MLS in Ottawa, We're off to see Canada and number 7

MLS coming to Ottawa?

According to a report by Hugh Adami in the Ottawa Citizen today, the owner of the Ottawa Senators and Biovail founder Eugene Melnyk is actively seeking to bring a MLS team to the city.

As Adami points out in the article, billionaire Melnyk faces a rough road in his quest, both from the City of Ottawa who are reluctant to pump money into either aging Frank Clair stadium or a new stadium at a new site and from competition for new franchises.

MLS wants to add four teams to its 14 league by 2012 according to Adami's piece, with Seattle and Philadelphia already claiming two berths. To make matters worse for a potential Melnyk bid, groups in both Montreal and Vancouver are eying teams of their own. They both happen to have the advantage of already owning USL teams with decent fan bases. Ottawa have the USL Player Development League Fury, which draws next to no media coverage and little in the way of fan support.

Melnyk's ambition is admirable, since football appears to be gaining a firm toehold in the Canadian sporting scene and top flight clubs will eventually dot cities here. I think MLS has other plans and as a U.S.-based league, they will surely look to build their business in U.S. cities.

As for the next Canadian team, I feel MLS will favour Vancouver, if only because it's profile will be high in the next few years with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and another West Coast team will balance out travel for a league strung across this massive continent.

As a side note, Adami mentions that NBA star and Victoria native Steve Nash is interested in putting some cash into an MLS team, also strengthening a Vancouver bid.

Canada vs. St Vincent & the Grenadines

I'm heading off today to see the second leg match in Canada's opening World Cup 2010 qualifying round. Canada lead 3-0 after the first leg, so a home tie being held at the brand new Saputo Stadium in Montreal should be a matter of course. It should be good fun, with a post tomorrow to fill in all the blanks.

One number 7 is playing well...

Anyone who follows this blog at all (yes, all two of you I'm sure) knows I admire the skills of Christiano Ronaldo, but despise him as an athlete competing in sporting events. Well, I am vindicated for another day after his uber-sulk yesterday against the Germans in Portugal's 3-2 defeat in the Euro 2008 quarterfinal.

Ronaldo put in about five minutes (total) of noticeable effort, resulting in one goal, as far as I could tell. Yes, not a bad return for a match. But when you are supposed to be the Greatest Player To Ever Play (as anointed by many in the naive media) and your team in fact needed two ADDITIONAL goals to win (plus the one he had nothing to do with) and you simply sulk because the Germans won't cave to your otherworldly footballing powers, you don't really deserve the hype.

Another player wearing number seven in this match, looked like he may be one of the best in the world right now. Bastian Schweinsteiger had a superb match, as did German captain Michael Ballack. If these two keep it up, Germany will be tough to beat. Schweinsteiger is playing like a man possessed right now, and is closer to being the player Ronaldo is supposed to be than Portugal's defeated number seven.