Here Comes Edmonton

It looks like the 2011 edition of the Voyageurs Cup will feature four teams with the announcement Edmonton will be joining the ranks of professional soccer teams in Canada. Edmonton appears they will be setting themselves up with a Whitecaps-esque academy and youth development system. This is huge for development of the game in this country and could mean a lot for the men’s national team in the future, but Edmonton’s impact on the Voyageurs Cup is much more imminent.

With a fourth team entering the fray in 2011, there will need to be a change in format. If the tournament keeps the same round robin style, there will be a total of twelve games instead of six. With each team playing each other once at home and once away. This is a lot of matches to fit into a schedule which already can be fairly tight. So there may need to be a significant change.

A four team tournament provides the perfect platform for that change. It gives the option of two semi-finals. Two-legged semi-finals and a two-legged final would mean that teams get between 2-4 games which would not only make the games more exciting, but may force coaches to play stronger line ups. Usually in the Voyageurs Cup coaches don’t rest too many players (when they are still in with a chance to win), but they do still rest the odd player for league play. With each game being part of only a two-legged affair, coaches may be more likely to put the league to the side and focus on winning a rivalry game.

Whatever the CSA decide to do whether it is increase the number of game of increase the importance of each game, Edmonton entering the fray can only help Canadian Soccer and the Voyageurs Cup. So let’s welcome Edmonton FC with open arms!

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