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    Guest
    It may have been all change in the starting line-up for Vancouver Whitecaps tonight, but it was same old, same old when it came to the lack of creativity in the middle, as the Caps went down to a 2-0 loss to the Galaxy in LA - their fourth straight defeat.
    The Whitecaps made five changes to their starting line-up from last week's loss in Portland. The changes were aimed at bringing in fresh legs and to rest some of the tired veterans of the team.
    It was also a chance for the fringe players coming in to try to impress and stamp their name on a starting spot. The plan didn't work.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The new look Caps had their first test four minutes in when David Beckham curled a free kick towards goal and Brad Knighton collected the ball with ease.
    Vancouver had a few forays forward and were already looking more lively than they did for most of last week's game.
    The slow pace of the match was suiting the Whitecaps, with neither side carving out any chances or putting the other goal under any sort of pressure.
    LA turned up a little bit of heat on Vancouver in the 28th minute.
    Martin Bonjour was on his way to the ground when he handled a ball from Robbie Keane. The Irishman appealed for a penalty but referee Baldomero Toledo gave a corner.
    As Beckham whipped the ball over for a second time, Knighton punched the ball away under pressure but only as far as Keane, who acrobatically blasted over.
    Keane did have the ball in the net in the 32nd minute but the linesman had his flag up for offside, although replays showed the decision to be very tight at best.
    Vancouver were holding firm and keeping LA at bay.
    Juninho tried a 25 yard effort in the 39th minute, which Knighton got behind well. Two minutes later, the Brazilian tried again and this time his long range screamer gave Knighton no chance and flew straight into the postage stamp corner to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
    That's how it stayed until the half and although the makeshift Caps had done well not to be over-run, there seemed little hope that they could drag themselves back into the game.
    With no changes at the half, the Galaxy tried to kill off the game immediately and Keane forced Knighton to make a save at his near post just 29 seconds in.
    LA kept the danger on and the ball came across the goalmouth to Hector Jimenez, who saw his shot cleared off the line by Jun Marques Davidson.
    The game soon died in pace and excitement again, but Dane Richards nearly brought it back to life with a bang for the visitors in the 64th minute, when his cross-come-shot had Josh Saunders scrambling as it went across the LA goal.
    With the match crying out for something to bring it out of it's lull, it got it in the 79th minute as Beckham curled a free kick from just outside the Caps box into the top left hand corner of the net, rooting Knighton to the spot.
    The Galaxy had a few chances late on in which they could, and should, have added to their tally, but somehow they had to settle with a two goal winning margin and the final whistle put the Whitecaps, and the 100 strong travelling support, out of their misery.
    Four straight defeats in a row now for Vancouver, as their decline continues to show no sign of stopping.
    The Caps seemed to have given up the ghost in this match before they had even left for LA. The makeshift line-up did their best but the lack of chances created and the inability of the midfield to make their mark on the game, continues to prove costly.
    Vancouver now head to Dallas in two week's time for a massive 5th v 6th battle, where another loss could prove fatal to their faltering playoff hopes.
    FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles Galaxy 2 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 20,168
    LOS ANGELES: Josh Saunders; Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant; Hector Jimenez (Jose Villareal 71), Juninho, David Beckham (Edson Buddle 85), Marcelo Sarvas; Robbie Keane, Mike Magee [subs Not Used: Brian Perk, Pat Noonan, Tommy Meyer, Michael Stephens, Bryan Gaul]
    VANCOUVER: Brad Knighton; John Thorrington, Martin Bonjour, Jay DeMerit, Jordan Harvey; Matt Watson, Jun-Marques Davidson (Camilo Sanvezzo 85), Barry Robson; Dane Richards (Michael Nanchoff 71), Kenny Miller, Russell Teibert (Etienne Barbara 87) [subs Not Used: Joe Cannon, Alain Rochat, Atiba Harris, Carlyle Mitchell]
    <p>
    Guest
    By Mike Crampton
    Thanks to the joyous perplexities of the MLS schedule Toronto FC, the Eastern Conference’s last place team, return to Kansas City this weekend to face Sporting, the Eastern Conference’s first place team, for the third time this season and second time in a matter of weeks. Kansas City has the fortunate opportunity to sustain their lead atop the Eastern Conference by completing the trifecta and taking 9 points, six at home, off of a team some of their direct rivals will only face twice. Such is MLS and it’s Toronto FC’s responsibility to attempt throw a spanner in the works of Sporting’s ambition.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Picking up road points in MLS is nearly always an uphill struggle, especially for TFC; picking up road points at the home of a good team with lots still to play for even more so. That said, just a week ago in Houston, a late header from Terry Dunfield salvaged a point for the Reds and stunted the Dynamo’s push towards the top of the East. Under Paul Mariner Toronto have been getting decent results on the road: two wins from nine might not sound like much but, combined with their draws, games away from BMO shouldn’t necessarily be viewed without hope. Realistically, any result for TFC would have to be seen as an upset but, in facing an opponent for the the third time this year, there’s hope that familiarity and professional pride might inspire to Reds to greater effort.
    One important player who won’t be available to Sporting head coach Peter Vermes is forward Teal Bunbury. The young American suffered a season ending ACL tear in a match against the New York Red Bulls a week ago. Bunbury’s athletic and aggressive style has been a big part of Kansas City’s success in adapting the 4-3-3 formation to MLS. His absence could eventually lead to a consistent starting position for former Red Jacob Peterson.
    Peterson, a Preki pick up shipped out in 2011 under Aron Winter’s regime, was a source of much frustration in Toronto. While he did score a memorable goal or two his play was largely considered inconsistent and he was shuffled between winger and midfielder without ever settling. It highlights the difference between the 4-3-3 that Aron Winter attempted to install in Toronto and Vermes’ 4-3-3 that Peterson has blossomed in a more direct, less technically demanding, system in Kansas City.
    At the moment though it’s probably unlikely that Peterson will start as he’s currently listed as “doubtful” due to recovery from a shoulder sprain on MLS’ injury report. Most likely Vermes will be forced to adapt and continue playing Graham Zusi, a player more natural in a central attacking role, as one of his wide forwards as he did in Toronto in mid-August. In addition, expect C.J. Sapong, last year’s MLS Rookie of the Year, to be added to the forward line as well along with regular starter Kei Kamara. Fortunately for Toronto, Vermes faces another selection headache as French defender Aurelien Collin, with whom Eric Hassli had a running battle in Toronto, is suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation.
    Now that Toronto truly is playing out the string in the league, with even the faintest and most irrational hope of a playoff appearance long gone, the question here is whether Paul Mariner really begins to treat the rest of the season as an extended pre-season for 2013. Most pointedly, does he have the guts, and support within the organization, to drop club captain Torsten Frings if he feels it’s in the best long term interests of the team? TFC’s German midfield general was left out of the squad that drew in Houston ostensibly to rest ahead of Toronto’s game against Santos Laguna in midweek. His performance in the Champions League match was far from his best however and, after Mariner’s public criticism of Frings’ contribution to Santos’ winning goal, there is now an open discussion in the Toronto media as to whether Frings is likely to return next year.
    Designated player contracts are a significant expense and Frings has been one of the marketing faces of the club this season; in prior instances like this there has been the suspicion that marketing and the public perception of the club have taken a front seat to football considerations. What the correct decision regarding Frings’ future at the club is and whether Paul Mariner has the power to make that call might both be open questions.
    Guest
    <b>KEY PLAYERS :</b>
    ATTACKING
    It looks as though <b>Russell Teibert</b> may have earned his first start this season as Martin Rennie looks for something different in the starting eleven. When he has come off the bench in his two appearances this year, in addition to one with the national team, Teibert has provided a spark for the team. The Whitecaps are looking for the youngster to provide energy on the left side in addition to service from the wide areas.
    Since returning from Euro 2012 <b>Robbie Keane</b> has been one of the best players for the Galaxy, turning around a slow start to the season. Before he joined the Irish national team Keane had three goals and two assists in nine games, while picking up eight goals and five assists in twelve games after returning.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    DEFENCE
    With YP Lee getting a much needed rest, the Whitecaps will turn to veteran <b>John Thorrington</b> to start at the right back spot on the backline. Late last season he saw a few starts at that position and did a decent job but those games were not against a team at the level of the LA. He does have the some of the skills and the athleticism to play the position but will have to rely on his experience and teammates to get through the game.
    After injuring his knee while on loan, the Galaxy struggled to keep the ball out of their net, but since <b>Omar Gonzalez</b> has returned there has been significant improvement. Take away the four goals allowed against the Sounders and the Galaxy has allowed one goal in his other four starts. In addition to his defensive play, Gonzalez has already contributed with a goal and an assist on the offensive side.
    <b>WHO'S ON FORM :</b>
    After going goalless in his first two starts (five appearances overall), <b>Kenny Miller</b> was finally able to score his first goal as a Whitecap against Portland Timbers. With Darren Mattocks out of the game on a suspension, the Scottish international will see another start as the target striker and look to pick up a second goal.
    So far this MLS regular season Brazilian midfielder <b>Juninho</b> has scored four goals for the LA Galaxy but three of them have come in his last three starts, including the game winner against FC Dallas. The central midfielder is a box to box player who plays a solid defensive game and is capable of scoring goals of a spectacular variety.
    <b>2012 RECORD :</b>
    Vancouver:
    10W-7D-10L
    5th in Western Conference
    Last Match: 2-1 Loss vs Portland Timbers
    Los Angeles:
    12W-4D-11L
    9th in Western Conference
    Last Match: 2-0 Win vs FC Dallas
    <b>PROJECTED LINE-UPS :</b>

    <b>INJURIES/MISSING :</b>
    Vancouver:
    Out: FW Omar Salgado (foot), DF Andy O'Brien (groin), DF Gershon Koffie (groin)
    Suspension: FW Darren Mattocks
    Los Angeles:
    Out: DF Leonardo (knee)
    Questionable: FW Edson Buddle (knee), FW Landon Donovan (hamstring), DF David Junior Lopes (ankle), MF Kyle Nakazawa (back)
    <b>GAME ANALYSIS :</b>
    The Whitecaps make their fourth trip of the season to the Home Depot Center and hope they can duplicate their first one when they picked up their first road win as a MLS team. That victory was against Chivas USA so it will take a little more to match that result in this next game against the LA Galaxy. Earlier this year the Caps were outclassed by the Galaxy in LA but were able to pick up their first point against the defending champs at BC Place.
    The starting lineup will see some big changes if Martin Rennie decides to rest a number of regular starters. In goal the Whitecaps may choose to rest Joe Cannon and start Brad Knighton who had a solid game against RSL. In front of the keeper will be the normal pairing of Jay DeMerit and Martin Bonjour, but who starts with them on the backline will be different. John Thorrington will start in the place of YP Lee who had played every MLS minute so far this season while Jordan Harvey may take the place of Alain Rochat.
    It is highly unlikely that Gershon Koffie makes the trip so Matt Watson will likely take his place in the midfield where he looks to find some chemistry with Jun Marques Davidson and Barry Robson. Up front Kenny Miller will start as the target striker and will have Dane Richards to his right side while Russell Teibert is looking to get his first start on the left, moving Camilo to the bench.
    The Whitecaps are on a three game losing streak for the first time this season and have been outscored 6-1 during that period. In addition to that, the Caps have yet to score against the Galaxy on the road in two matches at the Home Depot Center.
    In order to correct that the Whitecaps will look to change their tactics by bringing some service from the left side by inserting Teibert onto the field. The speed of Richards on the right with the quickness of Teibert on the left should give more space to Miller and Robson in the middle. Another key to the attack could be Watson who has the size and ability to attack the box from the midfield.
    Even if Donovan is unable to go for LA due to an injury, the Galaxy have enough weapons to make the Whitecaps work. Keane is one of the best strikers in MLS and has a combo of Beckham, Juninho and Sarvas to supply him with the ball. With Thorrington at right back the Caps will have to come up with a plan to protect him from attacks that will surely come from LA.
    Most in the MLS world will bet against the Whitecaps in the game against the defending champ this weekend. However this is a game that the Galaxy could look past on their way to the playoffs and the Caps could find a way to get a result with a number of new starters looking to prove their worth.
    <p>
    Guest
    A lot of faith, and perhaps even more expectations, were placed on the shoulders of Martin Rennie when he took over as the Whitecaps head coach for this season.
    Were we wrong to expect too much from a young manager untested at the top level? Has he started to crack under the pressure? Or does Rennie have the rest of the West just where he wants them?
    It’s been a strange old season for the Whitecaps so far.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Comfortably sitting in a playoff spot all year, the Caps still have a five point cushion over their nearest rivals Dallas, with a game in hand.
    A great start to the season, with a MLS record for clean sheets, made the team hard to beat and especially strong at home. A bad run of form, long road trips and squad upheaval, have seen a downturn in fortunes in the second half.
    The odds of the Caps making the post-season in their second year in MLS are still around 90%, and anywhere from second to fifth spot is still realistically attainable.
    At the start of the year, most fans would have been very happy with fifth place and any post-season action.
    Yet if you were to read fan message boards, twitter and the papers, you’d think that the Whitecaps had blown it and the players will soon be planning some rounds of golf in November.
    That’s just being a football fan of course. We’re a jittery lot at the best of times and maybe it’s all my years of watching lower league football, but you become very pessimistic, always fearing the worst. Of course, when you support a lower league team, that’s also what you usually get!
    Martin Rennie is also under the spotlight like never before and he seems to be handling the pressure and scrutiny well, at least on the outside. He’s also a manager that will gladly take all the flak and shield his players.
    Rennie gave an interesting interview to the media after Monday’s training, where he seemed rather bemused at people’s lack of faith in the ability of him and the team, and tried to spin that's it not really all that bad right now:
    <i>"It was a good weekend for me in the sense to look at everything and a bit of perspective.
    I don't usually read too much media stuff but I read some of it. It was 'look the Whitecaps have only picked up this many points in the last number of games' and all this.
    So one of the things I looked at was over the last 11 games, which is the games people were looking at, we've picked up 11 points. That's not amazing.
    So then I looked, how does that compare to say the best teams in the League. So you look at say, San Jose, 17 points in the last 11 games, and they're winning the Supporters Shield by quite a distance.
    Then I looked at Seattle, who are on an incredible run, everyone would admit that, doing fantastic. They're challenging for that title, they've got 18 points in the last 11 games.
    So 11 points in the last 11 games doesn't sound great, but it's actually not that bad. There's multiple teams that have got a lot less than the teams I've just mentioned and ourselves, so that helped me get it in perspective."</i>
    This was all a little bizarre, as the comparisons he mentioned just went to show how poor the Caps have been doing and why they're falling behind in the West. I'm really not that sure what perspective he was taking out of that.
    Looking at Real Salt Lake's 11 points from their last eleven games would have been the better perspective and make a lot more sense. Even more so, looking at Dallas' 18 points from their last 11 games would have let us see why we're now in a potential mess if we don't stop the slump soon. Even Chivas have 13 points from their last 11 games and they're crap.
    Rennie went on to explain that the Whitecaps were actually in a better position after the Portland defeat, because they had the same points cushion but with one less game to play.
    Straws well and truly clutched.
    Or is it a deliberate psychological ploy to focus the team on <i>"a lot of things to be excited and positive about"</i>. I'm not sure what they are, but Rennie seems to.
    Is does lead us to ask, is Rennie going to do a Keegan?
    For those that don’t know what that means, in summary, the pressure, and Fergie getting into his head, saw Kevin Keegan lose the plot a little as Newcastle manager in a title run in with Man U back in the day. He, and his team, imploded.
    I'd recommend to Martin Rennie that he goes back to not reading the media for the next few weeks.
    Have we expected too much from Martin Rennie?
    He is a young manager, untested at the higher level. If you look at his track record, he has had mixed results as his teams look to close out their seasons.
    With the Cascade Surge in 2005, he won the Divisional title, but fell short in the Championship game. In two very successful seasons with Cleveland City Stars, he finished runners up in 2007 and USL2 Champions in 2008.
    His three years at Carolina Railhawks saw great regular season success, but failure in the playoffs every season. Last year in particular, the Railhawks seemed to implode in the closing stretch after the announcement that Rennie was coming to Vancouver. We'll never know if it was due to morale, uncertainty or Rennie's management.
    His win percentages have been steadily going down as the Leagues get tougher - 72.22% with the Surge, 52.27% with Cleveland, 45.59% with the Railhawks and just 37% with the Caps in MLS action alone.
    Could it be that Rennie is a great motivator and builder, but a poor closer?
    We still think the Caps will make the playoffs, but the current dip in form is a worry.
    What has gone wrong? Too many changes? have other teams found us out? Or is it Rennie's inability to react and change tactics and formations when things aren't going well?
    Many are pointing fingers at his dismantling of a winning team mid-season and the subsequent loss of form and points gained.
    It was certainly strange.
    A lot has been made of Davide Chiumiento’s transfer back to Switzerland. His departure certainly has been felt by the Caps and a little bit of flair has gone from the team right now.
    That’s the thing though, it was a little bit of flair and far too inconsistent in his time in Vancouver.
    He started last season on fire, then lost confidence and effectiveness when Teitur left. He was a different player this year once he re-established his place back in the starting line-up, but it seemed to take being dropped and a kick up the ass for him to get to that stage.
    Could we have kept him here by offering him more money? Probably. Was he worth more money? Possibly, but not what he would have been looking for.
    The money Rennie has thrown at our new DP’s Robson and Miller instead have brought out the knives in this department. This will continue as long as they underperform.
    We've seen glimpses of what the new look squad can do (San Jose and Salt Lake games). A bit more of that and we wouldn't be having this discussion.
    Why would you change a winning team is the big question, and although you can rationale off pretty much every one of the moves, I don't think anything but a deep run in the playoffs is going to keep the majority satisfied.
    Maybe we're all missing a step here though and failing to see Martin Rennie's tactical genius.
    In our own straw clutching moment now, let us explain why this could all be part of Martin's Masterplan, with phase two kicking in against LA tomorrow.
    If you look at the top five teams in the West right now, the game you want is against Real Salt Lake and the two teams you want to avoid are Seattle and LA.
    Rennie is resting players against LA tomorrow and a weakened Whitecaps side is unlikely to get anything from the game. This helps LA in their ascent of the table, just like Seattle beating us helped theirs.
    Has Rennie looked at the possible match ups and decided that if LA and Seattle can take second and third place in the West, then they can destroy each other in round two of the playoffs?
    This would let Vancouver play Real Salt Lake in a one-off first round match, with the winner playing San Jose - a team the Caps have performed well against this season.
    Our slump could really work to our advantage after all. We just have to get past Dallas now, which will be helped by resting players, and then try and grab fourth place and a home first round playoff game.
    So there are things to be excited and positive about if you squint the right way in the light.
    Is Martin Rennie a tactical genius then, or has he simply lost the plot and is struggling to find ways to get us out of our slump?
    The jury is still out, but the next few games will make their deliberation a lot easier.
    <p>
    Guest

    Nana to Finland

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Although there has yet to be an official confirmation, it appears that former Toronto FC defender Nana Attakora has finally found a club.
    Randy Edwini-Bonsu Tweeted congratulations to Attakora today and, later, confirmed to CSN that the club he has signed for is FC Haka of Finland.
    Haka is a traditional Finnish power, but has struggled for the last four seasons. They finished 10th in 2011.
    Attakora has been out of a job since the end of the 2011 season.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    Every week we bring you our look at the upcoming games that weekend and what we hope to see from those to benefit the Caps to the max, along with what impact the different results from the Whitecaps own match has to our playoff hopes.
    For some background to our feature, see <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?3099-Schedule-Dynamics-Adding-Interest-To-MLS-Season" target="_blank">HERE</a>.
    We're going to do the section a little bit different for the rest of the season.
    We all know what we’re looking for now and it's boiling down to some set specifics in the Whitecaps' push to the playoffs and our desire to see Philadelphia Union collapse to give us as high a 2013 first round SuperDraft from their traded spot as possible.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Nine games over Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week. Four all-Western Conference clashes, one inter-conference match up and four all-Eastern ties and we’re keeping a close eye on six of the matches, including our own.
    <b><u>Los Angeles Galaxy v Vancouver Whitecaps</u></b>
    Current Whitecaps Points: 37 (5th in West)
    If Whitecaps Win: 40 points (Best Case Scenario = 5th in West, ten points behind leaders / Worst Case Scenario = 5th in West thirteen points behind leaders)
    If Whitecaps Draw: 38 points (BCS = 5th / WCS = 5th)
    If Whitecaps Lose: 37 points (BCS = 5th, five point cushion to 6th / WCS = 5th, two point cushion to 6th)
    Maximum Points Total Possible: 58
    Projected Points Total On Current Results: 47 - 48 points
    Playoff Likelihood: 81 - 90%
    <b><u>Vancouver v Dallas Head To Head :</u></b>

    With Martin Rennie resting players this week, it’s looking like the Whitecaps are looking solely at securing a playoff berth first, without caring about placing.
    As long as the Caps’ home form holds out, they should still be comfortably playoff bound.
    The stats are looking good in the head to head with Dallas for the remainder of the season, but who knows, maybe we will have to add Chivas in there in the weeks to come. Yeah, maybe not.
    Playoff chances have been taken from two sites (<a href="http://www.sportsclubstats.com/USA/Whitecaps.html" target= _blank>Sports Club Stats</a> and <a href="http://www.playoffstatus.com/mls/westernstandings.html" target= _blank>Playoffstatus.com</a>) and show some variance.
    By Sunday September 16th, this table could look very, very different.
    <b><u>Playoff Push :</u></b>
    Can we almost give <b>LA</b> the three points now from tomorrow’s game against Vancouver? My money is on LA to finish second in the West and at worst, third. Good news for the Caps as they will avoid them in a first and second round match up. Maybe that’s Rennie’s plan all along. Cunning.
    The <b>Dallas-Seattle</b> match on Sunday is the huge one this weekend. If the Sounders win, then they will do Vancouver a huge favour, but with the Texans good run of recent form, I fancy them to take at least a point from this one and add to the pressure for the Caps in two week’s time.
    If <b>San Jose</b> continue their romp at the top with another win at Buck Shaw on Sunday, then that should be the end of Chivas and we’re down to a straight shoot-out between Dallas and Vancouver for the final playoff spot in the West.
    <b>Real Salt Lake</b> take on DC United in the weekend’s only inter-conference clash and a win for the Saltines is likely to leave Vancouver adrift of the top four and looking at fifth spot at best unless they can end the season with a huge bang and a string of wins.
    <b><u>SuperDraft Pick :</u></b>
    With all eyes on the playoff chase, this is kind of falling by the wayside in terms of any importance to most people, but I still think we’ll use this as a trade tool more than a new player tool, so it could prove to be very beneficial for Vancouver if we end up with a top two pick.
    <b>Philadelphia</b> are currently sitting with the fourth pick. The worst it’s likely to be for Vancouver is sixth pick now.
    The other teams in the mix (read – in the Caps' road) are: <b>Toronto</b> with the first pick, <b>Portland</b> with the second, and <b>New England</b> with the third. <b>Colorado</b> and <b>Chivas</b> have the fifth and sixth picks right now.
    Philly play New England on Saturday and Portland and Colorado lock horns tonight. A Revolution win and a draw in the West would do just nicely.
    I’ve given up hoping Toronto will help us out. They clearly want the number one pick for themselves and will get nothing at Sporting KC.
    Chivas are likely to see their faint playoff hopes ended by San Jose, so the worry there is they will feel they have little to play for after that.
    This one looks like it can still go down to the wire.
    <center>**********</center>
    So that’s what we’re rooting for this weekend. Let’s see how it all leaves the Caps looking come Sunday evening. Not feeling overly optimistic this week!
    <p>
    Guest

    The fiction of TFC's long-ball tactics

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Paul Mariner is playing boot and chase, rec league soccer tactics.
    That’s a common statement heard throughout BMO Field. Many fans lament the loss of “pure” football under Aron Winter when the Reds aimed to maintain possession and play the game “the right way.”
    They watch the game under Mariner and they see a lot of balls kicked out from the back, deep into the opposing team’s end. The assumption is that this is part of the Reds’ attacking tactics.
    The problem with this assumption is that it’s not an attacking tactic. Rather, it’s a defensive philosophy – get the ball the hell out of trouble. In the Opta stats available through MLSsoccer.com you can see a distinction between a long-ball attempt -- called a launch in the passing statistics -- and a clearance -- called a clearance in the defensive stats.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    True long-ball football can be defined by a team that is in CLEAR POSSESSION in its own half willfully kicking the ball long into space where a speedy forward will aggressively press the opposing defender in hopes of a turnover. It was an effective, if ugly, style in the 1970s and in women’s football up until recently. Then, defenders were selected for their physical strength and ability to defend balls in the air. Foot strength was not a prerequisite; therefore they might cough up the ball when put under pressure.
    In the modern game it’s expected that a defender have the ability to deal with being pressed, so the style have gone out of favour (although it’s not completely without merit on occasion – even the very best teams in the world will throw the occasional long ball forward).
    What’s not long-ball tactics is when a team is under pressure and clears the ball to safety. There is no intent to run onto the ball. Rather, it gives the club time to reset its lines and regain its shape.
    TFC does it a lot. In their last MLS game against Houston, there were 38 clearances. However, it’s not like other teams don’t use it. Houston cleared the ball 27 times. A quick look at all MLS games that week shows that TFC uses a clearance the most, but that most teams clear the ball from the back between 20 and 30 times a game.
    TFC launched the ball 14 times against Houston. The Dynamo tried it 10 times. So, there wasn't a great deal of difference in the two teams going long.
    Ideally, a team only uses defensive clearances when absolutely necessary. By its nature it gives up possession and forces the club to defend more. Part of TFC’s late game problems likely has to do with being worn down from too much defending during the game.
    Eventually, the Reds will need to stop relying on the technique and mix things up occasionally by playing out of trouble.
    However, the results make something very clear. When you ask players that lack the skill to play out of trouble to do so you put the team under far more pressure than you do if you simply clear the line.
    Under Aron Winter, TFC allowed 21 goals in 10 league games. Under Mariner it’s 25 in 17. So, 2.1 goals allowed per game versus 1.47. There is still room to improve, but 1.47 is at least in the same conversation with the rest of the league.
    The 67 goals TFC was on pace to allow would have represented the second worst total of all-time in MLS. When you’re leaking goals at a historically bad level it’s clear that it’s an issue that has to be addressed. Mariner has addressed it.
    Does Mariner walk on water? No, clearly not. But, he also doesn’t play long-ball tactics.
    Guest
    On Aug. 6, 2009 Curt Onalfo found himself out of a job. Coming off a 6-0 loss to FC Dallas, the head coach of the Kansas City Wizards was sacked in favour of club technical director Peter Vermes.
    Vermes was generally viewed by fans of KC as being the person responsible for putting the struggling club together. There were many in the fan base that demanded to know why he wasn’t fired too.
    Kansas went winless the rest of that August and was outscored 10-0.
    The team was struggling badly and was based around a young core that few fans trusted.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    None of Michael Harrington, 23 (at time); Chance Myers, 21; Matt Besler, 22; Roger Espinoza, 22; Kei Kamara, 24 or Graham Zusi, 23 inspired fans to believe that Vermes had what it took to build a championship contending team. There was active debate about who should take over the job full-time once the rest of the 2009 season was over (one name mentioned a lot at the time, interestingly enough, was Paul Mariner).
    When Vermes was given the go ahead to stay on many were confused. They were especially confused when KC missed the playoffs again and Vermes stuck with a line-up that generally was younger than most (he added 20-year-old Teal Bunbury to the rotation that year as well as a veteran touch in keeper Jimmy Nielsen).
    If you follow MLS you know where this is going. By adding pieces, generally younger (Seth Sinovic, 24; Charles Sapong, 22 and Aurélien Collin, 25 most notably), to that core in 2011 he was able to build the club to the point where a veteran signing like Júlio César made sense in an attempt to take team to next level.
    Today, three years after taking over, and two and a half years from the loudest criticism of his vision, KC sits with 47 points, just three points back of the Supporter’s Shield.
    Vermes believed in a vision – building around a young core and sticking with it through initial losing – even when many were calling for his head.
    This is the strategy Paul Mariner is clearly using. It’s a continuation of what the club was trying to do under Winter. The only difference between what Winter was doing and what Mariner is trying now is the tactics being employed. Forget the damn tactics. You should play the tactics that give you the best chance at winning on the day while building consistency for the future.
    Roster consistency is 100 times more important than some deluded idea of tactical purity. So forget this 4-3-3 total football nonsense. If you look at the players that play the most for TFC they have one thing in common – they’re young. If you take the DPs out of the mix TFC is by far the youngest team in the league.
    There is no way of knowing if the young players TFC are using now will be good enough in a couple years to compete for a championship. However, it’s a proven strategy in this league to win. It’s also a proven losing strategy to constantly churn players out.
    If TFC wants to stop the bleeding it needs to look at what’s worked in the past and stop listening to the loud and clueless voices of those that demand change without instant results.
    Guest

    Canada releases roster

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Canada released its roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifying games against Panama.
    Have a look who made the cut after the jump and discuss who you think the starting 11 should be.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    1- GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga Fotball
    2- M- Nik Ledgerwood | SWE / Hammarby Fotboll
    3- FB- Ante Jazić | USA / Chivas USA
    4- CB- Kevin McKenna | GER / FC Köln
    5- CB- André Hainault | USA / Houston Dynamo
    6- M - Julian de Guzman | USA / FC Dallas
    7- M - Terry Dunfield | CAN / Toronto FC
    8- M- Will Johnson | USA / Real Salt Lake
    9- F- Tosaint Ricketts | ROM / Politehnica Timişoara
    10- F- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Norwich City FC
    11- FB- Marcel de Jong | GER / FC Augsburg
    12- CB- Dejan Jaković | USA / D.C. United
    13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | NED / PSV Eindhoven
    14- M/F- Dwayne De Rosario | USA / D.C. United
    15- CB- David Edgar | ENG / Burnley FC
    16- M- Pedro Pacheco | POR / CD Santa Clara
    17- F- Olivier Occean | GER / Eintracht Frankfurt
    18- GK- Milan Borjan | TUR / Sivasspor
    19- FB- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC
    20- M - Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact Montréal
    22- GK- Kenny Stamatopoulos | SWE / AIK Fotbol
    Guest

    Can and should in TFC ticket pricing

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Canadian soccer is a terribly small world. So, when Joey Saputo announces to Impact are rolling back ticket prices next year on average, by 15%, while current season ticket holders will be given a 10% rebate, of course, it's going to spark a debate about ticket prices in Toronto.
    Actually, the more conspiracy minded could even view Saputo's announcement as a bit of a troll at his rivals in Toronto. Saputo wrote that the decrease was a "thank you to fans," which could be seen as a dig at MLSE that was highly criticized for raising prices each season until a fan revolt in 2010 forced the club to freeze the price.
    Let's not be naïve. The freeze in Montreal has nothing to do with thanking fans. That's spin. The Impact are reacting to the fact that their attendance was disappointing once they moved to Saputo Stadium. It's good Montreal has reacted, but that demand didn't meet expectations is hardly cause for celebration.
    Regardless, the debate the announcement sparked in Toronto is legitimate. The two year freeze is over at the end of this season and MLSE faces what is likely its biggest business decision in club history.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Faced with dwindling interest, TFC must decide what is a fair price to charge fans after two disheartening seasons and 0-for-6 playoff appearances. It's a business decision with strong emotional overtones. There is also a significant difference between what the club can do and what they should do.
    We'll touch on the latter in a bit, but first a look at the factors that will go into the decision and what the club could reasonably do.
    For that conversation you must take the emotion out of your thinking. It's business. Period. In 2006 when the team was announced MLSE said that it could operate at a break even with an average attendance of 14,000. Even now, they are significantly higher than that. In 2012, TFC has typically put about 18,000 into the building and have sold more than that (conspiracy thinkers need to get past their perceptions regarding the announced numbers. It's reflects the amount of tickets scanned. The number is absolutely accurate and reflects a building that has 4,000 empty seats before you factor is the amount of people in the bathroom, buying beer, in the beer garden or squeezed into the supporter's section without having a ticket there). Without, at minimum, a price freeze in 2013 that number will drop further.
    How far though? That's a difficult question to answer, but it is not realistic to suggest anything short of a dramatic increase would result in that type of dip. Those that believe that is possible are likely basing the assumption on the level of anger on the supporter's clubs' boards. However, it's important to remember that the groups represent a small portion of the overall fan base.
    If you step away from that environment you'll see far less anger. There is some apathy, but for the majority of TFC fans the games represent summer nights outside enjoying a cold beverage. They games are more fun when the home team wins, but that's a secondary concern.
    They don't live and die with the team and thus do not base their decision to buy tickets on the team's win-loss record.
    Objectively, a price freeze would allow MLSE to comfortably predict a normal retention rate based on past behavior. Even if there is an additional "losing dip" of a couple percent, they are still comfortably above that 14,000 figure. In fact, if as is rumoured, TFC were to have a summer heavy home schedule in 2013 then it's not unrealistic to think that the club could expect a modest increase overall next year so long as they don't increase the cost.
    So, that's your cold business perspective - a price freeze. It would likely be just enough to maintain the current level of flat interest.
    But, MLSE should avoid thinking in those cold terms.
    Although 18,000 is good league wide it's terrible for Toronto. The club should be aiming to get back to the sell out levels it once had and to re-engage an increasingly apathetic supporter's culture.
    To do that it needs to make a much greater gesture than a price freeze. That gesture should acknowledge past failures and, more importantly, provide a tangible thank you to those that have remained loyal to the club throughout what has been an historically poor launch.
    How do you do that? A suggestion:
    First of all the ticket freeze is a given. Any increase, however small is a slap in the face of those that support the club.
    If the club is to regain the trust of the fans there needs to be a roll back. CSN is suggesting that rollback be directly tied into the amount of time fans have held season tickets.
    Those that have been on board since day 1 get a bigger rollback than those that have only held season tickets since last year. Although length of time someone has held the tickets is not a perfect measure of a fan's loyalty, it's one of the few that can easily be identified.
    Using this formula a new season ticket holder for 2013 would pay 2012 prices, 2012 buyers get (for example) 5 percent off, 2011 10 percent, 2010 15 percent and so on down to original holders that would get 30 percent rollback.
    The club should also commit to holding the ticket prices at those levels until they make the playoffs.
    Ideally, there would be a further incentive/penalty - perhaps another 5 percent discount, to be aplied to 2014 tickets -- if they once again fail to make the playoffs in 2013.
    To reach out to fans that have not been season ticket holders, the club should look at reducing concessions (there has been some talk of offering 50 percent concessions before kick-off - that would be a good start) and merchandise. Why not sell the 2013 strip at cost?
    As said, the club does not need to do any of this.
    It just should.
    Guest
    As long time readers will know, ticketing has been the bugbear of AFTN for nearly two years now.
    Whether it was the gouging of loyal fans, the ridiculousness of where the different price points were allocated inside the stadium, away fan ticket allocation procedures by the Caps travel partner, exorbitant fees or the apparent general shambles in the Whitecaps ticketing department, we were there to cover it all.
    This season has seen huge improvements, but now the Whitecaps face an important decision in the next stage of their growth as they look at season ticket and general ticket pricing for the 2013 season.
    Some MLS sides have already revealed their pricing plans for next season, and the Whitecaps won’t be far behind. If they’re looking for any guidance then they should be looking no further than following in the footsteps of their Cascadian rivals Portland and Canadian rivals Montreal.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Portland Timbers announced yesterday that there will be no pricing increases for any of the Club’s season ticket plans for the 2013 MLS season. It is the second consecutive year that the team has not raised prices for the vast majority of season tickets. They didn’t raise prices on more than 80% of season tickets prior to their second MLS season in 2012.
    Now it would be easy to dismiss this by mentioning that one way to appease disgruntled fans after another losing season is to avoid a price hike for the action they’re watching. In Portland though, this is simply not the case.
    Saturday’s game against Vancouver was another sell-out at Piggy Park. In 2011, their 17 home games brought in 320,051 fans and a home average of 18,827. This season that average has increased to 20,438, which is the current capacity. All 13 home games this season have sold out at the increased capacity.
    The demand is there and the Timbers could very easily have gone for an inflationary price hike, at the very least, as the Whitecaps did for this season. Many Clubs, Whitecaps included, would have gouged their loyal fanbase and played up to the demand.
    Instead they will be keeping their season ticket gameday prices at a range of $18 to $77.50 (taking the limited $4.95 value terrace out of it). The Timbers Army section is $20.
    Nearly 60% of Timbers season tickets are available for $22 or less per game while almost 40% of seats are priced $20 or less, putting the Timbers average season ticket price in the lower half of MLS season ticket prices.
    Little surprise that they have a season ticket base of 14,750, a renewal rate of 97% and 7,500 on their season ticket waiting list.
    Speaking of the decision, Timbers President and Twitter fiend Merritt Paulson said:
    <i>"Despite our affordable ticket prices and significant demand, the club will not be raising season ticket prices for the second straight year. This season has been frustrating for all of us and our decision to once again keep prices steady is in the best interest of our long-term relationship with our fans."</i>
    Hot on the heels of Portland came Montreal this morning, with the Impact announcing a new pricing structure for next season.
    Season ticket prices will be <b>reduced</b>, by an average of 15%, while current season ticket holders will be given a 10% rebate from 2012 prices upon renewal. The season ticket package will also include an additional game from this season’s deal.
    Montreal President Joey Saputo, is seldom a man of no words, and he piped in with the Club’s reasoning behind the pricing reduction:
    <i>"We listened to the calls of our supporters and we have adjusted our prices. I am proud to confirm that there will be a price reduction and we will be rewarding the loyalty of our current season ticket holders. Even though we are currently having success on the field and in the stands, we will never take our ticket holders for granted."</i>
    The Impact have had no problem in packing fans into the Olympic Stadium, but did struggle in the early days at their new home at Stade Saputo. They seem to have turned the corner now, with their ten games there averaging 16,412, with increases in three of the last four games as the team battle for a playoff spot.
    Season ticket prices will now cost $295 to $1070, and with the price reductions, they can be pretty confident that this average attendance will rise for their second year in MLS, and so will their season ticket base of 8,000.
    Great stuff by both the Timbers and Impact. Very fan friendly and business savvy in the current economic climate. Your move Whitecaps.
    Any pricing increase by the Whitecaps has the potential to be a disaster for the Club, both financially and from a PR standpoint.
    For 2012, Caps season tickets ranged from $329 to an insane $1759 for Loge seats, all before taxes and fees. Single game tickets are $20 up to the insane $140 mark.
    Despite this year’s nominal increase and the team performing far, far better than last season and playoff contenders, the Caps average attendance has fallen by nearly a thousand from 20,406 in 2011 to the current average of 19,409 with four games remaining.
    It’s around 1500 shy of the artificial soccer specific capacity of 21,000 and the Caps latest push to get bums on seat for the remaining four games this season is an indication that sales aren’t what they were hoping for in these crunch games.
    It's a great deal. Click <a href="https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/group_corp_start.htmI?l=EN&team=whitecaps&owner=215234&group=49&err=&event=&customerID=" target="_blank">HERE</a>, enter the promo code 'soccer', and you can save between $12 and $29 on tickets for the last four home games. Great for newbies, not for those already with tickets. If it means getting a full house in every game, roaring the Caps on to 12 points and a good playoff spot, then we can let this one ride.
    The Whitecaps do need to ask why they need to offer such a deal at this stage of what have been, on the whole, a fairly successful season.
    Season ticket sales for 2012 were somewhat shrouded in mystery, but we’re led to believe they were around the 13,500 - 14,000 mark, a significant fall from last season’s total of near 16,000.
    It is understandable considering the season we had, but you don’t want to see those figures dip any further.
    With plentiful cheap tickets available for every match, via re-sales, scalpers, promotions and even freebies, there isn’t much of an incentive for the casual fan to shell out their hard earned cash in one go. Even some of the hardcore fans have been re-thinking a season commitment and buying on a game-by-game basis. Price increases will kill this further.
    What the Whitecaps need to do is threefold.
    I’m not expecting any stadium-wide price reduction, but we may see some tweaks.
    A complete freeze is what we would like to see announced and at the very worst, a very small increase in line with inflation.
    The ‘Aqua’ price point needs to go completely.
    It’s not popular with regulars and the Caps are having to use those tickets for their promotions and groupons, resulting in people in the supporters’ area that aren’t ideally suited.
    There also finally seems to be the realisation of the point that we, and the Southsiders, made from day one – these are over-priced tickets with some of the shittiest views in the stadium.
    Aqua has to go. Make it all Teal. Call it Turquoise or whatever the hell you want, but drop the Aqua section to Teal pricing and DO NOT increase Teal as a result.
    The Caps also need to reward their loyal season ticket holders. They need to make season ticket holders feel valued and it worthwhile in shelling out your money ahead of the season.
    We’ve written before about how we see very little back from the Club compared to their MLS peers (see our <a href="http://aftncanada.blogspot.ca/2011/08/what-do-i-get.html" target="_blank"><b>"What Do I Get?"</b></a> article and all the fan loyalty deals that Timbers STH can get <a href="http://www.portlandtimbers.com/tickets" target="blank"><b>HERE</b></a>). Season ticket holders need a carrot (but please, no more scarves), either with their package or over the course of the season in various discounts and promotions.
    You may secure a good seat for the whole season by becoming a season ticket holder, but if you take full advantage of the deals and re-sales on offer you can certainly save money over the course of the season by not going down the season ticket route.
    With big, bad Barber now long gone. His attempt at turning the Club into the Whitecap$ has hopefully also long gone and we’ll see a proper pricing structure when the Caps do finally get around to announcing their 2013 package.
    As we said, our rivals are setting the pace, your move Whitecaps.
    <p>
    Guest
    It was predictable.
    The hopeful TFC fan – if such a fan still exists -- might have entered the stadium last night with visions of an unexpected victory against a superior opponent. However, even if that fan had deluded themselves into thinking it was possible they must have known how unlikely it was.
    So, when Santos turned it on in the dying moments of the game and caught TFC for two goals it really shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Still, for those that were there it was a frustrating experience to watch the last possible bit of meaningful football (if you define meaningful as competing for a cup or championship) end like that. The 12,000 empty seats screamed out a different message – that the vast majority of Reds’ fans don’t particularly view the CONCACAF Champions League as all that important and, to them, that last bit of meaningful football was played at BMO about two months ago.
    So, now we play out the string. The reality is that the vast majority of football clubs in the world face this every year and it’s only the fairly liberal MLS playoff system that makes Toronto’s situation seem out of the ordinary.
    It is though. As North American fans we are used to playoff hunts and late season excitement. When denied that for two straight years it’s understandable that a fan could feel aggrieved.
    As an aside, the losing of the last two years has given some TFC fans amnesia about the early years. Although TFC has been out of the playoffs since the start, they have only been this far out of it the last two years and the expansion year. The other three seasons have all had moments where fans felt like they were at least in the conversation.
    After the game there was talk of fan protests and of boycotting games – somehow empty seats might make MLSE finally understand that they need to do better. Empty seats might drive home the point that the ticket pricing next year needs to be in line with the current demand, and that a tangible gesture of goodwill would go a long way, but it’s not going to make TFC defend set-pieces any better. Still, the thinking behind the idea is understandable.
    Regardless, TFC fans face a long fall with little motivation. To the football purest there is value in all games. Not everyone thinks that way though so expect a lot of empty seats at BMO the rest of the way.
    How the club reacts to those empty seats will go a long way to determine how many of them remain so next spring.
    Guest
    When FC Dallas forward Blas Perez stepped onto the pitch halfway through his team's match against the LA Galaxy last Sunday it represented his first bit of competitive football since suffering a foot injury while on national team duty with Panama in June.
    The injury wasn’t expected to sideline him for any length of time, yet here we are, two months and 12 games later. Perez’ return merits mention in this space because he will be front and centre (literally) to his country’s chances of beating Canada in the upcoming World Cup qualifier on September 7.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Blas Perez. Journeyman. The 31-year-old has played for clubs in Panama, Uruguay, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, the UAE and now the United States. The career summary in the sidebar on his Wikipedia page has an Ali Gerba-esque feel to it, if not for the fact the Panamanian looks to have been more adept at scoring goals wherever in the world he landed.
    One of those goals was the wonder strike that helped Panama make an emphatic statement of intent against Honduras in the third round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying. Yes, they were the darlings of the 2011 Gold Cup, and yes, even Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl tipped them to qualify for the big tournament in 2014, but marching into the qualifying incumbents' home field and thumping them by what should have been more than two goals? Unexpected.
    Based on data at soccerway.com, Perez has accounted for a quarter of the goals Panama has scored since the start of last year's Gold Cup. In total, he's suited up 57 times for his country and has scored 22 goals for them. Heck, he's tied for the FC Dallas scoring lead this season despite having missed about half of it. So yes, he’s an important part of the teams he plays for in the most measurable way - goals in the opposing net. Unfortunately, Canada’s chances of beating Panama are diminished now that he'll likely be on the field.
    Properly supporting your favourite team contains many low points, and I can only assume I wasn’t the only regular follower of the Canadian national team periodically scanning FC Dallas match results while pretending I wasn't really wishing Perez would stay hurt.
    Whatever was keeping him on the sidelines so much longer than expected now appears to be gone. FC Dallas manager Schellas Hyndman told reporters after the game on Sunday that he originally wanted to ease Perez back with about 30 minutes of action, but an injury to Fabián Castillo forced him to give the returning forward more minutes. The MLSsoccer.com match report said Perez' "rust was apparent to everyone." But Canada supporters would be silly to bank on it still being there 10 days from now.
    Panama played twice without Perez and scored zero goals. One of those games was against Portugal in Portugal, the other was a bit of a lark against the Uruguay U23 in July. Either way, Canada manager Stephen Hart may want to put aside the DVD of the Panama-Portugal game he says he has and search for some quality video of Panama's demolition of Honduras in June, a game where Perez scored twice. It may provide a more accurate picture of what Canada's defenders can expect on September 7.
    Guest
    By Mike Crampton
    For Toronto FC it’s been a season bookended by Santos Laguna. Back in late March the team from Torreon, Mexico travelled to Toronto for what was TFC biggest home game in history; now, precisely five months later they return for the last meaningful home game of TFC’s season. The last encounter was a memorable draw, full of incident, where Toronto managed to hold their own against one of the continent’s very best sides. It’s easy to forget but, incredibly, the Reds still maintain an undefeated home record against Mexican opposition. There have been a couple of heavy losses south of the Rio Grande but up here, in the Great White North, Toronto has punched above their weight and taken something from every encounter.
    The problem for Toronto is that they may have woken the bear. Santos Laguna ultimately annihilated the Reds in the second half of the second leg in Torreon, as had been their style before against Montreal and Seattle, but before then their pride was damaged and a level of personal enmity was created. Complicating matters is the new wrinkle of the Champions League format. If TFC are serious about advancing in this year’s competition then, realistically, a draw at home will not be enough. With only one side advancing out of the group and CD Aguila essentially already written off Toronto must defeat Santos at home or they’ll likely face the uphill task of needing to win in Torreon.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    One thing is certain about this match: Paul Mariner’s Toronto FC team who take the field will not be the same group of players who represented the club under Aron Winter in the spring. The list of players no longer with the club, unavailable, or unlikely to play is substantial when compared to the 13 who saw the field in the spring: Nick Soolsma, Julian De Guzman, Miguel Aceval, and Joao Plata are gone while Ty Harden is rarely seen. Now word has come out of TFC that regular goalkeeper Milos Kocic has been dropped in favour of newcomer Freddy Hall. The decision has baffled many supporters but it’s worth remembering that, for all his heroic shot stopping, Kocic has had his share of blunders. Gifting a goal back to CD Aguila with the game still somewhat in the balance didn’t end up hurting the Reds but, against a better opponent, would probably be remember a lot less charitably.
    What might be of more concern for Reds supporters is that, of the missing players, virtually all of them were noted for their superior performances in the Champions League. Soolsma and Plata were both key offensive catalysts in TFC’s run to the semi-finals while it was regularly acknowledged that Julian De Guzman’s style seemed to fit better against the more possession oriented opponents that the Reds faced in the tournament. Aceval may have committed an inordinate share of defensive errors in his four games in the tournament but he also won’t be available to recreate his one moment of glory in red when he belted home the equalizer in the clubs’ 1-1 draw back in March.
    A further concern is likely to be how the change in Toronto’s style from an attacking possession based team to a defensive long ball side will impact their ability to compete with the Mexicans. It’s worth remembering however that TFC’s lone victory over a Mexican opponent, the 2-1 win over Cruz Azul achieved back in the summer of 2010, came under the leadership of Preki and his arguably even more defensive and cagey style of play. In that match Toronto changed things up, took the game to their opponents, and produced one of the finer footballing displays in the club’s short history. Granted, that performance may have been a fluke but it shows that it’s not impossible for a team more designed to stay competitive in the rough and rugged style of MLS to raise their game and change their style to suit continental play.
    Already under Mariner the Reds produced what was very likely the most dominating victory the club has ever enjoyed. CD Aguila may have been a tired and unmotivated opponent but Toronto has faced clubs of that level before in this tournament and never come away with a 5-1 win. The likelihood of anything like that being repeated against a superior side like Santos is virtually nil but you never know what will happen in a game of football.
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