red card Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 7 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said: Nowhere in the world works with such broad spreads, not China, not Saudi Arabia. Of course the other pro sports don't either. The MLS has not left the NASL mentality, it is still in an infant stage. This is a MLS feature not a bug. If they wanted to be ligaMX competitive, MLS salary rules would favour spending $5 million on a player and then pay the rest of the starting 11 $1 million each. Same $15 million money spent but TFC will be a better team. But MLS priorities are about maintaining competitive balance within their league, limit advancements to increments and protect the interests of the owners. Club Linesman, baulderdash77 and Unnamed Trialist 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzie_the_parrot Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 ...and not having TFC do to MLS what the NY Cosmos did to the NASL by creating another wage inflation spiral that made the league financially unsustainable and ultimately led NASL owners in most other markets to either give up and fold their franchise or move it indoors to the MISL. Unnamed Trialist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Now official: https://www.torontofc.ca/news/toronto-fc-sign-italian-national-team-star-lorenzo-insigne LeoH037 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzie_the_parrot Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Rocco LoFranco would have approved of this concept: And legend has it he had Rocco Commisso later of NY Cosmos fame lined up as the potential I/O of a Toronto expansion franchise at one point before MLSE arrived on the scene. Suspect Belotti was plan B if things didn't work out with Insigne and Criscito is the more likely one to happen but will be interesting to see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzie_the_parrot Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Wheeler: Manning was impressed seeing Italy at the Euros. That is some scouting happening there. narduch, maccaliam, Stryker911 and 4 others 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzie_the_parrot Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 (edited) You do have to query whether Manning and the now departed Curtis understood that Pozuelo and Soteldo being natively fluent Spanish speakers was much less of a marketing plus in Canada than it would be in most large American cities. Huge celebrations by Italian national team fans in cities in southern Ontario aren't exactly a new phenomenon. I guess in the United States the Italian demographic were mainly pre-WWII arrivals ancestrally unlike in Canada so the dynamic is different there. Edited January 9, 2022 by Ozzie_the_parrot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper1917 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 https://football-italia.net/insigne-off-injured-in-first-half-of-napoli-sampdoria/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper1917 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 (edited) https://football-italia.net/insigne-off-injured-in-first-half-of-napoli-sampdoria/ ' Lorenzo Insigne has come off injured in the first half of Napoli’s Serie A clash against Sampdoria. The 30-year-old Italian winger has been the centre of attention in recent days after his move to MLS side Toronto on a free transfer at the end of the season was confirmed. He will complete this season with the Partenopei before making the move across the Atlantic. Insigne came off injured in the 29th minute of Napoli’s match against Sampdoria, seemingly struggling from a groin strain. He was replaced by Matteo Politano.' Edited January 9, 2022 by grasshopper1917 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macksam Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 (edited) On 1/5/2022 at 5:26 PM, SpursFlu said: I thought MLSE has more money than God. Does it really matter if tfc as a stand alone makes or loses money? Probably not. TFC/MLS is a long game for MLSE. 2023 is going to usher in the next stage of of Major League Soccer, hopefully the cap goes to at least $20 million, which should raise the league minimum to half a million to appease people like UT with the salary discrepancy. I can't disagree with him on that though since it creates a strange team dynamic when one guy gets paid $10,000,000 next to a guy making 2% of that. Obviously it's not as bad as it was when Beckham first came into the picture but it's still a little jarring. Edited January 10, 2022 by Macksam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpursFlu Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 2 hours ago, Macksam said: Probably not. TFC/MLS is a long game for MLSE. 2023 is going to usher in the next stage of of Major League Soccer, hopefully the cap goes to at least $20 million, which should raise the league minimum to half a million to appease people like UT with the salary discrepancy. I can't disagree with him on that though and it really creates a strange tram dynamic when one guy gets paid $10,000,000 next to a guy making 2% of that. Obviously it's not as bad as it was when Beckham first came into the picture but it's still a little jarring. Didn't I read somewhere that this giant budget increase is linked to some kind of world cup marketing strategy running up to 2026. Anyone else come across that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macksam Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) 5 minutes ago, SpursFlu said: Didn't I read somewhere that this giant budget increase is linked to some kind of world cup marketing strategy running up to 2026. Anyone else come across that? Unblock BBTB or the Parrot, whatever you know him as. He quoted some tweets from Wheeler that state just that a few posts above. Edited January 10, 2022 by Macksam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpursFlu Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) Lol thanks. I haven't blocked anyone for the record. But apparently where I read that was right here Edited January 10, 2022 by SpursFlu Macksam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingston Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 On 1/9/2022 at 2:37 AM, Ozzie_the_parrot said: As a TFC fan, I'm happy to see them making moves and hear that they have more in the works. It makes sense for a team that needs a rebuild and currently has very little going in the way of defenders. I'm always curious when I hear people link things to 2026 and the World Cup, however. Yes, there' s a reasonable expectation that the WC will boost interest in soccer in Canada and the US. Great. If you're TFC and (pre-covid) you're already basically selling out your stadium, where is your potential to capitalize on that soccer surge? It's actually fairly limited. Unnamed Trialist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metro Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 On 1/9/2022 at 8:21 AM, Unnamed Trialist said: Wheeler: Manning was impressed seeing Italy at the Euros. That is some scouting happening there. A friend and I were laughing about that saying to each other Manning scouts players like we do! 😄 narduch and Unnamed Trialist 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 On 1/9/2022 at 4:12 PM, Ozzie_the_parrot said: You do have to query whether Manning and the now departed Curtis understood that Pozuelo and Soteldo being natively fluent Spanish speakers was much less of a marketing plus in Canada than it would be in most large American cities. Huge celebrations by Italian national team fans in cities in southern Ontario aren't exactly a new phenomenon. I guess in the United States the Italian demographic were mainly pre-WWII arrivals ancestrally unlike in Canada so the dynamic is different there. Just a small point: just because you are Spanish-speaking does not mean you'd connect more with a player from Spain. Quite the contrary: an Argentine would care less about a Bolivian player and a Mexican would have no interest in a Spaniard player. It'd be like being somehow more interested in a guy from New Zealand: not. Cases like Villa are an exception because he was a premium player and WC winner, only the highest level draw interest, and then maybe a bit more because the very top are admired and perhaps a bit more so by another Spanish speaker. This is the misconception that comes from this invention of "latinos" and "la raza" in the US. I am not saying it is entirely bogus: I go to NY and speak Spanish and yes, there is a certain connection with my Chilean ride service drivers. I have a tall blond friend here from California, from Norwegian stock, and he goes back to East LA with his Spanish and he's no longer a gringo. Fine. But the marketing aspect is totally overstated. No Mexican ever went to a Sporting KC match just to watch Ilie Sánchez. BearcatSA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckgbp Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) I know Curtis has been fired... but can we fire him again? Dwyer on league minimum last year was whatever... taking away minutes from young CDNs but he was cheap. $300-350,000 for guaranteed for this season? Miracle they could offload him. Makes you wonder what else is under the hood with contracts still on the books. Edited January 10, 2022 by canuckgbp Bison44, baulderdash77, Nello and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM3/MM2/MM Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) 56 minutes ago, canuckgbp said: I Miracle they could offload him. Makes you wonder what else is under the hood with contracts still on the books. What a creative way to remove a player not needed/wanted on the roster. Edited January 10, 2022 by MM3/MM2/MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macksam Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 Any update on Insigne? It would be a dam shame if it was serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macksam Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 A decent article about his signing and the implication it has on the league. I think it's going to usher in a new era for the MLS. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sportingnews.com/ca/amp/soccer/news/lorenzo-insigne-toronto-money-aberration-dawn-new-era-mls/ybytgh8chmcw1ujkcaoqu7sjk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffian Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 (edited) Edited January 11, 2022 by Ruffian Trois Reds, Ivan, aredding77 and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM3/MM2/MM Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 (edited) With their 2nd round pick TFC drafted Canadian Luka Gavran, Goalkeeper St. John's. From Northern Tribune: https://northerntribune.ca/2022-mls-superdraft-canadians/ Luka Gavran – Goalkeeper for St. John’s University At an imposing six-foot-six, Hamilton-raised Luka Gavran got his start with GPS Academy alongside fellow draft pick Tani Oluwaseyi. His youth career saw him learn the craft in both the Hamilton Croatia and Dinamo Zagreb youth development programs, with Gavran eventually helping GPS to a Vase Cup championship in Northern Ireland during a season that also saw him named the Ontario Academy Soccer League Goalie of the Year. After riding the bench in 2018, Gavran broke into the St. John’s University first team to make 18 appearances in 2019, recording eight combined shutouts with co-goalkeeper Yan Hoffelner and preventing anything from getting past him in 10 of 18 appearances. This year saw him appear in all ten matches for the Red Storm, finishing with 0.72 goals against with Gavran making a big penalty stop against Seton Hall along the way. The 2022 MLS SuperDraft is chock full of talented goalkeepers, so if Gabran goes undrafted he’d be a solid option for Canadian Premier League sides looking for tested, young competition. Edited January 11, 2022 by MM3/MM2/MM aredding77 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingston Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 1 hour ago, MM3/MM2/MM said: With their 2nd round pick TFC drafted Canadian Luka Gavran, Goalkeeper St. John's. I'm happy to see this and I hope they sign him. TFC has yet to bring forward a young Canadian keeper. In fact, the only Canadian goalie I can think of to ever be on the team was Quillan Roberts and he never played a game for the first team. Bison44 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM3/MM2/MM Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Somehow David Monsalve managed a game with TFC, Sutton and Stamatopoulos were with the team in 2007 and that's it for Canadian keepers with TFC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 1 hour ago, MM3/MM2/MM said: Somehow David Monsalve managed a game with TFC, Sutton and Stamatopoulos were with the team in 2007 and that's it for Canadian keepers with TFC. Srdjan Djekanovic MM3/MM2/MM and nolando 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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