News: Canada Ripe for major league expansion and MLS.

Discussion in 'Canada' started by TFCMANU, Aug 24, 2012.

  1. TFCMANU

    TFCMANU Member

    Apr 19, 2007
    Parkdale/Newmarket
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Portugal
    I find this interesting, Your thoughts please:

    The report’s authors are also bullish on pro soccer, suggesting Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa will all be able to support Major League Soccer teams by 2035, in addition to the existing teams in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.


    http://metronews.ca/sports/345987/ca...rts-expansion/
     
  2. crazypete13

    crazypete13 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 7, 2007
    A walk from BMO
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    One of the authors was on the CBC yesterday talking about this. Some of the analysis I tended to agree with (e.g. CFL expansion to Atlantic Canada) but most of it seemed a little too far fetched to believe.

    EDIT: I wasn't in the car for the portion on Soccer, but I'd apply a similar lens to his predictions there.
     
  3. Andrew Jackson

    May 24, 2010
    Oxford, Miss.
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think that these cities could have teams, especially since Canada soccer should be on another level by then internationally. I don't want 6 Canadian teams in my league, though, and there wouldn't be room for them anyways. Maybe you can have your own league by then.
     
  4. atlanticTFCfan

    atlanticTFCfan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 14, 2007
    Sydney, Nova Scotia
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    I saw that report on CTV News last night and thought it was interesting as well.

    If it was up to me to put three new MLS teams in Canada (and God forbid if it ever comes to that! :laugh:), here's where I would put them, or even consider:

    Edmonton - too easy. Some still remember the Drillers (both outdoor and indoor). A new stadium wouldn't even be needed, really.
    Ottawa - kinda dicey on this one, since they'll have a NASL team in 2014 when Lansdowne Park is finishing redevelopment.
    Winnipeg - Not sure if anyone still remembers the old CSL Fury there. Not even sure if the Blue Bombers would share their new digs with them.
    Hamilton - Maybe, and that's a huge maybe. Gotta be some people who remember the old Hamilton Steelers.
    Halifax - nah, too small a market.
    Regina - ditto, but if they could make the Roughriders work as a community-owned team...
    Calgary - no way, and don't even get me started with the Calgary Boomers.
    Québec City - would make for a natural rival for the Impact, but they'd need a stadium first.
     
  5. atlanticTFCfan

    atlanticTFCfan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 14, 2007
    Sydney, Nova Scotia
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    That's assuming that Major League Soccer even exists by 2035, and that's never a certainty.
     
  6. TFCMANU

    TFCMANU Member

    Apr 19, 2007
    Parkdale/Newmarket
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Portugal
    Major Canadian Soccer Legue:

    These would be my 8 teams (Single Table) 16 games Home and Away and have the Canadian open cup.

    Vancouver Academy SC, Edmonton Eddies,Hamilton Steel Fc,Toronto FC Academy, Ottawa Intrepid, FC Montreal Academy, Quebec City Citadelles, Halifax Schooners

    Possibilities: *Victoria/Calgary/Regina/Winnipeg/London
     
  7. DavemTFC

    DavemTFC Member

    Apr 4, 2012
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    YOUR league? You own MLS?
     
  8. Polygong

    Polygong Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 8, 2007
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Since this a Canada-wide discussion, it makes sense to have it in the Canada Forum
     
    crazypete13 repped this.
  9. fuzzx

    fuzzx Member+

    Feb 4, 2012
    Brossard
    Club:
    Montreal Impact
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    This discussion in the context of MLS makes little sense.

    to the extent that Canadian cities will grow, so will American ones. There are already many large US markets with no significant soccer presence, and the growth of soccer generally, in addition to economic factors, will make those more attractive way before the largest remaining Canadian city enters the equation(either Ottawa or Edmonton).

    In my opinion the MLS takes up too much room in our 3 major cities for an alternate D1 to be possible. And they make way to much money for them to consider switching in any meaningful way.

    But in the context of a Canadian league of some kind there is more hope, but mainly at the D2 level. With interest in soccer rising and population growth plus immigration, better teams in all the cities discussed above should be possible, even in the next 5-10 years.
     
  10. Kingston

    Kingston Member+

    Oct 6, 2005
    This report (I actually went through the report itself, not just the articles about the report) focused a lot on economics and almost totally ignored the human factor.

    Sure, a Kitchener-Waterloo of 750 000 would have the economic potential for a CFL team. Winnipeg does it today. That ignores the level of interest in the CFL in the area (substantial but much lower than out west) and the fact that CFL fans in KW already make the short drive to Toronto or Hamilton to cheer on the team they already support.

    The same problem arises when someone says, "Hey, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa will all have 1.5 million people. Clearly MLS would thrive there." Assuming MLS wanted to expand/relocate and would entertain Canadian bids, a case could perhaps be made for Edmonton given the soccer history in the city. Ottawa would be a much longer stretch and Calgary as a city doesn't seem to have any meaningful interest in soccer.
     
  11. Blizzard

    Blizzard Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 25, 2002
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    If we ever got up to six Canadian MLS sides, there is a certain element of the US soccer community that would want to kick us out and form our own league.
     
  12. Kingston

    Kingston Member+

    Oct 6, 2005
    There would also be a certain element of the Canadian soccer community that would want us to withdraw and form our own league. I doubt, however, that either MLS itself or the billionaire Canadian owners would be in these camps.
     

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