Some fuel for anti-MLSers

[Elias]

I really hope he was mis-quoted. <roll eyes here>

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/story.shtml?id=28372

THUNDER BAY CHRONICLE JOURNAL

Chill want continental approach for 2006

By David Trifunov - The Chronicle-Journal

August 07, 2005

Competing against American clubs with a wealth of resources at their disposal, rules need to change for the Thunder Bay Chill to thrive, coach Tony Colistro says.

The Premier Development League soccer club ended its sixth campaign with a dissapointing 6-9-1 record that left the Chill fourth in the Heartland Division and out of the playoffs. Colistro says the Chill is handcuffed by limits to the PDL’s foreign-born player rules.

Teams are restricted to five foreigners on the field at any one time. For Thunder Bay, the only Canadian team in the PDL’s Heartland Division, that includes Americans.

“We don’t believe that Americans should be considered foreigners (for Canadian PDL teams),” he said. “Because that’s definitely having an affect on our equal opportunity with the other teams to recruit. . . . The league seems to think that we have an abundance of soccer players in Canada who can play, but unfortunately we don’t have an abundance of players at that level who can play PDL.”

Along with playoff format and divisional alignment, it will be a hot issue for the Chill during the league’s annual general meeting this October in Tampa, Fla. But Colistro said he’s entering the offseason in a good mood.

There was enough accomplished during the year for him to brand this season a success.

“It was a different kind of a season, that’s for sure,” he said. “I guess sometimes we put a lot of pressure in making these playoffs, making these playoffs. But like John Marello, our general manager said at our awards night, our mission statement doesn’t really say that at all.

“It says to provide entertainment to our fans and I think we really did that this year.”

But you can’t look past Thunder Bay’s inability to turn the corner on the playoffs. The Chill has never qualified for the post-season, which begs the question: Is it time for Colistro to accept a different role and make a coaching change?

“I could do that, it’s not a big thing,” Colistro said. “But we don’t have the budget for it; unfortunately, I don’t make 60 grand a year coaching this team. I volunteer to coach the team and you’re not going to find a coach who is going to come in here and do it for free.”

Among the highlights for the coach are Mike Kolinski and Doco Wesseh getting called up by the Montreal Impact for two games. They were on the bench for Montreal’s 3-1 win against Seattle on July 3, but both graced the field in a 2-0 victory over Richmond three days later.

As a result, both also received training-camp invitations for next season.

“In that sense, it’s definitely been a success, for sure,” Colistro said.

But Kolinski and Wesseh weren’t the only positive stories.

Rookie forward Josiah Seton, who was also invited to Montreal’s camp next year, led the team in scoring during the PDL season with 12 goals. They showcased that talent in a new home.

The Chill finally scraped together enough money to move into Chapples Park. The squad left behind Fort William Stadium and its rough-and-tumble turf for a custom-built pitch.

Although it was a few weeks into the season, bleachers and a scoreboard finally found their way into the park. It should mature into a comfortable home for years to come and provide a much-needed addition for the local soccer community.

The fans responded, as well, with about 550 spectators turning out to watch eight home games and two friendlies; it was a slight improvement over last summer.

It’s also enough to ensure the Chill will return.

“You always want more, obviously,” Colistro said. “Where we have the advantage is we get our consistent draw. Win or lose, we get our 600, 700 people. Clubs would rather have that than have nobody at one game and filled up another game.”

[Loud Mouth Soup]

I think he just proved why he's only in the PDL as a coach...

[Jason]

How seriously does the club recruit from outside their area? Surely there are players from southern Ontario or the Prairies that are on NCAA scholarships that would be glad to play for the Chill. The Ottawa Fury was able to get a few Calgarians (Paszkowski, Amazhion, Taylor) as well as some southern Ontario talent (Tyler Hemming is the only one I can think of right now).

Jason

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by Jason

How seriously does the club recruit from outside their area? Surely there are players from southern Ontario or the Prairies that are on NCAA scholarships that would be glad to play for the Chill. The Ottawa Fury was able to get a few Calgarians (Paszkowski, Amazhion, Taylor) as well as some southern Ontario talent (Tyler Hemming is the only one I can think of right now).

Jason

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by Jason

How seriously does the club recruit from outside their area? Surely there are players from southern Ontario or the Prairies that are on NCAA scholarships that would be glad to play for the Chill. The Ottawa Fury was able to get a few Calgarians (Paszkowski, Amazhion, Taylor) as well as some southern Ontario talent (Tyler Hemming is the only one I can think of right now).

Jason

That is if one can get those players to agree to play in said community.

[Jason]

quote:Originally posted by DoyleG

That is if one can get those players to agree to play in said community.

I don't see Thunder BAy having that much trouble attracting players. We have Canadians going all over the planet to get a chance to advance their career. It does not seem unreasonable for someone from metro Toronto or Winnipeg for example going to Thunder Bay for a few months to play PDL instead of staying home and playing lower quality soccer. Granted, maybe it wouldn't be for everyone, but surely they could attract 6-8 of these guys.

The coach wants Americans. If they think they can recruit someone from Texas or Georgia (for example) surely they think they can get someone to play from Mississauga.

Jason

[Richard]

If they're having trouble making a PDL club work in Thunder Bay one can't help wondering how they would fair in a CSL2?

[Winnipeg Fury]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

If they're having trouble making a PDL club work in Thunder Bay one can't help wondering how they would fair in a CSL2?

Why would Thunder Bay be in a CSL2 ?

This is essentially the same team that used to play in Winnipeg's Molson Super Soccer Alliance during the CSL years.

[Richard]

Why not?

[Free kick]

Actually. I think that the title of the thread should be :

Some fuel for pro-MLSers

or

Some fuel for anti-CSL

The coach is stating that there isn't an abundance of depth in domestic talent in Canada. So how can we expect to stock 10-12 canadian teams with profesional quality talent.

[Cheeta]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

Why not?

Is that a serious question? Smart-assism can usualy be accompanied by a .

So, Thunder Bay, Ontario (aka The Mistake by The Lake) population "squat" and a ten hour drive from ANYWHERE has a problem getting Canadian talent to fill their roster.

Geezus, didn't see that coming.

After a few seasons you'd have thought the precious experience gained by the three month PDL season would not only have improved the Chill's quality but also the overall quality of T-Bay's other senior players. All 30 or 40 of them.

[Elias]

Well, I really hope he was drunk or something cause thats pure bull.

quote:Originally posted by Free kick

Actually. I think that the title of the thread should be :

Some fuel for pro-MLSers

or

Some fuel for anti-CSL

The coach is stating that there isn't an abundance of depth in domestic talent in Canada. So how can we expect to stock 10-12 canadian teams with profesional quality talent.

Well, he says we can't compete at the PDL level, so how can we ever even dream of competing at the MLS level? <roll eyes>

Added: Although we seem to do okay in USL Division 1 and in the W-League? <shrug>

Although, the main thing I think is what anti-MLSers around here fear that a Canadian MLS team would be full of Americans cause the Canadian team(s) would complain they can't compete and would want to count Americans as non-imports. The plus side would be that would also make Canadians available to US teams as non-imports, but if a Canadian team couldn't put together 15 Canadians, that doesn't really help.

[Chet]

I think he raises a good point. If the league is going to have teams in two countries, then why not treat the players from both countries equally. Let Canadian players play as non-imports for the American-based teams and let American players play as non-imports for the Canadian-based teams. That way you have a level playing field for all the teams.

There are a lot more U.S.-based teams in USL, so it would be a good thing for the Canadian players -- more jobs, more teams competing for their talents, therefore potentially better salaries. As it is, if a player doesn't like the offer he gets from one Canadian team his options are more or less limited to other Canadian teams.

The same rule should apply to MLS if they decide to expand to Toronto.

[Gordon]

The coach of an Northern Ontario PDL team says he needs americans and suddenly this is evidence of anything other than the fact that Thunder Bay has no budget to recruit and is a town that does not appeal to anyone? There are a half dozen guys who were good PDL players in the Calgary System who spent their summer playing senior men's right here in Saskatoon. Let's keep it real.

[Richard]

As a place to spend a summer I suspect even Saskatoon beats Thunder Bay

[Richard]

As a place to spend a summer I suspect even Saskatoon beats Thunder Bay

[Jason]

quote:Originally posted by Gordon

The coach of an Northern Ontario PDL team says he needs americans and suddenly this is evidence of anything other than the fact that Thunder Bay has no budget to recruit and is a town that does not appeal to anyone? There are a half dozen guys who were good PDL players in the Calgary System who spent their summer playing senior men's right here in Saskatoon. Let's keep it real.

If the Chill put up enough $$$ to pay their expenses plus a few bucks spending money, they should be able to attact a few guys. Maybe these players in Saskatoon have jobs, families, etc. and might not be able to move easily. It should be easier to attact university scholarship players on summer break that are chasing the pro dream. Sure, TB might not be a high profile destination, but I can see it appealing to guys who are trying to become pros.

The Fury were able to attract out of town talent, so why not TB? I don't think it's as simple as Ottawa's a more desirable town.

Jason

[jaydog2006]

Would you want to spend your summer in ottawa or thunder bay.This is a no brainer.

[canadiankick97]

Neither

[Winnipeg Fury]

quote:Originally posted by jaydog2006

Would you want to spend your summer in ottawa or thunder bay.This is a no brainer.

For a small city like Thunder Bay, the Chill do a first class job. I believe they have a budget in the range of $150,000

My nephew has played against the Chill youth teams, and I've heard nothing but positive comments regarding the organization. The Chill are basically equal to the better Premier clubs in Winnipeg. They could easily strengthen their squad by recruiting in the Peg, but I can't remember any Peg players being recruited by the Chill.

[Richard]

All credit to TB for operating a PDL team. Despite their disappointing record and recruiting woes I am sure it has been a great development environment for the local players involved and after all, it is a Premier DEVELOPMENT League, very different from a fullblown professional setup.

[Jason]

quote:Originally posted by jaydog2006

Would you want to spend your summer in ottawa or thunder bay.This is a no brainer.

From a lifestyle perspective, it's a no-brainer. But if you're dedicated to making a career by playing soccer, a few months in TB may be a worthwhile opportunity to some people who really want to play PDL.

Look at Mesut Mert for example. A Halifax product, he came to Calgary last year to play for the Mustangs. Why didn't he go to Montreal instead? After all, it's closer to home and is a more fun city. What about the Lynx? Toronto is a great town, and also is closer to home for him. It would've been easier to crack the Lynx roster comparatively to the Impact's. The reason he ended up in Calgary is because he was committed to giving pro soccer a chance, and his best opportunity last year was in Calgary, where he got a chance to play regularly. This resulted in his getting invited to a couple of Canada camps and getting on with the Impact this year. It's hard to say whether he'll ulimately make a go of it professionally, but you have to admire his level of commitment.

Everyone seems to be struck on the fact TB isn't a happening place. All I'm trying to say is that there must be a few guys out there that would look at the Chill like Mert did with the Mustangs and would be willing to make the move for the summer to advance their career. It appears that the Chill haven't really been looking for these guys, but now want to bring in Americans instead.

Jason

[G-Man]

quote:Originally posted by Jason

From a lifestyle perspective, it's a no-brainer. But if you're dedicated to making a career by playing soccer, a few months in TB may be a worthwhile opportunity to some people who really want to play PDL.

Look at Mesut Mert for example. A Halifax product, he came to Calgary last year to play for the Mustangs. Why didn't he go to Montreal instead? After all, it's closer to home and is a more fun city. What about the Lynx? Toronto is a great town, and also is closer to home for him. It would've been easier to crack the Lynx roster comparatively to the Impact's. The reason he ended up in Calgary is because he was committed to giving pro soccer a chance, and his best opportunity last year was in Calgary, where he got a chance to play regularly. This resulted in his getting invited to a couple of Canada camps and getting on with the Impact this year. It's hard to say whether he'll ulimately make a go of it professionally, but you have to admire his level of commitment.

Everyone seems to be struck on the fact TB isn't a happening place. All I'm trying to say is that there must be a few guys out there that would look at the Chill like Mert did with the Mustangs and would be willing to make the move for the summer to advance their career. It appears that the Chill haven't really been looking for these guys, but now want to bring in Americans instead.

Jason

Surely they must have tight young ***** in TB as they do anywhere else.

Seriously what does a young hetrosexual male need? a tent, training gear, food and girls......

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by Jason

I don't see Thunder Bay having that much trouble attracting players. We have Canadians going all over the planet to get a chance to advance their career. It does not seem unreasonable for someone from metro Toronto or Winnipeg for example going to Thunder Bay for a few months to play PDL instead of staying home and playing lower quality soccer. Granted, maybe it wouldn't be for everyone, but surely they could attract 6-8 of these guys.

Playing close to home is a better option for a lot of young players since it allows then to stay in an area where they are more likely to be noticed.

Put a PDL team in a community near the major cities (being resonable since big city support for amateur sports is limited) would be a much better lure than a team in a somewhat isolated community.

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by Jason

I don't see Thunder Bay having that much trouble attracting players. We have Canadians going all over the planet to get a chance to advance their career. It does not seem unreasonable for someone from metro Toronto or Winnipeg for example going to Thunder Bay for a few months to play PDL instead of staying home and playing lower quality soccer. Granted, maybe it wouldn't be for everyone, but surely they could attract 6-8 of these guys.

Playing close to home is a better option for a lot of young players since it allows then to stay in an area where they are more likely to be noticed.

Put a PDL team in a community near the major cities (being resonable since big city support for amateur sports is limited) would be a much better lure than a team in a somewhat isolated community.