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If Canada in WC06 - go to Germany or stay here?


sstackho

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Last night, feeling optimistic, I was thinking about if I would go to Germany for World Cup '06 if Canada was to qualify. I'm sure it would be a blast.

But then I got to thinking about how much of a blast I normally have (in Toronto) during World Cups, even without Canada being in it. Then I got to thinking what Toronto and the rest of Canada would be like if Canada made it to WC06. (I was a younger boy during WC86, so all I remember were our relatively ineffective long-ball tactics.)

If Canada was in the World Cup, I'd be interested to see how much the nation supports the team, what the atmosphere would be like here for Canada matches, and how the media reacts. And of course, I'd enjoy all the fun that comes with being in multicultural Toronto during the big tournaments. Frankly, I would miss being in Canada during that time.

Anyway, just rambling... I have no point. Wouldn't it be nice if Canada qualified for the World Cups on a regular basis? That way, you wouldn't be worried that you may only get this chance once! :)

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quote:Originally posted by sstackho

Last night, feeling optimistic, I was thinking about if I would go to Germany for World Cup '06 if Canada was to qualify. I'm sure it would be a blast.

But then I got to thinking about how much of a blast I normally have (in Toronto) during World Cups, even without Canada being in it. Then I got to thinking what Toronto and the rest of Canada would be like if Canada made it to WC06. (I was a younger boy during WC86, so all I remember were our relatively ineffective long-ball tactics.)

If Canada was in the World Cup, I'd be interested to see how much the nation supports the team, what the atmosphere would be like here for Canada matches, and how the media reacts. And of course, I'd enjoy all the fun that comes with being in multicultural Toronto during the big tournaments. Frankly, I would miss being in Canada during that time.

Anyway, just rambling... I have no point. Wouldn't it be nice if Canada qualified for the World Cups on a regular basis? That way, you wouldn't be worried that you may only get this chance once! :)

Hmmm... multicultural Toronto? Okay, I'll that go this time ...[8)]

Anyway, easy choice: Goto Germany! After having gone to Portugal during Euro 2004 and hearing about my friends going to Japan for WC 2002, its safe to say there's no comparison</u> between being in the country hosting these big tournaments and being anywhere else. Even being in Holland during Euro '92, I can say it didn't come close to being in the host country. And that's at least a soccer loving country, unlike Canada. While Toronto might have a (lame) party along one street (and with no drinking on that street), the host country will be entirely absorbed with the tournament and will be host the biggest parties in the world every single day/night!

Besides the WC is a month long so you can experience a bit of both too ...

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quote:Originally posted by sstackho

Then I got to thinking what Toronto and the rest of Canada would be like if Canada made it to WC06. (I was a younger boy during WC86, so all I remember were our relatively ineffective long-ball tactics.)

If Canada was in the World Cup, I'd be interested to see how much the nation supports the team, what the atmosphere would be like here for Canada matches, and how the media reacts. And of course, I'd enjoy all the fun that comes with being in multicultural Toronto during the big tournaments. Frankly, I would miss being in Canada during that time.

:)

International soccer in Canada has come a long way since 1986. So there is reason to hope that there would be quite a rally of support behind the team that would extend beyond just the diehards. But looking back to 1986, I felt that level of interest or enthusiasm behind Canada was very disappointing. There was very little interest or discussion about Canada despite the fact that the event itself was quite popular in the country. I am not even aware of anyone who made the trek down to Mexico to see the game. Nor was there even reports of any Canadians getting out to see those games. The fact that we played the deciding game, that allowed us to qualify, for the big event in a very tiny facilty ( relatively speaking) should tell you alot about where international soccer stood at the time. Whereas now, at least, you can get 25K in Edmonton for just an semi final game and you can get 9K for a very preliminary WCQ against a minnow like Belize. That's encouraging. But the irony is that, Back then pro soccer was much more popular than it is now. Just a few years before that, you would see pro soccer played in Gaint venues with large crowds where as now its often played in tiny second rate facilities before small crowds. except for Mtl and Van. But even in the the case of the caps and impact, they are no where near the support of the NASL days. Strange isn't it?

But I would have to agree that our tactics and performance at the time really hurt Canada as far gaining support. The way the sqaud played would suggest that the thinking at the time was: "Lets just not embarrass ourselves. We are way over heads against this competition so lets make sure we don't lose by lopsided score. Lets treat this event like a trial run and learn from it for the next time because we will be back often in the forseeable future". problem, our style never won us any fans. Rightfully so, I might add. Plus the quality of sides in the region improved so dramatically that we never did get back to the WC.

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quote:Originally posted by amacpher

Besides the WC is a month long so you can experience a bit of both too ...

That's a good point. I suppose if Canada qualified, it would be fairly safe to book a flight home after two weeks. [:I]

(Imagine the torture if you were wrong!)

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Go to Germany! The boys would need our support. If Canada made WC2006, they would easily have the fewest amount of travelling supporters. It would be up to the Voyageurs to make some noise for the Red and White.

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quote:Originally posted by Joe05

Go to Germany! The boys would need our support. If Canada made WC2006, they would easily have the fewest amount of travelling supporters. It would be up to the Voyageurs to make some noise for the Red and White.

Hmmm, some African teams or North Korea might have fewer supporters present.

If we qualify, we should start a trans-internet campaign to adopt some supporters from some other countries that haven't qualified. The Reggae Boyz got a lot of cross-support in France in 98.

The International Moose Brigades!:D

We need an official Voyageurs mascot in an ventilated costume, with antlers. Let's start producing cheap plastic Moose antlers t place on noggins.

Now Mooseketeers, there's one thing we want you

always to remember:

"Come along and sing our song

and join our family

M-A-P, L-E-Y

M-O-O-S-E

Through the years we'll all

be friends

wherever we may be.

M-A-P, L-E-Y

M-O-O-S-E

Mapley Moose

Mapley Moose

forever let us hold our

banner high, high, high, high

Now its time to say come-in

to all the company.

M-A-P (Spoken: see you real soon)

L-E-Y

(Spoken: why? because we like you)

M-O-O-S-E. "

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quote:Originally posted by Joe Concacaf

Well I'm thinking about it.

But what if qualified for South Africa (shudder) in 2010?

Anyone planning to go to that?

One WC at a time, sweeeeeet Jaysus....

Things might deteriorate so much in South Africa by 2010 or Brazil by 2014 that there may be late switches to one of USA/Mexico/Korea/Japan/Spain/England/France/Italy, places that could host at a moment's notice. If FIFA were smart, they should have a secret file cabinet full of contingency schedules and plans.

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quote:Originally posted by beachesl

One WC at a time, sweeeeeet Jaysus....

Things might deteriorate so much in South Africa by 2010 or Brazil by 2014 that there may be late switches to one of USA/Mexico/Korea/Japan/Spain/England/France/Italy, places that could host at a moment's notice. If FIFA were smart, they should have a secret file cabinet full of contingency schedules and plans.

Yeah, I think this WC-host rotation idea will only be in affect until 2018 when the WC will return to Europe again. In other words, the idea will never go in-to affect (since 12-year gaps between visits to Europe is nothing new). Simply all a publicity stunt. It's a great scheme too because by the time people realize that there is no rotation, Sepp Blatter and his colleagues will be long retired (or dead).

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quote:Originally posted by JayWay

amacpher,

Are you even Canadian? It seems your only job here is to piss on everything Western - particularily Toronto.

I'll piss on Toronto.

That rotation scheme won Blatter the FIFA election. I also don't think it will fly. Germany in 06' means there won't be another World Cup in Europe til 2026. Yah right. When it is CONCACAF's turn again will it go to Mexico for the 3rd time, or the States again? Can you even call Oceania a federation?

As for Germany '06, I am seriously thinking about moving to Europe in the next couple years, specially if Bush wins the upcoming election. Not only will I increase my distance from Bush but chances are I'll see Canada play more often. If I go I'd make sure I was at every game I could get to.

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quote:Originally posted by beachesl

The International Moose Brigades!:D

We need an official Voyageurs mascot in an ventilated costume, with antlers. Let's start producing cheap plastic Moose antlers t place on noggins.

Now Mooseketeers, there's one thing we want you

always to remember:

"Come along and sing our song

and join our family

I'm glad to see I'm no the only one who chats on this board while drinking.;)

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quote:

Hmmm... multicultural Toronto? Okay, I'll that go this time ...[8)]

LOL you folks south of the border have no idea! Toronto is a great place to be during World Cup time because every nation has its following. Here are some 2001 census facts, in case you were unaware....

Ethnic composition of Toronto:

Canadian - 861,945

English - 783,770

Scottish - 517,115

Irish - 487,215

Chinese - 435,685

Italian - 429,380

South Asian - 345,655

French - 220,540

German - 220,140

Portuguese - 171,545

- over 2 million immigrants

- almost 37% of the region's 4,647,955 million people are visible minorities (1.7 million)

- is the most ethnically diverse city in the world having the highest proportion of immigrants of any city (almost 44%), over such cities as Miami (40%), Sydney (Australia), Los Angeles and New York City

Anyway, just had to clear that up! Those are just the sheer raw data, nevermind all the cultural festivities that happen here.

Back to the question - it would be cool to be here and be able to wave the maple leaf among all the other flags. But if you have a chance, ya gotta go to Germany! Nothing could replace being there, watching the games in person. If you think the atmosphere here is good, imagine how much better it would be in the country where the games are being held.

quote:

While Toronto might have a (lame) party along one street (and with no drinking on that street),

Obviously you've never been here during World Cup or Euro time! Multiple streets, plenty of alcohol flowing, and civil but definitely not lame.

I agree with you though, it simply wouldn't compare with being at World Cup.

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quote:is the most ethnically diverse city in the world

While Toronto did hold that title for five years in a row, the latest UN study released just this week shows that Miama has jumped ahead. Toronto is second while Vancouver is fourth.

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040716/UN16/TPNational/

However, I'd take all these stats with a grain of salt -- as I'm sure different methodologies and definitions are used by different countries, and even cities.

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Toronto during competitions not including Canada are OK, but I couldn't "tolerate" seeing supposed Canadians cheering on our competition in the World Cup should we qualify. To know the dedication and loyalty we show to this team every day of the year and what it would mean for our team to qualify, and then to see someone with a Canadian passport who follows a foreign team for two weeks every four years cheer against us and basically spit in our face as fans, well I just couldn't stomach that.

It's irrelevant though. I have faith in my fellow Torontonians - no matter what ethnicity, heritage - to do the right thing. I trust they will drop old world ties for a Maple Leaf when it matters. Then we'll party till we drop.

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quote:Originally posted by AlanDouglas

While Toronto did hold that title for five years in a row, the latest UN study released just this week shows that Miama has jumped ahead. Toronto is second while Vancouver is fourth.

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040716/UN16/TPNational/

However, I'd take all these stats with a grain of salt -- as I'm sure different methodologies and definitions are used by different countries, and even cities.

There's just one thing. Miami is far from diverse. The majority of its foreign population are Cuban/Latino. On the other hand, Toronto can boast a multitude of various ethnicities.

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quote:Originally posted by Silvio

Ethnic composition of Toronto:

Canadian - 861,945

English - 783,770

Scottish - 517,115

Irish - 487,215

Chinese - 435,685

Italian - 429,380

South Asian - 345,655

French - 220,540

German - 220,140

Portuguese - 171,545

According to this table, who qualifies as a "Canadian"? The traditional (so it's fairly outdated) qualification for a non-ethnic Canadian is anyone who is British, French or Jewish. Back in the early days, anyone who fell outside of these paramaters was considered an ethnic minority. If the survey was using this qualification then I could see its validity. However the survey apparently lists those of English, Scottish and Irish heritage as ethnic minorities. Now I know that English, Scottish and Irish immigrants are from the top of Canada's intake list; so I guess these categories include people born in Canada. In that case, who exactly qualifies as a "Canadian" in this survey's eyes?

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quote:Originally posted by Silvio

- is the most ethnically diverse city in the world having the highest proportion of immigrants of any city (almost 44%), over such cities as Miami (40%), Sydney (Australia), Los Angeles and New York City

Something is wrong with your stats because it's pretty common knowledge that California as a whole (so no doubt LA applies) has more than 50% visible minority. New York City is around 63% visible minority. Not that this necessarily has anything to do with creating World Cup atmosphere (does the Jane & Finch region of T.O. really provide anything worth experiencing during World Cups?).

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quote:Originally posted by amacpher

Something is wrong with your stats because it's pretty common knowledge that California as a whole (so no doubt LA applies) has more than 50% visible minority. New York City is around 63% visible minority. Not that this necessarily has anything to do with creating World Cup atmosphere (does the Jane & Finch region of T.O. really provide anything worth experiencing during World Cups?).

Here's an article from the bbc that touches on the topic

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3898795.stm

quote:

The report said Canada's Toronto had the second-highest proportion of foreign-born citizens (44%), while Los Angeles was a close third with 41%.

Soaring numbers

Another two North American cities - Canada's Vancouver (37%) and New York (36%) - made it into the top five, the report said.

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Hey!!! F*** Toronto!

It's not what this thread is about, but since Torontonians are convinced that they live at the center of the universe it went from 'are you going to Germany' to 'Toronto is just so PC, isn't it great!!!' Toronto can shove itself up it's own ass (quite comfortably too I'm sure)!!!

My family moved to what became Saskatchewan before Canada was Canada. Should my demographic be shunned? I sure as hell ain't German, cause Germany wasn't even a country yet when my ancestor first moved to Minnesota, and then to the NWT which is now Saskatchewan.

I remember my first trip to T.O. and I walked back to where I was staying from a Lynx game and I walked right into Caribanafest. I looked around and of the 1,000 people I could see, I was the only white guy. Having grown up mostly in the woods this had never happened to me before and my immediate reaction was 'wow, cool'. I'm glad to see some diversity in my neighborhood, but I don't feel it necesary to quote ethnic diversity stats to make my town seem ultra cool. Stop playing the 'ethnic' card lest ye earn a great deal of wrath. (Scottish Canadian... what ****ing ever)

If I didn't say it already... **** Toronto.

(wrecking a perfectly good thread to stroke your own cocks... ****ers) Didn't you lose the Olympics cause yr mayor wuz ascared uh dahkies?

Celebrating my 100th post! Now I just need to offend Quebec and the East Coast.

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quote:Originally posted by Current Champ

Hey!!! F*** Toronto!

It's not what this thread is about, but since Torontonians are convinced that they live at the center of the universe it went from 'are you going to Germany' to 'Toronto is just so PC, isn't it great!!!' Toronto can shove itself up it's own ass (quite comfortably too I'm sure)!!!

My family moved to what became Saskatchewan before Canada was Canada. Should my demographic be shunned? I sure as hell ain't German, cause Germany wasn't even a country yet when my ancestor first moved to Minnesota, and then to the NWT which is now Saskatchewan.

I remember my first trip to T.O. and I walked back to where I was staying from a Lynx game and I walked right into Caribanafest. I looked around and of the 1,000 people I could see, I was the only white guy. Having grown up mostly in the woods this had never happened to me before and my immediate reaction was 'wow, cool'. I'm glad to see some diversity in my neighborhood, but I don't feel it necesary to quote ethnic diversity stats to make my town seem ultra cool. Stop playing the 'ethnic' card lest ye earn a great deal of wrath. (Scottish Canadian... what ****ing ever)

If I didn't say it already... **** Toronto.

(wrecking a perfectly good thread to stroke your own cocks... ****ers) Didn't you lose the Olympics cause yr mayor wuz ascared uh dahkies?

Celebrating my 100th post! Now I just need to offend Quebec and the East Coast.

You've either smoked too much weed today, or you haven't smoked enough.

Sil was replying to amacpher, if you didn't know. But I guess that's irrelevant since it's Toronto and, well, Toronto sucks! [8)]

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