http://www.wakingthered.com/2013/8/...toronto-fc-lynx-partnership-tim-hortons-field Canadian team in American D3?
I don't know a lot about it but wouldn't Tim Horton's Field be much to big for a USL pro Tier 3 affiliate. For TFC it would make sense to have an affilated franchise but I don't Think that Hamilton would consider it their team but if TFC is paying rent and willing to pay to change the lines for football to soccer and back s part of the lease agreement so be it. Eventually though it wopuld make sense if Hamilton were able to field an NASL tier 2 team could give a great rival for the Ottawa franchise and although 24K seatss would not be sold 10K could be a reality and with FC Edmonton and the possibility of Calgary would add a rivalry to that end. Currently FC Edmonton and Vancouver Caps have a working agreement for the loan of players and the Montreal Impact has just loaned 2 players to the new MINN team in the NASL. I guess having a solid Tier 3 league to serve as an oficial type minor league would be great for the most part but the loan of some players on the Cusp to a much more competative Tier2 league will make better players. Could be room for both so if TFC wants to pay rent then by all means who can say no. Much like the Argos with Rogers who happens to be MLSE new partner it may not make sense to remove the football lines for a Tier3 game unless TFC is going to pay. Show the same hopitality that Rogers has shown the Argos remeber the lynx would be guest at the TH field
I'd be interested to see exactly the wording of what Peter M. of the CSA said in the letter. Doesnt make sense they would support this since they said they won't saction D3 USL Pro in Canada as they want to set up a regional D3 Canada only system. League One Ontario is supposedly setting up for next year as Ontario's regional league along with QPSL in Quebec and a BC D3 league to start in 2015 as the regional D3 league's under on umbrella.
Here are the letters, E-mails supporting the USLPRO team in Hamilton. http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/5AC7DC5C-D854-4CB4-96BB-B3DB11B9E458/0/Aug1656.pdf
this is just a weird idea. TFC's minor league team would be playing a larger capcity venue as well as much better stadium and much better amenities. There is a new stadium going up in york that would make much more sense if they are looking to move the lynx to the burbs It is a tier 3 team
Could possibly be the CSA will allow teams then for D3 USL Pro in Canada only for the 3 MLS teams as an extension of the MLS organization and not a standalone team, since they will be an affiliate of them.Still, it doesn't look good for the supposed Canada D3 being organized if this goes thru. And the money to finance the team is from a Chinese company in Hong Kong it seems from an internet search of Humaniterra.
This is exactly why we'll never be a significant force in CONCACAF. If we don't have the confidence in ourselves to even have our own semi-pro system, how can we expect to have the confidence to build a formidable national squad?
I am not sure if this could be worked out but if Calgary, Hamilton, and Winnipeg can add to Edmonton and Ottawa in the NASL it could be possible to have its own Canadian Division withing the NASL. It would be the closest thing that Canada can get to having its own pro domestic league at a level that would be higher than the then a tier 3 semi pro league. A TV contract with Rogers Regional Sports Network as well as SportsNet 360. It will not be of the higher level of the MLS teams but it could a Canadian Division to add popularity of Pro Soccer in Canada with a tier2 league which could give exposure to young players and more Canadian players could be more likely to be on the MLS radar. For the three Canadian as well as the US MLS teams. The Gold Cup coverage has so far enabled the MLS to sign Panama's leading scorer as the first DT of its franchise as well as the Panama goalie signing with another MLS team. Still there are probably many more players from the Central American and Caribean countries who would like to play in a league tothe North of Mexico but the MLS may want them but only have so much room for international players. I am sure that there are probably other players from Panama who would love to come to Canada to play and the facilities being built will recruit players in themselves. The will also be playing teams in the US who have signed some of these Concacaf players from other countries being that they are close in the US south
When the new stadium in Hamilton was being proposed there was talk of an NASL team, just like Ottawa. That would make a lot more sense to me. TFC could still affiliate with it. Frankly, it would be a great place for their Academy teams to play. Also, it wouldn't conflict with the whole Canadian-D3 thing that the CSA is pushing. (Although I'm not sure the USLPro is really a D3 league. More like a D2 league passing itself off as a D3 league for political reasons.)
TFC couldn't affiliate with Hamilton if it was in NASL, NASL didn't want to be a minor league affiliate type league for MLS. They could however send some of their better players not getting much playing time to an NASL team on loan like Vancouver Whitecaps have done this season with Carlyle Mitchell(before injuries in Vancouver got him called back) and Corey Hertzog playing for FC Edmonton. Other MLS teams have done similar loans with NASL teams and that will probably continue in the future with certain players they may want to play at a higher level in D2 NASL than D3 USL Pro. USL Pro is in fact a D3 league and its owners and organizations (Most) can't meet the D2 standards. Its debatable how much difference there is at the moment between D2 and D3( fanboys for USL will say there's no difference and fanboys of NASL will say there is a big difference, the truth is in between)but NASL has a higher level of play although its not by a huge amount at the moment. In the future the level of play will probably become greater between D2 NASL and D3 USL Pro IMHO, as NASL grows and their revenue and budjets grow as well, and the better players will follow the money to NASL. more,
If the USLPro team is directly connected to an MLS team as their reserve team than those teams would be in a sense a tier 2 team being just an injury away from a promotion. I just do not think that Tim Horton's Stadium is the place for an MLS teams minor league affiliate especially since that facility is much nicer amenities wise and larger capacity. The teams in the USLPro that are the MLS reserve team they will still not get the notoriety of an NASL team that is a club that represents that city
This begs the question, would a USLPro club be eligible to play for the Voyageurs Cup? I don't think that the CSA recognises USLPro at all, as there are no Canadian clubs in that league right now. So it would be up to the CSA to decide where they belong. I'm not too familliar, but it seems to me that they are a step above CSL but below NASL. More like D2.5. I'm willing to wager that the CSA would recognise it as D2 for the sake of having more NCC eligible clubs.
Right before the second part of the NASL season Montreal put on loan two players to the MINN franchise. That would be interesting. If The MLS does push and get all of the MLS clubs to have a USLPro affiliate for their reserve team and Hamilton, Calgary and Winnipeg place a franchise in the NASL the Voyagers cup could really become a big event with over 10 teams in the tournament.
With CSA basically trying to help get Hamilton done I would think they would recognize the USL Pro club.
to me that would be disappointing if Hamilton were to get a USL Pro club affiliated with TFC as there reserve team. I think it would be much better for CMNT to have an NASL team playing out of Hamilton at Tim Horton's and owned by Bob Young in conjunction with the Tiger Cats and Tim Horton's as a primary sponsor for both. I guess though in the end money talks and if the price is right and the MLSE is flipping the Bill for rental of Tim Horton's then it would be a good business decision for Hamilton.
Except if the USLPro teams are going to be affiliates of the MLS teams, there is a strong likelihood of an MLS team ending up paired against its affiliate club in the Canadian Championship. That has implications for the integrity of the tournament.
That does seem crazy but the Lamar Hunt US open the USLPro affiliates to the MLS teams were able to play in the open I don't think any teams got matched up with their MLS Club. There are, however, many, many more teams in the US Open and the USLPro clubs had to play in early play in rounds.
Bit of a related question, what's the difference between Ontario League One and the Ontario Professional Development League (OPDL)?
The CSL championship game is this week. Waterloo [v] Kingston. Last game in CSL history? There is a bit of poetic irony that the match will be play in Niagara Falls, Ontario (and hosted by the team that finished dead last in the standings). Maybe the CSA is going to throw the CSL over the falls, figuratively. But seriously, watch for any news that comes out of Niagara.
From the CSL front page. (There is no direct link): CSL PRESIDENT PROMISES STRONGER, MORE PROGRESSIVE LEAGUE TO ACCOMMODATE NEW TEAMS CSL president Vincent Ursini commented following the championship final and the well-attended awards banquet at the Sheraton Hotel, Niagara Falls on Saturday night that the most successful clubs this season entered the league very recently. He further noted the six-month long season has been one of the CSL's most successful in recent years, all of which gives impetus to carry out plans to further expand and strengthen the league for the 2014 season and beyond. "We will certainly accommodate more organizations that meet the requirements and want to step up to professional soccer and we know from discussions over a long period of time now that a new CSL Second Division will be an ideal entry point for some," said Ursini. Ursini joined the forerunner CPSL in 1998 and headed the organization until 2005 when elected to be the financial director of the Canadian Soccer Association. He was re-appointed the CSL's Chairman of the Board in 2011. "The CSL has been a prominent member of Canada's soccer community for a long time now and has generally delayed plans to enhance its competition in deference to the wishes of others. But that is changing and the CSL is moving forward to be stronger, with progressive steps that will be positive for the league and for Canadian soccer," he said.
So where does this leave the CSA plan ? The CSL has been sanctioned as well as recently the Pemier League Soccer du Quebec as D3 leagues. Can the two leagues set up an arrangement where they play each other for an eastern D3 final. Will they attempt to form a D3 league in the maritimes as well. The travel within the Maritimes would be reasonable to that of the CSL and Pemier League du Qubec. the stadium structure is in place throughout the Maritimes with University stadiums for football and soccer
New articles on the CSL website. (As before, there is no direct link to the article itself; the only links that I see on their sight go to the article title only). C.S.L. AND AMERICAN PRO SOCCER (A.P.S.) REACH AGREEMENT The Canadian Soccer League embarked upon a new path on November 18 in what was described as the beginning of an era and just two weeks later announce a first major step in its new direction by reaching agreement to forge a working relationship with American Professional Soccer (APS), a newly-formed league with teams in the northeastern United States. NEW ERA FOR CANADIAN SOCCER LEAGUE: URSINI Vincent Ursini, chairman of the board and president of the CSL told an enthusiastic meeting of team owners November 18 following agreement to become a founding member of the newly-formed Soccer Federation of Canada with the prospect of a new league structure to more easily accommodate prospective teams and eventually women's pro soccer: C.S.L. JOINS NEWLY-FORMED SOCCER FEDERATION ......promises prospective teams more achievable pro standards The Canadian Soccer League has accepted membership in the newly-formed Soccer Federation of Canada (SFC) and as a first step after removing itself from the Canadian Soccer Association and provincial soccer jurisdiction is prepared to make it easier for teams and new groups to step into professional soccer for the first time.
http://www.apssoccer.net/ A.P.S. AND C.S.L. AGREE TO A WORKING RELATIONSHIP PHILADELPHIA, PA - December 17, 2013 - American Professional Soccer (APS) has reached an agreement to forge a working relationship with the Canadian Soccer League (CSL). The historic agreement provides many opportunities for growth and development on both sides of the border, allowing the beautiful game to prosper in a suitable environment.
Pro/Rel comes to Canada! I guess we'll have to see how this works out for the CSL and what it means, will there be inter league competition with ASL? Seems like the CSL is trying to get around the CSA with the newly formed SFC somehow. And will the CSA ever do anything with their plans for a regional D3? There were rumors on twitter a couple of days ago about a "Strategic Plan" they had laid out but no info was released that I saw, just like their September meeting, typical of the inept CSA. At least the CSL is doing something unlike the CSA that only seems to talk amongst themselves most of the time with no results.
To be honest, I don't see much value in this. It's little more than the latest part of the ongoing pissing match between the CSL and CSA