NCC: Toronto FC 1 - 0 Montréal Impact - Match Report

I didn't get a chance to catch this one live so I just watched the archived CBC stream. I was pleased to see Tebily in the starting eleven and was even more pleased by his solid performance. This guy has to start - but the question is: where?

Jeff Cunningham looked relatively unmotivated and out of touch. His chance about 25 minutes in should have at least tested the keeper. I'd expect a striker to score it.

Kevin Harmse looked like his typical self. He had numerous stray passes and got his routine booking. I was looking for him to show something special but saw no reason to thing he'll bring too much to the team.

It was unfortunate for Montréal supporters that Pesilo was sent off for two bookable offences, the second of which was pure stupidity. One Impact player that impressed me was David Testo, who I believe was playing as a central midfielder. He seemed to possess good passing and playmaking abilities and was very quick.

In the end, Marco Velez was the man of the hour for us, rising above the Montréal defense to knock home a header from a Laurent Robert free kick. In the first 15 minutes the Impact arguably should have had a penalty after Velez appeared to have shoved the Impact striker on a breakaway. Montréal had some very good scoring opportunities, mainly in the first half. Once Pesilo had been sent off the match was TFC's for the taking and we were very much obliged.

Here are my player ratings for the match:

Greg Sutton: (7) - A clean sheet is always deserving of at least a seven.
Marvell Wynne: (7) - Coped with everything the Impact forwards threw his way.
Marco Velez: (7) - Solid for the most part though had a nervy moment early in the match after nearly giving away a penalty.
Olivier Tebily: (8) - Solid as a rock. He was never beaten and seemed to always make the right decision with the ball.
Jim Brennan: (7) - Was able to be involved in the attack a bit more in the second half.
Rohan Ricketts: (8) - His first match where he really showed a lot of skill. Hopefully this was a confidence boost for him ahead of Saturday's match.
Kevin Harmse: (5) - Stray passes, silly tackles. Release him, sign Poz.
Carl Robinson: (6) - Didn't stand out and was hardly noticeable. He had a shot on goal, I think his first all year.
Laurent Robert: (7) - Was much more prevelant as the match wore on. A deserved assist.
Jarrod Smith: (6) - I think he's better as a winger. He certainly didn't offer too much up front tonight.
Jeff Cunningham: (5) - Some rumours say Mo's shopped him around. Now I can see why there were no takers.

It looks as if we will be missing Guevara, Robinson, and Edu for Saturday's match versus the Galaxy. The good news? They will be missing both Beckham and Donovan.

As for the Canadian Champions League, we should be able to take this, and I hope even moreso now that Montréal and Vancouver get MLS franchises for these rivalries to heat up.

Toronto FC 2 - 3 DC United - Match Report

I don't really have much to say about this match. We did not deserve the points we could have had. We were outclassed for the majority of the match with two fantastic goals putting in the lead on two occasions. In the end, we really threw the match away. If we don't concede that penalty or if Sutton handles that shot a little better we walk out with at least a point. Credit to our boys though. It shows that despite being dominated we were in a match. Last year, if the run of play had gone that way it would have been MUCH worse. Here are my player ratings for the match:

Sutton: (7) - Made his first blip of the season. I think we know he will be forgiven for it.
Wynne: (6) - Not sure what was going on in his head when the penalty was conceded.
Velez: (6) - Didn't see much of him.
Marshall: (6) - Injured, luckily we have some competent depth with guys like Tebily and James waiting to come in.
Brennan: (7) - Another solid outing by our captain.
Ricketts: (6) - He really needs to take control of a match or could lose his spot to Smith.
Edu: (5) - He needs some consistency and some shooting practice.
Robinson: (6) - A solid match by Robbo. No real complaints here.
Robert: (7) - An assist on the first goal and constantly sending in good crosses. His sending off could really hurt us, though.
Guevara: (7) - Assisted on our second goal and showed Gallardo why we didn't spend $1.7 million on an aging playmaker.
Dichio: (8) - Where on EARTH did that second goal come from. If he can consistently perform this way we could be in better shape up front than I thought.

When Tyrone Marshall went out injured Olivier Tebily stepped in and was very solid - solid enough for me to replace Velez in our starting eleven.

Toronto FC 1 - 0 DC United - Match Report

In my match preview I was saying how I would like to see Cunningham get the nod ahead of Dichio, since DD hasn't had what it takes so far. I guess I was wrong. Dichio's goal in the first ten minutes last night was enough to secure 3 points in a 1-0 home win over DC United. After winning the ball from the DC defender AND being taken down in the box (yes, if it had not gone in we would have had a penalty) Dichio slotted the ball home in the bottom right corner.

I must also praise Greg Sutton for his match winning save off of Fred's free header at the far post. A pin point cross to the wide open winger really should have been an equalizer for DC however Sutton was in the right place at the right time to preserve his fourth clean sheet of the year.

Rohan Ricketts was subbed for Jarrod Smith in the 47th minute and Laurent Robert was taken off for Todd Dunivant around the 65th. John Carver was obviously content with defending the 1-0 lead for the majority of the second half, even then, it seemed we still had the better scoring opportunities.

Amado Guevara continues to amaze me everytime I watch him play - that's two attempted bicycle kicks that have actually come off. Carl Robinson had a solid outing making sure Marcelo Gallardo was quiet. The Argentine never had an open look at goal from open play. Marvel Wynne marking Fred was an intriguing match up, a match up he won. I've already mentioned Sutton's solid play in his fourth clean sheet of the year and Danny Dichio's game winning goal.

Another positive note for me was the difference between two former Argentine internationals, Marcelo Gallardo and Guillermo Barros Schelotto. I can remember at one point in the match Gallard slipping up on the sideline and crashing hard into the side boards. He just got up, showing a bit of pain, but ran back onto the pitch. I suspect Schelotto would have made quite a meal of it.

Here are my player ratings for the match:

Greg Sutton: (8) - Match winning save on Fred and a clean sheet.
Marvell Wynne: (8) - Won his battles all night long and was an attacking option at certain points in the match.
Marco Velez: (7) - Can't say I noticed much of him, which we all know can be a good thing with defenders.
Tyrone Marshall: (7) - See above.
Jim Brennan: (7) - Jimmy's performances have been pretty consistent this season with last night's being no exception.
Rohan Ricketts: (6) - Only played 46 minutes but was encouraging throughout. Has yet to really make a big impact on a match.
Carl Robinson: (7) - Shut down Gallardo and patrolled the midfield as usual.
Maurice Edu: (7) - These past two matches for Edu have been his best all year for us.
Laurent Robert: (8) - Robert always seems to make something happen in his own, un-fancy way.
Amado Guevara: (8) - When he gets the ball you almost expect a goal to come at the end of the play.
Danny Dichio: (8) - The big man comes back in style. Was a constant menace to the DC backline, Peralta specifically, and notched home the match winner in the early stages.

After last night's match I don't think our match on Saturday in Washington is out of reach. I'm expecting a draw and would be delighted with a win. A loss would be very disappointing.

Bienvenue au Stade Saputo!

I watched the grand opening of the new Stade Saputo in Montreal, home of the Impact. A fitting match up between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact gave very little entertainment and the weather made for a very poor atmosphere. Don Garber was reported to have been in attendance with Gillette and Saputo's push for expansion to MLS. The crowd though, could not have helped their chances.

The match ended 0-0 which means that a Toronto FC player might score the first competitive goal at the new stadium, and, after watching our Canada Cup opponents play, it is highly likely that it will be someone in Toronto red scoring first next Tuesday.

Three points, a lead in the qualifying tournament, and pride are all up for grabs on May 27 when the Montreal Impact host Toronto FC. This match should be a good one.

Toronto FC v. DC United Match Preview

All of us will remember our 4-1 loss to DC United on April 5. A quick recap goes along the lines of this:

Down 2-0 within 6 minutes and a man down after the 25th minute, the match quickly became a write-off for us. In fact, the 4-1 scoreline was really something we could be happy about as it could have been much worse. As well, it gave Laurent Robert his MLS debut.

These days, we are a much different side. This argument was widely used before our 0-0 draw against the Crew. Yes, it has become a bit cliche, but we did in fact dominate Columbus this past weekend, and yes, I believe it was largely due to the signings of Guevara, Robert, and Ricketts (who by no means had his most outstanding match).

Enter DC United who lost on the weekend in Los Angeles to Chivas USA by 3 goals to 1. Marcelo Gallardo had another screamer giving him 3 goals on the season. DC is 0-4-0 on the road having scored only 1 goal while conceding 11. Head coach Tom Soehn is on the hot seat with Bruce Arena potentially being tipped to take his place (can't find where I read that - maybe I dreamed in).

In my opinion, DC United are the top team in MLS on paper. That said, I think that right now we are one of the league's top teams on paper as well. We really have to take advantage of their poor form. We have two on the bounce against these guys and given our current form in contrast to theirs - I don't think that 6 points is out of our reach. Yes, that would make our record 5-2-2.

I expect to see a starting eleven identical to this past Saturday's, though I am hoping Cunningham starts in place for Dichio. I don't think Cunningham fits into our system any better than Dichio does, but Danny just hasn't been doing it for us so I think it's time we see what Cunningham can do. I will leave my fingers crossed on Edu's fitness but I expect him to start.

As far as DC goes, word on the street is that Brazilian midfielder Fred, arguably the league's best left winger, will be out for this one. As well, Luciano Emilio has been AWOL and DC's defense hasn't been overly-spectacular to say the least. Many MLS supporters will know that DC United is potential a sleeping giant that just needs to be woken up.

In the end, I think we'll win 2-0 with Guevara and Cunningham scoring. If there is any ground for DC to turn around its road woes, it's not BMO Field - maybe Crew Stadium, maybe in Kansas City, but not here.

TFC 0 - 0 Crew: How are they atop the table?

The only thing I can think about when I look back on Saturday's match is the pathetic player that is Guillermo Barros Schelotto. A lack of goals in a match that we definitely should have put beyond the Crew's reach breathes an equal amount of positives and negatives for TFC supporters.

The positives? We dominated the Crew throughout the entire match with their few chances coming off of small counter attacks. Laurent Robert was a very present force, especially in the second half, and his shot off the post remained the closest thing to a goal we saw. Tyrone Marshall and Marco Velez had another solid outing in the middle of our back line. Marshall's goal line clearance was the main highlight from a defensive perspective as we preserved our third clean sheet of the young season. As well, John Carver's remarks about Schelotto should hopefully alert MLS officials into at least fining this player for his pathetic antics. I saw more positive signs from Maurice Edu, who has been relatively quiet this season. When he makes good plays it looks effortless. When he messes up, we seem to demand more effort. He just has a raw, natural ability. As well, Amado Guevara continues to provide attacking flare, though I would expect him to finish an opportunity like the one he had in the first few minutes of the match.

The negatives? We didn't score. As well, Danny Dichio was ineffective for his 60 minuts on the pitch. I've almost been waiting for him to get on the end of a couple crosses one match to get his season going but it doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon. If you go back and watch the first ten or so minutes of the match, you'll notice that Carl Robinson's first two passes went straight to Crew players. Come on Robbo, we can do better, and we all know it. A poor outing by his standards. Frankie Hejduk really needs a haircut and Guillermo Barros Schelotto really needs to get his manhood examined to confirm if it is there or not, because all signs point to no. The latter of whom was an absolute disgrace to MLS on Saturday.

Here are my player ratings:

Sutton: (8) - A clean sheet warrants an 8, though he was never really tested aside from Rogers' shot in the first half.
Wynne: (8) - Shut down Robbie Rogers, something other defenders in the league have had trouble doing.
Marshall: (8) - His goal line clearance capped off a solid afternoon. He has steadily improved match by match this season.
Velez: (7) - He didn't shine, nor did he have any blunders.
Brennan: (7) - A noticeably solid match by Jimmy. Kicking the ball at Schelotto was a bit of a statement.
Ricketts: (6) - He mocked Schelotto as well after another dive. A plus in my books. A bit of a quiet afternoon for Ro, but he'll get used to MLS.
Robbo: (5) - The only thing he did well was tell Schelotto to play like a man. A poor outing, football-wise, for the Welshman.
Edu: (7) - His most active match this season. I expect him to continue to improve.
Robert: (8) - Took control of the midfield and was a menace to the Crew defense. Deserved for that shot to have gone in.
Guevara: (7) - When doesn't he play well? When will he be this headcase we all hear of? El Lobo for el presidento.
Dichio: (5) - Did nothing really, which sucks. I would expect him to get on the end of some of Robert's crosses.

As usual, I will not rate the substitutes. I will, for the first time, rate an opposing player:

Schelotto: (-10) - The fact that this man has played for the Argentine national team is an embarrassment to their national program. Whining at every call that didn't go his way and diving at every opportunity he had to do so. To cap off a miserable day, he requested a substitute. If I were Sigi Schmid, he would be on the bench next match until he can realize that MLS is a growing league and improving league and by playing the way he did on Saturday, he is not helping the cause. Schelotto, time to go to home, or to a woman's league. You pick.

MLS Week 7 and a look ahead...

Our boys didn't hit the pitch for a match this past weekend. Every other team in MLS did though. The Dynamo finally got their first win of the season at home to Colorado. Right after I transferred them out of my fantasy squad, Ching and DeRo score for men in Orange. Omar Cummings scored for the Rapids before Ugo Ihemelu lost his head resulting in a penalty for Houston. The prime time match on Thursday had Chicago against DC United at RFK Stadium. Goals from Justin Mapp and Blanco gave the Fire a 2-0 away win improving their record to 5-1-1. Real Salt Lake beat FC Dallas 2-1 at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday evening with Kyle Beckerman scoring the winner. In the other Saturday night match up the Red Bulls were at the HDC to take on the Galaxy. Alan Gordon's 77th minute goal canceled out Danleigh Borman's opener but just a minute later Juan-Pablo Angel scored his first of the year. The match ended 2-1 in favour of New York. The Sunday afternoon fixture had Chivas at home to the Revs. Taylor Twellman's first goal after returning from injury proved to be the winner as Chivas woes continue.

One other match took place and it was on Saturday. Columbus improved to 6-1-0 with a 3-2 win in San Jose. Five wins in a row still doesn't have me sold on the Crew, our next opponents. They have beaten: us (horrible at the start of the year), Chivas USA at home (1-4-2), DC United away (2-5-0), Houston at home (1-2-4), Kansas City at home (3-3-1), and San Jose Earthquakes away (1-4-1). Beating the Wizards IS as good a result for them as it was for us. As Columbus starts to play more consistently strong teams we see how good this team really is.

Speaking of the Crew, I actually just listened to a Crew Supporters' radio show. I am sad to say it was an utter waste of time. I would have loved to have heard some intelligent MLS debates, but most of the things said on the show were opinion based. Whining about other teams' supporters whining isn't exactly proving a point. One of the guys hopes to silence BMO Field...I'm assuming he means to create an atmosphere similar to that of a home match for the Crew like we did for our boys down in Ohio back in March. What do I say? All the power to him. If him and his team can do it, I'll buy him a drink.

I know it's becoming cliché, but we are a completely different side than the one that played at Crew Stadium for First Kick. If any Crew supporters are expecting the signings of Robert, Guevara, and Ricketts not to have an effect on the match, please let me know why.

Prediction? 3-1 Toronto. The Crew will score first and lead at the half and we will come out firing on all cylinders in the second half. I hope I'm wrong. I'd love to just spank these guys four or five nil. That said, they'd love to do the same to us.

In other TFC news, former Canadian international striker Paul Peschisolido is training with the Reds. A potential signing? I have no reason to believe yes, though, I would take him. Under certain circumstances though, of course. He'd need to be getting only a one year deal and would have to be nonguaranteed. I think he would do well in MLS, though, at 37, his time is nearly up. I would take him, under the right circumstances, and for the right price.

Toronto FC News and Notes

Given the fact that we don't play until March 17 this week hasn't been so horrible as I wait for that afternoon. Former Canadian international Nick Dasovic has been named the new head coach of our academy and second assistant to the first team. As well, Stuart Neely and Jason Bent have been added as academy coaches. If you're interested in following the TFC Academy they will be playing in the Canadian Soccer League (CSL).

Today, according to Sky Sports, Darren Huckerby has been shown the door by Glen Roeder and Norwich City. You may remember he was linked to TFC a while back, however since the signings of Robert, Guevara, and Ricketts his signing has become seemingly redundant. If the price is right, though, I wouldn't mind giving him a run up front for us - after all, he has blistering pace. If we signed Hucks I would not be disappointed at all. Dichio looked out of sorts against New York and for me, Jeff Cunningham is...well, frankly put, lazy. Guevara's creativity mixed with Huckerby's pace and finishing ability could be lethal in MLS - however, at 32, we'd need him to have an immediate impact.

What about James Sharman's rumour about Patrick Kluivert? Nothing has surfaced since then. Was it all hear-say? I have no idea. My buddy is from the Netherlands and an avid supporter of Dutch footy and said that if Kluivert came and stayed healthy he'd score 10 goals at maximum - not the type of return a DP striker should be providing (unless you are Kansas City).

Speaking of TFC and strikers, Collin Samuel has signed for St. Johnstone in Scotland. The club is based in Perth. I googled "Perth Bakeries" and found a decently sized list of bakeries in the city. I wonder if this swayed his decision at all.

On a non-TFC related note, the "Beckham in MLS" bashers should be all quieted down by now. Three goals and four assists in 6 matches from midfield is pretty good. In a 30 match season Becks is on pace for 15 goals and 20 assists. That won't happen, but yes - he IS in MVP form.

On the note of MVPs, I think many pundits of MLS are taking note of our own Amado Guevara. The guy is fantastic. Two goals and an assist in four matches isn't that bad from the Honduran. Out of the big three this year (Robert / Guevara / Ricketts), he has been the most significant. I've said this in an earlier post and I will say it again. DeRo who? I'll be honest - if I were to be reading the transfer rumours and heard rumblings that we were trading 'El Lobo' for DeRo I would be pissed. Ever since MLS came to Toronto, supporters have been crying for DeRo to spearhead our attack. I'll say it now - Guevara, quite simply, is better. Disagree? Feel free to let me know.

News from outside MLS - Leicester City, where our own homeboy Iain Hume plays, has been relegated to League One, an all time low for them. Milan Mandaric, former owner of Pompey, bought the Foxes a year or two ago and vowed to get them back into the Premier League. What's gone wrong? The article I linked to above has some interesting information about Leicester's fall from glory. Queue the TFC relatedness: MLS or League One...what is more appealing to Mr. Hume? I'd take him up front for us in a heartbeat. As well, this article states that Kevin Keegan is set to release three Newcastle players at the end of the season - two of whom I can remember playing regularly in the Magpie's squad. Here's hoping King Kev can get Newcastle back where they belong in the Premiership. A series of failed attempts (Souness, Roeder, Allardyce) have been disappointing to say the least.

That is all for now. A second TFC-less weekend in a row awaits but I can only look forward to our match against the Crew.

MLS Week 6 Recap

I didn't get a chance to see any other matches this weekend. Actually, I watched about 12 minutes of Chicago's 3-0 win at New England. Basically, the only result this weekend that really made me happy was Colorado's 2-0 home win against D.C. United. The Crew beat Kansas City 2-1 in Columbus. I'm still not sold on the Crew - 4 home wins have definitely helped their cause. Chivas and Houston continued their woes in a 0-0 draw. I guess when it rains it pours, for either side. The Quakes and FC Dallas played to the weekend's second 0-0 draw. Becks scored two crackers against Real Salt Lake as the Galaxy battled back from a 2-0 deficit to draw the match 2-2.

That's all I have for weekend review. Busy times mean a lack of time for me to check out some of the action.

What am I going to do until May 17 when we play again? I don't know. I'll get back to you on that. It really sucks. Either way, we will show Columbus who the real kings of the east are - thus far (Kings of East and Columbus should never be used in the same sentence).

Toronto FC 1 - 1 New York Red Bulls - Match Report

A Marco Velez header and a Dave Van Den Bergh free kick were the only goals in a cold and rainy draw at BMO Field last night. Aside from getting there a few minutes late and the wannabee hooligans who were absolutely pissed out of their minds causing a delay on the train home, it was a good time.

I've been so late on writing this I missed the Footy Blog's "TFC Blog Link-up". Check out some other posts though, it is good reading.

Overall, I thought the 1-1 draw was a fair result. I wasn't too impressed with how Toronto played, especially Carl Robinson. It's been a while since I saw so many stray passes from him. Marvell Wynne was absolutely phenomenal last night - he was all over the pitch. As well, for the first time, I was convinced that Marco Velez deserves a start - and this is NOT only because he scored. Velez made a couple key tackles and wasn't ever caught out this match. Red Patch Boys, well done with the "Marco Polo" chant for Velez.

Here are my player ratings, after I will go on a rant about the posers vandalizing the GO Train.

Greg Sutton (7) - The only weakness I've ever seen in Sutts is his inability to get down low quickly enough, and this was exploited tonight. His only blip in a run of fantastic matches for him.
Marvell Wynne (9) - I haven't been too impressed with Marvell this season (not to suggest he's been bad) but the match on Thursday changed my mind. He was simply phenomenal.
Marco Velez (8) - Julius James and Olivier Tebily will have a hard time getting into the squad if Velez continues to play like he did against New York.
Tyrone Marshall (6) - His hand ball gave away the free kick that New York scored on, though you can't blame him with the wet pitch most likely factoring.
Jim Brennan (7) - Was fairly quiet for me, as is the case in many matches. It just proves that he's so solid for us we go into the matches expecting something special.
Rohan Ricketts (6) - He was closed down very quickly and given very little time on the ball. Still though, I saw glimpses of what he will bring to the team as he continues to get settled.
Carl Robinson (5) - The Robbo against KC and the Robbo against NYRB were two different players, but, this guy has been here through thick and thin for TFC. I'll let it slide.
Mauric Edu (6) - I'm still waiting for him to show why he's one of America's most exciting young players. He was solid, but hasn't reached that superstar status that guys like Dempsey reached.
Laurent Robert (7) - I thought he did well and was much more involved in the match than he was on Saturday. His set pieces always turn out to be scoring opportunities.
Amado Guevara (7) - You could tell the Red Bulls had a plan to stop him because he was given very little time when he had the ball - yet he was still creating chances for us.
Danny Dichio (5) - He was slow and never in a good scoring position when we were attacking. Gotta love the guy, but it's time for Cunningham to start.

So, I was a little disappointed we didn't come out firing on all cylinders and hammer these guys, but when you don't play well and get a draw something has to be going right for you, right?

After the match, the atmosphere in the tunnel at the GO station was brilliant. Unfortunately, a couple of hammered guys continued it on the train and found vandalizing it a good option somehow. I'm not entirely sure you should be so ecstatic after a draw. It was a night match, there were still people coming home from work who just wanted to get home. Why can't we have some class and respect for other people? Yes - go nuts about TFC waiting at the station with the other supporters. Yes - go nuts about TFC at the match. Yes - discuss the match with some friends and other supporters on the train. Please, though, don't ruin a day for hundreds of people on the train who just want to get home because you are too pissed drunk to realize what you are doing. End of rant.

I don't know what I will do for the next seventeen days until we show Columbus what true support is (again). I do know, however, that I'm looking forward to showing the Crew and its few supporters that their start is a fluke, and ours is not.