Toronto FC OPEN TRYOUTS In addition to the fact that they've already sold 5,800 season tickets (almost as many as the Raptors, and near the top of MLS) and established a strong foothold with the local corporate community, it looks like TFC (we've got to come up with a good, derisive nickname for them) have also struck gold with the local community by holding an open try-out. Sure, "open try-out" is usually a fancy way to say "bring out your dead", but in this instance it's also a fancy way of saying "be a part of this team, one way or the other." To wit: Hobbes is a sportswriter from Canada who's very tied-in to the soccer scene there, and had been a Wizards fan until the league announced the Toronto expansion franchise. He posted the above on another forum that shall remain nameless (and yes, they're providing all my leads lately... I'm lazy.) Have any other MLS clubs attempted something like these try-outs? I don't believe the MetroBulls have, and I know the Revs never did unless your last name is "Frias". Too bad MoJo's gonna be running the club into the ground by the all-star game, because they look to have real potential to set some grassroots marketing trends for the league.
ChivasUSA had "open try-outs" I believe before the 2005 season. Registration for those "SANGRE NUEVA" events was $10. http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=6313&cha=5
Open tryouts are fairly useless for actually finding useful players. They might be ok for a PR stunt. The best way for the FCs to get themselves in good with the community is to have as extensive a youth system as they can, especially now as they can keep the players they develop.
Yeah, that point was made in the quoted section, but I wouldn't turn up my nose at guys with youth national team experience, even if it's Canadian youth national team experience. And if you'll read the article, you'll see that the TFCFO doesn't expect to find anyone MLS-ready from the try-outs either, but they do hope to find a half dozen local kids to keep an eye on, and maybe even bring into their youth set-up (whatever their youth set-up may be). But hey, reading links is for **************.
I think the oldest on the list is 57 and the youngest is 14. Definitely followed the definition of 'open' tryout.
there are 16 guys on the TFC open try-outs roster born before 1960. One guy, Stephen Martino, has a birth year listed as 1943, so he's 63 y.o. (RESPECT). on the list of 900+ players, more than half look to be born after Jan 1, 1985. 310 players were born after Jan. 1, 1987. 165 players were born after Jan. 1, 1989. the youngest guys on the roster for try-outs look to have the lowest (easiest to remember) "player numbers", so it's safe to assume that TFC is looking to build for the future and/or stock their youth/reserve sides with this exercise (which I think is a bit more than just a PR stunt).
Um, the link goes to a list of names. Sorry I didn't get all what you wrote out of that. But good for Toronto looking for kids for their youth setup. I hope Peter Abels makes their U-50 team (born 5/31/1960).
I had a class in college with this guy. Also played some pickup against him once or twice IIRC. Interesting to see what he's been up to.
Re: Toronto FC doing it right- enlighten me, please Bear with me while I get this off my chest... My understanding was that everyone who signed up for this "event" paid $126.+ was going to get the opportunity to tryout. I understand that there were 1,000 participants. Each participant was to be sent an e-mail on the 14th assigning a # and a team. The tryouts were scheduled to start Monday Dec 18th at 8 am in Vaughn... Here's my beef My son paid his $126+ for his chance to tryout, sending in the fee at the beginning of the tryout announcement. The 14th came and went and subsequent days have passed and there still has been NO e-mail as was stated on the website. I believe the schedule lists 938 players.. (what happened to the other 62? if there were 1,000?).. are they all in the same boat as my son? Like I said earlier.. He paid $126+ and for what? supposely he will receive a shirt and 2 tickets to a game.. Would appreciate someone's response on this, Thanks, Dave
Re: Toronto FC doing it right- enlighten me, please I would suggest contacting TFC directly, I dobut their FO frequents Bigsoccer.
Re: Toronto FC doing it right- In need..... Thanks for the help...one last thing.. can you tell me how I can get in touch with these people... I can't find a telephone # or address on their website.. Appreciate you're taking the time to help us, ......Dave
Re: Toronto FC doing it right- In need..... Looks like a blueprint that quite a number of teams follow. You've got to start somewhere; college kids experience too, can be very helpful in such situations. I'm sure talent is passed over, but one might run into the odd quantity of someone who has made a team via such routes.
Hard to quantify, but I think this helps address an audience that would otherwise refuse to pay any attention to their local MLS team, on the basis that "I'm better than those guys." You know for every mid-20's* scowler you see at an MLS game there's a thousand wearing Milan sweat-tops around the the pub league sidelines. *Scowler may be up to 55 yrs old if English.
You would have thought the utter and hilarious failure of Chivas USA to find a single freaking warm body to suit up for the worst team in MLS history in 2005 would have put that myth to rest.
As far as nickname for them, how about Tories? (can be considered short for Toronto, ties into their history and is a slang term for one of their political parties...which I don't think Torontans vote for en masse). Besides, it's our nickname for them. Not the nickname they assign themselves.
.85 FC or Igloos or Bacon or FCeh or Whatever then name of the brothers was in "Slapshot" or Molsons (I love Canada humor)
The Hanson Brothers. Check out http://www.arenacentral.com/hansonbrothers/slapshot.html to learn more about the men behind the glasses
why turn away $115,000, even if zero out of the 1000 players have no future at the club? it's a nice gesture (to hold try-outs, i'm not so sure about the price tag attached) by the club to show that it is interested in (and kinda cares) about the community. Toronto FC has a lot going for it (based on the fact that it is in Canada) as compared to ChivasUSA which although it is tangentially related to the Guadalajara club, still must operate out of Carson.
while i agree with this, i'm still guessing that of the 1000 who paid and showed up, a good percentage of them were still time-wasters. but their money is good.
"Tories" sounds good...kinda like it, quick and easy to say Yes it is the nickname of both a provicial and federal political party also known as the progressive conservatives. In ontario and especially toronto, we vote liberal...screw the tories! Essentially, this open try-out was a money grab, but also a way to get the community and the mainstream media involved. I saw some highlights of the tryouts and man...most of the guys were brutal. The TFC scouts are better off scouting some of the competitive indoor rec leagues because I play against some insanely skillful guys