Soccer in Canada and the United States has become mainstream. In Canada, there are more soccer players registered than in hockey. There are more players registered for soccer in Canada than football, baseball and basketball combined.
This has all taken place during the past 50 years following strong leadership in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Americans Alan Rothenburg, president of US Soccer and Lamar Hunt, a wealthy businessman, and former Welsh national team player Phil Woosnam who, while he was the commissioner of the new North American Soccer League and played a part in bringing the ’94 World Cup to the US. Canadian lawyer Bruce Thomas also played a strong part when in 1970 he launched the Toronto Metros in the NASL. Thomas was bestowed a Queen’s Counsel by Queen Elizabeth for outstanding judicial work in Canada’s financial districts but it’s assumed by some that his considerable community work (he was also president of the Toronto Soccer Association) also played a part in the coveted award.
In Canada today, there are signs that more could be done to step up soccer’s popularity and its position to be more competitive on the world stage, this at a time when the US-based NFL gets considerably more print media coverage in Canadian publications without a Canadian team in that league.
Eli Emmanuel Manga, head of an expansion team entered in the CSL by AEEM Canada Sports and Entertainment, could be the one. Manga has impressive credentials while operating ‘World wide International Intercultural Services’ which includes sport management.
AEEM’s team in the CSL has been approved by the league and will kickoff for the 2025 season mid May following release of the season schedule at the end of April.
“I look forward to seeing the project of the league with the passion of soccer promote and develop Canadian soccer football to the next level,” said Manga on receiving approval of his team membership.
