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    Guest

    Videodrome: Andy O'Brien

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Videodrome is AFTN's new video interview section.
    Today, Christopher Vose chats with Vancouver Whitecaps' Andy O'Brien about making the upcoming MLS playoffs, the challenges LA pose the Caps and what veterans like Andy can bring to the team at this time.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <center>

    </center>(This is a trial run at the feature, so bear with us whilst we sort out sound issues for future interviews)
    <p>
    Guest

    Copa America 2016 to be played next door

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    South America's nations tournament's centennial to be played in the U.S. with six CONCACAF teams.
    The news broke late Wednesday afternoon, CONMEBOL has confirmed the 45th edition of the Copa America will be played in the United States in 2016 with 16 teams, 10 from CONMEBOL and six from CONCACAF.
    According to South American sources, these six CONCACAF guests would be the United States (hosts), Mexico and "four other teams with the best standings in the previous CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament." This has yet to be confirmed by CONCACAF.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    South American football authorities also invited Japan and Mexico to play Copa America 2015 in Chile.
    A few days after a catastrophic elimination for Brazil 2014, this can only be good news for Canada with a new important pit stop on its way to Russia 2018. The summer of 2016 should also be the stage for the semi-final round of qualifying for CONCACAF nations for the Russian World Cup.
    It will be interesting to see how this will translate also for the 2017 Confederations Cup tournament since the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL representatives usually come from their separate nations tournament and not from a joint event.
    Uruguay, winner in 2011, holds the record with 15 continental titles in South America.
    Guest

    A tale of two enigmas

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Landon Donovan and Dwayne De Rosario’s careers crossed paths early on -- it was the two MLS legends that provided all the scoring San Jose would need to
    . For good measure, they both had the worst hair -- and were the only two players with Canadian roots -- on the pitch that day too.That day seemed to glue the two men together forever. They have always seemed to have similar career paths and have always managed to excite and confuse their fans in equal amounts.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Both men have been the most exciting offensive players of their respective countries. Donovan, of course, has had a greater degree of exposure than DeRo by virtue of the United States greater level of success than Canada, but, in context, they have had done similar things for their national teams.
    On the club side, they both went to Germany and came back almost as fast – both said that they were never comfortable there and fans have always wondered if they could have done more in Europe.
    Donovan did get a couple loan spells at Everton, but has always seemed to need to play in a small pond to be successful. DeRo tried to go back with Celtic, but was on the wrong side of 30 when he got the inkling.
    Regardless, it’s MLS that has provided both men with their success, and both are on a short list of best all-time to play in that league. Donovan is 10 goals away from the all-time scoring lead. DeRo is 34 away, but he became just the seventh player to hit the century mark in goals this year.
    And despite being four years younger than DeRo, Donovan is once again following his former teammate by calling into question how much longer he will play. Both men seem to be at a crossroads now.
    DeRo has always taken great care of his body – he famously has maintained a Vegan diet throughout his career and is known as a fitness guru in MLS circles – but, at 34 and coming off of a knee injury, questions need to be asked. He’s always relied on that explosive move from the left wing to create space for himself. Can he still be effective? DC United certainly hopes so, but it’s unlikely that there are too many teams in the league that would be willing to take the risk on him until we know for sure.
    Donovan’s case is more confounding for critics and fans alike. He has a bit of an injury right now, but no one is suggesting that he can’t come back.
    Rather, this is a case of Donovan’s head not quite being in it anymore. Some might wonder if it ever fully was – Donovan is as big an enigma as you’ll find in professional sport.
    However, he is talented – remarkable so. He’s likely the most talented player to have grown up playing soccer. That’s what is so frustrating about him. Fans wonder how anyone so talented can…pout…so often.
    DeRo can be seen the same way. For all of his skill he's always been accused of not being the best team player. Toronto fans remember all too well how DeRo acts when he's not happy.
    Regardless of your feelings for either DeRo or Donovan, if you are a fan of MLS you have to hope that both overcome their current crisis of body/faith. They are the two players that have most successfully bridged the so-called MLS 1.0 and 2.0 eras and they are, arguably, the first two MLS-only (or mostly, anyway) created superstars.
    It’s still too soon for either to walk, or be forced, away from the game. Let’s hope both are around next March and for a few more years to come.
    Actually, let's hope they play long enough that they end their careers No 1 and No 2 on the scoring chart. That would be the fitting way for both to call it quits.
    Guest
    By: Michael Crampton
    Mired in a 13 game winless run in MLS, in the same season that began with a separate 9 game losing streak, any idea of Toronto FC defeating Santos Laguna in Torreon, Mexico Wednesday night seems more or less impossible. Add to that the need for the Reds to score a minimum of three goals to actually have any hope of advancing on to the quarterfinal stage of the CONCACAF Champions League and it’s easy to see why so many Toronto supporters have seemingly either forgotten that the team is still alive in the tournament or written off their chances entirely. In truth, neither position seems particularly unreasonable.
    To be fair to the fans, even the club themselves seems to be doing the minimum necessary to promote the game. Serious participation in the CCL was, until very recently, a major point of pride for Toronto FC. Unfortunately, yearly progression in continental play, from winning the Canadian Championship in 2009 through participation in the CCL group stage in 2010 to a Cinderella run to last season’s semi-final, has been accompanied by three seasons of regression in the league. The dissonance of those two experiences has made it very difficult for the club to point to legitimate Champions League success without coming across as, at best, cynically exploiting the CCL as a distraction from their failures in MLS play.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In another year, even married to simple relevance if not outright success in the league, going into the last game of the group stage needing a multiple goal win might not be seen as a bad return in continental play. CD Aguila competes with FC Edmonton and Real Esteli as the weakest team Toronto FC has ever faced but, to a neutral observer simply looking at the standings, TFC’s 6 points and +5 goal differential ranks them among the more successful sides in the tournament so far.
    Even in the home loss to Santos Laguna the Reds managed to hang around for most of the match and entertained hopes of an unlikely victory until eventually conceding two late goals as Santos increased the tempo of the match in the late stages. Those goals were likely decisive and leave TFC in the virtually impossible situation they find themselves but, realistically, even a draw or narrow win at home would have left Toronto with a mountain to climb.
    Let’s be clear: as soon as they were drawn against Santos Laguna, the task facing TFC became monumental and the Reds would quite literally need to make history to advance further in the 2012-13 edition of the tournament. It is any easy fact to forget, so it bears repeating: since the Champions League replaced the old Champions’ Cup in 2008 no non-Mexican team has ever eliminated a Mexican opponent and no Mexican side has ever failed to advance to the knockout stage.
    This season, with the groups featuring Chivas de Guadalajara and Tigres far from decided in addition to TFC’s, it’s quite possible that the streak may be broken. In that sense the new format, that requires teams to win their three team group rather than finish first or second in a four team group, has worked as it was intended and forced the Mexican sides to take the group stage seriously. However, unless one of Xelajú, Alajuelense, or Toronto FC can actually pull off the result they need in Mexico the idea of a Mexican team being punished for a slip-up remains purely hypothetical.
    Obviously, of the groups still to be decided, Toronto FC’s is the least likely to see the necessary result. Based on past performances of MLS teams in Torreon, TFC included, the final whistle might come as a relief if Santos Laguna decide to heap on the misery, impress their home fans, and really take the game to Toronto. That could result in a nightmare of Canadian men’s national team proportions. If Toronto manages to score an early goal or two Santos’ remarkable propensity for second half comebacks would likely prevent them from being rattled; Santos is a team that has confidence in their ability to score when they need to and no reason to not believe that they can.
    That’s the reality Toronto FC faces: one last meaningful game at the end of a mostly miserable season needing a multiple goal victory against a team that should beat them easily. Nothing is expected of TFC and, really, nothing should be.
    Guest

    SoccerPlus - Weekly podcast (Oct. 24)

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    This week, we address the apparent tension between Americans and Italians within the Montreal Impact locker room with our guest experts Marc Tougas (CP) and Patrick Leduc (LaPresse/RDS) and we demonstrate the importance of starting strong in MLS with Jonathan Tannenwald (Philly.com).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Click here to listen.
    Guest
    The Whitecaps are playoff bound and when the "West Coast Soccer" guys headed along to training on Tuesday, they found a relaxed squad enjoying their moment in the <strike>sun</strike> torrential rain.
    One word seemed common in the training scrums - "frustrated". It wasn't the way anyone wanted to get there, but get there they did anyway.
    We pick over the bones of the weekend and look ahead to Los Angeles in just over a week's time. You know, because nobody is caring about the Salty ones on Saturday.
    Can the Caps do the unthinkable and make Becks cry into his underwear? We hear from <b>Barry Robson</b> and <b>Jay DeMerit</b> and hatch our own gameplan into how we can bring down the glamourpusses.
    The Caps play in LA the day after Halloween and the City of Angels is known for putting on some mighty fine Halloween bashes. To help the Caps players out, we make a few suggestions as to what costumes they should adopt to help them relax before the big game.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Leave your own suggestions below. Pierce putting a blonde wig on and pretending to be his sister won't work. We tried it. Couldn't get in anywhere apart from a few places on Davie Street.
    You can listen to this week's podcast (and the previous ones) on iTunes <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/westcoastsoccerweekly/id491781299" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://westcoastsoccerweekly.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or have a listen below.
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    Guest

    Heath declines Toronto offer

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    As quickly as it started, it was over.
    Rumours surfaced last week that Orlando City coach Adrian Heath was being pursued by Toronto FC for an assistant's position. Neither the club nor Heath would confirm it but today he put it all to rest.
    Heath confirmed that he had been approached to coach with Toronto as an assistant, with a promise he would find a head coach role with the club down the line. He also confirmed today that he had turned down the offer.
    Heath has signed a new three-year deal with Orlando City. Heath has won multiple championships with Orlando City.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    The final 10

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    With Toronto FC mercifully limping towards the end of its terrible season, this space will turn its attention to MLS issues for the duration of the season. That’s not to say that TFC news won’t be covered – of course it will be – but rather we will endeavor to provide coverage of the league it plays in as we enter an intriguing playoff season.
    With Seattle’s 3-1 win over Dallas, the 10 playoff teams were determined. Today, we rank them from most likely to least likely to win the MLS Cup.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    1. Kansas City – 60 pts (23 pts since August 1)
    The former Wizards started the season hotter than anyone and, after a little blip in early summer, are once again among the hottest teams in the league. They will have home advantage throughout the eastern playoffs and you know that every last soul at MLS head office is hoping they will be the host of the MLS Cup final.
    2. Chicago – 56 pts (24 pts since August 1)
    The hottest team in the league since the transfer window and a team that no one is paying any attention to. The caveat is that the east is still wide open. They need a result against DC United next weekend to ensure that they don’t drop into the play-in game. However, if you’re looking for a darkhorse pick you can’t do worse than Chicago.
    3. San Jose - 65 pts (22 pts since August 1)
    The Shield winners are not being discounted. Chris Wondolowski might be able to take them there himself. However, the top teams in the west seen a little tougher than the top teams in the east and, therefore, it’s slightly more difficult for the Earthquakes to get to the final – at least that’s what the league is hoping.
    4. Galaxy – 51 pts (24 pts since August 1)
    They are champions and that’s not to be ignored. They are one of the hottest teams since August and that’s not to be ignored. They also have to play a play-in game and, well, that’s not to be ignored either. If they can survive Vancouver, the Galaxy become even odds to get back to the final.
    5. Seattle – 56 pts (22 pts since August 1)
    Seattle enters the playoffs much as it has every year. They look strong, but they’ve looked strong before. Can they finally breakthrough in the playoffs? Until they do, there will be questions.
    6. Salt Lake – 56 pts (20 pts since August 1)
    Their home advantage will always keep them in the conversation in a playoff tie, but SLC seems like a club that might have peaked.
    7. DC United – 57 pts (21 pts since August 1)
    They have gamely held on despite DeRo’s injury, but the lack of a game changer might hurt them in the playoffs. They will desperately want to avoid playing in the play-in game.
    8. Houston – 53 pts (19 pts since August 1)
    Houston has just sort of been there this year. They benefit from the blackhole that is the bottom of the east. However, they are well coached and went on an unexpected run last year. So, maybe. Just not probably.
    9. New York – 54 pts (16 pts since August 1)
    The Red Bulls are broken (year 16)
    10. Vancouver – 42 pts (11 pts since August 1)
    Some readers will accuse me of bias here, but the hard truth is that the Whitecaps are not only the team on the worst form going into the playoffs (by a long ways), but one of the worst teams in MLS, period, since August 1. They will bunker and hope against L.A. but it would be a massive upset if they were to turn around things and go on a playoff run.
    My pre-playoff MLS Cup pick: Sporting Kansas City over LA Galaxy 3-1.
    Although I've ranked San Jose above L.A. in terms of what team is more likely to win, it's my opinion that L.A.'s experience will help them pull an upset over San Jose in the second round.
    Kansas City will complete a dream season with a fairly easy win at home in what will be remembered as a exciting and rambunctious final.
    Guest

    In The Cold Light Of Day: In, but deserving?

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    If you wanted just one word to sum up the general feeling amongst many of the Vancouver support last night, "strange" would probably be the one to go with.
    The Whitecaps had claimed their first MLS playoff spot, but it didn't feel like a time for celebration.
    It wasn't won on the night, but handed to us after we failed to stand up and be counted. We achieved our greatest achievement in our MLS era so far after turning in one of our most lacking performances. Not how you want to clinch a playoff spot, but every way has the same outcome.
    Today, most of the talk has been around the Caps "backing" into the playoffs.
    Based on the events of Sunday, an apt description, but a playoff place is earned over a season, not one game.
    I prefer to look at it as us limping into the playoffs. Let's be thankful we're not a horse.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We're there though. The first Canadian team to achieve that feat, and despite what we're all feeling about the performances right now, we should all take a step back, take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.
    Are we deserving? Yes, because the only thing that matters at the end of the day was that we got the points on the board to get the job done.
    Those 42 points say we deserve it.
    Somewhat ironically, for people like myself who have been banging on about a single table, we'd be out of the playoff positions in 12th if we had that (although balanced/unbalanced schedules may have had that looking a little different, so it's not a proper comparison).
    The Caps put the old adage of "it's not how you start, it's how you finish" to bed by logging 69% of their points total in the first half of the season. 29 points from those 17 games. 13 from the rest, which is the same as TFC.
    That early season form, that record clean sheet streak and the wins we got on the board are what have us in the playoffs.
    After a string of dire performances since July, rightly or wrongly, the team has left a lot of the fans deflated and wondering is there actually any point in us making the playoffs, in what looks like being a one and out game?
    A quick glance at the Southsiders forum, twitter and the Caps Facebook page, would make anyone stumbling across them think the Caps were in TFC's position at the bottom of MLS.
    I'm sure many in Toronto see us as being whiny, undeserving and baffled at the response of many, but certainly not all, Whitecaps supporters.
    As arrogant as this will sound, the reason I feel like that is because we are Vancouver Whitecaps FC. A team with a rich history at all levels of the North American game. A team who regularly went to the playoffs, went deep and who you always felt had a chance of making the Championship game and invariably did, winning it too.
    I expect us to make the playoffs every season, new League or not. And I expect us to have a good shot once we're in there. If you don't have that feeling about your team, then there is something wrong with your Club.
    The current crop of players don't give you that feeling of hope, but in a one off game anything can happen.
    As a supporter of a small club with an incredible giantkilling record in one-off Cup ties, I know there is always that chance for an upset, however slim it might appear.
    For that to happen, the players need to give themselves a shake and have a long, hard look at their attitudes and performances.
    That said, I'm expecting a three or four goal mauling in LA.
    I want us to forget about going there to defend and to die on our sword as we take the game to the Galaxy, playing our fast players and attacking the wings like there's no tomorrow.
    I want to see passion. I want to see fight. I want to see Lee, Rochat, Richards and Mattocks run the LA defence ragged up the wings and for them not to know where the next attack is coming from. I want to see a midfield that actually turns up and makes a difference.
    We may lose, but I want to be proud of the way my team lost.
    The reason I wait 24 hours or so before writing these pieces is not to have kneejerk rants. If I'd written this last night, even this morning, I would have gone off on one about the lack of creativity (again), failing to rise to the occasion in a big game (again), team selection and tactics (again) and the attitude of people like Barry Robson (probably for the first time, as I've been a defender of his).
    There is so much wrong with the Whitecaps just now. There are a lot of reasons for our slump. There is a lot of blame that needs placed.
    This isn't the time. It can wait another couple of weeks. We've achieved one of our pre-season goals and the time for full critical analysis will come soon.
    For now we should savour the moment, acknowledge the achievement, and hope that our players go out and make everyone connected with the Whitecaps proud on November 1st.
    Another gutless and uncreative display should not, and will not, be tolerated, if these players want to be here next season.
    We've eleven days to get this right. Forget the past four months. It's a new season and a new start on November 1st. Let's attack it the way we did back in March.
    'Mon the Caps.
    <center>********************</center>
    <u><b>AFTN 3-2-1 v Portland</b></u>
    3 points - ANDY O'BRIEN (Has probably been the signing of the summer. Another solid performance for the centrehalf. Didn't seem to put a foot wrong.)
    2 points - MATT WATSON (I'll be honest. I would have dropped him for this game and had Richards in. Nothing to do with Matt's previous performances, which had been good, but Richards needed to be in there for someone. As it turned out, Watson was the only midfielder with any creativity and attacking danger in the first half. He was my Caps MotM at half time.)
    1 point - YOUNG-PYO LEE (Lee just edged the final point from Harvey for me. Wasn't exceptional but didn't do anything bad defensively. We badly need him to be a terror on the wings again.)
    <p>
    Guest
    Christopher Vose is AFTN's photographer and here is a gallery of some of his photos from the Cascadia Cup clash between Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers on Sunday October 21st 2012.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For a full high quality slideshow of all of Christopher's Portland photos, click <a href="
    " target="_blank">HERE</a>.<center>********************</center>
    <center>
    (Perhaps the players should have read the tifo)

    (The pre-match Canadian anthem gets belted out by Marie and the Southsiders)

    (Barry Robson in familiar pose)

    (Andy 'Strongarm' O'Brien)

    (Bang - Jewsbury scores the winner)

    (Even giant balls can't help the Caps)

    ("Did you think I would leave you dying........")

    (Camilo appealing, but not to MLS refs)
    </center>
    You can view all of Christopher's Whitecaps photographs at <a href="http://www.consulphotography.com" target="_blank"><b>ConsulPhotography.com</b></a>.
    Be sure to check his photos daily, as he is will have regular shots up from training, as well at Caps matches at all levels.
    All of his photos are copyrighted and cannot be used without his permission.
    <p>
    Guest
    If there's one song blaring out in Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room tonight, it should be The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My <strike>Friends</strike> Cascadian Allies (for a night)".
    Going in to their final home game of the season needing a win to secure their place in the playoffs, and against Cascadian rivals they have never beaten at MLS level, tonight’s game at BC place could have made Vancouver Whitecaps history.
    Instead they had to wait a couple of hours for the party to begin, as Canadian football history was made 144 miles away in Seattle when the Sounders ended Dallas' playoff hopes with a 3-1 victory.
    That win sent Vancouver Whitecaps into the MLS playoffs, the first Canadian club to achieve that feat, and Los Angeles Galaxy now await.
    Yet despite this achievement, it's hard to feel much enthusiasm this evening after a performance against Portland that was devoid of anything promising.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    With Portland battling to lift the Cascadia Cup and secure their first, and only, away victory of the season, it was never going to be easy.
    And so it proved. Although the Timbers barely had to get out of first gear to get the job done and regain the Cascadia Cup.
    The Whitecaps turned in one of their worst home performances of the season, going down to a first half Jack Jewsbury goal.
    Vancouver went for the same starting line as the previous game against Chivas, with Jamaicans Dane Richards and Darren Mattocks having to settle for places on the bench. This was particularly tough on Richards, who had run the show against The Goats.
    You got the feeling that BC Place was ready to kick into party mode, but feelings of both anticipation and apprehension filled the air as the game kicked off.
    Camilo nearly eased concerns early on, forcing Donovan Ricketts into a sprawling save when he got on the end of a Barry Robson cross in the fifth minute.
    Although Vancouver were dominating possession, the closest they came to breaking the deadlock came when Portland’s Steven Smith forced Ricketts into a leg save from an inexplicably hard back pass from close range.
    Camilo had another chance on the half hour mark, firing wide after Kenny Miller had flicked on a Matt Watson cross into his path.
    Portland forced their first save out of Brad Knighton in the 35th minute, when Bright Dike got his head on the end of a Sal Zizzo cross.
    The danger wasn’t over and Dike got the ball back in a seemingly offside position, but pulled his shot wide of the left hand post.
    If the Whitecaps needed any clues that the Timbers were getting back into the game, they had it firmly rammed home in the 39th minute when the visitors took the lead.
    Frank Songo’o played the ball out to Jack Jewsbury and the Portland captain crashed home an unstoppable 25 yard strike into the postage stamp corner.
    The goal stunned Vancouver and the home side struggled to lift themselves for the remainder of the half.
    Portland went in at half time with an unlikely lead, but it was one that they were desperate to hold on to.
    Neither side made any changes at the break, but Portland only lasted a minute before being forced to make one in their defence when Hanyer Mosquera went down after a chance for Robson was headed over.
    With chances proving hard to come by, Vancouver turned to their Reggae Boys and the introduction of Richard and Mattocks up the home side’s tempo, with first Mattocks and then Miller both having half chances in the air.
    Portland were still a danger on the break and Dike forced Knighton into a save in the 75th minute.
    With time running out, Vancouver decided to go for it and brought on Omar Salgado, making a welcome return to the team after his long term injury.
    The Whitecaps pushed forward and Robson fired fiercely over from the edge of the box in the 79th minute.
    Vancouver huffed and puffed in the final minutes, but seemed devoid of ideas and creativity.
    The officials tried to help by adding on six minutes of stoppage time. It made little difference and Portland ran out the time with ease.
    Portland may have thwarted the Whitecaps playoff party, but Seattle at least did the business against Dallas and the Caps are playoff bound.
    With LA now awaiting, you have to feel that it's going to be a short lived playoff experience if tonight's display is anything to go by.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 - 1 Portland Timbers
    ATT: 21,000 (sell out)
    VANCOUVER: Brad Knighton; Young-Pyo Lee, Andy O’Brien, Jay DeMerit, Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie, Barry Robson, Alain Rochat (Dane Richards 61), Matt Watson (Omar Salgado 77); Kenny Miller, Camilo Sanvezzo (Darren Mattocks 67) [subs Not Used: Joe Cannon, Martin Bonjour, Jun Marques Davidson, John Thorrington]
    PORTLAND: Donovan Ricketts; Kosuke Kimura, Hanyer Mosquera (Eric Brunner 48), David Horst, Steven Smith; Sal Zizzo, Jack Jewsbury, Franck Songo’o (Rodney Wallace 67), Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe; Bright Dike (Danny Mwanga 85) [subs Not Used: Joseph Bendik, Eric Alexander, Eric Brunner, Mike Fucito, Lovel Palmer]
    <p>
    Guest

    Reflections on TFC and 2007

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    By: Michael Crampton
    Back in the fall of 2007 the regularly boisterous atmosphere of BMO Field overflowed into another of the memorable moments of Toronto FC’s inaugural season. Danny Dichio’s speculative chip of Matt Reis in the dying minutes of the final game of the season earned TFC a draw against the New England Revolution but it wasn’t really the result the fans were celebrating. The spontaneous pitch invasion was more about the joy, the outright giddiness, that soccer had made it in the city of Toronto. While virtually all of the fans dancing at midfield probably still entertained expectations that TFC would go on to be a regular contender in the then smaller pond of Major League Soccer it was, after years in the wilderness, simply having a team that was important.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It’s probably fair to suggest one thing is fairly certain: the home portion of TFC’s 2012 season was never going not end with a pitch invasion. 2012 might resemble 2007 in that Toronto FC has once again set a new league record for futility and is set to finish in last place but the feeling is totally different. Where once the stands of BMO Field were full of optimism and a source of pride now the sparse attendees often trek down to the lakefront with a sense of resignation. Many cannot even summon the energy to be angry.
    Yes, Toronto FC has major problems; the relationship with their fans and team itself cannot be fixed overnight and will take time to repair. What shouldn’t escape notice however is that, in the bigger picture, football has still won a major battle. The fans who packed BMO Field in 2007 have left a legacy that six years of mistakes, both on and off the field, cannot undo. For everything that has gone wrong with Toronto FC as a club the potential the sport exhibited back then is being realized.
    Saturday afternoon two Canadian teams took to the field in the highest league in northern North America for the first ever league edition of the 401/20 Derby to be played in Toronto. The Montreal Impact featured players the class of Alessandro Nesta and Marco Di Vaio alongside the repatriated talents of Canadian Patrice Bernier. Were it not for injury Toronto FC side lining up against them would be captained by Torsten Frings. This evening the Vancouver Whitecaps have the chance to clinch a first ever MLS Cup playoff berth for a Canadian team. The Canadian Men’s National Team may have fallen humiliatingly short Tuesday in Honduras but, prior to that, they played home portion of their World Cup qualifying campaign in front of fiercely partisan crowds at BMO Field. Finally, after years of yearning, incremental steps, and the dedicated effort of a few committed individuals, home games for Canada actually feel like home games.
    Back in 2007 there was, in some quarters, a frustration expressed that the story around Toronto FC nearly exclusively concentrated on their fans and that on field analysis seemed to take a back seat to what was happening in the stands. While we’ll never know how much that attitude contributed to the eventual problems TFC would face it now seems clear, looking back, that the fans really were the story. Toronto FC and their fans don’t deserve exclusive credit for what successes Canadian soccer has enjoyed over the past few years – the roots go deeper and were always far wider, as fans across the country will attest – but the catalyst moment that has ignited a soccer boom in Canada was that inaugural 2007 season. Where we are now, both good and bad, would not have been possible without the spirit that energized fans to celebrate a home draw in a largely miserable season like it was a league championship. Recollections of that time may be tinged with regret at what has been lost but that potential is still bearing fruit six years later.
    If we’re all lucky, one day Montreal at Toronto on a Saturday afternoon in mid-October will be more than just a local rivalry. It’ll be a game that fans around the league feel the need to watch because of its relevance to the rest of MLS, not only the competing clubs’ supporters. Until then, it is what it is. That’s better than anything we had in Canadian soccer seven years ago even if it’s hard to remember that now.
    Guest

    Sober Second Thoughts: The end

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    It felt like the end.
    Not just the end of the season, but the end of everything. Yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Montreal – a game that neither team appeared able to win – was an afterthought at the end of a week that had already delivered a fatal blow to the hearts of most local fans.
    All that’s really left now is to bury the body and move on.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The season isn’t actually over. I suspect if you asked 100 fans leaving BMO Field yesterday if there were more games to play, 80 would have said no. What was once an obsessive passion has become a bad joke, irrelevant to all but a few masochists.
    It will be five months before we stand in the stadium again. We all need the break.
    At half-time yesterday I took a walk around the stadium and up to King Street. I was struck by how quiet it was.
    In the early days a TFC game was all encompassing. There was an excitement that stretched from King and Dufferin and all the way through Liberty Village. It felt like we were all a part of something and that we were reprehensive of a new, bold and proud type of Torontonian.
    I remember walking into bars after the games with a group of people wearing TFC gear. We drew attention. People wanted to know what the games were like and told us that they wanted to go to a game to see it themselves.
    It didn’t matter if they were urban hipsters, Bay Street lawyers or suburban moms at Starbucks, TFC was relevant. It was part of the city and it seemed like the buzz would never die.
    Six years later you wouldn’t have known that there was a game on 100 feet from the stadium.
    When Toronto was awarded a franchise in 2006 there were lots of voices that suggested that it would never fly – that the game had failed in the city before (which was actually untrue. The NASL Blizzard never folded) and that TFC was a doomed venture. They were wrong. It succeeded (off the pitch) in spectacular ways.
    However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that many who came in the early days were not buying into the club, but rather the experience. Now that the experience is gone they are too.
    TFC management built a brand, not a football club.
    It’s hard to imagine a crowd at BMO being excited again. I’m not even sure winning would bring back the buzz – not without it being sustained for several years anyway.
    Whatever TFC was is probably dead. For those that still care, we can only hope that something with more substance emerges from its ashes.
    Guest
    <b>KEY PLAYERS :</b>
    ATTACKING
    The Whitecaps will need their designated player <b>Barry Robson</b> to step up in this game if they look to advance to the playoffs with a win. Control in the midfield will be the key and the Scot is the one who looks to push the ball forward in attack. He will need to find both of the strikers in scoring positions around the box, especially since he will play the tip in the diamond formation.
    It has been mixed results for <b>Darlington Nagbe</b> this season in Portland. He has scored six goals but only picked up his first assist in the last game in August. The Timbers hoped Nagbe would be the facilitator for the attack this season but the sophomore has not met those expectations.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    DEFENCE
    The pulse and success of the defensive side of the game seems to revolve around <b>Alain Rochat</b>, with the team succeeding when he is on the pitch and playing well. It seems the normal left back will be asked to play the defensive midfield spot again in the 4-4-2 diamond formation the Whitecaps will employ.
    The Timbers brought in defender <b>Hanyer Mosquera</b> to stabilize the backline but the club has the third worst defense in MLS. Despite the lack of overall team defending the Colombian displays the attributes of a solid centrehalf, with physical tackles, solid positioning, and a commanding presence on the backline.
    <b>WHO'S ON FORM :</b>
    Last year’s team MVP <b>Camilo</b> has struggled this season but may have found his touch late in the season with a goal and two assists in his last start. The Brazilian seemed to excel playing more in the middle of the pitch as a striker instead of out wide on the left.
    The loss of Kris Boyd due to injury has given <b>Bright Dike</b> an opportunity to see more time as the target striker, with some success. The young and hardworking forward brings a physicality to the box, scoring a goal in two of his last three appearances.
    <b>2012 RECORD :</b>
    Vancouver:
    11W-9D-12L
    5th in Western Conference
    Last Match: 4-0 Win vs Chivas USA
    Portland:
    7W-9D-16L
    8th in Western Conference
    Last Match: 4-0 Loss vs Real Salt Lake
    <b>PROJECTED LINE-UPS :</b>

    <b>INJURIES/MISSING :</b>
    Vancouver:
    None
    Portland:
    Out: DF Chris Taylor (hip)
    Doubtful: DF Ian Hogg (ankle)
    Questionable: FW Kris Boyd (adductor)
    <b>GAME ANALYSIS :</b>
    The Whitecaps are on the verge of making history as the first Canadian team to make the MLS playoffs since the League’s inception. However, in order to accomplish that feat, the Whitecaps will have to win their last home game of the season and defeat Portland Timbers, which will give them their first Cascadian win in MLS.
    There will be very limited changes to the lineup that beat Chivas USA 4-0 with the keeping duties going to Brad Knighton. In front of him in the backline will have Andy O’Brien team up with Jay DeMerit, while Lee Young-Pyo and Jordan Harvey will be on the wings.
    The midfield will be a diamond with Alain Rochat playing the holding role and Barry Robson at the tip of the formation with Gershon Koffie and Matt Watson in the wide parts. There is a chance that Darren Mattocks could be ready from an injury, but it is more likely that Camilo and Kenny Miller will form the partnership at the top.
    Dane Richards excelled when coming on as sub against Chivas, but games and travels from Jamaica are likely to see him on the bench.
    Despite having multiple ways to clinch the final playoff spot, the Caps must not take any chances on relying on others to help them. During these two weeks the mantra has been "Win and We’re In" and that belief would be perfect in this situation.
    A similar game plan that they enforced against Chivas would be ideal, especially if it garners them the first goal early. The first score will allow the match to open up more, which could lead to more space for the Whitecaps attackers to widen the lead.
    Portland has struggled to find any kind of success on the road. They are the only team yet to have secured a victory away from home this season. In fact their goal differential tells the story as they are +3 at home and -26 on the road, while only scoring nine times in 16 road games. In addition to picking up three points on the road for the first time this season, the Timbers will be trying to secure the Cascadia Cup with a win and spoil their rivals' party.
    The two week layoff has allowed the majority of their injured players to move off the disabled list but it could have also made the team a little rusty. The longer the game goes without a goal for Vancouver, the more of a chance there is for failure for the Whitecaps to get the best result.
    This is a game the Whitecaps have had two weeks to prep for, so at this point the Caps will need to leave excuses at home. They will need to go all in and take the game to their Cascadian rivals, allowing the supporters to leave the game happy knowing the playoffs are on the way and not care about what Dallas do in Seattle.
    You never want to rely on a fierce rival to get the job done for you.
    <p>
    Guest

    Take this under advisement, Tom

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    If you haven’t yet read John Molinaro’s excellent critique of the current state of Toronto pro soccer under the bland and heavy thumb of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, please take a moment to do so. Then come right back. We have some matters to discuss.
    Hi.
    The bit I want to zoom in on is Sportsnet analyst and former Canadian national team goaltender Craig Forrest bluntly telling MLSE castle king Tom Anselmi that TFC’s management structure needs to be fixed, and Anselmi responding “We’ll take that under advisement.”
    Please allow me to amplify, just in case anyone in the MLSE candy shoppe is nibbling a tasty bit of Canadian Soccer News along with their morning fudge.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Tom Anselmi and MLSE are at their most dangerous when they are deciding who should be in charge of TFC’s football operations.
    The three most shattering blows ever struck against this fragile franchise were Mo Johnston 2006, Mo Johnson 2009 and Aron Winter/Paul Mariner 2011. It is this blog’s belief that the apparently imminent default decision of Paul Mariner 2013 will prove to be hammer blow number four.
    Folks, there’s a very limited number of times anybody can hit anything that hard, and expect there to be anything useful left standing.
    Not everyone agrees with me about Mariner. My friend and CSN colleague Duane Rollins did his best to take me to Mariner school on a westbound King 504 streetcar on the bright, chilly morning of the D.C. United game.
    Duane’s contacts are screaming at him that, should TFC fire yet one more head coach, no self-respecting pro within hailing distance of sanity and self-respect would ever want to come and take this job.
    Of course, I’d have felt better if Duane hadn’t started quoting the Big Soccer message boards. I haven’t given a sideways damn what that poison-dripping bog swamp thinks about anything since the infected aftermath of the Columbus road trip disaster of 2009.
    When any collection of characters is that wrong about something I know back to front to sideways, I’m not about to take their word for anything else.
    Plus, there is a simple, one-word answer as to why, in fact, there will always be interest in the TFC management job:
    Money.
    And Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has lots and lots of money.
    The issue right now would be: Tom Anselmi himself.
    Right now, after all we’ve seen and endured and been through and are dreading having to go through again, there isn’t any sane reason left why anyone – except maybe Mo Johnston? – should ever consent to take soccer direction – in any way at all – from Tom Anselmi.
    MLSE needs to hire a real president for this club – a savvy soccer guy who takes zip-zero crap from the suits – and hermetically seal him off every other aspect of their operation (except for their buoyant, chubby bank accounts).
    That manager must then hire an inspired coach. And that coach must not be Paul Mariner.
    Duane says – and blessings upon him for the undying passion with which he believes this – that Toronto FC needs to settle for Mariner, because yet another total overhaul would again be far too disruptive.
    But Mariner is a product of the same blind, chronic incompetence that produced Johnston, Johnston again, and Winter. Oh, and Mariner. Keeping Mariner now would not stabilize anything that’s actually worth saving.
    It would be more like another tragic case of the abused returning to the abuser.
    Near as I can tell, it took Paul Mariner fewer than ten games to lose the room. Even in TFC hell-land, that’s some kind of a record.
    No one with professional pride in their work wants to be yelled at – constantly – on every little detail of their job. If CSN founder and scribe boss Ben Rycroft badgered me the way Mariner bully-rags Our Reds, I would silently slip out the back door, and he would never see or hear from me again. And Rycroft is a real talent.
    Mariner – like four of the six TFC bench bosses before him – came to the job with exactly zero previous games of division-one coaching experience. The only two who had any were Johnston and Preki, and neither has been hired by anyone to do the same job since.
    Scorched earth, people. And I don’t want Paul Mariner scattering any more ashes on it.
    I have no doubt at all that Tom Anselmi himself feels awful about all this. You can see a pinched kind of silent agony in his face. He doesn’t announce his post-game presence, and disappears silently out a lot of side doors.
    Nor do I seriously doubt the man’s good intentions. Make no mistake, folks: without MLSE, TFC would never have come here in the first place.
    But the businessman within the man needs to understand that the man is bad for business.
    Not money business. Soccer business.
    MLSE seems a happy enough place. All the execs have dream jobs in the candy shoppe, where they get to do admirable and profitable work. But they have no idea how to win at sports, and soccer baffles them far more than their other athletic endeavours.
    Sure, there’s a place in the world for guys who can run TV empires, build condos towers on rail yards, and get minor-league hockey teams into the Calder Cup final. But there’s no longer any place for any of those guys to have anything to say about the operations of Toronto FC.
    Paul Mariner 2012 is a naïve, over-matched blowhard. Yes, his work in New England earned him a shot, but so far he’s only managed to shoot his team, and himself.
    The abuse can’t continue. The old decision makers cannot continue to call the shots. Within the MLSE operation, I very much like both Earl Cochrane and Paul Beirne personally. But it’s six years down a disastrous road, and no one who’s ever had a hand on the TFC steering wheel should ever be allowed to drive or navigate this bus again.
    Put another way, under no circumstances would I ever allow a doctor who amputated my left leg to have a go at my right.
    Away with abuse! Away with Big Soccer! Away with Tom Anselmi as president of TFC!
    Let Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment continue to do what it does magnificently, and leave all future Toronto FC soccer decisions to trained, inspired, motivated, reliable, proven, accountable soccer professionals.
    Let us all take that under advisement, eh?
    Onward!
    (Oh, and my Canada-Honduras aftermath story is still coming – likely Tuesday.)
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