Bad joke: What do you call a draw in MLS?
A TFC win.
Toronto FC won in Houston Saturday night!
It's easy to be cynics with this team, but the truth is that it's important to look at the bottom line sometimes. The Reds got back-to-back points on the road for the first time in about a year and did it in a place where it isn't very easy to play.
Sure, Houston is struggling right now, but they are still the two time defending Eastern Conference champions and a team that went nearly a year without losing at home.
Win at home, draw on the road. It's a tried and true formula the world over. So, Reds fans should take Saturday's 0-0 and run.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
That's especially the case in that it represents just the second clean sheet of the year and first in league play for TFC. It was also Joe Bendik's first shut-out of his Reds career (Stefan Frei was in goal for the ACC clean sheet earlier this year).
All good things.
As was another stat on the night: Seven.
That is to say that of TFC's starting XI, seven players were born in 1988 or later. An astounding three were born after Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit hit No 1 on the Billboard charts.
This space has been critical of Kevin Payne for not always doing what he says he is doing, but it will give credit where it's due -- the Reds promised to start building a young core and all evidence suggests that they are doing just that.
In soccer terms TFC is mostly still in diapers.
Which is why there is still the odd puddle or two left on the pitch in critical situations.
Everyone stayed dry at the end of the game Saturday. And, that's the thing we should celebrate most of all. Tobias is still lurking, but he's mostly stayed away the last two weeks.
However, this is still a team with just two wins. All can't be that rosy. They weren't perfect at the end -- they play way too deep and give up possession way too easily for my liking.
Additionally, the club still doesn't produce much of anything going forward. The only good scoring chance TFC had was off a corner in the first half. Houston wasn't really troubled otherwise.
As much as the attention has consistently been focused on the defence the attack has pretty much been kick it towards Earnshaw and hope. You're not going to win many games that way.
So, to finish with one more positive, a slightly longer appearance from Danny Korvermans might have been the most exciting this of all. If it hasn't been 300F in the shade (approximately) it's likely the Dutchman gets a longer run out. And, if there is any chance at getting into the playoff conversation (they are 11 points back with 19 games to play - it's not likely, but not impossible they could at least play a game that matters in September) they need Koevermans to catch fire.
Therein lies a bit of a dilemma -- do you play a kid less time to make room for one more vet on the line-up? It's easy to say they shouldn't from the sidelines, when you're not staring at increasingly more and more empty seats and a fan base that is no longer paying enough attention to appreciate a short term pain for long term gain approach.