Canada World Cup 2026 is a great idea

Photo credit: bigsoccer.com

Last week we read that Canada is ready to make a bid for World Cup 2026. Even though twelve years away, for us in North America it's a welcome sign and the promise of a new start for the game and for FIFA once the curtains have closed over Qatar 2022.

Yes, FIFA should be listening to this and the world should be ready also. Canada boasts the kind of infrastructure required for an event like the World Cup. It also has the type of openness necessary to host a global tournament. Finally, if FIFA is truly looking to continue breaking new ground and exploring new frontiers then this surely is a top of the list.

Canadian soccer is a microcosm of US Soccer. Not the number one sport. No megastars. And a women's team that greatly surpasses the men's on the international stage.

Canada has limited soccer culture, perhaps only there thanks to the ill-fated NASL of Pelé. They are underdogs and underachievers, just as the United States in 1990. But unlike team USA, they had very little presence in international soccer before the 1980s. USA got to the semifinal in 1930 and had a historical win over England in 1950 before all went quiet for 40 years. Canada has been to one World Cup, 1986, although they came close in 1982 and 1994.

The landscape has been changing for the Canucks in recent years, however, with the addition of top soccer through MLS teams Toronto FC (2008), Vancouver Whitecaps (2011) and Montreal Impact (2012). Expansion has been talked about for Ottawa, who had a team with the classic NASL. In addition, Edmonton plays for the current NASL.

The club soccer scene has brought quality players to the country on a regular basis, from Camilo (Vancouver) to Frings (Toronto), Di Vaio (Montreal) and now Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe (both Toronto). In addition, they have nurtured their own players in Dwayne De Rosario and Julian De Guzman, with the former one just having re-singed with Toronto. Canada's players have also enjoyed development in other MLS teams: Will Johnson (Portland), Ante Jazic (Chivas USA) and Kyle Porter (DC).

With MLS on board, the soccer infrastructure has been established in the major cities and, along with soccer-specific venues for club teams, large stadiums belonging to Canadian Football are also available for a World Cup. Unlike Qatar, the summer tournament would benefit from great weather conditions throughout the country.

A World Cup for the Maple Leafs would also be great for the US. In fact, a case could be made for a joint tournament between the two nations. FIFA has always been clear about the importance of MLS and here is a perfect opportunity to continue this relationship. So bring it on, Canada 2026, North America deserves to have big soccer back.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 20

The summer void is upon us with oppressive heat that clears seats in stadiums throughout the country. Why some teams choose to play under unbearable East Coast conditions is beyond most of us. And yet the players must go on playing in virtual saunas that can't possibly be good for their health. How about scheduling matches in the evening?

As far as the statistics, not much has changed. New York looked to be making up for lost ground but the latest matinee match erased their gains. Houston looks to have lost some of their initial spark in attendance and are now below the 100% mark in 3 games out of their last 4. However, these are still 90% full thanks to the BBVA Compass Stadium.

Elsewhere, Montreal is having a hard time attracting fans to the newly-renovated Stade Saputo, and this has taking down their numbers considerably so that the median is 17112. This, after selling out the Olympic stadium for the LA Galaxy match and their opening game. Short honeymoon?

For some perspective, below is the 2012-2011 difference. Notice that the major population markets are down relative to last year, especially New York. Unlike Seattle and Portland, Vancouver has seen some minor ups and downs and don't quite sell out their stadium on a weekly basis.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 17

Briefly catching up with MLS, which is in full swing after the international break. There are consistent patterns in attendance numbers stemming from how well a team is doing, especially as compared to recent seasons. DC United, for instance, has seen a steady increase in attendance given their winning ways this season. The same can be said for Columbus, Chicago and Colorado.

Some of the negatives include New York's struggles at Red Bull Arena, although the latest match was a sellout, and Montreal, which has seen attendance numbers that are relatively low for a debuting team. Indeed, as soon as Saputo Stadium opened, there have been three games in a row well below 15,000. Interestingly, places like Seattle and Portland sell out every game, and Salt Lake, Philadelphia, Houston and Kansas City have full stadiums almost every game.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	14132	73	14131
KC	19353	105	19876
NE	12254	61	12523
CLB	14141	69	11978
TOR	19036	83	18911
CHI	14756	74	14163
NYRB	17161	68	17114
PHI	18399	99	18367
HOU	21632	98	22039
MON	26495	130	19223
LA	22483	83	21836
CHV	13291	71	13816
DAL	13252	65	12203
SJ	16509	157	10391
COL	15396	85	15269
RSL	18820	94	18780
SEA	39514	103	38399
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	19123	91	19271

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 15

After a long stretch of international games, qualifiers and a small break for the Euro, MLS got back into full action last week. Thus, it is time to look at statistics once more. New England, DC, and New York continue to struggle. The latter, although the average number of seats filled approaches 16,000, the relative value is 63%, making Red Bull Arena look empty.

Montreal's recent opening of Stade Saputo, its permanent home base, would suggest strong, constant attendance numbers. Instead, neither one of the first two games at the stadium have sold out the 20341 available spots. This weekend's match, for example, drew in only 12,357. Blame the Euro perhaps, but other locales had close to capacity from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City. 

To illustrate the reason why averages may be much higher than any given match, the Eastern Conference mean vs median is presented in this scatter plot. Clearly, Montreal has a median closer to its stadium capacity, while New York has a higher mean stemming from a couple of sold out games.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 3

Welcome to the new MLS attendance statistics graphics for the 2012 season. To complement the changes made by MLS in terms of unbalanced schedules, the weekly format of some of the plots (percent attendance, total attendance per week) have been removed and will no longer appear. Instead, more intuitive plots will be shown like the relative attendance median (a measure of the percentage of the stadium filled on any given week) along with the median and mean attendance values. There will be some sporadic supplemental plots in high-definition via the quasi-weekly updates.

To start 2012, only Chivas seems to be having trouble from the start. Perhaps this is another sign that the club needs to change the way it's managed, change the structure, or move the team. San Diego seemed to be interested when I last checked. The Goats trail far behind their season average for 2011 and this should be the relative peak of the season for some of the more established teams. It's true that the novelty eventually wears off but the expansion markets seem to be doing pretty well even after a few years have passed: Houston, Salt Lake, Toronto, Seattle.

The totals as seen on the plot above are bolstered by Montreal's record-setting opening day (58,912) at the Olympic Stadium. Their regular home at Saputo Stadium has a max capacity of around 20,000. San Jose also chose to play outside of their Santa Clara home for their match versus Houston and their attendance reflects that when looking at the relative values. Also this season are Houston's stadium (22,000), the expanded attendance at Seattle (38,500) and Portland (20,000).

Compared to 2010, the initial 2012 numbers look even more impressive. As the season goes on this difference should subside somewhat but attendance should have another record year this season.

MLS 2012

Photo credit: Houston Dynamo

Not a doomsday year for MLS. Not by a long shot. Indeed, 2012 is building up to be one of the biggest years for the American soccer league. There are three MLS teams in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, a new set of designated players, a new stadium in Houston, a longer season and a new franchise in the Montreal Impact.

Success for MLS transcends the game and shows its impact in the makeup of a city. For Portland, the Timbers mean a solid franchise with a stable fan base. Where the Trailblazers may fail, the Timbers supersede expectations by nearly reaching the playoffs in their first year and by selling out every single match at Jeld-Wen Field.

The Pacific Northwest is the mecca of soccer in this country now, and with Vancouver, the regional rivalries grow in fervor and it brings Canada closer to its potential as a soccer nation. Cross-country and regional rivalries within the maple leaf country are further heightened with the entrance of the Montreal Impact, a team that gained a "promotion" of sorts from the lower divisions of North America.

Internationally, the MLS presence in the Champions League has grown by one team from last season. Toronto FC is facing LA Galaxy for one of the matchups while the Seattle Sounders are facing Santos of Mexico. LA is arguably the best team in MLS even if tonight's match versus Real Salt Lake was a 1-3 loss. They are the most complete team and replete with star power in Donovan, Keane, Buddle and Beckham, and unsung heroes like Mike Magee, Juninho, De la Garza and Saunders. A ticket to the final for LA or even a championship in this tournament isn't out of the question. It would also bring the team and the league to its first FIFA Club World Cup later this year.

Aside from the current slate of designated players is a new batch, highlighted by the Timbers' Kris Boyd, the leading scorer for the Glasgow Rangers at 101 goals. The updated "Beckham rule" now includes the ability to recruit younger players like Diego Chara and Fabian Castillo and more teams are likely to follow this paradigm.

As the league grows, one of the most important economic aspects is the need for a soccer specific stadium. There are now 12 teams with such stadiums and 2012 marks the inauguration of the BBVA Compass Stadium for the Houston Dynamo, a futuristic-looking edifice worthy of the Space City.

Major League Soccer is undoubtedly one of the most competitive leagues in the world. This argument has its basis in the salary cap and the redistribution of players through drafts, as well as the playoff-style finale to the season. This is how we arrive at Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids as champions. But legacies can also be forged: the Galaxy and DC United have storied pasts in the league with 7 titles among them. The American version of the superclub is alive in New York and LA. We cheer for underdogs, superstars and the emotion of each game. This is why we love Major League Soccer.

Europe raiding MLS talent

Donovan goes on loan to Everton, George John to West Ham, Omar Gonzales to Nuremberg (injured), trials and training stints for Adu, Agudelo, Shea, etc. Pattern? Yes. Now comes word that up-and-coming Tim Ream could be headed for Bolton (current team of Stuart Holden) and that they might swoop for Philadelphia's Le Toux.

And that's the real kicker here: talent from the league isn't just for American players. Now teams in Europe are beginning to pick up individuals that have grown in stature while playing in the American league. Freddy Montero (Seattle), for one, has been linked with multiple moves to Europe, as has Joel Lindpere (New York).

This upswing in general interest for MLS players is a good sign for the league and for the development of soccer in the country. These players leave at increasing prices every year, thus enhancing the economic viability and prosperity of the league. It is also a sign that more players abroad are looking to MLS to further their careers on their way to bigger checks and stardom abroad and within their own countries. There have been instances of individuals that join MLS briefly before crossing the Atlantic. Michael Bradley is one such example.

Major League Soccer appears to be at a crossroads at the moment. It is a growing league (Montreal joins this season) that continuously searches for talent abroad (Joao Plata in Toronto, Diego Chara in Portland). It also bleeds out significant players every year. But then again, so does every league. MLS just needs to learn to cope and evolve.

USL and MLS: the live experience

In what I hope to have as a semi-tradition, I attended a friendly pre-season match between my local USL club, the Carolina Railhawks, and an MLS team, New England Revolution. We braved 39 degree temperatures and a steady light rain. I was pleasantly surprised to see a good number of people braving the weather for this season's inaugural match (at least on our side of the stadium). The Railhawks won 1-0.


This time around, as I had alluded to in a previous post, the stakes were higher due to USL's place in American soccer as well as within the international scope of the region, the CONCACAF. I wanted to see just how well a USL side could play against a "top tier" MLS team. Last year's match between New York and the Railhawks was very one sided for the eventual MLS runner's up. However, lately the USL has represented the second-tier league in the Concacaf Champions League through Montreal Impact and Puerto Rico Islanders, and they have done so in style and successfully. Puerto Rico has gone through to the semi finals after beating Honduran team Marathon and Montreal Impact lost to Santos Laguna of Mexico after an amazing run that saw them win the first leg before 54,000 fans and a second game that they lost only in stoppage time.

Mark Schulte scored the game-winner for the USL side during the first half, to the behest of a frustrated Jeff Larentowicz. I admit that I don't know many players on the Carolina side, but most of them got playing time (substitution rules are much less stringent in unofficial friendlies). The USL-1 team has former MLS players (Brian Plotkin, Columbus; Daniel Paladini, Chivas; John Gilkerson; New York) as well as some international players (Marcelo Romero, Spain; Sallieu Bundu, among others). I did recognize most of the New England squad, however. Jay Heaps, Nyassi, Mansally, Joseph, Igwe, Reis, Dube were there. The Gambians (Manssaly and Nyassi) impressed me, as did Alston (rookie).

It may be true that sometimes games can be unpredictable in friendlies as well as cup games (F.A. Cup in England, Copa del Rey in Spain, US Open Cup in America). However, what seemed like a line of 3 at the back for the Railhawks yesterday, their style of play and treatment of the ball was quite noteworthy. As was the scoreline in their favor. Distances may be shorter between leagues but a special attention should be placed to further partnerships and interactions among the two leagues.

As a side note, I propose an interesting relegation scheme for MLS... how about every season there are 3-4 teams from top USL side in the league, with two of them being relegated each season opening the way for another two USL teams. A total of 20 teams in the league can still be reached, as well as a wider audience that is increasingly favoring soccer as a top sport. Case in point: 2009 MLS expansion team Seattle Sounders has already sold out their 20,000+ season tickets. They debut on Thursday March 19th on ESPN2 against MLS Cup runners-up New York Red Bulls.

Concachampions: Montreal (USL) to the rescue

After seeing an uninspired Houston Dynamo squander a win against an undermanned Atlante of Cancun game at Robertson stadium I was getting ready to forget about MLS, and for that matter, North America from the Concacaf Champions League. But I was wrong. It wasn't another MLS team (New England, DCU and Chivas USA were all knocked out of contention in the preliminary rounds and group phase), it was USL's Montreal Impact that showed up and beat one of Mexico's top teams--Santos Laguna de Torreon. On a night that saw the biggest crowd yet for the "Concachampions" (55000+), the USL team showed up, dominated and won the game. Mexican media and the club itself claimed that the synthetic pitch plus a failure to convert chances led to their demise. More impressive is the fact that the Mexican side had starters on the pitch, including great players like Mexican international 'keeper Osvaldo Sanchez and Ecuador striker Christian Benitez.

My take? Darn good football from North America's "second division"--USL-1. I'm starting to agree with one of my readers that claimed USL is more like an "alternative" league. After all, they pick up MLS rejects, recent NCAA graduates and random foreign players. This also makes a case for Montreal re-entering a bid for an MLS team that would give it higher international presence for an up-and-coming Canadian soccer play. This may hold even more promise as Miami's potential bid for a team may have been squandered by Barcelona following the global economic downturn.

So, with tonight's win by USL's Puerto Rico Islanders against Marathon of Honduras it is not at all impossible that we can see two USL squads make it all the way to the Concachampions semis. Either MLS needs to step up its international play or there should be a stronger relationship with USL. I'm not going to blame Houston's form on the fact that they're not playing "competitively" right now. Montreal isn't in-season at the moment either. As a side note, I'm looking forward to watching a USL-1 (local team Carolina Railhawks) team take on an MLS team (Revolution), even if it is pre-season.

Highlights below:

USL and MLS

Just yesterday I received a pleasant, albeit unexpected phone call. It was the Carolina Railhawks on the line wanting to know about my experience at the game, input I might have and the kind of media I'm most in contact with (that being XM, FSC/ESPN, the Internet). Granted, I've only been to one Railhawks game, last year, against the Red Bulls in what I hoped (and my wish was granted) would be Jozy Altidore's last season with MLS. It was a great experience, a great although uneventful game, good family atmosphere, some scattered Hispanics reminiscing days of futbol, and even some rowdy fans pulling for the men in orange on the far side of the stadium (WakeMed Soccer Park).
The Railhaks belong to America's so-called "second tier" (lower division) United Soccer Leagues or USL-1 [a reader actually commented it is an alternative league to MLS and that is correct]. After reading up on them I found that they have several divisions including player development, women's leagues and tryouts. They, of course, compete in the US Open Cup, one of the oldest soccer competitions in the world and which pairs up amateur, semi-pro and professional teams in a cup-style format. The USL has teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Two of these teams, Montreal Impact and Puerto Rico Islanders, advanced through the play-in and group stages of the Concachampions and are now in the quarterfinals. Only Houston made it through out of 4 MLS teams.
I alluded to MLS's recent failures when addressing Concacaf competitions previously and I will not dwell on it here. Instead, I want to point out the obvious high level in the USL. They continuously feed players into MLS and ingest players from the league after their time in MLS competition has expired due to age or performance. But is there a real, true relationship between the leagues? Short answer is no with a but since MLS does, indeed, prick off the best of the best from USL. And yet, after some serious sleuthing, I found that there are a lot of concerned fans of the game out there either on BigSoccer or personal/professional blogs that are collectively annoyed at the lack of relationship between these two institutions. I've read a lot about the youth development in MLS and US Soccer in general but USL seems to be putting a lot of emphasis on this. They also become a repository for college graduates that don't make the grade in MLS or abroad. Reading through MajorLeagueSoccer magazine I've seen the great progress made with the youngsters, there is certain difficulty in transitioning youth development into first team status. Not too long ago it was individuals pointed out how Kassel of the New York Red Bulls saw significant red tape when trying to make a move to MLS. So, besides the attention to detail in the USL, why aren't there more avenues for cooperation? Unlike Minor League Baseball and how its teams are affiliated with MLB clubs, no such format exists between USL and MLS. Given that Americans are obsessed with "drafts" from collegiate institutions and that promotion/relegation has no chance to ever fly in this country, it would only be advisable, if not imperative, that a tighter bond occur between USL and MLS. College drafts, especially this year, do offer an excellent avenue for new players to join the league, but as Steven Goff of the Washington Post has alluded to recently, the omission of a reserves tournament and lowering the number of players in MLS teams will mean very few options for a gifted round of individuals that in the past generated players like Clint Dempsey and Maurice Edu. Generation Adidas, is another avenue for our youngsters that allows them to not count against MLS rosters but there are only a limited amount of spots.
Once expansion teams are fully integrated into the league, spaces will become even more scarce and a partnership with USL gains more attention. Already we've seen some involvement when teams like Seattle Sounders make the jump to MLS and feed in players from their USL squad, but this is not a widespread practice. Clearly, as the Concachampions has shown, there is considerable skill available in America's lower division and it falls upon MLS to learn how to tap into this resource in a much more seamless manner. In the meantime I think I'll enjoy the Railhawks play the Revs in March. At least I get to watch some soccer sometimes.