Footie Canada Blog » Juve

MLSE/TFC- Time to Share the Love!

Juve — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:13:04 +0000

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.

Where to Find Soccer/Footie on Canadian Television

Juve — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:48:12 +0000

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/

Time to Revamp the TFC Defence

Juve — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:16:47 +0000

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.

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

Juve — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:38:05 +0000

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.

Mo Gets One Right

Juve — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:36:53 +0000

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.

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

Juve — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:03:24 +0000

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/

Update to Last Post

Juve — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:50:54 +0000

The response from the CSA regarding the lack of coverage for the Canadian friendlies is that:

”Macedonia does not have tv/internet for us, so we are updating details via our website. Details to follow from polish FA per match on 18th.”

So, if this is true and Macedonia didn’t have any tv cameras at their stadium, we can’t blame the CSA or Sportsnet for this one. The fact that there is no TV available from Macedonia does sound surprising, however.

Now, with Canada losing 3-0, maybe it’s good I didn’t see the match! That said, apparently we didn’t score on two penalties while Macedonia scored on two penalties of their own, which could mean the game was closer than the score-line suggests.

P.S. Since writing this, I’ve read that Canada was outshot 10-0 in the first half and 15-4 overall. So, the score is a good reflection of the match afterall.

If the Canadian Men’s Team Plays a Match, and Nobody in Canada sees it, Does it Make a Sound?

Juve — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:51:38 +0000

If you’re excited about the continued progress of our Canadian Men’s National team under Steven Hart, forget about watching them on television when they play this weekend’s friendly against Macedonia or on November 18 v. Poland.

Pompey Canuck posted on the 24th Minute Blog that Sportsnet has the rights to these matches. Does Sportsnet actually plan to air the matches on one of their four networks- no. Duane Rollins reported on the same blog that GolTV tried unsuccessfully to get the rights to air these matches.

What is wrong with Sportsnet and the CSA? First, the CSA should be doing everything in it’s power to make sure when selling the rights to broadcast Canada’s matches, that they are actually broadcast. I’m not a TV network sportcasting lawyer, but a bit of common sense would indicate that the CSA TV rights contract should state that if Sportsnet will not air a match they have rights to, they must surrender the rights to that particular match to whichever other network or webhost makes the best offer. If no offers, the CSA should have the right to air the webcast on its website.

The CSA goal is to promote the game in Canada. How is this accomplished when our men’s team has NO visibility. There are hundreds of thousands of children playing soccer in Canada. It would be nice for some of them to be able to turn on the TV and find a role model wearing a Canadian soccer jersey. Maybe then they would aspire to playing for our team, as opposed to Bosnia, Holland or England for example. The Bosnian Men’s national team game tomorrow will actually be available for Canadian viewers to watch. Granted it’s a big match, but this is Canada. You would think on Canadian television you would be able to watch Canada before Bosnia.

If you want to complain about this situation and make an effort to get more exposure for the CMNT you can complain here:

Sportsnet:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/contact/

Rogers Sportsnet
One Mount Pleasant Rd.
Toronto, ON
Canada
M4Y 3A1

Phone: 1-888-451-6363

And the CSA:

Richard Scott
rscott@soccercan.ca

Place Soccer Canada

237 rue Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, ON
K2P 1R2
Tel/Tél: (613) 237-7678
Fax/Télé : (613) 237-1516

Begovic and the CSA- Real Discussions and Less Whining.

Juve — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:59:00 +0000

Today Jason Devost posted a blog about Asmir Begovic's decision not to play for Canada, despite being raised here, playing for Canada in the U20, and attending two matches for the CMNT as a back up goalie:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/blogs/2009/11/the_other_side_of_the_asmir_be.html

Jason mentions in his article the following illustration about the ineptitude of the CSA:

I received a phone call from my former agent in the U.K. prior to Canada’s game against Cyprus in May. He gave me some information about one of his clients – Asmir Begovic – who hadn’t been called up for the Cyprus game.

He told me that the English FA had asked him whether there was a possibility that Begovic could obtain English citizenship. At the time, Begovic was regarded as the best goalkeeper under the age of 21 in the U.K., and if he were to obtain an English passport, he would very likely be selected to play for the England U-21′s.

I passed that information on to the Canadian national team through the necessary channels, and it was met with relative indifference. There was certainly no urgency to seek a commitment from Begovic, nor was there any real fear that Canada was in danger of losing one of its players.

For the past several years I have been hearing ad nauseum about the ineptitude of the CSA, how the provincial reps have too much power, how the CSA is useless, what should be done to change/replace/revamp the CSA, how the CSA makes bad decisions, how the CSA is holding back soccer in Canada, why the CSA is to blame for Canada’s failure to advance to the World Cup since 1986, etc. All of these comments are valid, and the CSA truly is inept. The organization doesn’t have the power to do anything properly and it makes poor decisions. The CSA actually seems to accomplish the exact opposite of its purported goals, according to its vision statement, which states:

VISION STATEMENT

The vision of Soccer in Canada declares what our sport stands for and is working towards:

•To provide opportunities to all of our Members ranging from World Cup victories to particpation appropriate to everyone’s abilities.

•To encourage positive values in all aspects of the sport.

•To be recognized as a major player in the world’s premier sport.

What is missing from all the analysis by Jason Devost (though he has done great work to date), and every other sports reporter in Canada, is any mention of specifically what steps need to be taken to reform, replace or revamp the CSA. We can talk forever about how the CSA is useless. The real question that needs to be answered is: specifically what needs to be done to turn the CSA into an organization that actually accomplishes its goals, rather than impeding them.

It seems to me that there are two avenues of possible change: legal and political. Legally, the CSA is governed by the Canadian Soccer Association By-Laws, Rules, Regulations and Administrative Guide. The CSA website has the following link to this document:

http://www.canadasoccer.com/documents/constitution.pdf

Notable is that the document is listed as 2006-2007. The 2009-2010 document is probably similar, if it exists at all.

The first step that needs to be taken is analyzing the By-Laws and seeing specifically what can be done to initiate appropriate change. If this change is opposed, the media need to publicly expose those individuals from the provincial associations who are holding us back. The CSA is an organization run by people. There are people making bad decisions for Canadian soccer. Who are these people and what are their names? I am not about to engage in a full analysis of the by-laws as I am not a sports reporter being paid to do this. I note however, that the by-laws have the following sections, which could be a starting point for any intelligent analysis:

9. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING:

11. VOTING:

12. BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

13. TENURE AND ELECTION:

14. PROCEDURE FOR ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

17. DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS:

19. POWERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

26. AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS, RULES,REGULATIONS

and

27. DISSOLUTION

Rather than constant whining about how the CSA sucks, maybe someone should actually look deep, and see HOW to effect the change. The best way is to start with the rules.

What I would like to see from some of the media who are actually being paid to analyze soccer in Canada is what steps need to be taken, and by whom. If the change is opposed, tell us who is opposing it, and let’s make this public. Enough whining and ideas. We have plenty of ideas and we all know change is needed.

It’s time for some real change. Real change means changing the CSA Constitution and by-laws. Power needs to be taken away from provincial associations and amateurs and more power needs to be given to a centralized body of professionals who can make decisions that will stick, in the best interest of Canadian soccer.

Soccer on Canadian TV this Week.

Juve — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:17:53 +0000

Some great soccer on Canadian television this week in terms of World Cup Qualifiers in particular. All times are in Eastern.

If you don’t have one of the networks, and can tolerate webcasts, the following website has a ton of soccer content so you can probably find whatever match you are looking for here, whether it’s the Costa Rica WC qualifier, or anything else:

http://atdhe.net/

Tuesday

02:00 pm LIVE Copa del Rey– Barcelona v. Mallorca on Gol TV.

09:00 pm Same day Copa del Rey– Barcelona v. Mallorca on Gol TV.

Friday

11:00 pm Live- L.A. Galaxy v. Houston on Gol TV.

Saturday

11:00 am LIVE World Cup Qualifier- Russia v. Slovenia on Setanta.

12:55 pm LIVE World Cup Qualifier- Ukraine v. Greece on Bold and CBCSports.ca

2:50 pm LIVE World Cup Qualififier- France v. Republic of Ireland on TV5.

3:00 om LIVE World Cup Qualifier- Portugal v. Bosnia on Setanta.