Only as part of our conquest mission. What? You didn't know we were secretly planning to invade Canada? Iraq = Canada Saddam Hussein = Bryan Adams. Sachin
Why not? FIFA regulations say that a league can only not take on teams from other countries if there is no other viable league in that country. There are three Welsh teams in the English FA (Cardiff City, Swansea, and Wreham). Besides, there is already an A-League team in Toronto Lynx, and the NASL had teams in Toronto and Vancouver. So there is precedent here.
Those teams are under the thumb of the English FA. They can no longer compete for championships in Wales. The NASL setup never got FIFA approval. As for the A-League, that is Division 2 soccer. MLS is Division 1 and it will only occur if the USSF has control of the any Canadian team.
Seriously, though. I think the financial problems facing Canadian hockey teams needs to be addressed before MLS should think about expanding there. If their national sport is suffering, there's no reason on earth why another sport should be introduced there.
I've always thought though that maybe there is a good percentage of Canadians that are sick of hockey. I sure as hell am sick of our national pastime baseball. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Canada has a huge immigrant population because it can be easier to get into Canada than the United States. The baseball teams in Toronto and Montreal don't get very many fans out to the games, Montreal for sure, but maybe its because they are smart and realize baseball sucks but maybe they would embrace a soccer team.
Some of that has changed thanks to recent sucess in the NHL, but a good number of Canadians only watch the NT's when they play. As for the immigrant factor, it isn't always good. One of the reasons the Men's team reduced the games they were playing in Toronto due to the fact they wouldn't be the home team. Other Canadians who play the sport have had a tendency to play for another country (Hargreaves). Baseball is in TO for the timebeing, given the owner has deep pockets.
Canada needs to have a league independent of MLS. MLS and CSL can never co-exist in FIFA's eyes because of the conflicting player development interests between both federations. As was evident in the U19 Women's World Cup, Canadians will support high-level soccer at any level. This can be translated into a successful domestic league, if the economics are played out correctly; small, soccer-specific stadiums (15k seating), a tv contract with CBC, TSN, FSW, and/or ESPN International, proper marketing, and modest salaries. The last point may keep some of the best national teamers from coming home, just like MLS did to US nats in '96, but, over time, you will see most young Canadians staying home and a handful of Americans and Latin Americans coming over. In order to successfully start this league, Canada needs to do the following: 1. Successfully qualify for the next World Cup. 2. Find competent ownership. 3. Commit to the development of soccer-specific stadiums.
I think the possibility of a separate Canadian league would be necessary, but it could also be very beneficial to MLS. Any CSL formed would undoubtedly (at least in my mind) be smaller at least in terms of budget, and MLS would benefit from a feeder league. Who knows, partnerships with CSL teams could occur for player acquisitions and the such. Granted, the Canadians will probably not like the idea of being secondary to a US league, but they don't have the resources or fan interest to generate average attendances of 15k in ten cities.
This question has been brought up before, and MLS officials have always said no. FIFA is against it as well.
Yet the NASL wasn't really hindered by FIFA's lack of approval. Besides, if MLS really wanted to add Canadian teams and appease FIFA at the same time, what's to stop it from certifying itself a Division 2 league? The USSF still allows 4 different 2nd-division leagues, right? Suppose that MLS went to Division 2, and the A-League dropped its Canadian teams to get 1st-division certification. With current funding levels and TV exposure for each league remaining the same, would soccer fans suddenly stop supporting MLS and dedicate themselves to the A-League? I doubt it.
Re: Re: Should the MLS expand to Canada? At no point did this make sense...Does anyone feel dumber after reading this....Just wondering if I was the only one.....
With a 20 team cap on first division leagues by FIFA, I would rather all 20 slots (assuming they all are filled one day) in MLS went to American cities.
The MLS could avoid Canada completly. It could help by providing the expertise in building a national league. Such a plan would be much better benefit to Canada and the MLS rather than putting an MLS team here.
With that, I agree. I am all for the development of the game in Canada and the eventual emergence of Canada as a perennial rival. But we already have our own problems. And the little that we have achieved should be guarded jealously. We don't need the complications of a binational league. We're not talking lacrosse here.
Are there any markets that could handle the extra deman beside Toronto? They all have CFL teams. Toronto and Montreal have baseball. Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal all have hockey teams. And they couldn't make a basketball team work in Vancouver.