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    Guest

    FC Edmonton releases coaching staff

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    FC Edmonton has released its technical staff due to financial constraints.
    The club announced today that Harry Sinkgraven and assistant coach Hans Schrijver will not be back with the club, despite being satisfied with their job performance.
    You can read the full release here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    2013 Voyageurs Cup dates and format set

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The 2013 Voyageurs Cup dates and format was announced today. It will continue to feature four teams playing two home and away ties.
    Despite being the defending champion, TFC will be seeded third based on its MLS finish. The top seed will be either be Montreal or Vancouver, depending on which finishes with the most points in MLS play. Currently Vancouver is two points ahead of Montreal, but has not won in six games.
    Edmonton will be seeded fourth.
    The first round goes April 24 and May 1, with the final scheduled for May 15 and May 29.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    It’s the only thing TFC fans seem to want to talk about. It doesn’t matter that Paul Mariner and Earl Cochrane have been given the go-ahead to build the Reds for 2013. Fans still want to debate the merits of firing both.
    That obsession has created an environment where any attempt to discuss what TFC needs to do in the off-season is derailed by those that want to scream for Mariner’s head.
    In an effort to clarify my position on Mariner, and to focus discussions on whether he should be retained, I present this column: The 24th Minute’s final (until January) thoughts on Paul Mariner. Please direct all comments about his future to this thread. Comments that are off-topic in future columns will be deleted and moved here.
    Below the jump, my official position on Mariner.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    First off -- and I cannot stress this enough -- I am not pro-Mariner. I am pro-stability. I strongly believe that firing Mariner now would absolutely ensure that TFC will suffer through another terrible season in 2013. They would not have significant time to find a replacement, no one in their right mind would want to work for the club, and they would lose a tremendous amount of political goodwill league-wide.
    Many dismiss the importance of MLS politics, but the truth is it matters. Marnier is viewed as a good league servant and TFC firing him after giving him less than a year to build the club would be viewed as a slap in the face to him.
    If TFC fires Mariner they would be looking at D-list caliber managers to replace him. It’s almost certain that the Reds would go into 2013 with a manager with no MLS experience, or a guy that has been out of the league for a significant amount of time and did not have success in the league prior to being fired.
    In my mind, the biggest error TFC has made since its launch is that it has not shown enough respect to the league and to what’s been successful in it in the past. After six years of trying to do things differently maybe it’s time to acknowledge that we don’t know better than the rest of MLS. If Toronto wants to win it needs to do things that work in MLS.
    Mariner has been successful in MLS in the past. You can dismiss that as being part of the so-called “MLS 1.0” era, but that attitude speaks to the disrespect I touched upon above. Bluntly, Toronto management and fans need to get over themselves. We don’t know better than the rest of the league. Evidence suggests that we don’t know what the hell we are talking about, actually.
    That said, I do not believe that there is enough evidence to support the idea that Mariner is the right long-term answer.
    Let me repeat that: I do not know if Mariner is the long-term answer.
    One more time: I do not know if Mariner is the long-term answer.
    In case it isn’t clear: I do not know if Mariner is the long-term answer.
    I want to find out though. If he is the long-term answer we’ll need to see some improvement in the following ways.
    Tactics:
    Talking about tactics is dangerous. As the old adage goes, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing and there are a whole lot of TFC fans that have a little bit of knowledge. I, too, have a little bit of knowledge.
    So, all discussions about the relative value of direct football (or, “HOOFBALL!1!!1!, if you prefer) versus possession football needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The biggest failing of Winter, in my mind, was tactical inflexibility. If Mariner is to be successful he needs to avoid acting in the same, stubborn, way.
    That said, there is little doubt that TFC currently gives the ball up too quickly and too often – and part of that is by design. When he took over, Mariner told his defenders to boot the ball away from trouble rather than dribbling it out of the problem area. There is a time and a place for that, but Toronto does it too often.
    Mariner needs to find a way to create more possession. That doesn’t mean that he has to make TFC Barcelona, but he simply cannot have the team giving it up willfully.
    Game management:
    He has failed to use subs in many games and has used subs too late in others. Mariner does not have a lot of in-game management experience and he needs to improve. I suspect he’d agree.
    Line-up selection:
    Mariner plays a lot of players out of their natural position. I suspect he’d say that he does that because the players playing out of position are better than the replacements, even if the replacements naturally play the position.
    Which speaks to…
    Talent identification:
    Mariner needs to find better players. There are many that suggest that he’s mostly responsible for the mess TFC’s line-up is now. If you think that then you think that he’s had enough time to make his mark, and that TFC needs to cut him loose now before he does further damage.
    However, that’s not what I understand his role under Winter to have been. If you disagree, you disagree. Regardless, we can all agree that it’s his team now. He will be judged by the line-up that hits the pitch next March.
    If he starts the 2013 season as poorly as Winter then he absolutely should be fired.
    If TFC finishes 2013 with less than 30 points again then he should be fired.
    I disagree that an arbitrary “make the playoffs or else” mandate should be at play because I don’t want him tempted to make moves that are short-term in thinking. However, he absolutely needs to make this team competitive next year.
    If he can’t do that he should be fired. If he’s given a year to do it and fails then no one could complain, and the club would not be hurt politically in the same way that it would be if it prematurely sacked him now.
    As for Cochrane, I'll say just this: He's main role is negotiating contracts. Under Mo Johnston, TFC's contract situation was a disaster. Under Cochrane it isn't. So, it's disingenuous to suggest that he's been a complete failure in his job, a job few understand.
    He's struggled on the PR front a couple times -- the DeRo to Celtic situation being the most obvious. That could have been handled better, but to place 100 percent of the blame on Cochrane is misguided. The second TFC told Celtic they were not informed on the trial he was pulled from training and he did not return to the practice pitch until the paperwork was in place. That tells me the DeRo people may have made some mistakes too.
    Feel free to disagree below. This is the appropriate place for doing so.
    Guest
    When Vancouver Whitecaps hired John Furlong to be their new Executive Chair in April, I'm sure they hoped his appointment would lead to extra press coverage and column inches.
    They certainly couldn't have expected anything like yesterday's bombshell news of first physical, and then sexual, allegations against Furlong that have dominated the media these last 24 hours.
    As fingers are pointed, accusations murmured, sides taken and litigations started, the Whitecaps need to be very careful not to be drawn into the whole mess more than they already are.
    Keeping their distance is the key and they didn't do themselves any favours yesterday by first publically offering their support for Furlong and then allowing him to hold his presser in the same building that houses the Caps FO (The Landing in Gastown).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The latter in particular should have been flagged as a big PR no-no. It had to be a neutral venue to help the Whitecaps achieve some of that much needed distance.
    How many of us, if we found ourselves facing such allegations, would get a public announcement of support from our new employer of five months, never mind inviting all the media around to our new workplace to discuss it further?
    Some will say that Furlong is a big public face of the Whitecaps (although I would argue that is Bobby Lenarduzzi), so it's different and they had to say something. Well the Caps did also issue a statement later to the media:
    <i>"Today, public allegations were made against Whitecaps FC executive chair John Furlong. Earlier this year, we appointed John because of his excellent reputation and his lifelong dedication to growing sport at all levels. In his short time with the club, he’s demonstrated strategic leadership and a full commitment to taking Whitecaps FC to the next level and beyond. Whitecaps FC are doing everything we can to support John through this process.
    As this matter will likely proceed before the courts, we will make no further comment."</i>
    Now I'm a big advocate of innocent until proven guilty, as I think most of us are. You're not expecting the Caps to come out and disown the guy, but all that was needed was that last sentence. Nothing more. Just don't make a comment publically until after police investigations and any court cases. Don't offer support that may just come back and bite you in the ass.
    The Georgia Straight (a free weekly newspaper in Vancouver for anyone unaware) <a href="http://www.straight.com/article-788776/vancouver/furlong-bio-omits-secret-past-burns-lake" target="_blank">broke the story of the allegations</a> in the paper Thursday, but the background was raised in an article by the same author for the blog <a href="http://www.playthegame.org/news/detailed/the-vancouver-olympics-and-john-furlongs-sins-of-omission-5144.html" target="_blank">"Play The Game"</a> in April 2011.
    We're not even going to touch all the ins and outs of the allegations. That's for the police and courts to decide upon what happens next, and this is a football blog after all.
    So let's look at this from a football standpoint.
    Depending on how this all plays out from now, the Caps may have to do some damage limitation. There is that unknown factor of what will happen next.
    Whatever it is, and whether the allegations are found to be proven or dismissed, John Furlong's reputation has been tainted and that's hard to shake. You know that even if he is completely exonerated, there will be some that will still whisper. If that happens that is simply devastating to a man, both personally and professionally.
    The Province reported this morning that the Whitecaps had written to all of their Club "partners" advising them of the Straight story. There will have been initial surprise, then probably disbelief and then the worries of how their associations with the Caps may see them dragged in to this.
    As many news reports have shown Furlong being welcomed to the Caps, the last thing companies want to see is any video of a report of physical abuse featuring their company logo on a sponsors board in the background.
    The subsequent investigations of these accusations will take a while, and who knows right now, more allegations may come to light. Due to his role at the Club, rightly or wrongly, the Whitecaps will keep getting mentioned in many of the reports of John Furlong, Executive Chair of Vancouver Whitecaps.
    That is not a situation sponsors will be wanting to be associated with for too long.
    The Whitecaps may be wise to send Furlong out on a little gardening leave. You know, to give him the time to fight this properly.
    This story, and the potential damage to the Caps, sadly all seems a little deja vu to me.
    In the late 90's, the Chairman of East Fife, Julian Danskin, a well known and respected local lawyer, businessman and Boys Brigade leader, was blackmailed about allegations of child abuse. He went to the police.
    The football club issued statements of support. Danskin vehemently denied the allegations. Many people all said it couldn't be true, but there were rumours in the local community that wouldn't go away.
    The police investigated and many months later he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for offences against boys.
    East Fife's name was dragged through the mud for months due to the association and their initial backing and support of their Chairman was heavily criticised by the media and opposing fans had a field day. It took a very long time to recover from. Some would argue that they still haven't as a number of fans and sponsors walked away, never to return.
    Now obviously there are some similarities and some differences between that incident and the current one affecting the Caps, and we're certainly not passing judgement on how we think this matter will be resolved. From a Whitecaps point of view, you have to hope that nothing is proven and John Furlong fully clears his name.
    But there are also so many different issues and questions at stake here (the abuse allegations, the missing years and the 'Summer of 69'), that I feel it is very worthwhile bringing up the problem that not distancing themselves from a situation at the start can eventually go on to cause a football club.
    Five months after taking on the role of Whitecaps Executive Chair, perhaps the biggest question I would pose, is just what does John Furlong actually do for the football club, what has he achieved and what is his exact role?
    He seems to describe it as <a href="http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/people/john-furlong-executive-chair-vancouver-whitecaps" target="_blank">broad</a>. So vague. So confusing. So Whitecaps.
    With a big game coming up at the weekend, a season ticket renewal push in full flow and a playoff spot to tie up, these are the headlines that Vancouver Whitecaps don't want and don't need.
    Is there really no such thing as bad publicity? The Caps might be about to find out, as I don't think this story is going to be out of the headlines any time soon.
    <p>
    Guest
    John Furlong, executive chair of the Vancouver Whitecaps, has been accused of physically and mentally abusing native students in an article published today in the Georgia Straight newspaper.
    The paper points to several incidents that were alleged to have occurred in 1969, when Furlong was 19-years-old and teaching Phys Ed on the Burns Lake reserve as an Oblate Frontier Apostle missionary.
    The paper also points out that Furlong's official biography omitted his time in Burns Lake, suggesting that he did not arrive in B.C. until 1974.
    Neither the Whitecaps nor Furlong have responded to the accusations.
    CSN will continue to follow the story.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    For the duration of the CIS season, each Thursday CSN will publish the top 10 men's and women's rankings along with the week's schedule of games.
    Support local soccer!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Men's
    1. Alberta (1)
    2. York (2)
    3. UBC (3)
    4. Saint Mary’s (4)
    5. Queen’s (7)
    6. McMaster (5)
    7. Trinity Western (8)
    8. Sherbrooke (6)
    9. Saskatchewan (NR)
    10. Carleton (NR)
    Women's
    1. Ottawa (2)
    2. Trinity Western (3)
    3. McGill (5)
    4. Montreal (1) *
    5. Wilfrid Laurier (4)
    6. Queen’s (6)
    7. Alberta (7)
    8. Victoria (NR)
    9. Regina (8) *
    10. Cape Breton (9)
    This week's games (home listed second):
    Men's
    Friday
    Waterloo v Laurier - 3:00 PM EDT
    UNB v StFX - 7:15 PM ADT
    Mount Allison v Moncton - 7:15 PM ADT
    UQTR v Montreal - 8:00 PM EDT
    Concordia v Laval - 8:00 PM EDT
    Sherbrooke v McGill - 8:30 PM EDT
    Saskatchewan v UFV - 7:15 PM PDT
    Alberta v Victoria - 7:15 PM PDT
    Saturday
    Trinity Western v Winnipeg - 12:00 PM CDT
    UPEI v Memorial - 3:15 PM ADT
    Acadia v Dalhousie - 3:15 PM ADT
    Laurentian v Trent - 2:15 PM EDT
    Calgary v UNBC - 12:00 PM PDT
    Western v York - 3:15 PM EDT
    Waterloo v UOIT - 3:15 PM EDT
    Queen's v RMC - 3:15 PM EDT
    Brock v McMaster - 3:15 PM EDT
    Carleton v Ryerson - 3:15 PM EDT
    Windsor v Guelph - 3:15 PM EDT
    UBC v Mount Royal - 2:00 PM MDT
    UNB v Cape Breton - 7:15 PM ADT
    Saskatchewan v Victoria - 7:15 PM PDT
    Alberta v UFV - 7:15 PM PDT
    Sunday
    UPEI v Memorial - 1:15 PM ADT
    Concordia v UQTR - 1:00 PM EDT
    UQAM v Sherbrooke - 1:00 PM EDT
    UBC v Winnipeg - 12:00 PM CDT
    Mount Allison v Saint Mary's - 3:15 PM ADT
    Nipissing v Trent - 2:15 PM EDT
    Laval v McGill - 3:00 PM EDT
    Lethbridge v UNBC - 12:00 PM PDT
    UOIT v Laurier - 3:15 PM EDT
    Western v Guelph - 3:15 PM EDT
    Carleton v Toronto - 3:15 PM EDT
    Windsor v York - 3:15 PM EDT
    Trinity Western v Mount Royal - 2:00 PM MDT
    Cape Breton v StFX - 6:15 PM ADT
    Wednesday
    Guelph v UOIT - 3:00 PM EDT
    Laurier v Brock - 3:15 PM EDT
    Women's
    Friday
    Waterloo v Laurier - 1:00 PM EDT
    UNB v StFX - 5:00 PM ADT
    Mount Allison v Moncton - 5:00 PM ADT
    UQAM v Bishop's - 4:00 PM EDT
    UQTR v Montreal - 6:00 PM EDT
    Concordia v Laval - 6:00 PM EDT
    Sherbrooke v McGill - 6:30 PM EDT
    Manitoba v UFV - 5:00 PM PDT
    Winnipeg v Victoria - 5:00 PM PDT
    Saskatchewan v UBC - 5:00 PM PDT
    Regina v Trinity Western - 5:00 PM PDT
    Saturday
    Acadia v Dalhousie - 1:00 PM ADT
    UPEI v Memorial - 1:00 PM ADT
    Laurentian v Trent - 12:00 PM EDT
    Western v York - 1:00 PM EDT Video
    Windsor v Guelph - 1:00 PM EDT
    Ottawa v Toronto - 1:00 PM EDT Video
    Waterloo v UOIT - 1:00 PM EDT
    Brock v McMaster - 1:00 PM EDT
    Carleton v Ryerson - 1:00 PM EDT
    UNBC v Mount Royal - 12:00 PM MDT
    Calgary v Lethbridge - 12:00 PM MDT
    Queen's v RMC - 3:15 PM EDT
    UNB v Cape Breton - 5:00 PM ADT
    Manitoba v Victoria - 5:00 PM PDT
    Regina v UBC - 5:00 PM PDT
    Saskatchewan v Trinity Western - 5:00 PM PDT
    Winnipeg v UFV - 5:00 PM PDT
    Sunday
    UPEI v Memorial - 11:00 AM ADT
    Mount Allison v Saint Mary's - 1:00 PM ADT
    Nipissing v Trent - 12:00 PM EDT
    Carleton v Toronto - 1:00 PM EDT
    UOIT v Laurier - 1:00 PM EDT
    Ottawa v Ryerson - 1:00 PM EDT
    Western v Guelph - 1:00 PM EDT
    Windsor v York - 1:00 PM EDT
    Cape Breton v StFX - 4:00 PM ADT
    Concordia v UQTR - 3:00 PM EDT
    UQAM v Sherbrooke - 3:00 PM EDT
    UNBC v Alberta - 2:00 PM MDT
    Laval v McGill - 5:00 PM EDT
    Wednesday
    Guelph v UOIT - 1:00 PM EDT
    Laurier v Brock - 1:00 PM EDT
    McGill v Concordia - 8:15 PM EDT
    Guest

    Canadian content: Mariner v Winter

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    One of the biggest complaints some fans have regarding Paul Mariner is that they feel that he favours non-Canadian players over the domestic group at TFC. It’s suggested that a player like Arron Maund gets too free of a pass, while a Matt Stinson rots on the bench.
    Those that believe Aron Winter should have been given more time sugget that this is a key difference area between the two men. If Toronto was going to lose anyway, it might as well lose with Canadians.
    Is the perception true? Did Winter use Canadians more than Mariner currently does. Let’s look.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Using the data mined by the blog Out of Touch, we looked at TFC’s Canadian minutes for every game this season. Since Mariner has not yet led the team out for a Canadian championship game, we’ve excluded those numbers. Typically, managers at TFC have used more Canadians in the Voyageur Cup games, with the thought that the Canadians are more inspired by the competition.
    Certainly, Winter operated in that way. Three of the top four games with Canadian minutes this year were in the V-Cup.
    Again, these numbers are excluded so that we are as close to possible to an apples to apples comparison. They are listed below for your consideration:
    V-Cup
    Montreal 1st – 449
    Montreal 2nd – 393
    Vancouver 1st – 450
    Vancouver 2nd – 333
    So, Winter played Canadians for 1,620 minutes out of a possible 3,960 in the V-Cup. That represents 41 percent of minutes played.
    Now, let’s break down the rest of Winter’s games:
    CCL
    Galaxy 1st – 180
    Galaxy 2nd – 198
    Santos 1st – 270
    Santos 2nd – 291
    939 minutes out of 3,960, or 23.7 percent.
    MLS
    Seattle – 90
    San Jose – 225
    Columbus – 235
    Montreal – 308
    Chivas – 304
    Chicago – 338
    Salt Lake – 355
    DC United – 270
    DC United – 405
    Philly – 360
    2,890 minutes out of 9,900, or 29.1 percent.
    The total for Winter is 3,829 minutes out of 13,860, or 27.6 percent. If you include the Voyageurs Cup the numbers are 5,449 out of 17,820, or 30.5 percent.
    Now let’s look at Mariner.
    CCL
    Aguila – 256
    Santos – 180
    Aguila – 195
    631 out of 2,970, or 21.2 percent.
    MLS
    Kansas City – 298
    Houston – 351
    New England – 352
    New York – 180
    Philly – 204
    Vancouver – 301
    New England – 271
    Chicago – 275
    Houston – 263
    Chicago – 258
    Portland – 190
    Kansas City – 216
    Columbus – 180
    Houston – 112
    Kansas City – 90
    Chicago – 60
    Philly – 90
    L.A. 180
    3,871 out of 17,820, or 21.7 percent.
    Overall, Mariner comes in at 4,502 minutes out of 20,790 or 21.6 percent.
    So, Winter did use Canadians more than Mariner has so far -- 27.6 percent to 21.6 percent, a 6 percent difference. In terms of minutes that works out to 59:24 per game.
    The trading of Julian de Guzman is likely the biggest factor in that difference, with Doneil Henry’s injury also contributing. Certainly, there has been a dramatic decrease in Canadian minutes over four of the last five games.
    Lastly, we will compare the two men with the other two Canadian MLS teams.
    Vancouver has a total of 0.38 percent Canadian minutes versus Montreal’s 6.25 percent.
    CSN will allow others to decide what any of these numbers mean, or if they are important.
    Guest

    Sober Second Thoughts: Good

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    A win is a win is a win and a win is always good.
    So, let’s not completely dismiss the value of TFC’s 3-0 win against Aguila. After 10 straight games without a three-point effort, any win is welcome.
    On a pragmatic level it keeps TFC alive in the CONCACAF Champions League, however marginally (The Reds would need to go down to Torreon and beat the second best team in North America by three goals to advance). However, being alive in the competition is always better than not being alive.
    So, that’s a good thing.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Other than Luis Silva’s knock – that should have resulted in a red card, but looked like a nasty bruise more than anything more problematic – the club also escaped without any injuries. Playing on a glorified farmer’s field in the high humidity of Central America is never easy, and it’s never a sure thing that all the bodies that start the game will finish it.
    So, that’s a good thing too.
    From a growth perspective it was nice to see the team shut down a club, even if that club would struggle to beat a CIS team. It’s pretty clear that the El Salvadorian league isn’t all that strong, but you have to beat the team that is front of you. Toronto has struggled to beat anyone in 2012. They beat a team last night.
    So, also good.
    Terry Dunfield scored a brace. He’s a heart on the sleeve guy and, regardless of whether you think he’s good enough to start in MLS, you’d have to be dead to not enjoy his primal scream upon scoring his second last night. Dunfield has had a decent second half of the season. Let’s celebrate small victories.
    Good, good and good.
    Lastly, three dedicated/crazy/lost TFC fans went down to El Salvador and had a blast. You could clearly hear them sing “Can you hear Aguila sing,” Danny Dichio, and many other standards throughout the contest. They didn't boo anyone. They didn't seem angry at the world. They reminded us all that we go to games to have fun and for one night it was nice to see a purer appreciation of things.
    Goodest.
    Guest

    A test of TFC's allocation

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    In 2010 Philly acquired Fred, a first round SuperDraft pick (which became Jack McInerney) plus allocation money for it.
    In 2011 Vancouver used it to get Jay DeMerit.
    Before the start of the 2012 season it was used by Montreal to get Lamar Neagle and Mike Fucito. The latter was later flipped for an international slot.
    The slot?
    The top allocation spot when the January transfer window opens. This year that spot belongs to Toronto FC (unless the Reds find a way not to finish last overall). Whereas everyone understands the value of the first overall Superdraft pick (top 5 selections are valuable. After that it’s a bit of a lottery). The allocation pick is a much more difficult thing to get a handle on.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    As you can see above it’s a real mixed bag. McInerney is a solid player, but hardly a star (in fairness, the selection ended up being Troy Perkins, who has been a bust so far). This year both Montreal and Seattle, the team they traded the selection to, are disappointed by the results (Eddie Johnson was selected).
    But, there are DeMerit-like players that get picked up this way. So, what Toronto does with the asset is key to its re-building efforts for 2013. It absolutely must be converted into a starting player, whether from trade or selection.
    Put aside feelings about Paul Mariner’s ability to find a player because, really folks, it’s a dead horse. He’s back. Debate about whether he should be is exhausting. It’s time to focus on what he needs to do. We can evaluate his performance next Spring. But for now who should TFC be looking at?
    It’s hard to know for sure who might be available, but the nature of the rule should allow for some speculation. For those unaware, the allocation order is used when a U.S. international signs with the league, or when a former MLS player who was sold from the league, re-signs with the league.
    So, Reds’ fans should be keeping a close eye on American internationals that are struggling for playing time at bigger clubs, or looking to return home. Same goes for players that have been sold from the league.
    Often teams approach players they are interested in and then figure out the allocation process. If they, like Toronto, have the top pick then it’s a matter of trying to to work out a salary. If they are lower in the ranking then they need to work out a deal with the team at the top of the order to obtain the selection spot.
    The only* time Toronto has actually used its allocation pick was to select Brian McBride. Then Director of Soccer Mo Johnston knew full well that McBride wanted to return to his hometown to play for Chicago and had no interest in playing for Toronto. The resulting trade negotiations dragged on and caused Toronto to lose some political points in the league (the Reds were seen as holding back an American legend from his chance at retiring at home).
    In the end, Toronto got Chad Barrett. He would have been a serviceable, if uninspiring, pick-up until Johnston decided to pay him $250,000 a year.
    The mistake Johnston made was not working with the Fire from the start. If Barrett was all they were willing to give up, then it might have made more sense to have passed the selection, received some political goodwill, and maintained the asset.
    However, that’s hindsight. The truth is the top allocation spot is a tricky asset and it how it will used will be an early point of evaluation for Mariner.
    Edit: *I forgot about Conor Casey. With Casey, Johnston pulled the same stunt by claiming a player that didn't want to play in Toronto. In that case he received even less -- Riley O'Neill, who has never played a game in MLS.
    Guest
    By: Michael Crampton
    Three years ago, fans of Toronto FC packed BMO Field for a CONCACAF Champions League qualifying round match against the Puerto Rico Islanders of lower tier USL. While the match was part of that year’s season ticket package demand was strong enough to induce the club to sell tickets in the temporary seating installed in the north end of the stadium for the friendly against Real Madrid. Two years ago, a draw in Honduras against CD Motagua and qualification to the group stage of the tournament was heralded as a historic step forward for the club. Last year, as the club neared the end of the season, debates raged amongst supporters over whether the team should rest players in league matches in favour of solely prioritizing the Champions League. The final group stage game against Dallas was viewed by groups of fans at home and in bars across Southern Ontario and Toronto FC organized an official viewing party at owner MLSE’s Real Sports Bar & Grill. Only months ago, over 40,000 fans, the vast majority wearing the red of TFC, filled the Rogers Centre in early March for the CCL quarterfinal against the LA Galaxy and created one of the most memorable nights in Toronto sports of the last decade.
    Tuesday night, in El Salvador, Toronto FC will play CD Aguila in a true must win match needing victory to keep alive their slim hopes of advancing in the 2012-2013 edition of the tournament. For the most part, few people – fans, supporters, consumers, or otherwise - seem to care very deeply. Only the hardest of die hards, those with a seemingly incurable addiction to the travails of Toronto FC, are likely to make a point of actually tuning in. On their fourth foray in and the fifth edition of the tournament the scales have fallen from the eyes of Toronto fans: their club has little chance of winning the CCL title and, short of that, there’s little glory to be achieved in continental soccer in North and Central America.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Part of that is down to changes in the format of the tournament, part is down to experience, but, more than anything else, it’s just down to Toronto FC not being very good. It’s very hard to sustain the illusion that your club is competing in an elite tournament for the best clubs on the continent when they’re capable of losing nine matches in a row to start the season, not winning again for ten in a row later in the year, and currently bring up the rear of their entire league by a considerable margin. That such a club is capable of comfortably beating their opposition for Tuesday night 5-1 at home was a welcome relief on the evening but hardly a sign that Aguila are a continental heavyweight worth investing significance in defeating. Granted, on the day, Aguila may have been tired and unmotivated but they have subsequently, as expected, lost both their matches to Santos Laguna and currently enjoy a -13 goal differential at the bottom of Group 1.
    The change in format to this season’s CCL has been a double negative for Toronto. In previous years it’s virtually certain that a club like Aguila would not have made it through the qualifying round and into the group stage. The fact is that Central American soccer only has about four to six clubs capable of making serious progress in the Champions League. TFC would have been grouped with one of those clubs, another American MLS side, and a Mexican club for six meaningful matches with, notwithstanding their horrible form, a reasonable chance of advancement. Now, they essentially face a home and away knockout tie with Santos Laguna with the banana skin of two matches against Aguila thrown in on the side. While travel, expense, and impact on league seasons has been reduced by shortening the group stage it has, for Toronto FC, resulted in a particularly unpalatable mix of little hope and few meaningful matches.
    In the end, regardless of interest in the match, Toronto FC simply must win. They’ll likely have to do so without Richard Eckersley who picked up a concussion in Saturday night’s match in LA and joins the list of expensively remunerated injured Reds. Aguila will surely be better than they were in Toronto and, even though they’ve already been eliminated, one would think that pride in the badge would provide ample motivation to avenge their embarrassing performance in the first match of the group. Away in Central America is always tricky and it’s far from impossible that Toronto might slip up and lose or draw rendering the final game against Santos Laguna moot. At this point, in a season of misery, an early end to all illusions of progression might be a final mercy; more likely though, it would just be another stick for critics to beat Toronto FC with.
    Guest

    Former Impact head coach joins SoccerPlus

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    Marc Dos Santos will be our eyes on the ground as Brazil prepares to host the world in 2014 and give us the South American perspective of what's going on in World Football.
    Marc makes his debut on this week's show live from Sao Paulo as we also discuss the different races going on in MLS with our regular collaborators, Marc Tougas (CP) and Raphael Larocque-Cyr.
    We also talk to Jonathan Tannenwald (Philly.com) about the sale of AEG and which MLS coaches should worry about their job at this point.
    We conclude our show in Paris to talk with Cedric Ferreira about the French club's positive start in Europe, Marseille's booming out of the gate in Ligue 1 and a tough beginning of a season for two other European giants.
    All this and more on this week's show!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Click here to listen!
    Guest
    Prior to kickoff between Canada and Colombia on Tuesday morning, the referee was adamant that a small hole in the netting on one side of the field be fixed, so as to avoid any controversy.
    After a few minutes of four officials in business attire standing around staring at it with confused looks on their faces (the default FIFA solution for most problems), someone eventually showed up to do the necessary repairs.
    Canada, being ever polite, decided to avoid any possible controversy by never finding the back of that net in the first half, despite an overwhelming share of possession and indisputable dominance over the course of play.
    That dominance continued through the second half, and the Baby Reds eventually did get enough -- just enough -- to presumably seal their passage through to the quarterfinals at the U17 Women's World Cup.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Early in the second half, Summer Clarke found the end of a point-perfect right-side cross from Nichelle Prince, whose barreling run was made possible by a through-ball from Lindsay Agnew that, quite fortuitously, just barely stayed in play along the touch line. Clarke thought she had her brace minutes later, but was (seemingly correct, though just barely) ruled offside. Nicole Loncar, later in the half, would unleash a shot that eluded the Colombian keeper but not the crossbar.
    So in the "(team x) could and probably should have won by at least (scoreline y)" template, x = Canada and y = 3-0.
    Given the number of incisive passes and runs into the opposing area by the likes of Clarke and Ashley Lawrence where the ball went ever-so-slightly astray, the scoreline could have been even more lopsided.
    But as it was, Canada on the day found itself in a position quite familiar to many Canadian national sides: Showing plenty of skill and potential, but unable to get on the score sheet with frequency.
    To be clear, Canada was lively and assertive from the opening whistle against Colombia. Despite some nervous moments, the Colombians never looked especially threatening. And barring some preposterous series of events, Canada will win its final group-stage game against Azerbaijan on Saturday and clinch passage to the quarterfinals.
    In the process, let's hope they do something Canada has never done in three appearances at the U17 Women's World Cup: Score more than one goal in a match.
    No more politeness, girls. Time to rip some holes in the back of the opponent's net.
    Update: With Nigeria obliterating Azerbaijan 11-0 on Tuesday, Canada is essentially assured of a second-place finish in Group A, which would give the Canadians a quarterfinal matchup with either the USA, North Korea or France. (Canada could still win the group if Colombia pulls off a shocking result against Nigeria on Saturday, or Canada can make up a goal differential of at least 10 between itself and Nigeria.)
    .
    Guest

    Sober Second Thoughts: Not much more to say

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The first half of Toronto’s 4-2 loss to the Galaxy was the third worst half TFC has ever played. The 5-0 loss to New York to end the 2009 season tops it – the Reds would have made the playoffs with just a draw that day – but nothing else comes close.
    They were listless, confused and hopeless. It was terrible. Thank God it wasn’t at BMO Field. There might have been riots in the stands.
    Blame the coach, blame management, blame Terry Dunfield, blame me, blame whoever you want. It doesn’t change the core underlying point. This team, and the community’s frustration with it, has sucked every last bit of joy out of things.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Watching TFC has become a chore. A soul sucking, humourless obligation. And I’m not sure it can be fixed. At least not easily or quickly. Even a hot start to 2013 would be viewed with a cynical eye by most – the fan remembers that 2009 season ender, after all.
    That Vancouver is in a playoff position (for now anyway. Toronto isn’t the only city in Canada with a football team circling the bowl right now) makes it even worse. Thrown in the fact that Impact have been one of the best teams in the East since July and, well...
    Hide the sharp objects. That is if you still care enough to be a danger to yourself.
    This season can’t end soon enough. The only worthwhile thing to come out of it will be the first overall pick and top allocation spot in January. About 95 percent of TFC fans will likely suggest that they’ll screw both up, but they are assets that should provide two starters for next year.
    But no one is in the mood for any talk of hope. Gloom is all that flies. Any attempt to frame the season in anything other than highly critical terms is met with not just skepticism, but anger.
    So, cynicism it is.
    Toronto was vastly outplayed in all aspects of the game. They were unable to deal with the Galaxy’s speed – the Galaxy were closing space effectively, overwhelming the Toronto midfield -- and skill. They gave up the ball too often and looked like an, at best, D2 side. The second half was better, largely because LA changed its tactics to allow TFC possession with the belief that they would not be able to break them down.
    Luis Silva, maybe the one bright spot from 2012, proved them somewhat wrong so the Galaxy shifted gears and caught Toronto out for a late goal. It was the 1,587,456th time TFC has allowed in the final five minutes this year.
    In short, they sucked. They’ve sucked all year. With the loss, they have less points in 30 games than they did in 2007 (the season was 30 games long in TFC’s expansion season). They’ve sucked more than not since the start.
    And that sucks.
    Guest
    Christopher Vose is AFTN's photographer and here is a gallery of some of his photos from the Whitecaps' 2-2 draw against Colorado Rapids on Sunday September 23rd.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For a full high quality slideshow of all of Christopher's Colorado photos, click <a href="
    " target="_blank">HERE</a>.<center>********************</center>
    <center>

    [Dane Richards plays balls to the wall]

    [Cummings on strong - 1-0 Colorado]

    [A game of inches]

    [Allez Alain 1-1]

    [You can't fault Kenny Miller's passion]

    [King Kenny sends the crowd crazy]

    [The relief is clear from his celebration]

    [And the fans...]

    [From ecstasy to agony as Colorado tie it up]

    [Darren Mattocks sums up how all Caps fans were feeling on the day]
    </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

    Whitecaps end losing streak but drop vital points

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Vancouver Whitecaps finally returned to BC Place this afternoon. Thirty-nine days have passed since the Caps last played at home and with every point now proving vital, they ended a five game losing streak with a 2-2 draw with Colorado Rapids.
    It was a game which ebbed and flowed, but in the end the Whitecaps threw away two points and gifted the visitors both of their goals through defensive failures.
    As is becoming a regular occurrence, Martin Rennie rang the changes with Darren Mattocks capping off a great personal week for the rookie by regaining his starting spot to lead the attack.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    He was joined in the starting line-up by his countryman Dane Richards, with Designated Player Kenny Miller dropping to the bench.
    The pressure was on the other Whitecaps DP to perform, after Barry Robson had a disappointing road trip. Robson was soon in the thick of the action, forcing Matt Pickens to fist away a fierce long range strike just three minutes in.
    The Whitecaps were having the better possession and Mattocks’ pace was proving to be a handful for the Rapids defence, but once again any actual creativity and danger was pretty much non existent.
    In the 21st minute Richards hit the bye line on the right and sent a dangerous ball into the six yard box which Colorado scrambled for a corner as Mattocks was set to pounce,
    Six minutes later and the visitors prevented him from pouncing once again, after Pickens quickly recovered to scoop up his fumble of a long range Camilo shot, with Mattocks bearing down on the keeper.
    From nowhere, Colorado took the lead in the 34th minute.
    Martin Rivero was played through and Jay DeMerit backed further and further off, allowing the Argentinian to crash a shot off the left hand post from the edge of the box.
    There was no time for the Whitecaps to relax as the rebound broke to Omar Cummings, who curled a perfect low strike into the empty net for the opening goal.
    It was just what the Caps were dreading and it nearly went from bad to worse in the 45th minute when Knighton had to acrobatically tip over a Jaime Castrillon header from a Rivero corner.
    As the half ended, the Whitecaps went in knowing that they had to do something to quickly turn this game around. That something was felt to be Kenny Miller and the Scot came on for the second half, with Vancouver finally moving to a 4-4-2 formation.
    Colorado had a quick chance to kill the game off five minutes into the second half when they had a two on one break. Conor Casey squared the ball to a free Jeff Larentowicz, but the midfielder pulled his shot wide right when he should have scored.
    Vancouver looked to turn up the pressure and had the Rapids defence scrambling in the 62nd minute.
    Miller just slightly over hit a through ball to Mattocks and the keeper came out quick to save. The ball came back to Miller who shot at a Rapids player and with the referee waving a Caps penalty appeal away, Miller then sent a great ball across to box to Richards who hit a shot off the ground and just up past the post.
    The home side kept pushing and eventually got their breakthrough a minute later.
    A Camilo corner was headed to the other corner but Gershon Koffie chased it down, cut inside and played a low cross into the six yard box which Alain Rochat deftly flicked past Pickens, after making his way unmarked from the back post to the front.
    The relief around BC Place was huge and the goal gave the Caps a new lease of life, taking the lead in the 68th minute.
    The Scottish connection, which many have been waiting to see, finally kicked in and Robson played through Miller, who buried it high into the net.
    You got the feeling that two was not going to be enough and Vancouver pushed for the vital third. It was a much more confident and up tempo Caps side but they just couldn’t force another breakthrough.
    With the minutes ticking down, Colorado were giving increasing signs that they were not out of this game yet and they tied things up in the 86th minute.
    Y-P Lee and Rochat got in a mess on the edge of the box, substitute Jamie Smith easily dispossessed them and curled a perfect ball past Knighton and into the net.
    Colorado weren’t finished yet and Cummings forced Knighton into a low save in the final minute minute of regulation.
    The Caps couldn’t get anything going in stoppage time and as the final whistle sounded, it was definitely a feeling of two points lost and not a point won, despite coming back from going a goal behind.
    The draw effectively takes Colorado out of the playoff hunt and although it increases Vancouver’s lead over Dallas to two points, it now means that if the Caps are to see this out, then they are going to have to take points off their Cascadian rivals and as we all know only too well, that is never easy.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 2 Colorado Rapids
    ATT: 18,992
    VANCOUVER: Brad Knighton; Young-Pyo Lee, Martin Bonjour (Kenny Miller 46), Jay DeMerit, Jordan Harvey; Alain Rochat, Gershon Koffie, Barry Robson, Dane Richards; Camilo Sanvezzo (John Thorrington 75), Darren Mattocks [subs Not Used: Joe Cannon, Andy O’Brien, Jun Marques Davidson, Matt Watson, Atiba Harris]
    COLORADO: Matt Pickens; Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, Tyrone Marshall, Luis Zapata; Jaime Castrillon, Hendry Thomas (Andre Akpan 82), Martin Rivero (Jamie Smith 73), Jeff Larentowicz; Conor Casey (Joseph Nane 89), Omar Cummings [subs Not Used: Steward Ceus, Hunter Freeman, Kamani Hill, Tyson Wahl]
    <p>
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