If you think about it the competition only has 3 teams right now and a possible berth in a continental competition. Do you think it will lead to more usl clubs in Canada, as more clubs compete for that one place. As a owner I would be encouraged by only 3 other teams being involved, and its not like honestly TFC are a massive club. For example, a real ownership group taking over the Lynx and making them competitive in the usl-1 would be a massive boost for soccer in this city.
I think so, the bottom line is that more matches is more money. If TFC gets a David Beckham quality player then there is a big payday for your club every year and more people who wouldn't regularily come out to a match coming out.
why doesn't the winner of the open canada cup go to the concacaf cup? more teams would surely join that.
Uhhh, that's exactly what is going to happen. Winner of Canada Cup enters the CONCACAF Chapions League as Canada's representative. I just hope that the CSA allows the tournament to grow if more Canadian teams want to participate. Cheers!
The point of this tournement is to pick the best team(s) top flight team from each nation of CONCACAF. The only reason the two Canadian USL 1 teams are able to compete for Canada's spot is because it's the only logical alternative to gifting TFC an automatic spot. If Vancouver and Montreal go to MLS in the next few years, I really doubt Canada's spot in the CCL would be extened to any USL sides at that point. I don't think Canada will ever get more than three MLS sides. Funny the US's USL1 teams can't qualify but Bermuda's USL2 team can. I can't wait for this tournement, but I'll have to hope my Timbers make noise in the US Open cup instead.
I would strongly disagree with that format. If there are other USL1 teams in Canada within a few years, they should never be excluded from the tournament - ever. All professional teams should be allowed to compete, and if the MLS level teams fail to emerge as the winners of the tourney, then too bad and try again next year. Cheers!
IMO a Champions League Tournament should only involve the top flight league/teams from each country and not "all professional teams". I'm just predicting that if Canada gets two more MLS teams, that the Canada Cup tournament would then be closed to those three MLS teams. I don't think the Canada Cup will turn into an open cup/Champions League qualifier all in one. Peace.
I'd agree with that and am hoping for that. Whether Montreal and Vancouver move to MLS or not (or maybe one does, one stays in USL1), I figure the cup will always involve these two teams plus TFC, unless something major happens to change the picture. But that's not so bad for Canadian fans. No matter which of the three teams you support, fewer teams means a (relatively) greater chance of your team making it at least to the preliminary round of the Champions League.
Doesn't the winner of the US Open Cup qualify for the CCL? If so, than a USL1 team (or USL2 for that matter) could potentially qualify for one of the US spots.
i mean the current open canada cup. the tourney with csl, usl, semi pro etc. needless to say tfc, van, or mtl would win it, but still there are many teams involved.
Thats all good and fair in Europe where theres promotion. But what if I wanted to form a club in Scarborough do you think MLS would welcome me with open arms? I would have no choice but to make my club a usl club. No league should have the right to declare themselves the top flight if their not willing to open it up. Thats why all pro. clubs + the Cdn. Open Cup (lets give the local clubs a chance) winner should be part of the competition.
Why not? All the other leagues in N.A. do it that way. Besides, its been my understanding that the USL does not consider themselves to be a 'lower' league to the MLS but rather an entirely seperate, independent league on its own.
I'm trying to understand what your perspective is... Are you suggesting that USL teams (eventually) shouldn't be able to participate? Cheers!
Absolutely not. I'm all for opening it up. I was taking exception to the comment about MLS declaring themselves top flight and I'm not entirely sure that that is the case. Beyond the USL though, there is quite a drop in the talent level, so to be honest I don't think that it would be worthwhile for TFC to be wasting their time playing against the smaller clubs. The format the I suggested some time ago (and before Ben Knight did, for what it's worth) would be to have a Canadian open cup which would be a tournament between all Canadian pro teams except for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Then the Canada Cup would be a four-team tournament between those three teams and the winner of the Canadian open cup. That way, any pro team would have the possibility of winning, but the bigger clubs wouldn't be exhausting their schedule playing numerous games against the smaller clubs.
Its not the way soccer is done. Its like forming an oligopoly. And anyone whose even done basic economics knows that means the fans are the ones that get ********ed over. I'm honestly shocked FIFA designated MLS as the top league and USL did not take issue with it.
that's a f***in good idea. however there are many teams in the open canada cup based in toronto. unless by toronto, mtl, and van, you meant tfc, impact, and whitecaps.
The USL did not let MLS come in. There was an ongoing legal battle for quite sometime. MLS and USL are not the friendliest towards one another because fo that. I believe FIFA and the groups that wanted to start something with Francisco and co. Basically USL is still trying to become a Division I status league, they sued in US Federal Court saying it is illegal (a monopoly) to have only one Division I league and they lost. USL shoots itself in the foot a lot. Take for instance the team we formed in Buffalo (as some of you know, I'm part owner of Queen City FC). We wanted to join the USL in the professional ranks there; however, they gave the rights to all of Western New York (Syracuse to Buffalo) to Rochester Rhinos. If we wanted to join at either the USL2 or USL1 level we had to pay the Rhino's $200,000 for the rights to our city. Our investors balked, and when we looked at going amateur in the PDL they laughed because the fee's to join the amateur league through the USL are a joke (50k to buy a team, 4500 fee's per year, 15k letter of credit...so you need 70k+ before you even play!). We ended up joining a league that split away from the USL, the NPSL (which is looking to start a Canadian division now). That cost us 5k franchise fee, 1200 in fee's, and a 5k performance bond...so a hell of a lot less to play at the same level as the PDL and to be honest the USL2). Anyway, we could have joined a Semi-pro USL 2 or an amateur PDL but the money is ridiculous. Major League Soccer has enough problems making money, so what makes anyone think they are going to make money off of a minor league team?? Only a few teams do (literally 3 in the PDL from my discussions with GM's of those teams) and we broke even in our first year and finished as national finalists and had 3 players go pro this past year. I can tell you from being on the inside of the league set up and how things work, it's fun, but there will never be promotion/relegation the US/Canada. We should really stop dreaming of that day and concentrate on developing grassroots partnerships with these professional teams in the USL1 and MLS levels.