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Happy for Liam to be back amongst the goals. The football Kilmanock were playing was pretty dire at times. Be good for his confidence. Come back and get a reset. .... 😁

Bookmark this page if you can't watch live. I'm going to record the stream and post it here with no results. As always, I don't know if my laptop will die mid-match/upload but I'll try! I should have it up around 10pm EST, if it doesn't work and the CSA archives the match on YouTube I'll post a link here.

Most incredible part of the highlights was seeing that we found an opponent where the head coach is even shorter than Herdman.

So to summarize the last couple pages, there is no new info about a possible Ottawa team in CPL.

I'm a well known big time CSA critic/skeptic, but I'm not sure some of the language used here is warranted; "completely embarrassing," "beyond staggering," "absolutely no excuse,"... Would it be nice for the CSA to be in contact with all possible future MNT players? Yes (even though that would be a really long list). But if Scott continues his strong play, and certainly if he moves up a level, the CSA will very likely be in contact. We've seen it before when a player "comes out of left field", and I'm sure we will see it again. No need to go crazy on rageahol quite yet I think!

RSL for him.Didn't stay unattached long.

Two goals from David at 74 and 77 minutes to put his side up 3-1.

Saying you feel 0% Canadian when you were born in Canada, lived there for 16 years, play for the national team, have family who live here and you now live here and the team that just signed you did it under the context that you are a Canadian. Then you go and say you feel 0% Canadian when Canadian soccer fans already have to put up with constant disrespect from abroad but here in Canada basically on a daily basis. It's kinda feels like he's embarrassed of us. He's embarrassed of being Canadian. I'm practicing forgiveness because I think he will see the light and I'm trying to put as much positive energy out as possible but I can understand completely why this comment stings Canadians and Canadian soccer fans because make no mistake about it. Regardless of what Lucas would like to believe, he is far from being 0% Canadian

Ignore the person above making up statistics because they don't understand how math works. We're 14 points back with 2 official windows (March and June), plus an out of window (May), plus another potential out of window (July). If El Salvador does nothing in March, Herdman said Canada are looking to gain 10 points in March. A couple examples would be 2 wins over (Jamaica, Trinidad) or (Panama, Curacao). If we win those games we can beat some minnows in May and ride into June almost level with El Salvador. However, El Salvador have said they're looking to play some mid level European nations in March and if those matches are for FIFA points, we can pass them in the March window quite comfortably.

I’m not sure it really matters if the teams are called clubs or franchises... the important thing is how they feel... and to me they feel incredibly different to the corporate feel mls gives out. Having Rob Gale come out in an interview and be so honest about player contracts, and laughing at the idea FC Edmonton signs Bustos.... and then doubling down and essentially calling LBG an average player that they have a few of already.... is so different. That wouldn’t happen in MLS. It feels real. Not to mention both Gale and Bobby have come out and talked about moving players onto better leagues in the past few days instead of playing dumb and acting like they’re on par with Europe. The league is doing a good job of letting the teams sort of do their own thing while keeping the business in order... while I’d definitely like more transparency, right now things are going pretty well.

The more soccer the better, I’m a TFC season ticket holder since season one. I’ve supported every pro soccer team Toronto has ever had since the early 1970’s going to watch pro soccer with my dad as a kid. What I’ve loved about TFC and the two other MLS Canadian teams is the fact that they have been able to get big crowds to their stadiums since day one and have made all the soccer hating bastards stand up and take notice that pro soccer can draw good crowds on a consistent basis. With the arrival of the CPL no I haven’t dropped my TFC season tickets, I watch just as much MLS as before. I have added going to York9 games and also watching other CPL games via the App. A CPL team in Toronto at Lamport yes bring it on I’ll be there, but I won’t drop my TFC seasons or stop following the MLS why would I , I’m a soccer fan I love this game . Toronto is a big city done right it can support a few soccer teams . Just look at how many soccer teams are in London in the UK, I’m sure Toronto can support a CPL team right downtown along with TFC if done right.

Team for 2020 confirmed, players already being scouted, plans in place - this might just be the real deal. 🙂

Well, if Mediapro did indeed have a role in making this happen, that suggests to me that the Mediapro deal is even better than we all think it is or may be.

No stream today, but we'll get to see Friday's game and the Iceland game live on canadasoccer.com!

There is a difference between teams that have been in a significantly larger league (by budget/spending) for over a decade and a team that had literally just switched leagues two years ago. The Fury had no real long standing ties to USL and there is no real way you can justify saying that they deserved to be grandfathered in. It's also not about the potential for USL to poach other markets, it's about the fact that the team in Canada's capital should be in Canada's national league ffs. -signed someone who was born, raised, and continues to live in Ottawa (inside the greenbelt, not one of those not-really-Ottawa areas) who saw the writing on the wall when the Fury first switched to USL

I've been waiting for something like this. Kaye would kill it in Belgium. If he has a chance now is the time to go!

Yup. It was already posted! It seems like a key date has changed or rather been made clear. http://www.concacaf.com/en/world-cup-qualifying-men/article/concacaf-announces-format-for-the-2022-fifa-world-cup-confederation-qualifiers "...based on the FIFA Ranking published after the FIFA window of June 2020." According to FIFA, that date is going to be July 16th 2020. http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ This date seems very intentional as both the EURO 2020 and Copa América 2020 end on Sunday, July 12th. Those rankings would therefore include the results of both tournaments. Now, the June window for us ends on Tuesday June 9th: https://resources.fifa.com/image/upload/1653-men-s-international-match-calendar-2018-2024.pdf?cloudid=vypxfhb9frfxwu25v23z ...and that is about 5 weeks before the rankings are published. CONCACAF needs 21 days notice (by regulation) to schedule a match. FIFA needs 2 weeks notice (if I understood these documents correctly and they are up to date) https://resources.fifa.com/image/upload/regulations-governing-international-matches-2325685.pdf?cloudid=pywuivvlfl5aqvhsw2i7 Just imagine if El Salvador and Canada are within 2 points of each other after June 9th; there could be a mad scramble to find a minnow to play for points on short notice. The CSA and FESFUT desperate to schedule something and get players released...the madness!

Amazing news !!!!! Breza is an amazing GK! So excited for him! He should be the starter for the U23 team. It’s a shame they pick Pantemis all the time and guy doesn’t even play! Breza has been playing and playing well and he doesn’t get a call up! It’s a joke!

I just checked my usual Barbados fan site and they are having a furious debate over who is to blame for that last goal. Was it a bad back pass, Was the keeper backing up at the time, did he signal the fullback, or did the keeper just muck up his clearance etc etc. They are going round and round but I think the consenus is the FB is to blame and should be shunned.

But that's against 4 teams!!!! ;)

Insofar as these comments relate to the discussion of MLS-sponsored clubs in CPL vs foreign-sponsored clubs, I think these sorts of comments either misunderstand or misrepresent a lot of what is/was said about MLS. The idea that MLS clubs should be treated differently than foreign investors isn’t some veiled anti-MLS sentiment. Nor is the idea that the success of CPL will partly depend on its ability to cannibalize some support from the big 3. It simply recognizes the current environment in a business context. Prior to CPL coming online, anyone in Canada who wanted to support a Canadian footy team had 3 choices. That was borne out every time I saw a kid wearing a TFC hat or a Caps jersey - and I have seen that sort of thing, many times. And that is in PEI - about as far from a local MLS market as you can get in this country. But now, there is a buzz about HFX. It is mostly because it is the closest pro team and people can watch games - but some people are also excited about Sanoh’s signing since he lived and played here. Hell, I have tried (poorly) defending against him. That is cool as hell to me. Sure some people will support both HFX and TFC, but I am sure some have switched allegiances to the more local team. Any Canadian footy fans in HFX probably have. And that is happening across the country. It isn’t a knock on the MLS clubs or some anti-league sentiment. It is simply the way CPL’s success will work in non-MLS markets. Similarly, the idea of excluding MLS B teams isn’t an attack on that league - it is just a basic business decision that seeks to preserve and maximize the appeal of CPL to fans. That isn’t a “zero sum game” mindset - it is recognizing the reality of the challenges faced by CPL and the optimal path forward for the league.

Welcome to the club! We’re all idiots from time to time. 😄 It’s all good.

The main takeaway is clearly the lack of dynamic attackers on the field. I have little doubt that Borges would have shown more and I'm really disappointed in his lack of chances. Why is Jayden Nelson getting a run out? Let's be honest, I know people want to praise him because he's young but he's clearly not at this level yet. He's barely even played in the US 3rd division. When Davies was playing at that age it was because he belonged. Adekugbe was really poor. It's now clear why we've avoided him like the plague for other options at LB. Didic I cannot understand the hype for the life of me. He wasn't even a top 5 Canadian CB in CPL last year and he's sloppy. Now suddenly at 25 we're all pretending like he's some young prospect that is going to break into MLS... it's not happening. Good news is that the guys who I would expect to actually feature looked pretty good (Osorio, Piette).

It feels like Tabla is playing catch up, but let's keep in mind he is the same age as Bair and Schaffleburg, and younger than Tristen Borges. In his very young career he has already played 30 times for Barca B, arguably one of the best second teams in world football (and they play against men btw - so not exactly reserve football) and 25 times for Montreal in MLS. Sprinkle in a handful of Voyageur's Cup games and a few Albacate games in the Spsnish Segunda and you are looking at a young player who is still ahead of his peers in terms of experience.

I am here simply to trot out the obvious play on words for the fan groups: Athletic supporters. I'll see myself out ...

Waterman is more versatile. He can play CB/FB/CDM/CM. Could be a great depth player that can be slotted in all over the place.

Canada was drawn qualifying group B with EL Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti. Group A is USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic. I think we got a very favourable draw, still will be tough, but definitely attainable.

Except there were two other players that were far more at fault for that PK than Godinho.

I don't want City or Red Bull, but I'm quite excited to have Atletico and possibly Lyon coming in. I'm excited because they bring expertise on how to make money in football, how to develop players and how to build a lasting brand that is authentic. I'm also excited because thus far the CSB has been humble, has asked for help and Europe has answered. Unlike our neighbors to the south who think they know everything already.

I will say, I'm not fully opposed to an MLSE-owned team... I just don't want TFCII or anything like that. If it's a completely new team, that just has the same ownership group, bring it on. Same with the other two MLS teams. That being said, I don't really see that happening.

Jayden Nelson follows Rocco Romeo & Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and signs Home Grown Contract with Toronto FC

Anyone who is opposed to JDG being part of soccer in this country doesn’t know what they are talking about. He is exactly what this country needs more of.

Another interview with a FoxSports journalist based in London apparently. Nothing groundbreaking but a bit about the national team. https://foxsports1340am.com/exclusive-kaa-gent-and-canada-star-jonathan-david-anticipates-uefa-europa-league-round-of-32-showdown-against-serie-a-giants-as-roma/ "John (Herdman) as well has given me the confidence to go out and play my game since my first selection (with the Canada national team). There is nothing more rewarding then the National team coach feeling comfortable with a young player to do the job he expects. Especially playing for your nation trying to qualify for a World Cup. Being able to adapt to different positions has allowed me to help the team and allowing the coach to change my role when needed. I am very glad to be able to play for my country at the highest level and I thank the coach for his confidence."

This camp is probably very important for Chapman. Not only does he get a chance to play his way back into the Canada picture, but he also gets a head start ahead of his Inter Miami pre-season camp. I am hoping the early extra reps with Canada give him a leg up on the other midfielders who will be vying for a place in the team. It's a brand new club so Chapman really has a chance to cement a spot and grow into his potential.

I listened to the CBC podcast "Under the Influence" this week which was about sports teams marketing efforts, and spent some time on team names. The point was that it doesn't matter what people outside of a market think of the name, it really only matters what people in-market think. So, Forge means something to people in Hamilton, Valour to those in Winnipeg. Doesn't matter what any of us think outside of those markets. For Ottawa, which name will resonate with locals is what's important. A reference that maybe only locals will get. The complicating factor is the Spanish connection, which may very well go with an "import" name.

In regards to game management with the 6 available substitutions, I am a little torn on this. You expect to utilize all substitutions in a friendly but to be fair, the 2nd half unit was playing very well together and perhaps Herdman did not want to disrupt the momentum so I am not that upset with the decision. However, unfortunately the two worst players on the pitch in that better 2nd half were Ricketts & Akindele. I guess my problem is that given we were losing, we essentially only made one attacking substitution (Bair substitution not including). Bassong sub made sense and clearly Adekugbe needed to come off but Bair should have been on much sooner in my opinion. I thought the central midfield trio was good but perhaps one of the more defensive midfielders could have gave way late to a more attacking player like Chapman.

Another one for the "parrot" who preached for USL USL sold 3 players in 12 years in comparison...

We still need to lean on a core for the next game .. this is basically a WCQ and we can't rely on a bunch of debutants. Herdman subbed out his front 6 last night. This leads me to believe that we'll see guys like Piette, Osorio, Ricketts start every game based on how early they were pulled and he'll probably try to do the same thing Friday if we get a comfortable lead. The back line I could see us switching everyone but Miller and having: Morgan-Miller-Cornelius-Laryea

Haha I knew it was Godhino again man he can’t seem to do anything but give up PK’s

I always felt that CONCACAF tightening up the sanctioning of cross-border leagues had WAAAAAY more to do with trying to kill something before it breeds. Tying to head off a forseeable threat, a bigger threat, elsewhere in the region. Still feel that way. For CONCACAF, CPL was a convienent answer to closing out the USL venture in Canada which, inconviently, wasn't utilized by the one party most effected. Feels harsh now, Ottawa closing up shop, but I also feel this is going to very quickly be a very big net benefit to all of Canadian soccerdom. Ever the optimist ZenCheeta

two big injuries that missed him crucial time the last two years. Before we jump to conclusions there's a good chance the dude just has to get his body right.

Brym and bassong nice additions.

Yikes... I definitely don’t like that.

Since I don't know enough about any city to come up with names like "Valour", "Wanderers", "Forge", or "Cavalry", I figure it will just be a random word. So I found a random word generator to come up with my guess as to what the team name will be. I took the first one it generated, and the winner is... Corpse FC

Ya. Atletico has essentially been the 3rd most successful team in La Liga over the last 10 years. They are the last club to beat the Barcelona-Real hegemony. They have been in 2 Champions League finals in the last decade. It's not even close. They are the 3rd biggest club in Spain by a wide margin.

A huge deal for the league, especially with a pretty substantial fee at $100k. Hopefully this sets a standard for future

I'll give a legitimate reason: How about he's a 20yo professional without a contract, and probably seeking a good team Ligue 1, Germany, Belgium... somewhere in Europe. Is it worth him risking an injury, which would affect his immediate future contract? High risk, real low reward for him coming. We were okay with Larin rejecting the call for his career... Look what that did for him!

Teibert I believe