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    Guest

    SoccerPlus in Portland (March 7)

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    Two days before the Montreal at Portland match, we talk with the Impact's Academy director and assistant coach Philippe Eullaffroy on the up and coming young talents withing the organization.
    You will also hear captain Davy Arnaud and assistant coach and former player Mauro Biello who talks about playing in Portland back in the USL days.
    Click here to listen to this 30 minutes show : SoccerPlus - March 7
    Guest

    MLS Musings - Week One

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Having finally decided to get the MLS Live package (which I've just had for three days, love already and don't know why I didn't get it before!), I thought we may as well make the most of it and add some general Major League Soccer coverage to AFTN, which we'd planned to do all of last season but were too lazy!
    Every week we'll bring you our look at the best and worst of the week's MLS action. We'll try and get it up earlier in the week too, depending when we catch up with all the games!
    So what did week one of the 2013 season throw up for us?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <b><u>Games This Week:</u></b>
    The game of the week (and the atmosphere of the week) went without question to PORTLAND v NEW YORK. What a fantastic advert for Major League Soccer that was. Some great goals, some calamities, a fighting comeback. It was just all round fantastic viewing. Mikael's mare in the first half cost the Timbers the full three points and that could come back to haunt them later on in the season. Portland's midfield certainly looks tighter and they have more to offer up front from first glance. New York look like a team that could do some real damage in the East once they fully click together.
    If that was the game of the week, I'd nominate the first half of the HOUSTON - DC game as the half of the week. What a cracker that was. No goals, but plenty of incidents, including a penalty save and penalty non call, to follow on from the Eastern Conference final match ups from last season. DC could easily have had two players sent off in that first half. Daniel Woolard's cynically took out Boniek Garcia. He made no attempt to play the ball and Garcia would have bore down on goal. Later on, Chris Korb brought down Ricardo Clark outside of the box but a penalty was given, as was a booking. I'd have probably given him a straight red for that too, but it was borderline as a man was covering, but Clark had a great chance to score. The referee incidentally was Baldomero Toledo.
    The first game of the 2013 MLS season kicked off in PHILADELPHIA and the Union must still be wondering just how they didn't come away from that game with three points. Sebastien Le Toux scored the first goal of the new MLS season for the second season running, but SPORTING KC showed they're still a force to be reckoned with in the east. It could have been a different story altogether if KC's Matt Besler had been sent off for a deliberate handball in the six yard box after trying to give the visitors a cheeky little knock on. He wasn't even booked!
    FU DALLAS, the team we just love to hate, unfortunately got off to a winning start against a COLORADO side, that had some promising glimpses but showed very little. The Rapids started both of their first round SuperDraft picks, Deshorn Brown and Dillon Powers, which shows from the off the rebuilding year that this will be for them. Brown looks like he will be a lively proposition for defences once he fully settles at this level and I personally loved his kick into the midriff of Je-Vaughn Watson in the first half! Once they get into full gear, I still think that Dallas are going to be a danger to Vancouver's playoff hopes.
    MONTREAL shocked SEATTLE thanks to a wonderful finish from Davy Arnaud. The Sounders deserved a draw, hitting the woodwork twice as they pushed for an equaliser, but the Impact looked a neat side and I stand by my high prediction for them in the east. They weren't afraid to take the game to Seattle and weren't overawed by the large crowd or the occasion. Great to see an eastern team take points of our playoff rivals as well.
    My thoughts that CHIVAS would finish anywhere apart from bottom of the west may already be starting to look foolish! But the 3-0 scoreline certainly flattered COLUMBUS, who had a couple of danger players (Dominic Oduro and Federico Higuain) but didn't look any great shakes themselves and gave the ball away quite easily at times and in dangerous positions, something for Vancouver to look at on the game tape before next week's game. Chivas had numerous scoring chances which they squandered. Can the team gel and can Chelis get them to turn around? Some signs are there and in Julio Morales they have a player that should be interesting to watch for many reasons. He came off at the half here, had chances to score and could be deadly if he gets his eye in, but could have gone for a horrible late tackle in the 8th minute on Chad Marshall. With his penchant for hitting the deck too, he's going to be a guy we quickly learn to hate this season.
    LA v CHICAGO was a blow out that just reiterates our belief that the Galaxy are still the team to beat in all of MLS and have to be favourites for the MLS Cup. Their talent pool and depth is frightening. I don't even want to talk any more about them!
    I expected fireworks from the SAN JOSE - REAL SALT LAKE game but it was a bit of a muted affair. RSL proved what I was saying in our season preview that I feel that rumours of their death have been greatly exaggerated. I still think they'll finish above the Caps in 4th spot. With Nick Rimando in goal they always have that little advantage over some teams. San Jose definitely didn't look like repeating last season's heroics out there. Will Wondo be a flop now that he has his DP contract? Would be hilarious if he was.
    We've already covered VANCOUVER - TORONTO enough. You can check back on the site if you missed any of it. Feeling comfortable about the Caps making it six point out of six on Saturday though.
    <b><u>Outfield Player of the Week:</u></b>
    Hard to disagree with the NASR winner, and LA hat-trick hero, MIKE MAGEE, who was busy throughout, but Sporting KC's Graham Zusi came a close second for me, with a key equaliser just before half time and two important second half assists.
    Have to also give a shout out to New York's Fabian Espindola, who netted two goals on his debut and looks like a good addition for them
    <b><u>Goalkeeper of the Week:</u></b>
    He may have let in two goals, but my nod goes to DC United's BILL HAMID. Four saves in total, including a huge one just before half time and a penalty save that he read all the way.
    <b><u>Goal of the Week:</u></b>
    A few nice goals this week but Portland's DIEGO VALERI wins it for me. It was a lovely quick passing move from the Timbers, with some nice one touch football and some neat ball juggling by Valeri before an outside of the foot finish.
    It's nominated for the official MLS "Goal of the Week", but one of my two runners ups isn't - Ricardo Clark v DC United. It was a wonderful team goal, nice passing moves, some fancy footwork on the byeline and a great finish from a tight angle from Clark.
    Montreal's Davy Arnaud also deserves a shout out. Beautiful finish, wonderful lob through from Felipe Martins and of course, it was hilarious to see the Sounders lose on opening day.
    <b><u>Save of the Week:</u></b>
    As we eluded to above, BILL HAMID made a huge save for DC against Houston, just as half time was approaching. He smothered Giles Barnes' close range shot and although it didn't contribute to a DC win, it kept them in the game till very late on.
    I also thought Nick Rimando did a great job in touching Chris Wondolowski's deflected close range shot onto the crossbar, a save which may have gone a long way in helping RSL gave the away win over San Jose.
    <b><u>Cock Up of the Week:</u></b>
    So many to choose from and most of them from Portland debutant Mikael Silvestre, who had about as nightmare of a MLS half as you may see this season and just looked like a deer in headlights out on the pitch. Incredibly though, he isn't this week's winner. No, no. That accolade goes to Colorado Rapids goalkeeper STEWARD CEUS, whose amazing dash from his area to cut out a Dallas through ball led to the only goal of the game as he completely misjudged the bounce of the ball and his attempt to head it clear.
    <b><u>Knob of the Week:</u></b>
    Giving our debut award to Portland's General Manager GAVIN WILKINSON. Just think - 4 weeks ago, Wilkinson had the rights to Nigel Reo-Coker and the Sounders had the rights to Mikael Silvestre. Gavin Wilkinson - GM Extraordinaire.
    <b><u>Stat Attack:</u></b>
    <b>Total goals</b> - 24
    <b>Average goals per game</b> - 2.67
    <b>Highest scoring team</b> - Los Angeles Galaxy (4 goals)
    <b>Penalties awarded</b> - 1 (0 scored)
    <b>Clean sheets</b> - 7 teams (CLB, DAL, HOU, LA, MON, RSL, VAN)
    <b>Unbeaten teams</b> - 9 (inc NE, who didn't play)
    <b>Winless teams</b> - 11 (inc NE, who didn't play)
    <b>Sending offs</b> - 0 (should have been some though)
    <b>Bookings</b> - 18 (of which dirty, dirty Chivas got 5)
    <b>Total attendance</b> - 174,696 (from nine games)
    <b>Average attendance</b> - 19,411
    <b>Highest attendance</b> - 38,998 Seattle v Montreal (Vancouver second with 21,000)
    <b>Lowest attendance</b> - 7,121 Chivas v Columbus
    <b><u>Fantasy Football Highs and Lows (after Week 1):</u></b>
    This is mainly my attempt to keep my interest in the competition going beyond the first few weeks this season, which has been my downfall in the past! We might drop some of the lowest stuff too if it gets too complicated to work out.
    <b>Highest Scoring Goalkeeper</b>- Raul Fernandez (Dallas - 9 pts) / Troy Perkins (Montreal - 9 pts)
    <b>Lowest Scoring Goalkeeper</b> - Donovan Ricketts (Portland - 0 pts)
    <b>Highest Scoring Defender</b> - Josh Williams (Columbus - 14 pts)
    <b>Lowest Scoring Defender</b> - James Riley (DC - minus 2 pts)
    <b>Highest Scoring Midfielder</b> - Mike Magee (LA - 18 pts)
    <b>Lowest Scoring Midfielder</b> - various zeros
    <b>Highest Scoring Forward</b> - Alvaro Saborio (RSL - 12 pts) / Fabian Espindola (NY - 12 pts)
    <b>Lowest Scoring Forward</b> - Julio Morales (Chivas - minus 1pt)
    <b>Week's Highest Scoring Player</b> - Mike Magee (LA - 18 pts)
    <b>Week's Lowest Scoring Player</b> - James Riley (DC - minus 2 pts)
    <b>Overall Highest Scoring Club</b> - Los Angeles Galaxy (94 pts)
    <b>Overall Lowest Scoring Club</b> - Chivas USA (23 pts)
    <p>
    Guest
    Earlier tonight a photograph of Earl Cochrane surfaced with the words "I've ruined people's lives to save mine..hehe" written on it. It was posted to the Instagram account of Julian deGuzman. It was posted several weeks ago.
    Several former and current TFC players made comment. Below the jump a list of the players and comments.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Dicoy Williams: "True Words lol lol you are for getting someone else the poppet."
    Doniel Henry (four emoticons indicating that he's laughing so hard he's crying)
    Keith Makubuya: "Fuck this nigga"
    Kyle Porter (DC United) : LMAO
    Oscar Cordon: "Punk ass bitch lol"
    Junior Burgess: Lol
    Eric Avila: Hahahahaha Wait...I know him (emoticons indicating that he's laughing so hard he's crying).
    CSN reached out to the club for comment. The club indicated that they would not be commenting.
    Screen captures of the Instagram photo and comments are below.




    Guest

    TFC home reserve dates

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    MLS announced the dates for the 2013 MLS reserve league. Toronto has five home dates.
    They are:
    April 6 – Dallas – 7 p.m. (BMO)
    April 27 – New York – 5 p.m. (BMO)
    May 18 – Columbus – 8 p.m. (BMO)
    July 28 – Pittsburgh – TBD (BMO)
    Aug 14 – Montreal – 11 a.m. (Downsview)
    The full schedule can be seen here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    SoccerPlus in Portland (March 6)

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    The Impact is back at work looking ahead to Saturday's clash with the Timbers.
    The win in Seattle is now in the past as Les Bleus resumed training Tuesday ahead of its coming game in Portland.
    In this episode you will hear head coach Marco Schällibaum, goalkeeper Troy Perkins, and defender Hassoun Camara along with The Oregonian beat reporter Geoffrey Arnold.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Click here to listen to this episode: SoccerPlus - March 6
    Guest
    It's another one of those days, Canada. No, not the day we celebrate Magellan's arrival in Guam, or the invention of the Oreo cookie -- although both of those did happen on March 6 -- but a day in which one of our senior national teams plays a game entirely unseen to our eyes (live, anyway).
    In this case, it's the women's national team's opener of the Cyprus Cup, a tournament we've traditionally dominated (three championships in five years of the Cup's existence) and which we enter in 2013 as the highest-ranked participating nation, according to the fine folks at FIFA.
    So, as I've done several times before, I'll intersperse the actual in-game information provided by the Canadian Soccer Association's Twitter feed with hogwash created specifically to amuse myself (and, potentially, you). In the case of any discrepancy between my descriptions and what's in the CSA's video highlights package, the latter shall prevail.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canada trotted out a starting XI consisting of Erin McLeod in goal, Rhian Wilkinson, Carmelina Moscato, Kadeisha Buchanan and Chelsea Stewart on defence, Desiree Scott, Sophie Schmidt and Diana Matheson patrolling the midfield and Christabel Oduro, Adriana Leon and Jonelle Filigno providing the danger up front. This part is accurate.
    With captain Christine Sinclair serving the final game of her "speaking-out" suspension, Schmidt got to wear the captain's armband to commemorate her 100th cap for the senior national team. We got quick evidence of how Sinclair has scored all those goals, as the armband instantly transformed Schmidt from an industrious midfielder into a foaming-at-the-mouth net-hunting fiend.
    She tallied a memorable goal just two minutes into the match, then proceeded to hungrily gnaw on the goalpost before being dragged away by teammates.
    The Canadians continued to dominate possession and scoring chances in the first half, with Leon sending a good opportunity just over the bar. In response, she set several nearby trees on fire with her gaze alone. So comfortable were the Canadians in the opening 45 that 17-year-old Buchanan had time to upload 32 photos of the Cypriot scenery to Instagram.
    Oduro picked up the game's first yellow card halfway through the half, for hoisting a still goal-delirious Schmidt over her head and hurling her at a Swiss opponent. Though it was an obvious red-card offence, the referee merely cautioned Oduro, apparently attempting to cosmically atone for the sending-off of Nani against Real Madrid. Looking skyward, arms wide, she bellowed, "There, soccer gods! Are we cool now?"
    "No!" shouted someone in attendance at the GSZ Stadium in Larnaca, Cyprus, prompting laughter from many of the other 25 people in attendance.
    The game entered halftime still 1-0, whereupon head coach John Herdman and his staff immediately wrapped Schmidt in every available towel to suppress the armband shivers. Buchanan snapped a sepia-toned cellphone pic of her quivering teammate, before Leon obliterated the device with her eye lasers.
    The destruction of Buchanan's phone was well-timed, as the Swiss side came out with more fight in the second half. (Insert some kind of "neutrality" joke here, I guess, or maybe something about dodgy bank accounts.) Still, thanks to their own neutrality (net neutrality? hey yeah, that could work) they were unable to convert, as the substitution parade came on in the game's final 25 minutes.
    Matheson, feeling the residual effects of the occasions on which she wore the armband, decided to make Swiss cheese (lolololololo) of the opponents' defences and pot the dagger for the Canadians, with the most important goal of her career. Well, except for that Olympic one, I guess. And I suppose her winner in the final of the 2010 Cyprus Cup was significant too. OK, fine, whatever, just let her enjoy the moment, will you? Man, what a bunch of downers.
    Why not be upbeat? A Sinclair-less Canada still cruised to a 2-0 victory (albeit against a side 19 spots lower than them on the FIFA rankings), and all they lost along the way were some towels and a cellphone. Also the Cyprus agricultural police want to speak to Leon.
    Canada's next test is on Friday against Finland. You can watch the game on... haha, just kidding. You're totally in for more of this nonsense.
    Highlights:


    .
    Guest
    The Impact was off on Monday, which gave us time to talk to our weekly correspondents, Marc Tougas, Jonathan Tannenwald and Vincent Destouches.
    We talk Impact, MLS and Champions League in this show recorded in Portland, Oregon.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Click here to listen to the show: SoccerPlus - March 5, 2013
    Guest
    With the heartbreak of Canada's elimination from U20 World Cup qualifying still fresh in the minds of many fans, it's already time to look ahead to another youth squad's attempt to reach their big show.
    The U17 men's national team learned on Tuesday it will compete in a three-team group with Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago at next month's CONCACAF championships. The tournament follows the same format as the just-completed U20 tournament: Finishing first or second in the group earns a berth in the win-and-you're-into-the-World-Cup quarterfinals.
    Canada opens up against T&T on April 6, then clashes with Costa Rica on April 10. A win in either game would likely (though not definitely) be enough to see them through to an all-or-nothing showdown with either Panama or Jamaica.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canada did qualify for the 2011 U17 World Cup -- their first appearance in the tournament in 16 years -- and managed to pull off a famous 2-2 draw with England. Canada's goal-scorers on that day were Sadi Jalali, currently of FC Edmonton, and Toronto FC goalkeeper Quillan Roberts.
    Yes, you read that right...


    In a release, Canadian coach Sean Fleming said his team had been drawn into a "tough group" and said, quite rightly, that "(t)he level of competition at all of the CONCACAF Championships has improved tremendously in recent times – and that is a credit to the confederation.
    "There are simply no easy games in qualifying for a FIFA World Cup at any level."
    We saw that first-hand next month when the Canadian U20s dropped their first match against a surprising Cuban team that then went on to qualifying for the World Cup tournament. As for the U17s, Fleming called Costa Rica a "quality side", while T&T is, in his words "strong and well-organized."
    We've seen both disappointment and unexpected magic from our men's youth teams in the past 18 months. So, which one will we see from this year's crop of U17s?
    We'll find out in one month's time.
    .
    Guest
    With its final three roster cuts made, the women's national team is ready to defend its five-year-running streak of reaching the final at the Cyprus Cup.
    It all gets underway Wednesday morning against Switzerland, with matches against Finland on Friday and the Netherlands on Monday to follow. After the jump, Big Red's 22-player roster for the competition:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    GK- Stephanie Labbé | SWE / KIF Örebro DFF
    GK- Karina LeBlanc | USA / Portland Thorns FC
    GK- Erin McLeod | USA / Chicago Red Stars
    CB- Kadeisha Buchanan | CAN / Erin Mills Mighty Eagles U-16
    CB- Carmelina Moscato | USA / Chicago Red Stars
    CB- Lauren Sesselmann | USA / FC Kansas City
    CB- Emily Zurrer | USA / Seattle Reign FC
    FB- Melanie Booth | USA / Sky Blue FC
    FB- Robyn Gayle | USA / Washington Spirit
    FB- Ashley Lawrence | CAN / Erin Mills Mighty Eagles
    FB- Chelsea Stewart | USA / UCLA
    FB- Rhian Wilkinson | USA / Boston Breakers
    M- Jonelle Filigno | USA / Rutgers University
    M- Kaylyn Kyle | USA / Seattle Reign FC
    M- Diana Matheson | USA / Washington Spirit
    M- Christabel Oduro |
    M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Sky Blue FC
    M- Desiree Scott | USA / FC Kansas City
    M- Brittany Timko |
    F- Christina Julien |
    F- Adriana Leon | USA / Boston Breakers
    F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC
    Defender Bryanna McCarthy, midfielder Jodi-Ann Robinson and striker Tiffany Cameron were also with the team during its pre-tournament camp, but were the final three cuts ahead of the team's first game. All three are under 25 and have featured for the CanWNT since last summer's Olympics (Robinson actually has 50 caps under her belt for the national team), and are trying to make their case to be a part of head coach John Herdman's rebuilding team ahead of the 2015 Women's World Cup.
    But making the cut were a number of relative newbies -- teenagers Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan, a pair of standouts from last year's U17 Women's World Cup, are on board, as are U20 Women's World Cup teammates Adriana Leon and Christabel Oduro. Leon scored her first goal for the senior national team in her first appearance during a tournament in China this January.
    With captain Christine Sinclair serving the final game of her four-game suspension (earned for speaking out after last summer's Olympic semifinal) in the Switzerland match, and Melissa Tancredi stepping away from the national team in 2013, it will be interesting to see which youngsters get their shot up front on Wednesday.
    The natural choices would seem to be Filigno -- who, at 22, already has two Olympic Games under her belt -- and Julien, who was the last cut ahead of the London Games. But Leon is emerging as one of the program's most promising young players, while veteran Timko is always in the mix as well.
    Also of note, midfielder Sophie Schmidt is set to earn her 100th cap for the senior national team on Wednesday, becoming the sixth player on this roster (LeBlanc, Wilkinson, Matheson, Sinclair, Timko) to reach the milestone.
    Kickoff is set for 4:30 a.m. PT / 7:30 a.m. ET, though there is no live coverage available. The Canadian Soccer Association will provide live updates on Twitter and video highlights following each of Canada's matches.
    .
    Guest
    <b>"Talking Point"</b> is our new feature where we'll take an occasional look at some of the issues affecting MLS and/or the global game today, obviously solving all the problems that arise along the way.
    We're going to kick things off with a look at the future development of Major League Soccer.
    Is continuing to expand the League the way ahead or should MLS get to 20 teams and then take a step back to re-evaluate some of the clubs already in there?
    We share our thoughts and talk to MLS Commissioner Don Garber to get his views on the matter.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <center><b>**********</b></center>
    Everyone is always talking about expansion when it comes to the future of Major League Soccer.
    MLS Commissioner Don Garber has already made it clear that the 20th team in Major League Soccer will be in New York. Whether that team will be the Cosmos, is starting to look less likely all the time, but this has dragged on for so long now that nothing would really surprise me with it any more.
    Putting a second team into New York has never struck me as the best move that MLS could make at this moment in time, but with the Red Bulls not even being in New York state, never mind the city itself, I guess you can argue that this will really be the first team in the Big Apple.
    Outside of New York, you have cities like Orlando, Atlanta and even Carolina who want to get in on the action.
    Orlando City have a new owner in Brazilian Flavio Augusto da Silva. A man with big plans and seemingly deep pockets. A potential $80 million investment is on the table, along with approval for a new 19,000 capacity soccer specific stadium in city's downtown area. If these plans come to fruition, it's hard to say that they don't deserve at least a very strong look at joining MLS despite previous issues in Florida.
    There is no timescale as to when NY2 would join the League, and neither is there any timescale as to how long it would then be before any further expansion is considered.
    If a team has the facilities and the money to join the party, it would be very hard for the MLS bigwigs to say no or try to hurry proceedings along.
    But enough about expansion. What about those teams that simply aren't performing in Major League Soccer as it is? I'm not just talking on the pitch, but off it as well.
    How long does MLS give these teams to turn it around? Should they look at relocating existing teams that are simply not meeting expectations, or even a basic minimum standard on regular occasions, before looking at making the League bigger?
    The issue of relocating clubs is one that I find very hard to talk about calmly. Full disclosure, I hate franchise football with a passion.
    I am an AFC Wimbledon fan, long time Dons Trust member, and thus part owner of the fan owned club. I've seen what franchise football does to a football team, but at the same time, I accept that I am in a different country and different culture now and sporting franchises are basically the norm over here. It still doesn't make it sit any more comfortably for me though but you have to look at this topic with an open mind.
    MLS has some wonderful success stories in Los Angeles, Seattle, Salt Lake and DC, whether they be on the pitch or in the stands or both. Portland may not have been doing the business on the field, but they are blowing the rest of MLS away off it, with 35 consecutive sellouts and a passion in the seats unrivalled in the League.
    Vancouver are successful and growing, and other sides are doing well in putting together quality footballing sides and building up their fanbase.
    But there are concerns. Some clubs can get the fan numbers but can't give them the success that deserves. Others can have moderate successes on the pitch but struggle to build a decent fanbase and keep their fans happy. Then there's Chivas.
    In the east, New England have had some success on the pitch, but struggle to draw decent crowds off it at times, have major stadium issues and then there was the whole situation last season with "The Fort".
    TFC draw average crowds of 18,155, based on ticket sales. They don't all turn up, but the money has been made. Despite these great numbers, they don't seem to be able to buy a playoff place and their front office revolving door needs to be replaced regularly through overuse.
    And what do you do with a problem like Chivas? Officially they averaged 13,056 last season. Not quite sure how from the games I watched, although hosting the Galaxy at least once a season obviously helps them a lot. They can't seem to get it right either on or off the pitch and have long since become the League's joke club (despite Toronto's best efforts to try and take the crown).
    So what do you do with Chivas? Well they've gone for the Hispanic rebranding this season. Let's see what they try next year. Become the LA Aztecs? Move to San Diego? Offer a free taco salad with every ticket? (The taco salads at the soon to be renamed Home Depot Center are superb and recommended btw!).
    Should Major League Soccer just call it quits with Chivas? Give their owners some money back, thank them for all their efforts and move on to somewhere new. Somewhere that can attract the fans and put a winning product on the pitch.
    I would much prefer that option than moving the club lock, stock and barrel to another city, renaming them, but still pretending it's the same club.
    So yes, I would rather see clubs kicked out of MLS, or wound up as it were (although the D2 option would be still available), rather than relocated. And yes, I would rather see them put out of their misery than flogging a dead horse and dragging the League down, whilst it grows too big at the same time and adds other new cities into the mix.
    But really, you never want to see a club die because they have supporters that do care. There may not be a lot in some cases, but they deserve their club and need rewarded with some turnaround in fortunes.
    That's what I would like, but what about the MLS Commissioner Don Garber himself?
    When we attended a roundtable with Garber in Vancouver last Friday, we put some of those questions to him and to his credit, he answered them fully and frankly.
    Are MLS concerned with the regularly underperforming and undersupported teams? And once the magic number of 20 has been reached, would the League look at relocating existing teams to new markets before looking to expand further or is expansion still going to continue to be the way forward for Major League Soccer?
    <i>"You never go into a process like this saying we're going to move that team, we're going to move that team. You guys are living in a market where professional sports leagues have teams that are not doing as well as those that are doing well at the top of the spectrum. That's a part of the character of professional sports in North America.
    "Not everybody is going to be selling out every game and not everybody is going to be performing at the highest level.
    "Just because they're not performing well, doesn't mean you think about moving them. What you do think about is how do I make them better. So we're putting staff in certain markets to help them with tickets sales and we're trying to work with them on getting more engaged with the community. We're trying to find out if they have the right stadium situations and in some of those cases, put Toronto aside right now, there are things that have to get better.
    "Chivas have gone through a major rebranding. One of the owners took interest away from the other owner. They've got a Mexican coach that they've brought in. They've just brought in a bunch of Mexican players for the first time. It's owned by a Mexican club and they haven't had any Mexican players since 2005. There's been quite a lot of Mexican players in Major League Soccer but not on Chivas. That'll change this year.
    "So that's a process they're going to go through to hopefully get better.
    "New England is looking at potentially developing a downtown stadium. I think if they're able to do that, that'll improve their situation.
    "So that's addressing the issue on those teams you'd like to perform better.
    "On the expansion front, put Canada aside, as I think we're pretty much effectively expanded up here, in the United States we're still not covering about 35% of the geographic area of the country, so we have an actual television rating missing 50, 60, 70 million people. That's about three European countries.
    "We joke around, if you took Europe and all the professional leagues in Europe and you put them in the United States you'd have 135 teams, because just think of the total population there, just in the United States, 330 million people.
    "So we're still looking in Florida. We're not south of Washington DC, that's about 75 million people, so when we're airing games nobody south of Virginia is connected to a club. That's a problem for us. We've got figure out how to address that.
    "We're still looking in New York. We believe that market of 13 and half million people could support more than one club. We're not anywhere near finalising a deal there but we're still pretty focussed on it. There's still discussions in Atlanta and Minneapolis. Those are two NFL stadiums that are going through renovations or new development process. We've been in discussions with them as to potentially having a MLS team.
    "So what we don't know is how it will look like ten years from now. We do know that in the short term we want our 20th team in New York and we want to be somewhere in the Southeast as soon as we can. I don't know when that is though."</i>
    There you have it. Straight from the head honcho himself.
    Major League Soccer will still look to expand and as it currently stands there will be no relocation of existing teams, no matter how badly they perform year in and year out and how much extra allocation money the League gives them to try and help them out of the rut.
    Is that the correct decision? What can be done to help the underperforming and undersupported clubs? And just what will MLS look like ten years from now?
    All good talking points indeed.
    <p>
    Guest
    In an effort to see analyse TFC at a deeper level, we will be tracking several advanced stats throughout the year.
    Below the jump, we present numbers from the Vancouver game. It's too early to take much from the numbers -- so we'll present them without comment today -- but as the season goes on we should be able to generate some good conversation.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Distribution success rate looks at how many times a player attempts to move a ball to another player and how often they are successful in doing so.
    Typically, the further up the field a player plays the higher risk his attempts to advance the ball are. Therefore, you can expect that defenders will have higher success levels than attacking midfielders. As such, you want to look at an apples to apples comparison -- midfielders to midfielders, forwards to forwards, etc.
    [TABLE=width: 500]
    [TR]
    [TD]Name[/TD]
    [TD]Attempts[/TD]
    [TD]Successful[/TD]
    [TD]Unsuccessful[/TD]
    [TD]Success %[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Bendik[/TD]
    [TD]28[/TD]
    [TD]5[/TD]
    [TD]23[/TD]
    [TD]17.8[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]O'Dea[/TD]
    [TD]33[/TD]
    [TD]28[/TD]
    [TD]5[/TD]
    [TD]84.8[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Califf[/TD]
    [TD]29[/TD]
    [TD]27[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]93.1[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Eckersley[/TD]
    [TD]77[/TD]
    [TD]54[/TD]
    [TD]23[/TD]
    [TD]70.1[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]A Morgan[/TD]
    [TD]49[/TD]
    [TD]34[/TD]
    [TD]15[/TD]
    [TD]69.3[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Bekker[/TD]
    [TD]77[/TD]
    [TD]57[/TD]
    [TD]20[/TD]
    [TD]74.0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Dunfield[/TD]
    [TD]82[/TD]
    [TD]65[/TD]
    [TD]17[/TD]
    [TD]79.2[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Hall[/TD]
    [TD]61[/TD]
    [TD]47[/TD]
    [TD]14[/TD]
    [TD]77.0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Lambe[/TD]
    [TD]53[/TD]
    [TD]44[/TD]
    [TD]9[/TD]
    [TD]83.0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Ephraim[/TD]
    [TD]64[/TD]
    [TD]47[/TD]
    [TD]17[/TD]
    [TD]73.4[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]T Morgan[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]50.0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Earnshaw[/TD]
    [TD]15[/TD]
    [TD]13[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]86.6[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Welshman[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]100.0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]
    Shooting percentage is fairly self-explanatory. There is a belief that any shot towards goal is a positive measure. However, it's clearly better for the shots to hit the target. Only players that have registered a shot attempt are listed.
    [TABLE=width: 500]
    [TR]
    [TD]Player[/TD]
    [TD]Attempts[/TD]
    [TD]On target[/TD]
    [TD]Missed[/TD]
    [TD]Shooting percentage[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Bekker[/TD]
    [TD]3[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]3[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Dunfield[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Ephraim[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Earnshaw[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]3[/TD]
    [TD]25.0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]
    With defensive stats we are simply going to track the raw numbers of tackles, blocks, interceptions, clearances and recoveries.
    [TABLE=width: 500]
    [TR]
    [TD]Player[/TD]
    [TD]Tackles[/TD]
    [TD]Blocks[/TD]
    [TD]Interceptions[/TD]
    [TD]Clearances[/TD]
    [TD]Recoveries[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]O'Dea[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]11[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Califf[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Eckersley[/TD]
    [TD]7[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]A Morgan[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Bekker[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Dunfield[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]3[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Hall[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]12[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Lambe[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]11[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Ephraim[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]12[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]T Morgan[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Earnshaw[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]3[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Welshman[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]
    Finally we will be tracking dribble and turnover statistics.
    [TABLE=width: 500]
    [TR]
    [TD]Player[/TD]
    [TD]Attempts[/TD]
    [TD]Successful[/TD]
    [TD]Failed/turnover[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]O'Dea[/TD]
    [TD]5[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]5[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Califf[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Eckersley[/TD]
    [TD]25[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]24[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]A Morgan[/TD]
    [TD]17[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]16[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Bekker[/TD]
    [TD]15[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]15[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Dunfield[/TD]
    [TD]17[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]16[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Hall[/TD]
    [TD]17[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]16[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Lambe[/TD]
    [TD]21[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]20[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Ephraim[/TD]
    [TD]13[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]13[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]T Morgan[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Earnshaw[/TD]
    [TD]11[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]10[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Welshman[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]0[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]
    We will track these stats all year, usually 48-72 hours after the game.
    Guest

    SoccerPlus in Portland (March 4)

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    We were on site of the most exciting of the nine games that kicked off the 2013 season as the NY Red Bulls left a two goal lead on the table and had to settle for a tie in the Portland furnace.
    Hear post-game comments from NYRB HC Mike Petke as well as Timbers' players Ryan Johnson, Will Johnson, Diego Valeri and Mickael Silvestre.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We also look at the other two games on the menu Sunday.
    Click here to listen to the show: SoccerPlus in Portland - March 4
    Guest
    All that was missing at BC Place on Saturday was a new car smell being wafted through the air ducts onto the blue and white hordes below.
    A new season, new players, in a new strip, with new tactics, facing a new look opposition, and a new standard set in tifo for the Vancouver supporters' groups.
    At least Toronto not coming away from Vancouver with a win retained some sense of familiarity to proceedings. If Vancouver can now only go to Toronto and get a victory this season, then that will be real change.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Whitecaps team that started against TFC on Saturday contained five changes from the side that started November's playoff game in LA. Quite the overhaul, but one we're becoming used to in Vancouver.
    And it wasn't just the personnel that was different out there. We saw a much different style of play from what was served up in the last few months of last season.
    Despite the Caps becoming even faster than last year, the long punt forward for Darren Mattocks, or whoever, to chase after was nowhere near as prevalent. There was a lot more passing and ball to feet, neat little interchanges, and after some dismal displays last term, an 82% passing accuracy.
    Despite all of this newness, there were some old traits still around. Failure to kill off the opposition and leaving them that hope that they could still sneak something being the main one.
    Toronto never really looked like doing that though and all in all it was a comfortable first performance from the Whitecaps, with enough positives to show what this team might be capable of this season and what adjustments may be needed to get them there.
    After an opening flourish and some glimpses of danger in the first half, Toronto fell out of the game as a threat in the second, with no shots on target.
    It was understandable, considering the issues the team had to the build up to the game, but they put up a strong performance and Vancouver didn't steamroller them as many expected, and struggled to find many inroads through the backline.
    The initial stages of the game gave the impression that the pace of the Caps attack would have the Toronto defence all over the place, but they quickly regained composure and Vancouver just couldn't get the speed kings released.
    As soon as the second half started though, there was only ever going to be one winner. Vancouver took control and you were just waiting for the breakthrough to come, as Toronto were bending and bending but not breaking.
    The breakthrough, and what proved to be the winning goal, couldn't have come at a better moment. Gershon Koffie's fine strike immediately took the pressure of expectation off the Whitecaps' shoulders and they relaxed a little and played some nice free flowing football for the rest of the game.
    They should have made their dominance pay by at least adding one more to their tally, but they got the three points and really, that's the main thing that matters at the end of the day.
    There's no doubt that the 2013 Whitecaps are still very much a work in progress, and all of the final pieces aren't yet in place yet. There is still likely to be more squad movement this month with some players heading off to pastures new, whether permanently or on loan.
    There were more than enough signs out there on Saturday to suggest that this could be a very exciting year for those of us of a Whitecaps persuasion but there is still a lot of work to be done to get them to that point.
    The game changer seemed to be the introduction of Nigel Reo-Coker.
    Martin Rennie had said that he would definitely feature and many of us expected it to be from the start for around an hour or so, but as it turned out, the former Premiership star made his mark far better by coming off the bench and adding a bit more spark and impetus to the Caps.
    Reo-Coker's introduction also seemed to bring the best out of Koffie.
    Koffie didn't really have a good first half and was unnoticeable for much of it and despite him grabbing the only goal of the game and having a much better second half, he was certainly not the Whitecaps 'Man of the Match', as he was awarded at the final whistle.
    For me, that accolade went to Daigo Kobayashi. I think he did a lot that went unnoticed on Saturday by a lot of the fans, but from my vantage point you got to see the creativity he brought to the team. Lots of nice little touches here and there and a fantastic instinctive layoff for the goal. Once he settles into this League he's going to be very integral to the Caps playoff push.
    Of Rennie's Rockets, Darren Mattocks didn't have his best game. There is no doubting the Jamaican's talents and his ability to get goals, but there are still some pretty major pieces missing from his armoury.
    When he isn't getting those long balls to run on to, or finds himself in space to run with the ball at his feet, he seems to struggle and be a little bit short of ideas. This will come in time, as he learns from playing with those more experienced, but it can make him look ineffective out there right now.
    What he does have is that aura that give him some chances and he'll at least bury one of them. On Saturday he didn't get those chances and Toronto did pretty well at snuffing him out, which better teams will also manage to do effectively.
    Kekuta Manneh and Erik Hurtado made their MLS debuts and as expected with two raw rookies, there were highs and lows. Of the two, Hurtado looks like the more finished article, which he should with the years he had on the Gambian.
    Manneh looked lively to start with but had trouble getting past that last man. As the first half went on, he started to seem a little lost and almost nervous out there. He said afterwards that he wasn't but that fans may have got the impression that he was.
    Manneh has performed well at all the levels he has played at, but MLS will be a steep learning curve for him and I would be very surprised to see him as a starter for the next few games.
    He needs to find his feet and is likely have a role as an impact sub for the next few games, which his skills indicate he will be very good at. When he got the ball at his feet on Saturday, there was an expectant buzz in the crowd and the pressbox that he was about to do something special. There is no doubt that he will at numerous times this year.
    It's fantastic having a player that brings that excitement and he is only going to get better with age. His timing is maybe a little out but that's only to be expected and will come pretty quickly with more minutes under his felt and time with the team.
    Hurtado is another that brings that buzz and he really impressed me with the short time he was on the pitch. Some of the trickery and confidence he showed on Saturday was a joy to watch. When he wriggled past the two defenders at the corner flag, that was just sheer natural talent and that's going to be hard to defend against.
    You get the feeling that once he bags his first MLS goal, and gets the confidence booster from that, he could be unstoppable. He nearly grabbed that on his debut of course, but just that split second of hesitation over hitting it first time cost him dearly. I'm sure he'll replay it over and over in his head and won't make the same mistake next time around.
    There's still the flip side to his game, which is trying to do too much and giving the ball away cheaply. The ball he gave away in his own half late in the game could have proved really costly if there was a different opposition out there.
    He'll benefit from having experienced heads around him and one of them is Kenny Miller.
    Miller had an excellent game and was a leader on the park, but was let down a couple of times by giving the ball away cheaply with misplaced passes in good positions and a couple of overhit crosses. He got in some great positions and looks really sharp in that attacking mid role that he seems to have acquired.
    What he also did was cover one hell of a lot of ground, epitomised by his first half sprint from the centre circle to the right back slot to clear the danger from a quick Toronto breakaway that caught YP Lee up the pitch.
    Although he will still get slated by some of the fanbase, it was desire that didn't go unnoticed from Martin Rennie.
    <i>"When you've got a forward running back to the corner flag against the full back, three or four or five, six times in a game then you've got someone who cares about your club and that makes a big, big difference. Whether they have every perfect touch or not, it's very, very significant, especially when it's someone who's been there and done it.
    "Those guys sometimes come over here to this league and don't show that kind of hunger and that desire, but when you see that from a player like him it makes you very, very happy as a coach."</i>
    The backline wasn't exactly put through a hard test. There were a few heart in mouth moments when the Caps defence seemed a little bit flat footed early on, but you expect that rustiness in the first game of the season.
    Brad Rusin was a concern to me after his shaky preseason performances, but he increased his worth considerably when he came on for Jay DeMerit and didn't put a foot wrong.
    With the news today that DeMerit has had a successful operation on his ruptured Achilles tendon and is likely to be out for most, and possibly the rest, of the season, Rusin now has to battle with Johnny Leveron for a starting spot.
    Rusin did himself no harm at all on Saturday and was more commanding in the air than we saw from a lot of the centrebacks last year and offers better work on the deck than DeMerit, but this can also be where he can be caught out.
    Rennie is high on Rusin though and had been trying to get him to the Caps for over a year.
    YP Lee was looking like his old self on Saturday, after seeming to be a little bit tired and lacking in the preseason action. He was obviously conserving his energy for when the season started and covered a hell of a lot of ground up that right flank.
    It was great to see Alain Rochat back in that left back slot and playing some killer through balls in the first half. The inswinging pass he played to set Miller through in the opening minutes was sublime.
    It was also great to see Jun Marques Davidson back in the starting eleven. The Caps sorely missed his presence at the back in the second half of last season, where he wrongly found himself out of the team.
    We harped on about this enough last season, but just to continue it, when Davidson plays we have that safety that he is back there covering and allowing Lee and Rochat to tear up the wings. He showed that again several times on Saturday.
    The team suffered dearly in that regard when he missed out for most of the second half of the season.
    In a lot of ways it was good that the Whitecaps stuttered and struggled to get really going against Toronto. It may temper expectations for some.
    There is a long season ahead and the Caps are going to have to battle for every point and earn their playoff spot with some hard fought victories.
    The signs are there that once this team clicks, they'll do some damage in MLS. If we can be a slow build, whilst still getting the points on the board, then motor on fully in the second half of the season this time, we could be looking at an exciting season ahead.
    The Caps need to work on creating more chances. That's what cost us last season and although there was some nice build up work, the final ball was either too long, behind the player or just simply snuffed out. I'm very confident that will come the more the core of the team play together.
    A lot of it is simply down to timing, both when piling forward and in the need to cut down on the number of giveaways. A more dangerous side could have really made us pay for the number of sloppy passes.
    We also need a few of the players to look up a bit more and see what is developing around them. Hard when you're running at such pace I know, but vital.
    The Caps could have had a second on Saturday when Reo-Coker broke with Miller to his left and Mattocks to his right. Miller was in great space but the ball went to Mattocks and his rocket of a shot was deflected over. Not to say that Miller would have buried it but it was a disappointing end to a great move.
    For now, it's back to the hard work of training. Ironing out some of the glitches and making some little adjustments here and there ahead of Columbus on Saturday.
    Six points out of six from the first two home games will be a very fine base to build the rest of the season on.
    'Mon the Caps.
    <center>**********</center>
    <b><u>AFTN 3-2-1:</u></b>
    We kick off this year's 3-2-1 competition with a selection that may not be on the same page as others out there!
    3 points - DAIGO KOBAYASHI (Busy, creative and doing a lot of unnoticed work)
    2 points - KENNY MILLER (Covered so much ground and showed real commitment to the cause)
    1 point - NIGEL REO-COKER (Definitely added the vital spark when he came on)
    <p>
    Guest
    <i>Our <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/tags.php?tag=pitch+perfect" target="_blank"><b>Pitch Perfect</b></a> feature, where we break down various moves of perfection in Whitecaps matches, is back and it's nice to kick it off for the new season with a goal in the opening game.</i>
    Coming into the game against TFC, the Whitecaps were a heavy favourite, especially considering their opponents had a number of starters who were signed and just arrived in the days leading up to the game. The Caps were able to squeak a 1-0 result from this match with a spectacular goal that displayed skill, technique and trust among the players.

    Andy O’Brien had just sent the ball long which Darren Mattocks headed down to YP Lee. Kenny Miller, who had started his run down the middle, curls to the right past the central defenders, Danny Califf and Darren O’Dea, dragging them with him creating space in the central area. Daigo Kobayashi finds this space and starts moving toward it.

    A couple of things occur off the ball in this frame. First, Mattocks makes a run down the right side taking Ashtone Morgan with him and creating more room for Miller. Also, Terry Dunfield decides to stay with Kobayashi because Richard Eckersley may be too far away to mark him. As a result of this there is a vast space behind Jeremy Hall who is coming to close down on Lee. Lee makes the pass to Miller and sees the space as gets past Hall and readies for the return pass.

    At this point Lee has received the pass from Miller and continues his move while both Hall and O’Dea track him down. Kobayashi is now being marked by Eckersley but the defender doesn't have the ideal position on him. Dunfield spots Koffie moving towards the box but also has Lee moving towards him.

    With Koffie seemingly positioning himself for a pass ten yards outside the box, Dunfield takes a step towards him which leaves a clear passing lane for Lee to Kobayashi. As soon as Lee makes the pass, Koffie makes his run into the box.

    The path to goal for Koffie is clear due to the central defenders getting split. O'Dea has to cover Lee after he got past Hall while Califf follows the pass to Kobayashi. Califf is unable to recover from the misstep and is caught flat footed as Koffie takes the pass and beats Bendik for the only goal of the game.
    The Whitecaps had good movement in this game, especially in the second half, but what they displayed on this goal was a perfect display. What this goal also displays is how much Martin Rennie and the coaching staff want their holding midfielders to push forward in order to create more chances.
    Watch the goal one more time at full speed, complete with commentary from Pete Schaad. Perfection.
    <center>

    </center><p>
    Guest
    (Apologies for the delay. I was at a family event all day yesterday and I wasn’t about to tell a 2-year-old that I had to step away from his birthday so I could write a column)
    “It wasn’t nearly as horrible as I thought it might be.”
    That was a quote from a long-time observer (and former CSN writer) immediately following the game. He uttered the statement to laughs and nods all-around in the pub that the forever-suffering Toronto supporter’s group U-Sector (established in 2000 for a Toronto Lynx playoff game; haven’t been at another playoff game since) had gathered.
    The place was packed. Misery loves company, after all. Seven **** years and we’re still here.
    And that’s the thing. It wasn’t as horrible as we thought. It wasn’t great, but, overall, it was enough to engage us and bring us back for yet another year.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    You don’t always pick the one you love, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love them through good and bad. Sure, sometimes you might sound like Kirsty MacColl in Fairytale of New York when talking about TFC -- You scumbag you maggot. You cheap lousy ***got. Happy First Kick your arse. I pray god it´s our last – but, ultimately you’re a sap like Shane Macgowan.
    I kept (your dreams) with me babe
    I put them with my own
    Can't make it out alone
    I've built my dreams around you
    If you’re still with this club, you’re not going anywhere. You curse at the Reds, but you dream of the day when you’re standing in disbelief watching the red and white confetti fall down on a stage as Don Garber talks about passionate fans being rewarded for remarkable loyalty.
    The last 12-months have been hard on the community of Toronto fans. There has been frustration and in fighting. What was once a vibrant and exciting sub-culture has turned bitter and angry. We spend too much time judging other fans and hating our own club.
    All of which made Saturday so pleasant of a surprise. Sure, the black humour was out in full force – signing “We’re Gonna win the league” was likely a tad bit on the sarcastic side – but there was far more smiles than frowns at the pub and there was far more positive evaluation of the play than negative predictions of doom.
    Robert Earnshaw was a favourite topic of conversation – excitement about a possible partnership with Danny Koevermans made some even dare utter the P-word (“If we can keep the damage in check, AND, Koevermans comes back in same form then, MAYBE…”).
    Seeing Richard Eckersley at fullback was a happy vision. Danny Califf looked OK and the back line stayed fairly organized for long stretches. Considering the lack of time the team has spend together so far, well…
    It wasn’t nearly as horrible as we thought.
    No one in Toronto is delusional. We know that this is going to be a struggle. But, I think, we’re ready to get back to the job of supporting the club. And, after the last year that’s a beautiful feeling.
    All for One – who knows, maybe we got on a lucky one that’s coming in 18 to one…


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