Introduction
This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 22.
Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca.
Welcome
Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast!
I'm your host, Pat Sweet.
In this week's episode:
- Recent signings
- A recap of three wonder strikes this week
- OneSoccer's Crew calling it an early night
- Main content: the problem with the CanPL schedule
Announcements
Results
League Play
Forge
2 - 0
HFX WanderersTim Hortons Field
York9
2 - 1
PacificYork Lions Stadium
Edmonton
0 - 0
ValourClarke Field
Forge
3 - 1
ValourTim Hortons Field
Pacific
3 - 1
HFX WanderersWesthills Stadium
Cavalry
1 - 0
York9Spruce Meadows
Canadian Championship
Ottawa Fury
vs.
HFX WanderersTD Place Stadium
TICKETS Montreal Impact
vs.
York9Stade Saputo
TICKETS Vancouver Whitecaps
vs.
CavalryBC Place Stadium
TICKETS News
Transfers
- Valour FC make another signing in Italian Striker Michele Paolucci
- Played most of his early career in Italy's Serie A
- Most recently in the Maltese Premier League with Tarxien
- Time will tell if Paolucci is the answer to Valour's scoring woes
- Northern Tribune reporting that FC Edmonton is about to make a big signing
OneSoccer
- FC Edmonton/ Valour FC game on Wednesday delayed due to severe thunderstroms
- One hour delay, then eight minutes of play, then another 2 hour delay
- No explanation right away
- Eventually came out that the call was made to keep OneSoccer staff safe
- Hard to reconcile that with the fact that players and fans were allowed to be there.
- Really hope that this is part of growing pains.
If you like the headlines, check out the Northern 90 Supporters Group!
Next up - tackling the issue of game congestion.
Game Congestion in Canadian Premier League
- After Forge FC's dismantling of HFX Wanderers last Wednesday, coach Hart had some pretty blunt observations to share (courtesy of The Merchant Sailor):
We know things we need to work on from an individual and collective perspective, but we have no time to work on it because you have to give players time to rest, and then you have maybe a half of a training session the day before you play a team like Cavalry–or any team.
So we need to sit down and talk about it. The schedule is way too compact. There are three teams that play nine games this month and one that plays ten.”
- We've seen plenty of players go down to injury over the last several weeks, and the fall is just getting started.
- Hart isn't the first to raise a flag about fixture congestion.
- The concern also has some sound science behind it.
- A 2010 study in the American Journal of Sports Medicineinvestigated the effects of playing 2 matches per week compared to one
- The study showed no real impact on gameday performance, but didshow an injury rate over six times higher when playing two games a week.
- So if we can agree that injuring players is bad, what do we do?
- Three ideas
- Make the season longer
- Eliminate mid-week games
- Eliminate back-to-back midweek games
- Longer season
- Pros
- Keep the same number of games - no lost entertainment or revenue
- Improves rest
- Cons
- Risky to push earlier than end of April or past early November.
- Wet/ cold weather would be hard on players and on grass
- How to make it work
- Focus games on artificial surfaces
- MLS starts in March, ends in December, though with limited games in Canada
- Eliminate mid-week CanPL games
- Pros
- Only 4.4 midweek games per team - not much lost gameplay
- 24 week season with 28 season games
- Creates room for CanChamp
- Effect of reduced attendance is minimized - poor showing during the week anyway
- Makes for a more balanced schedule
- Cons
- Fewer games = less revenue, less entertainment
- Mitigation: maybe the weekend games would be even better attended
- Eliminate back-to-back midweek games
- If we eliminated two mid-week games for each team, you could eliminate, for the most part, teams playing on short rest twice in a row.
- Pros
- Minimal impact on the season
- Better rest
- Cons
[caption id="attachment_577" align="aligncenter" width="934"]An analysis of rest between games for the CanPL 2019 season.[/caption]
I'd like to know what you think: is the schedule a problem? How would you fix it? Write me to let me know!
Next up, the mailbag:
Mailbag
You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast.
- Last week's question: What should the Canadian Championship and Canadian Premier League trophy be called?
- Lots of votes for the Voyageur's Cup - Alex and Febrian
- Michael Miller of the Premier Podcast suggested the CanPL trophy be called the Joe Kennaway Trophy. Look him up - very cool bit of Canadian soccer history
- Best suggestion I heard was from Jeff who wrote me an email suggesting:
- Can Champ: Voyageur's Cup
- CanPL Champion: Canadian Shield
This week's question: Who's the best attacking duo in CanPL?
- Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode22
- Write to me at pat at northern90.ca
- Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety
The Week Ahead
Ottawa Fury
vs.
HFX WanderersTD Place Stadium
TICKETS Montreal Impact
vs.
York9Stade Saputo
TICKETS Vancouver Whitecaps
vs.
CavalryBC Place Stadium
TICKETS Jul 27 - Saturday
2:00 pm ADT
Valour
vs.
CavalryInvestors Group Field
TICKETS Jul 27 - Saturday
4:30 pm ADT
York9
vs.
HFX WanderersYork Lions Stadium
TICKETS Jul 27 - Saturday
7:00 pm ADT
Edmonton
vs.
ForgeClarke Field
TICKETS Announcements
Outroduction
That's all we've got for the show today.
If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it.
Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join.
Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week.
Credits
Featured Image
Photo by Curtis MacNewtonon Unsplash
Intro music
Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake
CPL Headlines Music
Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.
Main Content Intro Music
260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.
Mailbag Music
I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque
Outro music
Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza