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    Guest
    An updated re-entry list is below the jump. Watch CSN and @24thminute on Twitter for updates on the re-entry draft.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    CHI – Jay Nolly
    CHI – Dan Gargan
    CHV – Juan Pablo Angel
    CHV – Peter Vagenas
    CHV – Danny Califf
    CHV – Alejandro Moreno
    CLB – Will Hesmer
    CLB - James, Julius
    COL – Tyrone Marshall
    COL – Scott Palguta
    COL – Conor Casey
    COL – Hunter Freeman
    COL – Jamie Smith
    COL – Ian Joyce
    COL – Joseph Nane
    COL – Tyson Wahl
    DC - Michael Chabala
    DAL – Bruno Guarda
    DAL – Kevin Hartman
    DAL – Julian De Guzman
    DAL – Scott Sealy
    HOU – Colin Clark
    KC – Olukorede Aiyegbusi
    KC – Luke Sassano
    LA – Chad Barrett
    LA – Andrew Boyens
    LA – Bryan Jordan
    LA – Pat Noonan
    MTL – Shavar Thomas
    NE – Tim Murray
    NE – Blair Gavin
    NY – Bill Gaudette
    NY – Stephen Keel
    PHI – Chase Harrison
    POR – Lovel Palmer
    RSL – Paulo Araujo Jr.
    RSL – Kyle Reynish
    SEA – Andrew Weber
    SEA – Mike Seamon
    SJ – Jean Alexandre
    SJ – Tim Ward
    SJ – Ramiro Corrales
    SJ – Joseph Gjertsen
    SJ – Khari Stephenson
    TOR – Eric Avila
    TOR – Adrian Cann
    TOR – Ty Harden
    VAN – John Thorrington
    Guest
    Soccer by Ives reported earlier today that the Portland Timbers had either acquired the No 1 allocation slot from TFC as part of the trade yesterday, or had an agreement in place to ensure that Toronto passes on its next selection chance. Ives went on to suggest that Portland was planning to use the No 1 selection to sign US international Mix Diskerud.
    In an e-mail to CSN, TFC denied having traded the spot to Portland.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The allocation order is used to sign US internationals that move to MLS or former MLS players that return to the league after being previously purchased away with a transfer fee.
    Holding the No 1 position, as TFC does, is an important asset.
    Portland may still be able to get Diskerud, despite Toronto maintaining the top spot. However, the Reds wil have first shot at signing the player. They may chose to do so to obtain additional asests from the Timbers.
    However, TFC could also chose to bypass putting a claim on Diskerud. They may do so because of a handshake agreement with the Timbers, or because they don't believe they can obtain enough value from selecting the player to justify losing the No 1 slot.
    Guest

    Another day, another award for Sinclair

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The Bobbie Rosenfeld Award for Canada’s top female athlete is likely still to come and there is a good chance she’ll be part of the Canadian Press Team of the Year Award as well. Knowing what we do of Christine Sinclair she’ll likely appreciate the latter most of all.
    Canadian soccer fans were calling yesterday Sinclair Day in reference to her jersey number of 12 and the date of 12/12/12. They might as well extend it to Sinclair month – still works with the 12, after all.
    Today she was named Sportsnet’s Athlete of the Year. Ho hum, right? What’s another award in a season of awards? She’s already got the big one in the Lou Marsh, so why give more attention to another lesser one?
    Because this one might be the most telling of all, that’s why.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Make no mistake, the Lou Marsh Award is the most prestigious. It’s the award that people will remember years from now and the award that fuels the most debate. It also has the history to back it up. Since 1936, the top Canadian athlete has won the Lou Marsh. That a soccer player should finally get recognized by winning it is a very significant statement about the place of the sport in Canadian society. It has a place, basically. A Canadian time traveler from 1953 would be very confused by Sinclair winning, but, then again, that time traveler would be very confused by a lot of what they see in modern Canada.
    That’s a good thing. But, it’s not the purpose of this article today. This is about what the decade old Sportsnet award says about Sinclair’s year. To understand that you have to understand the cultural differences between the Lou Marsh and the much younger Sportsnet award.
    Whereas the Lou Marsh represents a sort of high-brow evaluation of who deserves to win the honour and is based on a somewhat arbitrary set of criteria decided upon by the country’s serious sports journalists, the Sportsnet award is more about the gut reaction of Joe Sportsfan.
    Joe Sportsfan. Jane Sportsfan plays a limited role in the selection. Although there is an element of review from the Sportsnet editorial staff, the fan vote – driven largely through social media – is the biggest factor in the win.
    Georges St-Pierre has won the thing three times.
    Nothing against St-Pierre, who is a wonderful athlete and is underappreciated in the more serious sports media, but his demographic doesn’t exactly cross over with Sinclair’s.
    Yet she still won. In a vote that is marketed to mostly 20-something men, a female soccer player still carried the day. Sinclair’s performance at the Olympics had that kind of reach. A voting block that had three times previously voted for a man who kicks people in the head for a living, selected a woman who kicks a soccer ball for hers.
    A woman who lets her skills talk for her and stays true to herself. A woman who has reached mainstream consciousness without using sex appeal (not because it would be wrong to do so, but because it’s not something that speaks to her morales). And a women that doesn't play hockey.
    That’s remarkable and, to me, speaks to just how incredible her 2012 season was.
    Guest

    REPORT: Hall released

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    According to several reports, back-up keeper Freddy Hall has been released.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Bermudian failed to impress in limited appearances in 2012. With TFC acquiring keeper Joe Bendik in toady's trade with Portland, Hall became disposable.
    Hall was expected to have a cap hit of $46,204 in 2013. With his release TFC now has an estimated $646,625 of cap space.
    Guest

    Plenty of cap room after TFC trade

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The less sexy aspect, but as important, part of today’s trade with Portland is the amount of cap flexibility it has provided TFC. The trading of Ryan Johnson and Milos Kocic sheds another $180,000 off the cap.
    Below the jump a list of the 19 players currently under contract for 2013 and their estimated cap hit.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Torsten Frings -- $367,000
    Danny Koevermans -- $367,000
    Eric Hassli -- $367,000
    Darren O'Dea -- $346,500
    Richard Eckersley -- $220,500
    Stefan Frei -- $183,750
    Justin Braun -- $107,225
    Terry Dunfield -- $90,300
    Reggie Lambe -- $63,000
    Joao Plata -- $52,500.00
    Quincy Amarikwa -- $46,300.00
    Joe Bendik -- $46,200
    Luis Silva -- $46,200
    Logan Emory -- $46,100
    Doneil Henry -- $0
    Ashtone Morgan -- $0
    Quillan Roberts -- $0
    Matt Stinson -- $0
    Total estimated cap hit –
    $2,303,375
    2013 salary cap –
    $2,950,000
    Remaining cap room –
    $646,625
    It’s important to stress that this is an estimate based on reported salaries from 2012 and the league mandated increase. However, we know that the 2013 DP cap hit is $367,000 and that the maximum cap hit remains $400,000.
    The top 20 salaries count against the cap, so TFC should have no problem adding enough depth. In fact, with around $600,000 to play with, as well as a significant amount of allocation, there is no reason why the Reds couldn’t add another near max signing.
    Guest

    TFC adds No 3 pick in Superdraft

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The anticipated trade between Portland at Toronto was finally completed today.
    Ryan Johnson and Milos Kocic are going west in exchange for Portland's first round selection in the Superdraft (No 3 overall) and back-up keeper Joe Bendik.
    Allocation money was also part of the deal, which might be used to acquire one of the players identified during this fall's European scouting trip.
    The addition of Bendik likely means the end of Freddy Hall's brief and mostly unsuccessful time with the Reds.
    Speculation is that Toronto is now looking to move the first overall selection in the draft.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    Hutchinson, Sinclair top senior players

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The Canadian Soccer Association finished off its award season today by naming Atiba Hutchinson the male player of the year.
    Christine Sinclair won the women's player of the year, with TFC's Doneil Henry winning the u20 men's player of the year and and Sabrina D'Angelo capturing the u20 women's award.
    The u17 awards went to Marco Carducci and Ashley Lawrence.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    Reds target Ledgerwood

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    CSN has confirmed that Canadian international Nik Ledgerwood is one of the players TFC targeted during this Fall's scouting trip in Scandinavia.
    Ledgerwood has a year left on his contract at Hammarby IF in the second tier of Swedish football. He was brought in last year in an effort to get the down-on-its-luck club back to the top flight. That effort ultimately fell short and with Hammarby facing another season in the second tier Ledgerwood might be available.
    He had previously indicated that he was looking to return to North America, telling reporters that he had some MLS interest last summer, but that a deal could not be worked out.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It still might not work out. Those close to the situation stressed that the transfer was far from being a sure thing. Hammarby would require a transfer and TFC is said to be in negotiation with the Swedish club about the value.
    Hammarby is said to want €300,000, but TFC is not prepared to shell out that much. It's expected that the Reds are offering about half of that.
    Ledgerwood is said to make about $60-70,000 a season in Sweden, but he also receives a housing allowance. The Reds would need to match that salary to bring him on board. You could expect him to come for around $100,000 a year.
    It's possible that the hold up in the expected player for allocation trade with Portland is at least partly to do with TFC negotiating with Ledgerwood and/or Hammarby.
    For Canada, Ledgerwood has typically played at full-back. However, he's been used more in the midfield in Sweden, at times playing centrally. It's expected that TFC is looking at him to play a wide midfield role.
    Again, it's important to stress that this is far from a done deal and that it's, at best, 50/50 that the deal will go through.
    Regardless, enjoy this highlight of one of Ledgerwood's two goals in Sweden this past season:
    <font face="arial, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="line-height: 16px;">

    Guest
    It seems things aren't quite as bad as some feared with TFC season ticket sales.
    According to information prospective TFC season ticket holders received today, the club has just 1,600 season seats remaining to be sold.
    Over the past few years they have capped season seats at 16,000. So, simple math tells us that there are 14,400 season seats sold as of right now. It seems likely that they will hit the 16,000 target again.
    Clearly, the reduction in price has helped drive numbers up (CSN was told that the renewal rate is the highest it's been since 2010). There has still been an erosion of support – it was inevitable with the season they had last year – but enough people have looked at the prices and decided that it’s still a worthwhile way to spend money.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It’s no surprise that at less than $200 for renewals the supporter’s section has completely sold out (although it should be noted that the North End Elite section is pretty much dead* – most of its members have decided to move out of 127 and those that have moved in are most likely taking advantage of the inexpensive pricing and are not organized, nor interested in acting like a typical supporter’s section).
    Having attended the season seat holder event on both the first and last day, it was clear that there were less seats available than in past years. That was especially the case in the south end and in the more expensive seats. There did, however, remain a hole in season seat sales – the east stand reds and dark greys. Those seats likely represent the worst value in the stadium and will be the toughest to move.
    With current season seat holders getting an additional opportunity to add seats until Friday, and then those still looking to become holders for the first time (or looking to return at the lower cost) getting their shot starting Saturday, it seems likely that the remaining 1,600 will be sold.
    That’s not to say all is rosy, however. Normally the club sells an additional 2,000 partial packs. Since many of those fans will likely move up to grab some of the season packages left, it seems like it will be a greater challenge to move those. It would not be surprising if the club was still looking to sell partial packages into the start of the 2013 season.
    Single game seats will remain the biggest challenge. Anyone that was around the club last year knows how easy it was to get seats at well below face value. It seems like that will remain the case in 2013, especially in the early part of the season.
    Earlier this year, CSN was told that TFC had requested a home schedule that was summer heavy. The thinking was twofold: Toronto fans been forced to deal with a spring heavy schedule for most of the past six seasons (TFC agreed to playing games in colder weather months as a favour to the league – it allowed them to schedule summer games in cities that needed the walk-up crowd). So, it’s fair that Reds fans get some more days in the sun next year. More importantly, however,TFC management feels that it needs the walk-up bump in 2013.
    There is a clear correlation between nice summer days/nights and big crowds. Even in 2012 the Reds drew well when people wanted to be outside enjoying cold beverages on warm nights.
    In conclusion, reports of a complete fall-out of support were greatly exaggerated. But, 2007 excitement is still a long winning streak away.
    * A seat holder in 127 contacted me to say that there is a new group of seat holders attempting to organize. If you are in 127 and interested, please contact them at kingsofthenorth127@gmail.com.
    Guest

    Three Canadians invited to MLS combine.

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Three Canadians have been invited to the MLS draft combine.
    Kyle Bekker of Oakville, Ont., Kofi Opare of Niagara Falls and Emery Welshman of Mississauga will be making the trip to Florida to try and impress the scouts. It would be inaccurate to suggest that the three are locks to be selected in the draft, but the combine is equally about helping players find playing spots in the USL and NASL.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Both Opare and Welshman have strong connections in the US. Welshman played for the Portland Timbers u23 side and Opare has been part of the US u20 player pool.
    He is not cap tied to the US.
    Last month, Paul Mariner told supporters that there was "less than five" players in this draft that he thought could play immediately in MLS and that the draft class was widely seen as the weakest in Superdraft history.
    The combine is in Fort Lauderdale from January 11-15. The draft goes Jan. 17 in Indianapolis.
    Guest
    We can now, once and for all, put to bed the notion that the Canadian sports media hate soccer.
    So compelling was Christine Sinclair's impact on the Canadian sporting consciousness that the media voters who determined the 2012 Lou Marsh trophy winner willingly overlooked other impressive (and in some cases, unprecedented) achievements by Canadians in cycling, tennis, speed skating and yes, even hockey.
    Even though it was the narrative of redemption woven by her entire team that likely put Sinclair over the top in the minds of the Lou Marsh voters, they were still fully justified in finally recognizing what those of us in the Canadian soccer community have known for years -- that Sinclair is one of the best female soccer players on the planet, and the greatest Canadian soccer player in history.
    But much like the Olympic medal itself, Sinclair's Lou Marsh award should not be viewed as a final accomplishment, a laurel to be rested upon. Instead, we should see it as what will hopefully be a jumping-off point for the sport of soccer in this country.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Lest we forget that in the same year that Sinclair was honoured as the nation's top athlete, she also lost her day job, as the league in which she was playing ceased operations. It's a stark reminder that for all the kudos she is receiving from the media and fans for her Olympic performance, it's still difficult even for a player of Sinclair's undeniable talent to earn a stable living playing the game of soccer. Whether the new North American professional league -- in which Sinclair will likely be involved -- will help alleviate this problem remains to be seen.
    Sinclair's newfound status as a household name in Canada will also do wonders for the profile and domestic success of the 2015 Women's World Cup, widely regarded to be the last hurrah for Sinclair and a number of similarly long-serving Canadian national team members. But to presume that Sinclair and Canada are guaranteed the storybook ending three years hence would be exceedingly dangerous -- even head coach John Herdman has admitted that maintaining the high standard his team set in London will be challenging.
    That challenge will be magnified immensely when Sinclair eventually retires.
    So it's incumbent upon those in the Canadian soccer community -- those of us who knew what she could do long before the rest of the country learned her name -- not to become complacent. The glory of these Olympics will fade. General sports fans will adopt new heroes in 2013. Sinclair's name will forever remain among the pantheon of sporting greats who've claimed the Lou Marsh trophy in the past. But the women's national team cannot bank on that honour in five or six years' time. They'll need to bank on someone new to put the ball in the back of the net.
    Canadian sports fans -- and, by extension, the media -- have shown time and again that they're more than willing to rally behind athletes who succeed while passionately and proudly representing the country. Sinclair undeniably fit the bill this year. But someone else will fit the bill next year. And in the same way Canadian sports fans will gladly stand behind athletes they feel are representing them admirably (see: women's national team, 2012), they've also shown no sheepishness about abandoning those who they feel are not (see: men's national team, for most of its existence).
    The Lou Marsh award is a remarkable and deserved honour for Sinclair, and has revealed the reality that Canadians will indeed support Canadian soccer players -- so long as their team is succeeding.
    So perhaps the greatest legacy of Sinclair's breaking of the 76-year-old Lou Marsh soccer hex will be that all young soccer players in this country, the hundreds of thousands of them, will now know indisputably that if they work hard enough, if they strive hard enough, and if the fates smile upon them, they too could one day be honoured as the country's top athlete.
    The more Canadian youngsters who carry that dream, the healthier our national soccer program will be. And the healthier our national soccer program is, the more we will perceive Canadians supporting Canadian soccer as normal, rather than a novelty.
    So, congratulations Christine. And thank you.
    .
    Guest

    Sinclair wins Lou Marsh

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Christine Sinclair has won Canada's highest athletic prize.
    The Lou Marsh Award has been voted on by the country's top traditional media members since the 1930s. The only criteria is that the athlete be Canadian and that he or she competed during the year.
    Despite having the highest participatiuon rates in the country, soccer had never before produced the winner. Until today.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Sinclair scored 23 times in 2012, including six goals at the Olympics. In London she won the Golden Boot and helped Canada capture an unexpected bronze medal.
    However, it was her hat-trick against eventual gold medal winning USA that captured the imagination of the country. She was easily the most talked about female athlete in Canada during the latter half of the year and has finally become a household name across the nation.
    She was the clear favourite prior to the vote.
    To win the award, Sinclair beat out speedskater Christine Nesbitt, trampolinist and Olympic gold medallist Rosie MacLennan, figure skater Patrick Chan, cyclist Ryder Hesjedal and Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish.
    Nesbit was a double gold medalist in the 1,000m and 1,500m long track events in 2012 and broke a World Record in the 1,000m. She was named the overall female long track champion.
    MacLennan captured Canada's only gold medal of the London games.
    Chan, the 2011 Lou marsh winner, won his second straight World Championship in March.
    Hesjedal became the first Canadian to capture a major cycling championship when he won the Giro d'Italia.
    Cornish rushed for 1,457 yards to break a 56-year record for rushing yards by a Canadian in the CFL.
    Guest
    By now news of the Vancouver Whitecaps decision to shut down their women’s W-League team has settled in.
    And, it still doesn’t make a lot of sense. After running a women’s program for years when the feminine side of the sport was mostly unappreciated, why cut ties just when it is finally getting traction in Canada?
    The CSA is getting involved in the new pro league, Christine Sinclair is about to be named athlete of the year in a bunch of year end polls and the Olympic bronze medal is still in the hearts and minds of the average sports fan.
    It was disappointing that the Whitecaps weren’t one of the teams moving up to the new league, but that they should pull the team altogether? That makes no sense to most people.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For their part the Whitecaps say that the move isn’t a cost cutter. It’s hard to understand any other reason, but for a moment let’s consider it.
    The club suggested that they could not field a competitive team in the W-League with the international players destined to leave the Caps to play in the new league. Additionally, they didn’t feel the younger players in their system were ready to step up. To be competitive they’d need to recruit new players and those players would likely be American, which, in turn would go against their development philosophy.
    So, they pulled the plug to focus on “other” areas of women’s development.
    That’s, basically, the Caps position.
    Does it hold up?
    Certainly a quick look at the Caps roster from last year reveals that they were facing an exodus of about nine key players. There is no doubt that it would be difficult to replace that kind of talent. And, that’s without factoring in the possibility of some of the lesser-known players maybe earning semi-pro roster spots on Portland and Seattle in the new pro league.
    Still, if the Caps really are committed to developing women’s players then should they not be willing to put up with a season or two of re-building with younger players from the Lower Mainland?
    Many are also worried that this means that the Caps are no longer likely to end up trying to put a team in the new league. It does seem counterintuitive. The men played out the final season in the NASL after all. Why would the women be different?
    Time will tell whether this move is a sign of the Caps giving up on women’s soccer, or if they are sincere in their belief that it’s best for the long-term development of the sport. Today, however, we are only left with questions.
    Guest
    There is a good chance that there will be more roster movement for Toronto FC early this week. On Thursday, Kevin Payne met with the longest serving season ticket holders when the annual re-location event kicked off.
    He thanked the fans for their loyalty and then dropped a bit of news in their lap. Payne said that TFC was going to get a little younger and that to that end he had already completed a trade that was just waiting league approval.
    Payne indicated that the trade should go through “in he next couple of days.”
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    There is no reason to think that the trade has fallen through. League approval can mean something as simple as needing to make sure that all the players involved are informed. It also usually means that allocation is involved.
    For those new to supporting MLS, allocation is money that can be used to pay down the cap or to pay transfers into the league. Since it’s governed by the league, the league needs to cross the Is and dot the Ts before it can be used.
    Putting a few more pieces together it would seem likely that it would be TFC that would be needing the allocation. It most certainly seems likely that TFC cannot afford to give any up.
    Paul Mariner told fans at the townhall meetings that the club had made several offers to players in Scandinavia (and possibly Cyprus) last month. A quick look at the salary cap suggests that the Reds can’t add much now without adding allocation. So, as long as the players offered contracts have accepted, Toronto will be in need of some faux cash.
    From that you can judge who might be willing to give up allocation. Rule out the bigger clubs – they’ll want it to make their own signings – and look at who has been adding a lot of it lately.
    One club jumps out in big, glaring lights: Portland.
    Continuing down our path of informed speculation is there anyone on Toronto’s roster that is both dispensable and who might be of interest to other teams.
    It gets a little slippery here. By my count TFC has four assets that meet that criteria.
    Joao Plata, Ryan Johnson, the 2013 first round Superdraft selection and one of Milos Kocic or Stefan Frei.
    You’d need to get a hell of a lot of allocation to give up all four of those pieces. Without another significant player coming in to Toronto – and remember this is an exercise to get rid of current salary to add European salary – you are probably looking at a two player for allocation and a prospect deal.
    Plata seems too much of a risk and Frei appears to be Toronto’s choice for No 1 next year.
    That leaves Kocic and Johnson.
    Toronto sends Ryan Johnson and Milos Kocic to Portland for Joe Bendik (a cheap back-up keeper that becomes disposable for Portland with Kocic and who can compete for the 2013 back-up role in Toronto with Freddy Hall) and allocation.
    Book it. Or not. What do you think the trade is? Let us know in the comments.
    Guest
    (Updated 12:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 10 with U20 award winners and Lou Marsh trophy winner)
    Hey, look! It's getting colder outside and every conceivable centimetre of public space is being occupied by something related to Secularmas! Most folks have already mentally checked out, meaning it's a great time for stuff like "best-of" list and end-of-year awards!
    As it relates to the world of Canadian soccer, some award-winners have already been named, while others will be determined in the not-too-distant future. Here is your (sort of) definitive roundup.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canadian Soccer Association Players of the Year
    Para Soccer: Brendon McAdam
    Men's U17: Marco Carducci
    Women's U17: Ashley Lawrence
    Men's U20: Doneil Henry
    Women's U20: Sabrina D'Angelo
    Women's senior: To be announced Tuesday
    Men's senior: To be announced Wednesday
    CBC Athlete of the Year: Christine Sinclair
    The Canadian captain was announced on Saturday as the winner of the popular-vote contest, beating out second-place finisher, cyclist Ryder Hesjedal.
    Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year: To be determined
    Sinclair is in the running against Hesjedal, tennis player Milos Raonic, MMA star Georges St-Pierre, Stampeders running back Jon Cornish and Lightning forward Steven Stamkos. Sportsnet's website doesn't make it especially obvious when or how the winner will be announced.
    Lou Marsh Trophy winner: Christine Sinclair
    Sinclair is the first soccer player to ever claim what is widely considered the definitive "athlete of the year" prize in Canada.
    Canadian Soccer News Award winners: To be determined
    And perhaps the most important awards of all, the annual CSN awards, will be awarded in such categories as player of the year, villain of the year and goal of the year for each of the country's top pro squads. Check CSN in the coming weeks for a full breakdown.
    .
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