Tuscan Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Yes this is looking past Belize. I do think we'll beat them. Lots of talk in the WCQ draw topic about where the winter home legs should be played. Some stating Fort Mac as they believe it would be a totally pro-Canadian crowd. Some hope a stadium magically gets built in Iqaluit so we can actually watch Honduran and Salvadoran men freeze to death in front of us. Some want to see if King George V is still a usable option. I think we all want the CSA to finally do something to take advantage of our climate the same way CA countries take advantage of their sweltering heat and humidity against us. I've also heard some comment that playing in the cold isn't nearly as awful as playing in the heat, and I back that statement too. My personal choices would be Winnipeg, Ottawa, or Hamilton. I think those three cities would come out to see the games, be a pro-Canadian crowd, and hopefully keep away support minimal. BMO will be undergoing renovations and isn't usable. As far as I understand Stade Saputo wouldn't be usable yet. I despise BC Place because I think it's a lifeless cavern, and don't want to see games played there (sorry BC folk). Edmonton seems to be a place we can get good results but I don't know, I think away support always outnumbers us there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul-collins Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I'd drop Hamilton from your list; too close to Buffalo airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theaub Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I remain unconvinced as to how many Hondurans are going to want to travel to Canada in mid-November to watch a team that just crashed out at the Gold Cup. Feel like too many people have '08 stuck in their minds when the fact is that they had like...1K fans at BMO in 2012? It will be a Friday instead of a Tuesday (assuming Wiki is correct this time) so there might be a bit of a bump but yeah... I like Winnipeg of those options - I want somewhere cold. Feel like it will be Ottawa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob.notenboom Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Cavernous or not, BC Place and Vancouver deserves one of these games. It's about time they get one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Cavernous or not, BC Place and Vancouver deserves one of these games. It's about time they get one. I would rather win then BC get what they "deserve" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Hombre Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Ottawa has shown that they will come out for major tournaments with the 2007 WYC and the WWC. Attendance for those was pretty impressive. However unless you really think about it, this might give false hope to the organizers that they'd get a pro-Canada crowd. I have my doubts that Ottawa will come out for a one-off Canada game (regardless of the importance of the game to people like us that actually know what's going on) because the general consensus is that "Canada sucks at soccer". Even if they do come out, they will generally be pretty quiet, I would think, other than the Bytown Boys/SMR guys. And then thirdly, the game will be at Lansdowne which holds 24,000 which provides ample opportunity for visiting fans to show up and set up shop. On the plus side, we will have had at least one snowfall by November and consistent single digit temperatures and this past March we still had two or three feet of snow on the ground. Edit: also Wikipedia lists the following regions with the largest Honduran populations: New York City, Northern New Jersey, New Orleans, South Florida, Houston, Northern Virginia, North Carolina, Southern California. Based on that information, I would go somewhere west of Ontario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazlo_80 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I would rather win then BC get what they "deserve" I think the idea is that the deserving BC would award the Canadian team with a big crowd, thus improving out chances of winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrennanFan Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Vancouver deserves nothing. No city is entitled to any game. We have a handful of key players in Europe and jetlag is a real detrimental factor that we can and should minimize whenever possible. Average temperature in Winnipeg in Nov is -2 to -10 (others will have more info on this than me). Cold enough to be a shock to the system of any human being who has not felt those temps before, but nothing our boys haven't felt before many times. I think the temperature factor is worth trying again. It has worked before. Ottawa November +5 to -4 March +3 to -10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Someone mentioned winnipeg can be minus 20 and several feet of snow those times of year. Would a game be unplayable or uncomfortable? Because if it's the latter, we really should push for a game there. I also believe Fort Mac should be seriously considered. If the stadium holds 15,000 and we can determine the conditions will allow for it, I believe we'll maxamize our climate and pro crowd advantages, while that capacity will be more than sufficent size. My third choice would be moncton if that stadium is still available. It's close to the NE USA but I think it's better than Montreal, since that's even closer and you have to contend with many more domestic away fans. Ottawa should be a no-go zone for those same reasons. Lower Mainland is too close to Seattle, Calgary doesn't have a suitable stadium and Edmontown would run the risk of away support. Especially against Mexico. At the same time, I don't see Mexican support driving 5 hours north ir flying to Fort Mac, but just in case i'd play Honduras or ES up there instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king1010 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 @24thminute: @DanielSquizzato I've heard Ottawa will host the fall qualifier...players on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob.notenboom Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I would rather win then BC get what they "deserve" I think an argument can be made that Vancouver would give us a solid home advantage against El Salvador (assuming they make it) or Honduras and therefore it at least somewhat serves both purposes. I realize jetlag/artificial turf may be problems but for one game I think players could manage esp considering they might play an away leg in CA first. That would mitigate much of the jetlag. However taking the long view, it's high time these games get played in other stadia. This certainly includes Hamilton and Ottawa. Having been in both I was impressed with both the facility and the fan support. But for me, engaging Canadians in the national teams will always mean engaging all Canadians in all regions. Legitimate concerns recognized, but it's time an important game came out West and Vancouver is the best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theaub Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 We're playing El Salvador in September '16, which is a 1000000000% lock to be at BMO especially if that match is win/draw and in. I don't mind Honduras in Vancouver. Would prefer it in Winnipeg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gator Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I would like to see the matches in Hamilton and not just for selfish reasons, the players would fly in to Toronto as per usual, THF has proven to be a decent soccer venue and the crowds have been pro Canadian and boisterous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 At the risk of causing a regional shit storm, I feel compelled to challenge those that think Vancouver would give us a solid home advantage over El Salvador or Honduras. A quick check of the Seattle demographics shows there are 12,000 Salvadorians in the city alone (excluding the metro of 3.5 million). Even if we say a 1/3 are soccer fans and half of that are willing to travel, that's still 1,500 people. Certainly a sizable number. Like I have said over and over again, this concept of spreading games in the name of exposure or fairness does not serve our interests. Our interests (at least i'd like to believe) are to win at all costs (legally of course) and the only thing that will ensure fan support is winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazlo_80 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 At the risk of causing a regional shit storm, I feel compelled to challenge those that think Vancouver would give us a solid home advantage over El Salvador or Honduras. A quick check of the Seattle demographics shows there are 12,000 Salvadorians in the city alone (excluding the metro of 3.5 million). Even if we say a 1/3 are soccer fans and half of that are willing to travel, that's still 1,500 people. Certainly a sizable number. Like I have said over and over again, this concept of spreading games in the name of exposure or fairness does not serve our interests. Our interests (at least i'd like to believe) are to win at all costs (legally of course) and the only thing that will ensure fan support is winning. I disagree slightly with your last point. While winning will certainly ensure fan support I don't think all markets are going to give you the same baseline support. I think there could be markets you could get a better turn out from than Toronto. I agree spreading games around for "fairness" is ridiculous, but if there are markets you could get better crowd support then why not? Especially if it's not a travel burden for players. Ottawa, Hamilton and Montreal are all similar distances for a euro based player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steedman Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Someone mentioned winnipeg can be minus 20 and several feet of snow those times of year. Would a game be unplayable or uncomfortable? Because if it's the latter, we really should push for a game there. I also believe Fort Mac should be seriously considered. If the stadium holds 15,000 and we can determine the conditions will allow for it, I believe we'll maxamize our climate and pro crowd advantages, while that capacity will be more than sufficent size. My third choice would be moncton if that stadium is still available. It's close to the NE USA but I think it's better than Montreal, since that's even closer and you have to contend with many more domestic away fans. Ottawa should be a no-go zone for those same reasons. Lower Mainland is too close to Seattle, Calgary doesn't have a suitable stadium and Edmontown would run the risk of away support. Especially against Mexico. At the same time, I don't see Mexican support driving 5 hours north ir flying to Fort Mac, but just in case i'd play Honduras or ES up there instead. As a Fort McMurray resident, I love this kind of talk, but November is a crapshoot when it comes to weather. Also the stadium was only 15,000 with temporary stands in place. This town does have the money to make something wonderful happen. Speaking of temporary stands, Vancouver in November would work to our advantage if Swangard Stadium had temporary stands in place. Don't know if any Honduran would enjoy playing soccer in +4, with rain and wind. The fans will be fine with rain coats and draft beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest Cockney Rip Off Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 We're playing El Salvador in September '16, which is a 1000000000% lock to be at BMO especially if that match is win/draw and in. I don't mind Honduras in Vancouver. Would prefer it in Winnipeg. Hope we are still alive at this point. I am thinking of planning my next trip to Canada around these fixtures. Might even do the away match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boominbooty Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Victoria -- Cool temperatures but not freezing. Centennial Stadium is a decent pitch and temporary stands can be brought in. Hosted Rangers last year and FIFA events previously. Would be a very strong home crowd I imagine.More difficult to get to Vic than Van from Seattle.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king1010 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 If we're playing the games in march and november id rather avoid BC. Thats our most temperate province. We should be using the weather to our advantage. Not playing in the mildest location in the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pint Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 If what I saw in the other thread is correct, I fail to see how a Nov 13th game wouldn't be doable at bmo. March for sure is out but tfc should at least be planning on having the building available at that time. For strictly selfish reasons if the games can't be done at bmo I would hope the 1st game is on the east coast and 2nd on the west as I should have more $$ and time off by March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king1010 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 If what I saw in the other thread is correct, I fail to see how a Nov 13th game wouldn't be doable at bmo. March for sure is out but tfc should at least be planning on having the building available at that time. For strictly selfish reasons if the games can't be done at bmo I would hope the 1st game is on the east coast and 2nd on the west as I should have more $$ and time off by March. Word is MLSE won't guarantee the CSA the date. The stadium being available is only contingent on if TFC is still playing in the playoffs. As soon as they get knocked out, construction starts. The CSA needs to know well in advance if the stadium will be available, they can't hope that TFC makes it deep enough to keep the construction from happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 When was the last time we played outdoors in March? November has been done but I feel like March would be worse weather as the field been frozen all winter and will still be. Wherever it is I hope it's outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theaub Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I mean if it is Mexico and CSA wants to make money, Rogers Centre is a viable choice especially on a Friday night. Unless the Jays want to install a dirt infield for 2016 now that the Argos are gone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soro17 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 It is actually easier to get to Vic than Van from Seattle. There is a direct ferry from downtown to downtown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Yeah, better not play in Van, we'll be too immersed in Concacaf Champions and MLS playoffs to care about Canada. And such shitty support for the women, don't want that to happen for the men. I vote for Moncton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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