Bill Ault Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 TFC - Canada's Team? Written by Luke Vuadry Monday, 17 December 2007 TFC’s first season can easily be considered a success. With 14,000 season ticket holders and a new stadium sold out on a weekly basis, the first Canadian Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise has been cashing in at the box office. Toronto’s BMO field is not only Canada’s first soccer specific stadium, but it is as well the home of the national team, therefore the enthusiasm of Torontonians can be easily understood. One is to wonder if the success of soccer in the Queen City can translate into the sport’s success on a national level. www.canadakicks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhat Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Sure it's Canada's team. MLSE has a monopoly on the MLS franchise rights until 2010, so TFC is the ONLY team in Canada. Then again, with the number of Canadians in the future line-up, well you know ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Exactly. TFC is very clearly Toronto's team and doesn't affect Canadians much outside of TO, except maybe making them aware of the existence of MLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashcleaner Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 I don't really consider TFC to be Canada's team. And for that matter, I don't think it should be. Vancouver and Montreal both have excellent histories regarding their local support of their respective clubs, so I think it's a little unfair to say that we're representing the entire country - especially when you consider our short history compared to the Impact, Whitecaps, and Lynx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Right now Toronto FC is most certainly Canada's Major League Soccer team, there is no other! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SthMelbRed Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 As I haven't lived in Canada during the short time of Toronto FC's existence, I can't say for sure, but I think it's probably Canada's team in the same way that the Ontario-based media insist that the Blue Jays are Canada's team. If you head out west and talk to those few that actually care about baseball, you'll find that the Blue Jays are definitely NOT the team of choice. More likely, soccer fans outside of Toronto will follow whichever team showcases Canadian talent best, which at the moment is Houston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Pretty speculative article, but it does mention many of the concerns Vancouver and Montreal had with the CSA championing The National Stadium and it's main tenant by extension, MLS's Toronto Football Club. Regarding TFC as Canada's team I think I'd disagree somewhat with those who're skeptical about that statement. TFC has shown very well on television, has gotten plenty of national media print and hasn't been ignored by the soccer media sub-culture either. Certainly TFC isn't huge but for a country which chiefly looks to Europe for it's footie fix TFC has absolutely made an impact on the domestic market in southern Ontario and beyond. That being said I don't know if that impact OUTSIDE of souther Ontario will be lasting, sustainable, or a market TFC can grow. TFC's maiden season has only been over a few months and I can't believe how much I'm beginning to sour on the team. You can't help but wish good things for the fans of the club in Toronto, great bunch of lads, some of who have suffered for too long before TFC came into being, but the more I hear in the close season the less I see which will allow me to develop an attachment to the team. TFC Canada's Team? With the head start they've got over Vancouver and Montreal you'd think the answer would be yes. But for now it's a question mark, and tomorrow I think the answer is going to a bit more cynical. Could have been... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 TFC is Canada's MLS Team. anything more is strictly hype. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedmonk42 Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 You can't help but wish good things for the fans of the club in Toronto, great bunch of lads, some of who have suffered for too long before TFC came into being, but the more I hear in the close season the less I see which will allow me to develop an attachment to the team. ----------------- Just curious, what exactly was there to hear that was so bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trident Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 The fact Mo does **** all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Trident The fact Mo does **** all? Oh, he does a lot. He campaigns for increasing the full international limits. He scouts Brazil for low cost foreign labour. He helps to make foreign players Canadian under MLS rules. He releases a solder like Chris Pozniak while moaning about the lack of affordable Canadian talent. So on, so forth. Think you get the picture. Number of Canadian on TFC next year? More importantly the number which will take the pitch on a regular basis? One? Two maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trident Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 My bad, was following this: http://www.canadian-soccer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14200 and how he said he wants less canadians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Ault Posted December 18, 2007 Author Share Posted December 18, 2007 Announced today MLS has increased Toronto's MLS International allotment by three spaces (everyone got one more). The spaces must be used for US Internationals? www.canadakicks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Damn right!!! It sure is!!! T O or burst. Viva la Toerontoe!!! Praise the Lord!!! Anything team from Toronto is Canada's favorite team. Why? Because you guys are just soooo good at everything, so much better than the rest of us!!! Thank God us lesser-thans have those Toronto teams to bring a little joy to our otherwise dour existence. Thank you Torontonians. For allowing the average Canadian minnows to cheer your great teams on. The TCF have brought such hope and inspiration to me, that I just don't know how to thank you. Oh, those Toronto team memories, eh? Last place in the MLS. How many games did it take to score that first goal. Yeah, that's my TEAM, man!!! WooHoo. Are any of you old enough to remember the last time the Maple Leafs played a play-off game? Or were any of you alive the last time they won the Cup? Just one question? Why do you guys always need the rest of the country's validation for your teams. Why do you want us to cheer for you so bad, because to me you seem to be dsoing okay without the rest of us. Fans at TFC games on TV seem so European, the way you sing and throw streamers at the corner-flags. Just like a bunch of ESL students trying to act Canadian, eh? Give me a break. Every year I cheer for Toronto to miss the play-offs, and every year those teams make me happy. Keep it up guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Robert Damn right!!! It sure is!!! T O or burst. Viva la Toerontoe!!! Praise the Lord!!! Anything team from Toronto is Canada's favorite team. Why? Because you guys are just soooo good at everything, so much better than the rest of us!!! Thank God us lesser-thans have those Toronto teams to bring a little joy to our otherwise dour existence. Thank you Torontonians. For allowing the average Canadian minnows to cheer your great teams on. The TCF have brought such hope and inspiration to me, that I just don't know how to thank you. Oh, those Toronto team memories, eh? Last place in the MLS. How many games did it take to score that first goal. Yeah, that's my TEAM, man!!! WooHoo. Are any of you old enough to remember the last time the Maple Leafs played a play-off game? Or were any of you alive the last time they won the Cup? Just one question? Why do you guys always need the rest of the country's validation for your teams. Why do you want us to cheer for you so bad, because to me you seem to be dsoing okay without the rest of us. Fans at TFC games on TV seem so European, the way you sing and throw streamers at the corner-flags. Just like a bunch of ESL students trying to act Canadian, eh? Give me a break. Every year I cheer for Toronto to miss the play-offs, and every year those teams make me happy. Keep it up guys. Congrats. You win the "Stupidest Post of the Day" Award. Help yourself to some complimentary cheese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWay Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 quote:Originally posted by SthMelbRed As I haven't lived in Canada during the short time of Toronto FC's existence, I can't say for sure, but I think it's probably Canada's team in the same way that the Ontario-based media insist that the Blue Jays are Canada's team. If you head out west and talk to those few that actually care about baseball, you'll find that the Blue Jays are definitely NOT the team of choice. Have you watched any Jays games played in Seattle lately? They're basically De facto home games for the Toronto club. How much time do you spend browsing the Jays' internet community? I spend quite a bit, and I can tell you there's a sizable Western-Canadian presence amongst the Blue Jays' online fanbase. Personally, I couldn't care less what the rest of the country thinks of my city's teams. Club soccer, just like baseball, Hockey, and team-based Uno, is a matter of civic pride, not nationalism. When I'm in need of feel-good Canadiana, I will -- and do -- look to the national teams. I only bring this up because I'm tired of snooty Canadians with chips on their shoulders trying to 'put Torontonians in their place' by proving, to what they assume is Toronto's shock and horror, that the rest of the country doesn't hold the city's teams in any high regard. Great. I don't hear any Torontonians suggesting otherwise. If you read the article, you'll find the writer was tackling the subject from a purely pragmatic stand point -- how does the team impact Canadian soccer on a systemic level? But that doesn't stop the select few from taking the oppportunity to get on their high horse and tear a strip off us arrogant, close-minded Toronto lot. Well done. Enjoy your complimentary cheese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 No more stupid than the title of the article that launched this thread. The fact that Toronto FC gets massive support is terrific. This is not to be confused with growing the game in Canada or in fact that TFC is 'Canada's team. Canada's team is the one that wears the maple leaf on their chest. - No new Cdn talent has emerged with Toronto and the likelihood of that happening is DECREASED this coming season. - No evidence of better support for our national team in Toronto. If anything, an argument could be made that Toronto FC is AMERICA'S team, launching the careers of two future US internationals, at the expense of our own development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 It'd be a pretty poor argument, considering that Wynne and Edu's development was not in the slightest at the expense of our own development. What two Canadians did they displace from TFC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Speaking for myself, I would say the Whitecaps are Canada's team (in my eyes). NASL, CSL, APSL, A-League, USL, what has it been....... close to 30 years ? They may not be the best team right now, or the best supported, but it is tough to argue with decades of operation that has seen it's share of success on the field. Mobilio, Catlif, Mitchell, Dolan, Valentine...just to name a few of the prominent Canadian internationals that played with the Whitecaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Rudi It'd be a pretty poor argument, considering that Wynne and Edu's development was not in the slightest at the expense of our own development. What two Canadians did they displace from TFC? Unless Wynne and EDU are sure fire top 4 SIs they've displaced a Canadian through the special TFC import rules. They might very well be, although O'Brien, Dichio and Welshman whose name escapes me atm would indicate that at least one of them benefited. Now, without those rules, maybe Mo doesn't go get Wynne from NY, maybe he doesn't sign Welsh or maybe he doesn't do the mulititude of things he chose to do in terms of his player personnel. But the argument that the rules that TFC operates under are not detrimental to the development of Canadian players is, well, a poor one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Gordon But the argument that the rules that TFC operates under are not detrimental to the development of Canadian players is, well, a poor one. Right. Which is why I never used that argument. But anyone suggesting that Marvell Wynne and Mo Edu are being developed at the expense of Canadian talent needs to take their rose-coloured glasses off. Edu was the number one overall draft-pick this year. What Canadian available in the draft was better? One could argue that Wynne took the spot of a Canadian, but whom? Adam Braz? Even when Wynne was moved up from right back to right midfield, Braz could not hold down his natural spot, instead losing out to utility man Chris Pozniak and (later) Tyler Hemming. I'm as pro-Canadian as anyone on this site, but there is no way the presence of Wynne and Edu has affected Canadian development in any form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Bill Ault Announced today MLS has increased Toronto's MLS International allotment by three spaces (everyone got one more). The spaces must be used for US Internationals? www.canadakicks.com Also the SI/YI distinction is gone. Which is about the only good news in that announcement, as players like Poz, Serioux, Jazic & Harmse (the players that play for managers who value Canadian talent) are all more likely to stick with those teams. And this also makes it easier for Canadians (along with everyone else) to sign for & be drafted by other MLS teams. As for TFC, this means that out of 18 senior spots, up to 16 could be foreign over the next two years (the dev. roster still has to be all-Canadian, thankfully). I expect that it won't ever get that high, but the fact that it possibly could is scary. The most irritating thing about this extra two US spots for TFC is that it is totally unnecessary & only happening because of the talent assessment abilities of one man, Mo Johnston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca Also the SI/YI distinction is gone. Which is about the only good news in that announcement, as players like Poz, Serioux, Jazic & Harmse (the players that play for managers who value Canadian talent) are all more likely to stick with those teams. And this also makes it easier for Canadians (along with everyone else) to sign for & be drafted by other MLS teams. In light of this rule change I wonder if Yallop will try to bring one or both of these players to San Jose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 quote:Originally posted by JayWay Agreed. The title of this thread need to be changed. I initially ignored the thread and the article complete because I too thought it was strictly "Hype" and bound to degenerate regional childishness from the same usual one or two persons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Gordon Unless Wynne and EDU are sure fire top 4 SIs they've displaced a Canadian through the special TFC import rules. But what Canadians are there who are in the same age group, fit in a MLS team salary ( or transfers )budget and were on par with Edu and Wynne on the development curve from the get go. Both Edu and Wynne were far and away ahead on the development curve than any comparable Canadian that was available. Both were ready from the get go to be solid contributers. The only comparable Canadian that might come remotely close to supporting your argument might be Tyler Hemmings. But he was injured for most of the year and he wasn't the number one pick overall in the draft. If we were to take your argument to the extreme and exclude Edu and Wynne in favour of untested Canadian talent, who will work for MLS salries, then what would the win / loss record have been? and what good would such have a record have been for a players development? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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