Dear Member,
As training camp just wrapped up and following an amazing evening in your company at the 2014 official team presentation, I thought it would be a good time to get the blog up and running again.
We’re really excited about the upcoming season and the support you have shown us has been nothing short of overwhelming.
I’ve said it from the very beginning, our only goal, every year, has been to field the most competitive team possible and to showcase an exciting brand of soccer that will make our fans proud. Last season, despite a disappointing finish, we achieved our objectives of making the playoffs and winning the Canadian Championship.
This year, after making the necessary adjustments, I believe we have a very competitive team that is fully prepared for the long journey ahead.
With such a talented group already on hand, and with the success we’ve had over just two seasons, we’ve logically placed the emphasis on stability, with 23 players returning from last year, 14 from our inaugural season.
I know the talk of the offseason has been the acquisitions made by some MLS teams.
As a club, we never really commented on the subject, but in the short-term, there is no denying that attracting top talent to our league is beneficial for everyone. It brings more exposure to MLS and its teams, and in many ways it raises the bar for all clubs. But over the long-term however, I think we need to be careful. We’re still a relatively young league looking to establish itself in North America and we need to give ourselves time to grow naturally.
That being said, we are always on the lookout to improve the team which is why we made the changes we deemed necessary.
But there is one very important aspect we need to look at when it comes to player acquisitions. On top of talent and fulfilling a certain need, and beyond the financial factors involved, there is another element that is just as crucial: a player needs to fit in with our club philosophy. We have made a conscious decision to gradually build this club with a very distinct mentality. I believe it is this approach that has brought us into the playoffs just two years after joining MLS.
As we get ready to kick off our third season, we have a united group, led by experienced leadership who is more than ever eager to make their fans proud.
Will we look to improve our roster? Always. But only if we find the right player, who blends in and fulfills a specific need.
Doing otherwise would not only be irresponsible, it would be going against the club concept we’ve been building over the past 20 years.
As we continue to build on the field, we are also setting new milestones off the field. Every year in the offseason, MLS gives out awards to its teams to underline excellence in different administrative categories. We’re very pleased to report that Yvan Delia-Lavictoire won the Local Digital Editor of the Year Award for his outstanding work in the communications department with the club website and social media. Also, our sales team clinched no less than five awards, including the individual categories of New Full Season Tickets (Gilles Paquin and Mark Della Posta) and Group Sales (Fern da Silva and Nancy Cholette).
With more than 80% of our members currently renewed, and with more than 20,000 tickets sold for our home opening game March 22, you can see how their performances are directly related to our team’s success. Congratulations to all the winners.
Have a good season!
Joey Saputo
