Toronto FC Academy

[LFC4life]

This season Toronto FC has invested in a Academy so I decided to start a thread about them.

http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/t280/youth/academy/

There is not much info on who is on the squad but they will be playing a 22 game season in the CSL.

http://www.canadiansoccerleague.ca/news2.php?news_id=85923

The top Toronto FC Academy team, TFC Academy, will play a full schedule of 22 games against all 10 teams of the CSL through the 2008 season.

The newest MLS franchise pledged several months ago to launch an academy program that would help support the growth and development of Canadian soccer.

In announcing the addition of TFC Academy to the CSL season, CSL Commissioner Cary Kaplan said he was thrilled to have the team competing in his league. "Toronto FC has built a powerful sports brand in a very short time in Toronto, and has done wonders for the growth of soccer in this region. The CSL is pleased to establish a relationship with Toronto FC, and looks forward to being instrumental in the development of some of Canada's great young talent. The games between TFC Academy and the CSL clubs are sure to be exciting.”

Paul Beirne, Toronto FC Director of Business Operations, explained his club’s reason for selecting the CSL as the league in which the academy team will play. “The goal of Toronto FC is, of course, to one day hoist the MLS Cup but another goal has always been to have an indelible mark of the soccer landscape in Canada, and specifically Ontario. It is our hope that Toronto FC not only be the aspirational choice for young soccer players in Canada, but an academy that has a real effect on the development of young, talented players. When we needed to find a league that would test the mettle of the best players in the academy we wanted something that would test them technically, physically, and tactically – after all, in most countries in the world, U18s are in professional environments – but at the same time wouldn’t jeopardize their amateur status and the CSL was an ideal fit.”

Guy Bradbury, the chief executive officer for the Ontario Soccer Association has expressed his pleasure at Toronto FC Academy team becoming a member of the CSL. “The co-operative relationship between TFC Academy and the Canadian Soccer League is a model for the improvement and development of soccer in Ontario and Canada. This initiative should be applauded as it provides the opportunity for the Academy players to compete at a high level while at the same time it will showcase the standards of the CSL”, he explained.

The CSL will kickoff its new season on May 16, with regular season games through to early October. The playoffs will follow and the CSL Championship game will be played late October.

So anyone with any more information on the Academy then post away :D


Watch this space ;)

[ButlerBob]

I'm guessing that it would be the U18 team (the team press release mentions starting with a U18 and U16 teams) that would play in that league. It should be interesting to see how they do competeing against adult teams. I guess the way to measure how it goes, isn't in wins and losses in the league. But in how many players move up from this program to the senior reserves or first team.

I know that here in Chicago the Sockers youth club has a team of high school and college age players that competes in one of the local adult leagues. Not sure how they do.

[USvsIRELAND]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFC_Academy

Schedule

[ButlerBob]

Here's an article about them joining the CSL. It also mentions that the team in the CSL will be a mixture of reserve and youth players.


http://www.vaughantoday.ca/story.php?id=569

[Count]

Very good step for Toronto. Perhaps somebody could fill me in on a little info on the CSL. I know that it's an adult amatuer league, but is it contained to one province or spread out across the entire country? Also, would you relate it to PDL in terms of level of competition or setup?

[devioustrevor]

It's a bus league based out of Southern Ontario and Western Quebec. The Montreal Impact of USL-1 have their reserve team starting in the CSL this year.


It is made up of teams too good for local Men's Elite Leagues and of ethnic teams in the GTA. The two biggest and best teams in the league are Toronto Croatia (I believe they are the remnants of the old NASL team) and Serbian White Eagles. There are also ethnic Italian (Italia Shooters) and Portugese (Portugal FC) teams in the League. The other teams are based in cities like Brampton and North York (part of Greater Toronto Area), St. Catherines (sort of halfway between Toronto and Buffalo), London (large (almost 450,000 people) city on the main artery between Toronto and Detroit), Windsor (Border city just across from Detroit) and Trois-Rivieres in Quebec (about 40 miles NE of Montreal).

I spent one summer playing for London United when I was 16 along with a friend of mine who were just too dominant in our local leagues. Back then Hamilton, Oshawa and Ottawa still had teams in the league too (and it was called the CPSL) and I really enjoyed the travelling to places like that. But after spending one summer making 3 hour, twice weekly round-trips for practice it got a little old and I went back to local leagues. My friend stuck with it a little longer and last I heard he was a soccer vagabond playing in places like Ireland, Lebanon, the Philippines and India trying to find another team willing to pay him.

Like I said, the quality if well beyond local men's leagues, but it is mostly men on the wrong side of 30 who like to say they are semi-professional athletes. They take it pretty seriously, so it will be no cakewalk for the TFC Academy players. I remember Toronto Croatia used to field some retired professionals from places like Croatia, Bosnia and Greece who immigrated to Canada after retiring. As far as I know they've always been the class of the league although the Wolves were pretty good too.

[henryo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Canadian_Soccer_League_2008_season

Is it confirmed that TFC Academy will play in the National Division? How will they affect the playoff equation? The Official Site doesn't say anything about these though, any sources on them?

[USvsIRELAND]

It is strange. If you go to CSL website TFC Academy are not listed on the the standings page or the teams page, but they are listed in the schedule and there is this article in the news section.

http://www.canadiansoccerleague.ca/news2.php?news_id=85923

I'm thinking that the CSL team is going to be mostly young guys because don't the TFC reserves have an MLS Reserve Schedule.

[USvsIRELAND]

It's a bus league based out of Southern Ontario and Western Quebec. The Montreal Impact of USL-1 have their reserve team starting in the CSL this year.

No mention of that anywhere.

[keem-o-sabi]

The impact's 'farm team' is the tres riviours or something like that. And yes the TFC academy team will be young players as the reserve team plays in the MLS Reserve Division, so you'll probably see the U18 team playing in this league.

[devioustrevor]

No mention of that anywhere.

The Trois-Riviere Attak (or whatever the team name is) is the Impact's reserve squad.

[ButlerBob]

With the limited amount of actual MLS reserve games, my money is on a mixture of reserve/development players and youth players. Also, you might see some trialist in these types of games. And no, I'm not talking about a high profile one, but the type that get the one or several day reserve contracts to play in games. Someone that is trying to get a development slot.

Maybe someone with more time can do a comparison between the CSL schedule with the reserve team schedule to see if there is an overlap. :D

[Stan Collins]

I wonder, though. Using developmental players who are paid alongside the youth players wrecks the youths NCAA eligibility, and I know a lot of young Canadian players would still like to have the option open to them of playing collegiately in the US.

[devioustrevor]

I wonder, though. Using developmental players who are paid alongside the youth players wrecks the youths NCAA eligibility, and I know a lot of young Canadian players would still like to have the option open to them of playing collegiately in the US.

Then they should play for the Lynx in the PDL. You don't join a professional team's academy to retain your amateur eligibility.

[Stan Collins]

Then they should play for the Lynx in the PDL. You don't join a professional team's academy to retain your amateur eligibility.
The entire premise behind the MLS youth academies is that you can finesse your way around this. And obviously the premise is true, since Red Bulls Youth player Matt Kassel is heading to Maryland in the fall.

[LFC4life]

Maybe someone with more time can do a comparison between the CSL schedule with the reserve team schedule to see if there is an overlap. :D

Since I had nothing to do I will try :p

CSL fixtures

Fri, May 16 8:00 p.m. Toronto Croatia Lamport Stadium
Fri, May 23 8:00 p.m. St. Catharines Wolves Lamport Stadium
Sun, May 25 3:00 p.m. North York Astros Esther Shiner Stadium
Fri, May 30 8:00 p.m. Italia Shooters Lamport Stadium

Sun, June 1 2:30 p.m. Brampton Lions Victoria Park
Fri, June 6 8:00 p.m. Portugal FC Lamport Stadium
Sun, June 15 2:00 p.m. Serbian White Eagles TBD
Sat, June 21 4:00 p.m. Trois-Rivieres Attak Stade de l’UQTR
Sat, June 27 8:00 p.m. Trois-Rivieres Attak TBD
Sun, June 28 4:00 p.m. Trois-Rivieres Attak TBD

Fri, July 4 8:45 p.m. London City Cove Road
Sun, July 6 4:00 p.m. St. Catharines Wolves Club Roma
Sat, July 12 7:00 p.m. Windsor Border Stars Windsor Stadium
Fri, July 25 8:00 p.m. Serbian White Eagles Centennial Stadium

Sun, Aug 10 3:00 p.m. London City Lamport Stadium
Fri, Aug 15 8:00 p.m. North York Astros Lamport Stadium
Sun, Aug 24 2:00 p.m. Portugal FC TBD

Sat, Sept 6 4:00 p.m. Trois-Rivieres Attak Stade de l’UQTR
Sun, Sept 14 2:00 p.m. Brampton Lions TBD
Sun, Sept 21 4:00 p.m. Italia Shooters Maple
Fri, Sept 26 2:00 p.m. Windsor Border Stars TBD

Fri, Oct 3 8:00 p.m. Toronto Croatia Hershey Centre


TFC Reserve Fixtures


April, 26 Sat. Kansas City Wizards Toronto FC 6 PM

May, 2 Fri. New York Red Bulls Toronto FC 10 AM
May, 17 Sat. Columbus Crew Toronto FC 6 PM
May, 22 Thur. D.C. United Toronto FC 10 AM
May, 25 Sun. Toronto FC D.C. United 10 AM

June, 29 Sun. Toronto FC New England Revolution 10 AM

July, 13 Sun. Toronto FC Chicago Fire 11 AM

August, 24 Sun. New England Revolution Toronto FC 10 AM

Semptember, 21 Sun. Toronto FC Kansas City Wizards 11 AM

October, 5 Sun. Toronto FC New York Red Bulls 10 AM
October, 18 Sat. Chicago Fire Toronto FC 6 PM
TBD TBD Toronto FC Columbus Crew TBD


There is direct conflict with May 25, August 24 and September 21

There are more issues with one game being only a few days before a reserve match like.

- May 22nd we have a reserve match away to D.C then on the 23rd we have a CSL game home

- June 27th we have a CSL game at home and we have a June 29th reserve game away to New England

- July 12th we have a CSL game away and on July 13th the reserves play away to Chicago.

There are conflicts with the games but I like the idea of having a lot more matches in the summer months with the CSL then you get with the reserves league.

[santos6]

I saw on the Red Patch Boys site they are going to be charging 18 bucks a ticket to watch an Academy game at Lamport.... A bit steep.

[devioustrevor]

I saw on the Red Patch Boys site they are going to be charging 18 bucks a ticket to watch an Academy game at Lamport.... A bit steep.

Yep.


It should also be pointed out that the TFC Academy team in the CSL isn't even going to be managed by TFC, but rather by the CSL itself.

It looks like the CSA has indeed left some room on board the failboat.

[LFC4life]

Yep.


It should also be pointed out that the TFC Academy team in the CSL isn't even going to be managed by TFC, but rather by the CSL itself.


Really?

The is odd because I would think that the whole point of the TFC Academy is to mold players into the system of Toronto FC and to do that is for the club to have their own youth coaches.

[devioustrevor]

Really?

The is odd because I would think that the whole point of the TFC Academy is to mold players into the system of Toronto FC and to do that is for the club to have their own youth coaches.

It's still TFC's academy, but the day to day operations of the team will be managed by the CSL itself.