I think I remember reading somewhere that they won all the CPSL titles and the Canada Cup. Is the Canada Cup they won give them the statis of the true "Canadian Champion"? which should give them a shot at the Concacaf Champions Cup qualifiers at least. I know they're a semi-pro team and correct me if I'm wrong but they pay all their players and attract close to a thousand fans a game so why aren't they in the A-Leauge this year or next year if they can afford to pay all their players money. Can't they get a few sponsors and or an investor who can pony up they $750,000 or $1 million that you need for an A-League team a year.
The Canada Cup is not a national cup just a stupid name they gave to a tropy that only teams from the CPSL can compete for. (Mainly Ontario). Considering only the CPSL teams play for this cup it hardly represents a National Canadian champion. In fact with the exception of Calgary, any of the Canadian A-League teams would kick Ottawas butt in a competition, so it's laughable that anyone would consider Ottawa as Canadas champion. So to reiterate, the Canada Cup is not a national cup, nor is the CPSL a Canadian league, rather a small Ontario league. (No I'm not biting your head off, it's the CPSL fault by intentionally misleading people by calling themselves Canadas professional league and by having a trophy called the Canada cup.)
If the Ottawa Wizards had the money to play in the CCC would they be allowed since they are not national champion? The Wizards are trying to join the A-League in 2004. Here is a picture with two Ottawa Wizard players holding the Rogers Cup (playoff final) http://www.geocities.com/sigmanorthamerica/media/cpsl5.jpg
althought they arent a full national league at least they are trying to be one by expanding west ometime soon, as is they are in ontario and quebec, those provincies represents 65% of canada's population
Big deal. It doesn't matter what percentage of the population Quebec and Ontario represent, the fact is that crowds of 25-100 usually attend these games, the league is hardly pro, and until they actually expand out west you can't count on that happening. To reiterate, a league that only has teams in Ontario (and is it one team in Quebec?) that draws flies can not claim to be a national league and the champion of the CPSL can not lay claim to being the club champion of Canada. There are plenty of other league in Canada, you don't see the winner of the PCSL claiming to be national champion (and I know that nobody in the CPSL claimed to be champion, it's the misleading cup name that leads people to believe that.
A league call itslef "Canadian Professional" when it is neither is a joke. To hell with the remark about population. Ontario and Quebec may have 65% of the population but it doesn't dominate national teams. Of course, the CPSL will face the same heartbreak the A-League had in it's quest to be top flight league.
Actually Doyle, the A-League had no "quest" to be the top flight league in the US, it was the top flight league. Then MLS bought their way to the top. When MLS eventually fails, A-League will become it once again.