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MLSE/TFC- Time to Share the Love!

July 9, 2010 by Juve

When you look at clubs around the world (and historically in Canada) what you often see, which you do not see with TFC, are friendly matches in other cities.  This gives a chance for people in cities around the world to cheer for, and appreciate, clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester United and A.C. Milan, to name a few.  It’s a nice gesture which allows fans to see the game at its highest level.  The motivation is not necessarily altruistic however. First and foremost it maintains and grows the existing fan base.  This results in increased merchandise sales and a greater television audience which brings in more money for the club. Potentially there is also revenue to be gained by ticket sales and/or contracts with host cities/clubs.  Also possible is increased exposure to youths who may be future academy players.

MSLE, for reasons unknown, has chosen not to explore the realm of friendly soccer games outside of Toronto.  Sure, it likes to host matches which promote clubs from other countries; but what has MLSE done to expand the TFC brand within Canada, outside of the centre of the universe? The Canadian soccer geography is quickly getting gobbled up.  B.C. is Whitecaps land.  Edmonton FC is putting soccer back on the map in Alberta and Quebec is Montreal Impact territory.  Atlantic Canada is up for grabs however.  This may seem like peanuts but Atlantic Canada has a population of approximately 2.5 million, which is in the range of the population of one of this year’s World Cup semifinalists.  There are also no professional soccer teams in Canada east of Montreal.  Moreover, there are no significant professional summer sports teams in Atlantic Canada.  It’s the open and wild far west; only it’s east.

Toronto FC has hosted some big clubs and given its Toronto fans the opportunity to watch big clubs from other countries.  Why not share the love?  TFC games are shown on Sportsnet, CBC and available on Gol TV in Atlantic Canada.  Why not send TFC for a 5-6 day trip though Halifax, Moncton and Saint John’s and play against the top senior men’s competitive club in each city, or even against say, the Montreal Impact perhaps?  Silly idea?  It’s already been done by top soccer clubs in Canada, historically.  Both the Toronto Blizzard and the Vancouver 86ers (to name two) played against Senior Men’s teams in Halifax in the 1980′s and 1990′s (against clubs like the Halifax King of Donair for example - coached by none other than Stephen Hart, in 2000).

This is also not a novel concept limited to soccer.  Each year the Halifax Metro Centre hosts NHL teams such as the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins for exhibition matches.  If the NHL deems it worthwhile to maintain and expand the hockey market in a Canadian city, surely Toronto FC might consider its value for soccer.

Though an argument can be made that the MLS season, which commences in April and ends in October, makes Canadian friendly dates lack practicality, this would only be an excuse.  Once the MLS season schedule is known, it’s not difficult to find dates.  This season for example TFC had a World Cup “vacation” from June 5 to June 26.  A five-six day and three match trip to the East Coast would not have hurt and might actually have helped TFC remain sharp during the layoff.  And no one would expect De Guzman and Dero to put in a full 90 minutes each match but it would be expected they put in 45 minutes, if healthy.  It would also give a chance for some of the subs to get more time on the pitch outside of training.  Given not one Toronto FC player participated in the World Cup, six days off from the 21 day “holiday” would not have been too much of a burden.  And while the World Cup is only every four years, there are always some big gaps in the season.  If the gaps are small in any one season, one game in Halifax (as opposed to three across Atlantic Canada) would be better than none at all.

Atlantic Canada, and Halifax in particular, is a soccer hotbed.  MLSE, why not spread the love, grow your fan base, sell some TFC swag, expand your television audience and grow interest for potential future academy prospects?  For now, Atlantic Canada remains a region which has thousands of people playing Canada’s most participated sport but also thousands who are starved of any live professional matches or a team to cheer for.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Where to Find Soccer/Footie on Canadian Television

February 16, 2010 by Juve

There are several networks that show soccer on TV in Canada.  The main English speaking networks are Setanta (which shows most Premiership matches), GolTV (which shows La Liga and MLS) and Fox Sports World (which shows Serie A).

The daily live and first showings of of soccer/football matches available for Canadian TV viewers are summarized on this website:

http://footballtvcanada.blogspot.com/

For a more specific breakdown of each network  including when “repeats” are on, i.e. when Setanta is showing a Premiership match in the evening, for example, here are the links to the schedules of the main networks:

Setanta:  http://www.setanta.com/ca/TV-Listings/

Fox Sports World:   http://www.foxsports.ca/schedule.html

Gol TV:  http://www.goltv.ca/schedule/

Sportsnet also shows Champions League matches both live and repeated in the evenings and its schedule is available here:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/tvschedule/

CBC shows sporadic MLS matches and the occassional NASL/USL1 match through the summer and has the rights to the World Cup in 2010:

http://www.cbc.ca/television/

theScore shows a weekly Sunday EPL match:

http://tv.thescore.com/schedule/

If you are looking for a match not available on any of the major networks you can try online.  One website that streams a lot of sports, including soccer, from around the world, though perhaps not 100% legally, is:

http://atdhe.net/

Posted in Television | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Time to Revamp the TFC Defence

January 15, 2010 by Juve

Ante Jazic

Trader Mo wasn’t up to his old tricks at this most recent MLS draft.  He stayed put until TFC got its 24th pick and opted for 17-year-old central defender Zac Herold.   In a post selection interview Preki stated that going into the start of the season Herold will be one of the players fighting for a starting spot.  While TFC are desperate for a top central defender, it is too much to expect this role to be filled by Herold, at this point in time.

If you look at the TFC back line there is a lot of youth and relative inexperience.  In addition to the 17 year old Herold TFC’s line up includes Gomez (dob. 1990), Attakora (1989), Wynne (1986) and two young goalies behind them in Frei (1986) and Edwards (1984).  The only experienced players at the back are Garcia (1979) and Serioux (1979).  Neither Garcia or Serioux are dominant MLS defenders.  Additionally there is Jim Brennan, who plays sometimes in midfield and sometimes at the back.

Of the players mentioned above, the only ones that should be part of TFC’s core going forward are Frei, Gomez and Attakora with Herold as an untested potential.

Serioux has upside with some leadership ability, the long throw, and a good work ethic.  He represents a cap hit of $119,070.00.

Although he’s the captain, this should be Jim Brennan’s last year, if he’s not dealt before this upcoming season.  His contribution on the field has been wanting and it’s not clear to me where he naturally fits in with the team on the field.   He seems good at giving the chat/pep talk while in the huddle at the start of the game, but that aside doesn’t pack a lot of bang for the buck at $185,000.00 in 2009.  The original face of TFC, the club will have to be sure to treat him fairly, but in a salary cap dominated league, his salary is one that will have to be given a long hard look.

I don’t see Garcia as being worth his $190,000.00.  Slower than average and he doesn’t always make the best decisions.

Marvell Wynne has upside, and he’s still on the radar for the US Men’s National Team.

In terms of the rear at TFC, the players who could be traded for value are Marvell Wynne, Garcia and Brian Edwards.

Instead of two inexperienced goalies, TFC should have a veteran as Frei’s back up.  That would be the first acquisition.

Next, to add some veteran presence, TFC might consider trying to acquire Ante Jazic (1976) .  A Canadian defender, he’s had a solid MLS career which is reaching its twilight playing with Chivas.  As recently as 2001, Austrian club Rapid Vienna paid a transfer fee of approximately $1 million Cdn to acquire his rights from Hajduk Split.  He’s still full value in the MLS for his $90,000.00/yr in 2009 and has been called by Hart for Canada’s upcoming friendly against Jamaica.  He also looked impressive and fit in well playing with DeRo and De Guzman at the 2007 Gold Cup.  At half the price of Garcia, he brings leadership and could help mentor the TFC youngsters.  Preki is also well aware of Jazic’s ability, as he coached Jazic in Chivas.  Seems like a good fit.  One issue however could be that Jazic himself may not be all that interested in the move.  His last move was from one Californian based team to another.  After several years of the good life in L.A., a return to Toronto (though he is actually from Bedford, N.S.), may not be on the top of his wish list.

As for a central defender, it will simply be a matter of cap space and seeing whose available.  This is where TFC will need to take a hard look at  Brennan.  If Jazic was inserted for Garcia, this move, plus Brennan’s cap space, would free up $275,000.00 a year.  That would go a long way toward paying the salary of a strong central defender, who flanked by Attakora/Jazic/Gomez/Serioux, pressured by Herold for playing time and with Frei mentored by a veteran goalkeeper, would be a pretty decent back end for TFC.

Here’s hoping Mo can do what needs to be done, and get as much as possible of it done before the season starts, so the team can build the cohesion its lacked in the past.

Posted in TFC | 1 Comment »

Much Ado about Man U… and Leeds too

January 7, 2010 by Frank

Man U was defeated by arch rivals and League One leader Leeds United in their recent FA Cup match. Leeds didn’t park the bus in front of the goal protecting a lead as lower tier clubs usually do in such fixtures but rather they outplayed the Red Devils in the FA Cup fixture knocking Sir Alex out of the grand old tournament earlier than ever before. While Leeds was value for the win, Man U’s real problem was their depleted defence and perhaps more importantly their weak midfield. While a manager can’t do much about the number of injuries, many fans are blaming the gaffer for deploying a toothless midfield with an out of position young player.  Sir Alex, on the other hand, seems to think a 7 minute injury time would have been sufficient to overcome these problems.

Some commentators think Ferguson wanted to rest his best midfielders for the League Cup semi-final scheduled for Wednesday against Man City – too bad he couldn’t forecast that game’s postponement on account of winter weather conditions.  Maybe Fergie merely thought this would be a good opportunity to expose younger players to a massive rivalry that would be a good test and a growing experience for his young bench warmers. Oh well, live, learn and perhaps exploit the current transfer window if you can.

On that note, Manchester United’s directors are reportedly consolidating the club’s debt by way of a 600 million pound bond issue. Is this the type of activity indicative of a mid season spending spree to capture Permier League and/or Champions League trophies?  Unlikely.  It seems more indicative of a mid season spending freeze or perhaps even a prelude to a sale? Many Man U fans feared such possibilities when the Galzer family purchased the club with club loans.  Out of curiosity whatever happened to the Cristiano Ronaldo windfall? Interest payments maybe?

One way to address a shortage of funds is to sell a current player from a position of strength. Unfortunately, defence is not an area of depth for Man U and there are indications that their star central defender Nemanja Vidic wants away from Old Trafford in favour of Spain, to the Bernabeu to be precise (though such comments are attributed to Vidic’s wife concerning the relative weather conditions of north-western England compared to sunny Madrid). While Real could certainly do with a central defender of Vidic’s caliber can Man U do without him and have a hope of winning the Premier League? Is Sir Alex game for another forced sale to Los Merengues?  And is the this year’s Canadian style English winter doing anything to help the cause? Vidic says he is committed to the Red Devils but anyone who followed the 2007-2009 CR9 saga is sure to recollect similar statements from the tricky winger.

Speaking of sales, Leeds United Jermaine Beckford is out of contract in 6 months time and is indicating he wants out of Elland Road.  He is Leeds’ leading scorer (20 goals in 28 appearances this season) and is an integral part of their current success  – this season Leeds is in a great position to achive promotion to the Championship. The one time Champions League outfit is considering selling their in form striker rather than lose him for nothing at the end of the season.  However, if they can’t replace him will the Whites promotion hopes be dashed? And will such a sale ruin any chances of further FA Cup upsets and of course pocketing more revenue? Intriguing decisions will be made at Leeds in the near future. Hopefully they’ll make the right decisions and Ken Bates’ club will soon rejoin the Premier League where they can line up regularly against  Manchester United and be properly disliked once again.

Posted in EPL | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »

The UEFA Coefficient: Will Germany Snatch an Extra Champion’s League Spot from Italy?

December 16, 2009 by Frank

Most football fans know that sustained success at the highest club levels today generally comes from a wealthy owner, a friendly banker or bags full of revenue.  Not too many teams have the unwavering philanthropic support of Man City’s deep pocketed owners or even the risk immune bankers of Real Madrid. Most club boards dream of revenue generated by winning trophies and playing deep into Champions League competition regularly.  Getting into Champion’s League is so important that Liverpool had UEFA rules changed in 2005 to permit their re-entry into the Champions League as Holders even though they didn’t qualify by placing in the top 4 in the Premiership (granted UEFA changing rules on the fly is not really news and for some reason there weren’t too many voices of protest on that issue).

Anyhow, in this sense the UEFA coefficient is critical because this points/ranking system based on 5 years worth of UEFA club competition results helps determine how many teams your nation of choice gets to send into the lucrative Champions League and this year we may have a change.  While Spain and England are firmly set in place to retain their maximum 4 entrants in Champion’s League, Italy has a narrow lead over Germany and could lose its fourth entrant to the Germans which could be devastating.  As a Juventus fan this is something I have been watching with interest for some time, something which I considered in anticipation of the recent Juve – Bayern fixture and something which concerned me after the match.

For now, however, let’s take a step back.  I’m sure there are numerous places on the web where you can find how this points/ranking system works but let’s boil it down to this for the purpose of moving this discussion forward: UEFA club results in UEFA competitions (not including Intertoto Cups) over the last five seasons for each country are accumulated and calculated with 2 points for wins, 1 point for draws and no points for losses; additional points are awarded for each advancing knockout round in the Champions League and from the quarterfinals onward in the Europa League, and; 3 extra points are awarded for Champions League participation.  The points each nation accumulates are then divided by the participants from that country to determine the coefficient.  (The numeric values were picked up from the UEFA web site but other sources had varying numbers to some extent so if anyone has more information about this byzantine formula I’d appreciate hearing about it ).

Bayern essentially knocked out Juve in what could have been a determining game because a Juve win would have made it 4 Italian teams to 1 German team in Champions League.  That said, only Fiorentina, Milan and Inter advanced in Champions League while the Bavarian giants are accompanied by fellow Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart.  At the Europa League level, Juventus and Wolfsburg enter that competition having finished third in their respective Champion’s League groups joining Serie A teams Roma, Genoa and Lazio and the German clubs Hertha Berlin, Werder Bremen and Hamburg. Nevertheless, the coefficient requires you divide the points accumulated by the actual entrants so while Italy appears to have the early advantage by having 3 Champions League teams much could also be determined by success in the often maligned Europa League competition. Then the strength of each team has to be considered as well as their competition.

Just as important as this year’s games are, so is the 2004-05 points that will be lost after this season.  Germany has out pointed Italy in each of the last 2 seasons and from my understanding Italy will lose roughly 3.5 coefficient points more than Germany from the 2004-05.  This will bring Italy down to something like 48.9 points plus the 2009-10 season results, with Germany at around 46.1 plus the 09-10 season.

This translates into a lot of meaningful soccer on a number of levels that will be played by German and Italian clubs and wouldn’t it be something if these German and Italian clubs continue to match up with each other going head to head for victory, trophy and Champions League places.

PS – Keep in mind that even if Italy manages to scrape through this season, Italy will give up about 5 points to Germany when they lose the 2005-06 season results so this could be a continuing saga for a little while longer in any event.

Posted in Champions League | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Musing over an NASL Move for Ottawa: Is Malhotra the Man?

December 7, 2009 by Juve

Neil Malhotra, vice-president of Claridge Homes, wants to bring the NASL to Ottawa. He wants the Ottawa team to play at the former Lynx stadium, located on Coventry Road. According to the Ottawa Sun, Malhotra talked with the new North American Soccer League and that group is interested in Malhotra’s initiative.  He was also recently interviewed by the It’s Called Football panel and seemed genuinely interested in bringing the NASL to Ottawa.

The proposed stadium is about a five to ten minute drive from downtown Ottawa. It’s real grass. Currently, the stadium can seat 10,000 fans.  There would be no CFL lines on the field, ever.  All of this is perfect for an NASL team which could expect to draw about 7,000 per game. The glaring flaw is that we are talking about a stadium configured for baseball.

As can be seen by viewing the image to the right, spectators would be centred around the focal point of the South-West corner. This will be fantastic when the Ottawa team is attacking from the East and gets a corner kick on the left side. But what about the rest of the game? Ideally there would be seats along both the South and North touchlines and behind the east goal line. The best solution would be to tear down the baseball seating and erect seating suitable for a 10,000 seat soccer specific stadium. With a SSS, a properly managed NASL team would have a great shot at being as successful as Montreal and Vancouver are in the USL1. Re-configuring the whole stadium would cost money; and lots of it. It is uncertain if there would be room, and unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be any part of Malholtra’s vision.

The big concern is that the stadium plan as is, has a “bush league” appearance. Ottawa is the fourth biggest City in Canada. The Ottawa soccer community, despite not having a professional soccer team, is quite sophisticated. The U20 World Cup games were a huge success at the box office. There are more registered soccer players in Ottawa than in Toronto, and not per capita either, which is quite surprising given the differences in populations. The NASL, if done properly, will be a good fit for Ottawa. I can imagine Ottawa selling out NASL games in a soccer specific 10,000 seat stadium. Ottawa fans can be fickle however, and can only tolerate so much “B” class. A tier 2 league is okay if everything is done properly. When you combine a second tier league with a baseball stadium, in a city that has two soccer specific stadiums with tier 1 leagues within driving distances of 2 and 4.5 hours (assuming Montreal joins the MLS), this might be too second rate for Ottawa soccer fans to ever fully embrace over the long run.

Posted in Ottawa | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »

Mo Gets One Right

November 21, 2009 by Juve

With the recent signing of Predrag (Preki) Radosavlijevic, Mo Johnston finally got one right when it comes to hiring a head coach for TFC.

I’ve been noting for over a year that TFC needed a head coach with: 1) experience, and preferably MLS experience and 2) a proven winning record.  Neither Carver or Cummins had this.  Preki on the other hand has an impressive 40-29-21 record as head coach.  In addition to his MLS experience as a head coach, Preki has also played in the Premiership (Everton and Portsmouth), in the MLS (Kansas City and Miami- twice winning the MLS MVP award) and the World Cup.

Is Preki perfect?  No.  He is 0 for 6 as a head coach in the playoffs.  Is this a concern?  Sure, a minor concern.  I’d prefer Bruce Arena.  But, he’s not available, and what TFC needed was a good competent coach, not the perfect head coach. 

Under both Carver and Cummins I questioned what “system” TFC were using.  Frankly, it appeared there was no system.  Preki has made it very clear that  he has a specific system.  This system will start with good defence and every player on the squad will know his role within the system, which will be played as a 4-4-2.  The players are going to be on board with the system or they aren’t going to be playing for TFC.  This is the opposite of what TFC had for the past few seasons- which was a bunch of individuals whose occasional bouts of ability resulted in some good results, but for the most part inconsistency and no clear team vision aside from:  “Our goal is to make the playoffs”.

TFC has some good players currently.  Some changes will be made to mould the squad into Preki’s vision.  Once this happens, and with Preki at the helm, my prediction for next season is TFC will make the playoffs with 45 points, and something similar to the following record:  12-9-9.

Posted in TFC | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

Keane: Fantastic Interview re Ireland/Henry- “Just Defend It”

November 21, 2009 by Juve

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8370327.stm

Talk about telling it like it is.

This is one entertaining interview.  Very blunt.  Roy Keane is a quote machine.  He puts all blame on the defenders for not being goal-side of the French attackers and not clearing the bouncing ball, and blame on the goalie too:  “I’d be saying where the hell was my goalkeeper“.   Also blame the whole Irish squad for not finishing their chances against France earlier:  “France were there for the taking and Ireland never grabbed it . . .   France are going to the World Cup;  get over it“.

What I find almost even more entertaining is his reaction to the cel phone ringing.  And can you believe the cel phone guy:  “I’ll turn it off in a minute“.  What!?.. “oh right, that’s good manners“.

On this topic, here’s a fun little Henry goal-scoring game:

http://www.jeu-de-main.com/

Posted in World Cup | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Give Henry a hand!

November 19, 2009 by Frank

A controversial end to a playoff system born in controversy.

Ireland did very well to be in the position where cheating was the only way France could advance. I sincerely feel for fans of the Republic. Not only was the Irish team very likable, they were workmanlike and a team in every sense. The Irish were on the verge of upsetting the underperforming star laden onze from la Republique. But it wasn’t to be. Henry stuck his hand out and handily assisted on the clinching goal in extra time. An awful way to be denied entry into the World Cup. The Irish were robbed.

As for the French, in my opinion Henry should be ashamed. It was not right. It was unsportsmanlike. To say the referee didn’t catch it is to justify breaking any rule, law or regulation and for that Henry’s legacy will have been tarnished. Maybe people will forget, though I’m sure they won’t in Ireland and I wonder if they will forget in England and/or other parts the English speaking football community. But Henry is right, the referee didn’t catch it and after it occurred, if in fact it was a spontaneous reaction, what could he do? Perhaps Paolo di Canio may have said something given his FIFA fair play award earned at West Ham but I suspect most players wouldn’t have.

Some people now demand a replay of the match but I don’t think that’s a good idea. The floodgates would be wide open and really that’s a backhanded way of getting video replay. Really, if anything this event highlights the need for some sort of video replay or, at a very minimum , a well positioned goal line judge.

As for Henry, he admitted he broke the rules (it was evident from the video) and that takes some guts I suppose so give him credit for that. He must also know he’ll be getting it from far and wide from reporters and fans alike. To admit he broke the rule on such an important goal in such an important game, I wonder if FIFA should punish him. Perhaps he should be watching the next World Cup, sadly, just like the Irish.

Posted in World Cup | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

The Old Firm and a Two-Tier English Premier League

November 16, 2009 by Frank

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside proposed a two tier Premier League with 40 teams including the Old Firm. Why? Money, of course. I have neither the details of how precisely this would work nor the rationale as to how exactly it will improve the game but I am happy to learn that it has been rejected. Now it may be revisited once again, just as it was set aside earlier this year, so I’m pretty sure this isn’t the last we’ve heard of this idea or some variation of it.

The proposal, as it was leaked, potentially makes the drop out of the Premier League less financially devastating and therefore perhaps avoiding the massive financing crisis set to paralyze clubs like Hull. While relegation/promotion between the two tiers of the new Premier League was understood to continue as is, just how a club rises from the Football League into the expanded Premier League is less certain but it will most likely require minimum standards of finances and infrastructure, i.e. it will be harder to be promoted and not necessarily based on sporting achievement. As for the Old Firm, well both Rangers and Celtic believe they need to be in a bigger pond if they have any hope of retaining the lofty achievements for clubs of their pedigree and of course from the Premier League’s perspective, they must somehow see greater revenue.

I am not thrilled with this proposal because I find one of the most entertaining aspects in English football, and soccer worldwide generally speaking, is the common threat/reward of relegation/promotion. Take that away and the game loses much of what drives the season and therefore individual games at both ends of the table and throughout each nation’s pyramid. With this proposal I fear lower league clubs will truly become farm teams and barring a Saudi prince or Russian oligarch, promotion for small clubs will be even less likely than today while potentially driving imprudent financing farther down the pyramid. As for the Old Firm aspect, I do not see any significant increase in EPL revenues by reason of their admission because people all over the world are already watching the EPL, unless of course there is some sort of admission/expansion fee, but the precedent could devastate smaller leagues around Europe (e.g. Should Porto & Benfica joining La Liga? Or Ajax & PSV going to the Bundesliga?), Welsh pro clubs in English football notwithstanding.

In my opinion, or maybe this is just wishful thinking, this proposal didn’t have much chance as it was structured (hopefully for more than just the Old Firm aspect which the EPL seemed to find problematic) and I’m sure there are a number of technical reasons why this won’t work and wasn’t adopted. Although I wonder how many EPL decision makers and club chairs (and which ones at that) were tempted or at least encouraged restructuring the proposal. Afterall the proposal wasn’t trashed, it was set aside for future consideration (perhaps when the current TV deal expires). So while this fundamental shift wasn’t adopted, I worry about what sort of fund raising / parity inducing scheme is next. A draft? An annual all-star game? Salary caps? Three point range goals? Sadly, what I seem to be dreading, whether such a proposal is accepted or not, is if the EPL is learning a little too much from North American sports. Although my advice to the EPL is to preserve the integrity of your game, I wonder who the EPL decision makers in fact are, how they are changing, and whether they share the fans’ priorities.

Posted in EPL | Tagged | 1 Comment »

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