http://www.canada.com/globaltv/bc/story.html?id=4dd88dfc-04b3-4aba-af61-0fb5dad9c113&k=99763 I am very happy for you guys as either the Whitecaps, Impact & or TFC will now fight for one spot to get into the new CONCACAF Champions League. Good to see them looking at Canada to be apart of this brand new club competition.
thank you!! hopefully it will create more compelling matchups and do more to spread the beautiful game in the Great White North
Let's hope it's Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal. With CSA involved, who knows - it might be Toronto Croatia ...
Actually, as much as I'd expect one of the big three to be our representative, I'd like it much more if we sent the winner of the Open Canada Cup (or some equivalent) rather than restricting even the chance of going to just Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. I realize that, for this year, the need to get things done quickly might make that impractical. For subsequent years, however, there's no reason we couldn't send the winner of the previous year's OCC.
This is from the Montreal gazette: Impact in three-way battle for CONCACAF club spot Three Canadian men's soccer teams - the Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC will participate in qualifying games for the CONCACAF club championship tournament for the first time this year, officials announced yesterday in New York. The announcement coincided with the launch of the CONCACAF Champions League, a new continental club tourney that replaces the CONCACAF Champions' Cup tournament. The Champions League will see 24 teams from all areas of the region participating. The preliminary round starts in August, and the first CONCACAF Champions League winner will be crowned in late April 2009. Until this year, Canadian teams have not participated in a CONCACAF club tournament. The format on how Canada's lone representative will be decided has not yet been finalized. The Whitecaps and Impact play in the United Soccer Leagues First Division, and Toronto FC plays in Major League Soccer.
If the 3 team league starts as reported. I think if CBC or another network gets behind it then it will greatlly increase the exposure of soccer in the country, and maybe eventually will lead to more Canadian teams in the USL. Heck maybe eventually to a Canadian league.
Congrats from me too! I´m excited how the Canadian participant will be figured out! Anyways, this will be an exciting tournament for Canada and be a great possibility to let these three compete in a not valueless tourney! Definitely a fantastic tournament in the Canadian soccer-landscape, as far as I can rate it! And if the Canadian representative qualifies for the group stage, it will maybe give the interest in soccer in Canada a boost!? What do you think?
The off-field success of TFC has directly lead to increased media exposure in Canada--more games on TV, more newspaper articles written. It will all depend on the draw, but I would suggest that TFC would stand about a 66% chance of moving onto the group stage and the USL teams about a 50% chance. And, the opportunity to play larger Mexican sides in a competitive match would help a great deal. To take the analogy to the next level...as much as UEFA fans like to crap on the CWC...if a Canadian team were to ever qualify and go on to play a European giant it would be huge news, I think. Which is why the CWC is important...it gives--however fleeting and irrational--every fan in every country the hope that his or her team can rise up and be the best.
Yeah, many European football fans aren´t interested in the CWC, because the quality likely is not as high as the quality of the UEFA CL...the reason why I like the CWC is because this tournament connects almost every FC in every country! This tounament is a link between almost all football teams on every continent and that´s why I like the CWC! However good luck to you (Canadian) guys on and off the field!
This is great news. The only negative I can see is the CSA is probably going to muck it up in some unique and incredible way. If the 3 clubs can either cut the CSA out or just let them think they have some semblance of control it'll be fine. The CSA could botch up a one-car funeral. A multi game, 3 team open cup format would be just too much to ask.
What happens if the Canadian team makes into the Quarter-Finals? There's no way your playing outdoor soccer in Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal in February. I'm guessing the Rogers Centre, Big O or BC Place will get pressed into service which is too bad as BMO Field and potentially Saputo Stadium are intiminating places to come play.
BMO Field is quite playable in the winter - it's just tough for anyone to watch. Perhaps if they made that dome see through I don't see any reason you can't play outdoors in Vancouver in Feburary; it must be warmer than many European cities where they play outdoors at that time of year.
Bob Lenarduzzi said to expect an announcement in a few weeks about a week ago. I'm hoping that it will be a home and home between the 3 main clubs.
There wouldn't be any real problems at Swangaard - in fact, there'd be quite a nice advantage to playing a team from a more tropical climate on a wet, 5C evening in February.