-cost mentality that is instilled. Coaches teach their players and parents that winning is all that matters and they avoid teaching them skills needed to compete at a high level. Coaches need to be teachers of the game rather than recruiters who target players that rely on strength and speed.

Trophies are great, but by sticking to this philosophy, we ignore the fact that our players are deprived the opportunity to obtain the skills needed to thrive at an elite level. The key to youth development is educating both players and parents. We need to focus on smaller-side games and more training sessions, so children can have confidence when the ball is at their feet and be able to learn from their mistakes.

TSN soccer analyst and former Canadian international Jason deVos believes there is no short-term solution to our nations struggles at the international level.

“We must take a long-term approach, by completely overhauling our youth development structure,” deVos said.

“There is far too much emphasis placed on winning in youth soccer in Canada that must be structurally altered so that young players can be free to make mistakes that aid in learning.”

Luckily, Canadians are being presented with a solution to their international disappointments in recent years.

The answer is Long Term Player Development (LTPD). LTPD’s goal is to build a soccer environment that’ll develop young players to their full potential. The seven stage development program will eliminate gaps in player development, allow players to realize their athletic potential and enhance Canadian excellence in soccer.

According to the Ontario Soccer Association website, “LTPD is common practice in many of the best soccer nations in the world.  It stresses, especially at the crucial early development ages, far less emphasis on games and “winning”, and much more on practice, touches, creativity, skill development and learning how to play and enjoy the game.” LTPD is focused on our kids enjoying the beautiful game of soccer and helping our country develop players capable of playing at an elite level internationally.

Goal.com chief editor Rudi Schuller believes that the CSA needs to take away some power from youth clubs and regional associations.

“As long as we have youth clubs fighting relegation and competing for registration dollars, we’ll see the bigger clubs poaching the best players to win which does little for the development of the individual player,” Schuller said.

It may take 10-20 years to see results from LTPD, but it’s the direction Canadian soccer needs to take in order to become a powerhouse in CONCACAF.

So the next time you feel the need to blame the CSA or state “Canada has better players out there,” remember that Canada doesn’t have a developmental youth program or a youth system capable of producing elite players.

Change in our youth system is in our hands as Canadians. The question is, are you willing to stand up and help make a difference?

Tyrrell Meertins

Follow me @TEEWHYox

 

Humbers Road To Glory

After suffering two heartbreaking appearances at nationals, Humber earned another chance to claim national glory in B.C. Now I’m not sure if the myth of ‘third times a charm’ is real, but those in the community hope so. This is the final chance for many of the veterans like fifth-year captain Marcelo Capozzolo to win at this level, so failure isn’t an option for these men. An era that witnessed Humber claim three straight OCAA titles is an impressive, but without a national title has Humber really achieved much?

The OCAA over the years has lacked quality and the teams in the province have been mediocre at best. Humber hasn’t won a national title since 2001, and if there were anytime to reach the promise land again it would be now. My map highlights Humber’s road to nationals in B.C. this season. The green soccer men highlight the venues where Humber has been successful. The red ones highlight venues where they have been unsuccessful and the martini glass represents the banquets they have attended.  If you want to know more about Humber’s road to glory, click on the place marks.

View Humber’s Road to Nationals in a larger map

 

Humber thrash Fleming in OCAA quarterfinals

The Humber Hawks men’s soccer team comfortably defeated the Fleming Knights 4-0 Sunday afternoon at the Ontario Soccer Centre.

Two goals from Marcos Nunes, and one each from Nick Cisterino and Aleks Janjic helped secure the Hawks a spot in the OCAA semi-finals.

“A win in this fashion is good for the team’s confidence because we are going into a semi-final game with high stakes on the line,” said Eugenio Garro, 19, a first-year HVAC student.

Humber’s defence has been strong this season, conceding only four goals and recording six clean sheets in nine games.

Garro believes the key to their strength in the back line is based on trust in each other but more importantly their communication.

“Each defender we have on our team is solid and it’s definitely the strongest backline I’ve ever had in terms of quality and depth,” Garro said.

Hawks assistant coach Mike Aquino believes the score line reflected the Hawks performance in what he felt was a scrappy game against Fleming.

“We did well in terms of keeping possession, changing our points of attack and developing chances in the final third,” Aquino said.

Humber dominated Fleming in every aspect of the game and despite the Knights constantly changing their formation, they were outclassed by a superior Hawks side.

“I think we’re peaking and the team is coming together at the right time, hopefully we can carry this performance to the semi-finals,” he said.

Humber displayed fluidity in their passing, something they’ve lacked throughout the season, and they took advantage of the large amount of space that was conceded by the Fleming midfield.

“I think if we can produce performances like this going forward then we should be okay,” Aquino said.

Fleming apprentice coach Tierney King feels the Knights weren’t mentally prepared for the match.

“We didn’t have our heads in the game and we were unable to get balls to our strikers’ feet,” said King. “Humber were clearly the better side, they attacked better than we did and unfortunately they exposed our flaws.”

Humber will travel to the OCAA championships in Ancaster on where they will take on their rivals Sheridan in the semi-finals.

A win will see Humber qualify for the CCAA national championships as the OCAA was awarded a wildcard spot.

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Nunes Hat trick leads Hawks past Falcons in five goal thriller

A first half hat trick from Humber rookie Marcos Nunes’ led Humber to a 3-2 victory against the Fanshawe Falcons.

The Hawks have struggled to score goals this season, but the sudden emergence by Nunes could solve their problems upfront heading into the playoffs.

“I’m always happy to score goals as well as assist them, but what’s most important is that we keep winning,” says Nunes, 20, a first year recreation & leisure student.

“I think the team played well collectively and I’m happy we got the result, but now we must focus on the playoffs,” Nunes said.

Humber head coach Germain Sanchez hailed Nunes’ remarkable performance that saw him score three goals within fifteen minutes.

Sanchez’ decision to put Nunes as their lone striker paid off, as his speed and technical skill caused Fanshawe’s defenders problems throughout the match.

“We were waiting for Marcos to perform at this level because he has the potential to score goals,” Sanchez said. “We put him in a position that allowed him to use his speed and he played an excellent game for us.”

Overall the game wasn’t one to remember, but Sanchez’s tactical changes throughout the game helped Humber fend off a resilient Fanshawe side.

Despite losing two games this season, Sanchez believes this win can give the Hawks the confidence they need to win a third straight OCAA title.

“I’m very happy with the way we played, I think we finally showed what it takes to become a provincial champion,” Sanchez said. “Beating the top team in the division…has the team motivated and we’re ready to take on the world.”

Fanshawe head coach Paul D’Hollander believes the result was disappointing because it was a game of two halves.

“We were giving Humber too much respect and unfortunately we made some defensive miscues and gave up some easy goals,” D’Hollander said. “Humber are no better than we are and I thought they faded in the second half.”

D’Hollander added an extra man into the midfield at half time and that allowed Fanshawe to dictate the game in the second half.

With the win, the Hawks can finish no lower than second in the OCAA West division, and it guarantees them a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

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Jones lone goal lifts the Hawks past Niagara

Blake Jones reached a milestone, scoring his first goal as a Humber Hawk, in a 1-0 win against the Niagara Knights.

“It felt very good to get my first goal of the season for Humber. It will definitely calm the nerves and hopefully I can get a few more before the season is over,” said 18-year-old Jones, a first year sports management student.

“I felt like we had a very good first half, we came out a lot stronger than we had in recent games,” said Jones.

Although Humber has struggled to create goals, their strength on defence has been key to their success this season.

“We had many chances to finish the game but we were unlucky not to convert more than one. Our defence and midfield defended very well, and we got all three points which is the important thing,” he said.

Niagara head coach Frank DeChellis believes his side put in a fantastic performance against the reigning OCAA champions.

“Other than a result I’m not sure what more we could ask from our boys. They played hard, they defended hard and we only conceded one goal,” said DeChellis.

DeChellis said he feels his team was in a position to win the game but poor finishing and the lack of shots cost them three points.

“Humber is a decent team, I don’t think they’re as dominating as they were in years past, but they beat a good team and should be proud of themselves,” he said.

Humber dictated the tempo of the match for long periods, but were unable to add to their lead, wasting several opportunities.

“We have scored four goals a couple of times this year, it’s just the field is working against us and I expect a different game when we go back to turf,” said Humber coach Germain Sanchez.

“We played better than we did in our last home game and we should be clinching first or second place which is great,” he said.

Humber travel to Fanshawe in the final game of the season today where they will fight for first place in the OCAA West division.

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Men’s soccer splits weekend games on home field

The Humber Hawks men’s soccer team split their weekend games, storming past the Lambton Lions 4-0 on Saturday afternoon and losing 1-0 to St. Clair College on Sunday.

Humber outplayed Lambton and had scoring from four different players, including Roberto Galle, Nick Cisternino, Shezan Singh and Matthew Rios.

Hawks assistant coach Jason Mesa believes the match was a good opportunity to assess the first year players.

“We felt today we had a good opponent and were able to have a look at some of the first year players to see what they’re capable of doing,” Mesa said.

The Hawks started the game slow but grew into the match once they took the lead from a superb Roberto Galle free kick.

“The first half was a little sloppy, but the boys collected themselves and kept the ball on the ground, doing a better job possessing it. We started to create more opportunities,” Mesa said.

“Humber is a very talented team to play against and obviously we’d like a better result but that’s the outcome,” said Lambton head coach Shane Bettridge.

Lambton was content to sit deep, staying tight and attacking when the chances were presented. But as the game progressed, Lambton’s players tired and Humber was allowed more space and the Hawks began to dictate the game.

“We were a little short-staffed on the bench and we did what we could, but were unfortunate in the end,” Bettridge said.

“We want to win OCAA’s for the third straight year but most importantly we don’t want to concede any goals,” said Hawks midfielder Roberto Galle, a second-year Recreation & Leisure student.

Humber was playing too direct and gave up some easy possessions prior to Galle’s free kick marker.

“I was going to cross initially, but I noticed the goalie move too far over so I aimed for goal,” Galle said.

“It took time to adjust to Lambton’s style and the pitch, but I think we picked up the tempo and the goals came shortly after,” he said.

The following day Humber hosted the St. Clair Saints at Valley Field. The Hawks unbeaten streak came to an end as they lost 1-0 courtesy of an early goal from Saints striker Jordan Lidia.

Hawks head coach Germain Sanchez praised the Saints on their resilient performance.

“Their outstanding defense and strong performance by the goalie was enough to frustrate us on several occasions,” said Sanchez.

The loss sees Humber sit third in the OCAA west division with four games left to play in the regular season.

“It’s good that we lost a game early in the season. This way we can correct mistakes and change our attitude, if we want to retain the provincial championship,” he said.

Humber will close out its regular season with a trip to Redeemer, followed by home games versus Niagara and Sheridan.

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Hawks sink resilient Mountaineers

 

The Humber Hawks women’s soccer team improved to 2-0 as they cruised past the Mohawk Mountaineers 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in Ancaster.

Forward Angela Solarz scored twice for Humber and a late tally from Corinna Vanderchaaf saw the reigning OCAA champions pick up another three points on the road. Even though the Hawks weren’t at their best, they were dominant throughout the match at neutral-site Redeemer North Field.

Humber head coach Mauro Ongaro believes the game went well overall, but Humber failed to take advantage of their opportunities.

“In the first half they gave us a lot of opportunities and they were lucky we didn’t capitalize,” Ongaro said. “It ended up costing us as Mohawk grew in confidence and scored a great free kick.”

He thought the team reacted beautifully after the Mountaineers equalized.

“Our girls kept their heads up, we played our game, attacked, and were rewarded with two goals,” Ongaro said.

“We’re under no illusion that Humber had us under pressure throughout the whole game,” said Mohawk co-coach Michael Castellani.

Mohawk failed to dictate the game and found themselves defending deep for large portions of the match, which forced them to make multiple errors.

“Humber is a very disciplined team and they don’t make a lot of mistakes and that’s what we need to do in the future eliminate our mistakes,” Castellani said.

“We didn’t give up or lose our composure, we just pulled together as a team and got the job done,“ said Hawks striker Keyla Moreno, a fifth-year sports management student.

Moreno also hailed strike partner Solarz’s superb performance that included the game winner.

“Angela had a good game and it’s great to have her back,” Moreno said. “We definitely missed her last year.”

“Angela and I understand each other well, so playing with her makes it easier,” she said.

Moreno and Solarz have combined for six goals in two games this season, and hope to guide Humber to another OCAA championship this season.

Humber plays its next game on Wednesday against Redeemer.

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