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    Guest
    Signing of LW Paulo Araujo Jr.
    The winger has shown how excited he is to return to North America after a year home in Brazil with Nautico in Serie B. Paulo Jr. also boasts valuable MLS and NASL experience at Real Salt Lake, Miami FC/Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, and the Vancouver reserves.
    Paulo Jr. is a speedy and technical player who is right-footed and likes to cut in from the left wing, though he was stationed on the right wing while at RSL. He is often more than eager to go for lengthy dribbles and shots from various spots on the pitch, though he does like to hold on to the ball, and has suffered from some injury and fitness issues at Salt Lake and Vancouver.
    However, he will certainly be a contender to start at LW in Marc Dos Santos's 4-3-3 formation, fulfilling the same role that Oliver and Carl Haworth did in the system, as an inverted winger cutting inwards looking for quick passes and shots more so than crosses. While P.R. Mayard did not return, there has been encouraging signs from Dos Santos that both Oliver and Haworth will be re-signed for 2015 and will compete with Paulo Jr., though there hasn't been much word on Phil Davies.
    Paulo Jr. is represented by Nicolas Clavijo, who is also the agent for Richie Ryan. Clavijo was a teammate of Paulo Jr. on the 2012 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers squad, and is the son of Fernando Clavijo, technical director of FC Dallas, and part of the 1994 US MNT WC squad. As Ft. Lauderdale Strikers was owned by Traffic Sports back in 2012, and with the elder Clavijo having been the manager of the 2009 version of the team, on which Paulo Jr. also played, there may very well be some lingering connections to Traffic Sports, who is inextricably connected to NASL and CONCACAF.
    Release of GK Devala Gorrick
    The keeper was fantastic in his displays throughout the 2014 season, with his reflexes being a particular highlight, and most fans believe that he will have no problem landing quickly on his feet in a league of similar calibre. He has proved himself as a NASL-level keeper, and with experiences in Puerto Rico, Thailand, Sweden and Germany, he may yet decide to set sails abroad again if he chooses.
    Gorrick also started a blog midway through the season (devalagk.blogspot.ca), which was notable in its well-composed writing and some great insight into the life of a professional football player, written in a humble and narrative way which fans found quite endearing. He will certainly be missed by Fury FC fans, and we wish nothing but the best to Devala in all his future endeavours.
    Temporary loaning out of DM Richie Ryan
    The captain is likely heading off to Peterhead FC, in the Scottish League One (3rd tier), on a short-term loan, as first shared by Blog Smith of Blog Fury FC and later expanded upon by Stuart Mactaggart from Fury Fanatic. Chris Hofley of Ottawa Sun reported that the club plays in Ryan's partner's hometown, which would serve the couple well during the long NASL off-season. As Ryan is more than comfortable with the 10 to 11-month European season, this sounds like the perfect way for Ryan to keep his competitive season going.
    Other 2014 Fury FC players who we currently know are playing in other clubs during the NASL off-season include CM Tony Donatelli and ST Vini Dantas, playing with Baltimore in the MASL. As reported previously, Dantas's contract was not renewed as he was released, while there has been little news from Ottawa on many other players whose contracts have also expired, including Donatelli.
    All in all, the off-season remains busy for Ottawa throughout the festive period. There will certainly be a plethora of news come January.
    You can follow Namu Yoon on Twitter at @BBSC_SeoulBro, and his blog on Ottawa Fury FC at OFFCReview.wordpress.com, and at @OFFCReview.
    Michael Mccoll
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE.
    Or download it for your later listening delight HERE.
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

    Guest
    This is a very exciting development for Ottawa soccer, especially in light of the USL Pro announcements from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in the past month. With the U15 boys capturing the SYL championships in their age category just last week, we had been wondering how OFFC was planning to fill out their developmental structure, with their newly restructured academy a big but not full part of the puzzle.
    With the U19 side being the highest level in the Fury FC Academy, the new PLSQ teams will consist of the U19 side competing in the first tier of the Division 3 league, while the U17 side will be competing in a newly created second tier of PLSQ.
    Duane Rollins has also stated that a L1O side may still come to Ottawa for 2016, and would most likely be a Fury FC affiliate, though this would be conjecture at this point. Other leagues that could still be considered for a Fury FC U23 reserve side in the future include NSPL and USL PDL.
    It is absolutely encouraging to see the Fury FC continue to put in the proper framework for the development of Ottawa-Gatineau soccer players. This is great news for Ottawa youths playing high-level soccer, and we hope to see further developments from Fury FC in the future.
    The addition of a U23 reserve side in NPSL or USL PDL will be the next priority, as well as bringing back a top women’s side, perhaps in League1 Ontario. We will be looking out for further announcements from the club on where the PLSQ academy sides will play their home games.
    Michael Mccoll
    And there's still time to continue my Carlton Cole rumours and start a new Robbie Keane one.
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE.
    Or download it for your later listening delight HERE.
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

    Grant
    Gold Cup the immediate concern
    For Canada, qualifying to the 2016 Copa America Centanario probably just got slightly harder. If Pinto proves even partially as effective with Honduras as he was with Costa Rica it means los Catrachos will improve from the state they’re currently floundering in. Honduras had a shitty World Cup and its media was filled with stories about players and coaches arguing over money during the tournament.
    The appointment of Hernan Medford as manager was meant to fix this. In fact things grew worse. He argued with fans and local press about everything, including the fact he chose to wear a solitary earring. He also froze out first-team regulars and guided Honduras through a disastrous Copa Centroamericana that has left them awaiting a playoff with French Guiana just to qualify for the Gold Cup. Whether the move to dump him after four months is knee-jerk, it's hard to argue Pinto isn't an immediate upgrade.
    Assuming Honduras kicks on to the Gold Cup, this theoretically re-ordered squad will be one of those Canada battles for the last two Copa America Centanario spots, along with Guatemala, Panama, El Salvador, Trinidad, Haiti and Cuba. And if Canada suffers the poor fortune to get lumped yet again with Honduras in World Cup qualifying, a Jorge Luis Pinto-managed squad is certainly less preferable than a chaotic, demoralized one.
    Conversely, is there a chance Pinto could fail?
    Of course! Like any manager Pinto doesn't come with a 100% money-back guarantee. His management resume runs long and chequered. Prior to his magical World Cup run he won club titles in Colombia, Peru and Costa Rica but also captained lackluster stints at the helm of both the Costa Rican and Colombian national teams. (Yes, he also managed Costa Rica over 2004 and 2005 and it didn't go so well.) In the buildup to Brazil he spoke constantly about tactical order and defensive fortitude, and his team's stingy performances backed up those words with action. Given Honduras' longstanding problem with scoring it's hard to see him veering from this proven regimen. The boring approach works when you're winning, but he'll require immediate success.
    There's also the matter of a potentially disastrous marriage between Pinto and the Honduran federation. Two volatile parties prone to rash decisions entering into agreement around something as precarious as international football management. What could go wrong? The British press dubbed Pinto the "Jose Mourinho of South America" and that was before he engineered a spectacular public blowout with his Costa Rican bosses following the World Cup. In terms of player management he's known for being at best a strict disciplinarian and at worst a bit of a dick. It could all yet end badly.
    Details, details
    The hiring of a new manager in any Central American nation tends to yield juicy tidbits in the local press around salary and conditions of employment. Comparing these countries to Canada involves apples and oranges but inasmuch as there's any kind of 'market' for mid-level Concacaf managers we now know a bit more about it. For example, Honduran federation president Rafael Callejas told reporters that the budget for any new national team coaching staff would be in the range of $40,000 per month. Anything above and beyond that would require special sponsorship from local companies. (The same article says Pinto demanded $50K/month for himself alone.) However the agreed upon amount is ultimately divvied up, it points to a manager salary at the high end approaching half a million dollars annually.
    The sports portal Diez also reported Pinto arrived in Honduras with a set of demands that would be the conditions of his signature. He wanted renovations to the player and coach areas of the Estadio Olimpico, he wanted to oversee all youth programs as well as the senior men's side and he wanted freedom to choose team hotels and training areas on the road. There's nothing completely outrageous there but given the scope of control Pinto allegedly desires it's clear who he sees as wearing the pants in this new adventure.
    In sum, Jorge Luis Pinto just gummed up the competitive logjam in Concacaf's middle class, making it marginally more difficult for all those aspiring to represent the region on the world stage.
    Duane Rollins
    What that means is up to each individual. Some may choose to remember a high moment. Some may chose to remember a fan driven moment. And, some may chose to remember one of the many screw ups.
    We've compiled a list of 64 moments and have seeded them into a 64 team single knock out tournament. There are four regions. The It Hasn't All Sucked Region deals with positive memories, the It's Not Our Fault Region is about the fans, the You Don't Know What You're Doing Region is management and the Who Are Ya Region is for the players.
    Today we start the process with the first round of voting in the It Hasn't All Sucked Region.
    You can see the bracket here: http://bracketsninja.com/brackets/single/2342
    Vote here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2YKMQFX
    The match-ups --
    No 1 Montreal Miracle vs No 16 Weeds in the Rain
    I'm not sure we need to explain what the Montreal Miracle is, but think DeRo hat-tricks, Cup win and pouting Vancouver managers on the sideline.
    We don't need to be reminded, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't watch again!
    Weeds in the rain is Andrew Wiedeman scoring in Tobias Time to beat the Crew.
    Damn we needed this when it happened:
    No 8 Tassels wins it vs No 9 Can You Hear Seattle Sing
    Terry Dunfield scoring seconds after Vancouver tied it and then taunted the south end. Golden.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyC-LxMusO8
    Remember when we had hope in 2014? When Defoe scored a brace against Seattle and we, briefly, shut-up the fans WE invented?
    No 5 Becks Drinks Keiths vs No 12 New Scarves in March
    If there is one thing TFC fans have prided themselves on its being above the marketing hype. So when we filled Rogers Centre for a CCL game it was to watch TFC, not the 28th best Englishman in 2004. And then we threw a beer can at him. And then he set up a goal. If that's not TFC I don't know what is.
    New Scarves in March refers to the tradition of opening up our season tickets, seeing our free scarf (that Toronto was the first MLS team to use as a season opening ticket) then complaining about it.
    No 4 God Hates Vancouver vs No 13 Real Football Factories of Ohio
    The Whitecaps have never won the Voyageurs Cup. It makes them crazy. Once, it looked like it would. Then it rained. And rained. And rained. And Vancouver still hasn't won the Voyageurs Cup.
    Before we go any further a reminder: There were THREE total arrests that Spring day in Ohio. ONE was from Toronto. The charge was dropped. But, this required helicopters, police cruisers driving 100MPH through the parking lots and a Toronto Sun cover three days later.
    At least we got an (own) goal:
    Welcome to Soccer!
    No 3 Beat LA! (And no one else) vs No 14 Platita brace
    How does The Worst Team in the World (more on that later) make the semi-finals of the CCL?
    Well first you have to get to the knock-out round:
    No 6 Blanco meet Streamer vs FC Dallas at 10am
    Back when TFC fans were inventing Seattle (and every other expansion launch) this is what it was like to be in BMO Field:
    (Can't find the video of Blanco getting buried, but it looked a little like this). EDIT: Here it is -- Only about 200 showed up to watch the FC Dallas CCL replay at 10 am on a Thursday morning, but if you were there you understand why this is on the list. The heckling got so bad that a Dallas player fired the ball into the supporter's. Kevin Hartman's weight was questioned a great deal.
    No 7 Pitch invasion! Vs No 10 Time Wasting Lessons for Bill
    The 2007 season was book-ended by two Danny Dichio moments. One is famous and the other created a pitch invasion following a meaningless draw.
    So much happy.
    The 0-0 draw against Peurto Rico was only memorable for one reason: The most perfect beer toss by a fan in football history. Straight off the head of time wasting wanker Bill Gaudette.
    We don't encourage beer throwing, but God did we need the laugh that day (sadly no video).
    No 2 The 24th Minute vs No 15 Brawlin with the Mexicans
    There is an argument to be made that the CCL semi-final home leg against Santos Laguna was the best game played at BMO Field. It ended as a hockey game:
    And, well:
    Vote here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2YKMQFX We'll give the winners Friday and start voting on the It's Not Our Fault bracket.
    Michael Mccoll
    The debates still rage on today as to whether selecting Salgado in the 2011 SuperDraft in the first place was the right decision by then boss Teitur Thordarson. The story, as we've been told it over the years, is that Salgado was Thordarson's choice. Tommy Soehn would have preferred to go with Darlington Nagbe but word had been put out, rightly or wrongly, that Nagbe didn't want to come to Vancouver.
    The Whitecaps clearly wouldn't want another Vancouver Grizzlies/ Steve Francis farce on their hands it was cited. For those that don't know, and I was one, Francis was selected by the Grizzlies in the 1999 NBA draft but refused to come and play for Vancouver in a PR nightmare.
    Whether Nagbe would have come to Vancouver and whether he would have developed at the levels that he has in Portland are all speculation and assumption now.
    The Whitecaps got Salgado and his four years in Vancouver were anything but stellar, but to be fair to the 21-year-old striker for a minute, injuries played a major and frustrating part to his fledgling pro career.
    Drafted as a 17 year old, Salgado was used somewhat sparingly in his rookie season by both Thordarson and Soehn. He made 14 appearances, five of them starts, in the Whitecaps disastrous inaugural season in Major League Soccer, grabbing his one and only MLS goal in the 2-1 loss at Columbus Crew on 30th April 2011.
    He often cut a moping figure on the training pitch and was involved that season in the first of his many training ground spats, that time with Residency player Derrick Bassi.
    Under new manager Martin Rennie, it looked like Salgado was going to have a new lease of life. Many people, myself included, had a change of opinion about him as he reinvented himself as a left winger and had some impact for the 'Caps.
    There were to be six appearances for Salgado in April and May, five of them starts, before two years of setbacks after suffering a foot injury while with the US U-20 team in June 2012. Those injuries restricted Salgado to just 21 appearances and 902 MLS minutes prior to this season.
    But then a fully fit Salgado turned up for preseason looking lean, mean and hungry to get back into the mix in the starting eleven. I liked what I saw. He looked the real deal but yet his attitude issues still plagued him. He threw preseason strops when substituted, disrespected coaching staff, was given a very clear warning in front of the rest of the squad (and me) down in Portland at the Rose City invitational and then got into an on-pitch tussle with Kekuta Manneh in an intra-squad game. Manneh was on his own team.
    The writing looked on the wall and Carl Robinson's patience was being tested to the max. Salgado was sent down to Charleston Battery but was then brought back when Kenny Miller headed home to Scotland and the Whitecaps found themselves with a strikers shortage.
    This could have been his chance but this time a combination of both attitude and performance hampered him. Robinson gave him chances. He made appearances, two of them starts, this season in MLS but looked average at best in his 198 minutes.
    There had been some issues off the pitch again but then came the final straw in September when he lunged dangerously from behind at Residency player Mitch Piraux in training after seeing the red mist following a non-call (as he saw it) on a Piraux tackle on him.
    It was a horror tackle. The kind that would have been condemned if it had been on an opposing player never mind his own teammate. Piraux was left with stud marks up his calf. Kendall Waston had to be restrained from going after Salgado and he was banished to the side for the rest of the session and shunned by his teammates.
    Robinson's patience had run out and Salgado was sent packing, this time to Mexico for a training stint with Tigres. His days as a Whitecaps were clearly over. Tigres made an offer to sign him but the 'Caps didn't accept right away as they weighed up their options. Salgado flew back to sort things out and find out why, and also to have his end of season exit interview with Robinson. Oh to be a fly on the wall of that one!
    We can only add two and two right now and hope not to make five by saying that Tigres are surely the unnamed international club that he is set to depart to. There has been interest from others in Mexico though, so who knows. Whoever it is, he's gone now and Robinson explained a little bit today about his departure.
    "Omar's situation is a fantastic, unique situation I'll say," Robinson told reporters at the Whitecaps front office on Monday afternoon. "The footballing side is that Omar wants to go and play somewhere. He was a little bit frustrated here and I understand it in a way but I've 26 players here that want to play every minute of every game and unfortunately that doesn't happen.
    "It's the best solution for all of us. For the club, for Omar, for me and I hope he goes now and plays where wants to play, which is the important thing."
    There is no doubt that Salgado has the ability and if he can sort out his attitude and borderline anger issues, then he could have a promising career ahead of him. If he doesn't, he'll just be another young player washed up in his mid 20's. It's all up to him now, and maybe a fresh start is all that he's needed. Well, that and actually consistent playing time.
    "I think all players, not just young players [do]," Robinson said. "If you move a player it doesn't mean that you think they're a bad player or a bad character. Sometimes situations dictate what happens with players. Omar's still the same player that he was when he drafted him. He's a fantastic young talent. I'm sure now he's still a fantastic young talent. He's got great potential but he needs to play.
    "Probably his chances here to play would have been limited so I wanted to give him the opportunity to go and play somewhere else. I wish him all the best, I really do."
    So injuries and attitude aside, if Salgado was such a talent, why did it not work out for him in Vancouver?
    "Omar showed glimpses last year when he come on and when he started one or tow games but he was frustrated at not starting every game and I understand that," Robinson continued. "I don't want players that are unhappy that when they don't start games or don't get the game time that they, you know...
    "I understand that in a certain way but what I need to have as well is players that respect certain situations and scenarios. There were ups and downs with Omar, like there is with all my players, so I understand it in a way but we're moving on now. Both parties are moving on."
    The deal with New York City is a strange one. The Caps trade him to New York but they will flip him right away to this unnamed international club once there is an agreement of personal terms, medical exam, and receipt of Salgado's International Transfer Certificate.
    So why did the move have to come about as it did? And why did the Whitecaps not just sell Salgado themselves to the mysterious club? Robinson couldn't go into full details but basically said that MLS rules prevented them selling the player before the Expansion Draft and if they didn't move him on then they would have needed to protect Salgado at the expense of another player that he wants to keep around.
    "Obviously with the expansion draft we can only protect 11 players," Robinson explained. "If we try and sell a player prior to the expansion draft then it's probably gaining an advantage, so there was deal set up with New York and we're happy with that, NYCFC are happy with that and we wish the player all the best"
    So does the deal with one of MLS' two newest clubs have an agreement built in that New York won't pick any Vancouver players in Wednesday's Expansion Draft?
    "Maybe a friendly agreement, yeah," Robinson joked when we asked him. "No, there's not an official agreement, no. I'm hoping they don't and they pass on that."
    We'll find out on Wednesday.
    Duane Rollins
    Toronto has protected the following players for Wednesday's expansion draft:
    Jermain Defoe, Gilberto, Luke Moore, Jonathan Osorio, Michael Bradley, Collen Warner, Justin Morrow, Nick Hagglund, Joe Bendik, Kyle Bekker and Warren Creavalle.
    In addition, TFC’s six homegrown players, Quillan Roberts, Jordan Hamilton, Ashtone Morgan, Chris Mannella, Marco Delgado and Manny Aparicio, are also protected from the expansion draft.
    That means the following are exposed: Jackson, Dominic Oduro, Mark Bloom, Steven Caldwell, Chris Konopka and Daniel Lovitz
    The Reds are likely banking on Caldwell's age and salary scaring away Orlando and New York. It's a common gamble in expansion drafts. Bloom and Lovitz are odd choices and likely represent the most likely to be selected. If a player is selected TFC can add another player to their protected list.
    Defoe is on the lost because they would lose the allocation from his likely sale if he was claimed.
    James Grossi
    The first two goals were rather scrappy affairs, but the eventual game-winner was a fitting cap to the season, with a lovely long ball from Marcelo Sarvas splicing open the troubled New England defenses, allowing
    .On to the result…
    Result in Brief

    Meeting for a third time in the post-season finale, Los Angeles and New England outwitted the other seventeen MLS clubs to earn their place in the final. Both sides survived tough playoff brackets – LA moving past Supporters Shield-winners Seattle and perennial contenders Salt Lake; New England through a Thierry Henry-inspired New York after handily dispatching Columbus – to take centre stage in good form. The Revolution were unbeaten in the playoffs, while the Galaxy had allowed just two goals against, keeping clean-sheets in three of their four matches.
    With the league switching to an uneven schedule, past results offered little by way of instruction, as each had dismissed the other with a five-goal outpouring, New England beating LA at home in 2012 by a 5-0 score-line and the Galaxy returning the favour this year at their ground, dispatching the Revolution 5-1 in a midweek match.
    The Galaxy had history weighed in their favour, as the two previous meetings between the clubs in the MLS Cup had ended in LA victories, winning both 2002 and 2005 by 1-0 score-lines, each with the winner scored in the extra time session.
    Further tilting the scales was the fact that LA had not lost at home since opening day, a span of eighteen matches; New England were unbeaten in nine games themselves, insistent they would be no pushovers.
    As could be expected, the match kicked off in a tentative nature, each side respecting the potential breakaway threat posed by the other. New England struggled a little with nerves from the start, nearly resulted in an own-goal inside of two minutes, as Robbie Rogers was allowed to cut in from the left on a Donovan pass, his shot rebounding off a Revolution defender, requiring Scott Caldwell to alertly clear the danger off the doorstep.
    Following that early scare, the match settled into a stalemate, neither side giving an inch to their opponent. Big match flutters would again nearly prove costly around the twentieth minute when the Revolution defense once more looked perilously out of sorts as Donovan strolled into the box, but they were able to see out the danger again.
    The Revolution would draw a vital clearance of their own before half-time, when a direct ball from a corner kick was headed off the line by Marcelo Sarvas and the first half would close with Donovan collecting the final yellow card of his MLS career for slamming into the back of AJ Soares in stoppage-time – the sixtieth booking of his MLS tenure; impressively he never saw a single red card throughout.
    With the start of the second half, LA came out the better, Stefan Ishizaki sending an effort over the bar before Jermaine Jones was drawn into a bad tackle on Donovan, for which he was lucky to only receive a warning. Juninho too would escape punishment in the subsequent minutes, hacking down Jones in transition before bundling over Lee Nguyen in the LA box. New England would cry for a penalty – perhaps a valid exclamation – but the official would not be moved.
    That decision proved pivotal, as LA would open the scoring less than a minute later when Ishizaki collected a ball on the right-side of the area, sending a searching cross towards the back-post, where it was met by Gyasi Zardes.
    The sophomore striker had been ice-cold over the past few months, going the entirety of the playoffs without a tally - his last goal having come at the end of September - but he shook off the semi-formed crystals, settling the delivery and outwaiting two defenders to beat Shuttleworth with a low, right-footer to the right-side of goal: 52nd minute – advantage LA.
    Stung, New England would make their first change, bringing on the more attack-minded Daigo Kobayashi for Caldwell, but it was Los Angeles would nearly pad their lead. AJ DeLaGarza found some space at the top of the box, but could not get off his shot; Donovan too found a similar position, only for Shuttleworth to collect his weak effort. Foreshadowing the extra time winner, Robbie Keane made a long run to get on the end of a Sarvas ball, but could not produce a finish, the ball getting tangled in his feet, as he overlooked an open Donovan on the overlap, drawing an easy save out of Shuttleworth.
    Having weathered that storm, replacing Charlie Davies with Patrick Mullins, New England would draw level in the 79th minute when a long ball up the left from Jose Goncalves was corralled by Mullins, who found Tierney on the pull-back, touching past one defender to send a left-footer across Jaime Penedo into the left-side of goal, equalizing the match at ones.
    And the Revolution would see the winner kiss off the face of the crossbar when Teal Bunbury’s chip from the left froze Penedo, but could not squeeze under the bar. Andy Dorman would replace an injury-troubled Nguyen in stoppage-time – a major blow to the Revs – and Keane would again probe the New England defenses, getting tangled in a race for a long ball with Soares, though the officials determined no foul was committed – once more a Sarvas long ball was the catalyst.
    Bound for extra time, Bruce Arena made his first substitutions, bringing on Alan Gordon and Dan Gargan for Ishizaki and Rogers – Jay Heaps had already burned through all three of his; the players on the field would have to get the job down for New England.
    The added frame proved as tense as the first half, neither side allowing for the possibility of mistakes, with an eye on the impending penalty kicks. Another knock, this time to Juninho, would force Arena to make that third sub, replacing the midfielder with Baggio Husidic. Minutes later, Jones, who had been largely subdued by Juninho and Sarvas, dragged a shot from the top of the area wide of the left-post, while LA keeper Penedo was forced to come up big on a Mullins chance, getting down low to parry a shot across him in the 103rd minute after Kobayashi sprung the young striker down the left.
    In the second frame of extra time, the chances began to fall LA’s way; New England beginning to tire. Shuttleworth bobbled a Gargan long-throw at the near-post, nearly allowing Gordon to turn in the winner and Dorman was called for a handball atop the box, gifting Donovan a chance to play the hero on a free-kick – his effort would sail a little too high to count.
    Minutes later LA would find their winner – as they had in the previous two finals meetings – when Sarvas’ long ball sprung the ever-charging Keane down the left-channel, behind a slow-turning Soares. Tierney, who had been one of New England’s better contributors, appeared to be the guilty party, keeping Keane onside, was also unable to recover, as the Irish striker slipped a left-footer past Shuttleworth in the 111th minute of play to seal the victory.
    LA’s previous winners over New England had come in the 105th and 113th minutes – a case of history repeating itself once more for the doomed Revolution, who lost a record fifth-MLS Cup, yet to hoist the end of season reward.
    Emotions would run high through the final nine-plus minutes that saw three yellow cards as Sarvas put in a bad tackle that drew a confrontation between Gordon and Jones. Soares was then lucky to receive no punishment for his run in with Penedo, helping the keeper to his feet then comically shoving him to the ground as the clock dwindled.
    With the 2-1 victory, LA would collect that fifth championship, a third in the last four years, as the era of Donovan comes to an end. Donovan would take his sixth title – the most by a player in league history – while Arena navigated to his fifth MLS Cup. Keane, who collected the 2014 MVP for the regular season, would earn the same reward for the final, thanks largely to his late, game-winning strike.
    Overheard
    A selection of the best quips from the post-match scrums:
    New England were not happy with the game-turning non-call, firmly believing it swung the tide against them.
    Lee Nguyen offered his view of the play in question: “I had it on my left, I cut it back and then [Juninho] came in from behind and pushed me down. It could have gone either way, I guess. He didn’t call it, and we’ve got to move on.”
    Jermaine Jones was less diplomatic about the affair: “I don’t want to say so much to this referee. You can make a better decision. Maybe the game was too big for him.”
    While Jay Heaps opted for the more earnest appeal: “To be honest with you, I really thought that was a penalty.”
    Bruce Arena is not the sort of coach to open up to the media regularly, more often than not measured in his responses. But with this being the final match of Landon Donovan’s career, he waxed lyrical about his star pupil: “Landon has done the real [stuff] in the game. He's done it all. He's got very little left to give, so I'm so happy that he's made this decision. He's able to go out as a winner, and don't we all wish to be able to leave what we do like the way Landon left today, as a winner.”
    He continued, “So he ends his career ... arguably the greatest player in the history of the US Soccer national team program and in the league the all-time leading goal-scorer, assists, championships. What more can you say? Can you write that any better, that script? So I'm happy for him. He's spent. He's done.”
    Donovan too reflected on the decision – but not until after a little joke with the assembled media “I was going to wait till the end [of this news conference], but I've decided to come back … I'm just kidding” - “The most important thing for me is that I have to live my life and I have to be happy. I know it’s going to be difficult for some - also in my family; there are some that are very sad. But the most important thing is that I'm sure in what I want to do in my life, and at the moment I feel really good, because I know that this is the right time for me.”
    Donovan, Arena, and the rest of the Galaxy can spend the coming weeks in a celebration, but for the Revolution the loss was a bitter pill. Charlie Davies explained it thusly. “It’s like someone just took a baseball bat to my gut. It’s really tough to take. I really thought we deserved to cap this season with an MLS Cup.”
    There’s always next season Charlie and New England will be a force to be reckoned; with the added hunger of defeat urging them forward.
    See It Live
    A collection of the best sights from the match, beginning with a pair of Tifos – from the LA faithful and the travelling New England supporters, with one of the best, if awkward, banners of the season.
    New England made plenty of plays - Scott Caldwell made a vital clearance, while Teal Bunbury nearly found the winner before extra time – but they could not quell the threat of LA; frustration eventually got the better of them, resulting in a confrontation between AJ Soares and Jaime Penedo – to humourous conclusion (and surprisingly no booking).
    Both keepers were there when called upon – Bobby Shuttleworth standing strong in the face of a Robbie Keane blast and Jaime Penedo getting down low to deny Patrick Mullins the winner.
    But it was LA who would celebrate with the cup.
    Controversy
    The match was not without controversy, as Jermaine Jones avoided a booking for this nasty tackle on Landon Donovan – skating by on a warning, not dissimilar to his high challenge on Dax McCarty in the previous round.
    Juninho too took his chances with this barge on Lee Nguyen in the Galaxy area; undoubtedly a turning point the match, much to the chagrin of the Revolution.
    Robbie Keane was also frustrated at times before nabbing the winner – he thought this tangle with AJ Soares required some official involvement at the end of regulation.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Though the 2014 season has come to an end, there are plenty of events in the coming weeks with 2015 just around the corner. From this week’s expansion (December 10), waiver (ditto), and re-entry drafts (December 12 and 18), to January’s Combines and SuperDraft (January 15), soon enough the clubs will be reconvening for preseason. The 2015 schedule is due sometime before January too – with the season kicking off in March.
    Thanks for following along all season.
    All video & quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
    Each week James takes a look at the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Michael Mccoll
    I was down in Seattle last weekend for the Western Conference final second leg and after clinching their ninth final appearance, the Galaxy players and management had no doubts about what it was that saw them past the Sounders and saw their MLS dominance continue.
    "Experience is a factor," admitted Galaxy coach Bruce Arena. "We've been through a lot this year. I think we got better in the second half of the season to protect leads."
    The goalscoring hero on the night, Juninho, backed up his coach's thoughts.
    "We are a very experienced group, we know that," Juninho said. "We don't get nervous in moments like that. We know we have very good players and when you need a player they are there."
    It sometimes feels that LA just bring in big name players on a constant stream, but eight of the Galaxy's 11 starters had previously played in a MLS Cup final. Of the team that started LA's 2012 win, four started this year's final, with another two on the bench, so there's a lesser element of stability to it all as well.
    "We're a team full of Champions and winners and that's what separates us," Landon Donovan told reporters after the win over Seattle. "We're very proud of that fact. Some days it's the guys you expect and some days it's the guys you don't and that's what champions do.
    "We have a lot of guys here who have won, in their career. That's a big advantage over a lot of other teams, including Seattle. They don't have a ton of guys who have won a lot of Championships. We know how to win, in any scenario. That's what we pride ourselves on. We're not always perfect, we know that."
    And that's just it, they're not. LA are there for the taking over the course of the season, especially away from home. They've had sluggish starts the last couple of years, but when the going gets tough, and other teams like the Whitecaps start having summer slumps, the Galaxy seem to find another gear to kick into to push on stronger and take them over the line and into the playoffs in form. Experience does that, as does having a winning mentality at the club. Winning becomes a habit.
    "It's everything," admitted Omar Gonzalez. "Once you start winning everyone knows the feeling, everyone wants it more. Everyone wants another ring, another Championship, when are we going to get the next one."
    Gonzalez also gave a nod to team chemistry. There is no doubt that the Whitecaps had such chemistry in abundance under Carl Robinson this year. There's no signs to suggest that it is going anywhere either.
    The 'Caps also started to develop a strong winning mentality under Robinson this past season and that is something else that has to continue if Vancouver are going to take the next step forward and stop being the last team in the West to clinch a playoff berth and go further than a first round exit.
    Robinson told us on the latest AFTN podcast that he doesn't want the Whitecaps to be a team that just sneaks into the playoffs and will challenge his squad to take that next step and genuinely compete with the likes of LA and Seattle on a regular basis late in the season.
    Robinson has build an exciting crop of young talent at the 'Caps and he's keen to not dismantle it, but at the same time, he wants to improve every area if he can and one of the big improvements for the overall squad will be to get some more experience in there. Some more veteran presence from players who have done it and won trophies.
    After Kenny Miller left, Andy O'Brien did well as the veteran guy imparting knowledge and taking some of the young 'uns under his wing. Mauro Rosales did the same when he came in towards the end of the season. Realistically, both players might not be with Vancouver next season.
    The Whitecaps only had three players over the age of 30 in the squad that finished the season (O'Brien, Rosales and Mehdi Ballouchy). The Galaxy had ten, five of whom started the MLS Cup final against the Revolution. Vancouver do have 30-year-old Jordan Harvey and Pedro Morales and David Ousted, both 29, falling into the veteran category too, however.
    The Whitecaps average squad age is 23.85 years old, the Galaxy's is 26.7 years old. LA have done an excellent job in getting their talented younger players minutes and having them make a key impact alongside experienced players who know how to win trophies. It's a model that the Whitecaps need to try and emulate, albeit on a much smaller budget.
    It was great to see Robinson give so much of the young talent a shot this season and they will have learned a lot from their experiences. What was very evident though is how many of them are confident players and when things are going well they are flying, but when the going gets tough, they struggle a bit to cope and get themselves out of the ruts and slumps that invariably come.
    While Vancouver were bringing on the youth of Kekuta Manneh, Darren Mattocks and Erik Hurtado to try and get them points late on in games, LA were bringing on Alan Gordon to get the business done. That's a difference and that's why Robinson told us that he's looking for those extra 20 to 25 goals next season to be up with the LAs and Seattles of the league.
    What the 'Caps young stars showed and learned in the season run-in can only bode well though and Robinson has certainly laid the foundations for what could be a very formidable Whitecaps side for years to come.
    He just needs those few pieces, especially in the striking department.
    The silly season gets underway in MLS on Monday when the trade window opens ahead of a week of drafts. Robinson told us that he'll only move someone on if he has something better lined up, so just how busy the 'Caps will be will be interesting.
    But the Whitecaps need to look at getting some experience in. Some wily MLS veterans and an experienced striker from overseas. The younger players in the team need it badly to continue their development and learn from players who can take the team over the finish line when it really matters late in the season.
    The Whitecaps have a strong and talented young core. They now need to take a leaf out of the Galaxy's playbook and mix in the experience of some players who have been there, done it and have the medals to prove it.
    Finding them in the salary cap land of MLS is the struggle but if Vancouver want to move on to that next level next season and be serious MLS Cup contenders, they have to make the moves and some of them will have to be at the expense of one or two of the current crop of young talent.
    Squizz
    Perhaps the biggest factor is the team's health. With six months to go until the tournament kicks off, head coach John Herdman is having to prepare himself for the possibility that his side will be without both Diana Matheson and Lauren Sesselmann, two players that have been absolutely crucial to the team's success in recent years.
    And while the meteoric rise of Kadeisha Buchanan has somewhat mitigated things on the back end, depth is undoubtedly a concern for the Canadian team. Another injury to one of the club's veteran defenders between now and the World Cup could throw the team's entire plan into disarray.
    Matheson has been the beating heart of this team for a decade, and cannot be easily replaced. Jessie Fleming has already shown the intelligence and attacking spark that could make her a linchpin of the side for years to come. But she is 16 years old. It is not fair or realistic to expect that she will step into a starring role next summer (though, get back to me about that in time for the 2019 tournament).
    Another huge factor affecting Canada's fate will be the answer to the question: Which Christine Sinclair will we see?
    It's not an exaggeration to say that much of the team's success over the past 10 years has been due, in some part, to Sinclair's otherworldly talents. It's also been abundantly clear to those who've watched the team since the Olympics that she has lost a step. The way in which she could -- and routinely would -- grab a game by the scruff of the neck simply hasn't been evidenced over the last 18 months.
    To be clear, she is still a massively talented player. And at 31, she is not "done" by any stretch of the imagination. But if Sinclair is at less than her full powers, one of the most pressing questions for Canada becomes "where will the goals come from?"
    The answer, based on 2014, might be Sophie Schmidt -- she bagged nearly half of Canada's goals this past calendar year (six of 14). Will this turn out to be an anomaly, or is Schmidt merely striding into her goal-scoring prime (as a midfielder)? That remains to be seen, but it's somewhat troubling that just three of those 14 goals came from Canadian strikers (one each for Sinclair, Adriana Leon and Jonelle Filigno).
    Melissa Tancredi appears to have rounded back into full match fitness, but like Sinclair, she seemed to be providing a once-in-a-lifetime performance at the London Games. Can Tancredi, who'll be 33 next summer, recapture that magic?
    Now, given the extent to which this tournament is -- in Canada, anyway -- built on the troublesome narrative that Canada is going to breeze its way into the deep stages of the tournament, a la its heroic run in London, questions such as these make some people uncomfortable.
    After all, these are Canada's sweethearts, right? This is all going to come together in front of the home fans, right? This is one of the world's top teams and anyone questioning their ability to reach the podium is simply a "hater", right?
    Well... yes, maybe and no.
    So many people seem to forget (or perhaps never knew to begin with) that just a year before the London Olympics, Canada finished dead last at the 2011 Women's World Cup. It was, more or less, the same roster. The most significant change was John Herdman replacing Carolina Morace as head coach. And while that transition surely had a profound impact, there's another factor at play as well.
    In short tournaments, you just never know.
    World Cups don't, much as they may claim to do, determine the "best" team in the world. Sure, you need to be a very, very good team in order to win. But you also need to have, somewhere along the line, been the beneficiary of some good fortune, either on or off the field.
    That begins with the health and form of your players. It extends through the draw, which determines which other teams you'll match up against. And it carries through the competition where, with so few games to separate the teams, every tiny event -- a fluctuation in weather,a key referee's decision, players' individual movements at vital moments in the game -- can have huge ramifications.
    France utterly humiliated Canada at the 2011 Women's World Cup. One year later, they were the team that fell short of bronze thanks to Matheson's dramatic last-minute winner. And while Canada earned that medal by playing a great tournament, they were also the beneficiary of some good fortune -- specifically, France's utter inability to finish the myriad scoring opportunities it created in that third-place showdown.
    All of this may seem like a way of indirectly saying that Canada is doomed to fail at this tournament. So let me make it very clear -- that is not what I'm saying.
    After all, this is a team that -- despite missing Sesselmann and Tancredi, and despite Sinclair's slide in goal-scoring production -- was able to play solid, competitive matches against the world's top three teams (USA, Germany and Japan) over the course of the last 12 months.
    That is not coincidence. Canada is not at the level of those teams, but our ability to hang with them is a sign that, when the stars align in our favour, we can be a dangerous squad.
    So yes, it is entirely reasonable to think that Canada will defeat China, New Zealand and the Netherlands. And it is entirely reasonable to think that, should that happen, Canada will also defeat whichever third-place team we meet in the Round of 16.
    Then you've got the quarterfinals. Two wins away from the final. That's when the prime-time teams start stepping up. That is the stage where Canada -- if we make it that far, which again is no sure thing -- will most likely be the underdog.
    But, once more, it's a short tournament. As I've said before, Team A might be able to beat Team B on 99 occasions out of 100, which would logically mean that Team A is the better team. But if Team B is able to get the stars to align in just the right way, at just the right time, in the knockout stages of a big tournament... that's when everything changes. We almost saw that happen in the semifinals back in London.
    We should win our group next summer. We should challenge for the quarterfinals.
    But the narrative that Canada is destined to march into the semifinals or even the finals is, to put it quite simply, fluff. Today's draw doesn't change that fundamental fact.
    Fluff is fine for those whose job it is to move tickets. But you shouldn't need such fluff to convince you this tournament is worth following, or that this team is worth supporting.
    Cheer for Canada because it's our team, not because anything is guaranteed about how they're going to do.
    And support this tournament -- i.e. buy some tickets and get to the stadium(s), if it's feasible for you to do -- because it's the best opportunity that Canada has had to show the world that this sport means something to us.
    Michael Mccoll
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    Duane Rollins
    Goalkeepers (3): Joe Bendik, Chris Konopka, Quillan Roberts
    Defenders (7): Steven Caldwell, Mark Bloom, Justin Morrow, Nick Hagglund, Warren Creavalle, Ashtone Morgan, Chris Mannella
    Midfielders (8): Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio, Dominic Oduro, Jackson, Kyle Bekker, Collen Warner, Daniel Lovitz, Manny Aparicio
    Forwards (4): Jermain Defoe, Gilberto, Luke Moore, Jordan Hamilton
    That leaves 18 players that TFC needs to select 11 to protect from.Only two internationals, which include Canadians can be exposed.
    Let's start with the obvious: Joe Bendik, Justin Morrow, Nick Hagglund, Michael Bradley, Jonathon Osorio and Gilberto.
    Unless the team knows Gilberto is not coming back those six are the untouchables. So, that leaves five protected slots from 12. So, let's go the opposite: Who are the obvious to expose?
    Chris Konopka and Jermain Defoe. Back-up keepers are interchangeable and I don't think the teams will waste a spot on Defoe, despite that it might gain then a transfer fee...We're at five from 10, with one of four possible internationals exposed.
    Here's were we start to play poker. Does an expansion team want a guy Caldwell's age?
    Young, good Americans are probably assets you want to protect. So, let's add Bloom. -- four from nine.
    Oduro, Creavalle, Jackson, Warner, Lovitz, Moore, Caldwell, Bekker and Morgan. But, it's really two lists. They can only expose three of the internationals. Unless you want the allocation you get for losing the player Morgan and Bekker are likely two of those. They're highly unlikely to be selected. So, Jackson, Moore and Caldwell are protected.
    Let's add Lovitz on as a young American.
    Thus, the exposed list is: Creavalle, Warner, Konopka, Defoe, Morgan, Oduro and Bekker.
    Have at it NYC and Orlando...
    Michael Mccoll
    Don Garber delivered his annual MLS State of the League address this morning. Canada featured a lot more prominently than in previous years. For starters, we were mentioned or referred to five times in Garber's first few minutes of speaking. There were even some Canadian specific questions. Someone's had feedback!
    The big one, once again, was on the issue of Canadians not being counted as domestic players on US squads, but American players being counted as such in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Garber gave the stock labour law reply that doesn't seem to bother USL PRO and the whole situation is frankly unacceptable, but there's been enough written about that issue elsewhere that there's not any point in me traipsing over old ground any further.
    One of the other big issues that once again came to the surface today, especially in Twitter and blog discussions, and is somewhat tied into the whole domestic categorisation issue, is that of getting more playing time for Canadian players and MLS benefitting and helping to grow the Canadian national team as a result.
    It is NOT, and nor should it be, Major League Soccer's responsibility to help improve the Canadian national team. Neither should it be their responsibility to improve the American national team.
    They are separate entities, and rightly so. They should also elicit different emotional buy ins, but more on that shortly.
    MLS clearly are keen to help better the USMNT and are saying the same things now around the CMNT. Why? Does the English Premiership make such statements and are seen as the key for developing domestic players in England? La Liga about the Spanish national team? Serie A about the Italian? Are those league's primary aim to help their respective national teams or to grow the business of their own league? If it was the former, there wouldn't be so many non EU nationals in every top team.
    Of course, it would be a nice knock on effect of a successful league with top domestic talent playing in it to see Canada do better on the international stage, but why the obsession here?
    Is it pressure being put on MLS by the USSF and CSA and trying to be seen to appease? As Garber rightly covered in his address today, then there also has to be some give and take both ways, especially when it comes to calling up players for meaningless matches during crunch times in the MLS season.
    Neither is it the primary role of the Whitecaps, the Impact or TFC to help the Canadian national team pull themselves out of the rut the CSA has allowed them to get into over the years.
    Again, it would be a nice side effect if it were to happen, but the main fundamental for a football club is to challenge every year and win trophies. Not to act as a development ground for a national team. If the CSA want that, then they should set up their own national league with such stipulations for clubs to benefit them.
    How much of Vancouver's $35 million MLS expansion fee did the CSA chip in? How much of Montreal's $40 million and Toronto's $10 million? Yet they want these clubs and these owners to spend their own money developing something that isn't theirs and can actually prove detrimental to their own club - the CSA product that is the Canadian Mens national team?
    We're not talking loose change here either. The Whitecaps have spent millions on their Residency program. Not because they want to benefit the Canadian national team, but because they want to develop their own player pool of young talent that they can promote the first team, when ready, and save paying transfer fees. In some cases, selling some of these players to help fund the program.
    And they key here is the phrase "when ready". A player should always be playing for the Whitecaps first team on merit and not on nationality. You want to know why the Whitecaps haven't played as much Canadian talent as TFC have? Simple. There have been better playing options at the club. The result - two playoff appearances to none.
    As nice as it would be to see the Residency talent I've watched and cheered on for years make it through the ranks and into the MLS side, it can only be because they are good enough to have got there and make a difference and a significant impact to the team.
    Take the case of Bryce Alderson as an example. When he left the Whitecaps a few weeks ago, all the nonsense started about the 'Caps not playing Canadian talent. Yup, they're right. Vancouver didn't play him. Why? Because he was fourth, maybe fifth, in the DM depth charts and simply not good enough to be playing first team football in MLS right now.
    Would people have seriously had him playing over Matias Laba or Gershon Koffie and the ultimate knock on effect that would have had on the Whitecaps and their playoff push, just because he was Canadian? If the answer from anyone is seriously yes, then they need to give their heads a shake.
    I don't want to watch a losing Whitecaps team full of plucky Canadians. I want to see the Whitecaps win trophies, at all levels, and I couldn't give a flying fuck what nationality the players are that take them to that point.
    And I can assure you, I am not in the minority here.
    Now I can't speak for the fanbases in Toronto and Montreal, but if you were to poll Whitecaps supporters (and I'm not talking about the hardcore supporters' groups element here but the general majority of fans here) about whether they would rather have a successful 'Caps side or a successful Canadian national team, I can guarantee you that success at club level would be the clear winner.
    Now, I admit that the two are not mutually exclusive, and the 'Caps could, one day, lift the MLS Cup with a core base of homegrown talent, but let's face facts - the Canadian talent pool is mighty thin right now. If it was so wonderful, Canada would not be ranked 110th in the world alongside Ethiopia and be 28 years and counting since it's last World Cup finals appearance.
    The top Canadian players can earn far more overseas, so the Canadian clubs are left with the second best options, sometimes third or fourth. Not the quality that will be bringing home silverware on a regular basis. Anyone who thinks that increasing the Canadian quota throughout MLS, or allowing them to be classed as domestics, is going to see a sudden influx of Canadian talent come back from overseas is living in cloud cuckoo land.
    Most players dream of playing in Europe and many speak very openly about that. Given the choice they won't be coming back to play for Columbus.
    But if you can get the club game right here, then it will become more appealing over the years. You're not going to do that by turning the clubs into poor quality teams that are basically just development sources for the national team.
    In places like Scotland, England, Spain and Italy, teams mean something to their fans more than just being a football club. They have a long, proud history. They have local and family emotional attachments. That's something that will take some time to fully build up in North America and it may never reach the psyche of some over here.
    And part of the reason that the club game brings this level of passion is the regularity of it all. You can watch your side week in, week out. For about three quarters of the year or more, not just a few matches a year like you get with a national team and if you're lucky at a major tournament every couple of years.
    The key for the continued success of football in North America, and especially Canada, is a strong game at club level. Successful sides, winning trophies, raising interest and increasing attendances. Out of that will naturally come strong domestic talent and a better Canadian national team. It may take a while.
    Clubs like Vancouver Whitecaps need to look after themselves and their fanbase first and foremost. The 'Caps remit is simple - focus on what they are there for and that is becoming a consistently successful and trophy winning football club. Helping the Canadian national team along the way would be an enjoyable added bonus but it certainly should not be a main priority.
    Trying to force playing time for Canadians, and making teams weaker as a result, will only kill the game here and many people's passion for it. If the CSA want to improve their national team then they need to find a way to do it with their own initiatives, their own leagues and their own money.
    Duane Rollins
    Don Garber spoke today. Words came out. Some were true.
    Others were "truth challenged." That's was especially the case when it came to the ongoing issue of Canadians as domestics in MLS. Once again Garber talked around the issue and relied on legal half-truths to avoid actually answering.
    The bottom line is this: Canadians are still considered international players on 85 percent of the clubs in what is allegedly this country's first division.
    The time for subtlety on this issue is long over. It's unacceptable. And, the legal issues Garber tries to point to are not what's holding the league back on this issue. A reluctance to actually treat Canada as a full partner in the league is.
    There remains a subsection in American soccer circles that are strongly opposed to bending on this issue. The protectionist arm of US soccer is likely in the minority, but it maintains a certain amount of power. MLS is reluctant to fight against it and, thus, it's unlikely that Canadians will be domestics anytime soon.
    What's feared, I've been told, is that protectionist voices would challenge the legality of the law. They'd probably lose – other US leagues treat Canadians as domestics – but there is a risk of the issue getting political attention in Washington and no one wants to go down that rabbit hole.
    So, the CSA has quietly been working on a solution. Rather than having Canadians count as domestics, it's asking that the league create special roster spots for Canadians. The thinking is that each team would have one or two Canadian slots that could be traded around the league like international slots are now. There might even be a way to legally make the players employees of a MLS Canada office to avoid labour challenges altogether.
    In exchange for this increase the CSA might be willing to drop its quota requirements on Canadian teams. Canadians would still be domestic players in Canada, but the Canadian clubs would not be required to carry three on their senior rosters.
    In essence the CSA would be giving up nine guaranteed spots for the possibility of 20 (likely two per team) in addition to any Canadians playing in Canada. The key is ensuring that the two Canadian slots are in addition to the roster rather than part of the existing roster spots. If the spots were “use them or lose them” then there would be very little reason for MLS teams to not give Canadians a chance.
    It would then be up to them to then take advantage.
    However, this would need to be collectively bargained. And therein lies another reason for Garber's reluctance to talk.
    Will it happen? That's hard to say. It seems like a win-win for MLS. It's a small concession to both Canada and the player's union that wouldn't cost them all that much. And, if the spots are in addition to the US spots – therefore not taking any American jobs – then the protectionists wouldn't have anything to complain about.
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