Today’s News, Wednesday , Jan.28

[denime]

Mornin'

No TFC news for now.



Ottawa MLS plans face hurdles
THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA -- With four other cities in the running to land a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, the biggest threat to Ottawa's bid may come from its own backyard.

MLS commissioner Don Garber and president Mark Abbott were in the nation's capital Tuesday and gave a glowing review to the city's bid for one of two spots available for the league's 2011 expansion plans.

However, it's the lack of approval for a soccer-specific stadium to be built in Ottawa that appears to stand in the way.

Read more (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2009/01/27/ottawa_mls/)


Selling Ottawa
Gerry Dobson

Here's how Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk operates.

The MLS brass blow into town to kick the tires and see if it really is worthwhile coming to Ottawa. (We know they think its worthwhile coming to Canada because Vancouver is a slam dunk!)

After meeting with city officials to see how much money they can wring out of the public coffers, they jump into a helicopter so Melnyk can give them a bird's eye view of our nation's capital. And wouldn't you know it, touchdown at Scotiabank Place where the media and other interested parties get to quiz both Melnyk and league boss Don Garber on the proposal.

read more (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/blogs/2009/01/27/dobson_selling_ottawa/)


Simple Beck-onomics
Ryan Johnston

For some reason the on-going "where does his future lie" saga surrounding David Beckham reminds me of the age-old musing all first-year philosophy students are forced to address in 500-word, single-spaced essay form:

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?

Yes, it makes a sound. In fact it makes a loud, crashing sound and likely takes down a few other trees on its way to the forest floor.

(One of those falling-branched bystanders might be Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber.)

Read more (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/blogs/2009/01/28/johnston_blog_beckham/)


SUNSHINE (http://www.torontosun.com/sunshinegirl/)

[ensco]

First we got his ridiculous take on Saputo's idiocy, now this. Dobson is repeating his "Vancouver is a slam dunk!" nonsense, while Garber is quoted in the other sportsnet article as saying "the league would like to continue to expand into Canada, but said U.S. television contracts and commercial opportunities would be taken into consideration, so it's possible that neither Vancouver or Ottawa could win a spot in this round of expansion."

Note to Gerry: you have a lot of credibility in these parts (nobody has been part of the Canadian soccer scene for longer in the mainstream media) but you are burning it fast. You are too busy currying favour with the team owners, whose interests are not 100% aligned with Canadian soccer fans.

[Lucky Strike]

Lol, the first commenter in the first article (The Canadian Press) obviously has no idea what he's talking about.

He says: "Any team from the EPL, Serie A, Bundesliga, and La Liga would destroy the best from the MLS".

Ha! It's just one of those people that if it's not something he likes, he shits on it and anyone whose opinion differs is also invalid. Such a tool... *head shake*

[Fort York Redcoat]

I want more Canadian teams but they keep finding ways to disapoint.

The government are now responsible for making a choice between CFL (renegades last egs.) and MLS (TFC last egs.). I think we can see what will make more $$$ but will they pass up remodeling Lansdowne (downtown) vs Kanata (AKA Melnylkville).

I'd like to know where some of our CFLer RPB's stand on this one.

Cash?

[scooter]

mornin all

[rocker]

What if Melnyk is trying to do a power play... He'll eventually buy the rights to the CFL team, get his stadium at Lansdowne, where the city wants it, and put both CFL and MLS there?
It reminds me in a way of the situation surrounding the ACC back in the day. The leafs and raps each wanted to build an arena, but in the end the raps started and the leafs bought the raps and the half built arena. I don't think it would get that far (construction starting before Melnyk swoops in) but I could see him stepping in early... but only as owner of both not a partner.

[Oldtimer]

Trust me. These guys from MLS are blown away by the response to their league whenever they come to Canada. It was another full house for this event. They shake their heads in disbelief when they can't get a picture in the paper or a writer on the beat to cover a story in a major American market, but when they come to Canada it’s another world, one in which soccer matters.

:canada:

[Oldtimer]

An interesting bit from another article about MLSE buying GOLTV:


The channel's programs do not include MLS or English Premier League games, which draw higher ratings than South African Leagues, Spain's La Liga and the German Bundesliga, which are broadcasted on the station. MLSE plans to investigate bidding for European league broadcasting rights.

EPL on GOLTV?

http://www.eufootball.biz/Television/6664-fc_toronto_owners_goltv.html

[dupont]

Everytime I read a story about Ottawa's bid it just reminds me how frustrated I am that Montreal dropped out of the running. They were THE pick of the Canadian cities in my eyes. Oh well.

[BFin]

Vancouver is a slam dunk? Though I think they have a solid bid, at this point I would not put anyone in the category of slam dunk.

Also, who hired the girl from the Brass Rail to be the SSG?

[BuSaPuNk]

An interesting bit from another article about MLSE buying GOLTV:



EPL on GOLTV?

http://www.eufootball.biz/Television/6664-fc_toronto_owners_goltv.html

Now that MLSE owns GOLTV and are sounds like going to be trying to get rights to show EPL games. Do you think they might also look again at buying Newcastle as they could put all the games on GOLTV?

[tfc]

First we got his ridiculous take on Saputo's idiocy, now this. Dobson is repeating his "Vancouver is a slam dunk!" nonsense, while Garber is quoted in the other sportsnet article as saying "the league would like to continue to expand into Canada, but said U.S. television contracts and commercial opportunities would be taken into consideration, so it's possible that neither Vancouver or Ottawa could win a spot in this round of expansion."

Note to Gerry: you have a lot of credibility in these parts (nobody has been part of the Canadian soccer scene for longer in the mainstream media) but you are burning it fast. You are too busy currying favour with the team owners, whose interests are not 100% aligned with Canadian soccer fans.

Thats a pretty terrible argument against Dobson's credibility. Garber will never say Ottawa is an obvious choice in public before he announces the teams, and what he did say was a pretty standard response - there are a lot of things to take in to considering when choosing an expansion location.

I don't understand why people are ripping on Dobson's credibility when all he is saying is that Van and Ott are better choices than the US bids. This kind of article is clearly an opinion piece, there isn't much out there to say that hasn't already been reported on.

Not only that, but why does every piece of news have to be some wild conspiracy? Dobson is flying behind the backs of Canadian soccer fans, currying favour with team owners to hatch some plan that fans won't like... Mo is saying he will bring in Kaka, but in reality, he's doing back room deals and really bringing in Lombardo - just to spite fans...!

Let's get a dose of reality here - I think it is great we have some good press out there for the other Canadian bids, and not every piece has to state the pro's and con's of every bid again and again and again

[rocker]

I don't know if Vancouver is a slam dunk, but if Vancouver gets a team, then Dobson was right, no?
Only way to tell is when the expansion teams are announced. At this point he could be right or he could be wrong. If he said "I'm not sure who's gonna get it" then his commentary would be pointless and when the names are announced Dobson would have nicely covered his ass.

[Billy the kid]

It seems that the city of Ottawa will have to say it's giving priority to the MLS stadium before the expansion decision comes down in order for them to have a chance. I don't know if they will commit to that in time or not.

The Vancouver slam dunk comment is one of the most uninformed I've heard yet.

[I_AM_CANADIAN]

The article on Becks is just pure stupid. "A tree falls in the forest, nobody hears it" has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the article. That would imply that nobody would care if Becks stays or moves. Not the case.

[rocker]

The Vancouver slam dunk comment is one of the most uninformed I've heard yet.

and it's not a slam dunk based on what?

nobody on this board knows if it's a slam dunk or not. It's Gerry's opinion, and he's closer to these people than we are, so maybe he's right. Maybe he's wrong. But to think we on the boards know better is a stretch. We on the boards are just guessing based on what little info seeps out.

[Wooster_TFC]

The article on Becks is just pure stupid. "A tree falls in the forest, nobody hears it" has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the article. That would imply that nobody would care if Becks stays or moves. Not the case.

Did you even read the article? The next paragraph goes on to state that there's an opinion that it does not matter if Beckham stays or goes. Right or wrong, he's writing a blog, and the analogy is correct based on the information he provides.

[Chewy Unikronik]

That Czechs guy that constantly replies to the Sportsnet soccer blogs with his "genius" needs to have some common sense horseshoed into him...

Some classic quotes:

The reality is that fans/regular people in this country will not pay money to watch professional soccer,except GTA and/or Vancouver and Montreal...other cities don't have the fan base and market.
And my fave:


Most poeple born in this country will not pay money to go and watch soccer regularly orconsistent bases...

WOW!!!

[MartinUtd]

This (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090126.BLAIR26/TPStory/Sports) is from the 26th. Not news, but a response to the fans. Sorry if its already been posted.


Serious e-mail stick from Toronto FC fans for not including their team in an article this week on why Toronto's sports franchises suck. Consider it done, then: Your team sucks, too. No, seriously: Toronto FC was left out only because some of the other cities studied didn't have the equivalent of a Major League Soccer franchise. The idea was to compare cities with pro baseball, basketball, football and hockey. Trust me: I'm no puckhead. I've gone Setanta feed snooping on Saturday mornings in Cleveland and I'll be doing columns on Toronto FC, who with the signing of Dwayne DeRosario now have the third highest-profile athlete in T.O., behind Chris Bosh and, when he pitches, Roy Halladay.

Wow is Jeff Blair ever a dick!

[Chewy Unikronik]

This (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090126.BLAIR26/TPStory/Sports) is from the 26th. Not news, but a response to the fans. Sorry if its already been posted.
Wow is Jeff Blair ever a dick!
I don't see a problem there...

[Toronto Ruffrider]

and it's not a slam dunk based on what?

nobody on this board knows if it's a slam dunk or not. It's Gerry's opinion, and he's closer to these people than we are, so maybe he's right. Maybe he's wrong. But to think we on the boards know better is a stretch. We on the boards are just guessing based on what little info seeps out.

I think members of this board (myself included) are just a little skeptical of Gerry's opinion because he's been wrong before. Remember when Gerry said JDG2 was going to reveal his NT choice to him in an interview? When someone makes a bold statement such as that and doesn't follow through, it puts a dent in his or her credibility.

Personally, I hope Gerry's right about the Vancouver bid. Until the winning expansion bids are announced, however, I won't assume any Canadian bids have the upper hand.

[TorCanSoc]

yeah I remember that. Travelled to Holland to interview him, and all the kid said was he's concentrating on his club side. Then four days later applies for a Dutch Passport, and declares his intentions for Holland. I think Dobson got screwed by JDG and JDG's handlers.

[massive_magpie]

In response to the Ottawa articles, as much as I'd like to see an Ottawa/Vancouver team in MLS I'd rather see 5-6 more teams involved in the Canadian Cup.

An obvious benefit of MLS is the press you receive on pretty much every news item (a self-fulfilling prophecy fueled by all of us), but a USL team is not that far behind in every other beneficial category especially if you're interested in a) contributing to the growth of Canadian Soccer or b) establish local soccer community around a professional club.

In addition to this, the simple existence of the Canadian Cup (assuming having a Canadian USL team gives you an automatic birth in the tournament) means hi-pressure/hi-impact games with potentially great away support that would drag any team into profitability. I’m essentially saying even if money making is your prime reason for having a team, you can now achieve this (regardless of how cheap you run your team) by simply playing in this tournament. And it should only get better as more teams get added.

I really wish that not only was the focus (of both the media but also the potential owners) on creating MLS teams, but also potentially going to USL. Let’s have Melnyk keep his process going if he gets rejected by moving his bid to the USL, let’s have potential owners in Canada’s other large cities step up/feel media pressure for bidding on teams in their area; best case scenario it’s a litmus test for a future MLS team following the same route as Seattle (and hopefully Vancouver), worst-case you get a handful of days a year (not counting potential friendlies) where the sport is celebrated and you turn a profit.

[Marc"2L"]

^^^^^

there's got to be some USL-2 sides in Canada that could make a run at the CC.

Edit: Nope, only PDL....well that sucks.

[Oldtimer]

In addition to this, the simple existence of the Canadian Cup (assuming having a Canadian USL team gives you an automatic birth in the tournament) means hi-pressure/hi-impact games with potentially great away support that would drag any team into profitability. I

Not to mention that actually getting into the CCL means even more money for a club.

Montreal has used their cash to make some good signings.

I'd give them good odds of winning the USL-1 this season.

[jloome]

I think members of this board (myself included) are just a little skeptical of Gerry's opinion because he's been wrong before. Remember when Gerry said JDG2 was going to reveal his NT choice to him in an interview? When someone makes a bold statement such as that and doesn't follow through, it puts a dent in his or her credibility.

Personally, I hope Gerry's right about the Vancouver bid. Until the winning expansion bids are announced, however, I won't assume any Canadian bids have the upper hand.

As someone in media who actually keeps track of accuracy -- and within context of whether it was a rumour or a sourced story -- Dobson has no better or worse a track record than anyone else out there. It's apples and oranges to compare him with The Score, because he does way less TFC reporting generally. So the score has actually gotten more wrong -- but waaaay more right.

But Ives Galarcep, who has a good line directly to the TO front office, has also been wrong numerous times about us, and nobody's climbing on him.

The only reason Dobson is taking heat is the relative importance of the subject matter. His accuracy record has nothign to do with it.

[Billy the kid]

and it's not a slam dunk based on what?

nobody on this board knows if it's a slam dunk or not. It's Gerry's opinion, and he's closer to these people than we are, so maybe he's right. Maybe he's wrong. But to think we on the boards know better is a stretch. We on the boards are just guessing based on what little info seeps out.

If you're suggesting that someone close to the league could have confided in Gerry that Vancouver is a "slam dunk", I suppose anything is possible. Based on the information that the league has released, I don't think it's likely. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a strong bid. I just don't think anyone knows one of the winning bids to be a certainty.

[ensco]

Thats a pretty terrible argument against Dobson's credibility. Garber will never say Ottawa is an obvious choice in public before he announces the teams, and what he did say was a pretty standard response - there are a lot of things to take in to considering when choosing an expansion location.

I don't understand why people are ripping on Dobson's credibility when all he is saying is that Van and Ott are better choices than the US bids. This kind of article is clearly an opinion piece, there isn't much out there to say that hasn't already been reported on.



Garber did not have a standard response. It was pretty significant that he pointed out the broadcast concerns in the bidding process, and chose to do so while visiting Ottawa.

It's not being framed as an opinion piece. "Vancouver is a lock" is not an opinion. Even if it were an opinion, it is being directly contradicted, in public, by one of the principals involved.

It's all pretty minor league. I expect more from him.

[Miko]

There was another part to the Dero trade.

According to Ives, they switched places in the allocation process so the Dynamo could sign Felix Garcia.

Link here:
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2009/01/clarifying-the-felix-garcia-signing.html