At Least it was Exciting

I have come up with a new moto for Toronto FC.  It is that if you can't be good you should at least be exciting.  They lived up to that moto against DC United in what had to be one of the most exciting games in recent memory.  The game was a 3-3 draw in the end but along the way to that final scoreline there were talking points left right and centre. 

The game kicked off with DC United's keeper being sent off in the 7th minute thanks to a nasty two legged tackle that sent Avila flipping through the air.  After chatting with his assistant the ref decided that the right move was to send Hamid for a very early shower, if he even needed one after only 7 minutes played, and I think it was the correct move.  Watching the game I knew that things were only going to get more lively from there.  The stage was set for TFC to go on and get their first road win of the season but we all knew it was never going to be straight forward like that.  TFC found a way to commit three major mistakes, one by Frei and two by Iro that allowed Dwayne De Rosario to net one of the easiest hat tricks you will ever see.  TFC answered back with goals from Marosevic, Koevermans, and even one from Julian De Guzman.

If you want a nice summary of the match then you came to the wrong place.  Instead I want to focus on the emotional roller coaster that TFC took me on last night.  Coming in to the game I just had that feeling that DeRo was going to put in a performance and i guess he did just that last night even though one of his goals was a penalty, one was misplayed by the keeper, and the other was basically gifted to him by Iro.  I will give credit where credit is due and say that DeRo did well to take advantage of the gifts that were being given to him by his former side.  I do not agree with the sentiment that I am coming across today that this game shows why TFC should have paid up and kept DeRo.  Instead I still think that letting him leave was the right move for a club that is looking to rebuild.  He is a very good MLS player and a proven goal scorer but Toronto needed to take that one step backwards so that they might one day to able to move a lot further forward.  The fact that DeRo scored a hattrick left me with a bad taste in my mouth but the one positive that I can take from it would be the fact that if DeRo is on form come the fall it will be a massive boost for the CMNT.  So I guess we can thank Andy Iro and the rest of TFC for giving him a confidence boost.

At the exact other end of the emotional roller coaster that was this match was watching Julian DeGuzman score a screamer of a long range goal.  The only thing wrong with his first goal for TFC was the fact that the ref should have never allowed it to happen since DCU were in the midst of making a change when JDG decided to take a quick freekick.  Again if you look at this from a Canadian perspective it is great news.  JDG will be a key member of the team and if he discovers any sort of his form from before he joined TFC then Canada will be in much better shape.  The end result of JDG's goal was DCU coach Ben Olsen being dismissed from the sidelines having just flipped his lid in reaction to the goal being allowed to stand.

The last part of the game that I want to cover is how I felt about Iro and his performance.  He was complete shit but I do not give him the entire blame for that.  TFC played much of the second half with basically only 2 actual defenders on the field and Iro was not getting much help at all.  He is a decent MLS defender but he needs to have a stronger partner in centre back.  He is not strong enough or confident enough to control the middle of the pitch without somewhere better there to help him.  He needs to play better then he did last night as the second goal was all his fault with him failing to clear the ball but the penalty he conceded was a real team effort.  He was not the only one in the box that was failing to clear the ball, just happened to be the one who got caught bringing the man down.  So blame him for one goal if you will but blame the entire team for the lack of defending that was going on in this game.

So like I said if you can't be good at least you should be exciting and at the moment TFC seem to have that covered.  I like the fact that they are scoring more goals, I have been impressed by some of the new additions to the side, not just Frings and Koevermans either and I think that even if the results are not coming in yet the team is going to be better once things settle down.  Games like this are giving me lots of reasons to be excited for 2012 and the chances of the team being in a position to be more competitive but before that I am just pleased that TFC are going to be a more entertaining team to watch down the stretch even if the playoffs are quickly fading from reach.

Another Day, Another Deal

So this afternoon Toronto FC made yet another players move.  This time it was a trade with FC Dallas that saw TFC swapped Maicon Santos for Eric Avila.  At first look many might wonder why TFC have moved Santos as he has basically been the teams top scorer all season but that fact of the matter is that for the most part Santos has failed to live up to his price tag.  He was one of Toronto's top paid players and as such the club should have expected an even better return from him than 10 goals in his 32 matches for the club.  Avila on the other hand represents another move towards youth and potential for Toronto but he is also capable of jumping right in to the starting lineup.

So let me now introduce you to Eric Avila.  He was drafted in the second round of the 2008 MLS Super draft having come out of UC Santa Barbara a year early.  He ended up with FC Dallas where he was in his fourth season and made 58 appearances.  As an attacking midfielder he scored only 3 goals for the club but what he has to offer goes beyond the stat sheet and his goal tally.  Avila is a dynamic player who has the ability to create space in the center of the field as well as being able to create chances for those around him.  At only 23 years of age Avila still has some time to mature and develop his game so he may yet reach his scoring potential.  Avila showed that potential when he was in college where as a junior he was nominated for the Hermann trophy.  While at UC Santa Barbara he played in 66 games scoring 15 goals and collecting 18 assists. That is an impressive scoring record for a midfielder at the college level and it is just that kind of potential that TFC will be hoping he begins to show in the MLS.

Avila is an American born player who comes from California.  He played for the US national team at both the U-17 and U-20 levels a total of 30 times.  He was also a part of the US residency program that was set up in Bradenton, Florida which he joined in 2003.  Avila is very much one of the players who shows the fruits of the US national teams efforts to develop young talent and TFC will now be hoping that he continues to develop and reaches the level where he can play at the senior level. 

So Toronto have gotten younger and a bit more potential which is the point of a rebuild.  For that reason I think that this is a great deal for them.  It continues to develop the team in the way that Winter has said he wants to since Avila is a creative player who is capable of playing something similar to Total Football.  The other good part of this deal from a TFC point of view is that they are saving money on salaries as well as adding another international roster spot.  All in all it was a good move for TFC and hopefully it sets the stage for a good result tonight.

Interesting facts:
1. The addition of Avila brings TFC within one player of breaking the MLS record of 36 players used in a single season.

2. Aside from home grown players only 5 players are left on TFC from the 2010 squad and two of them are keepers (thanks to Luke Wileman for that one)

TFC in the Champions League

So it was another busy week for TFC, which by this stage is not even the slightest bit of a surprise since they all seem to be busy ones, as they played their opening game in the CONCACAF Champions League and made a few more player moves.  I am going to start with the CCF match though as it was clearly the highlight of the week for me.

TFC were taking on Real Esteli FC in the home leg of their qualification round.  Many fans were hoping that TFC would go out and field a full strength side in hopes of making a real run in this competition as the league seems to be a bit of a lost cause at this point with playoffs getting further away.  TFC are already champions of Canada so why not give it a good honest try to get somewhere towards being club champions of CONCACAF.  I know winning the CCF is a bit much to ask for TFC but beating Real Esteli is very much something that they are capable of.

They showed just that in the opening round game as they continued their good run of results in games that are not related to the MLS.  Having done so well in winning the Nutrilite Championship TFC continued that midweek with a win over Real Esteli.  Things would have been a lot better if they had not conceded late on in the match to make the final score 2-1 but by winning the opening leg TFC are in just the position they want to be before going on the road later in August to play the second leg.  The hero of the game for Toronto was Joao Plata who netter a brace to make it 2-0 for TFC. 

In the first half Toronto was creating a number of chances but Soolsma and Johnson were frequently unable to convert them.  It was not until the second half introduction of Plata that things started to go the right way for TFC.  Plata was brought on in the 49th minute and made his impact felt almost immediately as he worked the keeper with a long range effort with basically his first touch.  That effort was just a warm up and a sign of things to come from the small Ecuadorian who came in from the left and managed to sneak a low shot in beside the left post to make it 1-0 for the hosts.  Plata would add a second goal as he again found the left side of the net but this time it was from a very nice free kick.  Plata showed that he has the skill to take a great free kick with his right foot and his second of the match in only 23 minutes of playing time seemed to have Toronto on course for a comfortable and much needed win.

The defensive problems showed up yet again though as TFC once again proved that they are just not capable of keeping a clean sheet no matter who they are playing against.  A defensive end turnover from TFC keeper Kocic all but gifted a goal to Esteli in the 81st minute.  That single away goal gives them a way back in to the match for the second leg as now even a 1-0 home win would be enough to see them advancing.  For Toronto though you have to be happy with the display and the fact that the job is now at least half done.  Another good showing in a weeks time will be enough to hopefully earn their place in group C of the CCF.  The winner of the tie will go on to join Pumas UNAM of Mexico, Tauro FC of Panama and the winner of the FC Dallas-Alianza qualifier (FC Dallas won 1-0 in the away leg). 


So in at least one competition things are going well for TFC.  Hopefully this win will give them a boost in form that will carry over in to MLS play as the team take on Portland this weekend.  

In other TFC news they of course added a couple of new players in the past week.  Both players failed to really impress at their old clubs but TFC will be hoping that giving them a fresh start will let them live up to their potential. The first move saw Toronto ship out struggling defender Dan Gargan to Chicago Fire in exchange for Dasan Robinson.  On the surface this move is basically a straight swap of one defender for the other with both clubs hoping that the player they are getting does better for them then they did for their previous club.  With the way that Gargan has been playing of late I am sure that this move will be an upgrade as long as Robinson proves to be competent.  He only started 2 games for Chicago this season but will hopefully add further depth to Toronto's back line which is hurting for that at the moment.  The second move of the week was another one that I am a fan of as Toronto picked up some more depth for their attacking unit by signing Peri Marosevic.  The 22 year old forward was never able to lock down a spot with FC Dallas and was eventually let go by the club.  He was drafted 5th overall in the 2009 super draft and boasts a lot of potential having represented the US at almost every youth level including being a member of the U-20 squad.  He only played in 4 matches for FC Dallas and failled to get on the score sheet before being waived but if he can find a way to live up to the potential he showed as a member of the Michigan Wolverines then Toronto might still be able to develop him in to a decent forward.  To me the move adds depth, is low risk, and could have a fairly decent reward if he can get on track.

New Look TFC = Same Result

So we have talked about all the roster moves that TFC has made in the past month or so and there were a lot of them.  To be honest I am not even sure if Winter is all done making moves even now so who knows what else could be in store.   Last week though we got the chance to see this very changed TFC side in action twice after a fairly long layoff and sadly all we got as fans was a lot more of the same.

Against FC Dallas Winter put in 6 of the new players for the starting lineup meaning that the club eclipsed the 100 players all time mark and then some.  They also had more then half of their starting 11 players being fresh faces which was almost certain to result in a bit of a settling in period.  I won't be getting in to the actual match but the fact of the matter is that you could see the need for yet more patience.  The team still had a fair few areas that are in clear need of improvement and if not for an impressive effort from Frei things would have been a lot worse then the 1-0 final score.  The other thing that struck me was that Koevermans clearly had not played in a match of late and seemed to lack sharpness in front of goal.  Training can help a lot but for both Danny and Frings they went from being in their offseason to jumping straight in to the middle of a season so it might take them a while to get up to pace.  Speaking of Frings though he was one of the best players in the game for TFC.  He provided a sharpness and edge to the midfield and his passes were instrumental in almost all of the chances that TFC did manage to create.

On the weekend things looked a whole lot worse for TFC as the team continued to defend terribly and this time Frei was not able to stand on his head and keep the scoreline close.  An awful stretch of around 10 minutes saw the team conceding goals like it was going out of style.  The 3 goals in 9 minutes was more then enough to sink Toronto on the day and made sure that new comers Koevermans and Ryan Johnson picking up their first goals for the club was not enough.  In the end the score was 4-2 for Kansas City and for TFC it was the 4th straight defeat and 6th in their past seven matches.  There is no point in trying to sugar coat it at this point as we can all see that TFC are struggling and have a long ways to go still before they are really competitive in the MLS.  The problem is that no one on the team seems to know how to defend properly.  It is not just the back 4 that are to blame for this, but they do get their share of the blame, but also includes the midfield who seem lost more often then not when they are trying to track back and cover.  There is a part of this that has to be attributed to the coaching of the team as they do not seem prepared to defend properly and are often looking unorganized.  The other half of the problem is that the personal to play defense are just not their with all the injuries.  The team added Iro which is a plus and gives them another decent defender but they need at least 4 of them and they are well short of that number right now.

The problem that I see for TFC is that they do have some good defenders who are out for the season the most notable of them is Adrian Cann.  So if they were to go out and make trades to bring in more quality defenders then they would have a bit of an overload come the start of next season when everyone is fit.  So if you are planning for the long term you might just have to kiss any sort of playoff push goodbye and just make due with what you have and then work to improve things for the next season when you know who will be fit.  I personally think they will not make a lot more changes this season in the back line but I hope that they do bring in a top class centre back.  Not someone of Iro level but instead someone who would be among the best defenders in the MLS.  The club needs to make a big move in the back line but now is not the ideal time to do that barring De Guzman moving back to Europe.

So we have our first two games for the new look TFC in the books and it is clear that they still can't defend and that the wins are not just going to start pouring in now.  The club still has a long ways to go but at least as these players all settle in I expect the team to only get better.  In fact I would still say that despite continuing the losing ways TFC are better now then they were before all the roster moves.

Busy day in Winter's wonderland

When Toronto FC announced that they had signed Frings and Koevermans it was made clear that these two signings were just the beginning of the moves that we could expect from the club during the summer transfer window.  Today all that promise of activity came to life as the trade activity kicked off.  The first deal of the day saw TFC picking up Canadian midfielder Terry Dunfield from rival club Vancouver Whitecaps.  This deal saw Toronto sending allocation money and future considerations in exchange for the player.  The second move of the day was a big deal with the San Jose earthquakes that saw Toronto landing Jamaican international Ryan Johnson in exchange for Alan Gordon, Nana Attakora, and Jacob Peterson.

The first move to bring in Dunfield does two, or maybe even three, important things for Toronto FC.  Dunfield gives Toronto more depth in the centre of the midfield as the Canadian international is capable of slotting in to a number of different roles in the centre of the pitch.  Having cost Toronto very little this move seems to be a good piece of business.  The issue will be that Dunfield has shown all kinds of heart for Vancouver but often that covered up a number of shortcomings in his play.  He has often been at fault for turning the ball over and wasting chances.  Toronto will be hoping that he can thrive in a new city that will see him no longer playing in front of his own family and friends so often.  Dunfield will likely end up playing in the midfield in front of Frings or De Guzman which will give him freedom to help out the attack.

The second move of the day is by far the bigger one and the more important one.  While landing Dunfield helps the midfield bringing in Ryan Johnson gives an even bigger boost to the teams attack.  He will now be able to partner Koevermans in the attack in what shapes up to be a potentially lethal pairing.  Johnson is now 26 years old and had made 99 appearances for San Jose since joining the club back in 2008 as well as having made 13 international appearances for Jamaica.  Johnson was a part of the Jamaica side at this summers Gold Cup where he scored a pair of goals.  He gives TFC another proven attacker and hopefully he will be able to spend more time fit and in the lineup then Gordon did.  Speaking of Gordon he was one of the players that went the other way in this trade.  Along with Alan Gordon TFC gave up Nana Attakora and Jacob Peterson which to some might seem like a bit of a steep price to pay.  The fact of the matter is that Peterson has had more then his share of struggles this season and has been out of the lineup for a fair bit of time.  Nana has found himself completely out of favour and no matter how many people were out injured he still seemed to be unable to get a place in the starting lineup.  Gordon was Toronto's top scorer but he also had a lot of injury issues that saw him miss a number of games already this season.  To me the core of this deal is Toronto trading Gordon for Johnson which I think is a good deal for the club since they still get a scoring threat but hopefully Johnson does not develop the same sort of fitness issues.  The other key factor in this second deal is that Toronto was able to pick up an international roster spot which in my opinion would be a decent return for Peterson and a clearly unwanted Nana.  I think in the end Toronto have done well in this deal as long as it is not the end of the moves they are making since they now need to strengthen the side and get deeper in other areas.

The move to trade Nana means that of the players on the teams first season roster no one remains.  Nana had been the last player left around from season 1 but now it is like the club have completely made a fresh start.  In some ways we can say that on thursday one chapter of TFC's history came to an end and now the era of Winter has truly begun.  He has come good on his promise to shake up the roster and make changes and it was clear that he was not done yet.

On Friday the wheeling and dealing continued as TFC made another deal this time with Columbus Crew.  This move I am a bit less of a fan of since it saw Toronto sending Tony Tchani the other way and in my opinion he has been one of the clubs best players in recent weeks.  I guess in the eyes of the people in charge at TFC the move to bring in Dunfield meant that Tchani was extra to the needs in the centre of the park.  Granted there was a clear need to get some help in defence which is exactly what they did by acquiring Andy Iro in return.  Iro, who is 26 years old and from Liverpool, had been with the crew since 2008 where he played in over 50 matches having joined the team out of college being drafted 6th overall.  Since making his debut against none other then TFC Iro has gone on to develop in to a strong and confident defender.  At 6 foot 5 he will give the team a lot more strength and heading ability in the back line.  He is just the kind of player that TFC were in need of to strengthen the back line and more important he will bring them skill and not just serve as another body.  The second player that TFC got in return is Leandre Griffit who has only been in the MLS for a short time but at 27 years old he has had a lot of experience around the Europe including stops at Southampton, Crystal Palace, and IF Elfsborg.  He will come in as a depth player for the most part helping to round out the clubs midfield and fill the spot left by Tchani.  He only made a handful of appearances for Columbus so I do not really know what to expect from him and as such I am expecting him to just end up coming in as a role player who we will see from time to time.

So when Toronto FC take to the field in their next match against FC Dallas fans may just have a bit of a tough time recognizing any of the players.  Tchani, Gordon, Peterson, and Attakora will all be gone and instead the club will have Frings, Koevermans, Johnson, Dunfield, Griffit, and Iro.  That of course is assuming that they do not make any more deals before that game comes along.

A Lesson on Real Esteli F.C.

On July 27, Toronto FC will play the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League qualifying match at BMO Field versus Nicaraguan side Real Esteli F.C. TFC qualified for the continental competition for the second year in the row by winning the Voyageurs Cup as Canadian champions over Vancouver Whitecaps. For Reds fans, the day the draw was announced was probably the first time they had heard of Real Esteli. So tonight, with the help of Google, I will try to introduce myself and all our readers to TFC's Nicaraguan opponent.

Real Esteli F.C. are a Nicaraguan side, as stated above, located in Esteli, Nicaragua's third largest city, who play in the nation's top flight of football. The team is nicknamed El Tren del Norte, which according to Google translates as "North Train" but is better translated as "Train of the North" because they come from the northern part of the country. The club was founded in 1960 and plays at Estadio Independencia, in front of 4,800 fans.

Domestically, Real Esteli is one of the most successful clubs winning three national titles and achieving an outstanding record of finishing in the top 5 in every season since 1986. On top of their three national championships, they have won 10 Primera Division de Nicaragua in the nations odd league set up which is similar to other Central American nations like Mexico where they play two seasons a year. Real Esteli has also won the Copa de Nicaragua in 1991.

There matches with Toronto FC coming up later this month will mark the Nicaraguan side's second appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League following their initial appearance in 2008 when they only made it to the Preliminary Round. They have also made 5 appearances in Central America's club competition the Copa Interclubes UNCAF. Real Esteli's best performance was a trip to the Quarter Finals of the competition in 2005 having never made it past the First Round in two previous attempts and the two more that followed.

Toronto FC are easily the favorites against CONCACAF minnows Real Esteli despite their own lowly stature entering the competition. The Reds will have to take care of business at BMO Field and ensure a big lead before they make the difficult trip to Nicaragua. TFC will have to deal with a low standard of playing surface and a completely hostile club when they travel Esteli and Estadio Independencia. Winter will field a strong line up in the home leg to ensure a comfortable win so that he can keep key players out of the line up for the away trip and not risk injuries to players important to the remainder of Toronto's season.

As the day of the first leg approaches, we will provide more coverage ahead of the match as Canadian champions Toronto FC aim to qualify for the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League for the second straight season. Thanks to Google and predominately Wikipedia, I hope I gave you a good introduction to Real Esteli, a little known club from the smaller Central American nation of Nicaragua.

Whitecaps add a Designated Player

So last evening the Whitecaps official twitter account tweeted that at 9:30 PST this morning, July 12th, they would be making a major player announcement.  This tweet of course started off a huge amount of speculation all over my twitter feed as every fan of Canadian soccer seemed to have their own couple of suggestions for who it might be.  The early front runner was of course Owen Hargreaves who has bee often linked to the two Canadian clubs in recent weeks as well as having been spotted training in British Columbia of late.  That speculation of course caused the expected reaction with die hard Canadian fans hoping that all the worst possible things happen to Hargo.  The rumour of Hargreaves being the player coming in were squashed only a few minutes later when rumours came out that Vancouver's new player was going to be an African who had been in Belgium recently where he was a decent player.  It was also reported that this new player might have been the captain of either his national team or his club team.  So of course many fans who wanted to be the first to report the name, including myself, spent a few hours on the internet trying to find out just who all met these criteria.  I for one never even came close to getting it right though and really only helped to add to the outlandish speculation that was going on with the likes of Eto'o and Drogba being linked just because they are captains of African nations.

So this morning all the rumours were put aside and the actual announcement was made that the Whitecaps would be adding another Designated player to their team in the form of Gambian international Mustapha Jarju.  He is a striker who spent last season playing for RAEC Mons of Belgium's second division.  So he did indeed fit all of the criteria that were being put out in rumours the night before.  He also fits the needs of Vancouver as last season he scored 25 goals for his club last season and has 58 career goals despite only being 24 years old.  So he will bring the Whitecaps a second scoring option that should provide the sort of partner that Eric Hassli has been lacking all season long.  Hassli has 6 of the teams goals this season but the introduction of Jarju will take some of the pressure to score from him as well as drawing some of the attention of the defenders away from him.  The Whitecaps will be counting on their two designated players to get the job down and give them the attack that has been lacking in so many games this season.

Jarju will be counted on for scoring and to also create goals for the other attacking players.  He has a good record of both in Belgium but that is by no means a guarantee of success in the MLS.  His record in Belgium would suggest that he is worthy of that DP tag but now Vancouver has 2 of its 3 potential slots filled and has used both on them on attackers.  It could limit their ability to strengthen other areas of the team but even with that aside there is still the question of whether a relatively unknown player from Gambia is worth that kind of investment rather then the team going after players with proven MLS quality.  I personally think that signing Jarju is a worthwhile risk and as he won't command that massive of a salary and it is also possible that as soon as next season he could no longer be a designated player which would free that spot up to be filled by another player.  His upside is very large as a 24 year old who has a proven ability to create in front of goal and if this move pays off he could be a huge factor in any improvements that the Whitecaps will make in the coming seasons.

The other big part of todays signing is that Jarju becomes the first African player to be signed to an MLS contract as a designated player.  His move to the MLS could be seen as opening the door for more African players to make the same move in the near future which could only be good for the league that needs to continue exploring new talent markets in hopes of improving the overall quality.

For the Whitecaps they now have the attacker they needed but reports suggest they are still in the hunt of a midfielder which could even see them bring in a third designated player.  That does mean that their fans will have to continue to worry about the potential of Hargreaves being signed in the coming days or weeks if he can prove he is fit and ready to play.  Fans will likely be hoping that if the club does make another big move that it is on signing a proven player with real quality rather then gambling on a player from a small African country who plays in one of Europe's weaker leagues.  Hargreaves would fit that bill but the fact is he has a major history of injury so playing him at Empire field would just be asking for disaster and that is my attempt to avoid discussing other reasons why signing him would be a terrible idea.

For the Whitecaps todays signing was another step forward but as a team that has only scored more then one goal in a match just one time in their last 21 matches there is clearly a lot of work left to be done.  Jarju is possibly one piece of the puzzle that is success in the MLS but at this point he only address one problem on a team with a multitude of them.

A Whole Other Class: TFC-NYRB

So this part week Toronto FC were taking on the New York Redbull in what was always going to be a tough test for TFC but what they did on the day was prove that they are still a long ways from reaching the levels of the top teams in the MLS.  This game almost made the match against the Union seem like a close match since at least TFC were able to find the net on that occasion.

I have to be honest and say that despite the Red Bulls poor form coming in to the match, 3 draws and a loss in their 4 game road trip, I still felt that they were primed to crush TFC who would be unable to up their game from the level it had to be to defeat the Whitecaps twice last week.  That was mostly because of the fact that TFC are on an even worse run of form with Vancouver being the only team that they seem capable of beating.  Toronto have only that one win in the MLS since May 7th and in that time they have been shut out 5 times.  We all know by now that TFC have an anemic offence but it is even worse when they don't even have Gordon or Santos in the starting lineup like they did midweek.

When the lineups were announced and there was no Gordon or Santos it felt like the best that TFC were going to be able to get was a 0-0 draw since they just don't seem to have anyone else who can step up and score.  I don't even think that Gordon and Santos are great strikers or great goal scorers but the fact is that they are clearly the best options that the club has.  Compare Toronto having Soolsma, Plata, and Martina as their attacking options with the fact that New York had Henry, Rodgers, and Agudelo leading their line.  I guess there is no surprise that Toronto FC struggled to create any sort of attacking chances and New York had them in abundance.  The 5-0 final score was by no means flattering to the Red Bulls but I don't even want to get into the match itself more then that.

What I feel is the most worthy element of this game is the fact that this game once again illustrates how for behind Toronto FC are in terms of skill and experience.  I know that they are a side that is slowly being destroyed by injuries and that their two new signings are yet to be eligible to play for the team but I can't help but notice the gap in skill between the two sides.  The Red Bulls two designated players are Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez who both have loads of experience on the world's biggest stages and despite being a bit advanced in age they still have the kind of quality that allows them to be stars in the MLS.  The Red Bulls third spot is still empty since they traded De Ro but chances are that when they do fill that spot it is going to be with a player who is better then any of the three designated players in Toronto's roster.  Toronto, having recently signed a pair of DP's, now have De Guzman, Frings, and Koevermans on its roster.  I do like all three of those players and think that when they were at their very best they were all world class but now none of them seem good enough to be dominant players in the MLS which is what you should expect from such players.  You can only have three of these players so you really are going to have to make them count which New York is clearly doing a better job of then Toronto is.  It may not be fair to expect TFC to go out and sign their own Beckham or Henry since Toronto is not the most appealing city and the team just does not have the same kind of budget but what I want to see is this gap starting to close down.  That would be the point of this rebuild that the club is going through after all.  Maybe we can will even one day see the club make a move for a world class player who is still in their prime and can be a real difference maker for the team.

So what is the point of all of this?  The point is that I do understand that TFC are going to lose games like this from time to time.  They are a side that is messed up by all kinds of injuries right now and even when they are completely fit they still would not be as good as the top teams in the league.  But what I need to start seeing is that TFC are making the kinds of moves that are going to help them close down this skill gap.  Frings and Koevermans are a start but with them taking up two of the DP spots the club is limited in that kinds of moves it can make to get better unless they go out and make some big trades.  Since I do understand that these kinds of defeats are bound to happen for this team I will just keep on hoping to see signs of progress from the team since the playoffs are not going to happen unless they start beating anyone not named the Whitecaps!

Here We Go Again

Earlier this week, Toronto FC found themselves on the wrong end of another blow out as New York Red Bull stampeded the Reds to a dominate 5-0 win. Goals from Thierry Henry, Luke Rodgers, Joel Lindpere, and Juan Agudelo (2) matched TFC's worse defeat in their five season MLS history. It has been a rough season for Stephen Frei and the Toronto back line that due to numerous injuries this season was patched together with Richard Eckersley playing in the middle. On top of the injury problems the Reds have had this season, it has also been a season of growth and rebuilding as Aron Winter looks to build his team.

In the match against New York, the Toronto back line was far from Winter's first choice of defenders. Richard Eckersley was moved from his regular right back position ,where he has played really well for TFC this season, to central defender. The fiery red head, who normally bombs forward in attack, was called upon to sit back, a very different role than he is used to. Eckersley was joined by Dan Gargan, Ty Harden, and Danleigh Borman, who was replaced by Ashtone Morgan at half time, in the back line. Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann have been out on long term injury and leave Toronto short at center defense. Hopefully when the Toronto FC back line is back to full health the Reds will see an improvement and watch that league high goals against start to slowly go down as the wins go up.

Aron Winter's goal when he came to Toronto FC during the off season was to bring Dutch style football to the MLS. Winter wants his TFC side to abandon the long balls to play a shorter passing possession game as used by the top European sides. The team that Winter inherited from his predecessor was not suited to play his technically high 4-3-3 formation. He did not have the players available to him to play the necessary positions so many players have been placed in roles that they have never played before. Some players have fit into Winter's system well and have been nice surprise in a dark season including youngster Joao Plata. Toronto FC's current groups of players have also shown that they are not technically skilled enough to play the Dutch style of football that the management staff is trying to introduce at BMO Field.

It is only half way through Winter's first season in charge of Toronto FC meaning he has not had much time in charge with the transfer window open so that he can build a team that fits his style of play. With the summer window now open, Winter has already made two big moves by bringing in two new designated players from top European sides in Torsten Frings and Danny Koevermans. Winter finally had the space and cash to build the team he wants and the addition of Fring and Koevermans adds a lot of experience at the top level and high technical skills to a Reds side that is experience growing pains this season.

After four seasons, Reds fans were upset because the sides was not producing anything on the field. Toronto FC had what their fans believed to be a strong team but had failed to make the playoffs in all four seasons. Now it seems that Toronto has taken a step back and are having a season similar to their first year in the league. But this is not the time to get upset with the team but rather it is the time to be patient. TFC needs to finally find stability at the manager position so they need to stick with Aron Winter who has a long term plan for the team. The fans and clubs have to be patient with Winter because this plan will not generate instant success but it will a couple seasons down the road.

Its time for patience, not change.

Nutrilite Canadian Champions!

For the second time this week Toronto FC were taking on the Vancouver Whitecaps.  Having beaten them 1-0 in a fairly dull league match thanks to a penalty earlier in the week TFC were feeling confident that they would be able to get the result they needed in the second attempt at the second leg of the NCC final.  In case you have forgotten, it was a good while ago, Toronto FC were totally outplayed in Vancouver but managed to steal a 1-1 draw in the first leg.  Then the second league again saw Vancouver being the better side by a clear margin but heavy rain and thunder storms had other ideas as the unsafe weather conditions led to the match having to be abandoned a rescheduled for the next time Vancouver were in town.  That meant that Canada's club championship was now set to be fittingly decided on Canada weekend.

The weather on saturday was once again calling for rain and a good chance of thunder storms but thankfully it held off and we can finally say that this seasons Nutrilite Canadian Championship is in the books.  The two teams made their agendas for this match fairly clear earlier in the week when you looked at the teams that they selected for the MLS match.  TFC, who are currently ravaged by injury, fielded a fairly strong side as they looked to end their 10 game winless run while the Whitecaps rested several players as they were seemingly willing to give up 3 points in the league in exchange for improving their chances at winning the Voyageurs Cup.  The move on Vancouver's part was a bit of a tricky one since giving TFC the win in the league was sure to restore some of their battered confidence and give the players increased hope that they would be able to win again on saturday.  After all this week was one of great optimism around TFC as they finally ended their winless run as well as announcing the signings of two former internationals.

Toronto FC came into the second leg with a lineup that was almost the same as it had been on Wedensday night as only Julian De Guzman and Maicon Santos were brought in.  Vancouver on the other hand made a drastic 7 changes from midweek.  The match kicked off in a fairly lively fashion with the first real chance falling to Santos after a quick counter attack and some ver questionable decision making by the keeper left him in all alone chasing after the bouncing ball.  By the time Santos was able to catch up to the ball he was almost on the goal line and was unable to hit anything but the side netting with his effort.  In the 20th minute though it was the Whitecaps who would open the scoring thanks to a beautifully taken free kick by Sanvezzo who stepped in with his right and fired a shot in to the top corner that gave Frei no chance of making the stop.

Toronto almost found an answer only 5 minutes later as a lively run from Plata opened up the Whitecaps defence and his ball allowed De Guzman to fire in a shot that was well save by Cannon but came back off the post to Martina who's effort had to be cleared off the line.  That chance was followed up with more scrambling and more chances for TFC but in the end they could not convert and the ball eventually went out for a corner.  It was clear that TFC were going for the win in this one and the signs of life were encouraging for the home fans having seen their side already go down 2-1 on aggregate.

Just before the half there was another moment where the Whitecaps were left wondering what their keeper Cannon was thinking.  He came well out of his box to claim a long through ball but the ball bounced off of his chest and ended up landing at the feet of Martina who was then staring at a wide open net.  Martina slid his shot in goal wards but some great hustle by Jay Demerit allowed him to get back and just barely clear the ball from off the goal line, or did he?  This one will go down as yet another case for goal line technology as the ball was definitely most of the way past the goal line before it was cleared but the question was whether or not it was completely across and personally I can not say having watched the replay a number of times.  I think that the right call was made in this case though as it was far to close to tell and awarding a goal would have been very harsh for Vancouver.  The Whitecaps went into the halftime break leading the game 1-0 and the final 2-1 so the job for Toronto was a simple one.  If they wanted to win the NCC then they had to find a way to come back and win this match in the second half.

The signs of life that TFC had shown in the first half carried over into the second as they again came close to levelling the score in the opening minute of the half.  Once again it was a lively run by Plata that got things started as his low cross into the box eventually ended up at the back post where Soolsma turned it toward the back of the net but it ended up being picked up by Cannon.  Cannon once again looked shaky as he failed to deal with the low cross.   The pressure continued for TFC and only a few minutes later a ball into the box ended up at the feet of Plata who was brought down and awarded the penalty.  This time Cannon did not look the least bit shaky as he got across well to push Plata's spot kick up and over the bar.  Unluckily for Cannon though the assistant referee caught the fact that he had taken several steps off of his goal line before the shot was taken which meant that the penalty was going to have to be retaken.  Cannon was absolutely furious at the decision and was only going to be made more angry by the fact that this time Plata stepped up a sent him diving the wrong way.  Plata who had been right in the middle of most of TFC's chances was rewarded with the goal that made it 1-1 on the night and all even at 2-2 on aggregate.

The 2-2 scoreline would have meant extra time and maybe penalties but with Toronto on top in terms of the run of play they looked to press their advantage.  A lovely ball over the top once again opened up the Vancouver defence and once again it was the pace and skill of Plata that got on to the end of the ball allowing him to bring it down at the top of the box before running in and sending a low cross into the middle past several defenders before it eventually wound up at the feet of Yourassowsky who fired it home giving Toronto its first lead of the match.  The Whitecaps tried to find some fight back but the couple of chances that they did create were well dealt with by Frie and after 93 minutes of play Toronto FC were hoisting their third straight Voyageurs Cup.

The win gives Toronto FC a date with Nicaragua's Real Esteli in a 2 legged qualifier from which the winner moves on to the group stage of the 2011-2012 CONCACAF champions league.  For TFC, who are already thin thanks to injuries, the Champions League is probably one competition more then they can afford to be worried about and I expect them to make a swift exit as they have other priorities.  The win also gives Toronto back-to-back wins for the first time in ages.  Yes they may both have come against the Whitecaps who are also struggling along at the bottom of the MLS but they have done enough to at least give the fans back some hope that the team is heading in the right direction.  At the very least TFC and its fans can now claim that they are the best club in Canada still but barring some sort of incredible second half turn around in the MLS they will once again be missing out on the playoffs.

TFC's Big Day

Toronto FC fans everywhere knew that we would be able to expect a fair bit of activity once the summer window opened as it was clear that the club was in need of improvement, and in some cases just more bodies, in almost every position.  It was also clear that some of the clubs under performing players were in danger of being moved on.  With that in mind today's announcement by the club that they had gone out and secured two new designated players really should not be a shock.  Even more so when you consider that both signings had been strongly linked to the club by almost every media outlet that offers speculation on the team.

For Toronto FC today was a big day and many fans are going to be hoping that this serves as some sort of turning point in the future of the club and from here on out it will all be looking up.  I personally think that these two signings are a great beginning but it is nothing more then that.  A lot more needs to be done to address the teams needs.  They have still not replaced the scoring that they lost when the traded away De Rosario or found a striker to take some of the pressure to score off of Alan Gordon.  They also still need to go out and at least do some sort of patch job on the back line as injuries and other factors have left the team short on defenders able to play at the MLS level.  Today in the press conference announcing the signings Aaron Winter made it quite clear that this was only the beginning as he indicated that the team would be looking to make a number of trades which could see the club moving out any number of players included De Guzman who has consistently under performed since joining the club.

The first of today's signings that was announced was former German international Torsten Frings.  He has played much of his career as a defensive midfielder, same position as De Guzman, and was capped 79 times by Germany.  Most recently he played for Werder Bremen where he played in over 300 games in his two stints with the club.  Frings is now 34 years old and in the later stages of his career but it is clear that he still has loads of ability.  Despite being a defensive midfielder Frings has a proven ability to chip in some goals from time to time having scored 67 of them in his career that spans over 500 games now.  He will bring composure and experience to the centre of the park for Toronto FC and the club will be hoping that he is able to play on for at least a few more years despite his age.  He joins the club on a multiyear deal as a free transfer and will be eligible for selection on the 20th against FC Dallas.

The second signing of the day starts to address the scoring needs of the club.  Danny Koevermans is a Dutch striker and he also joins the club on a free transfer having signed a multiyear deal as a designated player.  Kovermans is a former Dutch international, even though he only played 4 games for the Netherlands, who has a proven scoring record in the Eredivisie.  In his club career he has scored 136 goals in 253 matches which is a good rate for a striker but his pace has fallen off a bit since he joined PSV in 2005.  Toronto FC will probably be looking for him to chip in a goal every other game and provide a veteran presence in the attack as well as giving a much needed increase to the depth.  His arrival will hopefully also make Alan Gordon and Maicon Santos better as they will be under slightly less pressure now to do all of the scoring.

Lost in the big news of the signings was the fact that TFC had a match tonight against their Canadian rivals in the Vancouver Whitecaps.  I was unable to watch the game but having seen the highlights I got the sense that it was a very even battle with neither team generating much in terms of offensive chances.  The only breakthrough in the game came as Soolsma cut inside and then out before Janicki brought him down just inside of the box.  The referee showed no hesitation in awarding the penalty and I have to say that it was the right call.  Soolsma was given the chance to finish off his play by taking the spot kick which he calmly converted to the left of the keeper.  It was the only goal of the game as TFC were able to bag a 1-0 win over the White Caps which is only their 3rd win of the season but it was enough to see them jump over three teams and into 5th in the East.  It also means that TFC are now 4 points up on Vancouver in the battle for the best Canadian team.  That battle will continue on the weekend when the Nutrilite Cup finally wraps up with the second leg being replayed at BMO Field.

Player Profile: Doneil Henry

Doneil Henry

Position: Central Defender

Age: 18

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 180 lbs

Born: Brampton, Ontario

Doneil Henry is the first graduate of the Toronto FC Academy when he signed a pro contract in 2010. He started his career last season as a 17 year old playing in 3 matches but none in the league. His most notable appearance last season was in a friendly against Bolton Wanderers where Henry impressed so much that he was selected Man of the Match against the Premier League opponent. Henry was one of Toronto FC's top youth prospects through out his whole time while playing the academy and strong performances with the side soon paid off with first team opportunities.

A member of the Canadian U20 team, Henry has cracked the Toronto FC starting line up this season due to injuries at the back. Henry made his first start on the weekend in the 2-2 draw with L.A. Galaxy. Manager Winter showed his trust in the 18 year old by letting him play the full 90 minutes. It was his first start of the season and his career but was his second appearance of the season following a short substitute appearance against Sporting Kansas City.

Doneil Henry has broken into the squad because of injuries to Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann leaving TFC thin at the back, but the 18 year old Brampton native has taken his opportunity very well making a claim for further appearances with both Toronto and Canada. Henry was very impressive in tonight's 0-0 draw with New England Revolution. His age never showed as he kept things tidy at the back and kept the Revolution attack away from goal.

With impressive performances with the Toronto FC first team at the young age of 18 years old, the tall, lanky central defender is one of the most promising players in TFC squad. What's good for Toronto is also good for Canada in this circumstance. Henry has the potential to be a good defender in the MLS and given the chance should do a fine job at the back with the Canadian men's national team.

Gold Cup: Day 9 (End of Canada)

So on Tuesday night there were two games in the Gold Cup but I trust that most of my readers watched the Canadian game.  With that in mind I am not overly going to discuss the events of the game but will instead focus on my feelings and reaction to the game, and Canada's Gold Cup effort as a whole.

The short version is that Canada needs to be better then they were the last three games.  The team that we saw against Ecuador showed potential and showed the ability to get forward but the team that showed up the last 3 matches looked completely unthreatening and at times they seemed lost for what they were doing.  The 4-5-1 seemed to me to be the root cause of the problems because when Hart was forced to make changes, mainly not playing Jackson alone up top, things picked up a bit.  It is actually a bad thing that Canada was at its very best in the second half of the US game because Ali Gerba was brought on.  If we are counting on Ali Gerba, still, to score goals then this world cup qualifying campaign is going to be a tough one.

The fact is that Canada played 3 matches in the Gold Cup and the only time that they scored was from 2 soft penalties.  They created very little from open play and maybe it was the game plan, or Atiba Hutchinson missing two matches, or maybe it is that Canada continues to lack a constant scoring threat from the striker position.  The teams leading scorer on the current roster is Dwayne De Rosario, with 15 goals, and he so often gets lost in games going long stretches without making any impact.  There is no one on this current team that you can count on to score with any regularity.  We have some decent midfielders, good enough to compete with out teams in CONCACAF I would say but the other areas need to be improved.  I have high hopes for Jackson but the truth is that he has a lot to learn and the system in place under Stephen Hart is not the right fit for him.  If you watch how Norwich use him, which works well, you can see how he is capable of being an effective attacker but for Canada he was often isolated and out matched by larger defenders.  Rob Friend and Ali Gerba on the other hand I do not have any confidence in at all.  I hear Friend can be good but have limited exposure to him for his club but again he is poorly used in Hart's tactics.  There is also Ricketts but I am going to reserve judgement on him since I have seen almost nothing of him and his few appearances for Canada have seemed decent but not enough to get a true sense.

The other issue that Canada faces is they lack that killer confidence.  They go into games against the USA overwhelmed and play like they are afraid of getting beaten and then when they do get scored on they struggle to find an answer.  Then even when we get ahead like we were against Panama there is this sense that the team are not strong enough to know how to hold on to that lead.  The best teams know that the easiest way to hold a lead is to push back against the team rather then just packing it in where you are basically just waiting for the other team to create chances and potentially score.  The goal that Canada conceded was quite unlucky but it was nothing less then Panama deserved as they had been taking the game to Canada for some time.  Would of course not have been an issue if Canada had converted some chances in the first half.  Now Canada has an average back line at best so that is never going to help and by the end of this Gold Cup they didn't have 4 players fit to play in their natural positions in the back line which is not going to help but maybe Hart should have brought another defender along for the tournament rather then someone like Pacheco just to pick a name.

The other area of the team that I was most concerned about going into this Gold Cup was in goal.  Hirschfeld has had a couple of great performances for Canada in the past but is not consistent enough to rely on in hopefully a long qualification run.  I was though pleased with what I saw from Milan Borjan.  He displayed good positioning, good judgement, and the ability to stop shots.  You can still tell that he has not been around top clubs and can use a fair bit of refinement but he has the potential and I was pleasantly surprised by that.

So Canada is now out of the Gold Cup and the next stop for the Men's National Team is World Cup qualifiers this fall.  The draw will almost certainly hand us something easy in the opening round of play but my fear is that we will win that without making the needed changes.  For me Hart needs to prove that he can get away from always using the 4-5-1 and have some tactical flexibility.  He needs to change something and get the team to the point where it is scoring goals from open play against the Panama's and Guadeloupe's of the world.  It is alright to be kept off the score sheet when you are up against a keeper like Tim Howard, who is class, but against other teams we need to find a way to manufacture goals.  I can not sit here and offer a solution, if I could I would be coaching at a high level, but I can say that in my opinion if Hart does not show the willingness and ability to mix it up this fall then it should cost him his job.  We should be winning these early qualifying games no matter what, that is not good enough though.  Canada needs to be using these games to get much better.  We have to be in the top 8 teams and CONCACAF and I would like to see us go far in qualifiers, even if the World Cup is still a distant dream, but based on the Gold Cup performance we have a long way to go to prove that we are right with the second tier of teams in the region.

The American team also played last night and to be fair they were terrible.  They have been poor all the way through the group stage and seem to be a long way from hitting their stride.  For me, and I have heard a few others saying this, they have only made it out of the group stage because of their natural talent and having some of the best players in the tournament.  If you look at how Mexico has preformed and look at the States then they have a lot of work to do if they want to overcome Mexico at some point and potentially win this thing.  Clint Dempsey was at the centre of the Americans bad play in the group stage as he seemed to just not be sharp at all and wasted chance after chance after chance with him being at his worst last night.  Dempsey should have had a hat trick and put the game beyond a doubt for the US but instead he got nothing.  Canada may be the team going home but the Americans have underachieved just as much and could be joining Canada in the coming days.


So with no more Gold Cup for Canada what do you have to look forward to?  Well Canada is about to enter in to two more competitions in including the U-17's and then the Women's World Cup later this month.  Personally I am very excited for the WWC and think that Canada are a team that can turn some heads.
I will try to cover that tournament and preview it in the coming weeks as well as continuing with some Gold Cup coverage and TFC coverage.  Going to be a great summer for soccer in this country!

Canadian Excitement in the MLS!

I really hope that for our readers on the eastern side of the country you stayed up past your normal bedtime on Saturday night to watch either, or hopefully both, of the Canadian teams in MLS action.  Toronto FC found themselves as massive underdogs going into their road match against the Los Angeles Galaxy while Vancouver White Caps were focused on trying to snap their winless streak against rivals Seattle Sounders FC.

The first game that I am going to talk about, since I watched more of it, is the Toronto FC match.  The sense among most TFC fans was that this was not going to be a good outing for the team and they were just hoping to keep things close.  Recent history though would suggest that when these two teams meets it is likely to end in a draw but if you look at the forms of the two teams Toronto's chances looked slim.  The Galaxy came into the match unbeaten in 7 games and on their second longest run in franchise history without conceding a goal.  So when Chris Birchall opened the scoring only 2 minutes into the game I for one was thinking here we go again assuming that things were going to get ugly for TFC.  Things would settle down though and TFC slowly seemed to be getting in to the game.  A bad tackle from Beckham would see him get a caution just before the half hour mark and a lot of TFC fans were left wondering how he managed to avoid a red card as he would be spoken to about 2 fouls later in the game without receiving a second yellow.  It really did seem like he was getting the old super star treatment and not being punished for his actions.  The tackle also resulted in Toronto having to make one of its two first half changes as Tony Tchani seemed to pick up an injury and had to be replaced by Plata.  Jacob Peterson would also have to leave the game before the half when his hamstring appeared to tighten up.  He was replaced by Gordon who was returning to the TFC lineup after missing several games with a groin injury.  In Gordon's absence TFC's attack looked weak and lacked any real punch but his return to the lineup paid off quickly.  The first half ended with LA up 1-0 but it was no where near the dominant performance that many would have expected.

In the second half Toronto continued to fight back and show that they were not going to be pushovers.  It was nice to see the team playing with some real heart and acting like they wanted to go out and try to salvage a result.  In the end their effort paid off as Gordon marked his return to the lineup with a 68th minute goal that leveled things.  It looked like TFC had done enough to earn a draw but in the 90th minute Juan Pablo Angel scored a heart breaking goal that seemed almost certain to send the Galaxy on to all 3 points.  In the past Toronto would have folded like a cheap tent under that goal and not had enough about themselves to even try to fight back.  They have a proven history of lacking any sort of performance in the clutch moments of matches and stoppage time goals have been few and far between for the club since their inception.  On this night though things seemed to be very different as TFC bounced right back from going down 2-1 and went right to work trying to pull it back in stoppage time.  Just as it seemed like time was going to run out on the Gordon again proved his value to the team as he scored his second of the game against his former team.  Gordon managed to volley home the ball in to the top corner in what would have been one of the best MLS goals I have seen in a long time if not for one that took place in the Whitecaps game. 

For me the game felt like a win for TFC despite it being their 4th draw in 5 matches and extending their winless streak to 6 games.  It also ensured that the Galaxy's unbeaten run continued for an 8th game.  Toronto did show a lot of positive signs in this game and when the club is working to rebuild that is the kind of thing that you look for.  After their 0-0 draw with Sporting Kansas I was concerned about how the team were satisfied with that and seemed to be lacking the desire to win matches.  Combine that with the fact that anyone who has followed the club knows that they are terrible in the clutch moments of matches and you can see how this result was even more unexpected.  The team showed a lot of heart and passion in LA as well as showing that they really can hold their own with the better teams in the league.  There is no reason for this team to be happy with 0-0 draws against poor KC teams but this draw is one that you can build on.  The game also proved that Alan Gordon makes TFC a whole lot better in the attack.  With him out of the lineup they looked far to one dimensional and if teams could deal with Santos Toronto had very little other options in terms of scoring threats.

The Toronto result had me all excited but it was a moment from the Vancouver game that stole all the headlines and may actually help to increase the profile of the MLS.  Vancouver played a very good opening 80 minutes and led 1-0 thanks to a penalty that was converted by Eric Hassli.  It all seemed like it was going to be undone though as the team had a terrible couple of minutes and Seattle scored a pair of goals very quickly to go up 2-1.  It looked like all of the Caps hard work would be for nothing and they would lose yet again but then Eric Hassli stepped up with one of the best goals you have ever seen.  If you have not seen his goal yet well you need to!  It is a world class goal, not just one of the best ever in the MLS.  Hassli showed that he has the skill to be a great goal scorer when he is actually able to avoid card trouble and stay on  the field long enough to show these flashes of brilliance.  Some poor defending by Seattle set up Hassli's second goal of the game as they turned the ball over to him near the corner of the 18 yard box.  He flicked the ball up and with his back almost to the goal he volleyed the ball across the net and right into the top corner of the net.  It was one of the best goals you will ever see and it was enough to ensure that Vancouver would at least be able to grab a point from the match.  Even the loud Seattle crowd could not help but appreciate what they had seen and gave Hassli a well deserved round of applause. 

So if you went to bed on Saturday night then you missed out on both Canadian MLS teams being involved in some exciting games.  Its a shame that both teams had to settle for draws but the efforts of Gordon and Hassli are ones you can be proud of as fans and both teams had games that they can build on going forward.

And now for your viewing pleasure:

Importance of Home Field for TFC Progress

TFC is a team that is supposed to be rebuilding and working towards one day competing for league titles or at least playoff spots.  The problem is that of late it seems like BMO field is turning in to a relatively easy place for visiting teams to come and play. This weekends 0-0 draw against a road weary Sporting Kansas City team who have begun the season with 10 straight games on the road.  For TFC it has to be looked at as 2 lost points rather then 1 gained as they really should have been able to beat a side like Kansas at home since KC are bottom of the league.  For KC though the draw must feel nice as they were able to finally head home to their new stadium with one more point in hand and a clean sheet giving them something to build on.

There are two ways to look at this game if you are a TFC fan.  The first is that, well it is a heck of a lot better then the team being beaten 6-2 a week earlier.  The other positive that can be taken from the match is that the single point keeps Toronto FC within reach of the final automatic playoff position despite struggling through the early stages of the season.  You can also be happy with the single point when you consider the fact that the team has a fair few injuries as well as a couple of players already gone for the Gold Cup.

All of those positives are true and a draw is not the end of the world but I am inclined to look at the match from the other point of view.  The team has struggled to find goals this season with really only Maicon Santos providing a regular threat, and even he is not lighting it up be any means.  At the other end of the field TFC have struggled not to concede a lot of goals, so I guess in that light the clean sheet is nice.  For me the biggest concern is that TFC seem to have very little if any home field advantage going for them of late.  Which is worrisome because if you look at the top clubs in any league you realize that they are really strong at home and claim the majority of their points at home.  The best example of this that I can think of right now is Manchester United in the most recent Barclays Premier League season.  They did not have the most impressive of seasons overall but they only lost one game at Old Trafford as well as only drawing once.  The means that United claimed 55 points at home out of a total possible 57 points.  I am not saying that I expect TFC to get that kind of home record at any point in the near future but if you want to compete you need to have at least as good of a home record as the other top teams in the league which is a long ways off for TFC.

Toronto FC's record on the season is:
Games Played - 14
Wins - 2
Draws - 7
Losses - 5

But at home the record is:
Games Played - 9
Wins - 2
Draws - 5
Losses - 2

You might say that at least Toronto has won at home and have only lost twice which is a big improvement over their road form where they have yet to win in 5 matches and have already lost 3 times but I would counter that if you want to compete you better pick up more then 11 points in your first 9 games at home.  BMO field is no where near being the kind of fortress that a top team needs its home field to be.  Of late it seems that teams are coming there expecting that they will be able to at the very least come away with a draw and they are right to think that.  I am not saying that the fans are not doing their part to make it a tough place to play because the environment would certainly improve if the team were playing more exciting matches on the field.  The crowd does a decent job of getting into the game and encouraging the team but of late they are not being rewarded with that much to cheer about.  I do think though that the team has to get to a point where they have an attitude where they are expecting to win every time that they take to the field at BMO and when they do draw they are unhappy about it.

The team seemed pleased with a draw this weekend which in fairness was still a decent result for a side that has struggled for form and fitness in this season of rebuilding but if they are going to move forward that is an attitude that is going to need to shift.  Before TFC is ever going to become an elite team they have to develop the attitude of one and expect nothing less then a win at home and that applies even more so when they are playing a tired side like KC who are bottom of the league.

Toronto FC beat down

It was made abundantly clear that when Toronto FC took on new management under Aron Winter that the club were going to be undertaking a rebuild and that fans would need to be patient through what was looking like another season of hardships.  Winter joined the club having enjoyed a very successful career playing for Ajax and several other top European clubs.  His resume as a manager might have been a bit lacking but his experience as a player at the highest levels seemed to be enough to convince TFC that he would be the man to finally get the job done for the club.  Winter promised to grow the club from the ground up by investing in young talent and developing players in a fashion similar to what made Ajax into one of the top clubs in Europe.

His first season at the helm has seen the club make a few big changes including shipping off star player and perennial leading scorer Dwayne De Rosario to the already star powered New York Red Bulls.  His departure made it clear that the club were going to give up success this season to ensure the long term plan would pay off.  It has led to a season of struggles and ups and downs so far but on the whole it has been pretty much par for the course compared to recent seasons.  The club are now sitting 7th in the east with 12 points but the main concern is that they only have collected 2 wins so far.  The 6 draws are nice but fans are sure to be getting impatient for the club to get a few more wins under their belt.  Things are only made worse for the fans when you consider that the club has only managed to score 13 goals in 13 matches while conceding a terrible 23 goals.  Sure a rebuilding team is supposed to struggle but it has to be getting hard on the fans who keep going to the games just hoping to see an exciting display from TFC.  Besides Maicon Santos who has scored 5 goals in the league so far the team has struggled to get any sort of consistent scoring with the next best total sitting on 2.  The one positive for the fans is that both wins have come at home where the club has only lost twice in 8 matches.

This weekend though the fans patience was put to a real test as the home team took a serious beat down at the hand of the Eastern conference leading Philadelphia Union.  Coming in to the weekend game the Union had been having success thanks to their defence which had only conceded 7 times in the first 10 matches.  On the other hand though they had only scored 8 goals in league action.  At BMO field though they discovered their scoring touch and it took them barely more the 10 minutes to get ahead 2-0.  Toronto did try and put up a fight at the start of the second half where a good spell of play allowed them to close to gap down to 3-2 but having gone down so far early in the match TFC were forced to open up and push forward in hopes of salvaging the match but that just left them exposed at the back and when all was said and done the Union managed to put 6 into their net and leave with a resounding 6-2 win.  The 4 goal margin of defeat was the worst MLS beating that TFC has received in 5 seasons and was sure to have left many fans with a bad taste in their mouth.

It is never easy to get beat down so badly but it has to be even harder on the players when it takes place at home and in front of your own fans.  Toronto FC have never conceded 6 goals in the league before so this result would have been a shock to the fans and a very hard one to watch. Many of the players were very apologetic for the performance and you could see that they were honestly embarrassed to have put in such a poor showing for the home fans. Toni Tchani tweeted "What a disaster that was!!!We r really embarrassed about what happened today n especially myself. Thanks for ur support n we need it" and he seemed honestly interested in what the fans had to say about how things could have gone so wrong for them on the field and was genuinely appreciative for the support that he received from fans.  He is just one example of players searching for answers and hoping to use the defeat as something to motivate them to be that much better going forward to ensure there is no repeat of the performance.

I do not expect Toronto to get beat like this again any time soon but the fact of the matter is that this match shows how far away they still are from being among the top sides in the east.  The team have been in various stages of building and rebuilding since they came to the MLS but at some point fans might start to get sick of waiting for the team to deliver on 5 years of promises.  I hope that Winter is the made to finally live up to what he has said and build the team in to one that can compete for the MLS crown but it is clear that he still has a long ways to go and it will be important to get things turned around fast so that the fans and players don't begin to lose faith in the team or themselves.  

Next up for TFC will be a replay of the rained out Nutrilite second leg which will give TFC a chance to win a trophy which will at the very least be a positive in a hard season and give the fans something to be happy about.  To win the game though they will have to play much better then they did against the Union and also better then they did in the first half of the rain cancelled match.

Nutrilite Disaster

Last night was the second leg of the Nutrlite Cup finals, or should I say the first attempt at it, but weather got in the way of what was potentially a good game.  With the first leg having ended in a 1-1 draw despite Vancouver controlling much of the play things were set up for an interesting match.  The weather forecast was clear that rain was expected around 8 which would mean that it would be around just in time for the second half and that is exactly what happened.

The first half saw Vancouver take a 1-0 lead thanks to Eric Hassli who scored a 17th minute strike which would have been his second of the finals having given Vancouver the lead with a similar shot in the first leg.  His goal had a lot to do with the deflection that it took but based on the run of play before the ran came the lead was nothing more then what Vancouver deserved. When the rain did arrive that is when the problems began for players, officials, coaches, and the powers in charge of the championship.  The turf surface at BMO field quickly became coated in water and it proved impossible to actually play the game as the ball was getting stuck and the safety of players was clearly being endangered.  Thankfully thunder and lightning arrived around the 60 minute mark and the officials were forced to stall the game.  This was actually the second stall as the match had been delayed by 30 minutes before the second half could kick off.  They tried to wait out the storm and get the rest of the game in but by the time 11 pm rolled around fans were being sent home and some kind of decision was needed.  It was clear that a match of only 60 minutes would not count and if they decided to make it official I don't think anyone would have been happy about it and it might have done irreparable damage to the cup itself and the reputation of soccer Canada.

Around 11 the coaches, refs, and officials in charge of the tournament all met behind closed doors to discuss what to do about the match.  Initially it was reported that the plan would be to play the final 30 minutes of the match the following morning but it would have been in front of an empty stadium which I personally think would have been a terrible solution.  That would have resulted in Toronto FC having basically lost its home field advantage for 1/3 of the match and it would also have been very physically draining on the players who would have been faced with a very quick turn around and playing a match at such an unusual time.  The 8 AM kick off time seemed quite insane in light of the fact that it would have been after 11:30 by the time that they players were all able to leave BMO.  


Thankfully this morning it became apparent that the field conditions had not improved since the rain had continued in the overnight overs and the whole 8 AM plan would have to be scrapped.  Instead they made the decision that I think should have been made in the first place which was to scrap the entire match and start it over again at a later date.  The date has been set for June 2nd when the Whitecaps are already in town for an MLS league game.  This way the whole match will be played under tolerable conditions, assuming the weather is better that night, and in front of the partisan crowd that Toronto FC deserve for their home leg.  I for one hope that this decision allows the match to be much more entertaining match that is fitting of ending in a team claiming the top club prize in Canadian soccer.


The strangest part of the whole night is how long it took them to come to these decisions when apparently it was all written down for them in the competition rules.  As I was watching it I wondered if they even had a plan in place for such an eventuality.  With the weather being such an unpredictable force it would have been very poor planning on the part of the Nutrilite championship not have put something in place.  I found out this morning that it was all clearly outlined in the rules for the tournament under the following rule:


Official Nutrilite Canadian Championship rule 12: If the match is abandoned before the completion of normal playing time because of extreme weather or for reasons outside the control of the host team, the match shall be replayed in its entirety the following day, thus avoiding the considerable extra expense for the visiting team. If it is still impossible to play the match the next day for the same reasons, the match may be postponed by another day, provided both teams agree. If the match can still not be played on the third day, the expenses thus incurred by the visiting team shall be split between the two teams. A decision will be taken within two hours of the referee’s decision to abandon the match, in consultation with the two clubs concerned. In case of dispute, the CSA Organizing Committee fixes the date and kick-off time of the match. Its decision is final.


So if they want things to go a lot smoother next time the right thing to do would be getting a copy of these rules into the hands of the people who are broadcasting the match so that they can convey something useful to the fans and spectators so we are not left staying up late wondering just what is going to happen.  The other issue I have here is that playing the last 30 minutes the following day does not seem to be anywhere in these rules.  They suggest that the whole match would have to be replayed no matter what and that is the correct thing to do.  In the end I am glad that they got this right and avoided turning this championship into a complete joke.  They have worked hard to improve the standard of it and increase its profile so thankfully they did not let some bad weather undo all of that hard work.

Support Local Soccer Campaign

A friend of mine on facebook posted the link to this video and I felt that it would be fitting for me to talk about on here.  Myself and my brother have recently begun our own quest to support local soccer in the form of being more committed to Canada's mens national team as well as getting behind Toronto FC in some way even if it has only begun with occasionally taken the time to watch a game on tv or following the Nutrilite Championship as well as my brother picking up a TFC kit even if it was on for a great sale price.  The fact is that for much of our lives as supporters we have only backed Manchester United as our club team and the Netherlands in internationals.  We will of course not be stopping with our support of them but we can do that as well as put more in to local soccer.  For me this is a matter of necessity since the best way to grow the game at a local level is to get behind it.  Toronto FC might not play the best soccer in the world and the games might not be as entertaining to watch but the fact is that they have increased the profile of the game greatly since joining the MLS.

The thing with this video that first struck me is that the opening commenter states that local football arrived in 2007 but that is not true.  It arrived at a new and higher level but it was not the first pro or semi-pro team in the country.  What TFC has done is provide Canada with a club at a level that felt worth putting our backing behind since it was in a league that we could see as being important.  For me the point of the video is not to call people to support any club but to start to care about Canada.  Many children now play soccer in this country so it is time that we all start to cheer for the national team.  We are Canadians and we can back our hockey team with so much pride and passion so why can we not do the same for the soccer team.

My biggest hope is that on June 1st when I go to the game I am greeted by a see of red and a stadium that is full of pride and patriotism.  It would be a shame to get to BMO field only to see that it is filled with Ecuador's colours and people who are Canadians but have chosen to put their support behind the visit side since that is where their background is.  There is nothing wrong with having a soft spot for the country where your roots are or even where your ancestors called home but if you are Canadian and you like soccer then you should consider getting behind the Canadian teams.

I will admit that I am never going to give up supporting Manchester United in favour of supporting TFC but what I am hoping to do is play my part in helping to grow the game in my country and if going to a game now and then or buying a shirt can do that then I am in.  I will admit that I am extremely excited to finally go and see a soccer game at such a high level and it has taken me far to long to do so.  The hope is that this experience does not let me down and in the future I hope that my stories of going to this game will allow me to convince others to come with me to support team Canada and Toronto FC.

Nutrilite Cup: Is Professional Soccer moving forward in Canada?

So tomorrow night, May 18th, is the first leg of the Nutrilite Cup which is the corporate sponsor name for the Canadian Soccer Championship.  In past years this cup has been a bit of a joke as it has only included 3 teams, Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact and the format was basically that of a group stage so there was no winner takes all show down at the end and as a result the tournament lacked a real level of excitement in my opinion.  That was made worse by the fact that Toronto FC was an MLS team and they were competing against teams from a level lower that they really should have been far superior to.  In the end the 2010 edition of the Cup was exciting as Toronto FC needed to claim a massive win on the last day to win the prize but up until that last match it was dull and doubt it won over to many new fans.

This year things have been much different.  FC Edmonton have been included and the format has been completely revised.  The addition of the 4th team allowed a shift to two round format with both rounds featuring two legs.  In the first semi-final match up Toronto FC cruised to a win over FC Edmonton which should come as no real surprise due to the gap between the levels of the two teams.  On the other side the match between Vancouver Whitecaps, who are now in the MLS, took on Montreal Impact who will be the third Canadian team in the MLS next season.  This tie was a very exciting one with the White Caps winning the first leg on the road it set up for an exciting second leg.  To be honest the only reason that I ended up tuning in to the second leg of this one was the timing.  Since the game was in Vancouver it kicked off at 10 pm for me and by that time there was nothing else on tv and I decided to give the match a try.  It was a dull on for much of the game but in the dying moments Montreal started to try and get the goal that they needed and things really opened up.  Partially as a result of the lack of quality in the sides it seemed that once things got opened up the teams struggled to calm them down at all.  It made for exciting viewing as a neutral with Montreal drawing level in the 83rd minute thanks to Canadian international Ali Gerba.  Vancouver would go on to win the match in extra time thanks to a 100th minute strike but what really struck me was the way in which the extra time went.  I am used to seeing times completely shut things down after they score but this time it seemed that the Vancouver goal only opened things up more as Montreal created several chances of their own.

The semi-final results set up what is probably the final which most fans would have expected with both of the MLS teams managing to advance.  Toronto FC and Vancouver opened the MLS campaign against each other earlier this spring when they met in Vancouver.  That was a very exciting game with Vancouver come out on top 4-2 but again it was marked with the sort of sloppy defending that seems to have characterized games that involve Vancouver this season.  Since that game both teams have really struggled in their MLS campaigns as Toronto FC have only collected 2 wins in 11 matches while Vancouver have failed to win in their 7 matches since that opening night.

On that opening night of the season there was a real sense of excitement for the future of professional soccer in Canada.  Empire Stadium in Vancouver was rocking and both teams went out and put on a show to match the spectacle of Vancouver being back at the highest level.  That excitement seems to have died down a fair bit since then though with both teams struggling to make any progress in the MLS.  For Vancouver that is understandable since it is their debut season but with Toronto FC being around for 5 seasons now fans are sure to be expecting better from the club.  The gap between these two sides seems to be fairly small and that should lead to these two games being fairly exciting.  The first leg will likely be a bit of a nervy affair with neither team wanting to do anything that could cost them the tie before the second game but they will both be looking to try and gain the upper hand.  I think that these two games might just be the best chance to witness what sort of foundation there is for Professional soccer in Canada.  Hopefully both stadiums are load and supportive and both sides come out and show what they can do.  This is the only trophy that either of these teams is going to get anywhere near so lets hope they go all out to try and win it.

Beyond the improving of the Nutrilite Championship the teams are all improving.  It was only 5 years ago that the MLS decided it was time to expand into Canada by including a team from Toronto and now they have added Vancouver and Montreal will join in 2012.  That will give Canada three teams at the highest level and hopefully that will increase the competition between them.  The creation of strong rivalries between these teams will only help increase the fan base for the clubs and get people more involved.  The team still have a long ways to go in terms of reaching the quality needed to win an MLS title or even compete for a playoff spot but with strong management in place and the foundations there it looks like the future is getting ever brighter.  I would like to say that optimistically in another 5 years Canada could be home to 3 of the better teams in the MLS.  This growth can only help to develop the grass roots program as well which could lead to more talented Canadians coming up through the ranks and if the clubs keep increasing in stature they might even be able to keep top Canadians from going over to Europe, at least for a while.