SoccerCanadian player quota in MLS set to change

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Toronto FC's Nicholas Lindsay (in red) has shown great promise in 2010. (Adrien Veczan/Canadian Press)

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber was in Toronto this week and took the opportunity to have lunch with assorted members of the media. I was fortunate enough to be one of the invitees, and I found the question and answer session to be an informative one. 

I have met the commissioner briefly before, but this was my first opportunity to directly question him on all things MLS-related. Garber is an intelligent, articulate man who speaks with passion about the growth of soccer in the United States and Canada, and I left the session with an increased confidence in his ability to lead MLS into the years ahead.

One of the topics that I was particularly interested in talking about was the rumoured change to the Canadian quota system for Toronto FC, which also affects the Vancouver Whitecaps when they join MLS in 2011, as well as the Montreal Impact when they join in 2012.

At present, Toronto FC must have a minimum of eight Canadian players on their roster. While Garber could not confirm the details of the proposed changes to the quota system, it is believed that the mandate of having eight Canadian players will be removed for the Canadian MLS teams in 2011.

What that means is that next season both Toronto and Vancouver could potentially field teams that are completely devoid of Canadian players.  

While I don't think that will ever happen, it does raise an interesting question. If the Canadian teams can populate their rosters with Americans - who will essentially be classed as domestic players - will Canadian players be considered domestic players on American MLS teams?

At present, U.S.-based MLS teams who wish to employ a Canadian player must use one of their international player slots in order to do so. As each team is only allotted eight international player slots (slots can be traded to acquire more), it clearly puts a restriction on the number of jobs open to Canadian players in MLS.

Not enough Canadian players 

In the long-term, that might prove to be a problem for the development of Canadian soccer. If American players are able to play freely on Canadian MLS teams, it is not unreasonable to expect reciprocation. 

If it stays in place, that restriction could have a negative effect on the fortunes of our national team, as head coach Stephen Hart will have less players competing at the professional level from which to choose his squad.

In the short-term, the truth of the matter is that there are not enough talented, affordable Canadian players to populate one Canadian MLS team, let alone the three that we will have in 2012. The best Canadian players, like Atiba Hutchinson, will continue to play in Europe because it is in their professional and financial interests to do so. They are simply not realistic targets for the Canadian MLS teams.

The Canadian teams need access to the American player pool in order to be competitive with their U.S.-based opponents.

There are those who believe that there are players in Canada who are talented enough to play at the MLS level but are simply being overlooked. That argument may have some merit, and while there may be some exceptions, I do not believe that there is an abundance of professional calibre players in Canada who have slipped through the cracks.

Unfortunately, we simply do not do a good enough job across the country of developing elite players under the current system. Until that system changes, we will continue to have a limited pool of players who are capable of succeeding in the professional game.

Developing talent 

In order for the Canadian teams to be competitive in the short term, it makes sense for them to have fewer restrictions placed on whom they can and cannot sign to their rosters. That might mean that there will be less Canadian players pulling on jerseys in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal over the next few years. 

But in order for those teams to be successful in the long-term, they will need to play a big role in reshaping player development across Canada. It is in their best interests to produce a constant stream of talented, young, Canadian players to populate their senior rosters. That way, they can ensure that they are grooming those players along the competitive guidelines they have in place for their respective clubs. 

We caught a glimpse of that on Tuesday night, when Toronto FC fielded four products of its Academy in their CONCACAF Champions League game against Arabe Unido of Panama.

Nicholas Lindsay, Doneil Henry, Ashtone Morgan and Oscar Cordon all showed flashes of their potential on the night, and I was particularly impressed by the left fullback, Morgan.

He is quick, aggressive and has a nice left foot - a valuable commodity in the world of professional football. Credit must be given to Stuart Neely and Jason Bent, Toronto FC's Academy coaches. They are clearly doing their part to safeguard the future of the organization. 

Credit also must be given to Don Garber for his candid responses to the collective grilling of the assembled media. When I asked him about Canadian players being given equivalent status to their American counterparts in the United States, he stated that it is not currently an issue because there is not an abundance of unsigned Canadian talent outside of the league. If that changes, he said that it is something the league would certainly consider.

Now it is up to us to get better, by revamping our player development system to give more young Canadians the dream of playing professional soccer. Only then can we realistically expect MLS to treat Canadian players as a commodity, rather than a burden.

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