shermanator Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 As first reported by Duane Rollins, Jason Bent will be heading the side. With this development, I hope they call Hamilton back from his loan in April. http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2014/11/toronto-fc-announces-usl-pro-team'>http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2014/11/toronto-fc-announces-usl-pro-team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Another important piece to our patchwork soccer pyramid (along with USL Pro Vancouver and Montreal). Now we have to work on the level above (NASL/Canadian D2 league) and the level below (L1O, PLSQ) and we'll be a perennial power in CONCACAF. Its slowly coming good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigi riva Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Great news hopefully they will put the team in Hamilton or Kitchener Waterloo.. We still need more clubs though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king1010 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Great news hopefully they will put the team in Hamilton or Kitchener Waterloo.. We still need more clubs though. Team is going to be in the burbs' of Toronto. Hamilton has been debating the idea of an NASL team at Tim Hortons Field. Ticats owner bob young has exlusivity for another year or so. He used to own Carolina in the NASL as thats where his tech company is based out of. Hopefully something comes to fruition soon. 3 MLS teams, 3 NASL teams and 3 USL pro teams would be a damn good foundation. Hamilton Calgary Winnipeg Halifax need to get on board with an NASL or USL pro team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 The rumour is the team will eventually play in Woodbridge. Not sure where they will be playing until the stadium is built though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maccaliam Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 These usl pro teams starting up are not only great for young Canadian player development, but for developing Canadian coaches too. We seem to be building a bit of a development pathway here. Happy days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rui Luis Costa Figo Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Can't wait to go to my first Maple Leafs FC home game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I believe more is being made of these USL Pro teams than really should be. In actuality, they are just reserve squads playing in a different league. Yes, the Canadian content rules put in by the CSA are a plus, but at the end of the day, they are still just reserve sides, which fully professional clubs should have anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baulderdash77 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 The best part of the USL Pro sanctioning is that the CSA put big roster and minute rules for the team so it really will be forced to develop Canadian talent. I think it is half the roster and 6/11 starters that have to be Canadian. With a 32 game season that's something around 17,000 minutes of guaranteed playing time for developing Canadian talent for EACH of the 3 USL Pro teams next year. That will almost double the amount of domestic minutes for Canadians next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baulderdash77 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Sorry that will more than double the domestic minutes for Canadians. MLS and NASL each were around 17,000 minutes total for Canadians last year. This should add another 50,000 minutes. We will literally have an unprecedented amount of professional playing time domestically next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 'Professional' playing time on reserve squads. Playing for a reserve squad is not the same as playing for a team that is trying to win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg75 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 'Professional' playing time on reserve squads. Playing for a reserve squad is not the same as playing for a team that is trying to win. I think you're being a little harsh. These kids will be going out there every game wanting to beat their competitors - from other MLS reserve sides especially - and prove themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baulderdash77 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 These USL Pro leagues may provide a minimum of 33 roster spots for our players in that 18-22 range while they're developing and also earning a paycheck in a professional system. This is a major part of the gap in our development system. Further there's pretty much guaranteed at least 17,000 Canadian minutes per team. That's roughly 6 starters playing 1,800 minutes along with another 5 or so players as "rotation" 1,000 minute type guys. Name me one other place where we have 18 starters and 15 rotation guys playing anywhere? This is going to have a dramatic impact on the depth and quality of our national team programs within 5 years. In fact I'd say that it institutionalizes our current "Golden Generation" of U-20 guys because it's going to keep the pipeline full from academy to fully pro MLS. At first I was against the USL Pro deal but now I've come to see that it could be the next big thing for Canadian Soccer's development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I think you're being a little harsh. These kids will be going out there every game wanting to beat their competitors - from other MLS reserve sides especially - and prove themselves. A little harsh, maybe, but still the truth. Let's be clear, these teams are not going to be full of just youngsters. I took a look at the roster for Galaxy 2 a couple of months ago. 16 different players featured for both the first team and the USL Pro side at some point in the season. Truly a reserve side. We will see a mix of youngsters, draft picks, bench players and veterans coming back from injury. When you have a rotating roster like that, that is trying to serve a multitude of different purposes (fitness, experience, development, etc), it is not the same as regularly competing for a starting spot on a team that has a singular focus...win matches. I think it is better for one of our young prospects to have a year long loan in a good environment, than to play on these reserve sides. Now don't get me wrong, something is better than nothing. Plus, the CSA deserves tons of credit for instituting the significant Canadian player minimums (has that been confirmed by the way). That should ensure that these teams are more youth focused than the American ones. Still though, Bustos, Froese, Adekugbe, Carducci, Alderson, Fisk, Essa, Prasad have all played in reserve games for the Whitecaps in the past. Tell me how this is really any different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg75 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 This will be a full 30 odd game sched. As opposed to 10 games a year. Big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shamrock Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Finally there's a realistic alternative for the College-route, which has proven to be insufficient. For reasons stated above, the added USL Pro teams provide that last step between academy and MLS. Playing against grown men in front of real audiences (well, most of the times anyway) with real pressure will prove beneficial to our talented youngsters. @masster: you think LA2 didn't want to win last season? To remind you they were 3rd in the league overall. I think you're looking at a glass that's nearly full to the brim and saying: it ain't full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 This will be a full 30 odd game sched. As opposed to 10 games a year. Big difference. So just more reserve games. That i agree with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Finally there's a realistic alternative for the College-route, which has proven to be insufficient. For reasons stated above, the added USL Pro teams provide that last step between academy and MLS. Playing against grown men in front of real audiences (well, most of the times anyway) with real pressure will prove beneficial to our talented youngsters. @masster: you think LA2 didn't want to win last season? To remind you they were 3rd in the league overall. I think you're looking at a glass that's nearly full to the brim and saying: it ain't full. Everybody wants to win, but as we have been arguing for at younger age groups, there is a big difference when the focus is on winning, and when the focus is on development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yohan Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 So just more reserve games. That i agree with. it's not merely reserve games. USL players are full of guys who want a bigger contract either in NASL or MLS (and quite a few have MLS experience). They play to win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmcmurph Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 it's not merely reserve games. USL players are full of guys who want a bigger contract either in NASL or MLS (and quite a few have MLS experience). They play to win The hunger factor will be evident in their intensity of play would be my thoughts as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 So a western conference that is going to have, S2, T2, whitecaps2, galaxy 2, salt lake...it's a bunch of reserve teams playing each other, with the occasional game against Sacramento and Arizona mixed in. As I've said, better than nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 I think it is much better than nothing Masster. Seems to have done wonders for Hamilton, Aparicio and Roberts from a TFC fan's perspective. These guys would have rotted away on the bench or training ground were it not for the Wilmington loan spell. All got some good PT and came back better players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 This should finally put to rest the whole argument about MLS not doing enough to develop Canadian players. This will provide a realistic platform for Academy players to develop with pro contracts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironcub14 Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 So a western conference that is going to have, S2, T2, whitecaps2, galaxy 2, salt lake...it's a bunch of reserve teams playing each other, with the occasional game against Sacramento and Arizona mixed in. As I've said, better than nothing. That is a good point, nobody would want to see USL Pro filled with too many reserve squads. It's good that TFC, IMFC and VWFC all got in there early, because the league would have to expand a lot more if MLS wanted to put more reserve teams in USL Pro. Right now, 6 out of the 24 clubs in the league are reserve sides, and 25% seems like an okay ratio. The idea of having reserve teams in the league pyramid works well in Europe in Spain, Germany, France, etc., because they have so many tiers, and such a large number of divisions and teams in the lower tiers, so that the divisions don't get too filled with too many reserve teams. I think the USL Pro has reached its capacity for this season, and they'd have to expand further if more MLS clubs put their reserve sides here. Or they will have to continue to look at NPSL in the 4th tier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdude Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 I think the USL Pro has reached its capacity for this season, and they'd have to expand further if more MLS clubs put their reserve sides here. Or they will have to continue to look at NPSL in the 4th tier. The A-League had 29 teams at one point. I don't think that there's any maximum capacity from the same people who run the PDL. What will happen is that teams will travel less and play in their division. USL will not deny a team a place if they have the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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