Catenaccio N/A

CEO of Ethnic Channels Group Slava Levin returned to Radio Regent 's Serie A Live Radio show this Monday to deliver some early Christmas presents for Canadian lovers of the Italian (and Spanish and French) soccer movement. Last week we reported that Levin confirmed that they will distribute BeIN Sport to Canadian homes in High Definition through local cable satellite providers. As some of you are aware, BeINSPORT was made available to Canadian viewers on  http://www.beinsportplay.ca/ , for free until January 6, 2014. Today he upped the ante: "While we work hard to get BeIN Sport set up on Canadian cable and satellite, we are extending the online freeview of BeINSport online until January 31, 2014". The question remains: when will this happen, and on what channel(s) will BeINSport be available? Keep checking periodically on CatenaccioNA, or subscribe for free!

Slava Levin, CEO of Ethnic Channels Group who recently reached a deal to launch BeINSPORT in Canada, spoke to Regent Radio 's Serie A Live Radio   show on Monday evening. "Now is the right time to do it, because all the conditions are right.  We will distribute BeINSPORT to Canadian homes in HD through local cable and satellite providers" , said Levin. BeINSPORT is the exclusive carrier of English-language coverage of Serie A and Coppa Italia (among other soccer competitions like La Liga, Ligue 1) and, unlike RAI International/Italia - the current sole carrier of Italian soccer - BeINSPORT broadcasts in High Definition. "We currently haven't hammered out the details on timing and pricing, but stay tuned" , he concluded. As always, CatenaccioNA will keep you abreast of developments. Serie A Live Radio airs every Monday at 20:00 EST.

According to Canadian Newswire , BeIN Sport has partnered with Ethnic Channels Group to launch into the Canadian television market. The move comes after two seasons without English-language Serie A. With BeIN Sport Italian soccer lovers will be able to once again access exclusive English-language coverage of Serie A and Coppa Italia ; as well as other competitions that the channel covers such as Spain's La Liga and Copa del Rey, Ligue 1, CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying, Copa America, and England's Football League. More information on this exciting initiative will be released soon with respect to specific channel(s) that will carry BeIN Sport's broadcasts. CatenaccioNA will keep you up-to-date on developments.

According to Sky Italy's soccer transfer market guru Gianluca Di Marzio,  Toronto FC has formalized their offer for Gilardino, which he will sign in short order . Di Marzio broke the news on his twitter account in Italian, and his collaborator David Amoyal spread the news in English: This sets up a prospective an Italian striker duel with Marco Di Vaio, who works his craft for TFC's rival, the Montreal Impact.  The formal announcement is expected after Gilardino inks the deal. As stated in previous posts, Gilardino would join TFC after June 2014.

On Tuesday December 3, Marco Di Vaio was named to Major League Soccer's (MLS) 2013 Best XI team. The Best XI recognizes the top players at each position, and Di Vaio was selected as one of the strikers. The former Bologna FC player, was named the Montreal Impact's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 2013 and is in the running for the MLS MVP, due in part to his scoring prowess in 2013 with 20 goals in 33 games played. Followers of the Italian soccer movement in North America will be happy to see Di Vaio return to the Impact for one more season, as announced by the club on October 15.

News coming from Sky Italy's Gianluca Di Marzio today has Alberto Gilardino dusting off Toronto FC's 3-year offer of $12M (that's $4M/year), who seems to have lifted his doubts about the Reds. Di Marzio broke the news in English through his right-hand-man David Amoyal : On November 6, we revealed that TFC was in the hunt for a designated player in the Red's attack , and Gilardino was their number 1 target.  However, things cooled off just a week later, with the same Di Marzio informing his followers that Gilardino was not fully convinced of Toronto as a destination. Today's update confirmed that Gilardino is very likely to come to Toronto, but only in the summer 2014  (not at season's start in March) as he wants to finish his season with Genoa, and hopefully, feature in next summer's World Cup. At Catenaccio, we continue to hold that the 2006 World champion's his main concern is to maintain a fertile environment for productivity in his ...

Brazil fans celebrate Hulk's go-ahead goal Serie A came to North America on Tuesday, as Italian soccer stars from Brazil and Chile faced off in Toronto's Rogers Centre. Atalanta's Carlos Carmona (for Chile), SS Lazio's Anderson Hernanes, AS Roma's Douglas Maicon (for Brazil) featured in the game with good performances, but it was AC Milan's Robinho who stole the show by scoring the game-winner on 79 minutes. Just 13 minutes in, Hulk put Brazil ahead thanks to a powerful left-footed diagonal shot from just inside the 18-yard box.  Brazil created numerous chances thanks to a Chilean midfield left vulnerable to Brazil's counterattacks. Fan-favourite Neymar entertained the crowd with impressive runs and attempts at goal. One shot that was truly worthy of note was preceded by a dazzling double- sombrero  on a Chilean defender, which was stopped by Chile's goalkeeper, Claudio Bravo. However at the 70th minute, former Napoli man Edu Vargas equalize...

In  John Lennon in His Own Words , the former Beatle wrote "Today America is the Roman Empire and New York is Rome itself".  Catenaccio stops in the city Lennon alluded to as the World's capital to feature one of the most present Italian soccer booster clubs on social media, JuventiNYC - the Juventus supporters club in New York City. And how apropos, Juventus FC was recently featured in a video on the big screens of Times Square in a week-long celebration of Turin, Italy during the Year of Italian Culture, celebrated all over the United States. Club president Cheryl was gracious to grant me an audience, and talked about JuventiNYC. Here's what she had to say:  1. How and when did you become a Juventus fan? I grew up in Canada. Soccer was not terribly popular in the country at the time but in 1985, Canada qualified for the 1986 World Cup, which, of course I followed and supported my national side!  As you know, Canada didn't fair very well in that ...

Catenacciari , this feature switches gears a little, focusing not on fan clubs, but on the individual fan.  And what an individual. I had the pleasure of chatting with a young Italian-Canadian whose talent in making video-montages is eclipsed only by his unapologetic love for Juventus FC.  Millions have had the pleasure of viewing the authentic works of art that Philistines otherwise call "soccer videos" on his youtube channel . Ladies and gentlemen, here is my chat with Dan Colosimo, or as he's known in all four corners, Colosimo99: How did you become a Juventus fan? My father was a Juventino and as a kid I would sit with him and watch the games even though I was not that big of a supporter yet.  It was more about being young and spending the  Sunday  afternoon with my dad on the couch.  It mostly began after Del Piero scored his goal against Mexico in the World Cup back in '02.  I remember being 9 years old, hearing the Italian commentato...

Italian national soccer team coach, Cesare Prandelli called up the followin g 28 players for Italy's friendlies against Germany (November 15, in Milan), and Nigeria (November 19, in London): The call ups feature the return of Marco Parolo (looking for his second cap) and  Domenico Criscito . The latter featured last in the 2012 squad but was expelled from the team upon being questioned by police in connection with the Operation Last Bet. Criscito was later excused and never charged.

Major League Soccer and North American  catenacciari  lost a major figure today. Former SS Lazio and AC Milan superstar defender Alessandro Nesta announced his retirement today. The 37-year old Montreal Impact defenceman said that he's had enough after 21 years as a professional. Nesta stated that he will gun for a coaching job after he moves to Miami, but denied rumours that he will manage the Impact next season. Buona fortuna and arrivederci Sandro!

The rumour mill has been alive and well in Toronto, as TFC hunts for a major target for the 2014 season. On November 6, journalist Tancredi Palmeri tweeted that according to Sky Italy, Genoa FC's Alberto Gilardino is all set to agree to terms with Toronto FC. This could be some exciting news for Toronto's catenacciari whose local soccer team may be coloured with the green, white and red; as the 2006 World Cup champion may join their side. The plot thickened on November 12, as Sky Italy journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (through Grant Wahl on Twitter) announced that while Toronto FC's economic offer is quite adequate, the Gilardino is not fully convinced of Toronto as a desination. For one Gilardino, like his current club Genoa FC, has returned to form.  The 2006 World Cup champion doesn't want to rock the boat one-third of the way into the season.  Secondly, the Italian is currently making a run for a spot among the 23 that will fly to Brazil for World Cu...

Buonasera quasi a tutti! (Good evening to almost everybody!) is the loud and proud salute of Magica Roma Club Toronto president Vito Caressa, as he enters 90o Minuto Sports Bar .  He was extending his warm greetings to fellow AS Roma fans, and probably not to patrons of rivaling teams. These, shortly after his boisterous entrance proceed to greet him with questions about his recent return from Italy (where he watched Roma home games against Napoli and Chievo) and give him friendly ribbings about officiating errors that his beloved AS Roma benefited from. Caressa responds.  The easy pray is an AC Milan fan, whose team is reeling from poor form. The AC Milan fan reminds Caressa about the rossoneri 's rich trophy case: "we are 7 times European Champions and have 18 scudetti". "Yes, but all of that is over", replies Caressa, reminding the milanista of Pro Vercelli, "they too won 7 scudetti, but are now in oblivion. You'll end up the same".  F...

Eleven mysterious figures wearing black hoods with a logo in the front were spotted at the Juventus Stadium last Sunday.            Picture courtesy of Leggo.it They entered the stadium as a single group all walking in a slow, synchronized pace. Once in the stands they all made odd gestures (all synchronized, of course) that wasn’t a reaction to game play, or pace. Sometimes they would raise their arms aloft, other times they would put them out in front of them, or all standing up together.          Juventus Stadium spectators look on, bewildered (Picture courtesy of Leggo.it)             Hooded men stand up together during Juventus-Genoa (Picture courtesy of Leggo.it).

Catenaccio chatted with Lazio Club Canada president, Marc Anthony Fantauzzi about the Toronto-based fan club. 1. When and how did you become a fan of SS Lazio? SS Lazio is the team most followed within my family.  Being that my father's side of the family is from the Lazio region it was, I suppose the natural choice. My grandfather, who spent the better part of a decade working in Rome also imparted a strong attachment to all things Roman.  The moment I really decided that Lazio was my team was when I had the chance to see them play an exhibition game at Varsity stadium against local side Toronto Italia in the late eighties or early nineties.  It was during the Cragnotti era that I truly I fell in love with the biancocelesti .          Members of the Lazio Club Canada gather to celebrate  SS Lazio's  Coppa Italia  victory. 2. How did the  Lazio Club Canada  come about? When was it formed? The clu...

   Picture courtesy of News.Com.Au

Catenaccio,  Italian for "door bolt", is a tactical approach which focuses on defending. It is the only Italian word that has entered English-language soccer lexicon. This blog originated as one about the Serie A experience in North America (NA), which is why the name of this blog was CatenaccioNA. Over the course of time, my experiences that blogging gifted me through various online publications brought me to expand my view to soccer (or football, if you will) more generally. My experience that began as a "little blog that could" took me to Turin where I covered Juventus-Frosinone  and, after that, Toronto FC for several MLS seasons (including two MLS Cup finals) and CONCACAF Champions League matches, as well as the Canadian national men's team . For this reason, the blog has undergone a metamorphosis: it's now known as Catenaccio Not Applicable, as a "tip of the hat" to Italian football's evolving game play from one that was primarily ...