Ottawafan

I have told this story before but David turned down every academy in Canada while he played for Gloucester in Ottawa.  And the GM of Edmonton had to beg Vancouver to finally accept Davies into their program.  

I have told this story before but David turned down every academy in Canada while he played for Gloucester in Ottawa.  And the GM of Edmonton had to beg Vancouver to finally accept Davies into their program.  

Wheeler speculated we will have Biello at Copa.
KJ said there might still be time for that not to be the case

On the upside, if you take KJ for his word, no reason not to. The search is absolutely in full flow. 
If they are considering coaches from across the world it would seem crazy to settle with Biello.
Hoping for an announcement and movement by mid May. Likely after most leagues have finished.
I don't subscribe to the notion that a new coach will be disruptive and we should wait longer beyond the Copa. New philosophy is going to be potentially disruptive whenever the appointment happens. The impact of a new coach can only be a positive to get players stepping up their game to impress imo. 

Berna reminds me of Davies playing with Canada.. tries too hard and is all over the place

Still don’t think you can call an 18 year old kid a bust. How he was acquired or where he played before is irrelevant to his potential and whether he’s a bust or not. And he was coming off the bench for a lot of his time in a Romanian league that is quite a bit below MLS, so it shouldn’t be shocking he can’t walk into an MLS lineup. Again, overhyped? Probably. Inflated value? Most likely. Bust? Can’t call him that yet. Things change fast for young players, and his progression has stagnated in the last few months/years, but it can just as easily skyrocket in a few months. Not saying I think he will, as I personally am not too hopeful for Sali’s future development, but I can’t be sure and nobody can, at least not yet.

Obviously making Qatar will have opened the eyes of the football world, knowing Canada is now on that stage.  Playing Holland, France, Argentina, Chile and Peru ( in COPA ) will continue to show we are taking our new found level seriously.  In theory that should continue to open the eyes of younger dual nats looking at Canada.

https://twitter.com/Footybanky/status/1779174514426810493

The best reason for going to Qatar is exactly that.  

Obviously making Qatar will have opened the eyes of the football world, knowing Canada is now on that stage.  Playing Holland, France, Argentina, Chile and Peru ( in COPA ) will continue to show we are taking our new found level seriously.  In theory that should continue to open the eyes of younger dual nats looking at Canada.

Obviously making Qatar will have opened the eyes of the football world, knowing Canada is now on that stage.  Playing Holland, France, Argentina, Chile and Peru ( in COPA ) will continue to show we are taking our new found level seriously.  In theory that should continue to open the eyes of younger dual nats looking at Canada.

Sorry I thought you meant developing elite players, as in youth that are categorized as elite.  We don't really have too many kids who scream elite.  We may slap them with that title only because it is relative to their peers.  We do have many good quality kids tho... kids we don't know what level of ability they will develop into.  Obviously it isn't an exact science, but it blew me away the notion that David developed "in spite of his lack of quality coaching".  BS.  There are many different paths to achieve this; hopefully CPL will continue to become a viable one!!
Davies and David are elite for sure.  I wouldn't say the others are elite in relation to their place amongst their teams or leagues more like average.  When it comes to Canada and our region, then yes they are top players.

Obviously making Qatar will have opened the eyes of the football world, knowing Canada is now on that stage.  Playing Holland, France, Argentina, Chile and Peru ( in COPA ) will continue to show we are taking our new found level seriously.  In theory that should continue to open the eyes of younger dual nats looking at Canada.

Sorry I thought you meant developing elite players, as in youth that are categorized as elite.  We don't really have too many kids who scream elite.  We may slap them with that title only because it is relative to their peers.  We do have many good quality kids tho... kids we don't know what level of ability they will develop into.  Obviously it isn't an exact science, but it blew me away the notion that David developed "in spite of his lack of quality coaching".  BS.  There are many different paths to achieve this; hopefully CPL will continue to become a viable one!!
Davies and David are elite for sure.  I wouldn't say the others are elite in relation to their place amongst their teams or leagues more like average.  When it comes to Canada and our region, then yes they are top players.

Obviously making Qatar will have opened the eyes of the football world, knowing Canada is now on that stage.  Playing Holland, France, Argentina, Chile and Peru ( in COPA ) will continue to show we are taking our new found level seriously.  In theory that should continue to open the eyes of younger dual nats looking at Canada.

But in your example, if the MLS youth programs didn't exist, players like Waterman and MacNaughten may not have brought into the CPL side.  Point is more opportunities for a younger Canadian kid to play and develop at a pro level is good for the game.  In time it will pay off.

Define elite players.
Not arguing against your points, but one of the issues surrounding Canadian football is the identifying of talent and further developing it.  Who a player is at 14-16 is different than 18-20.  The top kids at U15 are many times not on the radar at U18.  I think in time, with more focus being put into kids in the 15-20 age bracket, more kids will come out as higher end players.

Define elite players.
Not arguing against your points, but one of the issues surrounding Canadian football is the identifying of talent and further developing it.  Who a player is at 14-16 is different than 18-20.  The top kids at U15 are many times not on the radar at U18.  I think in time, with more focus being put into kids in the 15-20 age bracket, more kids will come out as higher end players.

But in your example, if the MLS youth programs didn't exist, players like Waterman and MacNaughten may not have brought into the CPL side.  Point is more opportunities for a younger Canadian kid to play and develop at a pro level is good for the game.  In time it will pay off.

But in your example, if the MLS youth programs didn't exist, players like Waterman and MacNaughten may not have brought into the CPL side.  Point is more opportunities for a younger Canadian kid to play and develop at a pro level is good for the game.  In time it will pay off.

Define elite players.
Not arguing against your points, but one of the issues surrounding Canadian football is the identifying of talent and further developing it.  Who a player is at 14-16 is different than 18-20.  The top kids at U15 are many times not on the radar at U18.  I think in time, with more focus being put into kids in the 15-20 age bracket, more kids will come out as higher end players.

Previously we lost so many players after they finished college, University, or MLS academies because there was nowhere else to go. Thats why we were calling players up that were unattached. Now those fringe players have somewhere to play, and further develop and many of them are moving on to other pro opportunities. The MLS level players have always had a better shot of finding contracts in Europe or elsewhere but the fringe Canadian players didn't used to have a place to play

Define elite players.
Not arguing against your points, but one of the issues surrounding Canadian football is the identifying of talent and further developing it.  Who a player is at 14-16 is different than 18-20.  The top kids at U15 are many times not on the radar at U18.  I think in time, with more focus being put into kids in the 15-20 age bracket, more kids will come out as higher end players.

I don't see CPL and it's players as having any role or impact on the roster heading into 2026.  I do see the value going forward as a much better tool than NCAA and one day perhaps rival some of the MLS youth development.  Way too many talented kids end up going the 2A route only to get lost in the shuffle.  It is not a good brand of soccer nor a preferred route to developing players.  Hopefully CPL will continue to attract quality youth and incorporate them into their fold.  The more opportunity Canadian kids have to play and develop at home, the better.

Was talking to a guy from Manchester earlier this week who was going to the CL game and was paying 60 pounds for a ticket. Imagine their reaction when they see prices around $400US for a crap seat.