Who would say no to us....
Well perhaps the title is a bit bold but I was curious on everyones thoughts on the subject of getting players in. In the past players would turn us down msotly due to the turf. Now we have the best supporters in the league, a great stadium with a great atmosphere, in a great city ( country ), and now complete with grass. Also tied into this is there anyone ( realistically ) you would like see fill up the roster spots left buy Amado and co.
Cheers
Cory
Most name players wouldn't come unless we paid well through the market for them. For a whole bunch of reasons....
Top players aren't emigrating, it's a gig. They're looking for an adventure, to live a dream, to increase their endorsement potential, to do something their wife wants to do, to live in a place with warm weather ...
Which means they want to play in the USA, not Canada. Which means NY, LA, Miami, Vancouver... Sydney Australia in A-league would naturally interest more players than TFC ever will.
We need a list of good players whose wives have relatives in Toronto.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
We need a list of good players whose wives have relatives in Toronto.[/quote]
LOL.....that would be an interesting list to have! We do have that problem that Toronto does not have the best weather, but when players see BMO in full voice during a match and then see a half empty stadium in Chivas it must have some impact, but I suppose that is nieve as players ( like it or not ) are after one thing $$$$.
I'd be tempted to add Montreal to that list as well. They are known in Europe as Canada's fashion hub.Originally Posted by ensco
Quite a few reasons.
Canada is still considered a soccer backwater.
The cold weather.
The higher cost of living compared to some places, but equal to others like LA and NY, that's not an advantage to us.
Lack of sponsorship money up here.
Lack of television coverage either here in Canada or in other countries about Canada.
Lack of profile up here.
Higher Marginal Tax Rate.
Failure to understand or desire to deal with currency issues that are raised.
Lack of knowledge about Canada.
There are advantages to coming here, but you were asking why a player wouldn't want to come and these factors are pretty common.
um, The higher cost of living compared to some places... which places were you thinking of - and what does it matter when you make kajillions of dollars ?
Failure to understand or desire to deal with currency issues that are raised - you must be referring to Americans.
another reason : MLS is not considered a top league. Any player wishing to play for his national side would not entertain coming here (kind of goes hand in hand with lack of coverage mentioned by Roogsy).
a ha ha heh he hoo.. ha
I dont know of many players in the MLS making kajillion dollars
So with all that being said, who would you like to see fill in the roster spots we have opened with the players released? A much talked about player on the boards is Will Johnson...what do you think it would take to bring him here.
Don't forget Mo
Other than the super-elite, players will usually go where the money is...
Sure, the city, quality of life, chance to win a title means something to players - but in the MLS, where 99.9% of the players aren't making millions, you're following the money...
Say you're a decent MLS player, Toronto offers you $100,000 - Real Salt Lake offers you $135,000, and Columbus offer you $200,000 - you're taking the $200k and living in Columbus...
Carts...
"...Money wasn't tight, but it like, it wasn't right..."
But we should be able to offer a good player the same money as any other club can. There has to something inside these players hearts and minds and would relish wheeling away after score a late game winner in front a rabid, passionate full house, instead of a half empty throwball stadium....am I being too "romantic" about this? I just don't think we can use money as an excuse, we have very rich owner who should be able to pay the players as well as any other club, and besides in a league with a salary cap we are on a level playing field financially.
Some of this depends upon whether a player is on the way up or down career wise.
MLS in general can be a good stepping stone for young players on the way up... Mo Edu comes to mind.
MLS in general can also be a good place for "the more mature" players to extend there careers for a few years while seriously looking at other opportunities after their playing career... Danny Dichio would seem to fit this category. Slowly MLS is shedding that "place to retire" stigma that North America has had for so long within the football world.
Players looking for $$ outside of football will naturally gravitate to the big media centers of NY, LA etc...
Players with family concerns have all of those special concerns and Toronto seems to score highly in those regards as a place to live and raise a family.
Like any employee looking for employment there are a lot of factors to consider and depending upon ones individual circumstances different factors score more or less highly in reaching a decision.
Not always true...
The salary cap can be tough to navigate, its not as cut'n'dry as people think - I'm sure every team, at some point, has wanted to sign someone and realised they don't have enough cap room to outbid an opponent...
Carts..
"...Money wasn't tight, but it like, it wasn't right..."
![[NBF]'s Avatar](image.php?s=489f6fbf1ae4ee15f22d3c6f3c27cf43&u=1574&dateline=1515553264 "[NBF]'s Avatar")
Its the Toronto factor in my opinion, Raptors, Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, they all have the same problems.
Players don't want to come to Toronto(Canada), because they don't want to be taxed half their paycheck. Not to mention, it's hard being a pimp in a city with a bunch of wiggers hanging on your nuts
I know I'm a product of the U.S. educational system, but I'm pretty sure Vancouver is:
a.) In Canada
b.) Not warm
Plus, I think the original poster is looking more along the lines of guys who have spurned us in the past and if that kind of quality player would now come to TFC based on having grass. Hey, as an outsider looking in, Toronto is a hell of a lot nicer then some locals give it credit. Try living in Buffalo sometime.
Last edited by TFC Via Buffalo; 01-14-2010 at 12:33 PM.
[B]75 Mile Bastards[/B]
[B]Tailgate Team[/B] [B]Underling[/B]
[B]Season Ticket Holder 110 Row 33 Seat 9[/B] [B]aka The Bastards' Perch[/B]
[B]Red Patch Boy through and through. :scarf:[/B][SIZE=6][B][COLOR=SeaGreen]
[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE]
^ It's warmer than Buffalo.
Maybe, but those markets are very competitive, saturated with athletes from every other sport looking for endorsements.
It might be easier for a soccer player to get an endorsement deal in Toronto right now than in NY or LA.
DAMN IT!!!!!! I knew that would happen.^ It's warmer than Buffalo.Typing fast at work + no spell check = asking for trouble.
[B]75 Mile Bastards[/B]
[B]Tailgate Team[/B] [B]Underling[/B]
[B]Season Ticket Holder 110 Row 33 Seat 9[/B] [B]aka The Bastards' Perch[/B]
[B]Red Patch Boy through and through. :scarf:[/B][SIZE=6][B][COLOR=SeaGreen]
[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE]
Eductational system?
O right... Northern US in the "duct tape belt"!
Shut up, Mark!! I fixed it, ok. Just remember who your bootleg Mountain Dew hook up is!
[B]75 Mile Bastards[/B]
[B]Tailgate Team[/B] [B]Underling[/B]
[B]Season Ticket Holder 110 Row 33 Seat 9[/B] [B]aka The Bastards' Perch[/B]
[B]Red Patch Boy through and through. :scarf:[/B][SIZE=6][B][COLOR=SeaGreen]
[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE]
Mmmm... Mountain Dew....
I would like to see Toronto FC look like this:
-----------------------------Frei--------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
Wynne--------Ihemelu----------------Serioux---------Dunivant
----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------Cronin-------DeGuzman------Brennan---------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
Barrett------------------------------------------------DeRosario
----------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------Fernandao---------------------------
*Ugo Ihemelu, since he might have Canadian Citizenship and is one of the best CB in the MLS.
*Todd Dunivant, since there really isnt much choice in the MLS for a LB and I dont think Brennan is even worth mentioning.
*Fernandao, experienced goalscorer and would be a real poacher in MLS. Not to mention his current contract end in June of 2010. He's 31 and 6'3.
Plus, I think the original poster is looking more along the lines of guys who have spurned us in the past and if that kind of quality player would now come to TFC based on having grass. Hey, as an outsider looking in, Toronto is a hell of a lot nicer then some locals give it credit. Try living in Buffalo sometime.[/quote]
That is more along the lines of what I was referring too. We have had players say no to us or leave because of the turf, I just think that with this our of the way we will be harder to turn down. I'm actually rather suprised how many posters believe we would be a players last choice ( or at least one of the last ). Keep in mind I meant this to be considered on a strictly MLS level ( clubs and players who would realistically come here ).
[NBF] your line up looks good, not bad! One omission from your squad that I have not heard much about is Robbo, anyone know what his situation is?
Mountain Dew with caffeine, the way it should be...
Vancouver, Montreal, Miami and Sydney over Toronto? lol
Miami doesn't have a MLS team, so I am not worried about that (btw, Miami is overrated and I highly doubt players can make enough money in that market compare to Toronto). I highly doubt a player wants to play for RedBull New York.
Like mention before, most big name players will come to MLS when they're old and want to settle in life with their family (example, Dichio). I think Toronto is a great city for that. It's clean, safe and friendly that is has bit of old country feel to it because we got so many immigrants from all over the world living in the City and other GTA cities (Brampton). So they'll feel like at home.
Last edited by TFC07; 01-14-2010 at 01:13 PM.
Don't forget Mo
OMG I forgot the biggest reason of all! LOL!
The problem is that rarely happens. Usually its something like 110k/2 years, 100k/3 years or 140k/1 year. What would you do?
Agreed.
Normally I would go for 2-years at $110k (for $220 total)...
But with no guaranteed contracts, I'd take the one-year and try to cash in as quickly as possible / while healthy...
Aka - I'm taking the most money...
Carts...
"...Money wasn't tight, but it like, it wasn't right..."
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