Quote:
Originally Posted by Muta
With CSA's new Strategic Plan, along with the explosive growth of soccer in this country along with new MLS teams and potentially two more eventually (Edmonton and Calgary), along with the awesome mix of races and ethnicities in this country, Canada could be an intriguing location to look at for FIFA for that year.
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I agree with most of your comments, and love the optimism, but I have to correct your point regarding Calgary and Edmonton getting MLS teams. It's not happening before 2020, and I'm not sure they are on the radar beyond that timeframe.
Don Garber (MLS Commissioner) has said there are no new Canadian MLS teams coming when asked in interviews this past year.
Right now FC Edmonton is still very shaky financially and there are still questions about the club's sustainability at the NASL level. Their owner has said in numerous interviews that they need attendance to be sustainable, recently quoting 7-9k as a figure, while their stadium seats 4000. There is no support in Edmonton at the city level for building a new stadium right now and the club will be lucky to get turf that doesn't have football lines on it (which phase 1 of a new mid-size stadium plan for the City of Edmonton).
Attendance has improved with the addition of new stands and hopefully the club sees 3000-4000 on a constant level this year, but that is a long way off from MLS.
Calgary made a peep about having soccer early in 2013 but I haven't heard anything about that being more than a pipe dream.