In the dying moments yesterday, I was handed a pass which permitted me onto the field for the post-game celebrations. I was happy to wave to the Foot Soldiers, to cheer on the Cavs receiving their medals, and to have an up-close view of Canadian soccer history, but I couldn't stop thinking of what could've been.
Cavalry played well yesterday. They were winning so many contested balls, and you could tell they were feeding off the (excellent) crowd. But they needed a little more courage to take shots on goal and work the ball into the middle.
The pain of yesterday will linger. I think in the future I will have a similar response of gritted teeth when thinking of Forge FC just as I do with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But am I ever happy that Calgary has a professional club to call its own with such a great venue and passionate fans. The Forge fans and One Soccer media I spoke to were in awe of Atco Field and Spruce Meadows as a whole. I am also glad that Canada has a league of its own now. It's certainly made the Canadian Championship more interesting, and who would have ever thought that Calgary and Hamilton would be engaged in a bitter sports rivalry? Next year, I hope to travel for at least one away game for the first time.
I can't wait to renew my season ticket, and my friends feel the same way. Bring on 2020 and COME ON YOU CAVS!
__________________ KIPPER IS KING
Last edited by Kipper is King; 11-03-2019 at 09:27 AM.
Frankly, they should have branded it as something similar to a 'Community Shield.'
The team at the top of the table at the end of the season wins the League, then theres a two-leg playoff for a relatively meaningless trophy between first and second.
Most leagues do that at the beginning of the ensuing season but they could do it at the end of the current one and nobody would really complain.
What they have done and absolutely shouldnt have done, is effectively invalidate the standings which we've seen the NHL do to resounding fanfare.
I went to that last game and what I saw in the stands was great. Lots of kids. Kids who play soccer locally, they know the game and they're watching it live at a higher level which is fantastic. But they know that in their own leagues its whoever has more points at the end who wins and screwing with that fundamental concept is a huge mistake for a fledgling league.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
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I disagree - North American sports considers the playoff champion the real champion. All teams knew the rules and played accordingly.
In North America we generally consider the playoff tournament winner the championship team. There is a tournament of some kind where the top finisher has some advantages with byes or playing weaker finishers to get there. None of that took place here. Instead it was to be the fall winner against the spring. Cavalry was both of course, which naturally means we were the champions.
Of course we all knew that this was coming. It was predicted months ago and just came to fruition. As soon as we were down a man on the road in the first leg you knew what was coming. Borges was rightfully sent off and Cavs had a glimmer of hope. That card was rescinded for no good reason (it was clearly a red), and then we had that debacle yesterday. It was a completely hollow victory and allowed the second rate team in the league a path to that win.
And to top it off, the complete and utter lack of class and sportsmanship displayed by Hamilton only added to that. This isn’t professional wrestling. It was really disgraceful and shameful. And that’s a rung above my regard for Tristan Henry who was the furthest thing from a professional yesterday.
tldr; Forge suck and were undeserving winners.
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We had one more point than Forge in the Fall standings. Six for the entire year. Fail to score a goal in a two game showdown, and how can you say we are the better team?
Were the Flames the best team in the West last season, or did the playoffs teach us who we really were?
The format is stupid. Every season played with this format will see the spring winner just hang out and wait for the final with no incentives at all. I get that there is a desire to have a final, but there needs to be some sort of incentive/reward for winning both seasons. Something like the winner of each season hosts a leg of the finals, overall points winner decides if they host first or second leg, and if you win both seasons, you host both legs.
Really though, the league just needs to expand big enough to have an East and West division, winner of each plays in the final. It could really help cut down on the travel as well.
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We had one more point than Forge in the Fall standings. Six for the entire year. Fail to score a goal in a two game showdown, and how can you say we are the better team?
Were the Flames the best team in the West last season, or did the playoffs teach us who we really were?
That's the thing with the finals though. You go down a man on the road and obviously scoring is going to be tough. They're in trouble from that point on. And sure, Borges was sent off about half an hour later, but they were already down 1-0 by that point (on a questioned sequence of play as well). So they didn't score in that leg, which given that isn't shocking.
As far as yesterday, Forge was allowed to stall and play cynically the entire game. The official bears the responsibility for that. He's got to give cards to snuff that out and not allowed time wasting and delay tactics. Instead he was slow to hand cards to Forge players and gave them easily to Cavalry players. That changes the entire game. You let a player like Samuel continually foul and without a card he gets a chance to do it again and again. You allow Henry to take his goal kicks after 30-40 seconds of time wasting and without a card he can do that time and time again. And that's not even getting into the questionable decisions or non-calls.
So yeah, Cavs needed a goal or two and that's not debatable. But it was uphill all the way for them.
And as far as the regular season(s) it not questionable as to whether Cavalry was the best team. They won both seasons and that's really it. They advanced the furthest in the Cup, and knocked out Forge on their way through.
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It's also pretty unfortunate that the Fall League became pretty meaningless by mid-September. Winning the league no longer mattered to either Forge or Cavalry because it was guaranteed to be them. Because no one bothered to check the CFL schedule, there was no strategy afforded to Cavalry on where to play first (maybe by design...). As pointed out above, the league became totally meaningless for Cavalry after the end of the spring season because they were guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless whether they tanked the rest of the season.
Ultimately, league needs to matter more because that is the revenue generator for every team. Its no surprise attendance began to tank once games became meaningless.
It's really simple how to fix it too. No split season, just top of the league wins the league trophy, top 4 teams do a playoff. 1 plays 4, 2 plays 3, winner take all at the higher seed's home stadium. Now its a European style league, and a luck of the draw North American playoff style too.
Last edited by Thunderball; 11-03-2019 at 11:07 AM.
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Given they didn't announce the format until after Cavalry had already run away with the spring season I'm not sure I agree with this.
I bet if Forge were spring winners the format would be different.
Uhh, no. They announced from the start that there would be a two-game playoff.
What they they didn't announce was who gets to host what game until after Cavalry won the spring season. And yeah, that was a transparent bid to try and guarantee Hamilton the choice of home date. Fortunately for us, they played themselves when the schedule put them in conflict with the Tiger Cats and the league Bob Young can't buy championships from.
We had one more point than Forge in the Fall standings. Six for the entire year. Fail to score a goal in a two game showdown, and how can you say we are the better team?
Were the Flames the best team in the West last season, or did the playoffs teach us who we really were?
Does the NHL have two regular seasons with the winner of each facing off for the Stanley Cup, except if one team wins both then the second place team gets a free, equal chance at the Cup?
C'mon troutman, you know it isn't apples to apples.
So I did a little science experiment while at my kids’ soccer over the weekend, re: that camera angle showing whether the ball was in or out in the first leg. Again, that ball could have been out, but see below example of why it’s not conclusive:
Similar angle to the earlier post in here - This ball looks out:
NSFW!
From above the ball:
NSFW!
From down the line, as a linesman would see it:
NSFW!
That ball is in.
Last edited by MillerTime GFG; 11-04-2019 at 10:29 AM.
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I havent seen it mentioned, but I've been outspoken about it in the past and Wheeldon and I still dont see eye-to-eye on it but....
Subbing a player on to take a free-kick who hasnt kicked a ball the entire match is garden variety bush league.
I was very against that move, it almost paid off and I get that it was essentially a Hail Mary because they only needed 1 goal to push the issue but its a move I've always been against.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a Fire Exit. - Mitch Hedberg
I am still very beat up about this result. I have never cheered for a championship team, and I really thought this would the first time I could experience what it is like to cheer for a winner.
So I did a little science experiment while at my kids’ soccer over the weekend, re: that camera angle showing whether the ball was in or out in the first leg. Again, that ball could have been out, but see below example of why it’s not conclusive:
Similar angle to the earlier post in here - This ball looks out:
NSFW!
From above the ball:
NSFW!
From down the line, as a linesman would see it:
NSFW!
That ball is in.
I'm going to do my best English Soccer Impression.
Foot ball is a game of fine margins, but if the whole thing collapses because of a razor thin margin on a ball being in or out then you didnt do enough to earn the win.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a Fire Exit. - Mitch Hedberg
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I am still very beat up about this result. I have never cheered for a championship team, and I really thought this would the first time I could experience what it is like to cheer for a winner.
Only the weak cheer just for winners. Life is Pain and Suffering is Pleasure.
It will make their eventual Championship just that much sweeter.
Dont be the stereotypical Manchester City/United or Real/Barca fan.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a Fire Exit. - Mitch Hedberg
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