Jonah Freedman of MLSsoccer.com may be onto something - though it has been a topic of discussion for a long while - with his feature column about expanding and opening the Amway Canadian Championship into an event more like the US Open Cup. The question behind the scenes over the years has been: "Can we create an Open Cup in Canada?" Politics and the same financial realities the American version faces were the main roadblocks over the years, particularly before Major League Soccer grew over the border.
With Toronto FC came a desire from the then lower division Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps to continue to show that they are just as good, despite the technical designation of the league. The three clubs, having built themselves to a professional capability on and off the field far superior to those in the other Canadian and Canadian-American leagues, came together, with the revamped CONCACAF Champions League on the horizon, and created the Canadian Championship. That event, obviously, has evolved with Vancouver and Montreal moving up to MLS while FC Edmonton was also founded.
But four years later, the question still remains. Can Canada, with a lot of fan and, seemingly, corporate support, finally expand the nation's championship event and make it open to all levels of the sport?
USL Premier Development League clubs have shown well over the years playing in the US Open Cup. Therefore, one could expect the same north of the border. And good performances in the tournament or MLS opposition could help give clubs, struggling financially in smaller communities, the legitimacy that makes people take notice in a country where soccer is clearly a more popular sport among the culture.
As Freedman points out, the Canadian Soccer League and PDL are the obvious choices. But as you look closer at the membership, it does create some issues. For example: all but one of the 16 teams in the CSL are based in Ontario - the other is in Quebec. Five of the nine PDL teams are also in Ontario, with three others in British Columbia and one in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
With those kinds of numbers, qualifying will have to be a must. And to solve the western Canada issue, you would probably need to include, in some fashion, the Pacific Coast Soccer League's seven Canadian teams, which are all located in BC.
The great news is, the US Open Cup has been through all this before. Limited resources, scheduling, geography - they are all issues the tournament has managed for quite some time, providing a multitude of blueprints and examples. Even better news is that the fans and media will probably be more inclined to support or follow the event than has been the case for the US Open Cup, especially given the success of the Amway Canadian Championship the past four years.
Canadian Lower Division Clubs (non-ACC)
USL Premier Development League - Site
Forest City London (Ontario)
Hamilton FC Rage (Ontario)
Toronto Lynx (Ontario)
Thunder Bay Chill (Ontario)
Ottawa Fury (Ontario)
WSA Winnipeg (Manitoba)
Fraser Valley Mariners (BC)
Vancouver Whitecaps U23 (BC)
Victoria Highlanders (BC)
Canadian Soccer League - Site
Brampton City United (Ontario)
Brantford Galaxy (Ontario)
Kingston FC (Ontario)
London City (Ontario)
Mississauga Impact Academy (Quebec)
Niagara United (Ontario)
North York Astros (Ontario)
SC Toronto (Ontario)
SC Waterloo Region (Ontario)
Serbian White Eagles (Ontario)
St Catherines Wolves (Ontario)
TFC Academy (Ontario)
Toronto Croatia (Ontario)
Windsor Stars (Ontario)
York Region Shooters (Ontario)
Pacific Coast Soccer League - Site
Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC (BC)
PoCo City FC (BC)
Khalsa Sporting Club (BC)
Okanagan Challenge (BC)
Vancouver Thunderbirds (BC)
Victoria Highlanders Reserves (BC)
Victoria United (BC)
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