Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
^ I wouldn't expect them to merge... MLS has become the de facto top flight league in North America, while the CPL has its sights set on smaller Canadian markets not represented in MLS. As I understand it, the relationship between the two is roughly analogous to the NHL and AHL.
That said, CPL teams will compete with other Canadian pro teams including the MLS clubs for the Canadian championship.
The name sounds good to me but I'm not that crazy about the crest/colours.
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There won't (I guess never say never, but highly unlikely) be a merge at any point.
The CPL will be considered, in the global soccer pyramid, as the same level or tier as MLS, LigaMX, EPL, Serie A, La Liga, etc. This obviously doesn't mean the level of talent is the same in all these leagues, but rather they are all classified at the same tier.
MLS is the top tier league of the
USA, which just happens to include 3 Canadian franchises. This was mainly due to a lack of a premier level league in Canada to begin with. North America (Canada, Mexico and the USA), will now appropriately have top tier leagues in all nations; LigaMX, MLS, and the CPL. The CPL teams will also have an opportunity to qualify for the Concacaf Champions League.
That being said, it will be years before the level of competition in the CPL is on par with with the MLS and/or LigaMX. Only now are some of the top teams in the MLS at a comparable level with teams in LigaMX and the MLS has been around since 1996. However, this can and will work as there is a huge ground-roots movement in Canada right now regarding soccer. The youth talent has never been better in this country or more plentiful in terms of shear numbers playing the game as their PRIMARY sport. This league survives with smart ownership and league leadership (looks to be handled already), as well as community support.
As a fan and competitor of the beautiful game, I can't wait for the league to kick-off. I'll be getting a couple season tickets and I hope many in Winnipeg do the same.