In the past year, speculation about FIFA attempting to push through a “6+5″ rule to limit foreign players playing for club sides.  Less attention has been paid to other potential amendments from the governing body, including one which could affect the Canadian Men’s National Team.

 The current FIFA congress recently passed an amendment which will remove the age limit which governs whether or not players, with dual nationalities, can switch national teams. Under the previous wording, players became tied to a nation if they had played with at the youth level of that team and reached the age of 21; the amendment has removed the age provision, so now players can change so long as they have not been capped at the senior level.

 Modifying the rule could turn out to be a positive or a negative for the Men’s National Team. The optimist in me believes that this can open up the doors to those lost sons with dual citizenships, who went overseas and played at the youth level for another national team but, for whatever reason, cannot break into that nation’s senior team. Those players could (and should) be welcomed with open arms, given an opportunity to make our side, and make a positive contribution.

 On the other hand, there is a chance of players capped at the youth level for Canada, but not at the senior level, could end up playing abroad. Asmir Begović, for example, could decide to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina instead of Canada.

 Regardless of whether we see an influx or exodus of youth-capped players, one thing is for certain. The Men’s National Team, and the Canadian Soccer Association, needs a clear and organized direction to entice players to play for the country; or we start capping 12 year-olds at the senior level.

If I may, I would like to step away for a moment and address coverage of the sport in the country, rather than clubs or national teams.

The Broadcasting of matches on television likewise is touch-and-go.  At the high-end of the spectrum are the dulcet tones of Derek Rae calling Champions League, at least when there’s not curling or a second-rate hockey tournament to be shown.  At the opposite end of the spectrum is GolTV’s coverage of Spanish soccer, with commentators who seem to be falling all over themselves when it comes to Barcelona and Real Madrid; saying too much; providing descriptions which could be coming from a fan, rather than a professional analyst.  Canadian broadcasts lie somewhere in the middle of those respective broadcasts.

Nonetheless, it appears as though soccer is gaining a foothold on the airwaves.  Toronto Star’s Chris Zelkovich reports that Toronto FC has been receiving positive viewership, including 261,000 viewers of the Columbus-Toronto match on CBC last weekend; a number comparable to what the Toronto Blue Jays are drawing.  Further good news for fans of soccer, with broadcasting being a zero-sum game with regard to time slots, are the abject Canadian ratings of the NBA.  17,000 viewers on the Score for a 2nd round matchup cannot be anything but abysmal.  I would like to see the statistics for the UEFA Champions League coverage to compare with the NBA; yes, the Champions League does not have to go up against hockey, but on the other hand, it is in the afternoon.  If basketball continues to have nobody watching it, and soccer viewership is stronger, would it not be beyond the realms of possibilities to see networks try to show more soccer matches and more highlights in their sports news shows?  I don’t think it is, and I would be delighted to see it.

Less Curling, More Football?

It may have gone unnoticed a month ago, but TSN will no longer be airing the Champions League, starting next season.  With Rogers picking up the rights, and splitting the matches between Sportsnet and Setanta, perhaps we will be able to see the entire knockout stages live, rather than have them tape-delayed due to curling.  Mr. Zelkovich mentioned that Sportsnet would show about half of the matches and I would presume Setanta would pick up the other half.  In an ideal world, I would see Sportsnet using their digital platform to show multiple matches live during the group stage, allowing those of us with all four Sportsnet channels to choose from a number of matches rather than the one they choose to air.

Sportsnet has done a great job with their soccer coverage; airing a number of the Men’s National Team World Cup Qualifiers (and providing a stream when they had other commitments), as well as coverage of the Premier League Saturday mornings.  It appears as though soccer is something which they believe can be a winner for their networks, and since they don’t show curling (yes, this is the third time I’ve brought it up; I’m a bitter, bitter person) live coverage is something we could expect.  With Fox Soccer Channel owning the US television rights, I assume they will either pick up an overseas commentary feed or provide their own, with Sportsnet/Setanta using that.  The prospect of someone other than Derek Rae commentating on Champions League matches is disappointing; I love his voice and the manner in which he calls matches, and when watching a match on TV, there is no other person I would want to have calling a match.

It is well for the heart to be naive and the mind not to be. -Anatole France

I have a confession to make, I only recently began following Canadian soccer, and only shortly before that soccer in general. In fact, I have never been to an actual soccer match (youth soccer doesn’t count). Sure, for years I would watch the World Cup or the European Championship on television because it was a big event, and there is an intrinsic flow to soccer which no other sport has.

My first, memorable, non-World Cup or European Championship match was Newcastle’s Premier League home tie against Arsenal in the 2005-06 season, as it was the reason I began watching football matches on a regular basis. The only thing I remember from the match (everything else I looked up) was Scott Parker running around like a madman after he had his teeth knocked out (or chipped), gauze with some numbing agent in his mouth, diving head-first all over the place. It was a remarkable performance and I (foolishly) decided to take up Newcastle as my favourite side. I began to pour hours into playing Football Manager (the best learning tool for a new football fan), seek out websites, and find matches on television to watch.

So, as of 2005 I had found my club, but what about following my Country? As we all know, following the national team is a logistical nightmare. Nonetheless, in 2006 Sportsnet decided to show a couple U-20 matches against Brazil, and so I saw my first national team match. Besides David Edgar, I knew nothing of the Canadians. In fact, Edgar ended up scoring in that match, Canada winning, and my support of the national side started off on unusual footing, although Dale Mitchell was the coach of that U-20 side. The next year I watched as Benito Archundia made one of the worst calls I have ever seen in sport, and my sugar-coated view of soccer came crashing down. If there was a silver lining, that horrible offside call galvanized my support.

That all being said, when it comes to our National teams, I am still fairly naive. I don’t know much NT history and, more importantly, I haven’t experienced the anguish most seasoned fans have. The Gold Cup officiating was harsh, but I wasn’t completely invested at the time and didn’t know who most of the players were. I didn’t realize that following the national team would mean getting all my news from the internet, following the Voyageurs’ forum, or listening to World Cup Qualifying matches thanks to the radio broadcasts of the other team (Phillip’s Bakery: A step above the rest!). Hostile “home” crowds, poor officiating, the CSA, and CONCACAF officiating are obstacles which, as far as I was concerned, may as well have not existed few years ago; I am still in the learning and conditioning stage of my fandom.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, there is so much I did not know going into this odyssey that is supporting the national teams. However, now that I am involved, ingrained, in this voyage, there is a sense of pride in being one of the few. Any idiot can cheer for Canada’s hockey team at the Olympics (and possess an unbelievable amount of arrogance even though they cannot name half the players), but being a Canadian soccer fan, there’s something special there, or at least I think so. Then again, I don’t have the cynicism that comes from experiencing heartbreak after heartbreak.

With the Team 1040 in Vancouver reporting that the Whitecaps will be granted an expansion franchise, things are beginning to look up for club soccer in Canada.  With a healthy MLS franchise in Toronto, the Whitecaps moving up to MLS in 2011, the Montreal Impact continuing to grow, and Eugene Melnyk pining for an MLS franchise in Ottawa, it appears as if the Canadian public, or at least rich guys with a lot of money, are interested in soccer in Canada at the club level.

Eugene Melnyk, the owner of the Ottawa Senators, no doubt gazes at the money-printing success of Toronto FC andnd wants to have a similar cash-cow in Ottawa.  It is my belief that Melnyk’s interest in MLS is not soley based upon the potential dollars, as the sports fan in him would probably love to add a soccer club to his NHL, OHL, and Thoroughbred horse racing properties.  If an MLS franchise was successful in Ottawa, the citizens might benefit from having the franchise and the soccer-specific stadium, while Melnyk would benefit (as a sports fan and as an owner) as well; everyone’s a winner.

Despite the strong ownership Melnyk would bring to MLS, I have to say that I am concerned at the possibility of Ottawa acquiring an MLS expansion team in the near-future.  There are a number of reasons: My own impression that Ottawa is a poor sports town, the success of the Montreal Impact in Montreal, and the absence of a major soccer franchise (and thus, a soccer following) in Ottawa for nearly two decades.  To put it succinctly, it is my belief that Montreal is clearly the best candidate for future Canadian MLS expansion, and Ottawa does not match up.

The poor-sports-town conjecture, it must be said, is based almost mainly upon Ottawa’s lack of support of their two previous Canadian Football League franchise.  That may be unfair, as the Rough Riders had terrible ownership at the end of their history, and the Renegades were an expansion franchise who then ended up with the same terrible ownership at the end of their history (I sense a pattern…).  My pre-concieved notions, if true, can easily be overcome if they are not already.  The Senators have had a fair bit of success at the turnstiles and the OHL’s 67s are well-supported.  Melnyk as an owner would lend credibility to an MLS franchise, something the Gliebermans never had with the CFL, and overcome my nagging doubts.

My opinion is that  the The Montreal Impact are indubitably the obvious choice for future expansion, significantly ahead of Ottawa.  The Impact, like the Vancouver Whitecaps, have been around in the United Soccer League for about a decade and have built a following and brand in their respective cities.  Montreal in particular has gained momentum with their new stadium and CONCACAF Champions League run.  50,000 people filled the white elephant that is Olympic Stadium to watch Montreal play Santos Laguna.  An MLS franchise in Montreal would mean simply a matter of building upon the professional soccer foundation that already exists, and with strong ownership from Saputo and Gillett (assuming Gillett doesn’t go under because of his massive leveraging), would be an unbridled success.

Ottawa does not have any of the built-in following that Montreal has; The last major professional soccer franchise in Ottawa disapeared after the 1990 season, and there has not been one in the city since.  Unlike Montreal and Vancouver, the infrastructure, a following,and a brand would have to be built from scratch, which means that Ottawa would be a higher risk proposition.  The preferred, safer route, for Ottawa would be for Melnyk to get a USL-1 franchise, build a following and the brand among the hardcore soccer fans in the Ottawa area, and, once you have that following, then attempt to obtain an MLS franchise.  It certainly isn’t the sexy route, and the main problem for Melnyk would be convincing the three levels of government that spending money on a stadium for a USL franchise is worthwhile, but it is the safer, long-term route.

When it comes to future MLS expansion in Canada, my biggest fear is that Ottawa will secure a franchise before Montreal does, that franchise will struggle or fail, and MLS will never look to Canada again despite Montreal being a first-rate city in terms of what it could bring to MLS.  Montreal not being in the MLS would be a significant blow to the potential of Canadian soccer at the club and international level, and hopefully Gillett and Saputo obtain a franchise in the next round of expansion.  As for Ottawa, it could work, but I am not as convinced as I am with Montreal.

The Addictive Powers of Football (Worldwide Soccer) Manager

CanadaKicks found a gem of an article from CNN; apparently Football Manager is addictive.  My initial reaction was “of course it is, how else would I have managed Canada in the 2032 World Cup:”, and then I realized the article was serious and thought, “That’s preposterous, sure, I put days into the games, lost track of time, kept clicking continue even though I had other things to do, obsessively thought about my ongoing files while not playing the game, did play-by-play commentary while playing, and did analytical commentary of my games when in the shower, but it’s not like I couldn’t stop; I haven’t played in over a month”.  Is it really addictive?

Ahh, my 2034 World Cup team, now that brings back some memories, and heartbreak, much like Canadian soccer in general.