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I agree with you completely. The problem with the lack of a true top flight Domestic league in Canada is that it has a direct effect on developing talent and building a National program. There is a reason why you probably will not see Canada as a competitive Top 5 CONCACAF Nation and it starts with the lack of a domestic league.
It is not a coincidence that the rise in US success Internationally at Soccer coincided with the creation and development of the MLS. Until that point only the NCAA held the burden of developing National team players before they went to play over in Europe. Speaking of Collegiate soccer (or lack of) that is another strike against Canada as well.
Personally I love to see the sold out stadiums at BMO Field and the same for Montreal once they get up and running. I just wish a domestic league that develops top flight talent was offered.
As a side Question (and to attempt to get back on Topic so this doesnt get locked!): In Quebec, after Hockey how would you rank the popularity of Sports in order?
I read that Soccer is the most popular sport among children nowadays because it's quite expensive to play Hockey.
I really wish for Canada to become a Soccer powerhouse, one thing I noticed is that support for the MLS vastly comes in the form of immigrants from soccer-crazy countries. I noticed this when I was watching the Toronto FC vs LA Galaxy a few days ago, whenever the TFC goalkeeper would kick the ball, you would hear a loud and clear insult in Spanish that is the norm in Mexico. Hopefully now with the expansion more Canadian cities will try to get an MLS team. I could see Calgary easily getting a team in the near future as it continues to attract more immigrants. Ottawa recently was in the process of building a specific stadium to expand into the MLS, but they chose to revitalize Lansdowne Park instead
I don't mean to hijack the thread, perhaps we could create a Soccer/MLS specific thread if there's enough interest?
As a side Question (and to attempt to get back on Topic so this doesnt get locked!): In Quebec, after Hockey how would you rank the popularity of Sports in order?
In terms of popularity as a spectator sport, I'd say
1. Hockey
2. Football (NFL and CIS, NCAA isn't on the radar)
3. Soccer (Impact). Popularity is a lot lower outside Montreal though, maybe it's #2 in MTL?
4. Baseball (Jays, Sox, MLB in general, some junior, minor pro i.e. Citadelles in Quebec City)
5. Basketball (NBA and NCAA). Probably higher than baseball in inner city Montreal but the Kebs aren't really taking off here in Quebec City.
Unless I'm mistaken, soccer enrollment has been higher than baseball for a long time, but the growth of football (esp. high school) has been very important for the past 15 years, especially in Quebec City.
In terms of popularity as a spectator sport, I'd say
1. Hockey
2. Football (NFL and CIS, NCAA isn't on the radar)
3. Soccer (Impact). Popularity is a lot lower outside Montreal though, maybe it's #2 in MTL?
4. Baseball (Jays, Sox, MLB in general, some junior, minor pro i.e. Citadelles in Quebec City)
5. Basketball (NBA and NCAA). Probably higher than baseball in inner city Montreal but the Kebs aren't really taking off here in Quebec City.
Unless I'm mistaken, soccer enrollment has been higher than baseball for a long time, but the growth of football (esp. high school) has been very important for the past 15 years, especially in Quebec City.
Agree with what is said here. I might flip number 2 for number 3 in Montreal as suggested - soccer might be slightly more popular there than Canadian/American football and the Alouettes, whereas outside Montreal Canadian/American football and the Alouettes are likely more popular. In either case it is pretty close though. Major league baseball is now quite far behind the number 2 and 3 sports. This was not always the case of course, and in the 1980s baseball was solidly number 2 behind hockey.
The problem a Canadian national league has in almost any sport--with the exception of hockey and lacrosse--is that there are only so many big Canadian cities or markets spread around a huge country.
It's cheaper for a team in Toronto to travel to a city across the Great Lakes or for a Montreal team to go to New York or Boston than to Vancouver. And that Vancouver team can develop a stronger rivalry with a team in Seattle or other US West Coast city.
The problem a Canadian national league has in almost any sport--with the exception of hockey and lacrosse--is that there are only so many big Canadian cities or markets spread around a huge country.
It's cheaper for a team in Toronto to travel to a city across the Great Lakes or for a Montreal team to go to New York or Boston than to Vancouver. And that Vancouver team can develop a stronger rivalry with a team in Seattle or other US West Coast city.
This is looking at it only from a U.S. perspective. In reality, Canada has more than enough large or largish cities to support its own domestic sports leagues. Most developed countries in the world have their own national pro sports leagues within their own borders with a dozen or 15 teams. Look at Australia (huge size and less population than Canada), and how many national leagues they have in various sports.
I read that Soccer is the most popular sport among children nowadays because it's quite expensive to play Hockey.
I really wish for Canada to become a Soccer powerhouse, one thing I noticed is that support for the MLS vastly comes in the form of immigrants from soccer-crazy countries. I noticed this when I was watching the Toronto FC vs LA Galaxy a few days ago, whenever the TFC goalkeeper would kick the ball, you would hear a loud and clear insult in Spanish that is the norm in Mexico. Hopefully now with the expansion more Canadian cities will try to get an MLS team. I could see Calgary easily getting a team in the near future as it continues to attract more immigrants. Ottawa recently was in the process of building a specific stadium to expand into the MLS, but they chose to revitalize Lansdowne Park instead
I share your dream but it is unlikely to happen. Immigration will help for sure but as Edward said in post #16, the lack of a national Canadian league with a mandate to support the development of the national team really hurts. Three MLS clubs in the three biggest cities does help a bit, but really an all-Canadian first-class league would be the best thing from a development perspective.
Note that Australia like Canada has little traditional soccer culture and is ranked 20th by FIFA at the moment, and is consistently way higher than Canada in the FIFA rankings.
Their national soccer league has 10 teams in all major cities across the country with an overall average attendance of 10,000 per game (note that a few MLS clubs have attendance in this range also). The top team in attendance (Melbourne) has the exact same average as the Toronto FC.
I share your dream but it is unlikely to happen. Immigration will help for sure but as Edward said in post #16, the lack of a national Canadian league with a mandate to support the development of the national team really hurts. Three MLS clubs in the three biggest cities does help a bit, but really an all-Canadian first-class league would be the best thing from a development perspective.
Note that Australia like Canada has little traditional soccer culture and is ranked 20th by FIFA at the moment, and is consistently way higher than Canada in the FIFA rankings.
Their national soccer league has 10 teams in all major cities across the country with an overall average attendance of 10,000 per game (note that a few MLS clubs have attendance in this range also). The top team in attendance (Melbourne) has the exact same average as the Toronto FC.
Another major issue is the lack of a real National Youth Academy in Canada as well. If you look at Australia as you mentioned they have a strong youth development program that stretches Nationally.
In Canada you have the CSL, which is almost exclusively based in Ontario and Quebec. You also have the MLS teams academies, but once again it is regional and tied to a US based league. With no Youth development system Nationally, you will not see development into a real footballing nation.
Canada is currently ranked 9th in the CONCACAF and 79th by FIFA. Which places it behind even a developing country like Haiti (8th in CONCACAF, 72nd by FIFA) So it shows that the opportunity is there to make a move into the top tier of the Conference. Yes Mexico and the US will always be 1 and 2, but the next two qualification slots are wide open if Canada decides to make a commitment to National Soccer.
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