Groundwork is being laid for a Canadian Franchise

Canada Soccer president Victor Montagliani hints at #NWSL franchise(s) in Canada "in the next year or two." https://t.co/HBcKUgLWAe

— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) November 6, 2015

 

I still have a bad taste in my mouth for the Whitecaps shuttering their women's team while NWSL was being formed. I honestly don't want them jumping on the bandwagon based on Portland, Houston, and Orlando. I'd much rather see TFC, IMFC, or even an independent (maybe CSA-owend?) NWSL team.

 

Sounds like crap shoot to me. They have let interest drop off from the WC and are looking to peek interest in some way. Right now the league needs less risky options. Stick with plan of adding two more MSL teams like RLS and SJ who should be ready to go, after what Orlando has accomplished so far. They have too many unsolved problems facing the independents right now, to venture into Canada right now could only present additional problems to be solved.

 

Canada doesn't have the advantage of their women's team winning Olympics / World Cup every few years. But if it's done by MLSE / Toronto or another strong organization, maybe it could be a success? It seems like Canadians will come and watch about anything with proper marketing. They even buy thousands of tickets to semi-pro frisbee games in Toronto and Montreal.

 

Well, if they were going to go with a non-MLS backed team (which I don't expect at this point), maybe they would accept a NASL backed team? Though with Ottawa shutting down their W-League team that doesn't bode well for them either. So that leaves Edmonton... they do have a "NWSL" sized stadium (seats 5,000, there are plans to expand if they ever get the attendance) and at least the turf doesn't have permanent gridiron lines. But I haven't heard anything at all to indicate Edmonton is interested.

 

Not sure how many legs this might have, if any, but after the Laval Comets were denied entry into UWS, which was around the same time Don Garber said about half of MLS teams will get into NWSL, the Comets retweeted several fan posts suggesting that the Comets and IMFC team up to get the Comets into NWSL.

 

There's chatter in the TweetBunker about a Vancouver team in 2018.

 

If they could launch a year earlier they could build it around Buchanan.

 

Have Vancouver join in 2018. NWSL could then be at 14 teams by 2018. Add Real Salt Lake & San Jose in 2017 and add in Vancouver & Dallas for 2018. Hopefully by 2018, SkyBlue will be owned by either the RedBulls or NYCFC.

 

The Vancouver chatter, in part, referenced the Whitecaps as a potential operator.

 

Vancouver and Toronto expansion would make a lot of sense. 12 solid franchises with MLS or deep rooted local backing should be the target.