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quote:Originally posted by snake

any info on the caps?lenarduzzi fired colin metcalf because the caps had outgrown their business plan.seems like they are holding back some big plans for next season.any guesses.

There was no new on the Whitecaps, just Bob Lenarduzzi saying he was happy with the going ons at the league meetings, and what I posted above.

Colin Metcalfe being fired really doesn't indicate anything big. Metcalfe was supposed to be the media relations guy but anytime you heard any media relations it was coming from Alan Douglas.

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Nice Scoop K-head!

SOCCER NOTES

Richmond Times-Dispatch Nov 12, 2003

SAME OLD SONG: Once again, the face of the A-League is changing. Puerto Rico (the island) and Edmonton (in far away Western Canada) are in. Cincinnati, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Charlotte and El Paso are out. Oh, and there's an excellent possibility the Rochester Raging Rhinos will join Major League Soccer for the 2004 season.

Consequently, the A-League had to put the announcement of its annual realignment on hold pending the outcome of Rochester's flirtation with MLS.

The United Soccer Leagues' annual operations meeting was held last weekend in Clearwater Beach, Fla. Richmond Kickers General Manager Billy Hallock said yesterday that everyone was told not to talk publicly until the situation in Rochester could be resolved.

"All I can say is we've got our tentative schedule."

But this much is known from league sources: The A-League plans to drop the division format and break down into two conferences. At one point, it appeared Rochester would accept being moved to the West so there would be an equal number of teams (8) in each conference. Now, even if the Rhinos stay, that apparently isn't going to happen.

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle quoted Rhinos Owner Frank DuRoss as saying, "MLS and the Rhinos have agreed to try to work out an arrangement before Nov. 30 to bring a team [to Rochester]."

The paper said that at Friday's A-League executive meeting, the Rhinos asked the league to come up with two schedules for next season - one with and one without them.

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Weeee. Impact and Lynx making a road trip (dought there'll be more than one) to Puerto Rico.

You guys are lucky! You'll get to play each other 8-10 times next season. Well, that's good. The Impact will have an excellent idea exactly what they're poaching off the Lynx then on free transfers just before the playoffs.

Just having a funny. Wonder about this Canadian League dreaming now...

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quote:Originally posted by L.T.

SAME OLD SONG: Once again, the face of the A-League is changing. Puerto Rico (the island)...

Is there another Puerto Rico that we should be aware of, or does the Richmond Times-Dispatch (the newspaper) just think we're all just a bunch of idiots?

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quote:Originally posted by PaulV

Is there another Puerto Rico that we should be aware of, or does the Richmond Times-Dispatch (the newspaper) just think we're all just a bunch of idiots?
Maybe they just wanted to be sure because this news is just so surprising. Like, "Puerto Rico (yes, believe it or not, we're talking about the island!"). :D
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quote:Originally posted by DJT

Maybe they just wanted to be sure because this news is just so surprising. Like, "Puerto Rico (yes, believe it or not, we're talking about the island!"). :D

Yeah, that's what I think because the "funny" note they added after Edmonton would be in the same vein.

Do I still hear people that they'd rather have our teams stay in the A-League (new slogan: "Yeah, sure, whatever!") than form a Canadian league?

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quote:Yeah, that's what I think because the "funny" note they added after Edmonton would be in the same vein.

Do I still hear people that they'd rather have our teams stay in the A-League (new slogan: "Yeah, sure, whatever!") than form a Canadian league?

We're well on our way to having enough teams in the A-League to be able to break away and form the Canadian League we all want to see. But not yet. Ottawa, Hamilton, Quebec City need to get A-League teams before we can pull the trigger.
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Isn't one of the big things about Canada staying in the A-League keeping most of the travel north-south rather than east-west? Seems hard to believe that A-League teams can pay airfare like that. And what about the Puerto Ricans? Air fare every game, unless they've got one of those floating buses. What's next? Easter Island? Tasmania?

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quote:Originally posted by Glenn

Isn't one of the big things about Canada staying in the A-League keeping most of the travel north-south rather than east-west? Seems hard to believe that A-League teams can pay airfare like that. And what about the Puerto Ricans? Air fare every game, unless they've got one of those floating buses. What's next? Easter Island? Tasmania?

Like I mentioned on the other board, it's not airfare every game. First off no team in the A-League travels any distance without fitting in a few games on a road trip. 14 road games can be done in 4 road trips (probably will be done in 5). The airfare for teams that will have to play Puerto Rico (mainly the southern based teams) will be no worse than Vancouvers road trips per year. Last year Vancouver flew out east to play Montreal and Toronto, flew to El Paso, flew to Minnesota/Milwaukee. When El Paso was in Vancouver they flew out to El Paso a couple of times per season in addition to the flights east.

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A-League's got the right idea of course in trying to limit travel expenses. And there handling of travel expences I've thrown more than a few darts at, but they've got the right idea. If they can cobble together some regional divisions with limited inter-division play the A-League would be doing all right.

If Hamilton and Ottawa can get their **** together enough for next year and Rochester manages to pull their head back out from their ass you've got a pretty tight eastern division.

A club or two more in the American northwest shouldn't be so far fetched. I think everyone could live with playing their division rivals a max. of 4 times a season with a killer road trip out east/west once a year.

Of course this is all just hopes for the future. Reliant on good fortune and a narrowing focus at the A-League HQ.

If you realy want to dream, take a lesson from The Great Survivor, the CFL. Half the teams in the CFL, the most successfully supported ones, are out on the praires. A part of the nation with less than a 6th of the country's population (and we won't let you forget what a beautiful gem that league is).

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i think that may be what they are doing. since the league is cutting down to 15-16 clubs, they should break off and become the MLS Second Division. this doesn't mean there has to be relegation and promotion. but, combining the two, would instantly give both leagues more credibility and secure structure.

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quote:Originally posted by hamiltonfan

i wonder if sportsnet will be putting an a-league games on this season??? with the high crowds in montreal they really should think about it. heres the e-mail, http://www.sportsnet.ca/features/contactus/index.jsp i just e-mailed them you should to

They A-League should go back to broadcasting the game of the week on the internet as they did before FSW started covering games.

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