Posted by

Aaron Nielsen ,

November 3, 2016 Email

Aaron Nielsen



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@ENBSports

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League1 Ontario, for me, has always been an important development in improving the quality of men’s, as well as women's, soccer in Canada. Three years ago when the League1 Ontario (“L1O”) started, I wrote an article about the role of the league and it's comparison to the American equivalent of the Pro Development League. With this, and a combination of College/University, soccer players can both showcase their talents, as well as further develop their roles within the game in search for professional opportunities. Since L1O has started, they have had a comparable track record to the PDL with players such as Cyle Larin and Mo Babouli playing MLS soccer, while a handful of players are now playing professionally in USL or elsewhere. As the direction of development changes for MLS and even USL, PDL is playing a far lesser role in player development with the increas of foreign players in MLS and domestic players going through the Academies, opposed to the traditional College/PDL route. This should raise concerns regarding soccer in both countries as there is now a large amount of players where an amateur summer league geared toward players in their early 20's is now the peak of most their careers. Despite a successful and popular pro league, the issue could be the same as in the early 90's when there was no pro soccer in USA at all and questions may be raised about committing a life to a sport with very little professional prospects as an adult. One option is following what already exists in most soccer playing counties around the work and creating a soccer pyramid where not only players but also clubs can try to compete as professional outfits. At this point, the promotion/relegation dream seems a fantasy, however, with a number of new clubs joining MLS and USL, one could argue there are too many clubs in each league. This could be setting up an opportunity for multiple divisions instead of two leagues, and promotion/relegation actually becoming a reality. North American sports also has a history of both dependent and independent leagues and as the popularity for the game increases across United States, a "minor league" could be established where players are paid to develop their skill as a pro through a multi-tier system. In Canada, there have been many rumors of us taking the next step domestically in the launching of a Canadian Premier League, with L1O and other leagues being one of the main source of talent for this league. From talking to my own connections in the game I feel the chance of a Canadian League being a reality in the next few years is legitimate to the point where there are proposed teams in this league, as well as related administration and even players are working on this transition as I write this. Even at ProspectXI we have geared some of our resources in scouting and evaluating players who we feel would be prime candidates for a Canadian Premier League, both Canadian players and players of other nationalities. This certainly changed the context in covering L1O this year. What was expected at the beginning of the season evolved, because instead of focusing on a handful of players such as Sigma's Kwame Awuah and Chris Nanco, Woodbridge's Dylan Carreiro, London's Elvir Gigolaj or a few young TFC Academy players including Ethan Beckford, Afram Gorgees and Rocco Romeo, who were next level prospects, I now feel there were close to a 100 players who played this past season who could also be quality enough for a Canadian Premier League roster spot. This new context shouldn't take away from what was a very successful season in L1O. Sixteen clubs played out a whole season, which saw close to 500 players with an average age of 20 play this season. More than half these players are playing soccer at College or University level, many in the United States, including NCAA Division 1. The league was also managed well with new stadiums used in Southern Ontario and the league’s documenting of games improved with game recaps, match statistics, social media, and video of all matches, many available on youtube some with commentary. It is not only a group of players ready for the next level, but also a committed core behind the scenes. In the end, my preseason preview of the league was pretty much on point, with Vaughan Azzurri winning the championship game over FC London. Clubs such as Sigma FC, Woodbridge Strikers, TFC Academy, North Mississauga and Durham United also had strong seasons. The club I adopted as my own, North Toronto Nitros, were very impressive, with a main core of Canadian University players who were not afraid of any opponent and finished the year with an impressive 14-5-3 record for third in the East behind Vaughan and Woodbridge. A number of Nitros players should be considered for a CPL roster spot, with Niba MacDonald a high potential center back and striker, and natural goal scorer Kilian Elkinson being the two who impressed me the most. The league also showed improvement in attendance, including 700 people attending the final. Games I attended ranged from highs of 350 to lows in the 100's during the season, although this is an increase of past L1O soccer and other grassroots I follow in the province and elsewhere. In comparison, Toronto FC II’s average in USL was just over a 1000 with a season low of 576, with a lot more marketing and promotion for the games. However, my thoughts regarding the Canadian Premier League are that this is still a concern, especially for scheduled 30 degree mid-summer games with plenty of other entertainment options available. I also feel Canadian Soccer needs to give L1O clubs more incentives, such as an Open Domestic Cup competition that includes MLS and NASL sides, which already exists in the United States with the US Open Cup that includes PDL clubs. It is exciting to be aware of a league from its beginning to where it is now. I followed MLS closely since its beginning in 1996, was also involved in its predecessor the A-League and seeing where it was then and where soccer at the highest level is now. When L1O came in I had excitement for the league, although in three years couldn't imagine it's expansion from nine teams to the sixteen teams today. I also wouldn't have thought a Canadian Premier League would be a viable option a few years ago, which says a lot about the growth of the sport in general but also the commitment to the people involved. Aaron Neilsen is a co-founder of Prospect XI (Prospect Eleven), a scouting network and online magazine dedicated to tracking/highlighting young players that refer to as "prospects" as well as their development pathways both within North America and worldwide. Follow PXI via www.prospectxi.com or on twitter @ProspectXI.