Canada Break Eight Game, Fourteen Month Winless Streak

The Canadian Mens National Team's 2-1 win over Honduras in Montreal last night was a watershed moment for the Canadians in several ways. First off it broke a winless streak which spanned over eight matches and fourteen months. It also will help Canadians put behind them the memory of Canada's last match against Honduras in Montreal, the ill-fated World Cup Qualifier which saw the team's realistic hopes of qualifying go up in flames after a 2-1 loss. Following a more recent loss in Toronto against Peru last week it was important for the team to leave their home supporters with something to cheer about from their first set of home friendlies in three years.

Canada came out looking much more physical than the side that lost to Peru on the weekend. Last minute call-up from the Vancouver Whitecaps,Terry Dunfield, added some grit in the centre of midfield. As did Montreal-native Patrice Bernier. The two new starters along with Will Johnson who started his second straight match kept the Honduran midfield from generating many opportunities and prevented them from really playing with the ball at their feet.

The real key to preventing the Hondurans from having anything like the free reign they have previously against the Canadians was the centre back pairing of Kevin McKenna and Dejan Jakovic. McKenna played the role of the hardman, winning balls in the air, getting stuck in, but he also was a threat going forward as demonstrated by his game-winning headed goal and several attacking runs. Jakovic on the other hand was the real ball playing centre back, he moved the ball forward, intercepted Honduran passes and played a very smart positional game. The two played together at the 2009 Gold Cup for Canada and have featured together in several friendlies since. They really compliment each others abilities and look to be Canada's top centre back pairing heading into 2011.

Going forward Canada had much more of a cutting edge than they did against Peru, or really for all of the last fourteen months. Although Rob Friend still was not creating loads of chances as the lone front man he got a lot of help from the left flank in the form of Josh Simpson. Simpson was named CSA man of the match and showed some of his best stuff beating men down the wing and putting the ball into dangerous areas. He was rewarded with a somewhat of a scrappy goal, but after a good bit of build-up play from the Canadians. Coming off a fantastic match in Toronto three days earlier Simeon Jackson was kept quiet by the Hondurans, but he still managed to carve out a beautiful chance in the last ten minutes which only to fire it hopelessly over the bar.

With fifteen minutes left Canada started to look stretched so Stephen Hart brought on Atiba Hutchinson in the centre of midfield for Dunfield. Hutchinson calmed the game down and helped create several chances going forward. He was Canada's biggest attacking threat for the fifteen minutes that he was on the pitch.

The game was delayed with only eight minutes remaining for about half an hour due to lightning. The stoppage really killed the flow of the game heading into the last eight minutes, but added to the drama as Canada held on for a tight win over their CONCACAF rivals.

For coach Hart a 2-1 win over a weakened Honduran side will not be enough to prove that Canada is ready for a serious run at the World Cup, but it certainly is a start. After the match McKenna said he found the Honduran game to be more difficult than the Peruvian match, but Canada just adapted quicker and were more up for the challenge. This kind of comment really bodes well for a team that has had difficultly adjusting to different opponents in the past. Just one of many reasons to be a little more optimistic following this set of Canadian friendlies. It may take a while, but slowly this team is improving and preparing for Mission 2014.

Home Friendlies Shed Light on Serious Problems for Canada

It has been more than two years since the Canadian Men's National Team kicked off their short and unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, and now the team is back at it again. For the first time since the qualifiers in 2008, Canada is playing on home soil with friendlies against Peru and Honduras this upcoming week in Toronto and Montreal respectively. With a new coach at the helm in the form of Stephen Hart there appears to be a fresh new beginning for the men's national team, but a closer look reveals the only real change is in the declining optimism of Canadian supporters.

In 2008 Canada boasted what many supporters believed to be the best squad since Canada's 1986 team which yielded the country's only appearance in the World Cup to date. Midfield stalwart Julian De Guzman was coming off a career year with his club team Deportivo la Coruna in Spain's La Liga, Dwayne De Rosario was ripping it up in the MLS, Canada's aging defensive core of Paul Stalteri and Richard Hastings had proved themselves in the 2007 Gold Cup, the team looked ready to take on the best CONCACAF had to offer. They went on to finish with just two points from six games in qualifying and were eliminated without coming anywhere near the form expected of them.

Now that Canada is returning home the shine has long faded off this generation of Canadians, but a close inspection of the rosters selected for Canada's upcoming games reveals the only difference between this team and the 2008 team to be four players and two years. Toronto FC defender Nana Attakora-Gyan, relatively unknown Greek-based midfielder Gianluca Zavarise, promising centre back Adam Straith, and keeper Haidar Al-Shaïbani are the only players involved in this set of friendlies that played no role in the 2010 qualification campaign.

England has been holding on to their "Golden Generation" for years as the results keep on deteriorating and based on the evidence of this squad Canada may be following in suit. There are some players who have impressed in the past two years who were involved but not ready in 2008 and have benefited from these two years of experience. The two players that immediately come to mind are the English-based duo of Jamie Peters and Simeon Jackson who have both progressed at a quick rate and will be in contention for starting places this weekend. However on the whole the last two years have not been kind on Canada's Golden Generation. De Guzman appears to have regressed since his move to Toronto FC, De Rosario still has yet to perform with the national team, German-based striker Rob Friend has never translated a solid goal-scoring record at club level to Canada, and Hastings has returned to being a major liability at the back. Not looking so Golden anymore. Despite two years of sub-par performances from some of Canada's most talented players, they are still the best options Hart has or is willing to gamble on in these two friendlies.

The main story lines leading into these two exhibition matches from the main stream media include the controversial issue of taking Toronto FC players away from a competitive fixture, the chance for Stalteri to earn a Canadian record 82nd cap and the simple fact Canada will be playing in front of their home supporters. The elephant in the room is that Canada enters this pair games without a win in over a year, and with only one goal in their last six matches. This is a Canadian team that is close to an all time low during a period where soccer is generally on the up in Canada with Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver all to be competing in the MLS by 2012.

The good news? Canada has plenty of time and stability plus a solid amount of preparation to come. By the end of 2010 Canada will have played six friendlies, the most Canada has played in one calendar year since they matched that total in 2005. Canada has a solid full-time head coach in Hart who plans to be with the team right through the 2011 Gold Cup and World Cup Qualifying. Best of all Canada is getting friendlies against the type of opposition they will be playing in the CONCACAF region. Canada played CONCACAF rival Jamaica earlier this year and are facing Honduras in Montreal in the second of these two friendlies. They will also have played three South American teams by the end of the year who play a similar style to many of the teams in CONCACAF.

Canadian supporters across the country, especially those based in Toronto and Montreal, are excited for a chance to welcome home their team after a two year absence but the occasion can only serve as a short term distraction to the many challenges facing this team.

Finally, someone who might have credibility (or at least class) wants to develop Ottawa Stadium

As someone said in September, the goal for Ottawa Stadium is to get a stable tenant. The sport may be named later, baseball or soccer.

The aim is to keep a stadium out on Coventry Rd., so baseball or soccer, is not such a big deal as far as keeping it from becoming condominiums is concerned. In other words, hearing about Neil Malhotra's intentions to put soccer and be willing to share with a baseball team. It is good news there is interest being expressed by someone who is legitimate. In other words, someone who is does not call .

It is also evidence the commenters are pretty smart, since they cannily anticipated someone would show interest in putting soccer there three months ago. (Of course, there's no parking.)

As for the guy whose initials as the same those for Douche Bag, please. That pathetic little loser (take it away, David Bowie in Extras) is the greatest time-waster since Tetris. Last week he wanted a women's professional baseball team. Next week it will be a team in some other podunk circuit such as the Golden Baseball League, which operates entirely in Western Canada and U.S. and whose teams run on a shoestring, making travel to Ottawa unrealistic. Seriously, sir, you have not been honest with us and worse, you're wasting the time of good people. Any credibility you might have accidentally had is only because of a local media corps that is too time-pressed to do some digging. Go away, and let someone who packs the essential gear between the ears try to make a go out of this. You had your moment, you insult-to-the-word-pitiful glory hog.

Related:

Neil Malhotra Wants to Put Pro Soccer in Ottawa Stadium (Ottawa Citizen)

Previous:
Butler puts true fans in a show-us state (Aug. 24)
Squeaky wheel greases skids for stadium fight (Aug. 22)
Credit him for chutzpah, nothing else (April 14)
This is terrible, this idea (Sept. 3, 2007)

Ottawa footy phenom Donzo takes another step

It's a thrill to be to pass along news Abraham Donzo, a teenaged Ottawa soccer player, has earned a "3-month invitation with Everton’s academy in the hopes of landing a professional contract."

It's pretty tough to do justice to the story of Abraham Donzo, but it was a honour to have been able to take a stab at it a month ago. Sportswriters are not supposed to cheerlead, but having been let in on what he's gone through and how he and his Canadian parents Phil and Sue Roberts have made it work, well, I defy you not to cheer for him.

Oct. 8, 2009

Not just in it for kicks
Soccer prodigy hopes long journey leads to pro deal

Abraham Donzo is as tough to label as he is to mark on the pitch.

That's a way to relate how far and fast the footy prodigy has come since arriving in Ottawa in 2005 from a refugee camp in Liberia. The label doesn't stick. It's there, but the only mention of pain that comes up while talking to Donzo relates to rehabbing his right knee after he tore an ACL in May 2008.

He's a well-adjusted 16-year-old Colonel By student, supported by loving parents, educators Sue and Phil Roberts. The hook is he is jetting across the Atlantic next Wednesday for a fourth trial with Everton FC of the English Premier League.

"My journey started kind of sad, but now it's going in a good way," says Donzo, who starred with the Ontario provincial team this summer, scoring all of its goals in 5-of-6 games at nationals.

"When I was leaving my family in Liberia I was sad, but they wanted me to come here, to have a chance at a future, so I was happy they did that."

The ACL injury meant Donzo was not 100% match-fit the last time he was at Everton. Getting into an EPL team's academy is as vital for a 16-year-old footballer as the NHL draft is for a teen hockey player. Ottawa Fury president John Pugh notes, "this is the probably the time" that Everton will decide whether to add Donzo to its academy. He'll likely find out in January.

"I know this is my last chance with Everton," the 5-foot-11, 160-lb. striker says. "I feel good, skill-wise. The only thing I am worried about is the physical play. They're big guys and they're tough."

REALITY SHOW WINNER

You know about Donzo winning a reality show, Soccer Dreams, and catching Everton's eye. A bigger part of the backstory is the Roberts family. Donzo came to Canada with a male relative, Sekou Donzo. He eventually moved in with the Robertses, who are his legal guardians.

"They're always there for me," he says. "I was shy at first, but I get treated like a brother and I treat them (siblings Michelle, Amy and Meagan) like a sister."

His dad, who is the Ottawa Gee-Gees' special teams co-ordinator, might never forget the rush his spouse and daughters threw at him about adding Abraham to the brood.

"It just kind of fell into place," Phil Roberts says. "His uncle was working all the time and Abe is still in contact with him. Children's Aid approached us about him. They said to us, 'We've never done this, but he's doing well here in school, we don't want to have to switch.'

"When my daughters and wife cornered me about it, I went, 'Uh -oh, I'm not a young guy.' I was 49 years old at the time, we have three daughters, I'm coaching football all the time, coaching basketball at the high school. But within two weeks, I knew it was a good fit."

Roberts' contacts in the helmeted, hand-using version of football paid off when Donzo injured his knee. One of his former players, Western Mustangs assistant coach Mickey Donovan, helped connect them with Dr. Kevin Willits in London, Ont., for treatment. Willits also coaches at Western.

Of course, no one could rehab the knee for Donzo.

"He was ready to go after 4 1/2 months," Roberts says. "I'm a football guy, and I was just amazed. He was waking up at 6 a.m., icing it six times a day ... I know university, pro guys who couldn't do what he did."

What happens at Everton is not necessarily make-or-break. There are a lot of football teams.

When you go in there for a two-week trial, you've got to be better than what they've had in the academy," explains Steve Hill, Donzo's coach with the Ottawa Fury. "You can't be as good as, because they have people who have been there since the age of eight, nine, 10 years old, whom they've worked with 3-4 years. It's a bit cutthroat."

That's the kicker. The hard part is still ahead for Donzo, after leaving family, after the culture shock, after blowing out a knee. Is it in him?

"I'm not the kind of person who gives up," he says.

A big victory for the U.S.

Yesterday was quite the day [Jason Davis, Match Fit USA] for the American national team, as they pulled off a 2-0 defeat of Spain [Chris Nee, twofootedtackle] to advance to the Confederations Cup final. Soccer clashes between the U.S. and Spain are always expected to be lopsided, but this result was even more bizarre considering that Spain were the top-ranked team in the world and the defending European champions, had a international-record 15-straight victories entering the match and were about to break an international record for the longest unbeaten streak (36 games). It's certainly one of the greatest victories ever [George Vecsey, The New York Times] for the American national team, and up there with some of the most unanticipated victories in other sports.

Normally, the Confederations Cup isn't all that important of a tournament. Generally, it's just a test run for the World Cup and an excuse to see a final between the European and South American champions, with maybe a few interesting games against the lesser sides along the way. Even on the rare occasions when other sides have won it (Mexico in 1999) or made the final (Australia in 1997, Japan in 2001, Cameroon in 2003), it hasn't meant a lot, as the sides they beat generally weren't taking it all that seriously. However, the gap between the top sides and the rest seems to have been closing a bit of late, as shown by recent strong performances at the World Cup and the European Championships by the likes of Turkey, Ghana and Australia. Moreover, in this case, Spain were pulling out all the stops in an attempt to extend their streak and advance to the final. They gave it their all, and they came up short.

That doesn't mean that the U.S. is suddenly a better team, though. Anything can happen on any given Wednesday, and in this one, Spain had the majority of the chances. The Americans defended well, throwing themselves in front of shots whenever possible, and goalkeeper Tim Howard was outstanding, but the Spanish could have had two or three goals if their finishing had been a bit more clinical. The U.S. did very well to capitalize on their only chances of the match, but that doesn't all of a sudden put them among the best teams in the world. They're a very good team that, at their best, can compete with the elites, and that's plenty to be proud of right there.

From a Canadian perspective, it's nice to see the U.S. doing well. They're quite a ways ahead of the Canadian team at the moment, but the difference is about as wide as from the American team to the Spanish one: Canada can give them a good game at any time despite the superior talent on the U.S. side. Thus, seeing them do well against top-drawer sides provides hope that Canada can one day do the same. The Canadians have come close at times, most recently in last summer's friendly against Brazil, but there's still a long ways to go.

One other thing to consider is how much popular and media interest there is in the American national team. Almost every general sports newspaper and website in the States was doing something on the game, and even guys who primarily cover other sports were talking excitedly about the game on Twitter. You never see an explosion of interest of that magnitude in the States around any other soccer event, be it MLS, the English Premier League or the UEFA Champions League. For MLS, the quality may be an issue, but that's not the case with the EPL or the Champions League. In my mind, part of it's due to patriotism, but another part of it's due to being able to identify with the team; many Americans don't feel a real connection to a MLS side or a Premiership one, but that isn't an issue with the national team.

It's interesting that there never seems to be anywhere close to this level of popular support around the Canadian national team (see the Gold Cup later this summer for a perfect example; it's been barely mentioned outside of the soccer blogs so far). The soccer writers will cover the team, and a few of the big papers will run recaps from time to time (often just wire service ones), but the Canadian team never manages to transcend their sport the way the American one seems to. Maybe part of that's due to their relative lack of success lately, but that's not entirely the case; there was very little mainstream interest in the team that won the 2000 Gold Cup against all odds and played in the 2001 Confederations Cup. It seems, at least for the moment, the U.S. is well ahead of Canada in this dimension of soccer as well.

It's hard to predict definitively what this win will mean in the long run. A lot of that depends on what happens in Sunday's final (against the winner of today's semi-final, which will be either Brazil or South Africa). If the U.S. goes on to lose that game, this one will still be big, but not as important. If they win, this victory becomes even more important. It's not just about winning the Confederations Cup; this gives them a good shot at the number-one CONCACAF (North American) seed in the World Cup and a higher seed in general. As the Americans found out previously, seeds can be everything; last time around, their second seed from CONCACAF (behind Mexico) placed them in the Group of Death with eventual champions Italy, the second-ranked Czech Republic and African powerhouse Ghana, and they didn't make it out. Meanwhile, Mexico wound up with Portugal, Angola and Iran, and sneaked through in second place. That seeding difference could be big in the long run.

Beyond that, I'm not going to predict any sudden explosions of interest in soccer in the States for the long run. That's been tried before, and it hasn't panned out as well as people had hoped. However, the interest in today's game showcases that there already are a significant number of people following at least the national team, and that may translate to other levels in time. It's not a rocket to the top of the mountain, but it's another step along the way. Fortunately, the slow, step-by-step approach does result in less of a tendency to dramatically fall to earth. Moreover, Canada and the U.S. are considerably intertwined in soccer, as Toronto F.C., the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact demonstrate; all three have found success playing in primarily-American leagues. Thus, anything that helps the game in the States is likely to help it in Canada as well, and that's a good thing in my books.

Related:
- I have a more detailed take on the match over at The Phoenix Pub
- Another good piece on the subject from Avoiding The Drop
- Andy Hutchins puts it in historical perspective at The Arena

The Infamous Book of Unwritten Rules

People have tried to put together lists of unwritten rules for various sports ever since the term came into sports culture. Writing a list of unwritten rules (ignore the obvious irony) has often sparked serious debate among those involved in sports over what should be expected of athletes, coaches, fans, the front office and owners in specific situations. These rules and controversies vary from sport to sport, but in team sports there is one that is generally universally excepted.

If you're playing in a game that is useless for you, but means something for your opponents and other teams in the league, you play a full squad.

If you don't know which event I'm talking about yet, last night Toronto FC won the Voyageurs Cup after beating a Montreal "B" squad 6-1. Toronto went into the game needing at least a four goal win to prevent Vancouver from taking home the Voyageurs Cup. Montreal had lost every game in the tournament up to this point and had nothing at stake (except the apparently irrelevant factors of dignity and pride).

Last night's performance from the Montreal Impact showed a lack of respect for the Voyageurs Cup, and Canadian soccer. Montreal's 2008 Voyageurs Cup victory was considered by many supporters to be their greatest moment in club history. It also became the stepping stone for a successful CONCACAF Champions League run in which the Impact played a quarterfinal in front of 55,000 people at the Big O. Just to put this in perspective on average there are two sporting events in Canada every year that attract this type of audience, the Grey Cup and the Blue Jay's home opener. After Montreal realized the potential that winning the Voyageurs Cup presents one would have thought they would have shown more respect to the other two teams in the competition by playing a full squad.

This disrespect for the competition was not one shared by Vancouver in 2008, in fact Vancouver played a big part in helping Montreal win the tournament. They beat Toronto 1-0 at BMO Field, then tied Toronto 2-2 at Swangard, giving Montreal an opportunity to close out the tournament against Toronto which they did. Vancouver played these games after they had lost both their opening games to Montreal, which essentially eliminated them from the competition. Vancouver was apparently wrong in assuming that Montreal would have remembered this favour.

Even if these factors weren't evident, even if this match had been a useless friendly the prospect of a Toronto-Montreal match should have been enough to yield a full line up from both of these teams. These two cities share a rich history of sports rivalries with the Habs and the Leafs, as well as the Argos and the Alouettes. This rivalry between the Impact and Toronto FC seemed to be shaping up nicely, but Marc De Santos, the Impact coach, seems to have deemed that games against the likes of Miami and Austin to be more important.

Now maybe De Santos believed the team he put out against Toronto had the ability to beat them, or at least hold them to a three goal win. If this is true then he was well in his right to send out a team that could benefit from the experience, while maintaining the competition's integrity. It would have been evident at 3-1 that Toronto had some chance of pulling off this improbable victory. Maybe it took until 4-1, but eventually it would have been obvious that Toronto was in with a shout. So why not bring on the array of talent available on the bench to calm the match down a little if nothing else. Team MVP Sandro Grande, the team's top forward Roberto Brown, and young Canadian standout defender Alex Surprenant, were all on the bench to start the match. They were all still there after the ninety minutes were up.

With all this being said, last night obviously was an embarrassing night for the Impact, a disappointing night for Vancouver, but before anyone says that last night was bad for the competition, look again. It was by far the most drama that this Nutrilite Canadian Championship tournament has provided. The football Toronto played last night was not only entertaining, but a display of some of the best quality they've shown in a long time. In the final game of the Canadian Championship, the man who really lifted Toronto to the Cup was a Canadian, Dwayne DeRosario, who scored the first ever hat trick in Toronto FC history. Most importantly the biggest club in terms of fan support, media attention, and cash is going to the CONCACAF Champions League which can only mean more exposure for footy in Canada.

[Cross-posted to The Canadian Stretford End]

Steve Nash could rule the world, and he's damned funny

There is another viral video of Canada's greatest Steve Nash in addition to the one of him on Letterman last night.

The one for his new not-for-profit social business, Football For Good, seems just as worthy of attention, as is the fact he will be involved in an ESPN documentary about the life of the late, great Terry Fox.

Steve Nash - 'The Player' from meathawk on Vimeo.

Football For Good speaks the whole notion of how the two-time NBA MVP from Victoria, B.C., is a sports hero for Generation X. From afar, he comes across like a guy who would be the last one to describe himself as the leader of a social movement. Like he told Chuck Klosterman for that Esquire piece in 2005, "I don't even like to use the word philosophy when describing what I do for a living; I don't want to glorify the idea of playing basketball. But if you give of yourself, you do get things back." Taking a simple step like soliciting $5 donations to build a football academy in a war-ravaged region of Africa fits right in with the notion of a "hundred million solutions." It's one of just many small ideas that can take what works in our culture and improve what doesn't.

Improving the world isn't going to come from the top down or big, sweeping ideas, policy changes or mission statements the highers-up at your work like to issue periodically (and please, forgiveness if this sounds way too sincere). As Gordinier said in X Saves the World, change comes in stealth. Steve Nash kind of embodies that, or at least does for these purposes. He can do the spotlight stuff, sit in the chair and joke with Dave, ask ESPN.com's Jeff Van Gundy if his brother Stan, the Orlando Magic coach, "got laid in high school," but all of that would be mental dross if it wasn't backed by the change in thinking he represents.

He stepped up to sponsor youth basketball leagues when NBA rules kept the Raptors from doing so outside of a certain geographical radius. That's important, since with divorced-from-sanity cost of hockey, it's important to introduce girls and boys to an affordable athletic option which cuts across cultural lines. He's invested in Women's Professional Soccer, which seems to be gaining some traction in the face of tough economic times. Others can speak better to this, but it's a fair bet that when — not if — WPS expands into Canada, Nash could end up having something to do with a Vancouver team which will (ahem) probably end up beating the pants off the Toronto team. Starting a football academy in Africa with $5 donations from well-off, middle-class North Americans, well, it's a simple idea: Build better stuff for people in need. And anyone who wants to help can. It's a very Generation X idea. Meantime, you respect who came before, as he's doing by, as Jonah Keri noted, "leading the effort on a documentary about Terry Fox."



Getting back to Nash ... The easy way out is to say, "Well, it's not hard to do all that when you're paid obscene amounts of money to play point guard." That might get the point upside-down and backwards. Nash needs that platform. He wouldn't be sitting next to Letterman, getting Dave to go heh-heh-heh, if he was a hockey player or was the central midfielder for the New York Red Bulls. It's as if, on a subconscious level, something told him that if he wanted to make a difference beyond playing a sport , he should play basketball. It's a relatively global game which also is popular in the United States.

A lot of what Nash does is purely for amusement, whether it's playing basketball or his Letterman appearance. The latter probably shows it's better to appear casual, since painfully earnest can backfire. Seeing what Steve Nash is up to raises hope any of us can have a small, goofy impact on our corner of the world. In this day and age, if you're going to have a hero, it better be a guy who can laugh at himself:



P.S. Incidentally, here's an update on the next Nash, Toronto point guard Junior Cadougan, who's going to Marquette:

"Cadougan's greatest strength, however, may be his high basketball IQ. Similar to Canada's most famous basketball product, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, Cadougan exemplifies complete body control and court vision. Whether it be a crossover dribble, pull-up jumpshot or pick and roll, seldom will you see Cadougan rush into an offensive set or force a play that is not there."

(Nash clip via Ben Rycroft at It's Called Football. Ben talks the footy talk regularly with Duane Rollins on a podcast of the same name.

Goodbye, Greg

It is be a big day for hockey fans, thanks to the Phoenix mess continuing to play out in court and Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final going tonight, and it's also a big day for Canadian basketball fans with Jason Kapono traded from the Raptors (Michael Grange, The Globe and Mail) for Reggie Evans, but there's some important soccer news as well. Toronto FC announced today (John F. Molinaro, CBC Sports) that they had released veteran goalkeeper Greg Sutton (pictured) and traded a 2010 third-round draft pick to the San Jose Earthquakes for American defender Nick Garcia and the MLS rights to Canadian striker Ali Gerba. Analysis on what it all means and some links after the jump.

This is a move that had to be made. Sutton is a talented goalkeeper, but he's been replaced in the TFC starting lineup by rookie Stefan Frei this season, who has been spectacular so far. Sutton may well be picked up by another MLS club and perhaps even have a chance to start, but he wasn't particularly needed in Toronto after Frei emerged as a star and his guaranteed contract of $165,000 was just too high for a backup goalkeeper in the strict salary cap world of MLS. His release opens a roster spot and adds cap room, plus it should give younger goalkeeper Brian Edwards more playing time to develop as Frei's backup. Gerba and Garcia are nice pickups as well, and Sutton's departure paved the way for their entrance.

Ideally, it would have been nice to get something for him in trade, but general manager Mo Johnston didn't have a lot of leverage. MLS has more depth at keeper than any other position; most teams have at least one solid netminder, and many of them are American, which helps with the roster limits on imports. The U.S. has actually been more successful at bringing up talented keepers than most countries, and certainly has done a better job of developing star goalkeepers than other players; Tim Howard and Brad Friedel are two of the best keepers in the English Premier League (for Everton and Aston Villa respectively) and there are plenty of other American standouts in MLS, including Seattle's Kasey Keller. Thus, no MLS team would be too desperate to trade for a 32-year-old Canadian with a history of concussion problems who was likely to be released anyway thanks to his contract; why pay for what you can get for free? If they are interested, he can be claimed quite easily now.

Toronto fans should thank Sutton for his service. He was one of the original members of the club and was their starting goalkeeper for their first two seasons. He played quite well during that time and turned in some solid performances with the Canadian national team as well. Unfortunately, he suffered a severe concussion at the 2007 Gold Cup, which kept him out for a significant amount of time and appeared to affect his play to a degree when he returned to the TFC lineup. He battled back from that, though, and seemed to be back in fine form lately, but he wasn't playing as well as Frei and was very expendable due to his contract. Despite that, he will be fondly remembered by many TFC fans, and he may be again cheered by national team fans in the future depending on where he winds up.

Where will Sutton wind up? It's hard to say. In MLS, D.C. United is most well-known as a side with goalkeeping problems, but many of those appear to be because of their inability to choose and stick with a number-one keeper. I'm not sure Sutton is the answer there. Another MLS side may take a flier on him, perhaps initially as a backup, but his Canadian passport and contract expectations may hurt those chances. He could also wind up overseas.

One intriguing possibility is another Canadian side. Matt Jordan of the Montreal Impact has looked rather shaky lately and was unimpressive in Sunday's match against the Whitecaps. Sutton's Canadian passport would be attractive to Montreal and his tenure with the national team would likely make him a popular player there. The lack of a salary cap in the USL and Montreal owner Joey Saputo's willingness to pay for quality players might also help. It's pure speculation at this point, but it would make a good bit of sense.

Some reaction from around the intertubes:

• Duane Rollins says it's unfortunate, but logical news about Sutton. He also likes the acquisition of Gerba and Garcia (The 24th Minute).
  
• Sam ponders what this might mean for Canada's Gold Cup team (The Canadian Stretford End).
  
• Ben Van Weelden is happy to see these moves after all the recent bad news for the club (TFC Connected)
• J thinks this move could work out for both Sutton and TFC. (Out of Touch)

Canada - USA women's soccer live blog

It's going to be an epic clash of countries at Toronto's BMO Field tonight as the Canadian women take on the top-ranked Americans in head coach Carolina Morace's home debut. It's the 44th match between the sides (the U.S. is 37-3-4 against Canada), but only the fifth match between them on Canadian soil. Canada has never beaten the American senior team at home, losing three times and pulling off one draw. We'll find out if that will change tonight. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Eastern, and the game will be televised live on all four regions of Rogers Sportsnet. Come join me here then for the live blog! You can also check out my full match preview here.

Importance of the Voyageurs Cup

This Wednesday BMO Field will host the opening match in the second ever Nutrilite Canadian Championship between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC. They are vying for the Voyageurs Cup, the title of Canadian Champions and a spot in the 2009-2010 CONCACAF Champions League. Now this Cup competition is a short one consisting of only six games between Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, but it represents one of the most important advances in Canadian soccer.

The Voyageurs Cup (sponsored by the Canadian Soccer Supporters, The Voyageurs) used to be awarded to the winner of the season series between Canadian teams in the USL. During this era the Montreal Impact won the cup all six years that it was awarded. At this time the Voyageurs Cup was something the real supporters of these clubs talked about but it hadn't really gotten out to the media what this trophy was all about. In its new format it has, and it is a hit among the fans.

In the new format three teams from different leagues play in games that are scheduled out side of their respective leagues (the Voyageurs Cup games are no longer USL games) and vie for the title of Canadian Champion instead of just recognition from one supporters group. Not only has this heated up the rivalries between the three Canadian clubs, but it has also got people thinking about possible future ramifications.

Being Canadian Champions is a big deal for these teams, just look at the Impact last year. Many Impact supporters put winning the Voyageurs Cup above winning the USL title several years earlier. The idea of being a Canadian Champion means something to these cities and these supporters. Which paves the idea of a possible Canadian league.

The issue of whether or not Canadian teams should just stay in leagues like the MLS and USL or form their own league is a controversial one in Canadian soccer circles. Many believe that playing our American counterparts keeps Canada part of the North American scene and helps develop our at a higher level since the quality of opposition is greater. It also gives a more financially sound base as it has been proven that Canadian Soccer Leagues (or Canadian sports leagues in general) aren't always set for success.

There was a very poor attempt made at a Canadian league in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The CSL (Canadian Soccer League) as it was called was made in order to develop more and stronger players after Canada qualified for the World Cup in 1986. The structure and interest just wasn't there and the league folded.

Right now the Voyageurs Cup is proof that the interest is there. Fans of the national team see a national league as an avenue to grow more players and at a higher level. Fans of individual clubs see it as a chance to get another dig at their local rivals. If it worked I believe that a new Canadian Soccer League would help grow the game in this country.

Even if this league may not ever come to fruition the mere fact that the Voyageurs Cup hints to the possibility of this league is a big plus. Don Garber, the MLS commissioner, has said many times before that he wants further expansion into Canada. With the success of Toronto FC and the projected success of Vancouver it would be a massive financial incentive to explore the option of more Canadian teams. The Voyageurs Cup and the threat of a national league may help speed this process up.

Garber doesn't want to lose his Canadian market to a break off Canadian league so the Voyageurs Cup may give him the incentive to bring as many Canadian teams into the league as soon as he can. With Vancouver coming in 2011, Ottawa and Montreal still showing interest as well as recent talk of an Edmonton bid, the prospective of a Canadian league grows bigger while Garber will try harder to accommodate these teams into the MLS.

So whether it leads to more Canadian teams in the MLS, a Canadian League or something completely different, enjoy the Voyageurs Cup this year it could mean big things for the future of Canadian soccer.

[Cross-posted to The Canadian Stretford End]

Ottawa stadium debate: Hunt talks USL

It sounds like the USL is on a par with the calibre of the MLS and if things don't work out in Kanata, it might be worth looking into. It certainly represents a way to test the waters of professional soccer in Ottawa at much less risk.

That's Jeff Hunt of Ottawa's CFL bid. Putting aside his absurd assertion that USL-1 is the same calibre as MLS (yes USL-1 fans, it's absurd. The soccer is fine, but it isn't on par with a league that spends roughly four times as much money on salaries), it is the first time that someone from that side of the stadium debate in Ottawa has actually articulated the USL-1 idea. It's been hinted at before, but no one has ever come out and said it.

Clearly MLS is the best option for Canadian soccer. And it would work in Ottawa. It would work in any Canadian city. The country is ready to embrace the sport at the club level. But, if MLS isn't an option another USL-1 team is (literally) the next best thing.

Soccer fans in the capital need to keep the pressure on Hunt et al. to live up to this promise if they win the day on April 22.

The win-loss stat provided in the linked article is misleading because it fails to take into consideration the squad rotation that most MLS teams use when playing USL-1 teams. Essentially, they play the scrubs against a team that is geared up to prove something. When it's best on best, USL wins teams over MLS teams are rare. If you look at the U.S. Open Cup competition (the only competition where the two leagues have met over a long enough period to gauge anything) you'll find that in the semi-finals or later (when MLS starts to take it seriously) of that tournament the USL has not won a game against MLS competition since 1999.

Famously Montreal won the Canadian championship last year against a weak TFC team. However, it is worth pointing out that they did so without actually defeating Toronto and it was Vancouver's win over TFC on Canada Day (combined with Montreal's mastery of Vancouver in the tournament) that handed the championship to the Impact. And the 'Caps win over Toronto was a case of a goaltender standing on his head during a second half onslaught by Toronto. The point being that, yes, upsets happen, but that it's unlikely that it will be a trend. MLS pays roughly four times more salary than USL-1 does. Clearly it's a better league. There is no debate here -- other than by USL-1 partisans in Canada that are as much influenced by wanting to knock big, bad Toronto down a notch than by the cold logic of the situation.

This isn't to say that USL wouldn't be a good fit in Ottawa. In many ways it does make more sense. MLS would have a better chance of capturing the imagination of the city than a league that is clearly minor league.

Related:
Getting their balls in a row; The stadium battle could be shaping up to include a faceoff between competing soccer leagues (Chris Stevenson, Sun Media)
Lansdowne doesn’t need a stadium, mayor says; O'Brien suggests updating Civic Centre, dealing with football/soccer issue separately (Mohamed Adam, Ottawa Citizen)
New plan combines soccer, football (Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen)

(Cross-posted to The 24th Minute).

International incidents of epic proportion, indeed

Our own Duane Rollins has a first-person account of the "gong show" (his term) that occurred after the Toronto FC-Columbus Crew match last Saturday.

Duane makes a pretty salient point when he saw a much smarter approach to crowd control when he was covering the Grand River land dispute in Caledonia, Ont., than he did last Saturday. Think about. There's centuries-old simmering tensions present in the first instance. Toronto and Columbus have only been opponents for barely two years and it got out of control (we'll thank you to not say it was due to the bumbling of the Officer Bartlebys working security at the stadium).

"The police were everywhere, they did not appear to be communicating with each other and 'hands on' was a matter of first response rather than last resort. About all they accomplished was to further enrage the group and to put those not involved at risk – at one point two police cars took chase after a fleeing Toronto fan. Driving about 60 km/h they weaved their way through a crowded parking lot."

A couple TFC fans who happened to be off the wrong skin colour, in the cops' eyes, were also targeted. That's brutal, but not shocking if you know about who can be licensed to carry a badge and a gun in the U.S. That story about NFL running back Ryan Moats having a cop draw a gun on him when he was trying to get inside a hospital to see a dying loved one is, well, not atypical.

This is not about doing the smug Canadian routine or being a cop-basher (two in my extended family, thanks). The mind does reel when you're presented with how the U.S., in some precincts, just has a different concept of law and order, compared to its backwards neighbours in countries which astonishingly manage to not have more than one in every 100 adults in prison. That mindset is probably best expressed by the twitbag who covers the Columbus team, but thankfully not the local courts:

"The highlight from my vantage point on the concourse had to be the perp running toward the railroad tracks who eventually ran out of gas and was taken down with a perfect form tackle by one of the city's finest."

That's hilarious.

Related:
Sober second thoughts: Send in the clowns (The 24th minute)
TFC fan Tasered, others arrested after U.S. game (Lance Hornby, Sun Media)
"Like We Were Dogs": The Story of Ryan Moats (Dave Zirin)

LeBlanc impressive in WPS opener

A Canadian played a huge part in a big step forward for women's soccer in the United States.

Karina LeBlanc, the long-serving Canadian international (69 caps at the senior level), made several impressive saves to preserve a 2-0 victory for the Los Angeles Sol over the Washington Freedom in the first-ever game in Women's Professional Soccer.

It's been a long road to this point for LeBlanc. According to her bio page, she was born in Atlanta but moved to Maple Ridge, B.C. with her family at a young age. She went to Maple Ridge Secondary, where she didn't play high school soccer (as they didn't have a team at that point) but starred in basketball, track and field hockey. She then spent four very successful years playing soccer at the University of Nebraska — for coach John Walker, a Queen's grad — finishing with a career record of 67 wins, five losses and three draws and a career GAA of 0.56 (36 goals against in 79 games).

After that, she joined the Boston Breakers of WUSA, the last attempt at a high-profile women's pro league in the States. LeBlanc did well with them, but the league collapsed and she wound up in the lower-profile W-League, where she had stops with at least the Montreal XTreme and the New Jersey Wildcats (perhaps other teams as well, but none of the bios available seem to reflect them).

Throughout her career, LeBlanc's been a tremendous representative for Canada. She was the No. 1 keeper for quite some time, but has more recently taken a back seat to Erin McLeod. However, she has still been a valuable presence for Canada and has proven very effective when called upon, as she was in the Olympics this summer against the United States after an injury to McLeod. I wrote at the time that LeBlanc was "a huge reason that the Canadians were even able to take the game to extra time." It's good to see her find success at the club level as well.

LeBlanc was the only Canadian international in this first game, at least according to the Washington and LA rosters online. However, there were still plenty of Canadian connections. As Neate pointed out long ago, one of the most prominent investors backing the league is Victoria's own Steve Nash (who's also now a co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps). Also, Canadian midfielder/forward Martina Franko is listed on the L.A. roster, although she didn't see action in this game. There aren't any details up about her yet on their site, so I'm guessing she's a recent signing. Franko has been another long-time stalwart for the national team and won W-League titles with the Vancouver Whitecaps women's team in 2004 and 2006. She's also perhaps the only Canadian women's soccer player to make it onto Jezebel.

The striker LeBlanc spectacularly denied twice was American star Abby Wambach. Wambach has been a thorn in the side of the Canadian women for years, including this past year's Olympics and the 2006 Gold Cup, so there perhaps is some poetic justice in having her stopped by LeBlanc.

Overall, it was a pretty good start for the WPS. The Sol (by the way, they should really look into Sol beer as a sponsor) and the Freedom played in front of 14,832 at the Home Depot Center in L.A., comparable to some MLS crowds. According to the CP article, organizers expected an attendance of 10,000, so this is a step up.

League superstar and World Player of the Year Marta set up the second Sol goal. In some nice continuity with the past, several long-time stars of the women's game were also involved, including Wambach and Washington goalkeeper Brianna Scurry. Mia Hamm, who perhaps has done more for the profile of women's soccer than any other person, was also recognized in a pre-game ceremony, which was good to see.

(By the way, if you've never read Gary Smith's Sports Illustrated 1999 profile of Hamm, you owe it to yourself to check it out).

That doesn't mean that the league will be a guaranteed success, though. As this excellent piece on Avoiding The Drop pointed out yesterday, there are still many concerns surrounding the league, including marketing and television. There's a lot of competition in the women's soccer market, including the NCAA game and the aforementioned W-League. Sports Business Journal's Bill King recently asked, is it really feasible to launch a new league during the current economic crisis?

I'd suggest enjoying the WPS for what it is and sending your best wishes to the Canadians involved. Games can be caught on Fox Sports World Canada every Sunday, and there's plenty of Maple Leaf-covered players, including Christine Sinclair (FC Gold Pride), Christine Latham and Candace Chapman (Boston), and Melissa Tancredi (St. Louis). We may even see Canadian-based teams some day, and WPS investors Nash and Whitecaps co-owner Jeff Mallett apparently even tried to have the Canadian senior national team (based out of Vancouver) join the WPS, but were shot down by the CSA [Marc Weber, The Vancouver Province]. That doesn't mean the dream of WPS in Canada down the road is dead either, though, as Whitecaps' president Bob Lenarduzzi left that door open with his comments in Weber's piece. Before then, if you want to see Canadian stars on Canadian soil, you should take Ben Knight's advice and head out to the Canada-Japan game on May 25.

(Cross-posted to Sporting Madness.)

Photo: Karina LeBlanc makes a save while training with the Canadian women's team in 2007 (Photo from CTV.ca).

Soccer: Dale Mitchell is out

Duane called it a while ago, but it's official now. Dale Mitchell has been fired as head coach of the Canadian men's soccer team, according to a Canadian Press report (via The Globe and Mail). Read on for more details and analysis.

The CSA pretty much had to make this move. The dismal failure of last year's World Cup qualifying run was one thing and led to plenty of criticism of Mitchell by the fans, pundits and observers. On its own, that might not have been enough, though; there have been plenty of protests before that haven't changed much, and firing a coach mid-contract while you're facing tough economic times and budget cutbacks is never the easiest thing to do. The public criticism of Mitchell by Canada's top stars was what pushed the momentum for this change over the edge.

Soccer is becoming a larger player on the Canadian sports landscape, but it's the players that are making it happen. Coaches and press releases are one thing, but for the national teams, it's the players that draw much of the media and viewer interest. Enough recognizable players went after Mitchell and refused to don the Canadian colours while he held the reins, and that was what stoked the building outrage against him.

There's no word yet on who will replace Mitchell, but Stephen Hart is the forerunner for at least the interim job. Hart has had success with the national team before, most notably in the Gold Cup, and is apparently well-liked by the players. More importantly, he's already within the CSA and thus can be shunted over to a new role quickly and easily (and probably without significant added costs). The view from this corner is that he'll do a good job, but the proof is always in the pudding. Nevertheless, this move shows that the CSA is continuing to pay at least some heed to its critics. It's been a long time coming, but they seem headed in the right direction.

One final thing; let's not be too hard on Mitchell on his way out the door. The man has contributed a lot to Canadian soccer over the years, both as a player and in various coaching roles. Yes, his recent stint at the top was anything but successful and his U-20 team performed well below everyone's expectations in the World Cup, but coaching is a difficult job. Any observer of sports knows that there are plenty of factors that go into every game, including coaching techniques and strategies, the skill of the players, the chemistry of the team and pure, simple, unadulterated luck. Those factors didn't mesh successfully during Mitchell's term, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's all his fault.

Mitchell certainly deserves a share of the blame, but even with that, keep in mind the level of play involved. It can't be easy to try and coach at a high level, especially given the competition, the various players involved and the budget and facility problems that are a reality in Canada. I spoke with Mitchell a couple of times back in 2007 when he was still coaching the U20 team, and I was impressed with his soccer knowledge and his sense of the game. He was anything but successful at the highest level, but I'm quite certain he still has forgotten more about top-level soccer than I'll probably ever know. It's worthwhile to remember that the man devoted a lot of his life to Canadian soccer and accomplished some important things along the way. It's unfortunate things didn't work out any better for him.

(Cross-posted to The 24th Minute.)

That night in Montreal ...

The image of MLS commissioner Don Garber doing a spit take all over his BlackBerry — Montreal won?! —, well, that's a good place to start.

Eduardo Sebrango scored both goals for the Impact in their 2-0 CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Santos Laguna of Mexico in front of 55,571 absolute nutters at Olympic Stadium. It's early yet to know what kind of watershed this is for Canadian footy, but as D. Rollins says in his 24th Minute post, "Maybe every person who has fought to bring this sport into the mainstream in Canada also walked away with a victory."

One would hope that succeeding years prove that to be more right than wrong, regardless of how much or how little you're into soccer. Canada only excelling in team sports which a small, snow-bound fraction of the world cares about is gets old pretty quickly. Obviously, CONCACAF's club competition is several rungs below the Champions League or the Copa in South America, but what counts here is people investing themselves emotionally in their local team, and by extension, the sport on their own continent, rather than settling for watching it via satellite.

That, at least in this recovering soccerphobe's opinion, is what Garber showed the back of hand when he tried to demand a $40-million franchise fee out of the Impact and owner Joey Saputo. Now the Impact, for one night at least, are the toast of fans across North America, while Garber is in scramble mode trying to find an ownership group willing to ante up in the midst of a recession.

Who knows what Montreal winning, especially since even a casual Canadian fan knows not to count on anything when one of our teams heads south of the Rio Grande for a game. Duane is the guy who gets football and he says don't even try to understand it, so it might be foolish to try. Let's just say it was great. It wasn't aired live in CBC prime time, but the next time something like this comes along, it probably will, which is progress. That contributes to a great night all-around. Let's keep hoping it leads someplace.

Bald man to appear on Interweb

"Cause you clearly haven't had enough of the Ottawa to MLS talk, join me tomorrow when I appear on the Internet radio program It's Called Football. The program is live at noon eastern and can be listened to at Thatchannel.com.

I will be debating former Globe and Mail blogger Ben Knight on the merits of Ottawa's MLS bid. We will also be talking about Montreal's remarkable ticket sales for next week's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal, David Beckham, Manchester City's spending and much more.

It's even webcast, so grab the kids and gather around the computer to watch me! I'll try not to swear

The Ottawa soccer question: Conclusion

Part four of four of the Ottawa soccer question below the jump

Can Ottawa win?

Having looked at the Ottawa bid from several different angles, there is only one thing left to discuss – does it matter? Is it possible that Ottawa might win this thing?

Maybe.

As wishy-washy as that answer might seem it’s about a hundred times more hopeful than the answer you would have go to the question six months ago. Then, to say it like the kids today do, you would have got a solid ROFLMFAO. Or something like that anyway. It didn’t seem at all likely.

However, since then close observers of the process have become more aware of Ottawa’s strengths and, equally important, several other bids have taken a step back.

Montreal losing its game of chicken with MLS was the single most important factor that put Ottawa’s bid in play in a serious way. Located just 90 minutes west of Montreal, and with the potential to tap into the French Canadian market, and an obvious dance partner for Toronto, Ottawa represented a great plan B for MLS in its Canadian planning.

Ah, Canada. Canuck-ness is another issue that might play to Ottawa’s advantage. Although it is difficult to figure out what Don Garber actual wants from one day to the next it does seem like the league wants to increase its footprint in Canada. Sure he will talk about wanting to take care of the U.S. market as well, but why not do both? If further expansion into Canada is desired then Ottawa’s bid probably comes down to an either or with Vancouver as opposed to a competition with the other four cities (more on that in a minute).

Note that the competition is down to four. Atlanta, never really a factor, dropped out last month thus taking another obstacle out of Ottawa’s way. Some people are suggesting that St. Louis’ bid is all but dead. Garber said as much last month when he admitted that the league wasn’t happy with Jeff Cooper’s wallet. No money, no team.

So now we’re down to Ottawa and three others – Vancouver, which we’ve touched on, Miami and Portland.

Miami is in. No one will come out and say it just yet, but Barca’s money has eliminated any and all objections to giving South Florida another try. Then there is Portland.

There is a lot to like about the Portland bid – it’s a wonderful soccer market in a beautiful (and funky) city. But, it’s got stadium issues. They might figure them out. They might not. Most of the city’s attention the last little while was figuring out what to do with its mayor, who evidently has a thing for 18-year-old teenage boys (not that there is anything wrong with that. Except there was because the kid was an intern. It’s a little messy up there right now). The city has a task force running that is going to make recommendations on whether to fund a two part plan that will see a new AAA baseball park built and the existing ball yard converted into a soccer specific venue. There are a lot of ifs in Portland. Although it would be foolhardy to eliminate it from the conversation just yet, it’s also hard to suggest that its chances are improving.

Which brings us back to the Ottawa versus Vancouver question. Of the two Canadian cities, which has the better chance at making the jump? Van City has a lot to like. As its fans like to remind us ignorant easterners the Whitecaps were one of the shining lights of the NASL (they were one of the few teams that made it all the way to the end in 1984 and were Soccer Bowl champions in 1979). The current ‘Caps are USL-1 powers and the Southsiders form the core of passionate support. There is little doubt Vancouver would make a wonderful addition to MLS. And if they had a real stadium plan they could likely start to sell the season tickets.

But they don’t. Neither does Ottawa yet. But if the latter situation changes, then it stops being hard to imagine the capital jumping ahead in the MLS race. Actually, if Ottawa gets approval for its soccer specific stadium plan it moves right on up to the front of the queue.

So, to answer the question that started this piece...does Ottawa actually have a shot at this?

You betcha. Crazier things have happened. Seriously.

The one troublesome issue with the current situation is that Ottawa city council has indicated that it won’t be making a decision about the stadiums until April at the earliest. MLS has said in the past that it wanted to have the expansion issue dealt with by March 19 (the 2009 season opener). Although the league has waffled on that point (SHOCKING!), it’s not ideal that Ottawa is putting itself in that situation.

Unless Capital City FC has reason to believe that MLS might name one or two teams for 2013 as well...It is, after all, difficult to turn down $160 million.

We had so many great bids that we couldn’t decide. All four of these cities will make wonderful additions to MLS...

Ottawa in ’13. Remember where you heard it first.

The Ottawa soccer question: Part 3

Part three of four of the Ottawa soccer question below the jump.

Football Vs. football


The history of Canadian football (gridiron) pre-dates the history of Canada. In 1861, at the University of Toronto, the first documented game took place. It’s been a part of the Canadian sports fabric ever since. At times it’s been at the forefront of Canadian culture, at others it’s been close to extinction. But, no one can deny that it’s a part of us and has been for a long time.

The history of soccer in Canada is two years older. Yet it’s never talked about in the same way that Canadian football is. Even though there has been periods of high popularity (like the CFL) and pockets of strong support – and areas of indifference -- (like the CFL) soccer is forever dismissed as being “illegitimate” in the eyes of many Canadian sports fans, particularly those of a certain age.

However, it’s important to remember that soccer has a history every bit as long as Canadian football when framing the current stadium debate in Ottawa. Canadian football fans will pull the heritage card out at all opportunities. Canadian soccer fans will slowly burn as they have their patriotism called into question.

Allow me a moment of personal disclosure here. This debate makes me uncomfortable. You see, I love both sports. Long before I was soccer blogger boy I was CIS football blogger boy. Being in the stands watching my Alma matter (Wilfrid Laurier University. GO HAWKS!) win the 2005 Canadian university football championship is a memory I will take to my grave. I follow the CFL. I would be devastated if the game were to ever disappear from the sporting landscape in Canada.

But make no mistake. It is a debate. Ottawa has a choice to make and that choice is between our football and their football. Sadly both can’t win. The Hunt group may say that its Lansdowne Live project could host soccer, but there is literally no way that MLS will come into Ottawa without a soccer specific stadium. The league may make allowances with a Seattle, but Ottawa’s bid needs to be perfect to have a chance. So, it’s Kanata or bust for Capital City FC.

Here is where the debate needs to turn local. I can sit in my den in Toronto and tell people in Ottawa what’s best for them (it would certainly feed a stereotype), but the truth is Ottawa needs to answer this question for itself. What sport does it want more?

Speculating, it’s difficult to think that soccer can win the day. As stated above, the sport is still viewed as being outside of the mainstream, in spite of having a history just as long as Canadian football. One of the reasons for that is that soccer experienced a dead period in its popularity that ran from about 1945 to 1970 – the baby boomers formative years. The boomers -- God love ‘em – still hold most of the influence in the country. They hold the money and they are in positions of power in the media. And to this generation, soccer is a non-starter.

There are exceptions to that, of course, but those exceptions usually have accents. And, as much as people don’t want to talk about this topic, that makes a difference. Accent bombers don’t need a soccer team because they already have one. In Manchester. Or Glasgow. Or Milan. Or...

As those of us in Toronto heard for years, those fans won’t turn out to watch MLS. Except some did. And it turned out that we didn’t need them to turn out anyway. Boomers have little to do with TFC’s success. That’s mostly on the Xers and Yers, fans that grew up expecting soccer on TV, hanging out in pubs watching the Champions League and wishing that they had a team of their own. One they could see in person and not just on the tube.

And here’s the thing. Just as soccer had a dark period that ran from ‘45ish to ‘70ish, the CFL had its own black period. It ran from about 1970 to 1995, when it was next to impossible to find the CFL on TV and a generation – about the same generation most likely to look at soccer as a legitimate sporting option in Canada – was lost.

So the debate in Ottawa can almost been seen as a battle of the generations. The old versus the new. What’s the best bet for the city moving forward?

As stated, I love the CFL. But, is it really the better bet for Ottawa. Really? In 2025 will there be more CFL fans in Ottawa than soccer fans? I know what my money is on.

But I don’t matter. The question is what Ottawa wants to bet on. Maybe after watching the CFL fail twice before (and I fully acknowledge that the last failure had everything to do with ownership. I just don’t think that matters when you are talking about people’s perceptions), Ottawa’s about done with Canadian football.

Maybe it’s time to embrace a new, old thing.

Type rest of the post here

The Ottawa soccer question: Part 2

Part two of four of the Ottawa soccer question below the jump

What's in it for MLS?


There was girl like her in every high school. She dressed a little frumpy, wasn’t all that popular and had mousy brown hair (to be fair to the fairer gender there was a boy in every high school too – wearing flood pants a size too small, awful in gym class and a member of the AV Club). When people looked at her – actually people didn’t really look at her, they barely knew she existed. But if they did, they wouldn't give her much thought.

Unless you looked really closely. If you did that you might see that under those frumpy clothes was actually a pretty fit body. Add a few highlights in the hair and, well, she’d be pretty damn hot. Once you figured that out you might realize that she would become quite popular in her freshman year of college. By then she would have blown off your one stop town and forgotten those awkward high school years. If only you’d have paid her more attention when no one else was...

When it comes to MLS expansion, Ottawa is mousy brown hair girl.

No one is taking this bid seriously. The city is too small, there isn’t an established soccer culture, the only people that would go are soccer moms, it’s in Canada, where the hell is Ottawa again? It doesn’t take long to find someone willing to dismiss Ottawa outright, with next to no thought.

Except for one guy. Don. And he’s the guy that all the girls are trying to impress, which makes you wonder what he sees in her.

Maybe it’s because her daddy is pretty rich and a big fan of Don. He’s likely do whatever Don asked him to do and he’s always sucking up. Did I mention he was loaded?

Then there is the neighbourhood she lives in. It’s in a perfect location, really close to a lot of other kids. If Don starts hanging out there he knows that a lot of people would come from out of town for her parties.

Another thing that Don might find important is that he doesn’t have to share her with anyone else. A lot of his other lady friends are involved with richer guys. He knows that if he gives her some attention that he could be her one true love.

Having taken the analogy about as far as I can, let me put it this way. Ottawa is big enough. It isn’t the largest centre, but it is in fact big enough. So scratch that off your can’t list.

It’s size might actually be an advantage. If Capital City FC is born, it will be the only game in town all summer (with apologies to whatever minor league baseball team is in town at the time). It would be another chance for Ottawa to compete with other major cities in North America

But, the biggest thing the Ottawa bid has going for it is Eugene Melnyk. The MLS loves the guy and they think he is exactly the owner they want. If Ottawa gets the stadium plan approved, there aren’t any other major problems with the bid because, really, when you break a MLS bid down it comes to two things – stadium and ownership. Don’t underestimate the importance of Ottawa‘s leadership.

A lot of people laughed when they heard that Don Garber said that a team in Ottawa was all but a sure thing if the stadium plan is approved. Surely, they thought, he was just talking out of his rear-end again. But what, really, does he gain from that? Maybe he’s actually telling the truth because if you look past first impressions Ottawa’s actually kinda hot.

I bet ya didn’t see that coming.

The Ottawa soccer question

I am exploring the Ottawa MLS in detail today here and at The 24th Minute.

Part 1: Can it work?


Ottawa. It still causes Canadian soccer fans to wonder. Where did its MLS bid come from? How is it possible, however remotely, that Ottawa – Ottawa? – could find itself in MLS prior to Montreal or Vancouver, two established soccer markets.

American fans are left to wonder where Ottawa is. The whys don’t concern them because they don’t rate Ottawa as having any chance whatsoever in the expansion race. We’ll touch on that question in another post, but for now let’s evaluate the bid from a Canadian perspective.

If you are familiar with the long standing Canadian tradition of (crapping) on anyone that tries to get ahead in the world, you won’t be surprised that there are Canadians that look at the Ottawa bid with scorn. There is a “how dare you” feel to much of the criticism. Vancouver fans feel that they represent the “soul” of Canadian soccer culture, Montreal fans are frustrated by the MLS snubbing the Impact’s bid (in their mind it was the MLS that snubbed it, not Impact snubbing MLS) and see an Ottawa MLS team as the likely death of their dream.

But when you get past the irrational stuff, there is a deeper felt feeling that causes Canadian soccer fans to dismiss Ottawa’s bid. Fear. Many in Canada are terrified that Ottawa would be granted a team and it would be a disaster, drawing flies for a couple of years before slinking off to St. Louis never to be spoke of again.

Those fears are based on Ottawa’s history as a pro sports market and, likely, long-standing soccer inferiority complex. We simply can’t believe that it’s possible that the sport has turned the corner and is heading straight ahead towards the mainstream. In Toronto, we can buy it (what with all those flags on cars during the World Cup), but in Ottawa? It's just a tad bit maple syrup.

Since the bid was announced, I’ve tried to speak to as many Ottawa friends as I can. I too had a hard time believing that the interest was there. Although many of those that I speak to are a bit iffy on the possibilities , they don’t discount the possibility of it working. If it’s marketed positively and run professionally, the city will likely buy in. Ottawa isn’t beyond showing a little civic pride, they argue.

The thing is, when Toronto came into the league many of the same fears were expressed. Although no one doubted that there was enough soccer fans in T.O. it was suggested that those fans wouldn’t come out to support “second rate” soccer. Hell, I called Toronto’s Fan 590 one spring day in 2006 to talk about those fears. I told the host that I worried that this would be the last chance for the domestic game to succeed. In moments of weakness I’ll admit I wasn’t hopeful.

Then, seemingly out of the blue for those that had followed Canadian soccer for years, came the Red Patch Boys. Made up for the most part by guys and gals that fell in love with the game in College Street pubs during the World Cup, the RPB was that missing something that older supporters had dreamed of finding for years. For long-standing U-Sector/Voyageur types it was like when Galileo and Scaramouche discovered the Bohemians in We Will Rock You.

Oh my God there are others like us. They do exist!

The key for Ottawa is to find its Red Patch Boys – or maybe for Ottawa’s RPBs to find each other. And that can’t happen until there is a team.

If that happens it can mean nothing but good things for Canadian soccer.

Next up – why MLS should want Ottawa.