Will he or won't he?
That seems to be the question on many TFC fans' minds as their club prepares to take on DC United on Saturday night.
The "he" in question is, of course, one-time Toronto captain Dwayne De Rosario, who famously struts in stutter-step after scoring a goal. Reds supporters are pondering whether he'll celebrate in such a fashion should he find himself on the scoresheet against his hometown club.
The answer is: why wouldn't he?
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
DeRo has never shied away from expressing his feelings on the pitch, especially in regards to Toronto FC. The man had an axe to grind with TFC for the past couple of years, so you can be sure he'll take every opportunity to do so again.
Especially at RFK Stadium.
The real problem for the Reds shouldn't be how DeRo potentially celebrates a goal, it should be how to stop him from doing so.
To that end, a lot of the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of new captain Torsten Frings, who has quickly proven to be the midfield general that Toronto has never truly had (especially at the defensive end). Frings' ability to organize and cover for TFC's patchwork defence will be a huge storyline going forward, not only in this match against a well-rested DC side, but for the remainder of the season.
The German DP -- along with likely midfield partner Terry Dunfield -- will be tasked with slowing down a heated up De Rosario before the former Red can exploit Toronto's fragile backline, while also paying attention to DC's quick and dynamic wing play.
It'll be no easy challenge, but recent matches show that things are slowly start to click in the middle of the park, where TFC should arguably be at their strongest.
Up top, the Reds have regained their scoring touch, knocking in two goals per game in their past four matches in all competitions. Ryan Johnson has been a revelation for the revamped attack, and with his injury status being a bit of an unknown heading into the match, Aron Winter will be hoping for one of the other attacking options to step up their game.
As with pretty much all games going forward, fatigue could play a factor as Toronto has traveled all over the continent in recent weeks. The brutal schedule has visibly taken its toll on big Danny Koevermans, who obviously isn't used to this type of travel and will need some time to adjust.
Meanwhile, United is as fresh a team as possible, both physically and mentally. DC last played on July 30 in San Jose, claiming a huge 2-0 victory to get back in the win column. Their previous match was ten days prior, so needless to say, they'll be rested.
In the end, it's the same old story for the Reds -- their historically woeful road form will be lurking ominously in the background as they fight an uphill battle against a team higher than them in the standings. Will there be enough left in the tank to get something out of it?
DC United v. Toronto FC
Saturday, August 6, 2011. 7:30pm EDT.
RFK Stadium. Washington, D.C.
Watch: TSN
Listen: FAN590.com
Rudi Schuller contributes Toronto FC and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He manages the Euro File here at Canadian Soccer News, and is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.