Jump to content

2024 Voyageurs Cup


Recommended Posts

16 minutes ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Suspect there may still be a dispute behind the scenes between the CanPL and MLS entrants over this year's format.

https://truenorthfoot.ca/article?id=37

...MLS teams do not approve of this proposal

The MLS teams didn't approve this proposal. For Montreal, it's expected. It has usually been the runner-up of the past edition who would get a bye along with the champion, but the CPL wants to give the CPL champion a bye instead.

Canada Soccer is reviewing the proposal

Nothing is set yet. Nothing has been signed. Canada Soccer is still reviewing the proposal.

A draw was supposed to be held in February, but if CSA approves this proposal, there won't be one.

Then there's the whole question of whether there is going to be a broadcaster.

Cmon Montreal.. just join the CPL already 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Ansem said:

You really want the USSF to hold here. If they bend to MLS, you can bet that the Voyageurs Cup will be thrown under the bus for years to come

I'm torn on this. It really doesn't make sense for the 3 Canadian teams to back out of a tourney that is at most 3 games to a CCC spot.

But MLS doesn't always do what's best for the game in general, so who knows.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, narduch said:

I'm torn on this. It really doesn't make sense for the 3 Canadian teams to back out of a tourney that is at most 3 games to a CCC spot.

But MLS doesn't always do what's best for the game in general, so who knows.

MLS being a single entity - all franchises move as one. You can bet that the league is throwing their weight around in the CSA offices just like they currently are at the USSF.

The CSA silence makes me fear that they are asking for massive concessions on the Canadian side. The US teams having so many berths via the league cup and MLS means they don't care as much for US Open cup and their 1 berth...is it really worth winning that extra spot if it exposes them whenever USL knocks their teams off? That's one of the reasons MLS is going out of their way to de-valuate the cup by trying to put their Next Pro club or maneuvering to kill it outright

The Canadian franchises needs the V Cup way more than their US counterparts but that doesn't mean they won't try to move heaven and earth to win the cup as early as possible playing the least game possible - effectively de-valuating our domestic cup in the process

MLS is a league who views itself like the other big 4, bigger than the international bodies that regulates/represents the sport internationally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, narduch said:

So is the hold up that the 3 MLS clubs are pulling what their US brethren are doing in the US?

No.

If you believe the current rumour, it's that Montreal is simply asking for the same rules to be applied as previous years: that seeding is based on performance in the previous tournament. Nothing wrong with that.

But I suspect the internal problems at the CSA are also part of the hold up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will urge people to remember three key facts before making links with the US Open Cup:

I. There is been plenty of noise throughout the years pointing at most MLS clubs disliking the US Open Cup. Canadian clubs, on the other hand, have never shown signs of disliking the Voyageurs Cup, quite the opposite in fact. The MLS going to bat against the US Open Cup is to represent the agenda of most of their clubs. The MLS doing the same against the Voyageurs Cup would be to go against the wishes of its clubs who do participate. These are two very different propositions.

II. Since the begining of the whole US Open Cup mess we haven't heard anything from leagues, federations, clubs or media linking the Voyageurs Cup with it. At this point this purely a subject of discussion online, nothing more and this is the kind of subject where no news is inherently good news.

III. Our federation is bad at its job, especially when it come to handling difficult situations. I feel this is the one thing we can all agree on. Now they have to navigate between the CPL pushing for its proposal and MLS clubs not being happy about it. IMO the CSA having a hard time with this doesn't need more explanation then the CSA being the CSA...

Edited by phil03
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Western Clubs (3): Pacific FC, Vancouver FC, Cavalry FC,
Western Non-Hosting Clubs (2):   Valour FC, Victoria Highlanders FC
Eastern Clubs* (5): Forge FC, York United FC, Atlético Ottawa, Toronto FC, Halifax Wanderers FC 
East Semi-Pro Clubs (2): Simcoe County Rovers, CS St-Laurent 
*One club from the Eastern Clubs pot will be drawn over to the West to balance the pots, to ensure six clubs in both the East and West brackets.

 

  • The Club drawn from the East Pot into the West Group will automatically play Valour FC in the Preliminary Round (the Eastern-most Club in the West Group)

...Just call Valour an Eastern Club already

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the CSA's official notice:

https://canadasoccer.com/news/canada-soccer-announces-2024-telus-canadian-championship-format/

Some highlights:

The preliminary and quarter-final rounds will be geographical, with one eastern team going west to balance numbers.

L1 teams won't face each other in the preliminary round.

Pacific, Vancouver, and Cavalry will host the western preliminary games.  Valour will be going east.

Whitecaps and Impact get byes to the second round.

The first round is a single knock out and everything else has two legs except the final.

 

 

Edited by Kingston
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the geographical component for cost reasons and because it sets up matches that I think fans will appreciate more.

I really like the two-leg match ups from the quarter finals onward.  It is so much more fun when both sets of fans get to be involved.  A single knock out in the preliminary round seems like a good compromise between two-leg matches and keeping the number of games down.  It also means the L1 teams will likely only have to travel once.

It does say that the higher ranked team will host the preliminary round game.  This means no L1 team will host those games.  I'm not sure I like that, although they may have asked for it.  Hopefully there's something to help them with travel.

I don't know if I like or don't like the dates.  The first round extends in to May so presumably the season will be underway for all the professional teams.  Still, it ends in August.  I don't see why we can't go something like late May to September instead. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, the CSA has introduced a Canadian Championship Ranking Index.  They haven't released the exact formula but have stated it is a weighted index of the last three years' worth of results.

The L1 rankings are by league, not by specific team.

That should resolve the otherwise perpetual debate about which teams deserve byes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Stryker911 said:

Anyone see how the host of the final is determined?

From the CSA:  "Following the completion of the Preliminary and Quarter-Final Rounds, Canada Soccer will conduct a secondary draw to determine the matchups for the Semi-Final Round and determine the Host Club for the Final Match. This additional draw has been added to remove structural regionalization for the Semi-Final and Final rounds of the competition."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Kingston said:

Why is that?

They have no regular season home games until June to accommodate the installation of a new Field Turf pitch.

On the other hand, should they advance and the scheduling were to work out, what better way to open the home season than a wicket-busting matchup against an MLS team.

Edited by jonovision
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Good to see the CSA held firm on that principle.

 

7 minutes ago, Ansem said:

They did the right thing

Agreed.  And with the new Index, they won't have to make judgement calls about it anymore.

(Ironically, we should soon be at 16 teams and byes will, at least for a little while, become unnecessary anyway.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...