Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest

    CSL gets stay of execution?

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Word has begun to leak out from current and former Canadian Soccer League players that the CSL has won their sanctioning case against the CSA.
    The CSL had taken the CSA before Sport Resolution Canada regarding the way they were de-sanctioned in January.
    It should be made clear, that neither side has confirmed the result yet but a statement is expected this evening.
    The SDRCC report is expected to be posted as well.
    CSN will update the story at that time.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    While the recently-released final report from the hilariously-named CONCACAF Integrity Committee spells out a litany of serious accusations against former president Jack Warner, including fraud and misappropriation of funds, some Canadian soccer fans have reacted with shock to the omission from the 144-page document of one alleged incident of major malfeasance .
    The semifinal of the 2007 Gold Cup.
    Some of the more ardent Canadian soccer supporters have long held that the outcome of the match -- in which Atiba Hutchinson was denied a seemingly legitimate injury-time goal that would have sent the match to extra time -- was due to machinations by Warner and the CONCACAF empire, intent as they were on seeing yet another tournament final between the U.S.A. and Mexico.
    Yet the complete lack of reference to the match in the exhaustive report -- compiled on the basis of dozens of interviews and terabytes worth of digital evidence -- has left some disenchanted Canadian soccer fans facing the grim realization that perhaps the result was not part of a grand continental conspiracy, but rather a split-second decision made by an exhausted dude from Suriname with a flag in his hand.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]


    While some long-suffering Canadian fans seem willing to forgive and forget, others still aren't convinced, as evidenced by the range of responses solicited by The Reserve Squad.
    "Well, I live about 1,400 kilometres away from Chicago (where the game was played), so I didn't really have an ideal view," said Jon, from Winnipeg. "But what isn't very far away is the start of the 2013 Canadian Championship, so everyone should enter my fifth annual Voyageurs Cup pool!"
    "That game made me so angry... I still have a restraining order against me from (match official) Benito Archundia," said Fred, from Montreal. "It was my first of many restraining orders relating to soccer, so I am still proud of that."
    "It's not Jack Warner that I'm so worried about," said Jeff, from Saskatoon. "I'm more worried about Chuck Blazer. What the hell is he up to these days? You seen his blog? Man, I'd love to party it up with that guy!"
    One poster on the Voyageurs message board provided a long and detailed explanation of the ways in which the result, while not necessarily orchestrated by Warner, was symbolic of the systematic favouritism of the continental governing body. The Reserve Squad asked if his message could be re-printed, but was told we would be sued if we did so, or even mentioned his online handle without permission.
    Another person, who also requested anonymity, suggested that Warner's refusal to provide evidence or give an interview to the Integrity Committee was proof that he was still hiding deeper truths about the nature of the 2007 Gold Cup semi-final. The person, whose T-shirt read "9/11 was an inside job", abruptly ended an interview with The Reserve Squad and ran inside upon seeing a plane overhead that was discharging contrails.
    While the 2007 Gold Cup semifinal is still a touchy issue in Canadian soccer circles, Warner's legacy as a reviled figure remains entirely intact, The Reserve Squad can safely conclude.



    But with Warner having resigned from CONCACAF and his position within the government of Trinidad & Tobago -- and with ever-increasing scrutiny on his dealings during his time within the region's governing body of soccer -- perhaps Canadian fans can finally develop a sense of closure about the era.
    Indeed, new CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb has explicitly said the organization will consider hosting future Gold Cups in Canada, Mexico and beyond, in addition to a number of other reforms. That will come as a relief to those accustomed to the Warner/Blazer years, characterized by allegations of misdirected funds, secret accounts and general mischief went it comes to money.
    As one Canadian fan told The Reserve Squad, "When your best hope for salvation after years of financial chicanery is a guy from the Cayman Islands, you know things were really screwed up."
    .
    Guest
    The “worst team in the world” yet champions of Canada, four times in a row. If anything encapsulates the confusion of Toronto FC, maybe Canadian football in general, it has to be trying to wrap your head around that.
    In fact, they’ve been so bad in the league in recent years it’s easy to ignore that the Reds have not actually lost a game in the Canadian Championship since June 2nd, 2009. Further, they’ve never lost a Voyageur’s Cup match to the Montreal Impact; not even when they failed to win the modern tournament in its inaugural year. Keep in mind that Montreal is the only other club to lift the trophy in its 11 year history.
    Yes, the first two championships were contested exclusively against then lower division sides. Yes, the tournament has never had more than four teams since it became the Canadian Championship and TFC began participating. Yes, the undefeated streak only stands at 13 games overall.
    But is there another club in global football that can literally claim to have not been defeated in their national championship in nearly four years?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Ever since 2011 fans in Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, and the rest of the country (and, in truth, some in Toronto as well) have been earnestly waiting for TFC to relinquish their hold on the title of champions. On more than one occasion that’s looked likely, if not nearly certain, to happen but four championship flags now flutter at midfield over BMO Field’s East Stand. It’s an achievement that Toronto FC and the club’s fans can be justifiable proud of.
    Wednesday evening it starts all over again with the visit of Montreal for the first of three scheduled 401/20 Derbies to be played in Toronto in 2013.
    For the first time there will be a kiwi tinge to the maple syrup as Ryan Nelsen takes his first turn at directing Toronto through the tournament. As usual, the question ahead of the first match will be how he approaches it.
    Certainly Toronto FC wants to win the tournament but how much they’re willing to risk in attempting to do so is a reasonable question and, force once, supporters would be well advised to be lenient. The cup commitments mean that the Reds are facing a dense portion of their schedule while injury problems, particularly at fullback, have become increasingly acute.
    An important league game against the New York Red Bulls looms on the weekend ahead of trips to the mountains of Colorado and then the west coast to face the San Jose Earthquakes. Relative happiness from a seven point start could start to evaporate quickly if an overtaxed squad falls into a losing skid in the league and, after years of not even being in the playoff conversation, TFC can ill afford to fall too far behind the pack before the first days of summer arrive. Playing all of the first team in two or four more midweek games would probably only make that more likely.
    In a perfect world Nelsen could employ the infamous Arsene Wenger strategy of using the cup as a testing ground for younger players and fringe first teamers while still managing to achieve success. Fans have complained about the lack of depth on MLS squads for years but if you’re not prepared to give players 20 through 30 opportunities to show themselves in competitive matches then simply adding more players to the roster is next to useless.
    It’s worth mentioning again that Bruce Arena successfully used his entire LA Galaxy squad in the group stage of last season’s CONCACAF Champions League, against weaker opposition admittedly, while setting his team up for their eventual playoff run. The result has been greater confidence and an encouraging development of young players like Jose Villareal, Jack McBean, and Michael Stephens who are now playing greater roles in the Galaxy’s 2013 season.
    That said, substituting Luis Silva and Robbie Earnshaw in the home draw to Houston might suggest that Nelsen has already been planning to rely heavily on his main men in the cup even if a few are rotated out of the game earlier than usual each match. It wouldn’t be a bad decision either as it would allow less regular players first team minutes but in a team context more reflective of what they’d be likely to encounter in a league game.
    For their part the Impact are no longer the unblemished side Toronto faced in Montreal back in March after a loss in Kansas City and home draw to Columbus in their last two matches. Fortunately for them the schedule makers of MLS were generous and gave them a weekend off ahead of this match so they’ll be entering with a possibly significant rest and preparation advantage.
    Still, with a strong start in the bag already the suspicion must be that the league is their first priority in 2013 and reports from their camp seem to indicate that Montreal will be using an at least partially rotated line-up themselves.
    In the end this is still a game that is Toronto versus Montreal and that has meaning beyond where it fits in the season. Fans on both sides will not want to see their team eliminated by the other and will expect their players to compete vigorously regardless of who fills out each starting 11. While not decisive Wednesday night could still be great entertainment and an intriguing glimpse into the future of both teams.
    Guest
    The annual should-we-play-a-B-side-in-the-Voyageurs-Cup debate is well underway in Toronto FC circles. There is little need to rehash the same points that get made every year as people’s positions are well entrenched.
    Those that love the competition love it like no other. There is a (very small) sub-set of TFC fans that believe that the Amway Canadian Championship (Note: I will always give the sponsor one reference because Canadian soccer needs more corporate sponsors and getting our knickers in a knot over corporate branding doesn’t really help with that) and CONCACAF Champions League are more important than league play.
    There is another (far less vocal) sub-set of fans that mostly vote with their feet. The least attended games in TFC history have been attached to these competitions. That suggests that most fans are focused on league play.
    Certainly, you don’t hear many people talking about how TFC is a four-time Canadian champion. You do hear a lot of people pointing out that they have failed to make the playoffs for six straight years.
    Regardless, as stated, this debate and our position on what the club should do is mostly meaningless. The club isn’t going to be influenced by the gnashing of teeth on blogs and discussion boards (hopefully, anyway).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    That doesn’t mean that we can’t speculate of what they will do by looking at past history. Ryan Nelsen, of course, has no history as a manager so we’ll need to look at Kevin Payne’s history with cups.
    It’s mixed in recent years. DC United went to the US Open Cup final in 2009 and the semi-final in 2010, but hasn’t gone deep since. In terms of line-ups used, it’s common in the early rounds of the USOC for MLS teams to use a heavy rotation system (which is a polite way to say teams dress their scrubs). They typically only take the competition seriously in the semi-finals.
    The culture of the USOC in MLS circles is much different than the ACC is in Canadian circles. Outside of a couple select clubs (Seattle, really), the competition is not given much of a priority.
    In Canada there is a bigger focus. The reason for that is likely that it offers the only Canadian professional competition, whereas the American teams see MLS as being the American championship. The USOC is just a diversion for the soccer geeks to get excited about.
    However, that doesn’t mean Canadian teams prioritize the V-Cup over the league. The only people that do that are the tiny sub-set of Voyageur Cup truthers mentioned above.
    All of this is a roundabout way of saying that you should expect both teams to dress a mixed line-up, with kids (especially Canadian kids) getting a good look and veterans getting a day off.
    In other words, a sensible line-up.
    The biggest questions with TFC will be whether Robert Earnshaw gets the day off (probably), if Stefan Frei gets a start (hopefully) and if we will see Henry in for O’Dea on the back-line (maybe).
    There is little doubt that Kyle Bekker will probably get a look, as he should.
    Prediction
    <iframe width="350" height="448" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://lineupbuilder.com/lineup/?p=11&a=1&t=&c=dc0000&1=GK_Frei__388_175&2=DL_Morgan__303_61&3=DCL_Henry__327_137&4=DCR_Califf__327_215&5=DR_Eckersley__303_287&6=ML_Ephraim__213_61&7=MCL_Bekker__223_137&8=MCR_Osorio__223_215&9=MR_Lambe__213_287&10=AC___141_172&11=FC_Braun__51_172&output=embed"></iframe>
    What line-up do you think Toronto will field?
    Guest
    As an extension to Canadian Soccer News' MLS Week in Review, we're further detailing the performances of the Canadian players that saw the pitch in MLS this week.
    Nana Attakora, Will Johnson, and Dejan Jakovic claim our top three spots for performances of the week.
    Find out what they did to deserve standout status and who else either earned their keep in North America this week.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Nana Attakora
    Nana Attakora earns top billing this weekend with his impressive performance in the centre of San Jose’s defense.
    Playing on the left of the pairing, alongside Honduran Victor Bernardez, he was physical, but quick, imposing, but not fouling, proving to be the bane of Ryan Johnson all night long and a nuisance when afforded the chance to get forward.
    He first warily cut out a Johnson cross bound for the streaking run of Diego Valeri at the edge of the six-yard box, then displayed some excellent hustle to sprint the length of the pitch after an attacking set-piece had been countered to again shut down Johnson, shuttling the ball out for a harmless throw-in. His strength and positioning to repeatedly outmuscle Johnson earned him high-praise from both the San Jose commentators, Frank Yallop – in one of those pointless mid-match interviews – and from MLSsoccer.com, as he was named the third Man of the Match.
    He nearly got on the end of a dangerous Shea Salinas right-sided free-kick, rising highest at the back-post, but was unable to keep the header on target. Then he snuffed out another counterattack attempt by reading the threat early and rushing over with a clattering slide – Ryan Johnson again - to knock the ball out and break up the play.
    When Diego Chara left a boot in on star-striker, Chris Wondolowski, Nana was right there to grab him by the collar, getting right in there ensure his opponent knew – in no uncertain terms – that that sort of thing was not appreciated.
    And finally, it was his desperate touch in the box, after a pair of flicked headers, which may have drawn a penalty kick – he was cleaned out by Mikael Silvestre – had Wondolowski, not collected the touch and teed up Adam Jahn for the late equalizer.
    He left a little to be desired on the ball – completing 26 of 38 passes – trying to force difficult passes on occasion, but his eight clearances, five recoveries, five interceptions, and pair of tackles won, helped keep Portland at bay, committing only a single foul, despite his repeated interventions.
    All that in only his third appearance of the season – and full ninety – this time in place of the injured Jason Hernandez, repaying coach Frank Yallop’s faith and ensuring the manager has a difficult decision to make when filling out the team-sheet next week, when San Jose are away to Chivas
    Will Johnson
    Will Johnson again captained the Portland Timbers as part of their two-man midfield shield in front of the back-line.
    Midweek, as many were caught by surprise at the expertise shown with his game-winning free-kick - his third goal in as many games to already equal his single-season career-high of from last season - he responded, “I’ve always had the ability to score goals, and it’s nice to be producing for the team.”
    He went on to recognize his enhanced role as captain of the Timbers, “Being a leader, I think that puts a little bit of extra pressure on myself and responsibility when a play needs to*be made. I played on a team in Salt Lake where guys, when they needed to step up did, guys who have been*around the block and now I’m that guy. So I have to step up and make plays or will other guys to make plays.*It’s all part of the evolution of my game and becoming a leader here in Portland.”
    He was also the centre of attention in an MLSsoccer.com piece about his role as captain.
    Back to the match, it became clear quickly that his instructions were more defensive this time, especially given the return of Diego Valeri to the starting eleven, picking up the defensive duties with which the attacking midfielder cannot be burdened.
    He was tracking runs into the box, collecting loose balls and cutting out passes all night, he even took it upon himself to mark Wondolowski as the corner kick tally climbed with the Earthquakes sourcing out an equalizing goal.
    Early in the match, the Timbers were awarded a dangerous looking free-kick, one atop the right side of the box. Johnson attempted a cheeky threaded ball between the wall and the awaiting cluster, but it was well-read and intercepted by Rafael Baca
    He had repeated run-ins with Steven Lenhart – who appeared intent on prizing a pound of flesh for his banished brother, Alan Gordon – and Sam Cronin too, ending in some clattering challenges. Once resulting in a face to face confrontation having previously taken a little kick to the side when he didn’t immediately take a hand offered to help him up from a challenge from the combative forward.
    Will did not take the bait, keeping his composure through-out the match, thriving in the competition.
    He completed most of his passes – 32 of 38 – made seven recoveries, a pair each of interceptions and clearances, with one tackle, conceding no fouls on the night.
    Post-match, when asked about the physicality and directness on display, he calmly responded, as if he hadn’t noticed the battle in which he’d been, “That’s just how San Jose plays each and every week. I didn’t think a lot of what happened last week was going to boil over tonight. It’s just the nature of the game and when you play the same guys two games in a row, it’s bound to get as physical as it did.”

    Dejan Jakovic
    Dejan Jakovic continued his streak of playing every available minute for DC United – he missed one game, while on international duty in Qatar with Canada in March.
    As the left-sided centre-back, paired with Brandon McDonald, his night began poorly – it was his terrible giveaway, trying to thread a careless pass through the midfield, intercepted by Brian Carroll that led to Philadelphia’s opening goal. After that initial error, he was nearly perfect, completing 66 of 72 passes on the night.
    Then, on Philadelphia’s second goal, he was a little slow to react to Danny Cruz’s cut-back pass to Conor Casey at the top of the box, pressing up a step late, only to see the big striker’s finish blaze through his spread legs as he lunged in to attempt a block.
    He shook off those disappointments quickly, pressing up in attack, swinging the ball along the perimeter of the Union eighteen to fellow centre-back, McDonald, who laid Dwayne De Rosario down to the right end-line, bringing about United’s first goal.
    Jakovic put a big tackle in on Cruz in the box, to snuff out any danger, then was fortunate to cut out another pass, after being a little slow to react to another slashing run, and was later booked for a clattering challenge on Casey in transition – his second yellow card of the season. It was the only foul he committed all night, though he won four for his side.
    Adapting to the threat of Jack McInerney, he cut out a dangerous long ball, but conceded possession momentarily under pressure, only to recover and poke it away with a wonderful sliding tackle. A talent for finding the ball that he later echoed when Casey tried to waste time in the corner and was abruptly dispossessed by the Canadian defender.
    It was a difficult night for DC, but after some early blushes, Jakovic carried himself well, providing nine clearances, six recoveries, and two interceptions as DC sought a way back into the match.
    He was featured in a midweek Q&A session at DC United’s website, including some discussion about the Canadian National Team.
    Dwayne De Rosario
    Dwayne De Rosario made his third start of the season, after subbing on at half-time of DC’s match against New York last weekend.
    Deployed as a second forward, free to roam off the shoulder of front-man Lionard Pajoy, he struggled to impose himself on the match the way he usually does. DC’s attack has faltered this season and even De Rosario could not spark it to life single-handedly.
    He did tally his first assist of the season, on Perry Kitchen’s goal, collecting a ball from McDonald at the end-line and cleverly laying a pass back to Kitchen at the top of the box – rather than play it across the goalmouth into traffic – for a calm finish.
    Somewhat peculiar was that he shied away from a last-minute free-kick attempt just outside the box, within the sort of range that he usually relishes. He again constantly probed the Philadelphia defense with low-percentage passes – completing 29 of 44 – but was unsuccessful in the more dangerous attempts and had two shots from distance blocked.
    Again, he was often caught in possession, conceding on eighteen occasions.
    Kyle Porter
    Kyle Porter made his first MLS start for DC, after four substitute appearances, on the right side of midfield.
    He had a nice surging run and dished out to De Rosario from a Philly giveaway after DC had fallen by two – it came to naught in the end. Porter was guilty of over-hitting an early cross attempt – though he went on to hit four of seven successfully - and sent a right-sided driven corner kick way too heavily to the back-post. He completed only half of his passes – 11 of 22 – on the night.
    He took a flailing fist to the face from Cruz, drawing blood, but no foul – the foul was called on him for the initial challenge and then ended a potential DC counterattack with poor ball that was easily gobbled up.
    He did finally sort out his service late on, when he picked out Pajoy from a corner kick, high to the back-post, but the striker’s header was sent wide. One of his three key passes on the night.
    He had trouble with the Philadelphia left-back, Ray Gaddis, who has vastly improved as a defender since last season, most of the night, and was tackled, losing possession nineteen times, mostly as they battled out wide and in the corner. Porter did however contribute six recoveries, collecting loose balls in the midfield.
    Again Porter & De Rosario nearly linked up at the near-post, reminiscent of last weekend’s attempt. A long ball from Kitchen and some fancy work from Porter saw him past Gaddis to deliver a low ball towards his Canadian teammate attacking the area. Dwayne whiffed at the service, which fell to Chris Pontius, whose attempt was blocked by Sheanon Williams.

    Russell Teibert
    Russell Teibert made his third straight start for Vancouver, maintaining his role on the left-side of the advanced pair in Vancouver’s three-man midfield.
    He, as the rest of the team did that night, struggled with the pace of Dallas and with a new left-sided partner, Matt Watson. They had difficulty deciding who should track the runs of the tricky Jackson when left-back, Alain Rochat, was caught up-field, leading to a few dangerous open runs from the speedy Brazilian.
    Teibert was off-target with both a cross and a shot – set up at the top of the box by an Erik Hurtado cut-back, but he couldn’t get his foot around the ball, sending his effort high and well-wide. He completed only 9 of 14 passes and was tackled in possession six times.
    He contributed three recoveries, and a pair each of interceptions and clearances, as well as blocking a shot before he was replaced by Darren Mattocks after 58 minutes when Martin Rennie attempted to change the flow of the match with a pair of substitutions.
    All told, a quiet and disappointing night for the youngster, who had performed so well in his previous two matches.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Jonathan Osorio replaced Luis Silva in the centre of the Toronto midfield after 74 minutes for his sixth appearance of the season. He struggled to get into the rhythm of the match – completing only 6 of 11 passes, though he was the only player brave enough to attempt a raking cross-field ball for the repeatedly open Hogan Ephraim on the left, in the swirling and howling winds at BMO Field.
    He won a tackle, made a recovery, hit a pair of unsuccessful crosses and conceded possession five times, as Houston clawed their way back into the match.
    Doneil Henry
    Doneil Henry similarly had little impact after coming on for the injured Logan Emory in the 89th minute of the match, assuming the right-back position and forcing Ryan Richter over to the left-side.
    He only completed 1 of 5 passes, though those were hopeful long balls put back into traffic or similar headed knocks. He lost his mark, Eric Brunner, on the late equalizer, but that had little to do with the concession.
    Kyle Bekker was held in reserve on the Toronto bench.
    Toronto’s Terry Dunfield (left knee sprain) and Emery Welshman (right ankle sprain) were still listed as ‘OUT’ on the injury report.
    While Ashtone Morgan was suspended after his accumulative red card in Philadelphia; Montreal – Patrice Bernier, Karl Ouimette, and Wandrille Lefevre – had a bye weekend.
    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 8

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The eighth weekend of the 2013 MLS season saw the yellow-card frenzy of last round continue.
    After a tame first few weeks, where the referees tried to control the matches with words rather than action, the last few rounds have seen bookings ramped up; when words fail, cards will do.
    Twenty-nine in round seven were followed by thirty-two, albeit in one more match - ten - this round, as well as three red cards.
    Bookings aside, in many ways - Toronto conceding late: like clockwork, San Jose scoring in an equally timely fashion, Los Angeles looking imperious on the break, Vancouver woeful on the road, and a cluster of very tight matches - it was a return to normalcy.
    And it featured the first midweek fixture of the season.
    Twenty-two goals scored – two of them own goals – and a missed penalty kick – Chivas for a second consecutive week – led to only two draws and included three away wins, a slight deviation from the home-strong nature of MLS.
    Before delving into the results, the nominees for goal of the round:
    Sure, there were plenty of candidates – Jeremy Hall’s adroit switch to his right foot to make space for a seeing eye shot – where did that come from?; Warren Creavalle’s cheeky flicked header from the goal-line at the death; Obafemi Martins first in MLS; the counterattacking majesty of Los Angeles - both goals taking advantage of Sporting’s commitment of numbers forward; Salt Lake’s role reversal as Alvaro Saborio turns provider for the rarest of goals, a Javier Morales header; Jack McInerney’s brace and San Jose’s stoppage-time leveler - all good, but nothing special.
    Without a standout candidate, it’s time to go off the board.
    Goal of the round goes to Brad Rusin’s own-goal that opened the scoring for Dallas against Vancouver.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    An own-goal? Preposterous one may decry, but upon closer inspection it was as well-orchestrated as any on show.
    Jair Benitez attempts to curl a ball from the left-flank in behind the Vancouver defense at the near-post, but Andy O’Brien cuts it out, conceding a corner kick.
    David Ferreira tees up a right-footed in-swinging corner to the near-post area. Andrew Jacobson, rather than affect the ball, creates a pick to hold off both Nigel Reo-Coker and Jun Marques Davidson from a clearing touch, letting the ball bounce into the crowd above the six-yard box.
    George John, attacking that area, is well-blocked by Rusin, but he cleverly steers the Whitecaps defender into the ball, redirecting it goal-ward.
    It seems whenever John is involved in the box the peculiar occurs. He has previous with the bizarre – his goal against Houston earlier in the season came when Bobby Boswell’s clearing header ricochet off his back and into the Dynamo goal.
    Did he do it on purpose?
    It’s always hard to claim intent, but watch carefully how he shoves and turns Rusin into the ball and then watches as the deflection loops towards goal and then celebrates as though he scored when YP Lee is slow to clear it off the line at the back-post.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OekUSs5PToM?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    In truth, it was probably just a happy accident - he tried to stick a boot on the ball and just happened to manhandle Rusin perfectly for fortune to favour the brave.
    Coincidentally, it was nearly from the exact spot where he took a beer bottle after scoring last round, at least he had the good sense to celebrate under the cover provided by the net this time.
    Results in Brief
    New York 0 – Kansas City 1
    Wednesday night saw the aforementioned first midweek match of the season with New York welcoming in-form Kansas City to Red Bull Arena for a high-profile Eastern Conference clash.
    High-profile, yes, but high-scoring, no, as Aurelien Collin’s thirteenth minute header - beating Jamison Olave at the near-post to a right-sided Graham Zusi corner-kick - was all Sporting needed on the night.
    A third-straight win for Peter Vermes’ side, extended their impressive clean-sheet streak to more than five matches – 519 minutes without conceding – and their unbeaten run in New York to five. Mike Petke bemoaned his team’s effort in a terse half-time interview and will be forced to regroup for Saturday’s match without the services of midfield maestro Juninho, who was shown a straight red card for kicking the ball at KC keeper, Jimmy Nielsen, whom he deemed was taking too much time on goal-kicks.
    Nielsen duly went down as though shot – or perhaps struck by a bobble-head – wasting more time as the Brazilian was handed his marching orders.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CGlufOsm6HM?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Toronto 1 – Houston 1
    Just as it looked that TFC would collect their first win at BMO Field since July 18th of last season, having put in a solid ninety minute performance against perennial contenders, the Houston Dynamo, cruel fate struck once more.
    Jeremy Hall had put Toronto ahead in the 58th minute, collecting a weak clearance, deftly switching onto his right-boot and sending a low shot through a crowd into the bottom left-corner of the goal. They should have increased their advantage, up a man with Jermaine Taylor dismissed for a flailing arm in the soft face of Robert Earnshaw, but several opportunities went begging.
    A sloppy corner kick was conceded in the 93rd, Ricardo Clark rose highest to poke a header goal-ward, where Warren Creavalle, virtually on the goal-line, flicked the slow-moving ball into the net to level the score with nearly the last touch of the ball.
    Houston coach Dominic Kinnear will grab the point and run, happy to steal something from a match that never looked to be fruitful for his side – both Adam Moffat and Brad Davis were removed early with hamstring and groin concerns, respectively. Ryan Nelsen must find a way to address these ghosts of the past that continue to stall the progress of his side as they brace for a busy spell with the Voyageur’s Cup looming large on the horizon.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7aRhJi0E9eY?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Colorado 0 – Seattle 1
    As Steve Zakuani returned to the scene of his horrific leg break for the first time, Seattle’s winless start to the season – five matches - finally came to an end, with Obafemi Martins scoring his first MLS goal.
    Homegrown sensation DeAndre Yedlin surged up the right-side, dishing out to Lamar Neagle; his cross was touched back to Shalrie Joseph by Zakuani, setting up a cannon blast from the big midfielder that was parried by Clint Irwin in the Colorado goal.
    The rebound fell kindly to Martins on the left side of the box, who waited, made space for a shot and calmly stroked the only goal of the game into the far-side of the net, to stretch the Sounders winning streak over the Rapids to seven matches.
    Colorado’s injury plague continued to fester as Edson Buddle was a last-minute scratch with a reoccurrence of his knee troubles and Marvell Wynne was forced off early with a quad strain leaving Oscar Pareja scratching his head at the unending misfortune. Seattle’s Sigi Schmid can chalk up their first victory of the season in the hope that it will kindle further movement up the Western table.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2v8V-tHND9Y?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    New York 4 – New England 1
    A heavy-hearted Revolution could muster little in the opening phase of their first match since Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon.
    New York had two inside of eight minutes – three, if one counts Brandon Barklage’s own-goal – from Dax McCarty and Fabian Espindola to set up an early lead.
    McCarty stroked a low shot into the bottom left-corner of the goal from inside the arc after a failed Thierry Henry corner kick was worked to Jonny Steele on the left. His cross nearly led to Tim Cahill and McCarty getting tangled, but they got out of each other’s way, with Cahill touching Dax’s chested control back to the ginger-haired midfielder, who controlled and struck sweetly to open the scoring.
    Barklage saw a Lee Nguyen free-kick skim off him and into the net to level the score two minutes later, only to make amends a further two minutes on, hitting a long pass for Espindola to run onto and finish clinically, cutting onto his left-foot, crossing up AJ Soares and placing his shot low to the far-corner.
    The Revolution regrouped and held firm, but could not find a way back into the match. Henry and Steele extended the lead in the final ten minutes – Steele played provider for Henry’s, passing a ball behind the ragged New England defense for the Frenchman to run onto down the left and finish low to the far-corner with his right-boot. Steele then capped a wonderful bit of counterattacking, tapping in a squared ball from Eric Alexander who had been laid in down the right by newly acquired Andre Akpan.
    Head coach Mike Petke can rejoice at his side’s ability to bounce back from a disappointing midweek affair on little rest, while Jay Heaps must ponder what ails his side, now winless – and goal-less - in four matches.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iV_xNNtw6AE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Dallas 2 – Vancouver 0
    League-leading Dallas continued their impressive, franchise-best start to the season with a dominant performance over an out-of-sorts Whitecaps side.
    Handed the lead by Brad Rusin’s own-goal, Blas Perez doubled it in the 50th minute, reacting quickest to a deflected Kenny Cooper shot with a diving header past a helpless Joe Cannon.
    Shades of offside, mattered not in the end, as Vancouver were lucky to escape the state of Texas – where they have never won – with so light a beating; their continued struggles away from home negate any advancements made at BC Place.
    Martin Rennie will be scratching his head as his tinkered lineups continue to underwhelm and the winless run stretches to five, but will have an immediate chance for redemption when the two meet once more in Vancouver for the second leg of the home-and-home series. Schellas Hyndman’s side, now unbeaten in six, further stretched their lead in the Supporter’s Shield race to five points come weekend’s end.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7tX5lP9p7xI?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Chicago 1 – Columbus 0
    Despite Columbus keeper, Andy Gruenebaum’s heroics, the Crew could not withstand the second half pressure from the slowly-boiling Fire, with Jeff Larentowicz scoring his first for his new club in the 83rd minute.
    A long throw from Jalil Anibaba on the right, was flicked on by Austin Berry for the midfielder to win bravely between a pair of collapsing defenders and earn his side their second win in three matches, having struggled early in the campaign.
    Robert Warzycha’s Crew sees their unbeaten run end at four, with their struggles in Chicago – winless in ten visits – continuing; Frank Klopas will enjoy the three points, hoping their scoring troubles – six goals through seven matches - will not continue to be an issue having broken down a stubborn opponent.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NAreOIove4U?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Salt Lake 1 – Chivas 0
    Salt Lake won the first of a three-game home-stand after playing five of their first seven matches on the road – one of several teams to endure such a difficult beginning.
    Edgar Mejia missed a prime opportunity to put Chivas ahead in the 36th minute from the spot – after Ned Grabavoy was deemed to have handled in the box – but Nick Rimando made the all-time league-leading eighteenth penalty kick save of his career.
    It was the second consecutive missed attempt from the Ameri-Goats, who would rue falling to a second straight 1-0 result as a consequence of their wastefulness from twelve paces.
    Javier Morales scored his first of the season, knocking a header past Dan Kennedy via a well-constructed Alvaro Saborio cross after last weekend’s goal-scorer Olmes Garcia played the Costa Rican striker down the right.
    A touchline scuffle ensued when El Chelis was unhappy with Morales’ slow-moving substitution – prompting the Chivas bench to exit early - and Mejia, soon joined them, when he was shown a red for a forearm smash on Grabavoy in stoppage-time.
    Jason Kreis will look to build on the victory that sees his team remain unbeaten at home; El Chelis will grumble about his side’s inability to take advantage of crucial spot kicks, as their goal-scoring prowess has been quieted with two-successive shut-outs.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9aMWADq4GzE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Los Angeles 2 – Kansas City 0
    In the only scheduled meeting of the year between cross-conference powerhouses, Los Angeles took advantage of a tired Kansas City squad - who were forced to travel across the continent after a midweek win in New York - on the counter.
    Landon Donovan, making his first start in the league, figured in both goals - setting up Marcelo Sarvas, who controversially handled in the build-up, for a simple tap in from a ball across the goal-mouth from the left and then tallying his first goal of the season after Robbie Keane stole in alone and unselfishly squared to his teammate for an equally easy finish.
    Sporting’s clean-sheet streak was snapped at 545 minutes – as was their three-game winning run – with the unsatisfying defeat leaving coach Peter Vermes to cry foul at the schedule and the missed call. Bruce Arena’s healthy-again side – with Keane, Sean Franklin, and Todd Dunivant back in the eleven - will look to put CONCACAF disappointments behind them and push on in their chase of Dallas.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/L145pHzroWA?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    DC 2 – Philadelphia 3
    A preordained brace from Jack McInerney vaults him into the league-lead with six goals and helps power Philadelphia to a valuable three points – and their first ever win at RFK – over Eastern rivals, DC.
    The Union were ahead by a pair after eleven minutes, through McInerney – after a DC pass was intercepted by Brian Carroll and threaded for the striker by Conor Casey – and Casey – who collected a cut-back from Danny Cruz at the top of the box and squeezed a low left-footed shot past Bill Hamid in goal.
    Perry Kitchen grabbed one back six minutes on - smashing a clever Dwayne De Rosario set-up through a crowd into the Philadelphia net – but McInerney replied less than ten minutes later, with his second, unmarked at the back-post when a right-sided Sheanon Williams long-throw was flicked on to the striker by Amobi Okugo.
    Lionard Pajoy made a match of the second half, scoring two minutes in against his former team, getting on the end of a delicious cross from Daniel Woolard on the left for a free-header.
    It would serve as little consolation as DC’s losing streak stretched to four matches, prompting Ben Olsen and his team to search for answers amidst the frustration. John Hackworth’s Union, riding the impressive form of McInerney and his deadly partnership with the hulking Casey – while relegating fan-favourite Sebastien Le Toux to the bench - will push on with a newfound confidence.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BpqFj2vGJbM?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    San Jose 1 – Portland 1
    The final tie of the round ended with honours even in the dramatic conclusion of the home-and-home series between these bitter West Coast foes. If last weekend’s meeting in Portland was hard fought, this was equally so, as neither side offered, nor asked, any quarter.
    Sam Cronin and Steven Lenhart battled endlessly with Will Johnson and the Timbers back-line, at times it appeared destined to boil over.
    But the match calmed, if only slightly, at the start of the second half, when Diego Valeri pounced on a fortunate bounce to volley a finish past Jon Busch, to open the scoring against the run of play. Right-back Steven Beitashour – making his first appearance of the season - cut out a threaded Darlington Nagbe ball bound for Ryan Johnson, only for it to loop perfectly for Valeri to finish.
    The never-say-die attitude that inspired San Jose to the Supporter’s Shield last season resurfaced, as they pressed forward endlessly in search of an equalizer. As with so many matches before, it would eventually come in stoppage time.
    A long Busch free-kick was flicked on by Lenhart, then again by Adam Jahn, falling to Nana Attakora on the left-side of the box. He was cleaned out by Mikael Silvestre as he went to play the ball, but scuffed it over to Chris Wondolowski, who corralled and laid off to Jahn by the penalty spot. His powerful right-footer found the open side of the goal to draw the match level in the 92nd minute, sending the crowd wild.
    An emotional and hard-fought night, given the circumstances surrounding the match – Alan Gordon’s slur-induced suspension, the bad-blood from last weekend, and the reported fan troubles in Portland; not to mention the heightened security due to the events in Boston – a diplomatic draw seemed apt.
    Frank Yallop’s San Jose, though still winless in four, will take some solace from the well-earned point; Caleb Porter’s Timbers – now unbeaten in five – will learn lessons from the disappointment of conceding late.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vWx4Ug46VC0?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Canadian Content
    Will be up shortly. And from now on in its own, separate article.
    Overheard
    New York’s Mike Petke delivered the most deadpan half-time interview during the midweek. “That was not good enough,” he said perfectly summing up the poor display his side committed against Kansas City. The unfortunate soul tasked with the interview struggled to turn the conversation, that ended with Petke repeating himself before kindly walking off.
    Luckily they turned it around come the weekend, inspired in part by an excellent performance from midfielder, Jonny Steele, who, when asked about his ‘fiery’ play had this to say, “I’ve got some family issues with my father not well and stuff, so every game I’m going to dedicate to my dad. I just got to pray and do things for him… (He) just had a stroke… I’m just rewarding him for what he has done for me and my career.”
    Heartfelt words from the wandering midfielder; best wishes to his father and family at this difficult time.
    And yes, the Salt Lake announcers, as well as the San Jose ones, are far too biased to be broadcast nationally or internationally. MLS Live is great – especially here in Canada, where blackouts are virtually non-existent - but one must wonder if these fellows know they are being watched by more than the immediate regional market.
    See It Live (We’re Seeing It Live)
    Moments of silence and paraphernalia in remembrance of the tragedies in Boston and West, Texas were on display this weekend - from ‘Boston’ Armbands in New York on Wednesday to “Peace” and “West” in Dallas on Saturday.
    The Red Bull and Revolution fans marched together to their match, holding aloft the “New York Stands With Boston Banner’ displayed on Wednesday night.
    Matt Reis’ previously underplayed, heroic role is rushing to help the wounded moments after the blast was revealed with pictures of his bald-headed and blue-shirted self amidst the chaos. His father-in-law is still battling the effects of the carnage in critical condition at last report.
    Chivas’ coaching staff chirping at Javier Morales and then storming off was a welcome bit of buffoonery on such a heavy weekend, they had left early before, but never in such a storm.
    Glimpses of the grounds crew at San Jose setting up some sort of put-the-ball-through-here-and-win type cut-out on one of the goals was a nice touch to the final match – way better than the make-throw-ins-into-garbage-cans-junk in Toronto.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    The 2013 edition of the Voyageur’s Cup begins on Wednesday with Montreal travelling to Toronto and Vancouver to Edmonton; should be a cracker.
    Saturday: Toronto-New York; Montreal-Chicago; Vancouver-Dallas; Columbus-DC; New England-Philadelphia; Kansas City-Portland; Salt Lake-Los Angeles; Chivas-San Jose. Sunday: Houston- Colorado.
    Parting Thoughts
    A few questions to ponder and discuss:
    The Voyageur’s Cup is set to be one of the best ever with all three MLS sides in decent enough nick, and each with the goal of the Champions League place squarely in their sights? Who takes the initiative in these first leg ties? Can Edmonton surprise Vancouver, who they faced in a preseason match not long ago? Can Toronto defend their title and make it five in a row? How will these extra matches affect league play? And is winning the Cup more trouble than it is worth, with all those extra flights to far-flung destinations? Are the odds stacked against the Canadians with the Mexicans and Americans held apart in the preliminary stages?
    Can anyone stop Dallas’ rise in the West? Do Seattle, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake build on wins from the weekend to reassert themselves as the class of the league? Will anything stop the rot in DC and New England? Are Colorado the ones to finally end Houston’s home streak?
    Until next weekend.
    Each week James takes a look at the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Guest
    It made no sense, yet made all the sense in the world. For the 17th time since the start of the 2012 season, Toronto FC allowed a goal after the 85th minute on Saturday. It was likely the worst kick in the gut yet for the tortured TFC fan.
    The Reds played, by far, their best game of the season. They dominated for long stretches of the game. They were against 10 men – a situation they forced with a great ball over the top to Robert Earnshaw – and they really didn’t look likely to allow.
    And then they did. Almost on the last kick. And, it really, really sucked.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The reaction is the stands was stunned silence. There weren’t a lot of people still in the stands to begin with, but the building had likely never been quieter. Sure there was the odd angry voice, but that only served to act as juxtaposition to how mute the majority were.
    It was the equivalent of walking into the house after the funeral of a good friend to find your beloved pet dog dead in the living room – all of your emotion was gone, used up by the pain already suffered. You could only turn away and hope it was all a dream.
    Really? Really??? That really just happened?
    A true reflection on the game would attempt to see the positives and point to the growth of the team overall. Yes, things are better now than they were last year at the same time when TFC had an historically poor start to the season.
    Yes, management has asked for patience as they attempt to rebuild the team and no one in the front office is willing to put any sort of expectation on the club. You won’t hear the P-word mentioned at BMO Field unless it’s in relation to scoring Leafs tickets for early May.
    For the most part, fans (those that remain) have bought into this narrative. They have seen the turnover of the past and have decided that that’s the reason TFC has failed to advance itself. They’d be partly right. There has been too much turnover and that has created the type in instability that has made the Reds a punchline.
    So, the fans that remain are willing to wait out a multi-year rebuild. They’re also willing to ignore the fact that Chivas and Philly are both in playoff sports right now despite being terrible last year and, in Chivas’ case, completely having blown up the team in the off-season.
    They are holding onto the fact that Kevin Payne has gone young with this team and ignoring the fact that Toronto was the youngest team in the league last season under both Winter and Mariner.
    Basically, what they are doing is subscribing to the idea that a MLS team should be built like you build a NHL team, with slow improvement made through good drafting and player development.
    A theory that ignores the fact that doing so might possibly be the worst way to try and build a MLS team. The draft is of limited use – neither of TFC’s first rounders touched the pitch again this week – and, currently, there isn’t enough opportunity for young players to develop while on MLS rosters.
    There is no happy medium in the TFC universe. Fans either have the loyalty of a 12-year-old girl following the latest boy-band, or the patience of Job.
    It’s OK to demand a little accountability from this team and it’s possible to do so without wearing a paper bag over your head to the next game.
    Put less flippantly: This is MLS. 10 of 19 teams make the playoffs, so that needs to be the goal of TFC NOW. Giving them a year’s pass will only reinforce the losing culture that is a poison around this club.
    That said, this is football: It’s possible – advisable, really – to appreciate the sport and the club on a game –to-game basis and take joy in small victories.
    Saturday should have been one of those small victories. Sadly, 10-seaconds of poor play ruined that.
    Guest
    In the midst of a growing scandal involving former CONCACAF president Jack Warner, the embattled (now) politician has resigned his post as national security minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
    Trinidad's prime minister released this statement:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    There is surely now more to come as the FIFA fallout begins
    Guest
    Integrity? CONCACAF? Who knew?
    In a report released late Friday by CONCACAF they confirm what most already knew: Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer weren't exactly operating on the up and up. In fact, CONCACAF's report is the latest in a long string of media stories and reports that detail just how corrupt these two men were.
    You can read the report here but you'll get the gist after the jump
    UPDATE: CONCACAF has released the entire 144 page document. You can read that here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In connection with the Centre of Excellence and CONCACAF operations in Trinidad and Tobago:
    • Warner Committed Fraud Against CONCACAF and FIFA
    • Warner Committed Fraud and Misappropriated Funds from FFA
    • Warner and Blazer Breached Their Fiduciary Duties to CONCACAF
    • Warner and Blazer Violated the CONCACAF Statutes
    • Warner Violated the FIFA Ethics Code
    In connection with the compensation of, and use of CONCACAF assets by, the former General Secretary:
    • Blazer Misappropriated CONCACAF Funds
    • Warner and Blazer Breached Their Fiduciary Duties to CONCACAF
    • Blazer Violated the CONCACAF Statutes
    • Blazer Violated the FIFA Ethics Code
    It goes on to describe how Blazer used his position of power to have CONCACAF transfer $15 million to Warner as part of a commission payout. And it, not surpringly, also concludes Blazer used CONCACAF funds to enhance his personal lifestyle. I say, not surpringly, because this blog, operated by Blazer himself, is pretty much a testament to his jet setting lifestyle.
    So, what does this all mean? Not a lot. It's easy for CONCACAF to throw the old leadership under the bus, now that they're removed from the picture. The part that may stick to Blazer though is the tax conclusions.
    In connection with the failure of CONCACAF and its subsidiary, CMTV, to file U.S. federal income tax returns and pay taxes:
    • Blazer violated U.S. federal tax laws
    • Blazer breached his fiduciary duties to CONCACAF and CMTV
    Warner, too, is facing his own problems with the FBI now taking a closer look at his dealings. It's believed that Warner's son has become a co-operating witness in their ongoing fraud investigation.
    What will be interesting - if they're able to arrest Warner, or Blazer on fraud or tax issues - is what those two do to save their own hides. Will they, also, become co-operating witnesses? What else might they know about this veil of corruption that has hung over FIFA for the last decade?
    For those of us who have been waiting to see a number of these criminals face justice, there can be some consolation in the fact that their ship is now clearly taking on water. Which rats jump next will be telling off how far the whole thing sinks.
    Guest
    Canada Soccer has announced that CSA president Victor Montagliani has been named to the CONCACAF executive.
    It is a four year term and he replaces USSF president Suni Gulati, who has been elected to the FIFA executive.
    The CONCACAF executive committee is made up of seven members: one Chairman, three Vice Presidents and three members, with each Vice President and member representing the geographical areas in the region.
    Montagliani's election has been proceeded by a number of other recent Canadian appointments to CONCACAF committee positions.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The others are as follows:
    Victor Montagliani
    Gold Cup Committee
    Television and Media Advisory
    Peter Montopoli
    Women’s Championships Committee
    Security/Fair Play Committee
    Administration Panel
    Steve Reed
    Ethics Committee
    Tony Fonseca
    Technical Committee
    John Herdman
    Women’s Technical Committee
    Hector Vergara
    Referees Committee
    Charlie Cuzzetto
    Appeal Committee
    Dr. Andrew Pipe
    Sports Medicine Committee
    Guest
    When I was growing up, we'd routinely collect the neighbourhood kids for games of road hockey on weekends. One of them was a Portuguese kid named Tobias, about five years younger than me. He'd bring his stick and plenty of enthusiasm -- but at around 4 p.m. on any given Saturday or Sunday, his broom-toting mom would beckon him back to the house with shrill calls of "Tobias!... Tobias!"
    It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner... quite frankly, none of us really understood why he was being ripped away from our games at 4 p.m. with such regularity. But we'd come to expect it. Check your watch. It's getting close to 4 p.m. Time for what we all know is coming.
    "Tobias!.... Tobias!"
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Every once in a while, she'd fail to emerge at the expected time. We'd take this as a positive sign. Maybe she'd finally calmed down. Maybe he'd actually be able to stick around for full games. Hell, maybe she'd fallen down the stairs and we wouldn't have to hear that shriek anymore (hey, kids are assholes, what can I say?)
    But soon enough, there she'd be, twice as loud -- as if to compensate for her delinquency -- with the cry we all knew was going to come. Why, oh why, did we think she'd ever stop? We would need to always keep an eye on our watches at 4 p.m., even if she missed a week here and there. We'd never truly be rid of her interference, no matter how our games were going, or how old we got.
    I tell this story for two reasons. One, as an attempt to take everyone's minds off of another catastrophic, points-dropping, last-minute concession by Toronto FC. And two, as a way of reminding us all that the occasional hiccup should not make us forget certain inalienable truths about the universe: Tobias's mom will always call him back in the house at a strange time. And Toronto FC will always, always, always make things terrifying at the ends of games.
    Now, on this occasion, many TFC fans will take solace (if "solace" is used as a synonym for "pint-glass-shattering rage") in the fact that the team was more or less in control of the match for the lion's share of 93 minutes -- unfortunately, though, the match was 94 minutes in duration. And yes, despite the fact that everyone's sphincter tightened once Toronto conceded a corner kick deep into injury time, that doesn't take away (well, except in the form of two points) from what was otherwise a solid performance against a quality Houston team.
    At the end of the day, both teams earned a point... in the same way that a homeless dude "earns" the loonie a guilty parent tells their child to plop into a dirt-encrusted baseball cap. The nature of TFC's non-win was probably even more cruel than the seemingly five million other occasions on which Toronto has played with fans' hearts into the dying minutes of the match, given that a full three points would have been a just reward for the boys in red on the day.
    That's not to say there weren't high points: Jeremy Hall scored a nifty goal and looked to show some aptitude in the holding midfield role he now finds himself in. Despite the same-old, same-old in the game's dying seconds, a young and patchwork backline again looked solid, shutting down the Dynamo before they could create much of anything. And on the other end, some creative work did provide TFC with a number of impressive scoring opportunities -- of course, all but one of them went for naught.
    So, here the Reds sit, with seven points from seven games... and a fanbase likely participating in one (or, in a bit of cognitive dissonance only long-time TFC fans can successfully pull off, both) of the following activities:

    bemoaning the fact that it could have very easily been 12 points, if not for the late concessions against Philly, Los Angeles and Houston
    happily shrugging "hey, that's seven points better than last year at this time! Progress!"

    Both of those are a little bit dangerous. The first, because if you're still thinking about what might have been when it comes to points TFC could have earned, you're surely on the verge of driving yourself batty. And the second, because it's not especially helpful to use the worst start in the history of the league as a benchmark of any sort.
    That being said, clearly there is some progress (it'd be nearly impossible for there not to be). Clearly there is some depth on this team (relative to previous years) and clearly they are attempting to establish some sort of a rhythm, even if the final product isn't there yet. Ugly as it may have been, a point acquired is a point acquired -- even if it really coulda, woulda, shoulda been three.
    And as for the late-game collapses?
    Well, it's potentially instructive to know that one week, Tobias never came out to play road hockey. We knocked on his door, no answer. The next week, same thing. Turns out, he moved away without telling any of us. Something we'd come to expect after years and years of the same... all of a sudden, without explanation, it stopped.
    So, hey. There's always hope.
    Guest
    It was never going to be easy for Vancouver Whitecaps heading into Dallas this weekend for the first of back to back league games against the Western Conference leaders and so it proved.
    A Brad Rusin own goal and a Blas Perez header gave Dallas a 2-0 victory, but the result belies the dominance of Dallas on the night and the scoreline was kept down thanks to a great goalkeeping display from Joe Cannon.
    Vancouver had a couple of chances to get on the scoresheet, as Martin Rennie rang some surprising changes up front, some brought on by injuries. The new look attack was general devoid of ideas and struggled to get in the game.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Corey Hertzog did not travel with the team due to concussion symptoms. The general consensus pre-game was that Darren Mattocks would return to the starting line up, but Rennie surprised everyone by giving Tommy Heinemann the nod for his first MLS start for Vancouver.
    Camilo Sanvezzo dropped to the bench and Daigo Kobayashi was missing due to a late knock. Erik Hurtado and Matt Watson came in to the starting eleven. For Watson, it was his first minutes of the season.
    Vancouver had an early taste of what lay in store for the evening ahead in the opening seconds as Blas Perez forced a great save out of Joe Cannon with a low long range rocket with less than a minute on the clock.
    The chance came after a terrible giveaway from YP Lee, who weakly headed out straight into the path of the Panamanian.
    The Caps settled and stopped immediate thoughts of it being one way traffic, having some nice possession and forays forward but with no end product each time.
    Dallas soon turned up the heat though and had Vancouver under the cosh, with chance after chance being created and Cannon having a very busy night.
    With ten minutes gone a long range shot from Kenny Cooper from the corner of the box saw Cannon produce an acrobatic save to tip the ball over for a corner.
    The veteran goalkeeper had to come up big again six minutes later, producing a fantastic save from a bullet header from Perez who had got on the end of a pinpoint Jackson cross.
    Jackson was next to try himself, curling a shot narrowly over in the 21st minute, after a neat layoff from Perez.
    Andrew Jacobson let rip with a long range effort in the 27th minute, which Cannon had put past for a corner and it came as no surprise when Dallas eventually opened the scoring from a corner two minutes later.
    As Brad Rusin and George John tangled in the box, John guided Rusin towards the ball coming across and the big defender was unlucky to see the ball hit off his back and past Cannon into the net.
    Vancouver were unfortunate with the nature of the goal but could have no complaints with Dallas having the lead.
    Perez should have doubled Dallas' advantage in the 31st minute when Perez found himself unmarked eight yards out and on the end of a David Ferreira cross, but the Panama international could only head his effort straight into the arms of Cannon.
    Vancouver nearly grabbed an unlikely equaliser with four minutes of the half remaining.
    Nigel Reo-Coker whipped a cross into the box which Dallas keeper Raul Fernandez fumbled. The ball broke to Matt Watson who guided it towards goal but the Dallas defence scrambled it clear for a corner.
    The Whitecaps had another chance a minute before the break.
    Erik Hurtado showed some nice hustle on the right and cut the ball back to Russell Teibert at the edge of the box, but the young midfielder wasted the good position and blasted wildly over.
    The half time whistle saw Vancouver needing to regroup and with a lot of work to do to try and get something going in this game.
    Five minutes into the second half and that task became even harder when Dallas doubled their advantage.
    Breaking quickly from a Whitecaps corner, Cooper saw his shot deflect off Lee and into the path of Perez, who got goalside of the Caps defence with ease and had the easy task of heading home.
    The game fell into a bit of a lull, but Dallas were still in the ascendency and created a couple of half chances.
    Vancouver sub Camilo took a long range shot in the 81st minute which Fernandez spilled but although Heinemann got on the rebound, he was unable to do much with it apart from play it back out to Camilo, who was brought down for a free kick. Camilo stepped up and curled a lovely effort wide right.
    Dallas should have finally killed the game off once and for all in the 85th minute when Ferreira played in Fabian Castillo, but the Colombian took a heavy touch and allowed Cannon to come out and smother.
    Heinemann pounced on a Dallas giveaway in the 88th minute but produced a horribly weak shot when one on one with the keeper in the box.
    Vancouver had looked more likely in the last ten minutes of the game but it was far too little too late and Dallas comfortably saw the game out for their fifth clean sheet of the season in their eight matches so far this season.
    Of the many burning questions to come out of this game, one of them is certainly how well would the Whitecaps have done if the eleven players who finished the game were the ones who had started it?
    Vancouver have an immediate chance to bounce back against the Western Conference leaders at home next weekend. A share of the spoils over the two games will be acceptable, however unlikely that may look after tonight's performance.
    The Whitecaps really need to try and kickstart their attack but there are no easy answers for their stuttering squad.
    What is certain is that whoever turns out next Saturday, they will have to play far, far better if they are to get even anything remotely from the game. Falling 14 points off the top this early in the season, would not only be damaging, it is also unacceptable.
    FINAL SCORE: FC Dallas 2 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 14,339
    DALLAS: Raul Fernandez; Jair Benitez, George John, Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd; Jackson (Je-Vaughn Watson 85), Andrew Jacobson, Michel, David Ferreira; Kenny Cooper (Fabian Castillo 76), Blas Perez (Eric Hassli 89) [subs Not Used: Chris Seitz, Bobby Warshaw, London Woodberry, Kellyn Acosta]
    VANCOUVER: Joe Cannon; Young-Pyo Lee, Brad Rusin, Andy O’Brien, Alain Rochat; Jun Marques Davidson (Gershon Koffie 59), Nigel Reo-Coker, Russell Teibert (Darren Mattocks 58), Erik Hurtado, Matt Watson (Camilo Sanvezzo 70); Tommy Heinemann [subs Not Used: Brad Knighton, Jordan Harvey, Johnny Leveron, Kekuta Manneh]
    <p>
    Guest
    Cold and Bitter.
    That was not only the weather, but also the shared feelings of the 15,973 people that witnessed the hometown Reds surrender a goal and 2 points in injury time.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    That is the arm bar that is becoming more common in MLS. Even his shirt is being pulled
    Since 2007, the people watching this team from the stands and at home on television have learned that late goals are almost expected. At field level, I was encouraged by a squad that seemed to be creating chances when attacking and improving communication with each other.

    Yeah, that's me wearing the baby blue outfit... sorry, but pastels just work with my complexion
    We saw the crossbar, the post and the 2 offsides, but we also saw players moving and looking for each other to create scoring opportunities. These are things that give me some hope that this team is starting to come together.

    Assertive play
    There must be some bonding going on in the locker room and based on the upcoming schedule, this will force them to be there for each other and also give them the game experience to move forward in both MLS and the Voyageurs Cup Competition.

    This is the kind of physical play in which both players are active participants
    4-3-4-3-4
    This is not a formation that attempts to sneak extra bodies on the pitch, but actually the number of days rest that the Toronto team has between upcoming scheduled matches.
    With the 2 Canadian Championship games in addition to the 4 MLS games over a 19 day stretch, the team will need to be physically and mentally prepared for this demanding schedule.
    Now it starts to make sense why Jeremy Hall ran to the sidelines and celebrated his goal with one of the team therapists in today's game.

    Yes, we are all laughing at you
    Following the upcoming sprint, the team gets a full 10 day rest and between May 9 and June 21, they currently have 4 matches scheduled.
    What does that look like for rest days? 10-7-7-14-7

    Offside
    With the noticable gaps in the stands today at BMO Field, I am very curious to see what the attendance will be for Wednesday's CCL match with Montreal.

    You seem pretty tough when there are 2 people protecting you
    The forecast for isolated showers, single digit temperatures (in the daytime) and the match a regular league game is expected to have a significant impact on the mid-week attendance.

    Oh yeah... injury time. blah.
    Slideshow with more pictures from the match
    <param name="movie" value="http://www.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http%3A//photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-vs-Houston-Dynamo-April-20-2013/G0000y..g5n9DXOE%3Ffeed%3Djson"></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#000000"></param><param name="flashvars" value="target=_self&f_l=t&f_fscr=t&f_tb=f&f_bb=f&f_bbl=f&f_fss=f&f_2up=t&f_crp=t&f_wm=t&f_s2f=t&f_emb=t&f_cap=f&f_sln=t&imgT=fname&cred=iptc&trans=xfade&f_link=t&f_smooth=t&f_mtrx=t&tbs=3000&f_ap=t&f_up=f&btype=old&bcolor=%23CCCCCC"></param><!--[if !IE]><!--><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http%3A//photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-vs-Houston-Dynamo-April-20-2013/G0000y..g5n9DXOE%3Ffeed%3Djson" width="475" height="356" ><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#000000"></param><param name="flashvars" value="target=_self&f_l=t&f_fscr=t&f_tb=f&f_bb=f&f_bbl=f&f_fss=f&f_2up=t&f_crp=t&f_wm=t&f_s2f=t&f_emb=t&f_cap=f&f_sln=t&imgT=fname&cred=iptc&trans=xfade&f_link=t&f_smooth=t&f_mtrx=t&tbs=3000&f_ap=t&f_up=f&btype=old&bcolor=%23CCCCCC"></param><!--<![endif]--><a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-vs-Houston-Dynamo-April-20-2013/G0000y..g5n9DXOE'>http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-vs-Houston-Dynamo-April-20-2013/G0000y..g5n9DXOE"><img src="http://www.photoshelter.com/gal-kimg-get/G0000y..g5n9DXOE/s/475/356" alt="" /></a><!--[if !IE]><!--></object><!--<![endif]--></object><br><a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-vs-Houston-Dynamo-April-20-2013/G0000y..g5n9DXOE'>http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-vs-Houston-Dynamo-April-20-2013/G0000y..g5n9DXOE">Toronto FC vs Houston Dynamo - April 20, 2013</a> - Images by <a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com">Chris Hazard</a>
    <br>To license these or other MLS images by Chris Hazard for editorial usage, please visit <a href="http://soccer.photohazard.com">Soccer.PhotoHazard.com</a>
    Guest
    So, apparently, we know what's been dooming Canada to all of the bad luck* they've had against Honduras in recent memory.
    It's been me. Sorry about that.
    Yes, rather than foaming at the mouth and profanely fulminating via social media during Friday night's third-place showdown in the CONCACAF U17 Championships, I was -- much to my own detriment -- otherwise occupied. Yet, lo and behold, the Canadian kids managed to stage not one but two thrilling comebacks that ultimately earned them a bronze medal.
    That does, however, present a difficulty in writing a match report. But thankfully, I have a backup plan (and no, it's not one of another stupid "mostly fabricated synopsis", don't worry.)
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It's an old, super-secret journalistic trick, called "pretty much copying a press release word-for-word, but changing enough that it gets past your editor and you can head to the pub". But since I don't have an editor here, I'm going to bypass that second part entirely, and just present the Canadian Soccer Association's press release, totally word for word:
    Resiliency is quickly becoming a hallmark of this crop of Canadian U-17 players.
    After the team came from behind twice to book its place at the FIFA U-17 World in the quarter-final; the young Canadians pulled off the same feat again, perhaps in even more remarkable fashion, defeating Honduras 4:2 on kicks from the penalty mark after the third-place playoff game ended in a dead-lock (2:2 aet) after both 90 and 120 minutes.
    Canada's top-three finish at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship earns the country its fifth medal in the last eight CONCACAF Youth Championships (men's and women's).
    The Canadians went behind early in the first half when Jorge Bodden finished off a move down the left side to put Honduras up 1:0.
    The match was slow to find its rhythm from there and it wasn't until late in the contest that Canada hit its stride in search of an equalizer.
    With virtually the last touch of regulation time Jordan Hamilton levelled things up when he headed home the cross from Elias Roubos to force the match to extra time in the 3rd minute of injury time.
    But any momentum Canada had gained from the late goal was wiped out when Steven Ramos put Honduras back in front with a strike in the second-half of extra time.
    The Canadians then threw caution to the wind in a mad search for a late goal - and after a series of four close-range misses - substitute Jordan Haynes finally thumped home a left-footed strike in the 118th minute to send the game to penalties.
    Honduras had one penalty saved by Marco Carducci and hit the post with another as Canada buried four of its five penalties to complete a remarkable comeback win and claim a bronze medal at the tournament.
    "Undoubtedly that performance today showed a great amount of character from the boys," said U-17 Head Coach Sean Fleming.
    "To come from behind twice at two crucial moments in the game speaks volumes about the self-belief in this team.
    "I have now told the players it is up to them to do everything they can to ensure that we are prepared for the FIFA U-17 World Cup."
    By virtue of its top-four finish at the tournament Canada has qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 to take place in October.
    After a sixteen-year absence from the competition, Canada has now qualified twice in succession (Mexico 2011, UAE 2013).
    The U-17 players will now return to their respective clubs before reassembling later in the years in preparation for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
    Match Report: Canada M17 3:2 Honduras
    So there you have it. Congratulations, boys -- and if you could pull off some similar magic at the World Cup this autumn (when I will be watching, I swear!), that'd be excellent.


    *The exception is the friendly in Montreal in 2010, which resulted in a 2-1 win for the senior men's team over Honduras, and a hell of a good (albeit soggy) time for the Canadian fans in attendance, of which I was one.
    Guest
    Six years ago, on a dark and windswept spring evening, “former Sunderland winger” Andy Welsh popped up in the box at the standless north end of BMO Field’s plastic pitch to head in the only goal of the game against the Houston Dynamo.
    Wild celebrations ensued and carried on the rest of the evening. Only four days after the infamous seat cushions that accompanied the club’s first goal TFC had won back-to-back home games and defeated the reigning MLS Champions. Soccer had arrived in T.O., the party had only started, and if that plucky little team could beat the champs then maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to push on and compete for a playoff spot over the rest of the season.
    As it turned out, things all went a little Toronto after that: Houston ended up winning a second straight championship while the Reds eventually succeeded in establishing a league record goalless streak, didn’t win a game between July 4th and October 4th, and finished the season in last place overall.
    Really, the Houston Dynamo are the anti-TFC.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Those previously mentioned back-to-back championships in the team’s first two seasons were followed by playoff appearances in all but one year of the club’s history, a trip to the Western Conference Final in 2009, and now back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships in 2011 and 2012. Now they head to Toronto after only just breaking the MLS record for consecutive games unbeaten at home in all competitions. The Dynamo haven’t lost at home since June 18th, 2011 and have never lost at their new BBVA Compass Arena.
    Granted, being the relocated San Jose Earthquakes means the Dynamo were never a true expansion team but for the fans, the ones watching in the stands and on television, that doesn’t change the fact that the club they follow has nearly always been a serious contender in Major League Soccer.
    Over that whole time there have been two constants in Houston: Brad Davis and Dominic Kinnear.
    Looking over the line-ups from the game where Andy Welsh scored his winner back in 2007 is a trip down memory lane for TFC fans who’ve been there since the beginning. Names like Sutton, Wynne, Brennan, Robinson, Edu, and Pozniak conjure memories of a team that supporters embraced even if the ultimately achieved very little. What’s striking though is how few of the players from that Toronto FC team are even active in professional football anymore let alone MLS.
    Houston on the other hand was a team capable of leaving players like Patrick Ianni, Corey Ashe, and a certain Chris Wondolowski on the bench. Stuart Holden, who would eventually leave for England, came on as a substitute. Ricardo Clark, Brian Mullan, and Dwayne De Rosario were there to support the face of the franchise Brian Ching.
    And there, right in the middle of the line-up, is the name Brad Davis.
    While I’m sure he was well known to close observers of the league I must admit that I don’t really recall being aware of Davis when I headed to BMO Field that evening. Of course, by the end of the season it would be his left footed cross from the right hand side that set-up De Rosario’s MLS Cup winning goal in the final. He has since gone on to become one of the most prolific assist creators in MLS history and, even more than Ching, the player fans around the league most associate with the Dynamo.
    Even last weekend he was instrumental in Houston’s record setting victory over the Chicago Fire. After beating his man on the left he whipped in a delicious ball to assist on the Dynamo’s first goal and, in the second half, scored the game winner by popping up on the right to curl an inswinging left-footed cross that eluded everyone to nestle in the back of the net. For his performance he beat out TFC keeper Joe Bendik for MLS Player of the Week honours.
    The man picking Brad Davis for the Dynamo line-up has not changed over the last six years either. Where Toronto has had eight Houston has had one; Dominic Kinnear has been their head coach for the club’s entire existence.
    In fact, Kinnear was not even hired as coach of the Dynamo. The longest tenured head coach in MLS was promoted from assistant by the San Jose Earthquakes to succeed Frank Yallop and moved with the entire franchise when they relocated for the 2006 season.
    Undoubtedly, there is some Dynamo fan somewhere who is unhappy with Kinnear as head coach. The complaints would be predictable: his team doesn’t play with enough style, he’s picking the wrong players, why won’t he spend money on stars, and the club hasn’t actually won a trophy since 2007.
    To that fan’s dismay Kinnear’s record of success, referenced above, makes him virtually bulletproof. The style of his teams might not be flashy but it has evolved over time and brought results with remarkable consistency.
    It’s a system that nurtures young players like fullback Kofi Sarkodie and striker Will Bruin and lets the 2011 draft picks emerge into roles as regular starters before expectations are set too high. It can take an unheralded journeyman like Scot Adam Moffat and turn him into a regular starter in central midfield on a good MLS team. Critics of Ryan Nelsen’s reliance on Jeremy Hall and Terry Dunfield should take note.
    Whether the faith shown in Kinnear is a cause or result of his success may be an unanswerable question but the consistency of approach is a credit to his leadership and that of the entire Dynamo organization. Toronto fans can barely imagine Ryan Nelsen being in charge in 2015 let alone 2019.
    Now, none of this is to say that Toronto FC can’t be successful against the Dynamo on Saturday.
    While Nelsen again deals with selection issues on his backline due to injuries and suspensions TFC is fortunate that they likely won’t have to face Kinnear’s newest sensation Oscar Boniek Garcia. The tricky and powerful Honduran midfielder was one of the best mid-season signings in the league last year but is currently listed as questionable due to Achilles tendonitis.
    In his absence it becomes even more a question of shutting down Davis and limiting his influence on the game. So often, as Davis goes, so go the Dynamo.
    And, in the end, if Andy Welsh could score a winner with his head in 2007 there’s no reason Hogan Ephraim couldn’t in 2013.
×
×
  • Create New...