Schedules, Stopgaps and Sutton

SCHEDULES

Just left a media conference call with MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis. Evidently I wasn't the only reporter with questions about how the league sets its schedule.

The call lasted a long time and might still be going on, but I'll get straight to the part that interests TFC fans and soccer purists:

Gazidis says the league will make a much stronger effort to avoid scheduling games on FIFA match dates in 2009.

As we discussed in the previous post, World Cup qualifying matches in the coming week will squeeze teams across Major League Soccer, but no team will feel it more than TFC, which will lose nine regulars to international duty.

Gazidis said he's aware that scheduling conflicts make things tough on the league, its teams and their fans, and says MLS will try not to let it happen next year.

"We are absolutely...looking at ways...that we could adjust the way we schedule," he said.

He also pointed out that scheduling around FIFA dates would be a lot easier if the whole league were more like Toronto.

Gazidis realizes that TFC games sell out both on weekends and during the week, and says if other fans showed that type of dedication MLS would have more freedom to schedule midweek games, thereby avoiding more FIFA dates.

STOPGAPS

Counted bodies out at TFC practice today.

Still 13, and that includes both goalkeepers.

If my math is correct that leaves the team with just one non-goalkeeping sub.

And a bad situation that grows even worse for TFC when you consider that striker Chad Barrett is still battling cramping problems and averages about 70 minutes a game, and that Danny Dichio, out of the regular rotation since suffering a concussion in early July, probably isn't in shape to play the full 90.

To complicate things even further, only one of TFC's available players -- Marco Velez -- plays defence.

Earlier this afternoon TFC head coach John Carver confirmed that a little help is on the way.

Nothing had been finalized as of this afternoon, but Carver said the team was trying to get two new bodies into uniforms this weekend.

One of them, Diaz Kambere, is a former member of Canada's under-23 national team and a current member of the Vancouver Whitecaps. True, he's never played at the MLS level before, but he has already shown he can win at BMO Field.

The other short-term sub is Tim Regan.

In real life Regan is TFC's chief scout, but in a past life he was a standout defensive midfielder at Bradley University and a second-round draft pick of the New York Metrostars. In fact, TFC selected him in the expansion draft after the 2006 season, then traded him to New York for Edson Buddle.

The point here is that even though Regan is retired, he can still play a little, and TFC is trying to get him cleared for Saturday's game.

SUTTON

Carver said TFC keeper Greg Sutton has been released from national team duty this weekend, but that doesn't mean he'll be at BMO to face Chivas USA on Saturday. Sutton's wife is due to deliver the couple's baby, and with two other keepers on the roster of the national team did the compassionate thing and allowed Sutton to join his wife and (soon to be) newborn.

-- Morgan Campbell

Comments

[Paul]

Aren't we up for a treat when TFC plays this Saturday! Be prepared to see a lot of goals ( not good ), Ricketts in a playmaker role ( good ), and maybe a first ever pass by Johann Smith ( to a TFC teammate ). I wonder if Billy Crystal will also be on the TFC bench...

[AC]

The MLS is really proving to be bush league by not postponing this game. If all the top Euro leagues with about 1000 times the talent of MLS is off this week for World cup qualifiers, how the hell is MLS not?!?!?

[mike]

the problem is mls rates itself too low. it thinks: whats the big deal? how many internationals could we possibly have?

as long as the game is televised thats all that matters to them.. and lets face it, this is why mls won't reschedule. it knows it has a tenuous hold in the US market, and without televising matches to raise awareness, they feel they will never progress. MLS isn't important enough to override other programming when they need to reschedule a match.

MLS fails to understand one key concept: televising matches is no longer a good thing if you march out reserves and development players. the north american markets are USED to watching the best league in the world of whatever sport. MLS has a momentous hill to climb because they will NEVER be the number 1 football market, and the fans are always quick to point this out. playing a game with an even lower level of talent is really bad publicity for this league.. unfortunately, as long as there is ANY publicity, MLS is thrilled.

[CelicaCrazed]

The game would be delayed if it was played anywhere other than BMO Field. Now they're just taking advantage of our fan support.

[Mossman]

I don't think they're "taking advantage" of the fanbase at all - that just sounds like typical Toronto paranoia to cover for having faults. After all, we *did* get the All-Star game here - or was that just "taking advantage" of the fanbase too?? As was said, they have TV commitements that are so tenuous that the domino effect of postponing would be tremendous. You could argue that we shouldn't have so many foreign internationals on the roster, sticking indead to top (but not international level) US talent, like Chivas will have. Look around the league, and we have fewer US players, who are likely to be called up. Wynne and Edu were amongst the best US talent, but there's a bigger pool of talent there then here. That hurts us.

A much better argument would be that they should respect FIFA dates and work around them. Which, given the summer season, they won't.

As for suiting up TFC's chief scout? That's pretty bush league. I'd rather see some of the youth team get the call-up...gonna be a interesting game today to go to.

[Branden]

Okay, I'd like to put an end to this 'but its a summer league' excuse for not taking off FIFA international match days. Think hard people.... what othe leagues are summer leagues? How about the Russian League eh? Russia has a top flight (ranked as the 6th best in Europe by UEFA)league that plays from March to November. Each teams plays 30 games in the Russian league, plus the best teams play in the UEFA Champions League/ Cup, and there is a Russian Cup! And you know what? The Russians take off the FIFA international match dates, AND they even closed the league for all of June for the Euro Cup this year. So enough with this hogwash of the problem being rooted in the time of year.

The real problem is that barely anyone in the US goes to see a game on the weekends, and attendance figures are even more dismal for midweek games. Its all about money (as in ticket sales and TV revenure) as usual.