Day -103
WorldCup2018
This is MLS themed today.
I started the day reading a very interesting article in the Independent
about the issues with football in America, specifically the lack of
existence of any support from the US Soccer Federation for any league
other than the MLS, and the absence of promotion and relegation. The
owners of two clubs outside the MLS have put together a case for the
introduction of promotion and relegation to the Court of Arbitration for
Sport, citing the lack of implementation of Fifa rules in football in
America.
"Article 9 of Fifa’s statutory regulations enshrines
promotion and relegation, ordering that a club’s “entitlement to take
part in a domestic league championship shall depend principally on
sporting merit. Of course this is not the case in the US, where the only
way into MLS is with a cheque."
"The question for Fifa is
whether they have the stomach to forcibly impose this on the US. The
fact that they have not done so yet, with MLS about to start its 23rd
season, is revealing enough."
Read the whole story.
Later this afternoon after sitting through a couple of Premier League
matches, devoid of the excitement of keeping up with Aston Villa's score
at the same time (the beast from the east saw to the postponement of
their match) it was time for the start of the MLS season.
My
first "what?" moment was when Remi Garde appeared on TV being
interviewed in his role as manager of Montreal Impact. Remi Garde was
the supposed saviour of Aston Villa in their last year in the Premier
League. Hired because of his glowing reputation in France he came to
Birmingham when Villa were already looking like they needed a miracle.
In the months that followed Remi sat back and, with his complete lack of
charisma or any sense of excitement, watched as Villa got worse and
worse. Really, having a big teddy bear sitting in the dug out would
probably have had the same result, and results. We heard that Remi was
off back to France for a job where he would be appreciate for all his
managerial talent. And now here he is in the MLS. It's hard to see it as
a compliment of his skills.
Then it was TFC' s turn to take to
the field for their "home opener" against Columbus. Home openers are a
big deal in North American sports. And TFC made sure they added to the
occasion by not only marking the first day of a new season but also
celebrating the successes of last season. So after the players came out
on and lined up on the pitch they had to watch highlights of last year's
greatest moments on the big screen, moments that brought them the three
trophies that were proudly on show.
But what also adds to the
uniqueness of home openers in Toronto is that it can be pretty damn cold
at the beginning of March. Today wasn't a particularly bad day. It was
around 2 degrees Celsius, but the wind off Lake Ontario added a
significant chill. So not only were the players probably very keen to
get playing, because that's what they like doing, they were most likely
cursing the cold hitting their bare, standing still legs.
However, they weren't the worst off. Each player had one or two young
kids accompany them on to the pitch. And while the players wore their
cosy looking track suit tops and gloves to keep their hands a little
toasty, the poor little ones were all decked out in TFC short-sleeved
shirts and shorts. They looked freezing as they walked out and must have
been beyond miserable as they stood there for what must have seemed
like forever.
Curiously, Seba Giovinco's companion, a little
girl, was wrapped in a winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves. I wondered if
she was either his daughter or the daughter of smart parents (maybe Mr
and Mrs Giovinco) who said there is no way my girl is going to stand out
there in that cold in a t-shirt and shorts.
And there I just
spent more time than I imagined I would lamenting the cold felt by the
poor children. There are be worse things, but I just couldn't help feel
sorry for them and shake my head at how no-one thought to keep them a
bit warmer.
