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Montreal team leaves A-League |
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Written by Bill Beacon
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Thursday, 17 December 1998 |
The Montreal Impact has disappeared from the U.S.-based A-League but may find a new home in a resurrected Canadian soccer league, soccer officials said yesterday.
The Canadian Soccer Association is committed to "re-launching a Canadian league in the year 2000, with an east-west set-up," chief operating officer Kevan Pipe said.
"But this time, the league would be set up better. We want to take control of our own destiny and not put all our eggs in the U.S.
basket."
The Impact's withdrawal from the 30-team A-League left only four professional soccer teams in Canada: the Toronto Lynx and Vancouver 86ers of the A-League and two clubs in the indoor NPSL -- the Edmonton Drillers and the Impact's shaky indoor operation.
The original Canadian Soccer League, born in 1987, lasted only five years, a victim of over-expansion and poor administration.
That forced stronger franchises such as Montreal and Vancouver to join the A-League, which started out as a small circuit but which merged with a motley group of U.S. independent clubs two years ago.
The few remaining pro teams in Canada are considered vital in developing players and building a competitive national team.
"We need more pro teams in Canada, not fewer," said Pipe.
"Players like Mauro Biello and Nick DeSantis [of the Impact] need a place to play."
Joey Saputo, Impact president, who expects his club to play exhibition games next summer, suggested Canada turn the tables on the A-League.
"Right now, we have an American league with three Canadian teams," Saputo said. "Why not have a Canadian league with five or six American teams?"
The Impact may have trouble selling a Canadian league to its strong fan base, he said, but with some of the top A-League clubs such as Rochester, Hershey and Seattle, it could work.
Saputo has been bickering with A-League commissioner Francisco Marcos for two years over enforcing quality standards on clubs, some of which are run on shoestring budgets and attract 50 or 60 spectators to their games.
When it died, the CSL was also burdened with some weak clubs playing in public parks.
In Vancouver, where the 86ers dominated the old CSL, president Bob Lenarduzzi said he would only join a new Canadian league if it was "a scaled-down version of what the Americans did with Major League Soccer," which came with sponsors and administrative resources.
DeSantis, a member of Canada's national team, said Canada needs its own league because "if we ever want to get the World Cup, we must have a league. They have to start working on that."
Marcos said starting a new Canadian league would be "short- sighted" and warned that if Canada pulled out of the A-League "they won't come back."
He said some U.S. officials opposed allowing Canadian teams in the A-League for fear of helping a rival country develop players.
Lynx re-signs coaches Peter Pinizzotto will return as coach of the Toronto Lynx next season after agreeing to a new one-year contract yesterday with the A-League soccer team.
The Lynx also renewed the contract of assistant coach Armando Costa and goalkeeper coach Paulo Silva.
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