Even a hardcore soccer fan can be forgiven for missing the fact that Canada played Argentina in an U-20 friendly at BMO Field over the weekend.
Trust the marketing wizards over at the Canadian Soccer Association to transform a game that features the world's best youth program — Argentina — into a non-event. Entire sections of BMO Field were empty for the game, which finished in a draw, a surprisingly good result for the Canadians.
The game wasn't promoted at all, and for those who knew the game was coming, the absolutely ridiculous price point for tickets, with many of the good seats breaking the $50-per-seat mark, kept them away. After all, the game was an exhibition and, judging by the lack of interest in previous Canadian friendlies at BMO Field, the CSA should realize that slashing prices in order to get young fans' bums into the seats is more important than a cash grab.
It's not a question of whether BMO Field or Toronto itself is a good fit for the national soccer program over Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton or Swangard Stadium in suburban Vancouver; this mix of overpriced tickets and piss-poor promotion would have killed this game in even the most ardent of soccer markets.
You would think the CSA would learn after years of failing to promote national-team games across the country; but there's an arrogance there, a feeling that if you schedule it, they will come — and to do it, fans will pay more than it would cost to see the Jays play the Yankees or Red Sox.
If the national soccer program wants to have even a fraction of the following of TFC in this city, it needs to start actually putting together a promotion plan. Until then, the CSA can only blame the red ink and empty seats on its own arrogance.

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