Today's News,Tuesday,Jun.05 [Archive]

denime

06-05-2012, 05:32 AM

Mornin'

TFC TV (http://www.torontofc.ca/video)

Commentary: 3 things Canada learned from draw vs. US (http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/06/04/three-things-canada-learned-draw-vs-us-sunday)

JDG Helps Quiet U.S. Midfield (http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2012/06/jdg-helps-quiet-us-midfield)

Hoilett still uncommitted over Canada

(http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/06/04/david_hoilett_canada_stephen_hart/)TFC Related Blogs !!

(http://redpatchboys.ca/forums/showthread.php?29582-TFC-MLS-blogs-thread)

SUNSHINE (http://www.torontosun.com/sunshine-girl)

(http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/06/04/david_hoilett_canada_stephen_hart/)

Huyton

06-05-2012, 06:05 AM

Isn't today Tuesday, not Thursday? Or is it 2014?

Rip Van Huyton

ManUtd4ever

06-05-2012, 06:46 AM

Isn't today Tuesday, not Thursday? Or is it 2014?

Rip Van Huyton

LOL

My personal favorite was Rip Van Flinstone

http://reviews.goldenagecartoons.com/2006/flintstones6/ripvanflint.jpg

scooter

06-05-2012, 07:13 AM

mornin d

Redpunkfiddle

06-05-2012, 07:14 AM

Oldtimer

06-05-2012, 07:22 AM

Isn't today Tuesday, not Thursday? Or is it 2014?

Rip Van Huyton

Fixed.

pdogg

06-05-2012, 07:22 AM

Champions League draw today!

http://www.concacaf.com/page/CL/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2797493,00.html

Interesting new rule on the knockout round matchups. The eight group winners go through, and then are matched 'according to their records' 1v8, 2v7, etc and then from there into the semi final.

Also note the awesome CONCACAF clip art graphic.

Yeah, that seems a bit odd - it's your record in the group stage that determines your seeding. So if you get into an "easy" group and sweep it, you're sitting near the top. If you get into a tough group and squeak through on ties, you're seated at the bottom. What if you're tied with another team in points, goal differential?

I guess that means you need to have a killer instinct and not just sit back for 1-0 wins - you need to push for as many goals as possible for a potentially better seeding (and home field on the return leg)

Fort York Redcoat

06-05-2012, 07:34 AM

http://www.concacaf.com/javaImages/91/92/0,,12813%7E10916497,00.jpg

It's all so clear now!

Honestly good for you to catch this draw. I doubt it's televised across the region...

Joe Kool

06-05-2012, 08:06 AM

Champions League draw today!

http://www.concacaf.com/page/CL/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2797493,00.html (http://www.concacaf.com/page/CL/NewsDetail/0,,12813%7E2797493,00.html)

Interesting new rule on the knockout round matchups. The eight group winners go through, and then are matched 'according to their records' 1v8, 2v7, etc and then from there into the semi final.

Also note the awesome CONCACAF clip art graphic.

I don't get this part of it.

"The final pot will contain the three Caribbean qualifiers, which are still undecided, and the remaining teams from El Salvador (CD FAS and Aguila), Guatemala (Municipal) and Panama (Tauro FC) as well as Nicaragua's lone entrant (Real Esteli).

No team will be drawn into a group with a club from its own country, with the possible exception of CD FAS, a wildcard team which qualified in the berth allocated to Belize. Belize's berth was revoked because the country lacks a stadium that meets the tournament's minimum standard requirements. The teams from the United States and Mexico also will not face each other in the Group Stage."

Why does a country like El Salvador have 3 teams in it? Shouldn't one of those spots go to another country with only one entry....maybe Canada? Vancouver would have added more to the competition than the 3rd team from El Salvador I would think. Even Panama sends their champion and then gets to send Tauro as well. I hope they revise that in years to come. Seems only fair now that our competition (small as it is) has grown to 4 teams. Am I offbase here in my thinking?

tfcleeds

06-05-2012, 08:28 AM

Hoilett, just get on with it and declare already. Kthnxbye.

Joe Kool

06-05-2012, 08:39 AM

Hoilett, just get on with it and declare already. Kthnxbye.

Yeah maybe I missed something but why is it so important to have your club contract worked out before picking what nation you want to represent? To me they seem to be completely separate things. Starting to not care too much though...

Oldtimer

06-05-2012, 09:13 AM

Am I offbase here in my thinking?

Not really. It's not like El Salvador is a footballing power-house.

It's interesting that Canada gets put into what is essentially the footballing riff-raff pot. :facepalm:

sidvan

06-05-2012, 09:30 AM

Yeah maybe I missed something but why is it so important to have your club contract worked out before picking what nation you want to represent? To me they seem to be completely separate things. Starting to not care too much though...
Perhaps mitigating any potential injury impacting his earning potential. Once he has a contract (assuming a multi-year) it should give him some peace of mind with regard to his finances and he can then explore national team commitments. If he gets hurt playing for a national team before he has a club contract it drastically limits his career options.

mowe

06-05-2012, 09:50 AM

Why does a country like El Salvador have 3 teams in it? Shouldn't one of those spots go to another country with only one entry....maybe Canada? Vancouver would have added more to the competition than the 3rd team from El Salvador I would think. Even Panama sends their champion and then gets to send Tauro as well. I hope they revise that in years to come. Seems only fair now that our competition (small as it is) has grown to 4 teams. Am I offbase here in my thinking?

El Salvador has three levels of football leagues with promotion and regulation and a total of 67 professional teams. Two spots is fair for them, other countries with 2 spots also have similar football infrastructure. This year El Salvador were also awarded a wild card spot because Belize has no stadiums meeting specifications.

Canada has 4 professional teams. A four game tournament determines its champion. I am completely against this country being awarded another spot. It would be utterly ridiculous for two out of our four teams to qualify for the Champions League, I don't care how good they are. Giving one more spot each to Costa Rica, Honduras etc. is a much better use. Canada doesn't deserve 2 spots, but they should be put in Pot A and avoid being guaranteed a Mexican or American team in their group. I imagine CONCACAF will make that change for next year (on the basis of another deep TFC run?).

Joe Kool

06-05-2012, 09:56 AM

Perhaps mitigating any potential injury impacting his earning potential. Once he has a contract (assuming a multi-year) it should give him some peace of mind with regard to his finances and he can then explore national team commitments. If he gets hurt playing for a national team before he has a club contract it drastically limits his career options.

That makes sense. Didn't think of that.

Huyton

06-05-2012, 10:23 AM

CONCACAF has said that the FFB Stadium in Belize is good enough to hold international games, but not for CCL?

Sounds like interference by El Salvador.

I suspect that this would change very quickly if the Belize spot was awarded to a country that had a single entry, or a 4th spot for a team from the Caribbean (where they have some nice cricket stadia).

Or even if they allowed the Belize team to play their home game(s) at a neutral spot, like BMO Field...there's got to be enough Belizans in Toronto to half fill BMO Field...every other country on the planet seems to be able to do it.

Oldtimer

06-05-2012, 10:29 AM

Canada has 4 professional teams.

Canada has 25 professional teams and 3 academies in the CSL (4th and 5th divisions). I use the term "professional" liberally, it's more "semi-pro" however I suspect it would be equally liberal to use that term in the El Salvador 3rd division.

So if the CSL was permitted to try for the Voyageurs Cup, then we would have 29 professional teams competing for it, 30 with Ottawa in the NASL. I think one could then argue for 2 spaces for Canada.

mowe

06-05-2012, 11:02 AM

Canada has 25 professional teams and 3 academies in the CSL (4th and 5th divisions). I use the term "professional" liberally, it's more "semi-pro" however I suspect it would be equally liberal to use that term in the El Salvador 3rd division.

So if the CSL was permitted to try for the Voyageurs Cup, then we would have 29 professional teams competing for it, 30 with Ottawa in the NASL. I think one could then argue for 2 spaces for Canada.

However low the quality of football may be, 3rd division Salvadorean teams still get promoted to 2nd division and so on. There are also lower leagues that they get relegated to, but my point was that there is a legitimate system in place in all of those Central American countries.

There's a reason why CSL clubs don't play for the Voyageurs Cup. There was a recent review that showed only 2 of the teams meet D-3 standards, and one of them was TFC Academy. But you're right, if we had a competent football infrastructure with proper leagues then we could think about another spot in the champions league. As of right now, Canada soccer is kind of a joke and people thinking we deserve two spots aren't basing their opinions on logical reasoning.

TFCBarrie

06-05-2012, 11:12 AM

However low the quality of football may be, 3rd division Salvadorean teams still get promoted to 2nd division and so on. There are also lower leagues that they get relegated to, but my point was that there is a legitimate system in place in all of those Central American countries.

There's a reason why CSL clubs don't play for the Voyageurs Cup. There was a recent review that showed only 2 of the teams meet D-3 standards, and one of them was TFC Academy. But you're right, if we had a competent football infrastructure with proper leagues then we could think about another spot in the champions league. As of right now, Canada soccer is kind of a joke and people thinking we deserve two spots aren't basing their opinions on logical reasoning.

Nail meet hammer. We simply don't deserve any more slots. The fact that they recognize a cup tournament involving 4 professional teams from a country without a defined soccer system is doing us enough of a favor. It's sad and pathetic, but that's Canada. We only have 1 professional league in this country, the CFL, and as far as i know (i'm not a "football" expert) it's in shambles.

Fort York Redcoat

06-05-2012, 11:23 AM

Nail meet hammer. We simply don't deserve any more slots. The fact that they recognize a cup tournament involving 4 professional teams from a country with a defined soccer system is doing us enough of a favor. It's sad and pathetic, but that's Canada. We only have 1 professional league in this country, the CFL, and as far as i know (i'm not a "football" expert) it's in shambles.

Whoah. Don't jump, Barrie!

I'm sure you're just as wishful of a better soccer infrastructure as the rest of us but the game is going through a lot of change right now (If one takes in the difference of the landscape over the last 6 years) and what is admittedly lopsided and topheavy organization doesn't mean there isn't a ton of possibility for change.

The grass roots level is getting a lot of attention right now and I hope that will expedite some tough decisions soon about the confusing "pro, semi pro" mire that is the Canadian D3 and D4. Time soon to unite the country ala the CHL, methinks.

TFCBarrie

06-05-2012, 11:44 AM

Whoah. Don't jump, Barrie!

I'm sure you're just as wishful of a better soccer infrastructure as the rest of us but the game is going through a lot of change right now (If one takes in the difference of the landscape over the last 6 years) and what is admittedly lopsided and topheavy organization doesn't mean there isn't a ton of possibility for change.

The grass roots level is getting a lot of attention right now and I hope that will expedite some tough decisions soon about the confusing "pro, semi pro" mire that is the Canadian D3 and D4. Time soon to unite the country ala the CHL, methinks.

You're absolutely right as well Redcoat, HUGE strides are being taken and it's wonderful and refreshing to see. In our current state however, we should be happy we have any kind of involvement in the tournament.

Greatest Ripoff

06-05-2012, 11:51 AM

Champions League draw today!

http://www.concacaf.com/page/CL/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2797493,00.html

"Results of the draw, set to begin at 11 a.m. at CONCACAF's New York headquarters, will be announced via the confederation's website, CONCACAF.com, as well as its official Facebook and Twitter outlets."

Am I the only who can't find the results?

WestStandGeoff

06-05-2012, 12:00 PM

"Results of the draw, set to begin at 11 a.m. at CONCACAF's New York headquarters, will be announced via the confederation's website, CONCACAF.com, as well as its official Facebook and Twitter outlets."

Am I the only who can't find the results?

Nope, can't find them either.

Seriously, how long does it take? There are only 24 teams, and it was supposed to start 2 hours ago...

TFCBarrie

06-05-2012, 12:09 PM

Here is is folks:

http://www.concacaf.com/page/CL/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2798152,00.html (http://www.concacaf.com/page/CL/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2798152,00.html)

ArmenJBX

06-05-2012, 12:17 PM

Ahhh christ, Santos Laguna again

mowe

06-05-2012, 12:28 PM

I was hoping to get LA, they were the easiest team we could've gotten. Oh well, playing Santos again soon will be fun. There's only 4 group stage games so every match will be huge. We should focus 100% on champions league now.

Futbolista

06-05-2012, 12:30 PM

Nail meet hammer. We simply don't deserve any more slots. The fact that they recognize a cup tournament involving 4 professional teams from a country without a defined soccer system is doing us enough of a favor. It's sad and pathetic, but that's Canada. We only have 1 professional league in this country, the CFL, and as far as i know (i'm not a "football" expert) it's in shambles.

Agreed! there is only one professional league in Canada and is the wrong football type...
We are fine w one team for now. quality is not there yet, but eventually we ll be there. When we have 10 teams in the league or our own league we can argue this but as far as im concern the central american leagues are few years ahead of us.

word!
:scarf:

Fort York Redcoat

06-05-2012, 12:32 PM

Group 1
Santos Laguna (MEX)
Toronto FC (CAN)
Aguila (SLV)

Only the winner advances to knockout round.

pekduck

06-05-2012, 03:51 PM

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/actually-canada-health-care-isnt-free/article4230286/

At sporting matches, it is customary for fans of the home team to chant unflattering jabs at their opponents, and the Sunday night soccer “friendly” game between Canada and the U.S., played at Toronto’s BMO Field, was no exception.

What was unusual though was one of the taunts chosen by the Canadian faithful: “Free health care, free health care.”

If there is one thing that distinguishes the two neighbouring countries, it is their health care systems.

not that much soccer related, but at least others are watching this game and get ideas