CPL new teams speculation

[Viruk42]

5 minutes ago, BuzzAndSting said:

Not exactly. I’m not in an MLS market but I bought gear for every Canadian team, watched almost all of their games and travelled for live matches. I didn’t do any of that last season and instead spent all of my money and effort on CPL related stuff. It’s not much but I’m sure there’s a lot of people like me out there.

Roughly same here. I'm in Ottawa, I watched almost every CPL game on onesoccer, went to Hamilton to see two live (including the opener), and bought a Wanderers kit. I was also planning to go to Halifax for a pair of games this summer, though I'm reconsidering in light of Ottawa potentially having a team.

Meanwhile I didn't go to any MLS games, unlike past years where I'd try to make it to one or two. In fact, I didn't watch a single MLS game all season, unlike past years when I watched semi-regularly.

[CanSuffer]

8 minutes ago, BuzzAndSting said:

 It’s not much but I’m sure there’s a lot of people like me out there.

MLS has almost, but not quite entirely,  dropped off the face of the earth for me too. TFC replaced by York9

 

[dyslexic nam]

1 hour ago, BuzzAndSting said:

Not exactly. I’m not in an MLS market but I bought gear for every Canadian team, watched almost all of their games and travelled for live matches. I didn’t do any of that last season and instead spent all of my money and effort on CPL related stuff. It’s not much but I’m sure there’s a lot of people like me out there.

100% the same as me.  

[Bison44]

3 hours ago, BuzzAndSting said:

Not exactly. I’m not in an MLS market but I bought gear for every Canadian team, watched almost all of their games and travelled for live matches. I didn’t do any of that last season and instead spent all of my money and effort on CPL related stuff. It’s not much but I’m sure there’s a lot of people like me out there.

MLS on TSN is like crack for me.  I cant give it up and since the wife wont let me watch footy all day, usually catch whoever is likely to play the most CDN.  And then try and catch bits and pieces of the other games.  But my TFC gear has all been replaced by Valour and I actually got to catch 2 live games with my son, and missed a third with a family emergency..but they got their money out of me.  

[Watchmen]

14 hours ago, BuzzAndSting said:

How many went to Ottawa? 3? So that would be 4 of 7 or more than 50%. Doesn’t really seem like there’s an issue.

Between TFC and Montreal, 6 players were loaned to Ottawa.  So 6 to Ottawa and 4 to all of the CPL.

[youllneverwalkalone]

I'm in an MLS market, but dropped the Caps for Pacific and let them know several times as they tried to bring me back that Caps to CPL would do be the only thing to do it. I realize that I'm being a zealot but the CPL has to survive. If I'm dropping a couple grand a year on soccer it has to be CPL. The only match I saw at BC Place last year was Cavalry.

 

[BuzzAndSting]

19 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

Between TFC and Montreal, 6 players were loaned to Ottawa.  So 6 to Ottawa and 4 to all of the CPL.

So 40% of all loans? Still doesn’t seem like an issue.

[Winnipeg Fury]

13 hours ago, Bison44 said:

MLS on TSN is like crack for me.  I cant give it up and since the wife wont let me watch footy all day, usually catch whoever is likely to play the most CDN.  

We have a clinic in Winnipeg for this scourge of an ailment.  

[Watchmen]

3 hours ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

I'm in an MLS market, but dropped the Caps for Pacific and let them know several times as they tried to bring me back that Caps to CPL would do be the only thing to do it. I realize that I'm being a zealot but the CPL has to survive. If I'm dropping a couple grand a year on soccer it has to be CPL. The only match I saw at BC Place last year was Cavalry.

 

Caps to the CPL would cause me to drop my season tickets.  I want the Whitecaps playing in the best league available to them, which is MLS.  Based on the Whitecaps attendance jump when the moved to MLS, I'm not alone in this.  And I had season tickets with them prior to their move.

[JamboAl]

As long as the MLS is a better quality league, I agree that the three teams should stay there.  This is not a question of CPL or MLS, this is better for the CMNT, and to me that is what this is all about.  Let’s circle back in 10-20 years and see where we at.

The CPL should be there to get kids who would otherwise not have a professional setting to play that opportunity - and to move to the next level.  

[youllneverwalkalone]

39 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

Based on the Whitecaps attendance jump when the moved to MLS, I'm not alone in this.  And I had season tickets with them prior to their move.

I think you might want to compare the relative size of Swangard and BC Place before dropping the mic on that one.

I'm not advocating the Caps move to CPL, I'm just choosing to spend my dollars in support of our league. MLS does not appeal to me in any way now that I have an alternative.

[SthMelbRed]

18 minutes ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

I think you might want to compare the relative size of Swangard and BC Place before dropping the mic on that one.

I'm not advocating the Caps move to CPL, I'm just choosing to spend my dollars in support of our league. MLS does not appeal to me in any way now that I have an alternative.

Que?

Are you suggesting that there were 10,000 wanting to attend 'Caps matches in the A League/USL/NASL days who couldn't get in due to the lower capacity? 

[youllneverwalkalone]

I had season tickets in USL and there we multiple sellouts.

[youllneverwalkalone]

Many of them Toronto and Montreal.

[SthMelbRed]

I was at nearly every home match from '88 through 2001, and again in '04 and '05. After the initial boom in the CSL dynasty days, when they'd regularly pull 7k plus, standing room-only crowds, they rarely sold out, even when Seattle, Portland, Toronto, or Montreal were in town. Even when they did sell out, there were never massive numbers being shut out. In my recollection, the biggest crowds during this period were the SJ friendly, when Beardsley came back, and the first Voyageurs Cup match against TFC, when the 'Caps won 2-nil.

Nobody can argue the cold, hard fact that attendance more than quadrupled overnight once the Whitecaps jumped to MLS.

[youllneverwalkalone]

I'm not trying to argue that MLS wasn't a higher level than USL. I know that season ticket holders jumped. Toronto, Seattle and Portland were also in MLS at that time. I'm simply pointing out that you can't compare attendance in a 5,000 seater in Burnaby to a 50,000 seater in downtown Vancouver.

If Montreal and Toronto moved to the CPL with the Caps, and Vancouver simultaneously moved into a downtown soccer specific stadium -hell even a proper stadium in East Van- I don't think they'd have any trouble retaining 10,000 season ticket holders and drawing an average of 15k or so.

If you would give up your tickets for that, I don't think you're alive, much less a Canadian soccer fan.

[youllneverwalkalone]

Half the people in the Southside don't know MLS from MLB.

[SthMelbRed]

1 minute ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

Half the people in the Southside don't know MLS from MLB.

In my experience, half the people in the Southside don't know a football from their asshole.

[Unnamed Trialist]

46 minutes ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

Half the people in the Southside don't know MLS from MLB.

And the other half 🙄🤣🤣

Edited January 25, 2020 by Unnamed Trialist

[Watchmen]

2 hours ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

If Montreal and Toronto moved to the CPL with the Caps, and Vancouver simultaneously moved into a downtown soccer specific stadium -hell even a proper stadium in East Van- I don't think they'd have any trouble retaining 10,000 season ticket holders and drawing an average of 15k or so.

I 100% think they would have major trouble retaining 10k season tickets and drawing an average of 15k.  Your best comparable here is the CFL.  Your 3 weakest markets in the CFL are in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.  

[youllneverwalkalone]

MLS not NFL. Not even XFL.

[Shway]

On 1/24/2020 at 8:38 PM, Cblake said:

I am not sure if that is the case because to really have a shot a drawing fans away from the big 3 will mean having teams directly in those markets. Soccer for most in this country is an in stadium experience thus going to games. MLS has not typically done well on tv in this country and the CPL growth is limited by the fact that they are on a paid streaming service. I do not see some big head to head thing going on between the two leagues. The levels are quite different but there is nothing wrong with that considering the economic differences and objectives. Even considering all this, I am 110% sure someone will think they can find success with a Toronto proper CPL team playing out of Lamport or something like that. Who knows if that can be successful, that is a question for a different day. 

I'm in a MLS market, and have been a neutral in following the league. Due to this, my interest in TFC has waned a little but it hasnt left a void for me to be a "supporter" of York9. I went to more York9 games then I did TFC just of the sheer fact of watching the Canadian product. I support the CPL. 

I was born in Toronto, raised and played youth soccer in Markham to Vaughn, grew up in Durham. 

For me, a team that has Toronto in the name markets to the entire Greater Toronto Area, vs solely York Region. A lot of people who live in cities outside of Toronto, consider themselves as being "from Toronto". 

That being said, I think the CPL model is definitely beneficial for a Toronto franchise to be successful. The investment just needs to be seriously right! Regardless of the levels being different, the league is different, the infrastructure is different. 

My dream is that a foreign investor like city football group setting up a team in Toronto at Lamport. The opportunity is so great! 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

The main reason investors became interested in the concept of CanPL is because of the success of the three MLS teams and the obvious niche in the market for more pro teams that the CSA was insisting had to be filled with a domestic pro league.

People who see it as either/or rather than as all the boats in the water rise with an incoming tide have a negative zero sum game mindset. No need to choose because soccer has huge growth potential in Canada in the decades ahead and both can do well as CanPL seem to be actively emulating a lot of what MLS got right in terms of their business model.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Macksam]

14 hours ago, SthMelbRed said:

Que?

Are you suggesting that there were 10,000 wanting to attend 'Caps matches in the A League/USL/NASL days who couldn't get in due to the lower capacity? 

You must not remember your history. The Caps had 10,000 season ticket deposits for the Waterfront stadium proposal, and this was before any move to MLS was considered. 

On 1/24/2020 at 7:46 PM, Cblake said:

Why is it ok for big Euro sides to place teams in the CPL but not MLS one like Toronto. It does seem somewhat hypocritical. 

It is hypocritical, but you can be hypocritical when it comes to  making business decisions. 😃

[SthMelbRed]

1 hour ago, Macksam said:

You must not remember your history. The Caps had 10,000 season ticket deposits for the Waterfront stadium proposal, and this was before any move to MLS was considered. 

 

That's the kind of statement that can be made before anybody actually has to substantiate it with actual ticket sales that result in actual warm bodies in attendance at a match.