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.