<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a title="FIFA logotipo by FIFA Habbo, on Flickr" href="http:\/\/www.flickr.com/photos/fifahabbo/5149621822/"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a>Photo by FIFA Habbo</div>

It was an incredibly busy week in American soccer. &nbsp;Between the US national team, MLS midweek matches, and all sorts of FIFA controversies, there was a wealth of story lines for fans of the beautiful game. &nbsp;Below are some of the ones we were following this week that we did not have time to post on the site:
<ul>
<li>In midweek MLS action, New York and Colorado played to a 2-2 draw, Dallas got three points on the road with a 1-0 win over Seattle, and the Galaxy grabbed an early goal to edge Houston 1-0.</li>
<li>The Canadian Championship was <a href="http:\/\/www.theprovince.com/sports/Whitecaps+Toronto+Canadian+championship+tussle+rescheduled+July/4846136/story.html" target="_blank">rescheduled</a> for July 2 after it was abandoned in the 63rd minute due to horrendous rainstorms.</li>
<li>The FIFA mess is an important thing to know for American soccer fans. &nbsp;FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hamman and CONCACAF rep Jack Warner were summoned before an investigatory committee this week on charges of bribery during a Caribbean campaign visit. &nbsp;The charges were made by the U.S. rep Chuck Blazer. &nbsp;Now Sepp Blatter, the current FIFA president and candidate for reelection, has had <a href="http:\/\/sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/05/27/fifa.blatter.ap/index.html?eref=si_soccer&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fsi_soccer+%28SI.com+-+Soccer%29" target="_blank">an ethics charge</a> filed against him by bin Hamman for not reporting possible corruption violations. &nbsp;The election between these two, in polite terms, undesirable candidates was supposed to be Wednesday but now with ethics charges hanging over both of them, that timeline is in doubt. &nbsp;What does this mean for U.S. soccer? &nbsp;Stay tuned.</li>
<li>MLS commissioner Don Garber did an interview with the <a href="http:\/\/www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Blogs/SFF2011.aspx" target="_blank">Sports Business Journal</a> where he discussed Sporting Kansas City’s stadium, the Cosmos’ price tag, and MLS ratings, among other things.</li>
<li>Real Salt Lake’s depth is hurting with injuries and Gold Cup call-ups, but <a href="http:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/05/26/alexandre-eager-ease-rsls-scoring-woes-top" target="_blank">Randy Davis</a> sees an opportunity for one player.</li>
<li>Congratulations to American Clint Dempsey, whose Fulham team won England’s “Fair Play” spot in the Europa League. &nbsp;Like Maurice Edu this season, Dempsey will again have a chance to show off his skills on the European stage.</li>
<li>Finally, the UEFA Champions League Final is Saturday and will be shown on Fox. &nbsp;Last year’s final between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich had a 1.1 share; with two more “popular” teams playing keep an eye out for the rating. &nbsp;It will be a good indicator or support for the sport of soccer in the U.S.</li>
</ul>
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Knock Knock It's FIFA: Week in Review May 23-27, 2011 - World Soccer Talk

Knock Knock It's FIFA: Week in Review May 23-27, 2011

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In the wake of Thursday’s loss to Qatar in maybe the only place U.S. soccer can lose to them (the FIFA boardroom), many American soccer fans tried to rally their spirits by immediately turning their focus to the 2026 World Cup process.&nbsp; An initial glance at the state of play right now for the World Cup suggests 2026 could be an even better opportunity for a United States World Cup than 2022.
CONCACAF would be long overdue to host the event (the last one being 1994) and by FIFA rules Europe and Asia would be ineligible to host.&nbsp; South American would be unlikely because FIFA would probably want the 2030 World Cup in Uruguay/Argentina to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tournament.&nbsp; And out of North America, Oceania, and Africa the U.S. bid would look very promisingly, especially since it would then have been 32 years since the last American World Cup.
But upon further reflection a U.S. 2026 bid is in no way a slam dunk, despite our advantages.&nbsp; Here are the top five reasons to not get your hopes too high about the 2026 bid:
1.&nbsp; China – Yes, FIFA rules prohibit a federation from hosting consecutive World Cups, so China could not follow Qatar.&nbsp; However, FIFA could change them between now and the next bid process if the right situation presents itself.&nbsp; Chinese interest in a World Cup checks many of the boxes for FIFA: guaranteed profit, an infrastructure perfect for hosting such an event, a growing (or by 2026 grown) soccer market, and government assurances for a successful event.&nbsp; Imagine the best of the U.S., Australia and Qatar bids, and you have China.&nbsp; Such a cash cow might be hard to turn down.
2.&nbsp; Canada – Mexico would be a prime place for a World Cup, but they have already hosted twice.&nbsp; Canada, however, would be a compelling location for a World Cup and a perfect foil to a U.S. bid.&nbsp; Again, Canada is a rich nation that has hosted Olympics in the past.&nbsp; Soccer exists and has support, but a World Cup could really push its growth in the country.&nbsp; The women’s team is already good.&nbsp; If the Canadian team makes progress over the next few cycles, then Canada becomes a very attractive first-time bid.
3.&nbsp; A first-time African nation bid – South Africa plus Qatar equals a dream scenario for FIFA.&nbsp; Right now it’s hard to find a stable enough African country that’s not South Africa to be a really strong contender for a World Cup.&nbsp; It is a long time between 2010 and the bid process, however, and there are a bunch of countries that could be viable for the next cycle. 
4.&nbsp; Map changes – There are some odd anomalies in the soccer federations.&nbsp; Some, like Israel, are for cultural and geopolitical reasons while some (like Australia) are for competitive reasons.&nbsp; The point is that the federations can be changed for a variety of reasons.&nbsp; Why is this a factor?&nbsp; Say FIFA reconsiders and decides Oceania needs to be beefed up as a federation; they put Australia back in Oceania.&nbsp; Now Australia is eligible for the 2026 World Cup without a rules change.&nbsp; Or what if India or the Middle Eastern nations show vast improvement prior to the 2018 World Cup, in anticipation of Qatar in 2022?&nbsp; Would it make sense to add Japan and Australia to Oceania (since they are both Pacific islands)? Or maybe split Asia and merge half of it with Oceania?&nbsp; All of these are unlikely scenarios, but a map change over the next five to ten years could damage another U.S. bid., especially if FIFA wants to give a World Cup to Australia or Japan.
5.&nbsp; New Zealand or a CONCACAF island – Laugh all you want, but if a nation as small as Qatar can win why not New Zealand?&nbsp; This is the same country that almost advanced from group stage in this year’s World Cup, although they did qualify against weaker competition.&nbsp; Oceania has never had a World Cup and it would be a landmark event, something the Executive Committee obviously likes in a bid.&nbsp; It has beautiful scenery and is economically advanced.&nbsp; What about a more-open Cuba?&nbsp; What a great way to show its reemergence to the international stage with a World Cup, either solo or jointly.&nbsp; Is this reason so hard to believe?&nbsp; Yes, both New Zealand and Cuba are odd choices, but they are both larger in land size and population by far than the 2022 host.

Why A 2026 U.S. World Cup is Not A Slam Dunk - World Soccer Talk

Why A 2026 U.S. World Cup is Not A Slam Dunk

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The United States has been the favorite to win the 2022 World Cup bid since it dropped its 2018 bid to clear the way for a European nation.&nbsp; Going up against a Middle Eastern country, two Asian nations that previously hosted, and an island nation with little soccer culture, the U.S. has the money, media presence, and soccer infrastructure to guarantee a successful World Cup.&nbsp; But as we approach the December 2 announcement date, the rumors continue to pop up that the U.S. is at best dead even with Qatar and another of its competitors.&nbsp; So we have to consider what was once the unthinkable – what is the U.S. loses out on the World Cup?
How could America lose out on a bid?&nbsp; Qatar, while disgustingly hot in the summer, has a lot of money that it can dedicate to the World Cup, and FIFA can justify giving them the World Cup as a way to promote peace in the region.&nbsp; Australia is an untapped market and they could be viewed as the U.S. in 1994 – a nation where a World Cup will jump start the popularity of their soccer league.&nbsp; And it would be odd to give Japan or Korea a World Cup so soon after they jointly hosted one, but they could be viewed as safe bets.&nbsp; Plus we cannot ignore what wheelings and dealings occur behind closed doors.

The first thought that would come to many people’s minds if the U.S. lost out on December 2 is that we can reapply in four years for the 2026 Cup, and would have to be considered almost a lock.&nbsp; The World Cups have gone Africa (’10), South America (’14), Europe (’18), and Asia (’22), so unless Antarctica were to boom in population, North America would be a logical next step.&nbsp; This of course FIFA is logical and continues to rotate continents years from now when the 2026 Cup is selected, but let’s just assume.&nbsp; But to assume the U.S. would definitely be that country could be a mistake.&nbsp; Between the 2022 and 2026 selection processes, Mexico (who has already hosted World Cups), could stabilize politically and has a large soccer market.&nbsp; And to the north is another untapped market – Canada could be targeted by FIFA as the new soccer infrastructure building project.&nbsp; They have the money, government stability, and infrastructure to host a world-wide event.&nbsp; Plus, as we have seen with Toronto FC and lower division teams, Canadians will support soccer.
What does the loss of a World Cup do to MLS?&nbsp; Initially nothing, as where the international event will be held does not really impact MLS players.&nbsp; But what it could impact is MLS governance.&nbsp; We know FIFA hates some aspects of MLS, especially the schedule, and we assume that it would not deny the U.S. a bid because of simple MLS dislikes.&nbsp; But what if FIFA wanted the U.S. market to conform with the rest of world enough that they denied the bid?&nbsp; MLS could do one of two things – it could basically move further from FIFA or, more likely, begin to adopt FIFA guidance completely.&nbsp; This means fall-to-spring schedules like most of the rest of the world.
And what does this mean for the U.S. national team?&nbsp; It cannot be understated how important home field advantage is in the World Cup – the U.S. made the round of 16 in 1994, Italy placed third in the 1990 World Cup, Germany made the 2006 semifinals, etc.&nbsp; The United States would lose a vital goalpost for progress – the USSF can build its entire structure with the goal of playing in front of the home crowd in 2022 and making a run for possibly a title.&nbsp; But without that goalpost, it’s harder to have an end date for a building project which, frankly, the U.S. could use.&nbsp; It can be done, but the advantage of a World Cup in your front yard cannot be understated.
So would losing the World Cup be catastrophic for the USSF?&nbsp; No, but it would hurt.&nbsp;&nbsp; A lot.

What if the U.S. Loses 2022 World Cup bid? - World Soccer Talk

What if the U.S. Loses 2022 World Cup bid?

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To kick off our MLS Cup 2010 Preview, I am pleased to share that we will be live blogging the match on this site Sunday night beginning at 8:30 PM Eastern.&nbsp; For those of us not in Toronto, please visit this site to share thoughts on the two teams, ESPN’s coverage, or the warmth of your home as opposed to those at the stadium.
On Sunday night, two American teams will invade a Canadian pitch to resolve which is the best team in Major League Soccer.&nbsp; Oddly enough, only one player on either roster is actually Canadian – FC Dallas defender Edson Edward, who was born in Ottawa.&nbsp; BMO Field previously hosted the 2008 MLS All Star Game, so it is not a stranger to large MLS matches.&nbsp; In honor of Canada’s national winter sport (hockey), below is a breakdown of the match up face-off style.

Dallas Attack vs. Colorado Defense:&nbsp; Anyone who has followed any bit of the playoffs knows the Dallas attack starts with David Ferreira.&nbsp; The key to stopping the Dallas attack is stopping the presumptive MLS MVP, which no team in the playoffs has done so far.&nbsp; The Rapids duo of Mastroeni and Larentowicz are next up, and their contribution will be critical to the Rapids’ game plan.&nbsp; Of course the Dallas attack does not stop with Ferreira; the midfield duo of Dax McCarty and Brek Shea are also playmakers who can threaten the Colorado defense.&nbsp; Despite a 1-0 win in their last match and a solid keeper in Matt Pickens, they will be hard pressed to slow down a high-powered Dallas attack.&nbsp; Advantage – Dallas
Colorado Attack v. Dallas Defense:&nbsp; The Dallas defense can be summed up in one word – Hartman.&nbsp; The keeper has been unworldly in the regular season and especially in the playoffs; his first-half saves against the Galaxy kept the momentum with the visiting team.&nbsp; His back line will have a hard time containing the best forwards in MLS, especially Omar Cummings on the wing.&nbsp; If Kevin Hartman wasn’t in goal, I’d give this advantage to the speed and skill of the Rapids.&nbsp; But until the Dallas keeper proves me wrong, I’ll bet on him to keep this category even.&nbsp; Advantage: Push
Hyndman v. Smith: Again, it’s tough to bet against the MLS Coach of the Year.&nbsp; Hyndman’s gameplan against the Galaxy was excellent, using the speed of his team to exploit weaknesses in LA defense.&nbsp; Gary Smith is also a good manager, but usually excellent beats good.&nbsp; Advantage: Dallas
Intangibles: My initial thought is that Colorado would be better equipped to play in a cold match, but they lost their only visit to Canada this year while Dallas drew FC Toronto 1-1.&nbsp; Neither club has won a championship, so that is a push.&nbsp; But their roads to Toronto have been very different.&nbsp; Colorado overcame a scrappy Columbus team and a solid San Jose team to make it this far.&nbsp; Dallas beat the defending champions and the Supporters Shield winners.&nbsp; Advantage: Dallas
Prediction: Dallas looks to have the upper hand in the matchup, but Colorado is a very talented team.&nbsp; I expect a back-and-forth match with Dallas pulling away in the end.&nbsp; Dallas wins 3-1.

2010 MLS Cup Preview - Canadian Style - World Soccer Talk

2010 MLS Cup Preview – Canadian Style

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Have you ever questioned rooting for a team?&nbsp; It doesn’t even have to be a soccer team – maybe you watch pro football or baseball, and your hometown/local team is just bad.&nbsp; Because you love the sport and the team, you support it through think and thin and you buy season tickets even though that money could go towards something you need more.&nbsp; You shake your head when management does something blatantly dumb, and you gripe about the players lacking pride in the game. &nbsp;While you are doing this the team continues to rise prices, even though there is no improvement on the field. &nbsp;Eventually, you begin to question your fanaticism, usually after years of losing or mismanagement.&nbsp; You think deep in the recesses of your mind “should I really dedicate my time and money to this team?”&nbsp; You just want to lash out and make management feel your pain, understand your angst and do something, anything to make it better.
And every once in a while, management listens and gives in.
Toronto FC’s contribution to MLS has been less than spectacular.&nbsp; In its four seasons of existence, it has never finished in the top ten in MLS, much less qualified for the playoffs and has only found success in the Canadian Championships.&nbsp; Despite this terrible start for the franchise, they have averaged over 20,000 every match, and the Toronto experiment has inspired MLS to place an additional two, maybe three teams in Canada over the next five years.&nbsp; And as owners of teams usually do in response to changing times, the ownership group for Toronto FC has raised its ticket prices every year.&nbsp; The problem is how much they have raised ticket prices; the team <a href="http:\/\/www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/sports/soccer/17mls.html?_r=2&amp;scp=1&amp;sq=TOronto%20FC&amp;st=cse" target="_blank">announced earlier this month</a> that they were increasing ticket prices 34%, which after comparability studies were done, makes a 2011 Toronto FC ticket more expensive than a Manchester United ticket!
Fans understandably are outraged.&nbsp; After a 1-0 loss at home to woeful DC United, the Red Patch Boys borrowed Twisted Sister’s greatest hit and announced that they weren’t going to take it anymore.&nbsp; And the club listened.&nbsp; This weekend ownership announced they were freezing season ticket prices after the 2011 season and giving all season ticket renewers a free ticket to the 2011 home opener.&nbsp; The club even went so far as to admit liability in an email to supporters: “Toronto FC fans are unique — you love your club, you feel a part of the club, but your club has let you down on and off the pitch.”
As a fan of multiple teams who have failed to qualify for the playoffs in recent memory and have consistently been losers on the pitch/field/court, I applaud the Toronto FC management.&nbsp; It takes guts and a good business sense to admit you messed up big time, and it is better they did it now before irreparable harm was done to the fanbase.&nbsp; But at the same time, they should be ashamed and this is a victory for all fans of all clubs who have been through incompetence, aggravation, and constant losing.&nbsp; So to fans of teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Raiders, and LA Clippers, stand up and cheer for the Red Patch Boys and hope that this trend of management mea culpa spreads.
Do you think Toronto FC has done enough to answer fan complaints, or should it do more? &nbsp;Let us know in the comments section or via Twitter <a href="http:\/\/www.twitter.com/roberthayjr" target="_blank">@roberthayjr</a>

Toronto FC Does the Unthinkable: It Listens to Fans - World Soccer Talk

Toronto FC Does the Unthinkable: It Listens to Fans

<a href="http:\/\/www.uslsoccer.com/home/361425.html" target="_blank"></a><div><figure class="image"><a href="http:\/\/www.uslsoccer.com/home/361425.html" target="_blank"></a></figure></div><a href="http:\/\/www.uslsoccer.com/home/361425.html" target="_blank">Here’s a link to the press release</a>.
I know, this is MLS Talk, not USL Talk. But given recent events, this is newsworthy.
This has been rumored for awhile, not always the Fury, but that a party in Ottawa was interested in entering the USL First Division. But they picked a really strange time to do it, didn’t they?
A little more about the club: It was founded in 2005 and currently fields teams in the PDL, W-League (Ottawa Fury Women), and the Super-20 League.
It appears that they plan to play matches at a new stadium to be built at Lansdowne Park, pending the approval of the Ottawa city council. Currently Lansdowne Park is the home of Frank Claire Stadium, which hosted matches at the U-20 World Cup. Frank Clair is in, let’s say, less that pristine condition and there’s been talk about redeveloping the place. We may well be looking at a ground-share with a potential new Ottawa CFL team.
The Ottawa council meets tomorrow (Sept. 2) to rule on the stadium plan, and that’s probably what this whole thing hinges on.
So, what do you guys think of this news, and the timing of the announcement considering everything that’s going on with the USL at the moment? I think it’s great news for Canada, the more professional options for Canadians the better.
Update: <a href="http:\/\/www.lansdownelive.ca/" target="_blank">Here’s a link</a> to the Lansdowne Live project including the potential stadium. The stadium would seat 25,000. That’s massive by USL standards.

Ottawa Fury Applies for a USL-1 Franchise - World Soccer Talk

Ottawa Fury Applies for a USL-1 Franchise

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Amid all the murmurings about ESPN losing Champions League rights in the US, Canadians, with some notable exceptions, have emerged relative winners in the last few years, even with the initially disruptive introduction of Setanta Sports in the latter part of 2007.
In a perfect world, all the football we’d ever want to watch would be split between three basic cable channels forever and ever, amen. But as long as the Premier League and the Champions League remain as popular, that will never be the case—although Canada comes pretty close.
As it stands now, Setanta gets the early and late matches on Saturdays and pick of the litter for the 10:00 AM EST slot. It also gets the early Sunday PL fixture. While annoyed Canadians have to pay a premium fee ($14.99 a month on Cable providers Bell and Rogers), the trade off is getting to watch weekday, holiday and repeated fixtures that used to go begging on Canadian television, in addition to live Champions League games, SPL matches, on and off Eredivisie and regular Sunday French Ligue 1, plus staple shows like Football Matters and the Friday Football Show (the less said about Rugby and GAA the better), no broadband, no fuss, no muss.
Meanwhile Rogers Sportsnet (basic cable) gets the second 10 AM Saturday pick, and the Score gets the marquee 11 am Sunday morning fixture, so drive-by supporters who don’t mind sifting through the dregs of Justin TV once in a while are okay. In addition to the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga fans can get their fix on GolTV (3 bucks a month and no carrier lawsuits!) and Serie A supporters can catch games (and Bobby McMahon) both on Fox Sports Canada (3 bucks a month) and Telelatino (basic cable). The main sports channel, TSN (basic cable) carries quarterfinal-final Champions League fixtures.
These prices vary of course if you decide to go with a premium package. It’s not ideal, but with one or two exceptions the quality of coverage is very good and the amount of football available without having to go beyond basic cable is substantial. Amid the turgid mess of rights’ acquisitions, it’s nice to enjoy a bit of stability.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "canada" - Page 7

Leagues: MLS

Knock Knock It's FIFA: Week in Review May 23-27, 2011

Leagues: MLS

Why A 2026 U.S. World Cup is Not A Slam Dunk

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What if the U.S. Loses 2022 World Cup bid?

Leagues: MLS

2010 MLS Cup Preview – Canadian Style

Leagues: MLS

Toronto FC Does the Unthinkable: It Listens to Fans

Leagues: MLS

Ottawa Fury Applies for a USL-1 Franchise

General

Canadians Enjoy Chaos-Free Premiership, Champions League Broadcasts