Leiweke’s departure: Toronto soccer supporters can’t be blamed for fearing for the future 21 Aug 2014 And the question will be, if Leiweke is chewed up by the Toronto sports cauldron, who could take the job without being a well-paid yes-man? Thanos, maybe?
Stats show link between number of draws and playoffs; are there lessons there for MLS? 31 Jul 2014 But if MLS wants to see more exciting games, more late match-winners, especially with its new TV deals in the United States, it could look at reducing the number of teams that make the playoffs. As it becomes more competitive to get a playoff spot, coaches and players may not be as willing to settle for draws.
Garber hints that Canadian-player rules in MLS may change: Why we need to look at minutes played, not roster spots 15 Jul 2014 So, as MLS looks to tweaking or making major changes to the international rule as it relates to Canadians, the Canadian Soccer Association and the league need to set a goal that’s more cut-and-dried than giving more roster spots or even, gasp, dropping the Canadians-as-internationals-on-American-teams designation. Someone needs to write down a number. And that number would be a ballpark average of first-team minutes for Canadians.
The ifs and buts of bringing a New Westminster team into USL-PRO 8 Jul 2014 The Whitecaps hope to have their USL-PRO affiliate in New Westminster for the 2015 season — which would be far more convenient for the club than to ship prospects to the Carolinas for their professional seasoning. The proximity of the USL-PRO affiliate to Vancouver would, logically, allow for the team to better supervise and manage its young players.
Ignorance isn’t bliss 25 Jun 2014 Issey Nakajima-Farran’s soccer career has taken him around the world. England. Japan. Australia. In 2014, he made the decision to come back to Canada — and to make Toronto his home. But, less than two months after he signed with the Reds, he was traded to Montreal — and he’s wondering if coming to MLS was the right choice, after all...
The great Fire hire 25 Jun 2014 Frank Yallop was widely expected to take over the reins of the Vancouver Whitecaps; instead, the former Canadian national-team coach chose to steer the Chicago Fire. In this interview, he tells us why he chose the Windy City, and how he hopes MLS can help Canadian soccer in the future...
Issue 2 of Plastic Pitch: An in-depth look at Canada’s 2026 World Cup bid 18 Jun 2014 The second issue of Plastic Pitch, out today, features a 16-page section on Canada's bid for the World Cup.
The anticlimactic final: Montreal wins Canadian title 5 Jun 2014 If you were to review the finale of the 2014 Amway Canadian Championship, you might liken it to the final season of Dexter. The bizarre final episode of Seinfeld.
Jekyll-and-Hyde Impact gets vital away goal in Toronto 29 May 2014 This teams goes from “off” to “on” so often, it’s like the soccer version of a strobe light. It’s not as if this team goes from good to bad from game to game; you see the Jekyll-and-Hyde transformations at least a few times per game.
The Issey Nakajima-Farran trade: The kind of transaction MLS needs to avoid if it wants to be a world-class league 16 May 2014 If MLS wants to attract talent from abroad to boost the league, it must eventually understand that strictly following North American practises — such as trading a player just a few weeks after he’s been offered a contract — don’t sit well in the global soccer marketplace. MLS must compete for talent with leagues that regularly pay for their players’ accommodations and transportation, and who guarantee a player will be settled for the length of his contract.