2018 Major League Soccer Season
 

Well - the 2017 Season has just finished but preparations for the 2018 are already underway.

There was an expansion draft today for the leagues newest team LAFC. They selected these guys including Canadian Raheem Edwards.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQ3o5beW4AAWo63.jpg



They went on to trade Edwards and Raitala to Montreal for Laurent Ciman. :runaway:

What the hell were the Impact thinking trading Ciman??? :???: :???: :???:

He's not happy about it either based on his Twitter timeline this afternoon.

Looking forward to next season.

Vancouver has signed a couple of strikers in the offseason.

Now they need a mid-fielder to get them the ball

The consensus seems to be that Impact brass have zero clue as to what they're doing.

Will TFC meet with the PM?

Several champions met with Obama. I'm assuming TFC will meet with Trudeau next year. Would be easy if TFC meets Ottawa again in the Canadian Championship assuming JT is in town. But then again it's a quick and easy flight to Ottawa at any time.

That's an American tradition. I don't think Canadian teams do that sort of thing.

In Canada we're more informal, you don't have to win anything, you can just drop by for a visit.

https://i.imgur.com/VHIKmgg.jpg

True that.

True, but this is also the first Canadian team to win a title since 1993, so there hasn't exactly been a ton of teams not meeting PMs.

Hmmm, that's not very well researched or do you mean a team in an American league.

In 1992, the Blue Jays did visit the White House after winning the World Series.

In 1993, the Montreal Canadiens did NOT visit the White House after winning the Cup even though they were invited.

Gonna be tough sledding for TFC if they want to win CONCACAF this year

https://i.imgur.com/TmVdDy8.jpg

Ouch, are you kidding me?? The two best Mexican sides...fml!

Nashville rumoured to be the first of the two expansion teams to be announced this week/next week.

One of Sacramento, Cincinnati, and Detroit will be the other for 2020/2021.

How does TFC compare to the Tigres and Club America? Are the odds of them getting to the finals pretty slim now?

I believe Club America made it to 3rd place in the Club World Cup recently!

Beating clubs from Morocco, UAE, and New Zealand wouldn't be difficult for most Liga MX/MLS squads.

America came 4th in 2016 CWC, losing to Nacional (Colombia) in the third place game.

I'm pretty optimistic this TFC side can make it far in this CCL. They have all the talent and confidence going for them. If there's any MLS team that should break the LigaMX grip it's them.

Pachuca was third this year too

As they should be. The general pecking order in CWC is:

Europe
South America
North America
Asia
Host (usually Asia)
Africa
Oceania

A North American (see: Mexican) team has never finished in the top two. Both Africa and Asia have managed at least a runners-up in the past few years...for MLS to start to be considered a good league winning the CCL and placing well in the CWC would help. MLS won't be considered a top-tier league until its clubs are routinely beating those in Mexico. It's possible but we're still at least a decade out from it becoming common.

Nashville gets a franchise. Will be a good road trip

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/...expansion-club

Ciman is old and his legs gave up on him last season. He was god awful and is nothing like his old self from 2 years ago where he won defender of the year.

TFC will most likely go through these teams no matter what if they want to advance so might as well play them and leave the easiest team for the final.:P

On a more serious note, Mexican teams are still ahead of MLS ones (only 2 MLS teams have won a head to head with Mexican teams in CONCACAF, 1 of those 2 is the best moment in Impact history:D) so it will be a good test for TFC. Probably the only time they will NOT be favorites. But if someone could do, it's definitely TFC. We were 40 min away until Club America decided it was time to wake up. From there, you could see they were heads and shoulders above anything the MLS had to offer.

BTW-Congrats to TFC on the title.:tup:

Don't know if I should post this here, but it is a stunner

Canada Soccer announces new leadership of Men’s National Team Program under John Herdman
canadasoccer.com 8 January 2018

Canada Soccer has named John Herdman to the post of Men’s National Team Head Coach and Men’s National EXCEL Director, effective immediately. Herdman takes over the role of Men’s National Team Head Coach from Octavio Zambrano who has departed Canada Soccer. Kenneth Heiner-Møller will take over as Women’s National Team Head Coach and Women’s National EXCEL Director after serving as an Assistant Coach alongside Herdman since 2015. Additionally, Bev Priestman will assume the role of Women’s National EXCEL Director U15-U23 and Women’s National Team Assistant Coach.

“We welcome John to this new role as he brings his success aligning Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Program over the past six years and his world-class technical coaching abilities to continue delivering results for Canada Soccer for the Men’s National Team Program,” said Canada Soccer President Steven Reed. “We are pleased to have such a capable successor in Kenneth Heiner-Møller who has been a key part of the technical staff that has seen Canada capture back-to-back bronze medals and rise to its highest-ever ranking of 4th in the world. On behalf of Canada Soccer, we would also like to thank Octavio for his contributions over the past year and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Herdman, who was awarded the 2017 Jack Donohue “Coach of the Year” Award from the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC), has a long history of success with Canada Soccer including two Olympic bronze medals and a sixth place finish at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™.

Heiner-Møller joined Canada Soccer in 2015 as a technical coach with the Women’s National Team and served as assistant coach for the Rio 2016 Olympic Bronze Medal winning team. Heiner-Møller brings a wealth of experience having served as Denmark’s Women’s National Team Coach from 2006 to 2013 including leading them to qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007™.

“It is easy to point to John’s record with Canada to demonstrate his effectiveness as a high-performance coach, in earning back-to-back Summer Olympic medals he's achieved in team sport something no other coach in Canada has done in over 100 years,” said Canada Soccer General Secretary Peter Montopoli. “What makes him exemplary though, is his work ethic, his passion, his preparation and his attention to detail. We are looking forward to John bringing his expertise to our Men’s National Team program.”

In his new role, Herdman will take over responsibility for the Men's National Team through to all men's national youth teams from the U-14 age level and up. As he has done with Canada Soccer’s Women’s Program, his new role will see him further build an alignment through the age-groups and with key stakeholders to standardize and develop consistent tactical approaches, and refine youth programming to ensure a constant supply of elite players to Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team. In streamlining the talent development structure, Herdman will ensure the strategic focus, resources and attention are channelled to the areas where it is needed most, while further maximising the potential of Canada’s best players.

“It’s a great honour to join the Men’s National Team Program and I want to thank Canada Soccer for this opportunity to grow and develop the sport in this country through a one country, one system approach,” said Herdman. “Working with Canada Soccer’s Women’s Program, and the remarkable players and staff who have made the past six years so incredible has been an absolute privilege, and I am confident the team and entire National Women’s Team Program are in excellent hands with Kenneth and Bev. In taking on the roles of Men’s Program Director and Men’s National Team Head Coach, I am keen to put a lasting mark on a program full of potential with as we work towards the ultimate goal of representing Canada on the world’s biggest stage at the FIFA World Cup.”

Herdman to replace Zambrano as Canadian men’s soccer team coach
John Molinaro sportsnet.ca January 8, 2018

In a shocking development that has major implications for both the Canadian men’s and women’s soccer programs, John Herdman has replaced Octavio Zambrano as coach of the national men’s team, effective immediately.

Canada Soccer confirmed to Sportsnet on Monday evening that Zambrano has departed after being hired last year, and that Herdman, who has served as the coach of the Canadian women’s team since 2011, will take control of the men’s side. Herdman has also been named the Canadian men’s national team program director. In his new role, Herdman will be responsible for all the national youth teams, from the under-14 age level and up, all the way through to the national senior team.

Kenneth Heiner-Møller will take over as Canadian women’s national team program director and head coach – Heiner-Møller has been an assistant coach under Herdman since 2015. Also, Bev Priestman will assume the role of National EXCEL Director U15-U23 and women’s national team under-20 coach, as well as women’s national team assistant coach.

“We felt as an organization that we needed to make some decisions for the longer term and our long-term philosophy, looking at growth of the men’s national team program and the youth development program. In terms of that review, we determined that we had the ideal candidate internally in John Herdman,” Canada Soccer president Steve Reed explained in a one-on-one interview with Sportsnet.

“We thought now was the time to look to John to lead the men’s program and emulate what he’s done with the women’s program.”

While Reed maintains that this change was made in order to give Herdman full control, from youth level to the senior team, for the long-term benefit of the men’s program, one well-place source told Sportsnet that Zambrano’s tenure as coach was viewed as “a disaster” within some quarters of Canada Soccer.

Asked to characterize the terms of Zambrano’s departure, whether he was fired or he left by mutual consent, Reed said: “It was an organizational decision. He has departed from Canada Soccer. We wish him the best of luck.”

Reed declined to give any details on Herdman’s contract with the men’s team, only that it was a multi-year deal, but you have to think it’ll at least carry through Canada’s qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Canada is also in the running to co-host the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Mexico.

“We have some significant developments coming up, and from an organizational perspective we viewed John as being the person who can take leadership in that role, and move us towards what we want to do, and that’s qualify for the next two World Cups,” Reed said.

Born in England, Herdman was awarded the 2017 Jack Donohue “Coach of the Year” Award from the Coaching Association of Canada, and has a history of success with the Canadian women’s team, including winning a pair of Olympic bronze medals.

“It’s an honour to work on the men’s side, and to be able to stay in Canada, as well. As a family man, we’ve settled here, we’ve lived here for six years. My son and daughter are pretty settled, and with other opportunities there was a chance that we might’ve had to leave Canada. … This is good news that we can establish our roots here and pushing the game forward, albeit on the men’s side,” Herdman told Sportsnet in a one-on-one interview.

Herdman, 42, has never coached a national men’s team. Prior to taking the Canadian job, he managed New Zealand’s national women’s side from 2006 to 2011.

The women’s team has enjoyed its greatest success under Herdman, who led Canada to bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Herdman’s side also reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 FIFA World Cup staged in Canada, the team’s best showing since finishing fourth at the 2003 tournament – the Reds bowed out in the first round of the 2007 and 2011 World Cups.

Herdman said he made it known to Canada Soccer in early 2017 that he wanted to eventually make the transition into men’s coaching, and that he planned to step away from the Canadian women’s team in 2020. That, in part, appears to have led to his appointment. He told Sportsnet that he recently received job offers from a men’s club in North America, and one from a prominent women’s national team from abroad.

“From a motivational side, you get to that point in your career where you’re starting to feel ready for a new challenge, and the stars sort of aligned in some ways that some opportunities were presented in front of us… They were very good opportunities. I had some tough decisions to make and that led towards keeping a future here in Canada,” Herdman said.

He later added: “I’d always sort of talked about moving into the men’s game, and one of those opportunities came up, and a pretty prestigious opportunity came up on the women’s side. That was a big decision, as well. It’s been a crazy two months for us… [but] I felt I was ready for a new challenge, and this is where it’s ended up. I’m bloody excited.”

The possibility of losing Herdman didn’t drive the process behind this change, Reed explained.

“When you have someone who’s been as successful as John has been, there’s always a concern that there’s suitors out there looking to hire him away. … That’s always something you have to contend with, but that was not the motivating factor in this decision. Looking from an organizational perspective, it was a matter of what we have and where we want to go, and we felt that John was the right man for the job,” Reed said.

This represents one of the biggest shakeups in the history of Canadian soccer, with Zambrano being axed less than a year on the job. Zambrano was hired last March as the Canadian men’s team coach, taking over from Benito Floro, who did not have his contract renewed the previous September following the Reds’ elimination from 2018 World Cup qualifying.

Zambrano, 59, previously was in charge of the LA Galaxy and New York MetroStars in Major League Soccer. He also coached pro teams in Moldova, Hungary, Colombia and his native Ecuador.

This was Zambrano’s first job as a national team manager, and he had his work cut out right from the beginning – Canada was 117th in the FIFA world rankings, sandwiched between Botswana and Nicaragua, when he took over the coaching reigns. What’s more, Canada had not qualified for the World Cup since 1986 in Mexico (its lone appearance), and last made it to the Hex (the final round of World Cup qualifying in the CONCACAF region) for the 1998 competition held in France.

Canada also had a rough go of it at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, bowing out in the first round in three consecutive tournaments from 2009 to 2013. They even failed to win a game or score a single goal over the course of the 2011 and 2013 tournaments.

Zambrano’s first game in charge was a friendly against Curaçao on June 13, 2017 in a 2-1 win in Montreal. He then guided Canada to the quarter-finals of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup a month later, the Reds’ first appearance in the knock-out stage of the tournament since 2009.

This represents the 13th coaching change — including interim appointments — in the last 15 years for the Canadian men’s team. No man has held on to his job for four years since Holger Osieck from 1999 to 2003. Floro lasted just over three years in the position.

It’ll be interesting to see how Canada’s players will react to working with a coach who has spent the majority of his soccer career in the women’s game. He anticipates having to convince some that he can handle the job.

“You’d be naïve not to think that there’ll be people in the football community with that perception, and that’s natural. That’s natural for most people that are transitioning, whether it’s women who have moved into men’s pro soccer, or the female referees that have moved into that side of the game,” Herdman said.

“The coaching community over the last 15 years has become more open-minded. You look at the evolution of Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho, coaches who hadn’t played the game at any real level, which was sacrilege 10 to 15 years ago. … It’s more about methodology and what you bring [as a coach].”

He later added: “There will be doubters, for sure. All I’ve got to do is make sure that I put my best effort into this.”

After the news became official on Monday evening, Herdman spoke to iconic Canadian captain Christine Sinclair and other members of the women’s team about his new position and the changes with the with the women’s program.

“It’s with a heavy heart [that I leave the women’s team] because I’ve shared so many bloody, unbelievable moments with them, you’ve been through some of their darkest moments, and they’ve seen me at my worst and I’ve seen them at their worst. I’m going to leave that group behind, but I’m still in Canada and I’ll be a phone call away,” Herdman said.

“I don’t see myself as leaving that program. I’m still there in spirit in my mind.”

Well, well... back in May 2017.

Tabla has signed with the big Barcelona family.

https://image.ibb.co/nGtetb/Screen_S...7_07_08_PM.png

https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/b...an-yves-tabla/

I just hope he chooses to represent Canada over the Ivory Coast.

I can only assume him leaving lessens the likelihood greatly.

It also comes down to which team gives him a better chance at a World Cup and needless to say Ivory Coast>Canada when it comes to soccer.

https://www.google.ca/amp/torontosun...-situation/amp

Couple notes from this interview:

TFC Season tickets will be 24,500 this season

Manning is looking to expand BMO by 5,000. The North End expansion added for last year's playoffs will remain for this season.

84% show up rate for tickets in 2017 was up from 72% in 2015

98.5% STH renewal rate.

Average ticket price of $45 means $1.2M per match in revenue.

Revenue up 30% aince 2015. TV up 200%

https://preview.ibb.co/gtGETb/Screen...4_01_50_PM.png

Montreal Impact complete transfer of Ballou Tabla to FC Barcelona

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/ballo...league-soccer/

He's actually a *product* of Canadian soccer.

He is, although the Canadian National team will likely never see him on the pitch. It's good to know that our country can develop high-end talent...it's just a matter of getting them to commit. At least we didn't have to worry about Davies.

Ballou's sale is going to be pretty big for IMFC. Reports are that his sale is in the seven digit amount with 0% sharing with MLS. Effectively it seems like MLS has changed the rules for sale of homegrown players...GAM contribution is $750K (up from $650K) and there's a resale % if he moves from Barcelona. Transfer amounts to roughly 10% of IMFC's investment in their academy so far.

Looks like TFC are signing Dutch international right back Gregory Van Der Wiel

That's pretty big news.

And MLS teams get 100% of the transfer fee for a homegrown player correct? That's a good chunk of change for Montreal to make some moves with.

100% of the transfer fee but only $750K can be put towards player salaries. There may be a 5% yearly escalator on that GAM money to put towards salaries. They can put the rest of the money towards academy or expenses or stadium or anything else.

Cameron Porter announced his retirement today at the age of 24. He never really recovered from his serious knee injury.

Thank you Cameron for giving us the best moment in Impact history!

I have goosebumps everytime I watch the video, such a euphoric and chaotic moment. Beating a Mexican team in a 2 legged series... only the second MLS team to do so and to date, the last (MLS teams are 2-18 vs Mexican ones).
• Video Link

goosebumps indeed. Amazing match, that one...:cheers:

With the season about to start, here is a Map of the 2018 Season

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...7Y&usp=sharing

Really interested to see how LAFC look this season. Could be very good or very mediocre, and their new stadium looks fantastic:

https://i.redd.it/vk0mn5eh9ti01.jpg
reddit

Vancouver Whitecaps now with 10 lineup changes for the upcoming season.

TFC loses their first match of the season at home against Columbus :o

Watching Atlanta getting destroyed (current' 4-0 Houston at halftime) has took some of the sting off.

Everyone's still on holiday I guess! Hope this humbles them a bit.

Montreal in Vancouver right now. Whitecaps looking stronger but no score so far.

Whitecaps 2 Impact 1 in front of a record opening day crowd. Surprised they've never had over 27k for an opening day in over 49 years.

What a win tonight vs Tigres

Great goal to take the lead.

Sharpen your knives, boys!

Preview of the game in Mexico next week:

http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/images-4/413_01_2.jpg

Uh, ok...

Great win at home. Here's hoping they can get out of Monterrey with at least a draw :tup: