As expected, the Exhibition Place board approved MLSE's proposal to expand the north end of BMO Field by 1200 or so seats. The plan will now proceed to Toronto City Council in the New Year for a final checkmark which will probably be met with little resistance. A short while ago this would have been joyous news for TFC fans.

Big Story
There's been an awful lot of questionable rhetoric already spat out by the leading figures of both sides of the dispute between MLS and the players over their new labour agreement, and finally we have a journalist with the patience and ability to parse through it well: Kyle McCarthy has a must-read look at the claims made about MLS's compliance (or not) with FIFA's regulations on player contracts.

I guess some would look at this as a continuation of the war of press releases between the United Soccer Leagues and the Team Owners Association, but nonetheless it's still news.

According to the press release the USL First Division will move forward next year without the member clubs of the TOA, though Tampa seems to be on-board with the USL despite flirting with TOA over the last few months.

"And anyone forthwith who is ignorant of the meaning of
a 'rouge' is will have their citizenship revoked and shall be
forever expelled from the land" - British North America Act.
We have a version of American football, which we call Canadian football. It involves one less 'down' and the field is bigger or something, but at the end of the day is still a bastardization of rugby and a pox on all things holy and true.

TORONTO - Entering this season there were plenty of prospects - rookies - new to Pistolas FC and looking to make their mark. Some big expectations were expected from them all.
Earlier in the season, a poll was held where fans voted on who they thought felt the most of this pressure. Between Eckleton's brother Sam, former high school star Frank, MSL Superdraft picks Stefan and Conrad, former Celtic FC player Jules, former CFL player Rob Pikula, and rugby playing Colin, there were 7 rookies in total; only one can win.

That's not to say it can't happen, I'm just going to bet the farm it won't.
First, on the Canadian Football League. It has come a long way in the past ten years or so, emerging from a relative dark age of bankruptcy and ill-advised American expansion. It is our most important all-Canadian professional league, making the Grey Cup among the most important domestic trophies in Canadian sport, and it will be here for years to come.

----------------------------Why is this man smiling?
The Argos-to-BMO Field story is truly becoming an annoyance. Just when fans of either TFC or indeed the Argos think they know which way the wind is blowing, something shifts. Everyday that goes by seems to generate a new rumour and a resolution seems distant.

The fears of many Toronto FC supporters were eased today as reports then confirmation arrived announcing that the Toronto Argonauts can and will not move to BMO Field in 2010. What started out as loud whispers from the CFL Board of Governors meeting in Las Vegas was later confirmed by the Argos themselves.