fishman Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Canada may host World Cup 2010 qualifier here (Edmonton) Dan Barnes, The Edmonton Journal At the risk of reversing the migratory patterns of this country's snowbirds, the Canadian Soccer Association may bring Mexico to Edmonton in October. For a World Cup 2010 qualifying match, no less. Assuming the men's national team first dispatches Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, which is not a cool reggae band but a Caribbean country, Canada would enter a four-team, round-robin qualifying stage - likely along with Mexico, Honduras and Jamaica - for a series of home-and-home sets played between August and November of this year. Canada's Marcus Haber, right, challenges Austria's Rubin Okotie for the ball during their FIFA Under-20 World Cup match in Edmonton in July of 2007. The men's national team may pay a visit to the city in October to face Mexico.View Larger Image View Larger Image Canada's Marcus Haber, right, challenges Austria's Rubin Okotie for the ball during their FIFA Under-20 World Cup match in Edmonton in July of 2007. The men's national team may pay a visit to the city in October to face Mexico. Two well-placed sources said the CSA is interested in securing 60,000-seat Commonwealth Stadium as the site for that round's most coveted home game against Mexico. Toronto and Montreal are the most likely venues for the other games. "There could be one (at Commonwealth). There are talks with the CSA. It's being looked at as a possibility. It's not a done deal," said one of the sources. It can't possibly be a done deal unless and until 58th-ranked Canada dumps 139th-ranked Saint Vincent & The Grenadines in their home-and-home set during June, and No. 16 Mexico dispatches Belize. Team Canada will be in Saint Vincent for a June 15 game while the return match has yet to be solidified. It will go June 21 or 22 at an as-yet-undisclosed site. "First and foremost we're working on the June match," said CSA communications director Richard Scott, careful not to make it appear Team Canada is discounting the underdog Grenadines. "(However) we are starting to look around (for locations) for potential second-round matches." Scott wouldn't confirm the CSA's interest in Edmonton as the site for a potential game against Mexico. He did, however, reiterate the CSA's contentment with Edmonton's past successes in hosting a Canada/Brazil friendly that drew over 50,000 fans and the under-19 women's world championship which attracted a crowd of more than 48,000 for the final between Canada and the United States. "If Edmonton wants a match, by all means the CSA executive is going to listen," said Scott. One source said the dates being considered for the game are a potential concern. "They're looking at October, a couple of dates, but that could certainly change," said the source. "It's always a risk (weather-wise) in October. It could be balmy and beautiful or under a foot of snow." A little chill in the air might help Canada's chances against the Mexicans, who would be prohibitive favourites. The two countries have played 23 games and Mexico holds a whopping 14-3 edge, with another six games tied. In World Cup qualifying against Canada, Mexico is up 9-1 with six draws. The two CONCACAF nations have not played one another since Nov. 15, 2002, when a dismal crowd of 6,564 at Toronto's Varsity Stadium watched a 0-0 draw. Canada hasn't beaten Mexico since Feb. 20, 2000, in the Gold Cup quarter-finals in San Diego. Canada went on to win that tournament. Only two of the four teams involved in the round-robin would advance to another stage of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, set for South Africa. If Edmonton is awarded the game against Mexico, it would certainly help revive the city's reputation as a major player on the Canadian soccer scene. That respectable standing was eroded by the construction of Toronto's 20,000-seat BMO Field, which replaced Commonwealth Stadium as the de facto national soccer stadium. During the under-20 World Cup last summer, BMO Field was the site of 12 games, including the final. Commonwealth hosted just nine games. The sport's profile in Alberta could obviously use a boost. Serious spectator interest in a May 13 friendly between the Vancouver Whitecaps and David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy at Commonwealth Stadium re-lit the soccer fire last month and a World Cup qualifier would definitely keep it burning into the fall. "We would never turn down an opportunity. It's important any time you can profile what I guess you would call the elite levels of the game," said Alberta Soccer executive director Ron Axelson, who added he was not involved in or aware of any discussions about the qualifier coming to Edmonton. "It creates some excitement in the community. You just have to look at the Whitecaps and the Galaxy coming here. The interest in that level is here. It helps us profile our sport in a public way." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarnado1555362291 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Let's sell out Commonwealth, 60 000 on May 13th and our chances at a qualifier are pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyr Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Commonwealth in October is a great idea for the Mexico game. Hopefully they can fill the joint and figure out a way to get those CFL lines off the pitch for that game. However, even if they can't I'd be happy as long as we get the result we need! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSwede Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Make tickets so cheap that you can fill it. Its all economics. If you sell tickets at $5 x 60 000 then you get $300 000. Its the same as having $20 x 15 000 which is the same $300 000. I hope the CSA makes the right decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadasBest Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I think BMO is a better choice for the Mexico game despite the larger Mexican population. - The CSA should set aside the south end for the supporter groups: RPB, USector, and The Voyageurs. - 1000 Tickets for the Mexican Federation - 12,000 Priority Tickets for TFC Season Ticket Holders on a first come first serve basis. - 2000 tickets for for sale directly through minor soccer associations in Ontario - The rest of the tickets open for general sale. The key here would be to keep the ticket prices cheap. The ticket prices were way too high for the Costa Rica match. The risk we run in Edmonton is a 12,000 strong attendance with 6,000 Mexican fans. At the U-20's this past summer there was a large contingent of Mexican fans in Edmonton. Even more will be willing to make the trip for World Cup Qualifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Hombre Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 During the U20s, the Mexican fans followed their team from Toronto to Edmonton to Montreal and then there was still a large contingent for their final game in Ottawa. So, no matter the location, there will be a large contingent there. With that in mind and the unlikelyhood of the CSA setting out a ticket selling scheme similar to what gwallace has, I would pick Commonwealth, if only for the possibility of a weather advantage which would affect both players and supporters alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 quote:Originally posted by El Hombre During the U20s, the Mexican fans followed their team from Toronto to Edmonton to Montreal and then there was still a large contingent for their final game in Ottawa. So, no matter the location, there will be a large contingent there. While this is true, Edmonton would be much more difficult for the Mexican fans to get to and would reduce their numbers somewhat. In Toronto or Montreal the Mexicans would find a way to buy up most of the seats regardless what the CSA did to prevent this. I think Edmonton for Mexico would be a good choice but only if it is not going to cause a lot of hardship/worse jetlag for our players playing in Europe so for me the decision needs to take the date and release dates of players into consideration. In my opinion the game is still won on the pitch so I would prefer a rested Canadian team with a hostile atmosphere to one that is tired playing for a home crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 In October Edmonton will likely be colder than Toronto. Cold is always an issue for Caribbean clubs whilst most Canadians can handle it. Give us an advantage, we need all we can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 As ghetto as it is, if the CSA really wants to optimise our chances and home-field advantage vs Mexico in October, during the European season, this game needs to be played in Saint John's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 quote:Originally posted by tarnado Let's sell out Commonwealth, 60 000 on May 13th and our chances at a qualifier are pretty good. I don't see how going to see Becks translates into national team support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishman Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 I don't think it does translate into NT support, but it may create a buzz in the community and show how valuable Commonwealth can be...it's a great venue when the crowd is over 40,000, and in the cold of October, it might provide a boost to our chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 quote:Originally posted by CanadianSwede Make tickets so cheap that you can fill it. Its all economics. If you sell tickets at $5 x 60 000 then you get $300 000. Its the same as having $20 x 15 000 which is the same $300 000. I hope the CSA makes the right decision. Look at how they are selling the Galaxy game, without end zones and eliminating the ends of the upper deck. That turns a sell-out into 40,000, with better quality seats to boot. You sell those more expensively accordingly. Only if you have more demand do you open up lesser sections at a lower price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lsir Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Why should TFC supporters be given preference in purchasing tickets for any MNT games in the event that TO hosts a game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB_Tito Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 quote:Originally posted by lsir Why should TFC supporters be given preference in purchasing tickets for any MNT games in the event that TO hosts a game? If you want HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE this is the only way to go or you will have 15,000 Mexicans and maybe 5,000 Canadians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 to fill a 60,000 seat Commonwealth Stadium in October is going to require very wise ticketing strategies. it might also require the CSA being proactive and working with VIA, Greyhound, Air Canada, WestJet and whomever else they can line up to arrange for cheap transportation to Edmonton. I'll be there but I'm not convinced that we can get more than 30K in that stadium without a HUGE marketing push and being very proactive. If they just do it the way they always do these types of marketing campaigns, I predict we'll get only 30K (which is still a good attendance) but it will look empty on TV, like the last U20 game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunjabiOil Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I think it's a wise move. In Toronto, you kill the home field advantage - lots of Mexican's in the city, and many more a short distance away (i.e. NY, Boston, Montreal, etc) that would be willing to purchase from scalpers a significant premium. Last time there was a Mexico-Canada game in Toronto, clearly a pro-Mexico crowd. Let us have some spotlight this time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 quote:Originally posted by PunjabiOil I think it's a wise move. In Toronto, you kill the home field advantage - lots of Mexican's in the city, and many more a short distance away (i.e. NY, Boston, Montreal, etc) that would be willing to purchase from scalpers a significant premium. Actually there aren't a lot of Mexicans in the city. The several thousand that showed up in Toronto in 1993 were all bused in from the States, which speaks to your second point - it's an easier city to get to. quote: Last time there was a Mexico-Canada game in Toronto, clearly a pro-Mexico crowd. That wasn't the case in 2000, and neither was it in 1993, though admittedly the Mexican contingent was far larger than it should have been. The majority were cheering for Canada, the Mexican supporters stood out more because they all wore green and the Canadians in the crowd didn't all come in Canadian colours/jerseys/flags. You listening Media Guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 How much would the cheapest flight out of ottawa or toronto be to edmonton? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Yeesh. I don't know about Commonwealth. Caught between two minds on the venue. 1st. The negatives.</u> Edmonton has to come out to support the game. Don't care what the city did 10+ years ago for this tourny or that one, the fact of the matter is it's record of the last few years does not justify another chance at hosting anything. Don't care about the why's. I don't. The excuses are neither here nor there. What matters are the results and if the politics of the region are going to continue to handicap the support Canadian matches can expect in Edmonton then that has to be a principle consideration for the CSA. I don't subscribe to the "make it cheap and fill the place" logic. Not one bit. That's bull****. I'd rather have 12,000 punters at BMO making the CSA a profit off a WCQ than 30,000 cheapskates at Commonwealth getting what amounts to a free ride at the expense of the MNT. Bull****. Right or wrong, the CSA has a National Stadium they can play at for cheap-cheap. As far as I'm concerned if venue X, Y or Z wants to host an event it needs to guarentee the CSA a return on the event. It's not good enough any more to allow Commonwealth or Swangard or whoever a free-ride with National Team fixtures. You want it? Show me why the fixture shouldn't be held at the National Stadium. And cash on the barrel head is a good place to start. Natural grass or no, what's Commonwealth going to look like after a CFL season? Like it did during the last go around? Is that good enough? The pitch was crap. It was an advert for FieldTurf for Christ's sake. And finally, geography. Come autumn Edmonton is a long way from Europe. (Please note I write all this having thoroughly enjoyed myself at last years U20s. I think Edmonton and Western Canada could turn Commonwealth into an arena that is worthy of Canadian MNT matches. But things aren't what they once were. The old standards no longer apply. Much more is expected.) 2nd. The positives.</u> If properly promoted and supported Commonwealth's superior seating capacity trumps every other venue in the country. Budgeting for 20,000 and getting 35,000 could turn into a gold mine for the CSA and the local organizers. Of course that positive is dependent on the organizers of the event exploiting the marketing period made available to them, which to date is something we've yet to see. Geography. As has been mentioned Edmonton could be a discouraging trip for many of Mexican supporters and I see no reason to encourage them to support Mexico when they're in Canada. I've got a kid who wants to go to Japan in the spring. That little economic reality has thrown a massive spanner into the gears of my travel plans for WCQ this autumn but I can still make Commonwealth work. So for my own selfish reasons Edmonton would be my 1st choice, but it may not be the right thing for Canada's qualifying chances and that is what's really important. It would be a shame, an absolute shame if nothing more than internal politics at the CSA gave Edmonton a WCQ when the advantages, however you measure them, lay elsewhere. So I repeat myself. Why shouldn't the game be at BMO? Why should the CSA consider the more costly and distant alternative of Commonwealth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Well folks are always ready to criticise the CSA for hosting important games where the visitors have an advantage because of local support etc. Cold weather is the one big trump card Canada has available, why not play it? Too bad if there are not 60,000 spectators, if the Mexicans are suffering from the cold they won't be at their best and Canada will have an advantage. I'd say play it in Nunavut if we could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolando Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 ahhh..welcome back to the old inter-city infighting on the board - just like old times, eh? ...I would guess Jamaica in Montreal and Honduras at Toronto if these rumours are true. Might Vancouver get the SVG game?? It might be selfish but I sure hope so - and selfishness aside not a bad venue to play if you are only going to get 5,000 or so people out for a WCQ. One last thought- could the CSA possibly be holding the (relatively) poor turnout for the Costa Rica game against Toronto as a venue? Don't start attacking me with reasons why it wasnt a full BMO, Im just saying what others might be thinking, and we know that a number of the players were obviously disappointed by the turn-out for that one. Another question - SHOULD the CSA hold it agaiant Toronto if that is indeed the case. For the record, I like 20,000 in a full BMO better than 30,000 in half-full Commonwealth. It might eb a great way to get some TFC style fan momentum going, too, especially if we got a result and with so many watching on live TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 One thought against the cold weather argument...more of the Mexican players are now playing in Europe. Sure, Spain and Germany are not Edmonton in Winter but it isn't like the entire Mexican team will be coming from 20 degree heat. Hell, Nery Castillo was playing in the Ukraine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 quote:Originally posted by JB_Tito If you want HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE this is the only way to go or you will have 15,000 Mexicans and maybe 5,000 Canadians. Exactly. There will be a few thousand Mexican fans. We have seen them before at Commonwealth for World Cup Qualifying. But the Mexicans were a small minority in the big picture. Mexico should sell at least 25,000 tickets in Edmonton and maybe as high as 35,000 with nice weather. In TO we risk the Mexicans having a huge proportion of the stadium support. No way can we do that. Plus the Mexicans hate the cold. I would put Jamaica in Edmonton for all the same reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Winnipeg Fury In TO we risk the Mexicans having a huge proportion of the stadium support. No way can we do that. Plus the Mexicans hate the cold. I would put Jamaica in Edmonton for all the same reasons. We always talk about the opposing fans. For most Canadian fans out East (the majority), getting out to Edmonton to support the team is a costly and complicated proposition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSamurai Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Daniel We always talk about the opposing fans. For most Canadian fans out East (the majority), getting out to Edmonton to support the team is a costly and complicated proposition. Bam. You nailed it right there. I would LOVE to go, but it's probably almost as cheap to take a trip to Mexico! I say Toronto or Montreal. Atleast we'll be able to organize ourselves with the south end at BMO. I also think priority should be given to STH. As for the Tico game, that's how you DON"T promote a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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