In this article I want uncover an issue I have with MLS in regards to Canadian Soccer and Youth Development, show the pros and cons of both the two current short term options being the Canadian Soccer League and MLS Reserve League, and spotlight the desperate need for the recent viability study outsourced by the Canadian Soccer Association to be conducted over the next several months to really get the ball rolling on a Canadian Second Division.
In a recent interview that MLS.com did with US Men’s National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann about the US Men’s National Team, their current progress, the philosophy he’s trying to implement, the continued development of the US program etc… a few things stood out.
Most notably when discussing the role of MLS on the national team and what he’d like to see and do with players in the league going forward, he stated “The MLS and US National Team go hand in hand, it’s a real partnership” he went on to say “A big step for MLS was going into the academies and becoming leaders in youth development, because whatever MLS will introduce together with US Soccer will be taken over by all the other academies and all the other youth clubs around the country. That’s a big thing.”
While this might have been an isolated interview for most, in my opinion it’s yet another illustration of the disconnect between MLS (which is now more then ever suppose to be a “North American” league) and the CSA. To be blunt, it shows that the league doesn’t care about Canada aside from how much money the franchises bring in from the fan/consumer. This is an issue that I rarely hear talked about truthfully and honestly in the media, whether that’s down to not wanting to burn any bridges or something else, I’m not sure.
That being said some of the blame should be placed at our feet as a county in terms of youth development at the highest level, as we rely too heavily on NCAA soccer programs and less on what we have to offer (CIS, OUA etc…). This issue comes to a head when players in the academies of Toronto FC, Montréal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps have to play matches; for two clubs (Toronto FC and Montréal Impact) there are/will be two options at the moment, playing in the Canadian Soccer League or MLS Reserve League. Vancouver Whitecaps are in an even tougher position and while I’m not close to their situation have to assume they schedule matches against local youth clubs, I can’t imagine they have participated in only 10 matches as the MLS Reserve League table would have you think.
The Canadian Soccer League is essentially a semi-professional outfit that, from my coverage of it, is split into two categories. The first one being the 16-21 year old player that has a realistic future in the game and is using this league as a stepping stone to make a move to a college/university program in North America, to one of the professional academies or a move abroad. This is the league's primary target group, which is good.
However the second category is both a blessing and a curse. This group consists of the player in their late 20’s to late 30’s that has no future in the game, has a regular 9-5 job and uses this essentially as a fun and competitive work out. For the 16-21 year old player the opportunity to play against older players is a learning experience but after they have overcome that learning curve it becomes less of a challenge. Left unstimulated, players fall into bad habits and thus hit a ceiling in terms of growth.
What the MLS Reserve League, on the other hand, offers is a chance for future MLS talent to hone their craft against the league's best and brightest. The problem with this option is it’s an unorganized mess that seems to be left up to the clubs. Taking Toronto FC Academy for example, they played 25 games in the CSL (it would have been 26 but the last match of the season was canceled) compared to 9 games in the MLS Reserve League.
To even refer to this as a league is somewhat farcical, as some teams like New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders played 10 games while LA Galaxy, New York Red Bulls and D.C United played 9 games. What seems to be the case is if two MLS teams are playing each other in and around a scheduled game day they may agree to bring their academy kids along to have a match as well. It’s completely optional, bordering on casual.
What this all comes down to is the desperate need for the Canadian Second Division viability study to bear fruit, specifically how the league would be formatted (ie what cities, how many teams etc…) and most importantly who would invest in it. My opinion on the first question is the league would need to most certainly be regionalized with the playoffs or championships working similarly to how the NCAA basketball tournament is organized. However the second question is much more vital to this getting off the ground, it will take a very wealthy, brave and knowledgeable individual or group investment to pull it off but the one aspect that we all can agree on is this is needed for the game to flourish in Canada.
Kamal Hylton is Owner/Freelance Soccer Writer at Hylton Sports Media,
he specializes in covering Youth Development in Canada and the
CONCACAF Region as well as European leagues such as Bundesliga, Serie A and UEFA Champions League. Follow him on Twitter to view all
his work.
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