Some Toronto FC Notes

Yesterday we learned that Mo Johnston traded draft pick Pat Phelan to the Revolution in exchange for a senior-international slot. This is potentially a prelude to a trade with Chicago for the rights to Brian McBride. SoccerbyIves has reported the names Justin Mapp and Wilman Conde while I am hearing rumblings of Chad Barret and Chris Rolfe as well. I have no idea what use we would have for Conde. He is a great defender however our plate is quite full enough when it comes to centre-halves.

If I had to pick a player from Chicago it would, at this point, be Chris Rolfe. If we can get Rolfe as well as the much-discussed DP striker we would be set. When he's healthy, the US national team striker is one of the league's quickest and most exciting. If I were Mo Johnston I might try and include Jeff Cunningham in the deal and get as much money as possible. I can see Mo really taking advantage of the opportunity, though I remember what happened to Dallas when Landon Donovan wanted to play for the Galaxy.

On Sunday night TFC takes on the defending champion Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium in Texas. Last year we pulled off a 1-0 home win on a cold and rainy night in May and managed a 0-0 draw in Texas after Maurice Edu was sent off in the first half. Houston's match against DC United was called off because of poor field conditions caused by heavy rain. They've had a bit of an up and down season. They were the last team to win in MLS this year after beating Chicago 2-1 at Toyota Park. They won their next match but then lost 2-1 to the Quakes in San Jose. Inconsistent is the word to describe them this season.

Looking at our form I can expect at least a point from this match. A loss will be very disappointing. According to torontofc.ca, we will have Marco Velez, Jim Brennan, Greg Sutton, and Maurice Edu available for selection, each of whom played for their respected national sides this week. As well, Laurent Robert will be returning from his suspension.

What a way to cap off a weekend too - the commencement of EURO 2008 on Saturday with matches obviously on Sunday as well, and Toronto FC in the evening.

Toronto FC 2 - 0 LA Galaxy - Match Report

Our first double in club history saw Julius James have a dream debut against the Galaxy. We had 6 starters missing - Robbo, Guevara, Dichio, Marshall, Sutton, Robert - while the Gals were missing their big three - Becks, Landycakes and Ruiz (the latter of whom are out through injury).

With numerous big names missing we needed guys like Mo Edu, Rohan Ricketts, and Jeff Cunningham to step up and they did just that. Olivier Tebily started in place of the injured Tyrone Marshall and his first start in MLS lasted just over 15 minutes as he was subbed off because of an injury. Julius James came on and was not only solid as a rock at the back, but he also scored the match winner in his first appearance for the Reds.

This match really illustrated one major thing: We have a bench this year. When you can bring on a former finalist for African Football of the Year (Tebily) and a potential MLS Rookie of the Year (James) off your bench, you are doing well. Not to mention being able to bring one of the top 5 all time scorers in league history on the pitch at any time (Cunningham). The Galaxy, as we saw, have no one aside from Becks, Landycakes and Carlos Ruiz.

Here are my player ratings for the match:

Brian Edwards: (7) - First career win and clean sheet, though he was never really tested.
Marvell Wynne: (7) - Another solid appearance from Wynne. Not much more I can say about him.
Marco Velez: (7) - Solid as well. A better performance than against the Impact.
Julius James: (8) - As solid as any defender we've seen this year and a goal to cap off a fantastic debut.
Jim Brennan: (7) - As I've said in just about every match report: solid match by the skipper.
Rohan Ricketts: (8) - We needed him to stand out and he did. Well hit assist and deserved a goal.
Maurice Edu: (7) - Just when we needed one he puts in a solid performance. He was all over the pitch on Saturday.
Kevin Harmse: (6) - I was impressed, not that my standards were all that high. A decent cover for Robbo or Edu.
Todd Dunivant: (7) - This guy proves our depth. A solid defender and midfielder giving in another performance.
Jarrod Smith: (7) - With some work this guy could be a real force up front. Always gives 100%.
Jeff Cunningham: (7) - Three starts this season and two goals. Not bad for our "second" striker.

Olivier Tebily: (7) - A shame to see him injured. He had some solid challenges.

We are 5-3-2 heading to Houston. This should be a tough match away however I can see us coming away with a draw. Houston has been up and down this season. After two consecutive wins they lost to the Quakes. Case and point. A record of 6-3-2 does sound very nice for us though...