Canadian Soccer

mazhar13

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Strange that Montreal backs out.
It sucks that Canada may only have 1-2 host cities for the 2026 World Cup. I was expecting Montréal to definitely host it given their enthusiasm for soccer, but that Olympic Stadium may be giving them more trouble than I anticipated.
 

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It sucks that Canada may only have 1-2 host cities for the 2026 World Cup. I was expecting Montréal to definitely host it given their enthusiasm for soccer, but that Olympic Stadium may be giving them more trouble than I anticipated.
So Toronto and Vancouver then?
 

WI_Red

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Vancouver pulled out a couple of years ago. It's just Toronto and Edmonton for now.
A little googling shows me that Edmonton has the largest open air stadium in Canada, so I guess they have the field. Does Toronto have a large open air stadium? I can't imagine FIFA would allow BMO to be used since it has to be under 30K. Right?
 

JJ12

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A little googling shows me that Edmonton has the largest open air stadium in Canada, so I guess they have the field. Does Toronto have a large open air stadium? I can't imagine FIFA would allow BMO to be used since it has to be under 30K. Right?
Rodgers Centre the only other option
 

Cheimoon

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It sucks that Canada may only have 1-2 host cities for the 2026 World Cup. I was expecting Montréal to definitely host it given their enthusiasm for soccer, but that Olympic Stadium may be giving them more trouble than I anticipated.
I found somewhere else that 'Montreal said Tuesday that the Quebec provincial government had withdrawn its support'. Maybe they figured the cost/benefit balance was too far off? From what I recall, these tournaments do often mostly cost money, since FIFA siphons off its profits elsewhere, and the income from the audience and increased tourism don't compensate for the costs required. Those costs might anyway be particularly high in Montreal given the state of the Olympic Stadium (i.e., crap).
 

Cheimoon

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I found somewhere else that 'Montreal said Tuesday that the Quebec provincial government had withdrawn its support'. Maybe they figured the cost/benefit balance was too far off? From what I recall, these tournaments do often mostly cost money, since FIFA siphons off its profits elsewhere, and the income from the audience and increased tourism don't compensate for the costs required. Those costs might anyway be particularly high in Montreal given the state of the Olympic Stadium (i.e., crap).
Found a source now (en français):

https://www.msn.com/fr-ca/sports/plus-de-sports/le-gouvernement-du-québec-retire-son-appui-financier-à-la-coupe-du-monde-de-2026/ar-BB1dbWXK

So while the government of Quebec had intended to support the city of Montreal originally, the costs have increased to a point where they think it's irresponsible to stay involved - and so the province pulled out. That was actually back in January, so I guess Montreal has been spending the interim figuring out how to make their candidature to be a host city work anyway, and ultimately concluded that they can't. It's a pity, but fair enough as far as I'm concerned.
 

mazhar13

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I thought it had turf, so is it real grass now?
Nope, it's still turf. Toronto FC president Bill Manning was talking about renovating BMO Field and expanding it for the 2026 World Cup, especially since it has more of a grass field than the Rogers Centre, so we might see that stadium host the World Cup matches.
 

AshRK

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It sucks that Canada may only have 1-2 host cities for the 2026 World Cup. I was expecting Montréal to definitely host it given their enthusiasm for soccer, but that Olympic Stadium may be giving them more trouble than I anticipated.
Yes it sucks. Have been to the Olympic stadium and it is a pretty good stadium. Also, montreal seems to have more soccer lovers compared to Toronto. Rumours are they may add calgary as the third host. Let us see.
 

mazhar13

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Davies's inclusion was always too good to be true. :(

We still have a solid team, but I always thought that Davies joining us was too good to be true. According to the article, Davies hurt his ankle in training this week, and he's returned to Munich to recover and prepare for next season.
 

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Davies's inclusion was always too good to be true. :(

We still have a solid team, but I always thought that Davies joining us was too good to be true. According to the article, Davies hurt his ankle in training this week, and he's returned to Munich to recover and prepare for next season.
too bad. I was hoping you guys would kick the shit out of us. I am tired of our federation fecking around. They constantly limit themselves so there is always an excuse if/when we lose.
 

mazhar13

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Vancouver's back in contention to be a host city!


I hope that they get it. BC Place is a pretty good stadium to host the matches, and Vancouver itself will be a great host city.
 

ThierryHenry14

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That's basically it, yeah. Both Vancouver and Montréal aren't getting much support from their respective provincial governments, so they have had no choice but to pull out, ultimately.
It is good for tax payers. No point use tax payers' money to host the games organized by the corrupted FIFA. If it doesn't make economical sense then don't do it.
 

ThierryHenry14

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Yes it sucks. Have been to the Olympic stadium and it is a pretty good stadium. Also, montreal seems to have more soccer lovers compared to Toronto. Rumours are they may add calgary as the third host. Let us see.
Calgary? Please don't. Leave us alone. We have enough debt already due to pandemic.
 

Vanrouge

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I'd love to be able to watch a couple games in Vancouver.

Edited to add: Although BC Place is turf not grass. Nice stadium, though.

 

FatTails

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Montreal pulling out is a bummer. I’d probably go to all games there if it was an option.
 

g11

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What a game by Canada! Ref was trying hard to give the game to Mexico. That Buchanan kid looks lively.
 

mazhar13

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That loss hurts. It really, really hurts. We played so well, and I was so happy to see Mexico scared of us for once. The fact that we conceded that goal at the death is heartbreaking, but it's not like we necessarily screwed ourselves over.

Canada's a serious CONCACAF team now, and I'm so happy to see that. They're no longer the joke that they used to be.
 

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That was the most emotional game I've ever watched involving the Canadian men's team. And for long periods in the second half especially, we took it to Mexico. I was more than proud; I thought we could easily have won that legitimately (not just sitting back and hoping for a rare counter or set piece). And after a rough opening fifteen minutes against the US, I thought Canada was the better side in that game too. Also, we got this far without Alphonso and Jonathan David and had most of our attacking players injured or suspended during the tournament. It really does bode well.
 

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This tournament has just proven that we can qualify for the upcoming World Cup. We'll give it a go against Jamaica throughout the final round.
 

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That Buchanon guy looked pretty solid against Mexico - even besides his goal..
 

mazhar13

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On the bright side, the Canadian women are doing this country proud after beating USA 1-0 to reach the gold medal match. After years and years of getting close, let's hope that Canada don't suffer another heartbreak here.
 

mazhar13

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Another Canadian leaves for Europe.

I really like this move. Here's hoping that Buchanan gets to play regularly for them. De Ketelaere has the left wing spot sealed, and Noa Lang can play there, too, so I'm expecting him to either play on the right wing or at left back, possibly.
 

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Another Canadian leaves for Europe.

I really like this move. Here's hoping that Buchanan gets to play regularly for them. De Ketelaere has the left wing spot sealed, and Noa Lang can play there, too, so I'm expecting him to either play on the right wing or at left back, possibly.
That's a good sort of club to join. If you can't make it there, then there is no point leaving the MLS and you just go back home; and if you do, you become a starter in a top club in a nice league and might get scooped up soon enough by a bigger club. Much better than joining a big club and risking rotting on the bench and falling completely off everyone's radars.
 

mazhar13

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This is our squad for the upcoming qualifiers.

Other than Pantemis's inclusion and the exclusions of both Scott Arfield and Ricardo Ferreira, that is a solid lineup for sure. Atiba coming back is great, too. Liam Fraser's another surprise inclusion, but Herdman seems to really like him.