DigzTFC

Miller and Buchanan were the revelations of the tournament. Miller distribution is world class.

I watched the entire game. The standouts were Kaye, Miller, Buchanon, Crepeau, Johnstone, Laryea, Osorio. I was stunned how good Miller and Crepeau were. I've been anticipating Buchanon's arrival since the Olympic qualifiers and he delivered. I'm starting to rethink how good a league MLS is. Is it possible that MLS is actually producing European quality players at young ages and I've been hung up on the perception of MLS 3-5 years ago? All the guys above will start getting calls if not already from European clubs. I mean Crepeau had one of the best games a keeper could have against a top team in the world.

There was a moment during the TFC vs. Orlando where Akinola and Akindele hi-dived and hugged. Akindele was in the additional squad roster. I'm really happy for Ayo! Herdman letting players has done wonders attracting players to the program in subtle ways. Also, TFC system doesn't work to Ayo's strengths at the moment. The press has been sloppy and the attack is too compressed. When he plays on Canada and has way better service from the wings and better build up play from the midfield you may see him break out a little with more space to operate.

This is very positive! Congrats to Amanda!

I don't think Zambrano can be outright dismissed in his commentary. He clearly has an ego but you would expect that out of a coach. He's harped on the pay for play system. He stated in the article that we need to tap into "immigrants" and the pay for play system doesn't allow for that. To a degree that could be true. I think soccer is affordable to play and Canada offers good soccer infrastructure but lacks quality amateur coaches. I would argue that most of our players are 1st generation immigrants. I can see how he met resistance. He wants soccer to be free without the pro teams to subsidize it. He went on recruiting trips to visit everyone. He also didn't really want to report to anyone or respect any of the coaches within the system (he wanted fire Gale). Bottom line, Zambrano's solutions of eliminating pay for play across the country is a non-starter and would destroy the amateur soccer pyramid without a realistic solution. You can argue whether it's good or bad but it cannot be done without pro teams offering transfer fees for players in volume. It also not an item to focus on as a head coach IMO. He resume also shows he only lasts 1-2 years in any coaching role. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Zambrano

Not sure why all the criticism. Not many CBs are as fast as forwards. Plain and simple. TFC were playing a high block with a compressed formation. The errors on the first two goals occurred further up field from Auro who had a nightmare game and then went on to badly miss a called back penalty. Look how far Auro was from the CB. He's a left back. Maybe the worst game from a player I've seen in a long time. Bono also has to have the near post covered that's really unprofessional on the second goal. Singh cut down the angle for the shot which is all you can ask. On the last goal Gonzalez got caught flat footed and Singh stayed with his man. I mean how many times did Gonzalez leave Singh to do 1v1 defending against multiple players? Quite a few. This loss is on the coach really. Armas was caught between two minds. Do you reward the guys who put in a shift as a new coach or do you instantly rotate and how does that motivate players to work hard? If Armas was in game 5 you rotate. If you are setting the culture, which he still is, you reward the guys. He did. They were tired. He also stuck to the press despite it being broken quite easily but he is still ramping up the team to his style of play. I think he was far too slow on the substitutions and should have adjusted the press after the second goal. Issues that presented itself in this game were different than against Leon. TFC weren't taller and bigger than Monteal like they were against Leon. Free kicks were more of a problem such as the third goal header over Bradley. Also, Bradley should NEVER take free kicks. He's terrible at it. But when Osorio, Pozuelo, Altidore are out....that's what you get. This game is a much different game if Shaffelburg scores on the breakaway chip and Bradley scores on the six yard sitter. Montreal scored on the first shot and maybe the fourth shot. They were absolutely clinical on their chances and TFC were not. Goals change the dynamics of games and the press was scored on early and the chances TFC had were squandered. I actually thought Singh was good given how the game was played.

This was a big moment for him. With the left foot makes him a valuable asset. It's certain he will get a first team contract I would imagine. Zavaleta days are numbered and Omar Gonzalez/Mavinga get hurt quite often. Julian Dunn should get some playing time too.

He's very good for his age and making plays beyond his years. Very impressed by him. What a player! The transition from defense to offense is quick and with purpose. Once he sync's up with better players or the team understands one another better to make the correct runs off the ball he will really shine. Sometimes an errant pass is someone making the wrong run off the ball making the passer look silly.

All great points and fair feedback. To be clear, I'm not advocating for personal struggle just seems to be that this type of person preserver more often than not. But that could be my media bias, where these personal struggles are highlighted for a good story vs. a kid that was just good and made the first team. So I did a little research on Armas' time with Redbulls (2015-2020). Marsh was the head coach from 2015-2018 and Armas as assistant coach during that time. It was the same high-pressure tactical system. During that window of time Redbulls produced - Miazga, Tyler Adams. I'm sure there are others. It's possible due to the nature of the press style, as others have outlined, that younger legs are necessary in order to maintain the press. Therefore, younger players get a chance to play, develop and showcase at the pro level faster than tactics that require methodical buildup that require experience. So, does that mean we will see younger players play sooner? I think so. Does that mean they will develop faster? I think so. Does it mean that we will TFC will take a step back competitively? I'm not sure. With Bradley stabilizing the midfield and Gonzalez in the back it maybe a smoother transition so long as goals can be produced. It also stands to reason that Armas is a 2-3 year fix until Bradley takes over the coaching reigns. A lot of this season will be predicated on Altidore's health/performance. My thoughts lead me to believe that TFC will take a step back if Peruzza, Akinola, Mullins, Achara or a potential new DP don't produce goals as I don't think there is enough goals production available from the wings and the midfield. But if Nelson, Rutty, Akinola or Peruzza break out...it's game on.

I must have watched a different game. He was serviceable in his first game and maintained the defensive structure with a few good touches and passes. He didn't impose himself. This is a long burn prospect and the hype train will be very disappointed and unfairly. He's got good feet and technical ability and kept up with the pace of the pro game. To me that is a big challenge is to find himself and this level of pace. It may take a couple of years as he has a reserved presence of play. His development is predicated on opportunity and mentality. With Priso being so good so fast the midfield is really crowded at TFC. Be patient with Okello. He will be good. But he may need to go on a loan deal to Germany or to Belgium to really take the next step and be challenged mentally. These loan deals are important for these prospects to grow up and mature. TFC almost has too much infrastructure and pampers their academy players which may detract from the mindset of a pro. There is real psychology behind Laryea becoming better once he had to (becoming a father), Akinola having to be a bread winner for his family etc. IMO. Okello needs to become more aggressive, less tentative and pick up the pace. Those you don't learn on the bench and most of that is mindset. Just my opinion. I'm not a licensed Coach.

I listened to Richard Peddie at a conference I attended. It was part of his book launch a few years ago. The way he described MLS/TFC was focused on creating Enterprise Value for MLSE and he knew very little about soccer. He pointed to the underlying demographics of Toronto and participation of amateur soccer to substantiate the investment. I believe it was a $10M MLS entrance fee at the time which was one or two bad hockey contracts so very little risk. Plus, the stadium was largely financed by the various levels of government. It was essentially a no-brainer given that MLSE could leverage it's existing departments (ticketing, marketing, F&B etc.) in what was traditionally the off season of the the NHL/NBA. To bring this back to CPL. The smaller size teams (30 people traveling), the smaller/modular stadiums (5-6K) and selling players abroad are a huge advantages for soccer over football. The CFL cannot expand without the will of all levels of governments financing a new stadium in a new market. Federal funds are only accessed through an event like the commonwealth games, summer Olympics, world cup etc. To build stadiums sizable for a CFL team would require $200+M in funding. Moreover, these events tend to be held in cities where these stadiums already exist which means the funds are used renovate and update existing infrastructure. The soccer stadiums we are talking about a far more palatable to municipal governments and can be largely financed or rented (if modular) privately with accommodations on taxation and levies from the municipality. That's why CPL's future is so bright. Selling a player every few years abroad is just icing on the cake. I think there is a very good business case the secondary and tertiary markets in Canada like Halifax. https://www.thesudburystar.com/2013/01/18/new-arena-could-cost-as-much-as-60m-report-2 As a person with some real estate development experience, I can tell you that the cost of construction has gone up immensely over the last 10 years. That's why modular is an attractive option, not only for it's flexibility in right sizing the market and financing options, but it mitigates the risk of increasing construction costs and long term maintenance issues. Just my opinion though.

Okay, I misread that specific part but it has some merit. If you look at the pyramid of CDN soccer this the is only place where it could be implement. You can't align the amateur clubs in this country. They can't even agree within their districts. https://totalfootballanalysis.com/article/club-brugge-their-domination-of-the-belgian-pro-league-19-20-data-analysis-statistics To prove the point against me: Club Brugge started the season playing with four at the back in 4-1-4-1, 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations. When schedule started mixing with the Champions League group stage he adapted his team mostly to 3-5-2 formation. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2646808-michel-sablon-the-man-who-re-engineered-belgian-football I found this interesting: "4-3-3 was paramount in honing the player of the future," highlights Sablon. "Assess the different playing systems and 4-3-3 will turn out to be most efficient, because you have a flat four at the back, defensive and offensive triangles in the midfield, a striker and two wingers, for whom dribbling past the opponent is of pivotal importance." "With a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 you predominantly produce workers and runners." Anyway, this was 1 of 7 points and I understand the push back. Any ideas or critiques are welcome

I apologize in advance for a bit of a diatribe. A mix of commentary and areas of improvement of CPL. Kah's comments about the lack of experience of WCQ U23 team made me reflect more on the state of CPL. My observations aren't quantified so its a bit anecdotal and easily challenged. I think Kah's assertion is correct that lack of experience hurt our chances against Mexico. I also think being out of season is a huge factor and without addressing that issue, it's extremely hopeful for the next U23 cycle to have all in-season European based players. I have done research on Belgium FA and how they improved their program and how CPL can play more than a way for players to get game experience. https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jun/06/belgium-blueprint-gave-birth-golden-generation-world-cup- 1) Each CPL club should adopt the same playing structure (ex 4-3-3) as the National Team - Benefits, alignment with National Team tactics so if NT camps are short and there are not many NT games to prepare for tournaments, these youth players will be able to fit into the system tactically. This is a huge advantage as very few FAs have adopted this approach and clubs and coaches do their own structures depending on the opponent. We also have a small league and its possible to implement this. 2) The CPL league schedule has very tight turnarounds which means only tactics and fitness can be coached. There cannot be any skill development done. However, CPL does have a long off-season. All Canadian players should be assigned a high performance individual development plan. Those can be executed through private operators of through National Team development outlets like the Ontario Soccer Association or loan agreements with European based clubs (ex Zator etc). We need our players to improve skill wise and our long off season can be an advantage rather than a detriment. 3) Each team should have a U18 Youth Team that focuses on skill development and tactics. If you look at the Belgium NT players most if not all were starting in their league at 18 and had two solid years of playing before being sold abroad. We are so slow to integrate our youth in Canada. It puts us at a huge disadvantage in my opinion. That could be due to a skill gap but we need more 16-18 year old starters. You could look at a league rule that gives 1.5x minutes for players under 18 toward the time allocation required for U21 players. Just a thought. There should also be an award with cash incentive given to the club that has the most U21 minutes. $100-200K or something like that. 4) There has been very little turnover of Canadians in the league on the best teams or players are staying in the league and going to different clubs. Stability is good but it also leads to bit of stagnation. If players aren't being developed outside of the games (this is my base assumption) the improvement will be slight and slow and the only way to improve the league is to bring in higher wages and better internationals. MLS did this and its unclear if this strengthens the NT Program. Not sure how to address this. Thoughts? 5) We need more Canadian players in key positions on the field. To often, we see the international spots used for the spine of the team (FW, CM, CB). It happens in MLS and it appears to be happening in the CPL to a degree. These are the positions we need for NT Program. With 7 Domestic of the 11 starters including U-Sport Draft picks, this can become problematic. Not sure how to address this. Thoughts? 6) We need to see more loans from European based Canadians that have early release clauses to return to their teams in time for the season of close of the transfer window. European based Canadians are dying for games as well and this could be an excellent way to develop them in conjunction with their current club. Tristan Borges being loaned back to Forge is the only example that comes to mind. We do this for U-Sport players why not euro clubs. 7) We need players from the MLS academies getting minutes in CPL on deals where they can be recalled like the AHL. I know this impacts the appearance of the league but the unfortunate reality is most of these players in the MLS academy are the best talent and they aren't getting enough games with the 1st team or 2nd Team. Ex. Shaffelburg. What happens in MLS squanders too much talent by not playing them. The most interesting things to watch in season 3 of the CPL are: 1) Is that standard of play better? 2) Which existing players go better? 3) Which young players emerged?

https://canpl.ca/article/concacaf-president-montagliani-looking-forward-to-cpls-encore-performance-in-2021 Montagliani, a 55-year-old native of B.C., was impressed with the CPL’s staging of The Island Games, especially when you consider more established leagues around the world struggled to deal with the pandemic. “The (CPL’s) second season, like every other league in the world, hit the brakes pretty hard last year. But then what impressed me was how the leadership of the league pivoted quite quickly into creating a bubble in PEI and having The Island Games,” Montagliani told CanPL.ca. “A lot of leagues in the world weren’t able to do that; leagues that have been around for a long time just cancelled their seasons. The French league just said, ‘We’re done.’ So, that was impressive for me, and the games were quite good at The Island Games, as well.” Montagliani, who is also a vice president of FIFA, is looking forward to seeing what the CPL can do for an encore in 2021, as the league and the rest of the sporting world continue to deal with COVID-19. “We’re on the precipice of a third season and (the CPL) building on that, so it’s pretty hard not to give the league an overall grade of an ‘A’ after its first two seasons,” Montagliani stated

Sorry, that's me predicting a change of position to max his value to European clubs.