A gateway for club football in Canada

Earlier today, details of a new club competition in North America were released. Replacing the old CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, the CONCACAF Champions’ League will provide a new means of measuring club talent from this region. There will be many differences between this competition and the former one it replaces. The Champions’ League will, for example, feature a group stage, whereas the old Champions’ Cup featured only knockout rounds. The most important difference between these two tournaments (at least from a Canadian perspective), is that the new tourney will actually include a team from Canada.

With the news that Canada will be represented in the CONCACAF Champions’ League, attention will inevitably shift to the qualification procedure for determining which Canadian club advances to this tournament. Will a Canada Cup, comprised of the three professional teams in Canada – Toronto FC, the Montreal Impact, and the Vancouver Whitecaps – determine Canada’s lone North American spot? Or will a broader competition, one including professional teams but also semi-pro and amateur sides from such leagues as the Canadian Soccer League and the Pacific Coast Soccer League, determine which club will be represented in this tournament?

Whichever qualification route is chosen, one thing is for certain: 2008 will be an interesting year for club football in Canada. With a chance to be recognised on the North American stage, Canada’s top clubs have a real incentive to beef up their rosters for this season. Will Toronto FC be the first club to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions’ League, or will Montreal or Vancouver upset the MLS side and take centre stage? Such questions will be asked many times over the coming months, as footy fans gear up for what will be the most exciting and acclaimed season of Canadian club football in years.

Two Cities and TFC

With the Major League Soccer Transfer window barely open, the opening moves have been made and rumors permeate across the MLS with implications for Toronto FC.

TFC has yet to make transfer related moves in terms of adding player talent, but it did address the concern of fitness by adding Paul Winsper to their staff from Newcastle United. Coach Mo Johnston was very pleased with the addition and hopefully will nip in the bud possible injuries during the hectic summer months.

While Toronto waits for Trader Mo to make a player related move, other clubs that will try to block Toronto from glory in 2008 have made some important choices. Two clubs in particular, close in final regular season position when related to Toronto FC stand out in particular: the Kansas City Wizards and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Kansas City, the team to garner the last playoff spot in 2007, is rumored to lose Eddie Johnson to English side Fulham. Johnson scored 15 times in 24 games, six times were game winners. The Wizards also have lost Nick Garcia to San Jose for the 1^st pick in the draft on Friday then traded Jose Burciaga Jr. to the Colorado Rapids for their 2^nd round pick. Garcia and Burciaga have both featured on defense for several years and their departure leaves a hole which at this point seems likely to be filled by younger talents from the draft.

With KC potentially losing key players, a door opens for the Reds. If Johnson ends up in England the Wizards attack will have to look elsewhere for offensive magic. There are no players in the draft able to take over and I am unconvinced of their current roster players to make useful offensive additions. KC will be able to add some players, most likely address departure of the core of their defense via the draft. It appears that Julius James would be the pundits choice as a starting point to fill this void. The loss of three key players weakens a Wizards squad that just beat out the Columbus Crew for the last spot by three points.

Contrary to the moves of the Wizards, the Galaxy seem to be making a bid to seek fame in 2008 and are casting the dice on winning this season and next. The Gals have added midfielder Clint Mathis from New York and forward Carlos Ruiz from FC Dallas. With Beckham looking to have a healthy 2008 season, the Galaxy is a much more dangerous squad than the 2007 campaign. Beckham, Donovan and Mathis combine as a formidable trio of midfielders and Ruiz will give credibility to the forward position that already has potential star Quavas Kirk developing in the wings. The Galaxy are lacking a keeper after the loss of MLS veteran Cannon to San Jose and his departure will be a tough void to fill.

Until we see what happens on draft day this Friday, the picture will remain muddy. Nonetheless, TFC fans can expect two different clubs next time the Reds face either the Wizards or the Galaxy in 2008 as opposed to 2007. One thing will remain the same; both of these clubs are important stepping stones for TFC and should be used as a benchmark if the team is to make the playoffs.

While there are more transfers to come, already there are signs pointing to a potentially strong 2008 campaign for Toronto FC. With a solid core of players in place, Reds supporters should be confident when looking towards next season. With the Wizards apparently reloading and the Galaxy putting their eggs in one expensive basket, TFC is in position to make moves towards a playoff birth.

Mathis, Beckham and Donovan, if healthy, will be a very formidable midfield trio and with Ruiz upfront, Toronto could have problems defensively. However, injuries could relegate Galaxy dreams of fame to mere overpaid California dreaming. If and when injuries do happen, look for the Galaxy to fall short.

The Wizards are likely not to be the “force” they were last season and appear to be looking towards being competitive when their new stadium is ready. Thus far, Kansas City appears to be lacking offensive fire power, has been seriously weakened on defense and could be without a very good keeper. Teams with predatory playoff instincts should view the Wizards as potential prey. The players Kansas City are losing are not freely available in MLS and with the moves they have made it is not illogical to assume that Kansas City is looking towards developing in 2008 to win in 2009.

For TFC, fame and fortune will rest with Trader Mo Johnston. What happens in the coming months is crucial for success. With Canadian Josh Wagenaar rumored to be heading to the club his addition would firmly address any goalkeeping issues. Wagenaar would be a definitive move in the right direction for a club that suffered from par to sub par keeping on many nights and Wagenaar could possibly be an improvement over Sutton.

With the Wizards and Galaxy striking out in separate directions, TFC faithful will be looking towards Mo Johnston to see if he is able to make the right moves when adding to a TFC squad that in 2007 ended up decimated by an injury epidemic. The bright side is that the squad was competitively good when healthy. With a solid core in place if Johnston can add the right pieces to the TFC puzzle, pre-season confidence in a playoff match up being hosted in Toronto will not be misplaced.

Canada's qualifying run coming into focus

Although the Canadian men's national soccer team is not scheduled to play any competitive games for over 5 months, it's schedule for this year is nonetheless taking shape. After receiving a bye through Stage One of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF, Canada will begin its campaign with a pair of Stage Two matches against St. Vincent and the Grenadines. As reported at FIFA.com, Canada is scheduled to play at home against St. Vincent on Saturday, June 14, followed by away in the Caribbean on June 21. The winner of this two-game playoff will advance to the semi-final round of qualifying, which will commence in late summer of this year.

In addition to competitive matches, Canada's preparation for its upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign is also becoming clear. According to the Globe and Mail, Canada will play a friendly against Estonia in Tallinn on March 26. This will be the first match that Canada has played against Estonia since March 2003, when Les Rouges lost to the home side 2-1.

Aside from actual matches, Canadian national team players will participate in a training camp in January. Speculation on the Voyageurs' forum is that Canada will play at least one friendly during the camp, although no actual games have been confirmed. It will be interesting to see who coach Dale Mitchell invites to the camp, as many of Canada's top European-based players will be unavailable due to club commitments. At the very least, the January camp will showcase a few players who will be regular participants in this year's World Cup qualifying matches.

Between competitive matches, friendlies and training camps, it is quite evident that 2008 will be a busy year for the Canadian national team. For fans of the red-and-white, now is the time to set aside dates on the calendar for international soccer action.

Correction: The St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Canadian soccer associations agreed to a schedule change for this June's two-game playoff. The St. Vincent home fixture is scheduled for Sunday, June 15, while Canada's home fixture will be played a week later. Way to go CSA, you spineless (bleep).