No, there is no major long term upside for the US in it. I would love to see Canada have a successful league of its own. It would be outstanding to see a tournament with the top teams from Canada, the US and Mexico, but not in the same "domestic" league. This is definately a place I want to see national borders respected. Heck, If I had it my way players would want to play at universities close to home and with the professional team closest to where they live. I love that the Seattle Sounders have had so many players from UW and SPU. Robert
Of Course there is an upside. A possibility for Toronto to make a profit for MLS, the possibility of higher quality competition if Canadian Internationals play for a Toronto Team. IMO I think Canada should not be discarded, but should not be a priority. The best cities should be chosen to expand into the league. If the best city happens to be Toronto, I have no problem. If a Canadian MLS team is started I think that the team should not count Canadian or American players against the Foreign International quota. I would love to see a Canadian MLS team.
Although I don't have any real problem with a team in Canada, there is absolutely no connection between the size of the TV market and the chances for the success of a MLS team. New England and New York/New Jersey are huge markets, but the teams don't draw fans to the games in the same proportion as smaller cities. If it was up to me, I'd put a MLS team in Montreal or Vancouver long before I'd consider Toronto. The cities just seem more receptive to the game.
Both teams you mention in MLS have same problem. They Play in an NFL stadium. Put them in SSS and the attendance will grow.
Wouldn't the team in Toronto be in a CFL stadium not a SSS? And doesn't the CFL play at the same times as MLS? Just one more reason why Toronto shouldn't be the Canadian MLS city of choice.
The Stadium is a joint venture between the Canadian SOccer Association, York University and the Owners of the CFL Argos. CFL use 9 dates a year . From April to October there are almost 90 dates open on Fri Sat Sun, So tell me how 9 dates will pose a problem. The turf will not have Football Markings permantly etched on it. Garber has allready said Toronto is #1 choice for expansion.
So does York University have any plans to use the stadium? And who controls the scheduling, concessions, and parking? Artificial turf isn't very popular with professional players, so that's another problem with the place. It's obvious that a SSS works best when the MLS team actually has control of the stadium and all of the revenue streams. This Toronoto stadium doesn't sound like an ideal situation to me.
Actually, I'd consider Toronto, Montreal, AND Vancouver before SLC, OKC, Rochester, anywhere in the Southeastern US, or continuing in KC or SJ. [This is assuming appropriate stadia and appropriate ownership in said Canadian cities...]
You're a little late on SLC, but every other city is just a dream right now as far as I'm concerned. First the league has to expand, which looks more likely in 2007 than 2006. Then people have to actually take their wallets out of their pants and come up with a pretty decent amount of money. And they've got to prove they have enough money in reserve to last for a few years. Whatever city has the ownership group, they're first on the list for a team. Picking an "ideal" city is just a fantasy game that we play on BS to pass the time.
Canada to host under-20 soccer worlds in 2007. The field turf surfcae is Fifa Approved. One question for you, Are the SSS being built in the USA only going to be used for MLS games? If so your argument holds water if not give it up. WHy has Garber said they are # 1 Choice. DO you think he has not looked into the details.
Toronto MLS' Hockey investor interest -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The owners of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association, Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League, and the Air Canada Centre (arena) have revealed their interest in a Major League Soccer team for Toronto. Richard Peddie President of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) revealed on Soccer Central, a national soccer television show on the Rogers Sportsnet Channel in Canada, that his company is investigating the viability of a team for Toronto. Peddie had previously discussed Major League Soccer, when President of Skydome - the main sporting stadium in the city, when Major League Soccer investigated Toronto as a potential market in 1993 (MLS was still a concept at that time). At that time, scepticism and legal implications over the single entity structure were major stumbling blocks stated Peddie. Peddie also revealed that MLS has become more attractive because the legal questions surrounding the single entity concept have been settled in the courts. Peddie stated "the model for an MLS team will be tight as a team will not make money for the first few years." He believes MLS can succeed in Toronto if a proper model is created and executed as the city is the 4th or 5th largest market in North America, because of the enormous soccer playing population, and the multi-cultural diversity of the city. Peddie stated MLS is currently a tier 2 league in North American sporting circles with a good chance of becoming a tier 1 league in the future. The findings of the ongoing due diligence will be submitted in a formal report to the Board of Board of Governors of MLSE in the near future. In March of 2005 construction of a new 25,000 seat stadium will begin in North Toronto to be used for the 2007 World Youth Soccer Championships awarded to Canada earlier this year. The new stadium will be located strategically near soccer playing hotbeds in the Toronto suburbs. http://www.ussocceruk.com/news/?Cat...&ContentId=2032 http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/stadium/index.asp?sub=7
Thanks for stating the obvious... I was [in a sarcastic way] making a point: You earlier stated that "This Toronto stadium doesn't sound like an ideal situation to me." In turn, my intent was to show you that if MLS thinks tiny SLC [In the very backwards state of Utah] is OK for MLS, what could possibly be lacking in Toronto? Why does the league "have to" expand? How about finding proper situations for SJ and KC first? [Or how about working to prevent these two franchises from being contracted?] How about finding workable stadia solutions in DC and metroland sooner rather than later? To me, these questions would seem more worthy for MLS right now, and perhaps potential sites for expansion may instead be potential sites for relocation in the not too distant future. Agreed, but this is again, stating the obvious. No, picking "appropriate" locations is a fantasy game played on BS. Picking an "ideal" city is overstating facts for the sake of argument.
Just cause it's FIFA approved doesn't mean it's a good thing. The MLS SSS are going to be MLS operated with primary tenants that are MLS. That holds water. Garber will flirt with many cities. Do you really think he's going to tell everyone Toronto is #1. Seattle, Houston, and Rochester feel like #1 too. MLS will probably accept the CFL-specific stadium, but that doesn't make it any less a CFL-specific stadium. As long as they get rid of the football markings for MLS games, I wouldn't care much. But I'd rather see MLS with all grass fields.
Since when wasn't Mexico in North America. Them, Canada, and US formed the "North American Free Trade Association" http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/North_America/Mexico/ http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/na.htm
Actually there is no such thing as Central America and North America starts at the southers border of Panama. Atleast in the US, we are taught that there are 7 continents(Asia, Africa, N America, S America, Europe, Antartica, and Oceania) I know in some countries CEntral America is its own continent but for the majority of americans it is just a regional label, and not an actual continent. SO when people talk about North America they are talking about everything between Canada and Panama.