My thoughts are now on Tuesday

That match last night was terrible. Houston ran circles around us for the better part of the game. I'm not going to focus on it or get too worried, and here's why: DC lost last night, New York lost last night, Kansas City drew last night, and Columbus drew last night. We haven't really lost any ground. Also, our next three league matches: LA Galaxy, and then two matches against the hapless Red Bulls - all at home

The one question I will ask is: Why on earth does Chad Barrett start ahead of Pablo Vitti?

Tuesday could be the day we lift our first ever silverware as we take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Voyageur's cup. Time to focus on that.

Toronto FC @ Houston Dynamo - Match Preview

Tomorrow night we take on the Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium in a match that will mark Dwayne De Rosario's first ever match in Houston as a member of the Dynamo's opposition. In a way it is a homecoming for him. The same can be said for Adrian Serioux, who won an MLS Cup in 2006 with the Dynamo before finding his away across Texas in Dallas.

We all know that both Serioux and De Rosario are in their true homes now, back in Toronto. It will be interesting to see the reception both of them receive from the Dynamo faithful - who are bound to be in good voice.

What: Toronto FC @ Houston Dynamo
Where: Robertson Stadium (capacity 32,000)
When: Saturday, May 30 @ 8:30 pm ET
TV: Rogers Sportsnet, Direct Kick, Match Center

According to Chris Cummins' pre-match interview, everyone is good to go for us except for rookie striker O'Brian White, who has been out all season so far. He mentioned that he might be resting some players tomorrow for Tuesday's Voyageur's Cup clash with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Swanguard Stadium. The V-Cup is ours for the taking, and we could clinch it on Tuesday.

After hearing Cummins say this, I expect we'll line up in a 4-4-2 rather than a 4-3-3. If I had to guess how we're going to lineup, I'd go with this...

--------------------Frei-------------------
Wynne-----Serioux----Velez-----Brennan
-----------------Robinson-----------------
Cronin---------------------------------Vitti
------------------Guevara-----------------
-----------De Rosario-----Barrett----------

I am expecting both Amado Guevara and Marvell Wynne to go the full 90 in this one - the two are away on international duty next week. I also expect that Chris Cummins will rest Danny Dichio for Tuesday, and he dropped a hint midweek that Vitti could get the start out wide in midfield, which is a move I'd support.

Houston Dynamo aren't the most beat up side either, as they'll only for sure be missing centre half Eddie Robinson. Both Richard Mulrooney and Wade Barrett are questionable for this one, so we'll have to wait and see if either of them play. The Dynamo have a recent history of starting slow before picking it up as the season goes on, and this year is no different. Houston is unbeaten in six and are now up to third in the Western Conference standings. Here is how Houston might line up...

---------------------Onstad------------------
Mulrooney---Boswell-----Cameron--Hainault
---------------------Clark--------------------
----Mullan---------Holden----------Davis----
--------------Kamara------Ching-------------

One player I'm looking forward to seeing is Canadian defender Andrew Hainault. I really wish we had managed to get this guy. He's apparently been a hit since his arrival in Houston, starting three of four matches since he was signed. It will also be interesting to see if former Red Julius James gets any action tomorrow night. He's only played 33 minutes all season, but with Eddie Robinson injured, he could be a second half substitute.

Given the fact that Houston is unbeaten in six and have yet to lose at home, it's hard to see us getting a win tomorrow night. If we can't manage a result, the good news is that we have Los Angeles, and then the Red Bulls twice, all at home in June. I'm remaining optimistic though. If De Rosario and Guevara can take control of this one, we could be in for a nice surprise.

Brian McDive

Last night was a battle of the big guns. The first place teams in either conference - Chicago Fire and Chivas USA - played at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. You could tell both of these sides were near the top...this match was awesome. It had everything: goals, cards, late drama, and some bad refereeing - which is pretty much an MLS requirement these days.

Chivas USA were 2-1 up in the 88th minute when Patrick Nyarko equalized for Chicago, and it looked like the Fire were going to leave with a point. Think again though. In the 94th minute, referee Terry Vaughan awarded Chicago a penalty, which was easily converted by Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Check out the call though - how on earth is this a penalty? Nice dive McBride...

I bet no one saw this coming...

John Carver is back at Newcastle.

He's signed on as their head coach, and not the manager, so he'll probably be do okay. He's a good coach, but we all saw that he was a bit out of his element as a manager. His passion for his hometown club will likely do the Magpies well. Good luck Mr. Carver.

Real Madrid anyone?

Check this out.

It looks like we could be hosting Spanish giants Real Madrid in August. That sounds a bit better than Pachuca or Independiente...

It will be very exciting if this actually happens, but there is one gripe I have with it. "Ticket prices have also yet to be confirmed, although Toronto FC are said to be pursuing another opponent for a second exhibition game to fulfill their one-game commitment to season ticket holders, enabling the Real Madrid tickets to be sold at a premium, and not inclusive of season ticket packages."

Is that a joke? I love the folks in our front office - they were awesome to me while I was interning there, but not a fan at BMO Field wants two friendlies this year - and why on earth would this not be included in our season ticket package? Is it because it's an actual good team? What's the second friendly going to be then - Scunthorpe United?

Something just doesn't seem right here...

Check out the title of this article: Wizards visit streaking Galaxy.

When a team is noted for being "streaking" in a news article, it's usually because they are playing really well and haven't lost too much lately. At least 50% of this is correct of Los Angeles in this article. The Galaxy haven't lost since April 4 - a stretch of 8 league matches. In this unbeaten streak, they've earned 10 points. That's right, just 10, and apparently, this team is on a "streak."

Sometimes stupid little things just bug you...

Schedule change!

Announcing a game start time change tomorrow. From august 9 to june 13.
Ok. That's more than start time... Sked conflict at Bmo field.

Breaking news...from Twitter nonetheless (what isn't on Twitter these days?). According to Paul Beirne, August 9's home match against the New York Red Bulls has been changed to June 13 at 8:00 PM. As you can see, this is because of an apparent scheduling conflict. International friendly anyone?

The only problem I have with the chance is that it leaves July and August with just one home match each month. There really is nothing like a Saturday afternoon at BMO Field in the summer...

A tale of two Champions Leagues

I'm a little annoyed with myself. As I sat on my couch watching the final of the UEFA Champions League yesterday, I realized that I had no idea who ended up winning the CONCACAF Champions League. A tournament that made national headlines because of a certain Canadian team's historic run to the quarter-finals seemingly dropped off the map once the Impact were knocked out.

So, here we have the best club competition on our continent, and I didn't even make sure I could watch it - let alone check the score the next day. In fact, I couldn't have told you when it was before I checked the other day. For the record, the match was on May 12, and was won by Atlante FC over Cruz Azul an all Mexican battle.

I just want to put it in perspective. The CCL pretty much vanished into thin air once Montreal lost to Santos Laguna. It's somewhat understandable - this was the first year of the competition. There definitely isn't the history behind this competition compared to Europe's competition, and there definitely is less quality in this competition compared to Europe's. At the same time though, once PSV Eindhoven gets knocked out of Europe, does the rest of the Netherlands just forget about it?

I guess we'll just have to give it time. This is Canada after all. Our national team may be sh!te right now, but BMO Field is still sold out every time TFC plays. The Stade Saputo also gets pretty full when the Impact play, and we all saw that over 55,000 people packed the Big O in February for the Impact's match against Santos Laguna. You'd think that there would be some sort of audience for the CCL Final. Maybe next year.

Nowak to lead Philly in 2010

Philadelphia Union are set to unveil their first ever coach tomorrow. According to Soccer by Ives, it's going to be Peter Nowak, one of Bob Bradley's assistants with the US National team. Nowak is the only man to have ever won the MLS Cup as both a player and a coach. This guy appears to be a true winner in the American soccer scene - sounds almost Sounders-esque, no?

Amado Guevara...your MLS Player of the Week

It's true.

The Honduran has been named player of the week for his performance on Saturday against the New England Revolution. This is the first time in our club's history that one of our players has been named POTW. Took us long enough.

Edu and Rangers win the SPL

And he wasn't even watching from the stands...

Former TFC player Maurice Edu has established himself as a regular fixture in Rangers starting eleven in recent weeks, and he took part in today's 3-0 win over Dundee United that clinched the Scottish Premier League title for the Glasgow club.

It's kind of nice to think that a player has already come through our ranks and gone on to actually win something of some value. Lot's of former MLS players don't really do that...unless sitting in the stands watching your team win the Norweigan second division counts....

Congrats to Mo.

Wynne gets US call up

Ahead of upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, the US national team has called up twenty-four players for a training camp. Marvell Wynne is included in the bunch, as are six other MLSers (including the out-of-form Sacha Kljestan).

USA is away to Costa Rica on June 3, and home to Honduras on June 6.

Wynne will be missing our third match of the Voyageurs Cup at Vancouver, and our home date with the LA Galaxy (as will Guevara, who will be with Honduras). The Galaxy though, will be missing Landon Donovan on that day. These international dates aren't all bad, I guess...

The 33% Awards

The season is roughly 33% done, so I figured I'd go through and give out some awards from the first bit of the 2009 season. Remember, these are based on form to date, not overall historic ability. It's all for fun, so here we go...

33% MVP: Kasey Keller
Honourable Mention: Landon Donovan, Amado Guevara, Brian McBride

Is it any coincidence that both of Seattle's losses came in matches without Kasey Keller (well, he was sent off about 25 minutes into their first loss). Ahead of this season, there were question marks all over the Sounders' defense, but Keller has been a calming presence for them at the back.

33% Rookie of the Year: Stefan Frei
Honourable Mention: Steve Zakuani, Chris Pontius, Sam Cronin

I see Stefan Frei first-hand week in and week out, so yes, I do have a bit of a bias. He's been phenomenal for us though, and you won't hear anyone complaining about Greg Sutton riding the bench behind this guy.

33% Biggest Surprise: Zach Thornton (no pun intended...)
Honourable Mention: Josh Wolff, Osvaldo Alonso, Donovan Ricketts

What's with good goalkeeping this year? Thornton, has looked like the Zach Thornton of old for Chivas USA this year. Being on the league's top team helps a little, but Thornton still has the league's best goals against average, and has the most wins and clean sheets out of any goalkeeper in MLS.

33% Biggest Letdown: Sacha Kljestan
Honourable Mention: Juan Carlos Osorio, Dane Richards, San Jose Earthquakes

A year ago, it was all going right for Kljestan. He was becoming a regular with the US nats, he was a prime target for multiple European sides, and he was the heart of his Chivas USA team. Right now, the Goats are top of the league, and you'd think Kljestan would be right at the heart of all of that. Well, think again. Kljestan has just one assist in nine starts. Wow.

33% Coach of the Year: Gary Smith
Honourable Mention: Sigi Schmid, Preki, Kurt Onolfo

Look at the Rapids' team on paper. Compared to most MLS teams, it's pretty bad. At the same time though, Gary Smith has this team playing very well, and they aren't the pushovers this year that many expected them to be.

33% Defender of the Year: Jimmy Conrad
Honourable Mention: Bakary Soumare, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Adrian Serioux

I've always liked Jimmy Conrad. He's a true leader, and a commanding presence in the Wizards' backline. I don't know that any single defender in this league has the effect on his team that Conrad has on the Wizards.

33% Newcomer of the Year: Kasey Keller
Honourable Mention: Fredy Montero, Donovan Ricketts, Osvaldo Alonso

The guy I have as the current MVP is a newcomer, so he has to get this award too. Many of Seattle's players are MLS newcomers, and they have come together and are playing very well, so I'm sure when the season ends, a Sounder will get the Newcomer of the Year award.

Is Amado Guevara in MVP form?

I'm just throwing this out there...Is Amado Guevara in MVP form?

From midfield, he has 5 goals and 4 assists in 10 games. As I mentioned in my match report from the win against the Revs, he's on pace for 15 goals and 12 assists. Now, I can be realistic and admit that he won't keep up that pace. The Gold Cup is coming up July and Honduras are still involved in World Cup Qualifying, so he's bound to miss some matches for us. We will miss him though - we'll miss him a lot.

I think he's quietly done his job this season. With the acquisition of Dwayne De Rosario, a lot of pressure has been lifted off of his shoulders, and you can see that he's flourishing in our midfield. The spotlight isn't really on him like it was last year. Last year he was supposed to be the engine of our offense, and we all remember our striking situation last season. It didn't all go so smoothly. This year though, Guevara has Barrett, Vitti, DeRo, and Dichio to work with, and he's linking up with them brilliantly. That "dressing room cancer" that everyone says he is hasn't come out onto the pitch once for TFC since he signed for us last spring.

Dwayne De Rosario may be the star of Toronto FC, but I think that Guevara deserves a bit more credit for what he's given us so far this season.

Toronto FC 3 - 1 New England Revolution

See what happens when Chad Barrett isn't our centre forward? We score three goals! ...Okay, maybe that's a little harsh. For what it's worth, I thought Barrett did pretty well for us yesterday. As a team, I'm not sure that we played any better yesterday than we played in our other wins. We just scored more, and it was awesome.

Amado Guevara is quietly having one of his best seasons to date. He won the League MVP award in 2004, scoring 10 goals and 10 assists that season. This year, in just ten matches, he has 5 goals and 4 assists. Basically, he's on pace for 15 goals and 12 assists. That's bound to slow down, especially with World Cup qualifiers and the Gold Cup. He has become an integral part of our starting lineup though.

Scoring Summary

Shalrie Joseph 13' (Chris Tierney, Jay Heaps), Amado Guevara 14' (Danny Dichio), Dwayne De Rosario 68' (Danny Dichio), Amado Guevara 70' (Unassisted)

Starting Eleven and Player Ratings

We lined up in the 4-3-3 that Chris Cummins has come to know and love. There was no Pablo Vitti in the starting eleven, but Marvell Wynne was deemed fit enough to start again. Here is how we lined up:

------------------Frei-----------------
Wynne---Attakora--Serioux---Brennan
----------------Robinson---------------
-------Guevara----------Cronin--------
---Barrett-----------------De Rosario--
-----------------Dichio-----------------

Frei 6, Wynne 6, Attakora 6, Serioux 6, Brennan 6, Robinson 7, Guevara 8 (Harmse NR), Cronin 6, Barrett 6 (Ricketts NR), De Rosario 7, Dichio 7 (Vitti 6)

It was interesting to see that Marco Velez was fit and available for selection, but was left on the bench for Nana Attakora - especially considering Attakora is just recovering from an injury. At the same time though, it's good for both our club and Canadian soccer to have young players coming up and succeeding at this level.

Man of the Match: The official man of the match was DeRo, but I'd have to give that award to Guevara. His first goal was outstanding, and though his second was a bit of a fluke, it still counts all the same.

Overall Thoughts

I love winning, especially when we deserve to. Before DeRo scored our second, this game was looking like it was going to be one of those "woulda, coulda, shoulda" days. We finally took our chances though, and I thought we were much better than the Revs on the day.

I thought we started out the brighter of the two sides, and was really deflated when Shalrie Joseph opened up the scoring. New England are one of those sides that can play in just about any environment, so when we equalised a minute later I was very relieved. What a goal it was too - Guevara can score from just about anywhere can't he?

Danny Dichio had a fantastic performance at centre forward. He quietly went about his business, and I didn't even notice during the match that he had two assists yesterday. This is a 35 year-old player who is visibly slowing down, but in four starts this year, he has a goal and two assists. Compare that to Vitti and Barrett so far...the team's better with Dichio.

Speaking of Barrett, I thought he did well yesterday. He didn't miss any gaping nets and linked play up pretty well on that right side. I still rate Vitti above him though, and would have rather seen Vitti start. When was the last time we saw Barrett play without cramping up at the end of the game?

I found it interesting that Steve Nicol started Shalrie Joseph and Steve Ralston up top for the Revs, leaving Kheli Dube on the bench. New England are a hurting side, but it's not like Dube is a terrible option up front. I was also a little confused as to why Amaechi Igwe, Kenny Mansally, and Sainey Nyassi didn't start either. Are rookies like Kevin Alston and Darrius Barnes really better options? Either way, when teams are struggling with injuries, it's important to get results against them, and we did just that. That's one less team on our "to beat" list.

After all of last night's games, we are tied with DC United and Seattle Sounders FC for second in MLS. We're near the top, which is just about where we want to be. Only seven points separate first to last in the Eastern Conference, so every game against a conference rival is pretty much a six-pointer.

L'Impact est hors

Remember when the Montréal Impact were supposedly the best organization and best team in Canada? Ya...me neither. Looks like the only thing the Impact has on us is grass...

Voyageurs Cup resumes at the Stade Saputo

This game is going to be a good one. Two rival teams, each in must-win situations. When the Voyageurs Cup resumes tonight in Montreal, both the Impact and the Whitecaps will know that a loss eliminates them from contention for the 2009 CONCACAF Champions League.

One of the nice things about this year's V-Cup is the significant Canadian contributors. When you look at the heart of each team - there's a Canuck. For us, it's obviously DeRo, for the Caps, it's Martin Nash, and for the Impact, it's Sandro Grande. This isn't a second-rate tournament to any of these three.

So then, with TFC 2-0-0 right now, and both their teams facing elimination, how will Grande and Nash lead their respective sides tonight? The stakes are high, and this should be one of the better matches in the brief history of our national championships. Enjoy.

God bless DeRo

"This turf's gotta go, I'm sick of it. It's killing our game..."

Yes, it's an age old question. "Should football be played on turf?" The answer is no (and no, I'm not really a purist). Unnatural things that physically affect the match in a negative way and are preventable should be prevented.

For example, turf affects the bounce of the ball and the way the game is played, so it should be avoided. It's not the increased injuries that I'm worried about - it's the fact that the sport itself is affected by it.

I'm not going to go any further into this issue...it's been dissected time and time again. The players hate it. The coaches hate it. The fans hate it. Maybe now that our star player has said something, it will get taken care of...

And we're closer to J. Smith III

Looks like this Jamie Smith fellow is in Toronto right now. He's apparently had a terrible time with injuries during his stint at Aberdeen. I'm not so sure fieldturf is the best remedy for that. If he's talented enough and our medical staff thinks he can stay fit, why not? We're currently playing without any natural wingers.

Clarence Seedorf to Philly?

This one is cool for me. My last name starts with a "Van," therefore, I am Dutch.

A few days ago, reports surfaced that Philadelphia Union have made contact with former Dutch International Clarence Seedorf. Seedorf is one of those ageless wonders - he's 33, but just about as good now as he was five years ago.

It would appear the Union are looking to take a similar approach to Seattle's in building their side for the 2010 season (wouldn't you?). The latest rumours out of Philly suggest that they're looking for a big-name coach, and now, a big name player. It's always interesting to see how these types of things play out...

And everyone looked Lombardo-esque!

Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad.

*sorry for the delayed report - I went straight up north after the match!

You know how some MLS games can be nauseatingly boring? Saturday's loss to Chicago was one of them. We went in the game unbeaten in six in all competitions. When I left BMO Field after the match, it was more of a "now we're winless in three league matches..." type of feeling. Not a nice one. To be fair to our guys, it's not like Chicago showed their class on the weekend. They took two chances, while we didn't. It's as simple as that. Both teams were terrible in the first half, and both looked a bit better in the second.

It's very possible that our poor play was a result of tired legs. We've played what, eight matches in 28 days now? That's bound to catch up with the guys.

I'm going to start with my weekly Chad Barrett rant. Sometimes players miss chances and just need a goal to get going. Have you ever thought that about Barrett? When he scores, do you get the feeling that everything he touches after will turn in to gold? I certainly don't. He's scored twice now in league play and once in the NCC, and he's failed to keep up the form in the following matches each time. And it's not like he hasn't had the opportunities to keep scoring. He's routinely missing golden opportunities. Let me put it this way: One of Rohan Ricketts main jobs as a winger is to create opportunities for us from the outside. He wasn't doing this, so he ended up on the bench. Chad Barrett's main job is, more or less, to put the ball in the net, and he hasn't been doing this. Maybe he should take his place on our bench...

I can't rag on Barrett this week though without knocking Pablo Vitti. The Argentine missed a wide open header, and I'd expect someone making $300K to put that in the goal. At the same time though, you see the quality he has when he's on the ball. When he gets the ball, it always seems like something might happen.

By bringing up Barrett and Vitti's misses, I just mean to say...we could have easily had two goals and come away with a point. That's not an excuse though. If we don't put the ball in the net we can't really say we deserved something from the match, can we?

If before the season, someone had told me we'd be 3-3-4 after ten matches, I would have been disappointed. We still have 60 points up for grabs though, so we have to make sure the oll' midseason slump doesn't come back again this summer. We are home to New England on Saturday, and they aren't exactly in scintillating form, so this could be a good opportunity to rebound for us.

Toronto FC 1 - 0 Montréal Impact - Some thoughts

Life's busy, ain't it? Rather than go into a full match report about Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Impact, I figured I'd just give some quick thoughts since I'm already two days late. Here we go...

- We were much, much better than the Impact. We outshot them 16-3 and hit the post at least three times. I would love to see a possession statistic from the match. I'd bet it was around 65%-35%. That's almost a worrying stat though, because we only scored once. Montréal could have easily nicked a late goal and came away with the point due to our poor finishing. The fact that we hit the post at least three times makes our finishing at least a little better in my eyes, but we have to put them in.

- I think Rocco Placentino's goal was onside. The play was right in front of me and I was pretty surprised to see the linesman's flag in the air.

- Stefan Frei needs to get in front of shots that are going RIGHT at him. See a replay of Placentino's non-goal or Chris Pontius' goal for DC United last Saturday if you want to see what I mean. They weren't exactly stunning strikes.

- Starting Marvell Wynne at the right wing position in a 4-3-3 is a bold move, but something I liked. With Nana Attakora in good form, we can afford to move Wynne up and let him run at guys. He'll scare the sh!te out of anyone running with him one-on-one. It's too bad he went off hurt.

- The best play of the night was DeRo shushing Rocco Placentino after the former decided to shush the Toronto crowd after scoring an offside goal (and we thought Cunningham's celebration after his offside goal against the Caps last year was bad...). How much does DeRo love playing in his hometown? Enough to jog 75 meters to mock some no-name French guy.

- I lied about the best play of the night. It was Chad Barrett's goal. Was that the best goal we've ever scored in open play? Probably. He went and bowed to the Montréal supporters - kinda like saying, "for the first time in paying to see the Impact play, you've got your money's worth." Unfortunately for him, he botched one of the best chances he'll ever get later on in the match.

- The "USL 4EVR" banner was awesome. Some Impact fans probably appreciated it though, because I've seen a few talk about how it's actually better to be in the USL than MLS. Right...

- With this win, we are now unbeaten in six in all competitions. 4-0-2 (CHV W, KCW W, CLB T, VAN W, DCU T, MON W).

Limniatis sacked by Montréal

This is about a day old now. The Impact have sacked head coach John Limniatis.

It's about as shocking to me as John Carver's resignation was. I don't exactly have the same emotional attachment (tic tac...), but I wouldn't be surprised if a few Impact supporters were scratching their heads over this move.

Montréal are 0-3-1 in the current USL season, and lost to us in their first match of the 2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Wednesday's performance might have been the final straw - we dominated Montréal, outshooting them 16-3, and hitting the post at least three times. In fairness, the 1-0 scoreline is pretty flattering on the Impact's behalf.

Despite their poor start to the 2009 season, it was Limniatis who was the brains behind their historic CONCACAF Champions League run. The way they were eliminated was pretty embarrassing for them, but everything else about the run was admirable. They played some great soccer. At the same time though, that's in the past, and if the Impact want to repeat that run this winter, they'll have to start winning games.

Attention Impact fans: What are your thoughts? Is this the right move? Cheers!

How's about another J. Smith?

Yes, that's right. Another J. Smith. Scottish winger Jamie Smith, currently at Aberdeen, is being linked to us by the Evening Express, as well as by this article from the Telegraph.

I've never seen Smith play, but from what I can gather, he's a short guy, and he likes to take on defenders and has a very direct approach to his play. He's only 28 years old, and has been capped twice by the Scottish national team.

According to the report, Smith might have already decided that he's going to come here at the end of the Scottish season for talks with Mo Johnston. To be honest, I'd welcome some more talent and depth on the wing for us. If I were Rohan Ricketts and Johann Smith, I'd be getting a little nervous...

Okay, sure, that one he scores...

No time for a match report yet. What I will say for now though, is that out of all of his chances this season, how many of you expected Barrett to score that one?

Toronto FC v. Montréal Impact - Match Preview

If Montréal were in MLS, this would be the league's biggest rivalry. With that, it's pretty obvious that TFC v. the Impact is the biggest rivalry Canadian soccer has right now. It's not exactly an age-old rivalry, seeing as we're only in our third year of existence. Rivalries between Toronto teams and Montréal teams are age-old though, and when you add in the footy supporters, this already blows any "Leafs and Habs" fan rivalry out of the water.

Last year, July 22 was a terrible day for us as a club (remember when that one guy missed from 12 inches?), and Montréal supporters will love that. After all, it was their side who was in a supposedly "lower league" that beat us in the inaugural Nutrilite Canadian Championship. As a whole, MLS is a lot better than the USL - you won't see a Juan Pablo Angel in the USL anytime soon. This isn't league play though. This is cup play. Giant-killers are a common thing in the FA Cup over in England. It's not like we're "giants" compared to USL sides, but we are better as a whole.

This year's Canadian Championships are a must-win, as is tomorrow's clash at home with the Montréal Impact.

The Impact haven't been doing so hot as of late. They are 0-3-1 in their USL season so far, however have only played one home match (which they lost). I watched them play on Saturday on the good oll' CBC Radio Canada and they looked like a tricky side. They have some clever wingers, while Eddie Sebrango and Roberto Brown give them a pretty potent strike force. The formbook generally gets thrown away when a cup game comes around, so the fact that they are winless in four games this season means nothing - kinda like how they won't care that we're unbeaten in five.

The fact that we're unbeaten in five matches means something to us of course. This is without a doubt one of the most important matches of this year for us, so we should have some confidence going into this one having already won a game in this tournament and having been in good form in MLS.

The food-poisoning epidemic has passed, and everyone should be good to go for this one. I'm not sure how Adrian Serioux is doing, but after missing the match against Vancouver last week, I'm sure he'll be dying to get his first action of the tournament. Chris Cummins lives by the philosophy that we have to field our strongest side available for every match, so keeping that in mind, here is how I think we might line up tomorrow night...

---------------------Frei--------------------
Wynne-----Serioux-----Velez-----Brennan
-------------------Robinson-----------------
-------Harmse---------------Guevara------
Barrett---------------------------De Rosario
---------------------Vitti--------------------

I'm sure Cummins will revert back to the 4-3-3 since just about everyone will be healthy enough to play. Harmse played well again at DC United on Saturday, so I'd expect him to retain his spot in the starting eleven over Sam Cronin. I'm hoping Pablo Vitti starts up top, because surely he can do better with the scoring opportunities than Barrett has.

The weather's supposed to be beautiful, and we know that both sets of supporters will be in good voice. This has the makings of a Canadian football classic. Let's hope it is one. My prediction? 3-1 Toronto. Enjoy the match.

LOL!

It's Toronto v. Montréal tomorrow. Their Champions League run was admirable, but really - what a storybook ending...

Philly unveils team name and logo

Jungite aut Perite. It means Join or Die, in Latin. That's right - an MLS team is using a Latin phrase as a motto. Philadelphia's MLS team name and logo was unveiled today. Philadelphia Union will begin play next season, and I must say, it is a pretty sweet logo. The club's website is looking prett sweet too. Click here to check it out.

Toronto FC 3 - 3 DC United - Match Report

As the visitors taking on the first place team in the Eastern Conference, I'm pretty pleased with the overall performance of the team yesterday. I'm not pleased though, that we didn't come away with the three points, because in the end, I felt that we deserved it.

I saw a great post on the Red Patch Boys forum after the match: "When does Marvell Wynne go from being unlucky to careless." This is the third penalty that Wynne has given to DC United in a Toronto FC shirt. It's very unfortunate for him because we've all seen those not given. At the same time though, we all know that his speed makes up for a lot of his little mistakes, and he's going to have to learn to keep his arms down in the 18-yard box. He's one of our most consistent defenders though, so I'm not going to blame the dropped points on him. It could happen to anyone. You'd he's cursed though - that's two consecutive away matches that his handballs have given our opposition penalties in the last 5 minutes that have resulted in us dropping points.

Starting Eleven and Player Ratings

Chris Cummins fielded a 4-4-2 last night - one that was badly outplayed for the first ten minutes and therefore forced to reshuffle. Apparently a bunch of guys were affected by food poisoning, one of which was Carl Robinson, who was unable to play as a result. Adrian Serioux took his spot in the midfield, while Nana Attakora partnered Marco Velez in the centre of our defense. Chad Barrett and Dwayne De Rosario started up front with Pablo Vitti starting on the bench. Here is how we lined up...

-------------------Frei--------------------
Wynne----Attakora----Velez-----Brennan
-----------------Serioux------------------
Cronin----------Guevara---------Harmse
----------Barrett-------De Rosario--------

Frei 6, Wynne 5, Attakora 6 (Dichio 5), Velez 6, Brennan 6, Serioux 7, Cronin 5, Guevara 6 (Ricketts NR), Harmse 6, Barrett 4 (Vitti 7), De Rosario 8

Man of the Match: Obviously DeRo, again. His second goal might have been the best goal we've ever scored from open play. He's a game changer, and he showed why last night.

Overall Thoughts

I'm encouraged by the fact that I'm disappointed that we're walking away from RFK Stadium with only one point. That, in itself, is a tribute to the quality DC United has had since Major League Soccer began in 1996. Even last year when we lost 3-2 in DC, they were all over us and we capitalized on two counterattacks. It was different last night - we may have deserved more than just a point.

Here's a quick thought: Over the four matches before last night's match, Chad Barrett has played close to 90 minutes, and we've scored four goals in those four games. Last night, without Barrett on the pitch in the second half, we scored three goals in 45 minutes. Barrett did absolutely nothing in the first half last night - if he's not going to score, I'd at least expect him to be able to hold the ball up a bit, which he couldn't. At this point in time, there is no doubt in my mind that Barrett should be behind DeRo, Vitti, and Dichio our forward pecking order.

I thought that Nana Attakora was even better last night than he was against Vancouver on Wednesday. I was a little nervous at the potential of seeing him one-on-one with Luciano Emilio, but I thought he did very well in helping contain the Brazilian. His partner in the middle of our defense, Marco Velez, did very well again as well. I'm sure both of them were buoyed by Adrian Serioux's eventual presence in our backline.

Speaking of Serioux - I love this guy. A neck/back injury and food poisoning...no problem! He gave his full 90, and gave us a goal. He's better defensively for us than Tyrone Marshall ever was, and he already has two goals and an assist for us this season. If the trade had been Marshall for Serioux, we'd be the clear winners. You can tell he loves being back at home in Toronto, and I the supporters obviously love that he's here as well.

I think that last night was the first time I've ever really asked questions of Stefan Frei. On DC United's first goal, he came for the corner kick but failed to clear it properly, while he didn't even move for a shot straight down the middle on DC's second. Don't get me wrong - he's a fantastic keeper, and I thought he played very well yesterday. I just don't think Chris Pontius' goal was as difficult to get in front of as Frei made it look.

We have two massive matches coming up on Wednesday and Saturday. We host the Montréal Impact in the Nutrilite Canadian Championships on Wednesday, and the unbeaten Chicago Fire on Saturday (though, in eight matches, they've drawn six...). We are unbeaten in five matches overall heading into these two, so hopefully tired legs won't show, and we can continue to get results. Two wins would go a long way towards any potential success we have this season.

Toronto FC @ DC United - Match Preview

It's that time again. We're in DC for our yearly shlacking at the hands of DC United. We've played three times at RFK Stadium and have conceded 11 goals over those three matches, scoring only 4. Awwweessome. I don't think it'll be bad again. We've never gone there and played in a battle for first place in the East. We're a much better team than the sides that previously played at RFK Stadium. There is a lot riding on this match, so it should be a good one.

What: Toronto FC @ DC United
When: Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 PM
Where: RFK Stadium
TV: Sportsnet, Direct Kick, MLS Match Centre

It's going to be interesting to see what formation Chris Cummins goes with tonight. In our 4-3-3, we've gone four matches unbeaten, with three of the four being victories. DC United, however, do a 3-5-2. We might have to adjust to match their numbers in the midfield. At the same time though, DC might be planning on changing their formation to being able to better defend our three-pronged attack. I'm going to bet that we stick with the 4-3-3, because whenever we're defending in this formation, it almost becomes 4-5-1.

I'm unsure of who the front three will be. DeRo is obviously now fully fit, so he has to be included in their somewhere, so is Dichio, Barrett, or Vitti the odd man out? I'd say Dichio starts on the bench today and comes in for Barrett in the second half. If it is in fact DeRo, Vitti, and Barrett up front, Cummins might want to try playing Pablo Vitti in the top spot. Barrett had numerous scoring chances against Vancouver playing in the top spot, and Vitti might be a better bet at finishing those opportunities.

We're pretty much injury-free (aside from O'Brian White). Adrian Serioux is still a question mark, and with an injury-free DC United, I'd like him to be back to defend against the likes of Luciano Emilio, Jaime Moreno, and Christian Gomez. If I had to take a gander at what our starting eleven will be tonight, here is what I'd predict...

--------------------Frei-------------------
Wynne-----Velez-----Serioux----Brennan
-----------------Robinson-----------------
----------Cronin----------Guevara--------
---Barrett-------------------De Rosario---
-------------------Vitti--------------------

First place is on the line tonight so it should be a good one. DC United of course have one of the league's biggest and loudest supporters clubs in the Barra Bravva, so the atmosphere should match the excitement of the game. My prediction is a draw, 2-2. I am pretty optimistic that we can get a result and bring home three points. Enjoy the match.

Toronto FC 1 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Match Report

Of all people...Kevin freakin' Harmse. After scoring just 2 minutes in, I was hoping we'd put a few more goals in, but it wasn't to be. Nonetheless, a win is a win and three points are three points. This year's Nutrilite Canadian Championship is a must-win in my eyes, so I'm content with a clean sheet at home to open things up.

I have to admit, I don't know much about the Whitecaps. I paid attention to their off-season signings and know the basics, but much more of my focus on our USL counterparts was on the Impact and their CONCACAF Champions League run.

I wasn't very impressed with this year's Whitecaps. They only really managed one good scoring opportunity, and if it weren't for a brilliant save from Stefan Frei, they would have come away with a share of the points. Aside from that chance, I thought we were much better than them. The score finished 1-0, but put Barrett's misses on the feet of DeRo and it's three or four nil - simple as that.

Starting Eleven and Player Ratings

Chris Cummins stuck with the 4-3-3, but there were a couple new faces in the starting eleven. Adrian Serioux was unavailable to play (I had no idea he was even hurt...) so Nana Attakora stepped in his place, while Kevin Harmse earned the start over rookie Sam Cronin. Here is how we lined up...

--------------------------Frei----------------------------

Wynne--------Attakora--------Velez--------Brennan

-----------------------Robinson-------------------------

----------------Harmse-------Guevara-----------------

----Vitti---------------------------------De Rosario----

------------------------Barrett---------------------------

Frei 7, Wynne 6, Attakora 6, Velez 6, Brennan 6, Robinson 6, Harmse 7, Guevara 6, Vitti, 6, Barrett 6, De Rosario 7

Man of the Match: For me it was Dwayne De Rosario. He created chance after chance down that left side for us.

If I'm going to give a Man of the Match award, I might think I should give a "Man who was 100% better than I expected him to be" award too. That would go to Kevin Harmse. I rag on Harmse from time to time, but credit has to be given where it's due. His movement was good and his passing was, for the most part, spot on. He played as more of a box-to-box midfielder I thought, and he got us off to a dream start with a beautiful headed goal. He might have just earned a start ahead of Sam Cronin again for Saturday's match in DC.

Overall Thoughts

We were the better team. As has been the case numerous times this year, poor finishing from a certain striker kept us from getting more goals, but I was encouraged by the performance from the team.

To start with, Chad Barrett really has to start putting these chances he gets away. He very well should have had at least two goals last night, but hit the ball straight at the goalkeeper. He works hard, and he gets himself into great positions. The coaches said that once he gets going he'll keep scoring. He's scored twice now this year, and I'm sorry, but he hasn't "gotten going." At the same time, I thought he played well aside from his missed chances. On Saturday against Columbus, he moved to centre-forward after Dichio was subbed off, and was pretty much useless. This wasn't the case last night. He retained possession for us a lot more up there, which was nice to see considering Vancouver's defense included Jeff Parke, who is rated pretty highly as a player by many MLS teams.

I was very happy that Nana Attakora got the nod at centre half instead of Cummins putting Harmse back in the middle. I thought Attakora did a great job handling Marlon James, who is a pretty big and strong striker. He had a couple of nervy moments, but like every time I saw him play last season - I was impressed.

It was interesting to see Fuad Ibrahim brought into the match instead of Rohan Ricketts. Has Ricketts fallen that far down the pecking order? Behind Harmse, Cronin, and Ibee? There could be other reasons, but if Ricketts isn't going to be a starter for us, I'd expect that he'd at least be able to be a super-sub.

Marco Reda received a rude reception upon his return to BMO Field, and he showed that he wasn't very appreciative of it. I don't necessarily think that we should be singing "dig a hole and bury him" to a guy with a head injury, but at the same time, Reda has to be the professional here and deal with it.

Montreal comes our way next Wednesday in what will mostly likely be an unforgetable match. Last year we opened up this tournament with a 1-0 win before collapsing in the matches that followed. We have to make sure this does not happen again this year, and a win next Wednesday against the Impact would be a great way to stay on course.

The lack of posting

I haven't posted since Sunday - not even a match preview for tonight's Voyageurs Cup match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. There is a reason. I work at a floral wholesaler, and Mother's Day is on Sunday. People like to buy flowers for mom. It's pretty damn busy at work - but don't fret! Regular posting will resume later this week.

TFC gets a shout on Special 1 TV

Sven Goran Eriksson looks like the Brokeback Mountie in this week's edition of Setanta Sports infamous "Special 1 TV." This week's episode notes that Toronto FC has an opening for its coaching position, and asks if Sven is considering the position. Enjoy...

Toronto FC 1 - 1 Columbus Crew - Match Report

We didn't play well. In fact, we were a shadow of the team that won our last two matches. We were very fortunate to come away with the point. Columbus dominated the match, and if not for some very poor finishing, could have easily won three or four one.

We were outshot 17 to 5, and the Crew had 9 corner kicks to our 2. This isn't exactly what I expected yesterday. We had won two in a row and were atop the Eastern Conference, meanwhile the Crew were still winless on the season. You'd think we would have come out with a bit more confidence and sharpness than we did. Considering how badly we played, I'm grateful for a point. Overall though, I'm pretty disappointed we didn't get the win.

Starting Eleven and Player Ratings

The starting eleven for this one was unchanged from the previous two. We went in a 4-3-3 yet again, with Danny Dichio starting a third match in a row. Dwayne De Rosario was ready to return to action again, but he started on the bench. He's not yet 100%. Here is how we lined up...

-------------------Frei---------------------
Wynne-----Velez-----Serioux-----Brennan
-----------------Robinson------------------
---------Cronin------------Guevara--------
Vitti---------------------------------Barrett
-------------------Dichio--------------------

Frei 8, Wynne 6, Velez 5, Serioux 6, Brennan 5, Robinson 5, Cronin 6, Guevara 5 (Ricketts NR), Vitti 5, Dichio 5 (De Rosario 6), Barrett 5

Man of the Match: Obviously Stefan Frei. If not for Frei, Adrian Serioux would have been deservedly ridiculed for his terrible mistake late in the match. He made seven saves, and was hung out to dry when the Crew scored. Frei earned us this point.

Overall Thoughts

As I said before, I'm pretty disappointed at how the match went. I guess the good news is that despite playing terribly, we got a result; though at home, we need to do better.

It was really ugly to watch. The Crew passed the ball around us for the better part of the 90 minutes. The only time we started to play some real good football was right after Columbus scored. It shouldn't take that to get us going. Even after we scored, it was almost like we took our foot off of the gas and were content in taking a point. We rarely were able to put together three or four passes and with Guevara, Barrett, Vitti, Robinson, and eventually DeRo on the pitch, I've come to expect better.

It was great to see Chad Barrett score. He kissed the badge in his celebration - something that every supporter will love. Aside from his goal though, he had a pretty bad game. Everyone says he looks like Wayne Rooney. Well, he's been mouthing off to referees like Rooney as well lately. He came out second best in just about every challenge for a 50/50 ball, and usually went down looking for a foul, and let the referee know what he thought about not getting the call. He took his goal very well, so I'll credit him for that. Here's hoping he gets more involved on Wednesday against the Whitecaps.

Sam Cronin's cross to Barrett was inch-perfect. Cronin seems to be more of a box-to-box midfielder than Carl Robinson, so it's nice to see that he likes to get involved and help out in our attacks as well as work his ass off while defending. A bit Maurice Edu-esque perhaps?

Pablo Vitti didn't really show much of that Argentine flare that stood out against Kansas City. This could perhaps be credited to a poor overall team performance - when he got the ball, there were never really too many options. Still though, I think that once he does finally put the ball away, he'll go on a tear. You can tell he has that little bit of quality that many players in this league lack.

We know we can do better, and these coming weeks are our busiest of the season. We have to start playing well again soon. Wednesday we host Vancouver in our first match of the Canadian Championships - a tournament that really is a must-win this season. Then on Saturday, we're in Washington DC to take on DC United. There are many points available to us in May - now we just have to take them.