Roof - There it is!

"This ain't our house!"



One of the worst kept cats in town is apparently out of the bag this afternoon. No, Nick Soolsma didn't visit the Humane Society - but John Molinaro at Sportsnet is reporting that Toronto FC will imminently announce that the Champions League Quarterfinal against LA Galaxy will be played at SkyDome.
　
The location of the big match-up between the MLS rivals has been argued back and forth between SkyDome (aka The New Owner's Centre) and BMO Field since the March 7th fixture was announced. Opinion has been fairly split down the middle between those who see SkyDome's 50K seats and warm confines in chilly March as the perfect recipe for a big event. On the other side of the coin, many purists, including TFC's Paul Mariner, sought the home field advantage (no matter what the temperature) of The Reds' own BMO Field.
　
It is uncertain if the recent ownership change which includes Rogers and their handy convertible stadium helped along the situation but as with all things MLSE - this deal will be about revenue and not "match experience". MLSE has proven a ghastly inability for marketing the Champions League and will no doubt be unable to resist the temptation to overprice tickets at SkyDome. While a 50K papering of the stadium a la Montreal Impact's Big O experience is possible - we will bet on an apathetic mid-20K's attendance which will look and sound bush league in the cavernous confines of the CN Tower's loose partner.
　
Supporters groups will apparently be housed in SkyDome's lower south end and will no doubt bring their A-Game but as anyone who has experienced other footy matches at the stadium will know - one loud area won't make up for thousands of empty, overpriced seats. It will be up to MLSE to prove us wrong and market (as well as price) this match correctly. Now... if we could just sign two defenders, an attacking midfielder and another striker we could get in the spirit of the CCL season.

UPDATE: The official announcement from TFC...


Look out for President Obama at the 1:00 mark... dude loves the CCL

Galaxy not far, far away

Keane: Will appear pending wife's approval



While the Los Angeles Galaxy will have their sights set squarely on the MLS Cup Final in a couple of weeks, TFC are more concerned with their following fixture. This afternoon, somewhere in the lilywhite, corruption-free bowels of CONCACAF's New York headquarters, the draw for the Champions League Quarterfinals was made and The Reds will indeed face their MLS counterparts Galaxy.
　
There are a few ways at looking at the draw from a Toronto perspective. On the negative side, LA doesn't offer that "special" continental attraction of a team from outside our league. Besides familiarity, there is also the argument that LA could be considered MLS' strongest side right now - if they don't win the MLS Cup, it will be an upset.
　
On the other side of the peso, Galaxy are on a relatively fair playing field with TFC and do not come with the overall skill level that Santos Laguna and/or Monterrey may have offered. Also, early March (when the fixtures take place) will be during the MLS pre-season and Galaxy, along with TFC, will not be in mid-season form while likely bleeding in new faces. The advantage may go to the club who does a better job of preparing themselves during the off-season.
　
Whether Galaxy provides the "big name" opponent that MLSE may have hoped for if they choose SkyDome over BMO Field is another question. While LA will still boast the likes of Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and cough, cough, Chad Barrett - they will probably be without David Beckham who looks most likely to join Paris St. Germain or Tottenham Hotspur in January. Not likely a draw that will put 50K into SkyDome unless MLSE drops ticket prices to $10 (we hear you laughing) but much more importantly, a draw that gives TFC a fighting chance to progress to the semifinals against the Seattle v Santos Laguna winner. We'll take an away leg to Carson, California over Mexico any day.