Tristan Borges

[Dominic94]

Also the league is depending on transfer fees, they’re embracing selling. If a couple of clubs can make even a small amount in year 1 that’s a hugeness success and only helps the league going forward. 

[king1010]

2 hours ago, Dominic94 said:

Also the league is depending on transfer fees, they’re embracing selling. If a couple of clubs can make even a small amount in year 1 that’s a hugeness success and only helps the league going forward. 

May entice more potential owners with deep pockets to join if they can see they can break even or even make a small profit. 

[Bikerack]

What’s happening to Borges right now is what I personally wanted out of the CPL

kid goes to Europe , didn’t work out and ended up playing league one youth ball back home . Instead of getting lost, he landed in our professional league and now if being rumoured to play over seas again

can’t wait to hear many more stories like this for years to come!!

[CanadaFan123]

41 minutes ago, Bikerack said:

What’s happening to Borges right now is what I personally wanted out of the CPL

kid goes to Europe , didn’t work out and ended up playing league one youth ball back home . Instead of getting lost, he landed in our professional league and now if being rumoured to play over seas again

can’t wait to hear many more stories like this for years to come!!

Bobby Smyrniotis said something along the lines of "football being all about perspective".  CPL creates a new avenue where teams see it and think "Canadian first division" ... your mind logically moves to the CMNT and you assume that the next level of talent will come from this first division.  Never mind that all of these guys could be had for next to nothing just a year ago, suddenly they seem like attractive professionals.  We have major talents like David and Davies come through.. everyone wants a piece and a 20 year old tearing up the league seems like he could be the guy (whether right or wrong).  We really are brewing the perfect storm here in Canada, it's unbelievable.  Free from the constraints of a league like MLS... if we have a Pulisic or Mckennie they can play pro football at home before leaving.

Trust me, people have no clue about North American football.. even MLS.  I lived in England and I had multiple people ask me what football club my Blue Jays hat was.  People had heard of TFC and thought the Blue Jays were their local derby.  

[Stryker911]

Wasnt there a post on another board referring to a Belgium club sending a scout to Canada due to David's success? 

[Reign]

18 hours ago, Stryker911 said:

Wasnt there a post on another board referring to a Belgium club sending a scout to Canada due to David's success? 

I think Gent asked David’s agent to keep an eye on talent for them. I mite be wrong tho. 

[Jith12]

30 minutes ago, Reign said:

I think Gent asked David’s agent to keep an eye on talent for them. I mite be wrong tho. 

That's correct. David's agency is Axia Sports Management. This just so happens to be the same agency that Borges and Cyle Larin are with. Given that all of those three are either now in Belgium or are heavily linked with Belgium, it seems like that particular agency has alot to do with it. Both the Choiniere brothers and Shamit Shome are also with that agency, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are the next players to be linked with Belgium.

[apbsmith]

100000000000000 % okay with our young guys going to continue their development in the domestic league of the #1 ranked FIFA country in the world.

Good on Axia Sports Management, hope they keep it up!

Edited July 26, 2019 by apbsmith

[deschamp86]

On 7/25/2019 at 10:20 AM, Jith12 said:

That's correct. David's agency is Axia Sports Management. This just so happens to be the same agency that Borges and Cyle Larin are with. Given that all of those three are either now in Belgium or are heavily linked with Belgium, it seems like that particular agency has alot to do with it. Both the Choiniere brothers and Shamit Shome are also with that agency, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are the next players to be linked with Belgium.

Appears that a good amount of Sigma/Forge players are also with them, so I imagine they have some preexisting relationship with Sigma

[finchster]

On 7/24/2019 at 9:04 PM, Bikerack said:

What’s happening to Borges right now is what I personally wanted out of the CPL

kid goes to Europe , didn’t work out and ended up playing league one youth ball back home . Instead of getting lost, he landed in our professional league and now if being rumoured to play over seas again

can’t wait to hear many more stories like this for years to come!!

One of Canada's biggest problem was our players had no where to play. 10 Years ago Borges might just simply retire

[Bison44]

11 hours ago, finchster said:

One of Canada's biggest problem was our players had no where to play. 10 Years ago Borges might just simply retire

Paul Hamilton, Saiko, Alderson just off the top of my head.  All 3 are still young enough that they could have been in this league.  

[shamrock]

On 7/27/2019 at 8:29 AM, finchster said:

One of Canada's biggest problem was our players had no where to play. 10 Years ago Borges might just simply retire

Well true, but that's not to say we won't see dropouts anymore. If a guy gives it a gp for a couple of years, without achieving a big goal or making a lot of progress, he might contemplate about his future. Like Eddy Edwards for instance, he could have been playing RB in USL til 34, but he was like been there done that and I can't blame him. 

[narduch]

There is still talk of some L1 Ontario players not making the jump to CPL because the pay is too low.

So we still have a long way to go.

[Ansem]

40 minutes ago, narduch said:

There is still talk of some L1 Ontario players not making the jump to CPL because the pay is too low.

and they'd rather make less by staying in L1O? I don't follow...

Edited August 7, 2019 by Ansem

[narduch]

5 minutes ago, Ansem said:

and they'd rather make less by staying in L1O? I don't follow...

My guess is they can stay close to home and work another job or stay in school.

[BCM]

2 hours ago, narduch said:

There is still talk of some L1 Ontario players not making the jump to CPL because the pay is too low.

So we still have a long way to go.

That's always going to be the case with soccer in North America, even at MLS level.

[CanadaFan123]

3 minutes ago, BCM said:

That's always going to be the case with soccer in North America, even at MLS level.

Not just soccer, all sports.  If you don't make a major league it's a long drop in pay.

Ultimately, you have to want it and you have to want to sacrifice to make it.  Every year hundreds of kids in Canada from the ages of 16-21 sacrifice their NCAA eligibility, move away from home and make nothing playing Major Junior Hockey - all for the hope to maybe one day make it... and most don't.

Being at this level is a grind to get to the next level.  If you're not ready/committed 100% then you should look at other options.

[Reign]

7 minutes ago, BCM said:

That's always going to be the case with soccer in North America, even at MLS level.

I don’t believe this. My understanding is the minimum for a regular mls player is 70K salary in 2019. 24 and younger he minimum is 56k. They are consistently rising. Keep in mind the cost of living is cheaper in the USA on average then it is Canada. Then of course these are minimum wages for players who are most likely prospects, bench warmers, etc.... which means they are borderline pros or they should see their wage increase as they develop. I don’t think a MLS wage would be turned down by many semi pro players. 

[Cheeta]

2 hours ago, Ansem said:

and they'd rather make less by staying in L1O? I don't follow...

I'd say those fellows are probably exactly at the level where they belong.

Don't mean for that to sound harsh.  They have to chart the course that's right for them.

[deschamp86]

54 minutes ago, Reign said:

I don’t believe this. My understanding is the minimum for a regular mls player is 70K salary in 2019. 24 and younger he minimum is 56k. They are consistently rising. Keep in mind the cost of living is cheaper in the USA on average then it is Canada. Then of course these are minimum wages for players who are most likely prospects, bench warmers, etc.... which means they are borderline pros or they should see their wage increase as they develop. I don’t think a MLS wage would be turned down by many semi pro players. 

When TFC first started in 2007 then minimum was I think about $13,000. Even a few years ago it was less than $50,000. It has come a long way since

[BCM]

12 hours ago, Reign said:

I don’t believe this. My understanding is the minimum for a regular mls player is 70K salary in 2019. 24 and younger he minimum is 56k. They are consistently rising. Keep in mind the cost of living is cheaper in the USA on average then it is Canada. Then of course these are minimum wages for players who are most likely prospects, bench warmers, etc.... which means they are borderline pros or they should see their wage increase as they develop. I don’t think a MLS wage would be turned down by many semi pro players. 

Just a few years ago the developmental contract was around $12,500. Minimum salary was terrible and now it's just decent (try living on it in NYC). Investment banks pay much more, and young managerial schemes pay on par - longer shelf life. Every year you have MLS players that walk away to do something else, for more money.

Chicago Fire lost a damn good player at the end of last year, Brandon Vincent at age 24, who walked away to do something else. Fire lost Christian Dean to retirement at age 25 too, who wasn't a rising star but should have been heading in the prime of his career. TFCs general manager Ali Curtis was one too, who left for an investment banking career.

You don't see MLB or NHL players just up and leave at 24 and 25 years old, but happens every single year to MLS teams.

[Reign]

34 minutes ago, BCM said:

Just a few years ago the developmental contract was around $12,500. Minimum salary was terrible and now it's just decent (try living on it in NYC). Investment banks pay much more, and young managerial schemes pay on par - longer shelf life. Every year you have MLS players that walk away to do something else, for more money.

Chicago Fire lost a damn good player at the end of last year, Brandon Vincent at age 24, who walked away to do something else. Fire lost Christian Dean to retirement at age 25 too, who wasn't a rising star but should have been heading in the prime of his career. TFCs general manager Ali Curtis was one too, who left for an investment banking career.

You don't see MLB or NHL players just up and leave at 24 and 25 years old, but happens every single year to MLS teams.

Careers such as investment banking are very lucrative. However they are not the norm, not just any semi/pro footballer can step into a career like that. Also it can’t always be all about the money. If a person values their high salary office job more then chasing their soccer career that is their choice.

Also comparing NHL/MLB to MLS isn’t fair to the MLS. I’m not going to do all the homework to find out all the numbers but I know too NHL franchises generate around the 200M revenue per year, and are valued around 750m-1.5B! Atlanta is the highest valued MLS club at 350M and generated 45M last year. MLS doesn’t have the money to spend like NHL/MLB franchises have yet.

 

Just to clarify, I absolutely want to see the baseline salaries continue to increase in North American soccer. However to expect them to be at the same level as more popular sports and more established leagues at this point is just unrealistic.

[BCM]

2 hours ago, Reign said:

Careers such as investment banking are very lucrative. However they are not the norm, not just any semi/pro footballer can step into a career like that. Also it can’t always be all about the money. If a person values their high salary office job more then chasing their soccer career that is their choice.

Also comparing NHL/MLB to MLS isn’t fair to the MLS. I’m not going to do all the homework to find out all the numbers but I know too NHL franchises generate around the 200M revenue per year, and are valued around 750m-1.5B! Atlanta is the highest valued MLS club at 350M and generated 45M last year. MLS doesn’t have the money to spend like NHL/MLB franchises have yet.

 

Just to clarify, I absolutely want to see the baseline salaries continue to increase in North American soccer. However to expect them to be at the same level as more popular sports and more established leagues at this point is just unrealistic.

We're coming at this from different angles. What I said is that salaries are lower in soccer - even at the top tier. So players and would-be players opt out. So my point, to which you seem to agree, is this just doesn't happen in the top leagues of the other sports because revenue and salaries are so much higher. That was the point of the comparison!

We also likely agree that minimum salaries will only increase as revenue does - and it's heading in the right direction. But this brings me back to the original point -- it's not just players opting out of CPL but also USL and MLS. We're just not at the level that a minimum salary has mid-level six digits. So some guys may value the stability of a full time job at home, rather than living a "dorm room" style life with several teammates, struggling to get by away from home -- with the constant worry of getting cut or traded without notice.

Edited August 8, 2019 by BCM

[Dominic94]

No reason why every MLS club can’t pay players minimum 100k each regardless.

Every team can afford a DP or a TAM level player. 

[deschamp86]

2 hours ago, Dominic94 said:

No reason why every MLS club can’t pay players minimum 100k each regardless.

Every team can afford a DP or a TAM level player. 

Would be better if they just scrapped the DP and TAM rules and raised the salary cap