I want to ask my Canadian friends a question as well as debating an issue.

[GIO17]

As some of you know I have come to the Canadian boards as a friend as well as hoping for the Canadian National Team to become strong inside the confederation of CONCACAF.

The reason I started this thread is that a certain poster named "BigJoe" has made a thread about does our former US National Team Coach Bruce Arena owe us an apology to the US fans for the US Nats performence in this past World Cup.

He also mentioned that Canada has become a sleeping giant now that Toronto F.C. has been born and joins MLS for the start of the 2007 season.

Here is his quote.
BigJoe said: Probably the biggest negative difference in qualifying between the next coach and Bruce's era- will be the likely rise of Canada as a (semi) power in the region.

US Soccer has been fortunate (and Bruce benefitted) that Canada has struggled to get their act together, and I do think Toronto FC will help Canada Men's Nat- since several National Team guys will be playing there regularly now. Combine that with some of their good pros in Europe, and it should be a more competitive team going forward.

Having said, there are also more spots available than in 2002 (1/2 of one in a playoff, I believe) so that helps the current coach. (God forbid we ever need it). And our talent and experience level will be much, much better over the next 8 years- so all in all, its a better framework for qualifying than in the past.

My question to you all is this, do you truly believe that Toronto F.C. will improve the National Team quality for Canada, or do they need another Canadian side to join the league. In all honesty I believe it's a big boost, but at what level will that boost be?

At the same time, does this mean on field officials inside CONCACAF will give Canada some respect during World Cup Qualifying for 2010 or do you think this will be the same B.S. that went on during the last WC Semi-Final Round cycle?

I hope we can have a good, clean debate on this because here is someone who I believe is looking at this situation from the outside and hasn't made any attempts to find out what goes on in the Canadian boards as well as asking you good folks your opinion on this subject.

[GIO17]

I want to apologize if it looked like I came across smug to you good folks, that wasn't my intentions. I just wanted to have your opinions about the topic and I was trying to word it correctly. Of course like I have said I hope Canada can improve in their National Team game and make CONCACAF a better Confederation.

Once again I aplogize if I typed it the wrong way, it wasn't my intention to do so. I enjoy posting with you guys on all topics.

[jaydog2008]

Yes they will help will the leap frog canada to the next level no.Canada as a whole has to improve this incudes the usl teams in canada they have to really step it up in terms of marketing more exh games vs international teams and forming a true open canada cup.Some see the under 20 world cup as do or die for canada sell out or close to a sell out every game is needed.Right now there is to many youth teams in canada.There needs to be a one or two league s not the handful we have as it is watering down the talent.Now canada mens teams has to do something to move up the ranks and get past 40th spot somehow.Soccer in canada is getting better but there is still a ton of work that needs to be done.

[Kingston]

I expect that the Canadian National Team will benefit substantially from Toronto FC. We are already seeing Toronto collect some of the best Canadian USL players and some of the best available Canadians playing in Europe (the can't afford the actual best European-based players). Having them play together at the MLS level on a regular basis will be great.

I also expect a boost for professional soccer in Canada generally as a result of better media coverage. The better coverage will be both because MLS is the top North American league and because the team is in Toronto. (Rightly or wrongly, Toronto commands a lot of Canada's sport media attention. You have to understand that the size of the GTA in Canada would be equivalent to the US having a single metro area with the combined population of the metro areas of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.)

The big thing will be seeing whether the NT can get it together when it counts. The existing USL teams have already been doing a decent job of advancing Canadian soccer but so far this hasn't translated into results during WCQ.

[jaydog2008]

I expect that the Canadian National Team will benefit substantially from Toronto FC. We are already seeing Toronto collect some of the best Canadian USL players and some of the best available Canadians playing in Europe (the can't afford the actual best European-based players). Having them play together at the MLS level on a regular basis will be great.

I also expect a boost for professional soccer in Canada generally as a result of better media coverage. The better coverage will be both because MLS is the top North American league and because the team is in Toronto. (Rightly or wrongly, Toronto commands a lot of Canada's sport media attention. You have to understand that the size of the GTA in Canada would be equivalent to the US having a single metro area with the combined population of the metro areas of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.)

The big thing will be seeing whether the NT can get it together when it counts. The existing USL teams have already been doing a decent job of advancing Canadian soccer but so far this hasn't translated into results during WCQ.


Pop
New York 8 Million
Chicago 4 million
La 4 million
Toronto 5 million
Ontario 7 million (Not including toronto)

Toroonto has almost half of the pop of ont.

[Kingston]

Jaydog,

Do some fact checking, man.

From Stats Can website:

Toronto (GTA) 5.3 million
Ontario 12.5 million
Canada 32.5 million

Thus the GTA is 42% of Ontario (almost half as you state) and 16% of Canada.

Population of the USA is 300 million.
Thus 16% of that is 50 million.

From www.citypopulation.de (whose numbers are close to the US Census Bureau that I've seen but don't have bookmarked and am too lazy to look up)

metro populations

New York 22 million
Los Angeles 18 million
Chicago 10 million

Total 50 million or 16% or the same percentage of the US population as the percentage of the Canadian population represented by the GTA.

Toronto is not bigger than LA or Chicago. In fact, when comparing metro populations in Canada and the US, Toronto is ranked about tenth (it is very close to a couple of US centres and can be considered larger or smaller depending on what exactly is counted in each metro area).

[Gordon]

In the short term, I see neglible impact on Canada's qualifying chances. I don't expect that any significant Canadian International will play for Toronto as there is really only 1, De Rosario, in MLS. It will help a bit due to squad players will be playing at a slightly better level than the USL and together so that when things such as injuries and budget cause our NT manager to start domestic combo in a WCQ match, the domestic combo du jour may well have played together for some time and in a better league than the USL. A few extra jobs for Canadian youth players will also be a marginal benefit over the pre-MLS scenario.

If MLS is to pose a benefit, it will occur if more Canadian teams join. Youth development is a crap shoot, so the more younger players getting a chance to train, develop and play in a professional environment, the more the possibility of developing domestically some good players, who may well hit NT ranks before moving on to bigger and better leagues.

There may well be better media coverage, but that will mean squat. Media coverage is not why Canada struggles.

[GIO17]

I work at a Sports News Service here in the States outside NYC and we do get CBC, TSN, RDS, Rogers Sportsnet Regional coverage for Hockey & Soccer. The USA/Canada Gold Cup game I did when it was in Seattle didn't have the Spanish language channel but on Rogers Sportsnet who was doing the Canadian games, I have to tell you all that the production was top notch so well done that I was very impressed as well as into the match when I was working it.

I believe it was Roger Millions who is the Calgary Flames announcer doing the play-by-play & the anaylist I forgot his name, but they were both brilliant and very informative. These were the same two in Germany for the FIFA World Cup draw for Rogers as well.

[the shelts]

Ya somehow or other Fat Terry Jones of the Edmonton Journal also decided to waddle his portly frame over to Germany in an effort to
1/ see frauleins
2/ drink bier
3/ essen groB wienerschnitzel
4/ watch soccer

in other words this fat slob went over to Germany and watched about 5 minutes of soccer and ate and drank like a pig to pad his expense budget. The underlying theme of a interview with Owen H was about as laughable as the time Fat Terry ate crow (literally, the obese journalist ate a crow on an indian reservation as Edmontons' or Alberta's laws restricted him from killing/eating a crow so he waddled down to Brocket) when he announced that Wayne Gretzky would never be traded from the Ed-mun-chuk Oilers.

When I went to the Barcelona Olympics as a journo they had the CBC's English language service on most of the time around the Olympic village as it was fairly neutral.

Toronto FC can only help the national team. Maybe soccer will go the way of hockey and have a Team Quebec from the Impact.

[DoyleG]

I believe it was Roger Millions who is the Calgary Flames announcer doing the play-by-play & the anaylist I forgot his name, but they were both brilliant and very informative. These were the same two in Germany for the FIFA World Cup draw for Rogers as well.

It was Gerry Dobson and Craig Forrest.

[GIO17]

It was Gerry Dobson and Craig Forrest.

Thanks for the help. Those two are excellent together. Are those two going to be the announcers for Toronto FC as well?

[TopDogg]

Thanks for the help. Those two are excellent together. Are those two going to be the announcers for Toronto FC as well?
Still to be decided.

It really depends on whether Rogers Sportsnet gets the rights to Toronto FC matches.

Craig Forrest can probably move anywhere, especially now that Sportsnet has lost all of its soccer properties to rival networks, but Dobson has other gigs on Sportsnet (skiing, golf, etc.) so I'd imagine he would stay put.

[GIO17]

Still to be decided.

It really depends on whether Rogers Sportsnet gets the rights to Toronto FC matches.

Craig Forrest can probably move anywhere, especially now that Sportsnet has lost all of its soccer properties to rival networks, but Dobson has other gigs on Sportsnet (skiing, golf, etc.) so I'd imagine he would stay put.

I thought Sportsnet still showed EPL matches on Saturday mornings. I know you have Fox Sports World Canada, but when I'm at work for hockey games, I still see on the regional sportsnet coverage that EPL games are shown on Rogers Sportsnet. Maybe those were the last days of them advertising.

[Daniel from Montréal]

I thought Sportsnet still showed EPL matches on Saturday mornings. I know you have Fox Sports World Canada, but when I'm at work for hockey games, I still see on the regional sportsnet coverage that EPL games are shown on Rogers Sportsnet. Maybe those were the last days of them advertising.

It's their last year of EPL rights.

[kronz21]

As some of you know I have come to the Canadian boards as a friend as well as hoping for the Canadian National Team to become strong inside the confederation of CONCACAF.

The reason I started this thread is that a certain poster named "BigJoe" has made a thread about does our former US National Team Coach Bruce Arena owe us an apology to the US fans for the US Nats performence in this past World Cup.

He also mentioned that Canada has become a sleeping giant now that Toronto F.C. has been born and joins MLS for the start of the 2007 season.

Here is his quote.


My question to you all is this, do you truly believe that Toronto F.C. will improve the National Team quality for Canada, or do they need another Canadian side to join the league. In all honesty I believe it's a big boost, but at what level will that boost be?

At the same time, does this mean on field officials inside CONCACAF will give Canada some respect during World Cup Qualifying for 2010 or do you think this will be the same B.S. that went on during the last WC Semi-Final Round cycle?

I hope we can have a good, clean debate on this because here is someone who I believe is looking at this situation from the outside and hasn't made any attempts to find out what goes on in the Canadian boards as well as asking you good folks your opinion on this subject.
toronto has nothing to do with canada being a sleeping giant, they already were one mls team ist going to make a country better right off the bat anyway.

[Hobo Dude]

one benefit that has ALREADY taken place is that with the exception of gervais, we now have no significant players on the MNT who play in the usl

[Kingston]

one benefit that has ALREADY taken place is that with the exception of gervais, we now have no significant players on the MNT who play in the usl

Why is this necessarily a benefit? Last year we had a number of NT members playing together on the Impact. Having them together like that had to be an advantage. True, many of the NT members will now be together in Toronot which will be better because its a higher level of soccer. Division 1 of the USL isn't too bad, either, though. Last year's Impact team would probably have been mid-table in MLS.

[Hobo Dude]

Why is this necessarily a benefit? Last year we had a number of NT members playing together on the Impact. Having them together like that had to be an advantage. True, many of the NT members will now be together in Toronot which will be better because its a higher level of soccer. Division 1 of the USL isn't too bad, either, though. Last year's Impact team would probably have been mid-table in MLS.

this is definately a benefit: do you think england should have MNT players from the championship???

[CanuckFan]

this is definately a benefit: do you think england should have MNT players from the championship???
Gawd, imagine THEM picking someone who had never played a minute in the premier league. That would be like picking Theo Walcott! I don't really care where the players play. I would have to say that the USL calibre is not that far off from the MLS (at least when you look at the Impact) but the short season doesn't help a CMNT member. Overall, I would prefer NOT to see USL players on the team when we have a players of better calibre and better teams in Europe and MLS.

[Mr.Bill]

I think I posted this somewhere else, sorry to repeat. I think you will find MLS just better. I'm a former season ticket holder at DC and Charleston in years they where both decent. More skill especially from its top $ players or starters and more athletic.

I watched Charleston the year they won, they would not have done well in MLS over the course of a season. Open Cup, I'd expect them to pick off anyone not playing well at the time.