Tebily Released - Official

It was just a matter of time before this became official. Olivier Tebily and Toronto FC have parted ways. Tebily apparently wanted to be closer to his family. We never really had the opportunity to see what he had to offer as he was hampered by minor injuries for the last month or so.

Click here to read the official announcement from TorontoFC.ca.

Barrett deal completed, Dickov inches closer, NYRB pass on Cunningham, Tebily asks for release...

Inevitably the trade with the Chicago Fire was completed today. Click here to read the story from TorontoFC.ca. It appears as if he will be able to suit up for us on Sunday against FC Dallas. I think trader Mo did quite well with this deal. We now have another first round draft pick and a promising young striker to work with.

We also moved a little bit closer to finalizing a deal for Paul Dickov as well. This story from the Blackpool Gazette says that he is likely to be choosing us over Blackpool. Meanwhile, the BBC is reporting here that Milan Mandaric over at Leicester City has refused to give up on Dickov. All signs are indicating Paul Dickov will be at Toronto FC, however.

Ives Galarcep reported today that the Red Bulls have passed on Jeff Cunningham. New York has apparently been looking for a speedy striker to partner Juan Pablo Angel but were concerned with Cunningham's reputation for being a "cancer" in the dressing room. 

Lastly, Kristian Jack reported today on the Footy Blog at the Score that Olivier Tebily has asked for his release. It will be interesting to see what develops with him.

Our rock in centre defense?

We know about our current striker situation - it sucks. We know that we will likely have Paul Dickov and Chad Barrett on our team by the end of the week. After last night's defensive debacle in Salt Lake City, I don't think that strikers are all we need.

The Chicago Fire have the league's best defense thus far, and in the heart of their defense is Wilman Conde. We all saw how powerful he was in Chicago's backline when we visited Toyota Park. The Revolution are tied for the league's second best defense right now. Who is in the heart of their backline - none other than defending MLS Defender of the Year Michael Parkhurst. Some of the league's other big name defenders include Jimmy Conrad of the Kansas City Wizards, Duilio Davino of FC Dallas, and Jamison Olave of Real Salt Lake.

The league's worst defense goes to the LA Galaxy and their need for defensive help has been well documented this season. They, however, have an incredible offensive foursome in David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Carlos Ruiz, and dare I say it, Edson Buddle.

Who will this defender be for us? We don't have the stifling offense of the LA Galaxy so our defensive weaknesses hurt us even more. Tyrone Marshall is on his last legs, let's face it. He's a good defender but past his prime. Marco Velez clearly isn't on pace right now to be one of the league's elite centre halves and Julius James is too inexperienced yet for that kind of pressure.

I'll be honest, I thought Olivier Tebily would bring that strength, skill, and experience we had been missing but rumour has it he has returned to France. Even when he was here, however, he was constantly hampered by injury.

So, by getting guys like Paul Dickov and Chad Barrett we could have fitted a couple more pieces of the puzzle, but I believe without that big central defender our back four will always be liable. Jim Brennan and Marvell Wynne are solid on the wings for us - lets get some consistency in the middle.

Paul Dickov set to sign with TFC

According to this article from BBC Sports, Paul Dickov has turned down an offer from Leicester City to continue his career in MLS.

Dickov, 35, was down here a couple of weeks ago for a trial and Mo Johnston offered him a one year deal. Sports Illustrated reported on it a few weeks ago and Johnston thought that Dickov was a "young 35".

He's definitely not the answer to our goalscoring woes but if we can pair him up with Chad Barrett and get Danny Dichio healthy our attacking options will look much improved!

What do you guys think? A good signing? A waste of cap space? Let me know!

Toronto FC 1 - 2 Real Salt Lake - Match Blog

Another disappointing road loss leaves us with a dismal 1-7-0 record away from BMO Field. It looked as if we had done enough to claim a point, but, like in Chicago, some terrible defending lost it for us late on.

The opportunities were there for us though. Ibby quite possibly should have had two and Laurent Robert hit the crossbar after a brilliant run from Rohan Ricketts. It seemed as if every time we came to life we created opportunities but the same old story has come into play: there was no one to finish the ball.

We started in a 4-4-2 which, I think, worked quite well. Once we can get some decent players up front I think this formation is the way to go for us.

Player Ratings

Greg Sutton - 7 - Was left out to dry on both goals, if it weren't for him our goal difference would be much worse away from home.

Julius James - 5 - He's a rookie and he was playing out of position so I'll cut him some slack, but he did look lost on that second goal.

Tyrone Marshall - 7 - He played well. Not outstanding, not poor.

Marco Velez - 6 - He's had a dip in form and hasn't been playing as well as we'd hope. Lets see if he can pick it up.

Jimmy Brennan - 7 - Got forward as much as he could and defended well. Another solid game by the skipper.

Rohan Ricketts - 8 - I thought he was our best player last night. He was very active in our attack and unlucky to not get an assist when Robert hit the crossbar.

Carl Robinson - 7 - He wasn't outstanding but was still effective. I'm rarely unimpressed with him.

Amado Guevara - 7 - Disappeared for a large portion of the match but one moment of brilliance gave us a glimmer of hope.

Laurent Robert - 6 - Very quiet. Possibly should have scored a header in the first half.

Abdus Ibrahim - 6 - Missed two very good opportunities, but he's only 16. The fact that we're relying on him for goals isn't his own fault.

Jarrod Smith -  5 - Horrible first touch and completely ineffective. I believe he is better suited to a substitutes role on the wings.

As usual I will not rate the subs. We probably should have had a point, and if we had strikers we might have even had the win.

I have to give credit to Salt Lake, though. After the clubs first two years in MLS they have really turned things around. They could have had more goals than their two as well. Well played.

TFC v. RSL - Match Preview

Back on April 19, Laurent Robert's free kick goal was all that separated us from Real Salt Lake in our home opener. Since then we have had our ups and downs, but will be focussing strongly on tonight's match.

Our road woes are in the back of everyone's mind, not to mention the fact that RSL are undefeated at home. They are 5-0-4 at home, while we are a meager 1-6-0 on the road.

We have never lost to RSL, however. Last season our only road win came against Real Salt Lake. Jeff Cunningham and Collin Samuel scored for us in a 2-1 win. At home we drew 0-0 in a frustrating match. I've already mentioned our 1-0 this year.

Ives Galarcep reports here that Chad Barrett is with the team in Salt Lake City and we should expect to see him available for selection tonight.

The match is live at 9:00 on CBC Bold. We really need to start getting points away from home to keep our playoff hopes alive. Enjoy!

MLS Week 18: Colorado Rapids v. Columbus Crew

The Rapids host Columbus tonight in an important match for both sides. Colorado needs a win to help its bid for a playoff spot meanwhile the Crew will look to close in on the New England Revolution. Two Argentine maestros are at the heart of either team's attacks in Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Christian Gomez.

It will be interesting to see how this one develops.

MLS Week 18: Kansas City Wizards v. Chicago Fire

The match between the Galaxy and FC Dallas looks to be all but over. Kansas City and Chicago are underway. No Chad Barrett for the Fire of course. We all know that they have Blanco, of course, the MVP of Thursday's All Star game.

At halftime the score is still 0-0. Not a lot happening in this match as it's been mostly a midfield battle. I won't be watching much more of it - if you do watch it please let me know how it goes. Once Colorado and Columbus comes on I will turn my attention to cheering for a loss for the Crew.

Halftime - Chicago Fire 0 - 0 Kansas City Wizards

MLS Week 18: FC Dallas v. Los Angeles Galaxy

Aside from the horrendous commentary, the match at Pizza Hut Park between FC Dallas and the Los Angeles Galaxy has been pretty good. Kenny Cooper has stolen the show with two well struck goals so far. The Hoops have been able to open up LA's defense almost too easily tonight.

The first half is over and it has really been all FCD. The Galaxy's 5-1 win at Dallas a few months ago looks like it's been put to bed. Unless the Galaxy have something special up their sleeves it should be smooth sailing for Dallas in the second half.

Full Time - FC Dallas 4 - 0 Los Angeles Galaxy

GOAL: Kenny Cooper (10), 15th minute

GOAL: Kenny Cooper (11), 17th minute

GOAL: Dominic Oduro (5), 36th minute

GOAL: Abe Thompson (3), 89th minute

LEAVING TFC: Olivier Tebily and Jeff Cunningham?

According to this thread on the Red Patch Boys Forum veteran centre half Olivier Tébily has returned to France. There is no confirmation on whether or not this is true however a rumour is a rumour so I will leave it up to you to decide. Tébily's first start in a TFC shirt came in the Nutrilite Canadian Championships in our 1-0 win at Montréal. He has made four appearances thus far for us and has missed the last few matches with a sprained ankle.


As well, Jeff Cunningham's well documented fall from grace at TFC looks set to end as it looks like he will be leaving us. Click here to read Morgan Campbell's article on the situation. Cunningham has scored 6 goals in 30 appearances for us and has not looked the same since his mid-season injury last year. This season he has missed a series of sitters and has not looked interested in helping the cause. I suppose the one bright spot this year was his game winning goal against the Galaxy at the HDC. Columbus Crew fans are looking to bring Cunningham back to Crew Stadium. Click here to read the thread by the Crew supporters on Big Soccer.

Chad Barrett = Wayne Rooney?

Nothing to say here - the picture says it all. One question though - he may look like Wayne Rooney, but will Chad Barrett play like Rooney for us? Let's hope...

MLS Week 18: Yet to come...

One match is in the books today and we have three more to go. The San Jose Earthquakes and New York Red Bulls of course drew 1-1 in San Jose. Still to come tonight...

7:00 PM - FC Dallas v. Los Angeles Galaxy

8:00 PM - Kansas City Wizards v. Chicago Fire

9:30 PM - Columbus Crew v. Colorado Rapids

All three of these matches are available online via MLSLIVE.TV. The result between FCD and the Galaxy means very little to us right now with regards to the league table however we ideally want to see a draw between the Wizards and the Fire and obviously would rather see Colorado walk out with 3 points taken from the Crew.

MLS Week 18: San Jose Earthquakes v. New York Red Bulls

My Final Thoughts...

Huckerby is fast - very fast. He will be menace to defenses for the remainder of the season. Francisco Lima was rather invisible and his age is showing. The Red Bulls still need some more help. Last week's thriller with the Galaxy was 100% than today's game as Jorge Roja and Juan Pablo Angel were largely ineffective. The Earthquakes should have had 3 points today but couldn't finish - I know how Earthquakes supporters feel.

UPDATE III: The final whistle blows and San Jose are left rueing missed opportunities. The final score is 1-1 and the Red Bulls will have to be satisfied with a point they definitely did NOT deserve.

UPDATE II: The score is still 1-1, we are in the 75th minute. The Quakes have missed numerous scoring opportunities and are unfortunate to not be 2-1 or 3-1 up. Frank Yallop has just replaced Ronnie O'Brien with rookie Shea Salinas.

UPDATE I: It's still 1-1 in the 65th minute. San Jose seems to be carrying the play. The Quakes have subbed Ivan Guerrero on for Eric Denton, meanwhile Seth Stammler and Andy Boyens have been replaced by Mike Magee and John Wolyniec for NYRB.

It's currently halftime. Eric Denton's own goal in the fourth minute might have been worse than James Riley earlier in the season. Darren Huckerby opened up his MLS account in the thirteenth minute with a real poachers goal.

The Quakes dominated the first half and look like a team renewed with the additions of Huckerby, Lima, and Sealy. It will be interesting to see what the second half has in store.

Is a striker all we need?

Danny Dichio has scored 5 goals and assisted on 2 this year for us. For the most part, though, we've known that we need someone better. Jeff Cunningham, fourth all-time in MLS career goals, looks to be on his way out of town and from our perspective that's a good thing. Abdus Ibrahim is 16 - we cannot rely on him. Jarrod Smith is young, works hard, but has been lacking that finishing touch.

Earlier this season it was emphasized that Toronto FC needed wingers and a playmaker. Three weeks into the season, we had Laurent Robert, Rohan Ricketts, and Amado Guevara, who all have the potential to be top players in MLS.

Now it seems we need strikers. We have received Chad Barrett from the Chicago Fire in the McBride deal, but we still need someone else. Barrett is young and full of potential. We need someone experienced - a finisher.

Laurent Robert and Rohan Ricketts have often looked useless because no one can finish what they create from the wings. Is their service bad, or is our finishing bad? I suppose only time will tell.

All I know now is that we need to get a big name striker, fast. Once we get this we can move forward - but for now, I think Robert and Ricketts are fantastic additions to our team.

John Carver has said he wants to move to a 4-4-2. This would most likely bump Maurice Edu to the bench with Amado Guevara partnering Carl Robinson at centre midfield. I agree with Carver on this move and hope we can get it done fast because the 4-5-1 (or 4-4-1-1) has NOT been working effectively.

Right now we are 6-6-4 but need to improve to remain in the playoff race. We could implode like last season and finish last in the league, or we could have a fantastic run of form and win the Supporters Shield. Who knows!

I suppose only time will tell - but I think we are all hoping that time tells us shortly.

Ben's TFC Blog: Back in Business

Oh how busy things can be in the summer. After about 6 or 7 weeks off I've decided to start writing again.

I can see in my last post I was contemplating on the trade between Chicago and Toronto for the rights to Brian McBride. This looks to be all but finalized. Toronto FC fans, welcome Chad Barrett to TFC. He's 23 and has 5 goals and 4 assists this season. I would say we did well given our current situation. Check out the linked article to get all the trade details, but it looks like we got a senior international spot, a first round draft pick, and allocation money on top of receiving Chad Barrett. Well done Trader Mo.

You guys all know about our recent dip in form. Two 0-0 draws at home, losing the Canadian Championship, and an injury time away loss to Chicago illustrates this. Amidst this some positives have come up - it looks as if Jeff Cunningham's days are numbered. He has been utterly useless this season. The real shock isn't that we're looking to get rid of him, but that there are actually teams in this league interested. Mo Johnston has said there are 3 or 4 - I've heard they are Houston, San Jose, Columbus, and FC Dallas.

After the 1-1 draw with Montreal, John Carver mentioned he wanted to move to a 4-4-2 with Guevara and Robinson in the middle, obviously forming a midfield diamond. If we can add a second striker this will definitely work.

Thursday's All Star Game was a lot of fun. MLS really screwed up at the beginning with the anthems - I don't think TFC supporters can be faulted for their reaction. The game was very enjoyable and it was fitting that the winner was scored by Toronto native Dwayne DeRosario. It's always great to see world class talent such as Lucas Neil, Dean Ashton, David Beckham, and Cuauhtemac Blanco on the pitch.

MLS recommences today. I will be following up on the action later and previewing our away match against RSL.