Match Thread: November 2, 2019 - Cavalry FC v Forge FC - Finals - 2nd Leg

[dyslexic nam]

Congrats to Forge. Enjoy the illustrious coaster.  

[Cheeta]

What is that, three straight losses to Forge for Cavalry?

Rue the day you missed those free headers in the box.  Rue-the-day.  That's football.

Well done, Calgary.  At the beginning of the year if you told me that this is what that team would bring to the league I would have laughed you off but they've made it work on and off the pitch.  

[Macksam]

My take away from this season:

• I have seen enough, especially now with this final, to say this league is here to stay
• The refereeing definitely needs some work....
• Ozzie does have a point when it comes to expanding the playoffs....not saying we need to keep it long-term but the league has to be structurally fluid, in the sense where every season needs to be fine tuned and adjusted until the CPL reaches a point of critical masse where perhaps pro/rel can occur

Edited November 2, 2019 by Macksam

[PaulV]

1 minute ago, dyslexic nam said:

Congrats to Forge. Enjoy the illustrious coaster.  

Love it. I hope this sticks.

Congrats to Hamilton!

[Ams1984]

I found this final to be pretty unsatisfying. Maybe it’s because I just don’t like the format. I’m not a fan of the spring/fall split, and as a non-Calgary, non-Hamilton fan, the final few weeks of the season were pretty uninteresting. As much as I was against it at first, I think a four team playoff would’ve kept the season interesting right to the last day. Also, the final should be a one game thing. All in all, this is an anti climax for me. 

[baulderdash77]

1 minute ago, Lofty said:

Borges in the stands celebrating with the travelling fans. Awesome!

I see him cheering with Maurader our there

[Macksam]

3 minutes ago, Ams1984 said:

I found this final to be pretty unsatisfying. Maybe it’s because I just don’t like the format. I’m not a fan of the spring/fall split, and as a non-Calgary, non-Hamilton fan, the final few weeks of the season were pretty uninteresting. As much as I was against it at first, I think a four team playoff would’ve kept the season interesting right to the last day. Also, the final should be a one game thing. All in all, this is an anti climax for me. 

I agree, next season four team playoffs (home and away) with a one off final going to the team with the highest points. 

I disagree with the unsatisfying part though, I found the last ten minutes as captivating as any Champion's League tie I have ever seen. 

Edited November 2, 2019 by Macksam

[baulderdash77]

A great cap to a great season.  I’m super glad obviously that Hamilton won of course.

Cavalry had their chances to win the game but missed their headers.  I think they took their foot off the gas a bit at the end of the season.
 

Forge should enjoy this while they can.  You never know when the next championship will come.

This was an awesome time for us to watch at home.

[Cheeta]

I'll give them that.  Edgar had a hell of a match.   Thought Borges did well to. 

[baulderdash77]

David Edgar was the Man of the Match.  He really did play a great game today.

[Stanley]

12 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

Congrats to Forge. Enjoy the illustrious coaster.  

The frosted frisbee.

[Cheeta]

Tough crowd...

[Cheeta]

LOl.  Gawd bless, Bob Young. 

[Macksam]

Just now, Lofty said:

Cavalry, classy as always, take off their medals.

Lofty come on now...

[Cheeta]

Alas,  if I could wish for one thing in that match that was missing it would have been thick, heavy, flurries.  

So thick you could just barely make out the grandstand.  For the last 20 minutes or so anyway.  

Maybe next year at IGF.

[Ivanovski94]

15 minutes ago, Lofty said:

Cavalry, classy as always, take off their medals.

oh piss off

[Ivanovski94]

You're a real loser @Lofty, pretty clear foul in favour of Cavs. Forge defended brilliantly though.

Edited November 2, 2019 by Ivanovski94

[toontownman]

Best team over two legs won. No doubt there. Shame the best team over two seasons lost. 

That's why I dont like these type of playoff finishes but I can also understand people like the drama too. One man's trash is another's treasure and all that..

I dont entirely hate this final format. Its logical while the league is small and a necessity with split seasons to find the best team. I'd much rather this than a top four playoff. (Unless there are 5 or more teams in the league). 

It's a sucky situation for cavalry now but potentially for teams in the future. If a team really tears away and finishes miles ahead both times and the loses in the final it's a bit silly. At the end of the day the final is the be all end all and if the best team in the league is really the best they will prove it in two extra games. Cavalry didnt, it was the final hurdle ironically they fell at the last jump at spruce meadows. 

Malonga should be joint top scorer in the league and cavalry winners. Two inexcusably wasted changes. 

Overall Canada wins, all fans win. It's been a hell of a season and hopefully it just grows from here. 

[SoccMan]

Until this league gets big even in terms of popularity then they should be doing the “ when in Rome thing”, they need to get more of the casual sports fan in order to grow this league, which means this is North America the average sports fans wants playoffs so as much as it kind of sucks in a 7 team league you have to get a four team playoff to keep fans interested longer. Maybe give the top team  a bye into the final and have the 3rd and fourth team play  each other, the winner plays the second place team and the winner of that game plays the top team in the final. Make them all one game affairs and there you go.

[red card]

44 minutes ago, Ams1984 said:

I found this final to be pretty unsatisfying. Maybe it’s because I just don’t like the format. I’m not a fan of the spring/fall split, and as a non-Calgary, non-Hamilton fan, the final few weeks of the season were pretty uninteresting. As much as I was against it at first, I think a four team playoff would’ve kept the season interesting right to the last day. Also, the final should be a one game thing. All in all, this is an anti climax for me. 

Then you just make July - Sept games quasi unmeaningful. Basically what you see in the MLS during the summer  - a lot of generic matches sapping away the passion and intensity gradually over time on the pitch and in the stands.

[dyslexic nam]

All Northern Shield jokes aside, I hope they made that thing tough - or at least got a backup.  The boys look like they are partying already, so one drop and that thing may be toast.  

[dyslexic nam]

And reading some of the Facebook comments from Cavalry fans you would think Trudeau scores on them...

[red card]

2 minutes ago, SoccMan said:

Until this league gets big even in terms of popularity then they should be doing the “ when in Rome thing”, they need to get more of the casual sports fan in order to grow this league, which means this is North America the average sports fans wants playoffs so as much as it kind of sucks in a 7 team league you have to get a four team playoff to keep fans interested longer. Maybe give the top team  a bye into the final and have the 3rd and fourth team play  each other, the winner plays the second place team and the winner of that game plays the top team in the final. Make them all one game affairs and there you go.

As MLS 1.0 showed, catering to casual sports fans doesn't lead to sustainable success. It's when they went back closer to how football leagues are run and catering to the harder core (like TFC first showed) that they were able to advance to MLS 2.0.

[SoccMan]

2 minutes ago, red card said:

Then you just make July - Sept games quasi unmeaningful. Basically what you see in the MLS during the summer  - a lot of generic matches sapping away the passion and intensity gradually over time on the pitch and in the stands.

No not really because as you see in many of the past seasons in MLS and even in other sports here in North America most of the time a lot of teams are fighting for a playoff spot right up to the end , so there is always something to play for.

[SoccMan]

Just now, red card said:

As MLS 1.0 showed, catering to casual sports fans doesn't lead to sustainable success. It's when they went back closer to how football leagues are run and catering to the harder core (like TFC first showed) that they were able to advance to MLS 2.0.

Come on I attended a majority of York 9 games this year and I’m a hard core soccer fan, but when I realized they would not be winning the second season as early as almost late July my interest and the interest of a couple of other people I attended games with waned drastically , and York 9 was practically giving tickets out for free in the end, if they had something still to play for there would be no need for all those giveaways fans would have stayed engaged longer because their team still had a chance at the championship.