How many Toronto FC fans are there on this board?
- Thread starter Barca
- Start date
One Up!
I fully support TFC, MLS and the Beautiful Game. Although, I follow UEFA much more closely, I still love the fact that there is a formal Toronto Futbol Club.
I fully support TFC, MLS and the Beautiful Game. Although, I follow UEFA much more closely, I still love the fact that there is a formal Toronto Futbol Club.
I have been to a handfull of games. The enivornment is better then any other sporting event here in Toronto.
With the recent signing of DeRosario, that is a vast improvement. Hopefully they can land DeGuzman to give TFC a balanced attack.
Hopefully, TFC management is cooking something else, cause the signing of DeRosario came and went without a whisper.
With the recent signing of DeRosario, that is a vast improvement. Hopefully they can land DeGuzman to give TFC a balanced attack.
Hopefully, TFC management is cooking something else, cause the signing of DeRosario came and went without a whisper.
I am a fan of footie in general but I have a hard time taking MLS seriously, and I do try oh Lord I do try!!! but that stupid salary cap, the bringing of pop star Beckham as the ultimate saviour of the league (when a guy like Darren Huckerby came over from England and played much better and got little attention) the refusal to shut down during World Cup qualifying which left TFC in such a state that one of their scouts had to suit up and play, and last but not least playing in stadiums with NFL/NCAA lines all make me squirm.
Football fans here all agree on all these points. I guess the point is you have to start somewhere.scouser1 said:
You can't start with an EPL here right off the bat right? Everything starts from something small and grows into something respectable. I personally feel MLS changed the day TFC entered the league. The credibility of the league got a boost.
And once the current collective bargaining agreement expires, I think we will see the cap get a boost.
Baby steps.
Personally, I am not completely against a cap, although I am more in favour of a soft cap as opposed to a hard one. At the end of the day, these leagues are business operations and to grow, they need to be profitable. Nobody wants to see another NASL.
In the meantime, we have top flight football in our backyard. I know I don't get a chance to get to EPL games all that often, so having a team here I can call my own is great. Not to mention, MLS is already one of the top leagues in the world money and attendance-wise. It seems small because of the fact that other sports leagues in North America dwarf it (NBA, NFL, MLB).
I support TFC, and am very happy with the "New Look"
The Season Opener was fantastic! 3 goals and 3 points on the road - what a way to start things off.
The game in KC showed that we're finally capable of playing good attacking Football. DeRo was awesome. Guevara was Man of the Match with his brace, and the rookies, Frei & Cronin looked solid.
It'll be a big challenge in Columbus this weekend. We'll be missing Guevara and Robinson to International duty, and Columbus will be missing Frankie Hejduk and Alejandro Moreno for the same reason.
The Season Opener was fantastic! 3 goals and 3 points on the road - what a way to start things off.
The game in KC showed that we're finally capable of playing good attacking Football. DeRo was awesome. Guevara was Man of the Match with his brace, and the rookies, Frei & Cronin looked solid.
It'll be a big challenge in Columbus this weekend. We'll be missing Guevara and Robinson to International duty, and Columbus will be missing Frankie Hejduk and Alejandro Moreno for the same reason.
Barca said:
Some good points that echo my sentiments. But as Scouser said, the MLS should really try to accomodate the international schedule and take some breaks while WC and qualifiers are being played, it ruins the integrity when some teams lose their best players.
I try and make a few TFC games each year but given the resources at MLSE disposal, TFC should have done a little better in the first couple years. But I probably lost a few of you on that point once I mentioned MLSE
The new team in Seattle got off to a good start, probably related to the coach from Columbus that they picked up, Sigi something or the other. Which brings me to my question, is Mo Johnston the right guy? I like what Carver has done, but is Mo overrated? Is he rated? Don't know much about his credentials.As a result of the issues TFC & other teams endured due to conflicting schedules, MLS has allowed the teams to request 1 date change each.Big Michael said:Some good points that echo my sentiments. But as Scouser said, the MLS should really try to accomodate the international schedule and take some breaks while WC and qualifiers are being played, it ruins the integrity when some teams lose their best players.
I try and make a few TFC games each year but given the resources at MLSE disposal, TFC should have done a little better in the first couple years. But I probably lost a few of you on that point once I mentioned MLSE
If TFC runs into another situation where they can't field a starting 11 from their 22 man roster, they will be allowed to reschedule the game.
At the end of this season, expect more concessions to be made with the new collective barganing agreement.
You mention the resources at MLSE's disposal. The league has written into the franchise contract, strict limitations on spending.
This prevents wealthy owners from gaining an advanyage while other teams can only buy up to the salary cap.
Seattle has done a lot of things right. A lot of what they're doing, they learned from TFC. TFC did a lot of things right, but if they knew how popular the games would be, they would have done things better.
Sigi Schmid will have a very positive impact on the sounders as well.
Mo Johnston was not the right man to coach the players, but he has done very well as the Manager, Director of Soccer. Mo's biggest asset is his ability to spot, and get talent. He's earned the moniker "Trader Mo" over the years because he has a knack for pulling off deals that always seem to work out to be dramatically in his favour. He's also proven to be the most astue in the league for manipulating the "Super Draft".
As long as Mo takes care of the big picture, and Carver has complete control over the players, things will work out well.
Carver is probably Mo's biggest signing to date. You should also be aware of Paul Winsper, and his effect on the team. We're very, very lucky to have him.
It's a "Football" Club. Soccer originate in England; it's original laws were in English. English is the language that most closely resembles what is spoken in Toronto. English is the language that most closely resembles what is posted on terb. The official name is Toronto Football Club. So why on earth would you use the Spanish spelling? Especially when "futból" is not a native Spanish word - it comes from the English "football" ("foot" is "pie" in Spanish).Bridgeman said:
JulioF said:
Thanks JulioF, some insightful stuff. One question, I get the salary cap, but are you saying the MLS limits the amount a team can spend on scouting, recruiting, academies and player development? Because if not, I would hope that MLSE takes the long-term view and get some good young prospects in, particularly from South America. I know MLS salaries aren't that high but they would have to be competitive with Central and South America. I personally would personally prefer an a up and coming 22 year old from SA than a 31 year old washout from England's Championship.
As far as I know, the acadamy system is not part of the MLS structure. TFC has an acadamy that fields a team in the CSL, but unless the kids get picked up by a US university side, they won't be eligible for the MLS Draft.Big Michael said:
The same problem will occur with Vancouver. The Whitecaps have a good development program in place, but they can't use it as a way to develop players for the team once they are part of the MLS.
MLSE can spend on team facilities, and scouting. The limitations are on supplimental benefits for the players. For instance, you can't keep a player at a low salary to fit under the cap, and them give him a Condo, or a Car as part of his deal.
MLSE didn't expect to turn a profit until year 3. They laid out a 5 year plan to get everything "up to speed".
After the first year, they turned a profit of nearly $2,000,000, which they had to split with the City of Toronto. Mayor Miller got a cheque that was over $900,000.
MLSE is building it's network of scouts quicker than originally planned, due to pressure from the supporters.
In the off season, Mo signed Pablo Vitti - a 23 year old Argentinian, who Messi once described as the player who most resembled his own style of play.
Mo also signed two young Gambian players. One is on the development roster, and the other is training with the acadamy.
The Roster has quite an international feel to it now, and there is a good mix of youth and veterans.
This is the year to pay attention. They will go far.
Love FUTBOL in as many languages as posible
For those of you who are wondering why "Pie" (as in Apple Pie) is "foot" in Spanish, it is only spelled like this. The pronunciation, in phonetic spelling, would be something like "Pee - eh".
In response to your post, I purposely used the word "futbol" due to the fact that I have some Spanish roots in my ancestry and that the league I follow most is La Liga from Spain. I full well know the origins of the game and chose to use "futbol" rather than "football" in order to distinguish us from NFL and CFL fans. Not unlike calling NBA "Hoops" or MLB "The Show". I live and breathe The Beautiful Game so rest assured I can praise it in at least two languages. This is the beauty of living in a city like Toronto, where you can watch a UEFA or FIFA match with someone who does not speak the same language as you and still enjoy it just as much together.johnhenrygalt said:
For those of you who are wondering why "Pie" (as in Apple Pie) is "foot" in Spanish, it is only spelled like this. The pronunciation, in phonetic spelling, would be something like "Pee - eh".
