The 24th Minute is dead; long live the 24th Minute!

This will be the last unique post made on Blogger. After an exhaustive re-design process (which we thankfully didn't bore you with by giving minute, technical updates on while making snarky comments about other Web sites before delivering something that looks like a 1995 HTML project you did in college) we launched Canadian Soccer News this morning.

Here is is.

If you want to go straight to The 24th Minute, you can click here.

The blogger site will remain live and act as an archive. The content I will be providing will not change. The 24th Minute will remain The 24th Minute. It just has a new, prettier home.

It also has neighbours. Joining me on CSN is Some Canadian Guys, Ben Knight's Onward Soccer, a new Vancouver blog called Vancouver Insider, Le12eJoueur, a Montreal Impact blog published in French (English content will be coming soon) and Euro File, a look at the European game. The site will also act as the home base of The Voyageurs and will feature its blog and discussion board.

It's Called Football will be hosted on CSN as well.

You can view the new site as a blogging collective, but I prefer to think of it as a news organization. We are looking to built CSN into the biggest and best source of soccer news in Canada. Yes, we are publishing in a blog format, but the distinction between the so-called mainstream media and blogging has long been blurred. If such things matter to you there are six j-school grads involved in this project.

In terms of your browsing experience, we feel that the new site will be easier for you to navigate (It might even make a great home page, just saying). If you start on the front page you will see each update as it is made. It will allow you to experience CSN as a single site, rather than a collection of seven separate sites. However, if you want to remain loyal to an individual site you can simply go straight to that site and follow its feed.

The addition of the Voyageurs provides an interactive experience for users that goes beyond the comments section.

If you have any questions about the new site, direct them to dgrollins@gmail.com. Otherwise, enjoy!

Taking a Wiz on (an albeit short) history

The KC Wizards are preparing to re-brand. A "Major Kansas City Soccer Announcement" page on Facebook has been set-up to promote the event, which will take place November 17.

The rumour is Sporting Kansas, which is cringe-inducing horrible. Not Real Salt Lake bad, but up there.

The Wizards owners (and I'll tell you right now I'm just going to keep calling them the Wizards) apparently feels that they need a fresh start before making the move into their shiny new stadium. Apparently that means, if the rumours are true, re-naming the team in the same way that you name house league teams -- after someone more famous. The very first hockey team I played for was called the Kings. We played in a four team league on Wednesday nights against the Leafs, Canadiens and Bruins - no, I'm not sure why the Kings were included in that mix either. That's what Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas seem like to me.

As I've written before I might have cancelled my tickets if TFC had ended up being named Inter Toronto FC as was rumoured. No, really.

I've also written a defence of North American nicknames like the Wizards. Yes, they are a little cheeseball, but they are cheeseball names that have been attached to teams for a significant amount of time. Is Whitecaps really much better than Wizards? No, but I would lose my mind if Vancouver tried to re-brand the 'Caps and I'm not even a 'Caps fan. Why? Simple -- because Whitecaps is just what they are and always should be.

And so it is with KC. The Wiz forever!

(Although Kansas City City would be fun)

Tickets, got tickets....

The MLS Cup ticket:



I know some have been disappointed. They were hoping it would be hand delivered by Evangeline Lilly with a DP striker for TFC attached. Instead all we got was a Purolator package with a simple, black and sleek design.

Damn you ML$E.

The QEW derby creeps closer to reality

There is no mention of soccer in the latest story on the Hamilton Stadium, but that's the norm. Other than us geeks no one reporting on the Hamilton stadium gives any thought to pro soccer, which would only become the tenant that would most use the facility.


In every report it's all about the CFL's Ti-Cats, which is understandable, but missing half the story. A stadium in a city the size of Hamilton makes no sense if it's only getting used nine times a year. Add another 20 or so soccer dates (along with various high school events) and it starts to become something worth talking about.

Ti-Cats owner Bob Young is actually a soccer guy. If you skip to 4:56 of this interview on The Fan 590 you'll hear him both talk about how MLS stadiums are influencing the design in Hamilton and, more importantly, he bluntly states that the stadium would allow him to bring a professional soccer team to Hamilton. Although it was a throwaway line in the interview it was the most direct statement of intent by anyone in Hamilton on the subject.

If Young gets a stadium the people that matter in D2 soccer will give him a team. I've been told by several people that should know that's the case.

The stadium still isn't a sure thing. It looks good now, but God knows with this story. However, a second southern Ontario pro soccer team seems more and more likely.

If there is a D2 league to play in that is. But, that's a whole other subject...

In Bunbury's words

The biggest thing for me is I want to play in a World Cup, bottom line. Every player in the world ultimately wants to play in a World Cup, and the way it’s looking the US has the better chance of making it to the World Cup, to be honest. That’s what really stuck in my mind every time I would contemplate it and that’s ultimately what swayed me

Read more here.

The joke could be on him. Although the US is far more likely to make a World Cup in the next 12 years, Teal is far more likely to be a consistent call-up for Canada than the U.S.

Imagine this scenario: Canada qualifies for a World Cup along with the U.S. (not that farfetched. Teal sits at home watching both (not even remotely farfetched). As I've already wrote, I don't hold this decision against Bunbury (I just wish he had been more upfront), but I have to admit the possibility of that idea does amuse me just a little.

Borderline international accepts call to South Africa

Teal Bunbury has accepted the call for the United States. He will be part of the squad that will be going to South Africa to play in a friendly.

The move does not cap tie him to the US, but Canadians should put thoughts of Alex's kid playing for the red and white out of their mind. This isn't Jonathon de Guzman we are talking about here. It's a pretty raw MLS striker that is a borderline prospect for both the U.S. and Canada. Maybe he'll turn out good. Maybe. Since he's decided that he'd rather try his luck in the American set-up Canadians should wish him luck and move on.

Speaking personally, I don't at all feel betrayed by Bunbury's decision. He's an American. His mother is American and he grew up in the United States. He spent more time in Portugal growing up than he did in Canada. I fully understand his desire to play for the US. The decision isn't a cynical one made by, say, a kid from Alberta that moved to Germany when he was 14 and then decided to play for a country he had never set foot in prior to putting on its strip.

Where I do have a bit of an issue with Teal is that it's pretty damn clear that he told me a baldfaced lie on It's Called Football last week. I asked whether he had talked to the U.S. national team set-up. He said no. A week later he's called up?

Bullshit.

He's a kid though and it was a sensitive topic so I'll let it pass. But if Teal or someone close to him is reading let me offer you a bit of advice.

The reaction to your decision would have been 100 times better if you had just told the truth.

Note: Since Bunbury has declared for the U.S. he will be considered an American when I report. Therefore he'll be talked about in the context of MLS, but not as an international. Since not many five goal MLS players that aren't in Toronto get talked about, this will likely be the last post on him. That isn't out of spite. It's a pragmatic decision of focus. I didn't report Owen Hargreaves' short lived comeback because he's English now. So long as Bunbury is American, there are plenty of fine places out there that will cover him as such.

I'm clarifying this because it's my general policy on such matters and God knows we will deal with this again.

TFC coaching chase - hurry up and wait?

Could you imagine the reaction in Ohio!

When people think about TFC's manager search they tend to look afar. Big Euro names with some sex appeal would make TFC fans feel that the club is trying to flex its financial muscle. The thing is, of course, there is no guarantee that a big name will bring big results.

There is no guarantee it won't either, but such is the reality of a coaching search.

However, what if there was a person out there that have proven that he can win at MLS wherever he's been. There is, and he's pictured above, but to get him you might have to wait a year.

As best as I can determine Sigi Schmid has one year left on a contract that pays him about $350,000 a year. That(again, as best as I can tell. Finding out manager salaries in MLS is akin to cracking state secrets) ranks him about third in manager salaries behind Bruce Arena and Hans Backe. As Seattle showed you could coax him away from a team prior to his contract ending (with some compensation), but maybe TFC doesn't need to do that.

Tom Anselmi has talked about his desire to promote within. Although most of us think that Nick Dasovic is a few years away from being the guy, I'm not sure you can say for certain that he isn't based on the limited evidence of this season's stretch run. What TFC was at the end of 2010 was a product of the Mo and Preki show. Daso couldn't do much more than to try and squeeze some juice from the rind.

It's more important to get the right guy than the quick guy. Letting the interim team run the show through what is sure to be a re-building 2011 wouldn't be the worst thing (hiring the wrong guy for the sake of it would be). Maybe they step up and prove they are the right management team. Maybe they don't.

When Juergen Klinsmann is looking at options he needs to look at every option, even those that might take a year to get. If Sigi is the best possible solution -- and he might be -- then you need to figure out if you can get him. Seattle has a lot of money too, but MLSE has the financial ability to match them. Throw a million bucks at Sigi (it's easy to spend other's money, isn't it?) and I'm sure he'd think about a move north.

P.s. - He's German. Just sayin'

Between the crosses, row on row

We're going to talk about football today, but before we do take a moment to read this Remembrance Day entry from the blog of "D-Man," an active a passionate member of U-Sector.

He sums up the meaning of the day as eloquently as I ever could.

I am from a generation that never really had to deal with war. The horrible events of 9/11 and the news of fallen Canadians in Afghanistan have reminded us that we're never truly far from its hell though. Still, by and large, the sacrifice of others allows me to spend my days obsessing about something as frivolous as 22 athletes chasing a round ball.

Thank you doesn't really cover it, but it's what we can offer today.

It's Called Football UPDATE

We're not doing any live shows this week.

We are however, doing a bunch of in house interviews for the remainder of the week and will be posting them starting Nov. 15 when we launch canadiansoccernews.com

And, with the MLS Cup events starting to kick off here (pressers with the Don and the other announcements) we will be doing a live show every day next week.

We'll have updates on the supporters events, interviews with league officials and analysis of all the breaking news in the lead up to the final.

5 more days folks, get ready.

Gone drinkin'

It's derby day. I'm not getting anything done. Enjoy some highlights of derby days past:

The penalty of being a TFC fan

Climbing the Ladder -- the best statistical oriented soccer blog in North America -- published a breakdown of penalty stats for MLS this season.

Not surprisingly to those that watched TFC, the Reds were tied for top spot in the league with seven conceded PKs. The stats aren't broken down by hand balls versus fouls, but it's pretty safe to say that TFC gives up more hand balls in the box than any other team -- a now two year habit that is, to put it mildly, maddening.

The stats are detailed and included are the top penalty earners, so go have a look.

But the team breakdown is as follows:

Chicago - 7
Toronto - 7
Seattle - 6
Chivas - 5
Philly - 5
Columbus - 4
Colorado - 4
Dallas - 4
Salt Lake - 4
DC United - 3
New England - 3
New York - 2
Kansas City - 1
Los Angeles - 1
Houston - 0
San Jose - 0

Looked at another way, the differential leader board:

Dallas - +5
Houston - +4
Columbus - +3
Los Angeles - +3
New York - +3
San Jose - +3
Kansas City - +1
Colorado - E
Salt Lake - E
DC United - -1
Philly - -2
New England - -2
Chivas - -4
Seattle - -4
Toronto - -4
Chicago - -5

Toronto fans can reassure themselves that, unlike past years, they actually scored on their penalties this year. So, that's something.

Right?

2010 TFC report card

A
Stefan Frei

Easily TFC’s most consistent player from start to finish and one of the few that could command value elsewhere. Frei isn’t irreplaceable – a keeper rarely is – but he was invaluable to the Reds this year. Without Frei, Toronto is DC United bad.

A-
Dwayne De Rosario

You can say the same thing about DeRo. He was TFC’s only offensive force at times and he received almost all of the opposing team’s attention. It’s hard to imagine how bad the Reds would have been without him. However, his cheque writing stunt drops his grade down and calls into question whether he’s the player the team should be building around.

Nana Attakora

Attakora isn’t an all-star. There are many within TFC’s fan base that view him that way though because his development has been a wonderful surprise. He grows tougher every year and tactically is still improving. I’m less convinced this year than I was last that Attakora will move beyond the “very good MLS player” level, but he’s still a valuable piece of TFC.

B+
Adrian Cann

Consistent, tough and mature. He slipped out of the A range near the end of the year when his body started to break down and his pace became more of an issue, but it was a rare piece of value on the TFC roster. Cann has found his level and hopefully will be a part of the re-build moving forward.

Chad Barrett

When he was healthy Barrett looked like he might be ready to truly break through. He’s rarely healthy. However, he’s become a consistent and tireless second tier scoring threat at the MLS level. I’m still waiting for someone to show me 10 howlers Chad missed this year – I’ll be waiting for a while because they aren’t there.

Maicon Santos

An intriguing player that looked like he might be valuable down the road. If both Barrett and Santos can stay healthy next year and a primary scorer can be brought in, TFC could be dangerous. I don’t think he’s ever going to be a 10 plus goal man, but as a second option Santos could turn out to be a very useful piece of the puzzle.

B
Julian de Guzman

For the sake of the report card salary or DP status is not factored. De Guzman’s grade reflects his play, period. Technically he is a gifted player. His ball skills are second to none on TFC and his football smarts are rigfht up there as well. Where Julian struggles is on two fronts. First of all he is physically overmatched in MLS. He’s pushed off the ball way too often. Secondly, he’s not a player that can enhance the skills of those around him. Essentially, TFC’s DP is a role player in a great league. He’s not a superstar in a mediocre one. Quietly telling him to see if there is anything available in Spain might be the best solution for everyone.

Dan Gargan

Gargan is a very good plumber player that works his ass off and provides a good degree of leadership. He likely played above his level a bit in 2010. A fan favourite, he’s probably valued a little more than his actual abilities, but a solid professional none-the-less.

B-
Martin Saric

Without the injury, Saric would have ranked higher. He’s a role player (a midfield destroyer to be specific), but he plays his role very well. He should be offered another go at TFC in 2011. Like Barrett and Santos the question is injuries, but, to me, Saric has the potential to be a great value in MLS – if healthy.

Nick LaBrocca

An interchangeable MLS quality midfielder. He’s fairly versatile so he edges into the B range, but what you saw from LaBrocca is as good as you will likely ever get.

C+
Nick Garcia

There are some that would want to give Garcia a grade lower than F. Those folks are blind to Garcia, who became the TFC whipping boy in 2009 (when he was frankly horrible). However, it was a credit to his professional attitude that he managed to re-invent himself as a full-back this year. If, Reds fans are honest with themselves they will realize that he was one of TFC’s best players in that position (which isn’t saying much as TFC was God awful at full-back). I doubt it makes sense for either party to bring Garcia back in 2011, but at the right salary it wouldn’t be a bad move at all.

Maxim Usanov

The crazy Russian is still young and there were flashes of something raw but good there. His marking was atrocious however and he was overpaid. Usanov is raw enough that I’d be interested to see what he might bring to training camp in January.

Ty Harden
Harden is an interesting one. He had moments at centreback that gave one pause. However, those moments were too few and far between to raise his mark much higher than here. I would bring him back.

C
Jacob Peterson

He is grossly overpaid. There is no way he should be back based on his salary. However, if you were to strictly evaluate his play he was middle of the pack – although when he was moved towards the wing he showed some promise. It’s too bad his paycheque is what it is because I’d like to see Peterson consistently run out on the wing. As it is, however, he should be the first player cut.

Jon Conway

I was tempted to give him an A+ for punching Steven Lenhart. An adequate back-up that seemed to provide leadership at the right price.

C-
Amadou Sanyang

The human giveaway machine was a favourite of Preki because of his athleticism (and a cynic might suggest that he was being shopped to sell on). He scared the hell out of me on the ball.

Joseph Nane

Nane was a little better than many feared, but still a bit of a mystery as to why he was invited to the combine in the first place. Ok, no it wasn’t. He was invited because he was Preki’s brother’s client. Like I said, he wasn’t God awful though – just profoundly mediocre and raw.

D+
Raivis Hscanovics

Terrifying at the back, overpaid and only slightly better on attack. “New guy” was a panic signing and it showed.

D-
Mista

I was tempted to make it an F, but he did score a big goal in the Champions League and also flashed some remarkable talent. The consensus is that he was only here for the money – that’s possible. There is no way in hell he comes back at anything close to a DP salary. I won’t throw Mo Johnston completely under the bus for rolling the dice here. The fault is that TFC needed to gamble because the scoring was thin after the injuries. We rolled snake eyes. It happens. It happens too often at TFC, but still...

Fuad Ibrahim

I’m not giving him an F because he is still young and basically missed a year of development because TFC didn’t want to give up a higher draft pick for him. If he’s back it has to be at a league minimum salary and he needs to prove himself from the development roster.


F
Gabe Gala

It’s time to move on.

O'Brian White

He regressed. He needs to be moved yesterday. About the only thing he had going for him was his Canadian status for TFC. That doesn’t matter anymore. White represents the final nail in Johnston’s coffin in many ways. For years it was argued that for all Mo’s faults he could draft. White was drafted fourth overall.

Incomplete
Nicholas Lindsay
Doneil Henry
Milos Kocic

Of the three Lindsay is the most exciting. I almost gave him a grade based on his limited play (he already looks like the best winger TFC has ever dressed – which is a problem). However, I held off because Toronto has eaten its young a few too many times. Kocic is likely the player set to replace Frei down the road and we really didn’t see enough of Henry.

Re-entry draft madness!

Soccer America has leaked details of the MLS re-entry draft. The league sure does like to make things complicated.

Go have a look for the details, but basically teams must offer players a new contract at a fair rate that corresponds with their previous salary and experience. If they do, they keep the player's rights. If they don't, the player can apply to go into the re-entry draft.

It's not likely to be much of a factor for bigger name players. However, borderline guys or guys near the end of their run might benefit.

To turn it TFC-centric, Nick Garcia is a player that will likely qualify to go into the draft. TFC would need to offer him a minimum of $199,500 for 2011, with a five per cent increase over two more years as a club option. That's not likely.

Garcia at $60,000 might be worthwhile however (and before you start foaming at the mouth try and objectively look at his role this year after moving to full-back. Now do so while remembering that this is MLS). Toronto could still offer Garcia 6ok, but the player would then have the option of going into the draft to see if he could do better elsewhere.

I'm simplifying a little, but that's the general idea. As said, go have a look at all the ins and outs if you're a true geek so inclined.

What do they see in him?

Fuad Ibrahim has been named to the U.S. u-20 squad for the Torneo de las Americas, which will be held in Georgia later this month.

Ibby is an enigma to the average TFC fan. Many want him gone from the squad, regardless of what salary he can be brought back for. Yet he remains in the mix for the u-20 program in the US. There is a disconnect there.

If Ibrahim is not a Generation adidas player next year -- and there is little reason to believe that he will be -- then a decision will need to be made. He certainly has struggled to make an impact at the MLS level. However, what most TFC fans fail to remember/think about is that he is still a kid. With MLS rosters expanding to 30 players it would be pretty stupid to just give up on him. Yes, the money has to be right, but we are finally in a situation where he might get some significant playing time.

From playing time might come improvement. With improvement this teenager may develop into a useful piece of TFC's future.

So, don't be shocked/dismayed/rip up your season tickets if Ibby is still in T.O. next year.

A tale of two countries: The USWNT v CWNT

Our coaches at U-10 emphasize winning. You can win games and sacrifice player development and that’s what’s happening in our system. Why is that happening? Like I said, youth soccer is big business. If I don’t win, it doesn’t matter if I’m developing players, my business is going to hell. If I win, I attract other good players and by doing that I win more games. There are some very good programs out there, some coaches that are doing a really good job. But for the most part we have almost a generation of young kids that have not been developed properly.

Where do you think the above quote comes from? No, the above quote doesn't come from a serious town hall meeting talking about the future of Canadian football development. It's not even from Milltown FC owner/rabble-rouser Dino Rossi! No, it's a quote from former U.S. women's head coach Tony DiCicco talking about the state of the women's game in the United States right now.

Of course the USWNT is coming at its state of crisis from a more stable place than the Canadian game at any level -- they did win the Olympics two years ago -- but there is a lively debate going on now amongst the informed about whether the U.S. has lost the plot.

Athletic and strong the US women have over powered teams for years. They were never as ugly as Canada with the punt it towards the best player (Abby Wambach) and hope, but the style was the same. It makes sense because the development pathway was basically the same (NCAA) in both countries. In women's soccer Canada really was America Jr. in the years before Carolina Morace. There is still an element to that, but Morace is trying to move away.

The US, however, seems more and more entrenched in its style. Critics complain that friendlies aren't used to develop a new generation of American player, but rather are just exhibitions to pad winning statistics and cap totals. Player selection has become as stagnant as the predictable style.

It's interesting to note that the phoenix-like performance by the USWNT at the Olympics came after Wambach had broken her leg in the lead-up to Beijing. Forced out of their traditional strategy the US was able to reinvent itself enough to grab one last triumph.

Without change it might be the last for a while. Although the loss to Mexico was likely a one off right now, give it four more years and it might not be. Certainly there aren't a lot of people giving the Americans much of a chance in Germany (other than the true believers that will always believe).

A year ago the US wacked Canada 4-0 at BMO Field. The game wasn't close. On that day, five Canadian players started that also started the CONCACAF semi-final win over Costa Rica that sent the Canucks to Germany -- Candace Chapman, Karina LeBlanc, Diana Matheson, Christine Sinclair and Rhian Wilkinson. The Americans had eight players on the pitch that day that were also there last week when Mexico upset them -- Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Amy LePeilbet, Heather O’Reilly, Shannon Boxx, Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez and Wambach.

There is no doubt that those eight players are accomplished. They also represent an average age of 29 and four are on the wrong side of 30. Meanwhile the core of Canada’s side is an average age of 27.5 and only one, the keeper LeBlanc, is 30 (and just 30). More to the point, the six Canucks that were part of the win this year but not the loss last were: Jonelle Filigno, 20, Josée Bélanger, 24, Kaylyn Kyle, 22, Desiree Scott, 23, Sophie Schmidt, 22, and, the oldster of the new girls, Marie Eve Nault, 28.

Morace has clearly put her stamp on this team and is moving ahead with a young team. The U.S., meanwhile, is sticking to the players it knows best.

The US is still clearly better than Canada. It would have been nice to see the two sides matched up to get a measure of how far the gab has closed (a December date with Brazil could accomplish that against another power), but for the first time in a while a Canadian fan might feel slightly more hopeful than an American.

The caveat here is that the loss to Mexico might prove to be the catalysis that the Americans need. The program is stagnating. However, the depth of talent and potential there is unmatched anywhere. Canada needed an overhaul to pull itself up to something that's sorta, kinda in the same conversation as the U.S. The Americans really just need a tweak to be World Cup favourites again.

The question is whether there is a will there to make the changes before Germany. It will be interesting to see the player selections for the home and home World Cup playoff with Italy, which is less than two weeks away. The Italians will not lay down for the U.S. A Women's World Cup without the Americans in it is still a long-shot, but it is no longer the stuff of fantasy.

Champions

A Christine Sinclair penalty gave Canada a 1-0 win over Mexico and first international senior championship in more than a decade tonight.

The score line flattered the Mexicans, who were game but outmatched by the Canucks. Canada did not allow a goal in winning all five games it played at the tournament.

Although you would hardly mistake Canada with 1970 Brazil, the victory demonstrated the value in Carolina Morace's style of play. After taking over from Even Pellerud, Morace has transformed Canada from a strictly boot and chase team to one that is more likely to play a possession game. They don't play possession only football -- they still mix in a significant amount of tactics that can only be described as direct. However, unlike under Pellerud there is shape and purpose to the tactics. The Canadian women are effective at attacking the wings and getting the ball crossed into attacking position. The difference is that they get the ball into the corner after six passes now instead of a single 60-yard punt.

The change in philosophy was particularly evident after Canada got the lead tonight. In the past they would have bunkered down, playing with 10 men behind the ball and Sinclair hopelessly chasing up front. Tonight they kept their shape and closed down space aggressively.

Equally startling was the way that Canada reacted to a clear penalty miss by the referee when Natalie Vinti took down Josee Belanger in the box. Even the most biased Mexican fan knew it was an obvious penalty call. Other Canadian teams would have folded up shop at that point, convinced that the world (or CONCACAF anyway) was against them. The men certainly would have. However, the women's barely paused to complain.

So now the preparation for Germany 2011 can move ahead full steam. Canada isn't a finished product yet -- a 5-0 loss to the Germans earlier this year demonstrates that -- but they have to feel better about their chances going in as the CONCACAF champs.

Canadian fans certainly do.

It's Called A Post-Game

It's not often Canada wins a title, so today, we're doing a post-game show talking about the Canadian Women's National team success in Mexico, the new system under Carolina Morace and the now infamous 'shush' by Sinclair.

We'll be back with our regular programming on Wednesday - which will include an interview with a Whitecaps player, some info on the Toronto FC coach and GM search and an update on MLS Cup sales and marketing.

And then there were four

The potential MLS Cup match-ups are down to four after L.A. outlasted Seattle last night. The Galaxy were the only higher seed to win a quarterfinal match-up, which leaves L.A. as the favourite and has likely started a 387 page thread on BigSoccer lamenting the playoff format (or the idea of playoffs at all).

MLS is a playoff league. Many other leagues in the world are as well. Every team in the league plays under the same rules. The winner of the MLS Cup is the league champion. Period. If you can't deal with that then, well, maybe MLS isn't the league for you. That's fine, but why not let the rest of us enjoy it for what it is*

The four remaining possibilities are:

Los Angeles v Colorado
Los Angeles v San Jose
Dallas v Colorado
Dallas v San Jose


None are exactly a marketer's dream, although LA v San Jose has some history behind it. Dallas v Colorado would ensure that one of the original teams would win its first MLS Cup title (and in Colorado's case first major trophy of any kind).

Organizers in Toronto are lying to you if they tell you they aren't hoping for L.A. to be in the game. Beckham will help move the 4,000 or so seats that they need to sell.

With Mo Johnston's history of moving players in and out of Toronto it should come as no surprise that all four teams remaining have a former TFC player on the roster. Maybe cheering for Marvell Wynne will help people get into the game.

* That's not to say that a tweaking of the playoff structure would not be worthwhile. My favourite format remains what the A-League and international curling use. With a major and minor final the top seeded teams get more chances to advance than lower seeded teams.

Using this year (and a single table) you would have had No. 1 LA play No. 2 SLC in a semi-final, with No. 3 NYRB playing No. 4 Columbus in another. The winner of LA v SLC advances straight to the major final, while the loser plays the winner of NYRB - Columbus (the loser is eliminated) in the minor final. The winner of the minor final goes on to the major final to play for the championship.

If you want more than four teams in the playoffs you can have lower seeded teams playing off to advance to the No. 3- No. 4 semi-final.

Just another game

Yes, this is the second time I've posted a photo of one of my cats. What's your point?

You may have heard the rumour by now that the MLS Cup -- the most important football game to be played in North America on Nov 21, 2010 -- is taking place in Toronto this year. Toronto is in Canada. That's a different place than the United States and it explains the little maple leaf on the MLS Cup 2010 logo.

Of course you might not have heard this rumour by now, particularly if you live in Toronto, have just stumbled upon this blog after doing a Google search and have no idea what the 24th Minute name means. After all, there has been no noticeable effort to inform the non-soccer community of T.O. about the MLS Cup, to educate sports fans or to develop any sort of excitement about the game.

As an experiment today I'm going to take the miniature MLS Cup the league sent media members (that Fumo is admiring above) out to a mall today. While there I'm going to see if I can convince anyone that I'm holding the actual MLS Cup. I suspect I'll be able to. I might even be able to convince someone wearing a TFC jersey (I mean why would a TFC fan have ever seen the MLS Cup...).

Watching the non-promotion of the MLS Cup has been both baffling and frustrating. It's baffling because MLSE has done such a good job on selling TFC to a market that has some serious Eurosnob leanings. Or had anyway. That's the point. MLSE sold Toronto on the idea that supporting the local team was worthwhile and that it didn't take away from the Old Country leanings. The slogan All For One is a nod to that -- you may cheer for Rangers and I for Celtic but at BMO we are All For One.

So, selling the MLS Cup should have been a slam dunk. No, it's not the Champions League final, but, like the team itself, it's still worthwhile.

Here is where the frustration comes in. The biggest reason why the MLS Cup has struggled to gain attention here is because MLSE has literally not tried to sell it. Not in the early part of the season when the club was still in the hunt, not during the two months of anger and hell that ended the season and not over the last couple weeks as we stared down the possibility of empty seats at a cold BMO Field in 13 days.

How a company with the marketing track record and ability of MLSE could allow this to happen is confusing. It brings up the possibility that the league itself hampered efforts by dragging its feet. I know that many people involved in organizing the Supporter's Summit have been incredibly frustrated by MLS' involvement/lack thereof. However, it's still imperative for the local organizing group to understand the local market conditions and respond appropriately.

We know that TFC's season ticket renewal rate was about 85 per cent. Since the MLS Cup ticket is included in the 2011 season ticket package that means that about 13,600 seats have been sold for the final. Add a couple thousand for the league and sponsors and maybe 1,000 for the two teams and you are looking at about 17,000. So, about 4,000 seats left to move.

Just now I searched for eight seats in a row on TicketMaster. Section 133, row 13, seats 7-14. They could be mine for just $706. (As an aside, the seating plan calls for the opposing team’s supporters to be seated two sections apart in the same stand. It's probably a good thing that one of San Jose or Colorado will be in the game.)

I don't share the same level of pessimism of some about the amount of no shows. However, we'd be naive if we thought that everyone that bought a season ticket is going to show up in 13 days. Some will be home in protest. For most, however, the reason will be far more mundane -- the weather.

The current 14-day forecast calls for a high of 5C and a low of 3C. That's not horrible, but it's just about at the tipping point. Every degree below 3C that the actual temperature is probably represents about 500 fans that will stay home and (maybe) watch.

In other MLS cities the soccer community would likely rally around the game at this late hour to make sure that there was a significant crowd in attendance. I'm not sure Toronto will react in the same way. Unlike other markets – particularly ‘96er markets -- there isn’t a significant sense of ownership in MLS. In American cities, MLS isn’t just a league that their team plays in, but it also represents years of dreaming and fighting for legitimacy by the sport itself. MLS is American soccer.

In Toronto it's just a league. And it's just a league with American fans that haven't always made Canadians feel welcome. Although most MLS fans have no issue with Canadian teams it doesn't take much searching on places like BigSoccer to find the Get Your Own League crowd. In any American supporter's section you can see and hear anti-Canadian comments. Again, it's a minority, but it's a visible one. Why would a Canadian fan feel any sort of obligation to make sure that the MLS Cup is packed in that environment? I suppose you could say because the league was gracious enough to let Toronto play in it, but that argument kind of speaks to the condescension that some here react to in the first place.

If it comes to it I'm sure MLSE will find a way to subtly paper the house. It shouldn't have gotten to a point where that might be necessary, but here we are. We will keep a close eye on this the next couple weeks. A good place to watch that might be here.