Tfc is screwed.

True - but offers opportunities for some shock results with only two games in the 1st round.

seathanaich said: I don't like this format - pools of four with two advancing would be better.

Just prolongs the inevitable... if you're going to win the title you are going to have to beat a mexican team home and away, thats just the reality of it.

Reminds me of the Spaniard in the Princess Bride, "I think I wil fight him left handed, if not it will be over to quickly."

Yank clubs receive automatic protection from Mexican teams. What have they done to earn that? Just look at the coefficients. This is bullshit for Canadian teams

The cream always rises to the top. Who cares about group allocations.

8 pools, 8 US & Mexican teams. It seems reasonable that they avoid each other, given that they'll probably all be the pool winners. It does mean the Canadian rep will probably be in tough for the forseeable future.

EDIT: Holy crap, we need more D2 teams and an expansion of the Voyageurs Cup to 8 teams. El Salvador get 3 reps in this, and there are 2 from Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and even Panama. Panama! Surely we'd get a second spot, based on Toronto's performance this year alone, if we had 8 instead of 4 teams in our Cup.

seathanaich said: 8 pools, 8 US & Mexican teams. It seems reasonable that they avoid each other, given that they'll probably all be the pool winners.

Will most of the US and Mexican clubs win their groups? Sure. But all eight? Highly unlikely. In the four years of the CCL thus far, at least one US club has always been eliminated in the preliminary or group-stage rounds. For example, in the 2010-11 competition, Los Angeles Galaxy were knocked out by second-division Puerto Rico Islanders in the preliminary round, and Seattle Sounders finished bottom of their group.

seathanaich said:

EDIT: Holy crap, we need more D2 teams and an expansion of the Voyageurs Cup to 8 teams. El Salvador get 3 reps in this, and there are 2 from Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and even Panama. Panama! Surely we'd get a second spot, based on Toronto's performance this year alone, if we had 8 instead of 4 teams in our Cup.

Agreed. The problem isn't the quality of soccer. The problem is justifying two out of four or five clubs going to CCL. That's a 40% or 50% ratio - what are we, the 1980's NHL?

seathanaich said: El Salvador get 3 reps in this, and there are 2 from Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and even Panama.

Belize gets one spot, but does not have a single stadium in their entire country that meets the (rather low) standards for a CCL facility. Their spot always goes to the country in their region (Central America) that does the best in the previous season's CCL, and that's El Salvador (thanks to Isidro Metapán making the 2011-12 quarter-finals).

Hmm people are calling for more Canadian teams, but I think it would be kind of rediculous to have 2/4 teams make it in. Voyageurs cup would be so pointless.

The_Real_Deal said: I'm sorry to say I have zero interest in this tournament now

I'm interested to the extent I hope that tfc loses their pool games by a total score of 47 - 0.

Bad_Gones said:

Blue_and_White_Army said:

The_Real_Deal said: I'm sorry to say I have zero interest in this tournament now

To each their own. I have zero interest in Euro 2012.

Of course you do. They don't play in your neighbourhood school yard. ;-)

The only interest I have in the CCL is to better familiarize myself with the club football being played in North America. I think a frame of reference is important. Sure The MLS clubs are playing better, but until they can consistently beat Mexican clubs our league won't be seen as anything more than a novelty in North America.

100% right! Outside of US and Canada MLS is still second best to Mexico, although I do think this seasons crop of MLS teams that can qualify for the CCL are going to be formidable sides. Only time and more money can solve this issue.

On the point of Canada getting another spot in CCL. I don't see a problem with it I think that since the CCL has changed format and become what it is today Canada has been fairly well represented what is it One quarterfinal and one semi final berth in five years?

Surely we deserve at least an auxiliary spot in the case of a forfeit.

prawnsideFC said: Hmm people are calling for more Canadian teams, but I think it would be kind of rediculous to have 2/4 teams make it in. Voyageurs cup would be so pointless.

I would think that it would be 1 spot V's cup, and the other for the top ranked MLS club of the previous year.

Chris said: The yank clubs are composed of cup and shield winners. The best team in Canada is currently just holding down the last playoff spot in the west. Seems like a reasonable distribution to me.

TFC are the best in Canada because they won the V-Cup. The V-Cup trumps league because it is purely Canadian, and the only CL ticket. Different from FA Cup.

To minimize the importance of the V-Cup is to betray ourselves.

The 4th Yank entry doesn't deserve protection from Mexico. If Canada can't have that spot, then the best Honduran team deserves it. We can't allow CONCACAF to keep helping the usa. They help them enough as it is. Every Gold Cup is in usa. They get treated like spoiled children.

Not to mention how arrogant they are. They said that we tied them just because it was a friendly and they were tired. But if it was a real match, they would have destroyed us.

Footballer said: TFC are the best in Canada because they won the V-Cup. The V-Cup trumps league because it is purely Canadian, and the only CL ticket. Different from FA Cup.

TFC are champions of Canada because they won a home and home series. They have quite clearly demonstrated in league play that they are not a better team. It does, from time to time, happen that a bad team beats a good team, else we would see an undefeated team every year. This really isn't a difficult concept.

Chris said:

Footballer said: TFC are the best in Canada because they won the V-Cup. The V-Cup trumps league because it is purely Canadian, and the only CL ticket. Different from FA Cup.

TFC are champions of Canada because they won a home and home series. They have quite clearly demonstrated in league play that they are not a better team. It does, from time to time, happen that a bad team beats a good team, else we would see an undefeated team every year. This really isn't a difficult concept.

You don't know the meaning of the V-Cup. There is a Canadians' agreement that the V-Cup winner is best in Canada during its reign. That's that, I'm not gonna go back on that agreement no matter what. Canadians keep to their word.

You're gonna let a yank league tarnish that sacred agreement? You must be a new fan.

Oh man. I'd be angry about that last bit if I wasn't pissing myself laughing about your use of the word "sacred".

If Toronto FC is already deemed "best in Canada" then their seeding for next year should already be determined. They should automatically get the 1st seed. Yet they won't, because the CSA awards seeding based on league performance, because it's a better yardstick of the relative strength of the teams. That's why Montreal drew the 4th seed this past year, despite faring much better in their semi-final than Edmonton did in theirs. TFC, despite being 2012 Canadian Champions, is proving that they're the 3rd best team in Canada, and are going to be rewarded with the 3rd seed next season.

Also, the irony of you questioning my fandom when every post you make clearly indicates that the season is a write-off for the Caps is hilarious. See you next May for the first round.

Whitecaps aren't in the champions league so I just dont care.

They probably do better for league affairs. I don't think many clubs anywhere rate the CCL yet.

Interesting ... built and paid for entirely by the Chinese.

Fact: chinese are colonizing the world and it's resources through capitalism.

Toronto got 5k tonight at their game

TFC put down a thumping tonight 5-1

DavidCross said: No one gives a toss about this competition.

this forum will...when we get in.

May the Caps never be V cup winners. Ever. Wasted time and energy. Leave it for those who can't make the playoffs.