CSL Toronto Croatia visits British Columpbia for game...

[Raven]

I think you mis-read somewhere or I missed some monumental dreaming. There is no way that the CSL could make a bid for Div II status at this point. I could see a reasonable case for Div III but anyone suggesting anything more is smoking something.

Just read it from page 3 of the CSL PDF document.

"CSL intends to become Canada’s Nation-wide league

– Sanctioned through the Canadian Soccer Association as a Semi-Professional league,

the CSL represents the layer below the professional teams in the MLS."

[ted]

Just read it from page 3 of the CSL PDF document.

"CSL intends to become Canada’s Nation-wide league

– Sanctioned through the Canadian Soccer Association as a Semi-Professional league,

the CSL represents the layer below the professional teams in the MLS."

Typical marketing over-exaggeration. That's like saying the Victoria Salmon Kings represent the layer below the professional teams in the NHL. Sure they do here in Victoria because we have nothing else.

I see no claim in that to be Div II. I can see how some might read more into that and certainly from a marketing point of view that may no be unintended.

^ Are there formal criteria that a league must meet to be considered Div II or Div III?

There are guidelines from FIFA and the USSF recently made clear their proposed criteria. I have no idea if the CSA has anything we can look at because they are the CSA. Making things up as they go is a specialty.

Generally the difference is that Div 2 must be, national, fully professional and meet certain business requirements.

Div 3 can be regional and semi-professional.

[JohnnyCanuck]

I can't ever see "Semi Pro" soccer succeeding in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island of BC.

The calibre is marginally better than the premier divisions of the FVSL, VISL and VMSL.

The Whitecaps failed in getting names to contracts of VMSL prem guys for years due to the lack of money as far as a guy made more money at his day job and plays the same or marginally less calibre in VMSL Prem division (fully amateur)

Nobody is going to pay $10 a game to watch this, when they could pay $20 to watch the Whitecaps... or Highlanders for $10-$15

Getting ~500 people to watch these games is a pipe dream at best.

my humble $0.02 on the BC idea.

[Richard]

I would pit the top teams in any of the three Lower Mainland/Vancouver Island amateur premier division winter clubs or the PCSL against CSL teams from southern Ontario any day. These are the same players who would necessarily comprise the core of any regional 3rd of 4th tier semi-pro league, why would people pay to see them when we can watch them now for free?

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

I would pit the top teams in any of the three Lower Mainland/Vancouver Island amateur premier division winter clubs or the PCSL against CSL teams from southern Ontario any day....

It's easy to write that sort of stuff on a messageboard obviously but there is actually solid evidence to back it up in this case. The Columbus Clan proved it on the field of play in the CSL's Open Cup a few seasons ago in a BC context. Teams like Ottawa St Anthony's and AEK London also demonstrated that amateur clubs from southern Ontario could be highly competitive with CSL teams as well. The word professional should be reserved for teams that have a full-time training environment during the regular workday.

[JohnnyCanuck]

Agree with Richard.

If ACBC could handle Toronto Croatia they way the did that one off game this thread was originally about, there are another 6-8 local teams from the VMSL, FVSL, and VISL that would be on par or better than that ACBC team you saw that day, notably the current Poco team from the FVSL featuring Gordon Chin, Tino Cucca, Kevin Harmse, and Tiernan King, from theVMSL:

Westvan, Surrey United (Jeff Clarke) Coquitlam Metro Ford (Alfredo valente), Columbus (Steve Kindel) and that is just talking about a few teams and a few of their players that have notable pasts with Whitecaps/Pro Soccer etc. There are obviously many more playing, those are the ones just off the top of my head.

[Richard]

^ This is why I have been rather skeptical about the prospects for the CSL selling franchises in the lower mainland. We already have the best players in the region playing locally and in a national challenge cup tournament, what more would the CSL bring? Now if the three major winter leagues in southern BC could get their act together and create a "super league" we'd have the best of both worlds.... oh wait!

Then in addition to all of the above we have the intercity Pacific Coast Soccer League in the summer bringing together teams from the BC interior, the Lower Mainland, southern Vancouver Island and sometimes Washington State.