Probably nitpick on which VAR reviews to show, but at least there's some insight into how VAR works in MLS
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
Yeh, the Philly one to me looked like natural position with his left hand but seeing that....hit his right hand and so a good call.
I still wish they went to what rugby does & have the refs mic'd during reviews at least.
Seems someone finally tried and succeeded in getting something from TFC's goalkeeper coach on record...
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/JohnMolinaro/status/1632425741316145152
Just gonna put this article about Columbus & W Nancy & tactics....interesting read.
(limited article reads)
https://www.dispatch.com/story/sport...n/69971464007/
The Champions League game between TFC and the David Beckham led LA Galaxy at Skydome was 11 years ago today. Wow! That really was a great game!!
Speaking of CCL, Austin FC got slaughtered by Club Violet.
In another "you gotta love CCL" moment
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1633294689867636736
Last edited by Joe Kool; 03-08-2023 at 09:20 AM.
Vancouver really pouring it on tonight
Leagues Cup dates announced
July 26 - vs NYC FC (at the Red Bull Arena instead of Yankee Stadium)
July 30 - vs Atlas (at BMO)
https://www.torontofc.ca/news/league...resented-by-co
Wednesday in Jersey
Sunday night here vs. Atlas
Looking at the rules, our only home games would be
Prelim vs. Atlas
Round of 32 vs. Atletico San Luis or if we win our group
Round 16 - Liga Mx or DCU
QF - Liga Mx or DCU
Semis - Liga Mx or DCU
Finals - Liga Mx or St. Louis City (although I can imagine the uproar in the US if that last one happens)
Interesting to hear Jimmy Brennan discuss the gulf in quality between the CPL and MLS on the Footie Prime Podcast this week. "Massive" was how he described it. He went on to say, with some help from Craig, that it's basically down to missing a key component for guys at that level. They can't hold up the ball; or they have no extra gear; or they can't read movement. He said it was still a long way to go before the CPL gets close. He also said it's clear Mcnaughton will never be a starter, and that despite being one of the best players in the CPL, Chung wasn't good enough.
No huge surprise there. Nothing about the leagues suggest they should be close in quality. But I’m not convinced McNaughton can’t be a starter. Also, Jimmy Brennan always struck me as a bit of a bullshiter/grandstander. He’ll talk up whatever points he’s expected to talk up.
On another note, LAFC taking CCL seriously it seems - 3-0 away win with mostly the first team.
Practicing footy skills at TFC's new training facility... Scotiabank Arena.
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/Eric_Giacometti/status/1631671509843427336
Last edited by Mr. Inbetween; 03-10-2023 at 08:50 AM.
Bob looks straight up foolish for sending Shaffelburg packing. Ugh...
I love that league but I don't take it for something it's not. It needs support to grow. I don't think it should be talked about as a rival for MLS even as a long term goal. If we get to a point where we compare the kids coming from CPL and USL2 like CHL and NCAA that will be an accomplishment to be proud of. For CPL to rival USL would be an incredible ambition.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
I respect your passionate support for grassroots football.
I disagree entirely with this.
We are a major world economic power with 35M citizens. Nations half our population and a fraction of our spending power support much better professional leagues, and so could we.
The biggest thing holding back Canada from competing with things that are American or British is that we think ourselves as small and sparse, rather than large and powerful.
As far back as the NASL, teams in Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver were routinely drawing 10,000-plus crowds, because back then, there was no competition from cable tv sport and Euro soccer. So what fan base there was that existed, turned out.
Now, we have a sophisticated soccer audience. I said prior to FC Edmonton being formed that if it followed the route it wanted to take --as inexpensively and grassroots as possible -- it would fail, because this city once won five Stanley Cups in a row and its residents do not consider themselves minor league, or spending money on minor-league offerings.
I also said two years prior to TFC's first game that it would be a massive success, even as others were pointing out how so many Canadian leagues had failed.
All it took was the most basic level of proper professionalism: a football stadium, enough experienced foreign players to give it credibility, enough up and coming locals to make it look promising.
What people will NEVER financially support to a self-sustaining level here is bottom-tier professionalism. They barely tolerate the CFL and it has more than a century of tradition.
A Canadian league could ABSOLUTELY compete with MLS, for TV viewers, for players. We would probably never get to quite that level, but there's no reason we shouldn't get to that third tier, similar to Greece, Switzerland, Denmark etc.
But it won't happen unless they properly capitalize; they need a big-money major backer like Adidas or Nike, they need a capital buy-in plan to help build facilities (and create jobs! This was almost a Stephen Harper policy once, and came with a last bill review for the session from being on the order paper) and they need to study and learn from smaller community-based team models that nevertheless make enough money to support professionalism.
If they took that approach, it would probably take several years to put together and it would dramatically change it from a 'grassroots' approach to a professional one. But that's what is really needed. We could be at League Two/League One level in less than a decade, better than USL (although frankly, USL is improving so quickly, it's basically a proper third division now, with foreign players on every roster, dev loans etc).
A lot of the difficult in this occurring is that business people here are absolutely accustomed to traditional notions of pro sports only existing in the biggest cities. But as Canadian Junior Hockey and AHL hockey have shown, you can keep interest high enough to make a profit and keep operating in smaller places.
I'd like to see a proper Canadian league, but also use the popularity of football as a low-cost sport to push for a national stadium plan. I'd like to see Lloydminster and Sherbrook trying to get promoted to the top division. If you can support professional football in Luton, in Derby, in Blackpool, you can support it in London, and Moncton, and Red Deer.
But it only works if it's entertaining, fast and professionally presented from day one. And that takes a MASSIVE financial investment and planning, largely meaning a commitment for most of it to be foreign-owned and funded by billionaires and large corporate sponsors, or even nation-states.