Ok so this is something I've wanted to discuss for a while now but I haven't had the time.

Last month I went to watch the MLS Cup finals in Toronto and it got me thinking about the future of the football in North America. If you didn't see the game or want to know about the atmosphere at BMO field, I made a little video about it.

But I digress. I started following TFC at the start of the season because I wanted to get into the MLS. Its a very different style of football. A lot less technical but I still found it enjoyable. It doesn't hurt to have one of the best players in the league to make the games very watchable.

As playoffs approached and Toronto kept winning, I told myself that I must go to the finals if they make it (4 hr drive from where I live). When that day eventually came, I did everything I could to be one of the first to get tickets. Unfortunately since this is a cup final, tickets are basically sold by the league and not really thru the club. The moment tickets went on sale, I was refreshing ticketmaster but they were sold almost instantly and put up on Stubhub by ticket scalpers for triple the price. TFC fans were disappointed and rightfully so because of the unfair system set in place by the league. Unless you were a robot that day, 99.9% you weren't getting a ticket for the base price.

This brings me to my first point. As TFC grows and gets more popular in Canada, I think they will have a similar system in place, as they do in England. Only members will be able to buy tickets or non members will have to buy hospitality packages. I am perfectly fine with this because buying a year membership + ticket is still cheaper then these prices. How long do you think it will take until they have to do this for regular season games? Probably gonna be 5-10 years but i believe that is coming.

Since I really wanted to see the game and the prices were expensive but still affordable, I ended up buying 2 tickets. Waited till the last week because they had dropped to about 2 times the original price. Comparing this to a Raptors playoff game, the prices were still pretty good.

On December 10th, We embarked on a 4 hour journey to Toronto to watch the game at BMO. It was a cold night with temperatures close to -6C. 37,000 people attended and stood for 2+hours to watch the cup final and the atmosphere in the stadium was very enjoyable. It almost made me forget how cold I was and that I couldn't feel my toes. Although I must admit that game was awful. Very poor touches, minimal creativity and a lot of booting the ball. This could have been a result of the weather conditions or the magnitude of the game. However, comparing TFC games/atmosphere/attendance to when I first moved to Canada (15 years+ ago) I was very impressed. The question is, now that the city has a decent team, will some of the new fans become season ticket holders? I know If i lived in TO, i probably would.

Lastly, for football to grow, the talent needs to grow. My feelings are very mixed on the current MLS draft system and salary caps. In one sense, its probably the most fair systems for each team to be competitive but in the other sense, it won't allow any club to build a talented team to compete with some of the big boys in Europe. Even if a youth academy were to produce a world class talent, its very unlikely that they would stay in the MLS. So how does one fix this problem?

Just my thoughts on the topic. Interested to see what others think. Sorry for the long post.

tfc ftw

Hey bro, i've watched a few of your videos on YouTube and they are insane!! I like that you like Spencer FC as well!!

Sorry haven't really got any thoughts on the MLS, except that a few retired footballers like Stevie G and Lampard have gone there to end their careers which is probably a good thing saying that its much less physical! But other than that i don't really know... :)

Sorry to be very thick and boring!! :D

I can't speak for ticket prices/availability and whatnot, because I'm too far to go to games. That being said, I have a significant amount of knowledge regarding the league as a whole, and particularly the processes by which they operate, as it is my study focus at university.

The current MLS draft system, is, by large, irrelevant. College sports is no longer the main pipeline of talent into the league, and even when it is, in the case of Jordan Morris, he was a Sounders homegrown already and was not acquired through the draft system, the Sounders had had his rights for years.

Homegrown players are players who are "discovered" by MLS clubs and placed in the club's developmental academies or youth teams. If we look at the success of the draft in producing players compared to the homegrown system, the difference is clear. Homegrown players are the way youth talent will be built, not the draft, and certainly not the college system.

As for the salary cap, I disagree with you quite strongly. While in the early years of MLS it kept teams from overspending and going bankrupt (something that plagued the old NASL), it now serves the function of maintaining parity. However, as you have seen with your own Toronto squad, if a club wants to spend big, it can, using the Designated Player tag. Toronto has used its DP tags on Giovinco (7.1m/year), Altidore (4.7m/year), and Bradley (6.5m/year). It is worth noting at this point that the salary cap is about 3.4m. Toronto essentially spends six times its cap on three players. LA Galaxy spend significant amounts on its DPs, as do the Sounders and NYCFC. Other teams, notably RSL, Colorado, and San Jose do not spend significant amounts on DPs, yet have been extremely competitive in the league all the same.

What the DP rule allows is for big clubs to spend big, but only to an extent. Spending millions to create a great team is not the way of American sports outside baseball, and it never will be. As Europeans admire the skill involved with putting eleven world-class players on the field, North America almost stereotypically values the skill of General Managers, Coaches, and Executives with regarding to building a team where everyone starts in the same place.

Looking at Manchester United as an example, they waddle into a transfer negotiation, slam their massive fiscal penis on the table, and leave with the player they want. In American sports, making good draft picks and getting your smaller-payed players playing big roles is integral to success. Teams that do have a large amount of money (e.g. the Yankees) and nearly universally hated and are viewed as damaging to the sport.

MLS has attempted to bridge this gap, and I don't see a lot wrong with how they've done it. DPs have allowed big clubs to spend if they want, and smaller clubs to decline the opportunity and still be competitive. But the far more important piece of the salary cap is that is guarantees a profit on the part of the owner. This means that money can be spent elsewhere, in youth academies, stadiums, etc. The other development is that owners WANT to get in on the league, which is why the MLS has been expanding rapidly, yet in a totally safe fiscal way. Two new teams are being added this season, and a third is going to follow in 2018. The league has more than doubled in size over the last ten or so years, with 14 teams being added to the initial 10.

The only real argument against the salary cap right now is the inability of MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League, usually at the expense of Liga MX. I don't believe this has anything to do with the salary cap at all. Due to North America winters, the league plays from March-November. In places like New England, Toronto, Montreal and Minnesota, there can be and in the past have been feet of snow on the ground. What ends up happening the knockout rounds of the tournament taking place essentially during the MLS preseason, while Liga MX is in the final third of their season. I'm surprised MLS teams get as far as they do.

I've written way to much here, I doubt many of you are this excited about this topic, but I'm happy to talk about MLS whenever.

First problem is the ticket buying "bots" on those websites that swoop up all the Tickets for the big games like TFC- La Galaxy, or TFC - NYCFC

The laws in Canada are starting to change , it is illegal in The States to buy tickets with those bots, but it is not illegal in Canada yet , not sure about Europe.

Another problem is that Toronto is one of the furthest trips to make for teams in the MLS and some teams don't see it as a high profile match. This is why Gerrard, Lampard, Pirlo, Villa, Demspey, and other huge MLS stars did not make the trip for the Toronto games. It was really upsetting paying extra to see those games when the team doesnt even put up their starting lineup - this is one of the reason i wouldnt buy a seasons pass - not that we were runners up for the Cup , hopefully the bigger teams will take us more seriously and send their starting XI
I know that doesn't really address your questions but it a big issue for me.

@sunflash
That was a really good read, thanks

@DarioUtd So cool to meet another spen fc fan. Glad to hear you enjoyed some of my vids! Maybe next season, watch a game or two. I promise you won't be disappointed. Maybe Montreal vs TFC would be a good one to catch.

@SunFlash I read every word and found it very educational as you clearly know a lot about the topic and i'm still a novice. I honestly never thought about "North America almost stereotypically values the skill of General Managers, Coaches, and Executives with regarding to building a team where everyone starts in the same place." but its definitely true. I am glad that MLS is trying something different and that works for the system set in play in NA. Thx for the response.

@golefty I couldnt agree more. Yea distance between toronto and LA lets say, is massive but that is only a temporary problem. As technology becomes better and planes can fly faster, this will be a problem of the past i think. It does suck when a player you really wanted to see gets benched to rest or doesn't want to make the trip but thats a really tough situation for both parties. coaches wanna protect their best players and fans want to pay to watch the best. Only comprise is a refund?

@nellygotbored

Maybe Montreal vs TFC would be a good one to catch.

Yeah, but we'll win. :P (joke)

@golefty That suck man.

I've spent 12 years of my childhood in Toronto, and I have to say that I haven't met a single person who watches more than one TFC game per season. There is a huge footballing culture in my hometown of Scarborough. There's dozens of clubs there, and almost all the players are either South Asian, Caribbean, or Arab. And all the people I've met throughout my footballing connections watch La Liga, EPL, or Bundesliga exclusively (especially the Arabs, who almost exclusively watch La Liga). But there's literally zero MLS culture in the borough of Scarborough. Nobody watches TFC or any other MLS team because everyone thinks they're complete sh*t, haha. The Toronto Raptors and the NBA, however, are watched by practically everybody where I grew up.

I guess the MLS must be a rich/middle-class sensation. :P

@Emobot7 Not last year tho :) but 90% of the time. agreed lol.

@Dynastian98 Its a real shame. Montreal playoff games were very enjoyable last year.

@Dynastian

Obviously I don't live in Toronto, but they sell out 30k at BMO field like it's nothing, so clearly fans are coming in from somewhere. As you said, the soccer fans are there, and if they actually want to go to a game, TFC and MLS is their only choice for over 5000 miles.

Toronto was terrible for years, since they're actually winning now, I wouldn't be surprised to see them attract more "fair weather" fans. I was in Toronto during the playoff run and every bar in the city was playing the game, so it's starting to have an effect.

Also, I found this video about the final, and it's just amazing, certainly worth watching:

Seeing Ozzie Alonso (Captain, no.6) that emotional truly stirs my soul in a way that is different from anything else in life. Sports provide some of the finest memories of my life, and it's really special to see that expressed in players.

@nellygotbored Damn, I deserved that one. ;D But to be fair, I was cheering on Toronto to win against the Sounders. Wanted a Canadian champion. :(

@Sunflash That final though. Sounders goalkeeper man of the match for me. :(

"It was a cold night with temperatures close to -6C."

I remember watching a game when it was like +4c. I had really warm clothes but I was still freezing the whole match and got sick. The problem is that you're fucking sitting for 2 hours straight, there's nothing you can do not to catch cold.

@sunflash Interesting read. I've always been excited of the concept of MLS althought I haven't watched the league since Henry left. But whenever there's a topic of the future, it's exciting to read. There was dozens of things in your text that I did not know.

@dynastian

You are right , Toronto Fc was complete shit for a while. About 5 years ago TFC started to change as a club and their direction, they wanted to invest heavily in developing youth,creating partnerships with European clubs, and developingtheir own football culture, . I'd say things really started to go in motion when we signed Micheal Bradley from Roma. Maybe there still is not a lot of Fans in scarborough, but i firmly believe if you start scoring goals the crowds will come, and not just the Rich/middle class as you say. Personally i could never afford a seasons pass, and i would rather spend the money on a On demand Tv FOotball so i can watch all the leagues. However There is an amazing atmosphere at the BMO Field and I think it is worth it to spend a bit of cash to see a game now and then , even though i live paycheck to paycheck.

@Golefty

Perhaps, but Toronto is certainly more focused on the Leafs, Jays, and Raptors. Whenever I go to a bar or restaurant, there's always a Jays game playing. I have plenty of friends who are fanatic about the Leafs, and basically all my friends watch the Raptors on a fairly regular basis. Soccer is popular in Toronto, but people would rather watch foreign football than domestic from what I've seen.

But you're right, BMO Field is certainly worth checking out on a matchday. The only time I went there was for a youth tournament, haha.

@dynastian
Yes soccer/football :P is very popular in Toronto and other larger urban areas, and yes some people would rather watch an EPl or Liga game on tv, at the same time, going to see a live match in your hometown and supporting your home team, (and now that they actually win majority of home games) nothing really compares to that, it sounds like you have never been to a TFC game man. I really recommend it, its a beautiful pitch and the TFC fans go nutz, flares, football songs, fireworks, its a good time... just dont buy the beer or food

It will be a long time, maybe never, that TFC can compete with the Leafs or Raptors. That being said, support is growing. I will be very interested to see where the sport is in Toronto in a decade or so. Who knows, maybe I will even be contributing to its growth at that point.

MLS' Youtube channel does put out some fine content, they do a bit of an anaylsis on Toronto here if anyone's interested:

Time to find out which MLS team you should support boys:

@Sunflash Je ne parle pas Anglais, cochon américain. :P Gotta love all the question you have to go through for the two last one though. XD