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    Guest
    Every week we’re going to 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>.
    <center>********************</center>
    Last weekend's games produced a below par <i>BCS</i> success rate of 41.66%.
    The Caps’ last minute goal they conceded to Seattle, saw them waste a huge opportunity to close the gap on the Sounders and at the top.
    A good midweek saw Seattle, Dallas and Los Angeles all lose, with Chivas drawing and San Jose grabbing a last gasp win in LA to go back to the top of the Western Conference, where they now lead Vancouver by nine points.
    With the Caps in Cascadia Cup action down in Portland, what are the <i>”Best Case Scenarios”</i> we’re hoping to see in the rest of the week 12 games this weekend?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Nine games are being played over Saturday and Sunday, with three all-Western Conference clashes, three inter-conference match ups and three all-Eastern ties. So six matches to keep a really close eye on, including our own.
    <b><u>Portland Timbers v Vancouver Whitecaps</u></b>
    Current Whitecaps Points: 18 (4th in West)
    If Whitecaps Win: 21 points (Best Case Scenario = 4th in West, six points behind leaders / Worst Case Scenario = 4th, nine points behind leaders)
    If Whitecaps Draw: 19 points (BCS = 4th / WCS = 5th)
    If Whitecaps Lose: 18 points (BCS = 4th / WCS = 5th)
    Maximum Points Total Possible: 87
    Projected Points Total On Current Results: 55
    Playoff Likelihood: 66 - 76% (huge spread on the various sites)
    <b><u>Houston Dynamo v Los Angeles Galaxy</u> - Houston win</b>
    So just how low can LA go? Well not much lower than bottom of the West. We keep saying that at some point soon they’re going to find their form and start rising up the table. There’s going to come a time though when we will perhaps just have to realise that this isn’t the case. If Adam Moffat and his Houston chums can help keep at least a seven, and possibly a ten, point gap between the Caps and the Galaxy then that will do very nicely.
    <b><u>Toronto v Philadelphia Union</u> - No impact on Caps</b>
    "The Toilet Bowl". This all-eastern basement battle could at least give Caps fans some cheer this week if TFC can remain pointless. Let’s hope our feeder team can give us a good chuckle.
    <b><u>Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire</u> - No impact on Caps</b>
    Another all-eastern clash with frankly no interest whatsoever to us.
    <b><u>DC United v New England Revolution</u> - No impact on Caps</b>
    And another. Same again.
    <b><u>Real Salt Lake v Dallas</u> - Draw</b>
    The first all-western match up of the weekend. We’re going to root for the draw, so that neither side really benefits. High flying Real just need not to win to help us close the gap at the top a little. We could close to within five of them, but being eleven points behind them, even this early in the season, would be a very tough ask to claw back. A Dallas win wouldn’t be the end of the world and would still keep them behind us no matter what.
    <b><u>Colorado Rapids v Montreal Impact</u> - Montreal win</b>
    The Rapids are breathing down the necks of the Whitecaps. Two points behind at the moment, if things go badly this weekend we could fall to fifth, so let’s hope our fellow Canadians can do us a big favour. They owe us several.
    <b><u>Chivas USA v Seattle Sounders</u> - Draw</b>
    After the win over LA, I think the time for saying that Chivas wins won’t matter too much to us needs to go on hold. Could they be the west’s playoff wildcards? Seattle are winless in three. If they can make that four then the Caps could close to within two or three points of our hated Cascadian rivals.
    <b><u>Sporting Kansas City v San Jose Earthquakes</u> - KC win</b>
    What has happened to KC? They started the season on fire but are now winless in four. What better time to find that winning habit again than against the Western Conference leaders. We really need this to happen. Shake the Quakes.
    <center>**********</center>
    So that’s what we’re going to be cheering for this weekend. A derby win, and some results going our way, will at least ease the pain of the Voyageurs Cup loss a little and send us into our short break on the up and still having strong self belief.
    <p>
    Guest

    Impact vs Rapids pregame show

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    The Impact is looking to remain undefeated for a third straight game on the road as it visits the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night against a team that has shut down the opponent's offense six times in their last nine home games.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Hear pregame comments from captain Davy Arnaud, striker Sanna Nyassi (an ex-Rapids player) and coach Jesse Marsch.
    We also have a few little notes to share on the Impact prior to go on the weekend's program in MLS, NASL, QPSL and W-League.

    Click here to enjoy our 18 minutes show.
    Guest
    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 1-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps to capture the Voyageurs Cup. All photos are courtesy of Chris Hazard at Hazard Gallery.
    He is shooting for Canadian Soccer News again this year.
    You can purchase these and other photos here
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    From the fans to the players

    DeMerrit getting stuck in

    Julian getting put out

    In like a Lambe

    From the players to the fans
    Guest

    Canadian club salaries

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The MLS players union released their annual list of disclosed salaries.
    The complete list for each Canadian club is here. Some of the highlights are after the jump
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Montreal
    Andrew Wenger on $202,000 Guaranteed
    Donovan Ricketts on $275,000 Guaranteed
    Bernardo Corradi on $265,000 Guaranteed
    Evan James on $33,750 Guaranteed
    Toronto
    Julian De Guzman on $1.9 million Guaranteed
    Torsten Frings on $2.4 million Guaranteed
    Richard Eckersley on $390,000 Guaranteed
    Joao Plata on $50,000 Guaranteed
    Miguel Aceval on $199,086 Guaranteed
    Vancouver
    Martin Bonjour on $276,987 Guaranteed
    Young Pyo Lee on $174,200 Guaranteed
    Eric Hassli on $790,000 Guaranteed
    Bryce Alderson on $75,000 Guaranteed
    What do you think? Who is overpaid? Who isn't getting enough?
    Guest
    Like some kind of bad horoscope newsletter email – which lands in your inbox each morning to chart your stars – I’ve been getting near daily requests to read the tea leaves and answer the question: why hasn’t MLSE fired Aron Winter?
    Even with a Voyageurs Cup secured, at a MLS record of 0-9, it’s easy to understand how those who don’t live here, or cover teams in other cities, are so befuddled by the scenario playing out at BMO Field these days.
    I say it’s easy to understand because few here, either, have any answers.
    Theories of a Champions League success saving him ring hollow. Ideas about an organization looking for stability do too. And, of course, there is always the tin foil hat wearing crowd who like to posit that MLSE wants soccer to fail and for that matter, all their teams.
    But none of those theories on Toronto FC’s purgatory consider that the failure to act on removing Aron Winter may have nothing at all to do with football.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Currently, MLSE is in its own kind of purgatory - moving from a single, monolithic entity into one owned by two much larger media conglomerates. The sale of MLSE to telecom giants Bell and Rogers last year is in the final stages of being completed and has frozen nearly all internal actions. They have passed CRTC inspection – which was nothing if not just a rubber stamping – and are currently in the process of lining up for inspection before their new masters. It’s expected that all the eyes will be dotted and crosses come to bare by July.
    Forgotten in the process is the power vacuum that was created when Richard Peddie – President and CEO of MLSE – announced his retirement last year. Peddie was and is MLSE. He built a brand that in just over a decade went from merging a pair of sports franchises, to a sport media empire that now includes four teams, their own sports channels, a venture into condos and throw in some restaurants for dessert. To say they haven’t rushed the transition from an era of unprecedented sports business success would be an understatement.
    But that’s not to say there aren’t some early favorites. The most obvious of which, to succeed the Peddie era, is current executive vice president and chief operating officer Tom Anselmi. As the man seen to be the defacto president of Toronto FC, he may not be a popular man with supporters these days but with 16 years of service, in a company with a history of promoting from within, Anselmi is the odds on favourite to assume the president and CEO’s chair.
    So, what does any of this have to do with Aron Winter and his club’s 0-9 record? Lots actually.
    Despite bringing in Jurgen Klinnsman to help the soccer naïve Maple Leaf Sports make some of those soccer decisions, the man who ultimately hired Aron Winter and the Dutch Experience (new band name alert) is Tom Anselmi. And he’ll be the man who sits at the press conference table at some point this year and solemnly announces Aron Winter’s firing.
    It will be declared another in a long list – in a short time – of failures at Toronto FC. And that’s the type of blemish that a soon-to-be president doesn’t want on his record – especially before making his case to the new owners about why he deserves to be crowned.
    At some point this year Aron Winter will be relieved of his duties at Toronto FC. Given the recent shuffling of the deck chairs with the coaching staff, it likely won’t be wholesale changes. But whether it’s after they miss the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year, or if they are bounced from the Champions League, there is little doubt the end will come.
    Just don’t count on the axe falling before Peddie’s replacement is named.
    Guest

    Sober Second Thoughts: Champions?

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Zero wins, one cup.
    Absurd, eh?
    It seems unlikely there has ever been a team on worse form to qualify for a champions league.
    Ever.
    Anywhere.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The instinct will be to focus on the insanity of the situation. American MLS fans will likely be shaking their fist at the fact that TFC can be so bad but get to play in the CCL. They will be missing the point – it's a competition between countries, not leagues – but you can understand why they might be confused.
    But, here we are. For the fourth straight year Toronto is going to play for the championship of North America. More importantly the win gave the Reds something they haven't had since early March – hope.
    It's not a lot of hope – the celebration was tempered in both the stands and field – but a little.
    Whereas the possibility of meaningful games later this summer was bleak yesterday at this time, now they know they will happen. Four, in fact. It's something and it's important to the team's biggest fans. As to whether the win will galvanize the club's less tuned in fans only time will tell. The empty seats in the upper deck were telling. Remember this was a game in the season ticket package. Those red seats were mostly no shows. Winning Saturday against Philadelphia will do far more to fill those seats than yesterday, even without a cup presentation at the end. Those are worries for another day, however. Now, it's a rare chance for TFC fans to enjoy some positive news.
    Guest
    Let there be no doubts about it. Vancouver Whitecaps wanted to win the 2012 Voyageurs Cup.
    It was one of their main goals for the year and not achieving it <i>is</i> a failure.
    Call it what it is.
    I'm not sure the Caps will ever get a better chance of lifting the elusive silverware. You don't get it much better than the result being in our own hands and playing against a team that haven't won a league match all season.
    Vancouver's hoodoo with the trophy continues, but this time around failure to win it is down to two terrible performances over the two legs of the final.
    How we played is what is the worst part of all this. We showed nothing. We got what we deserved out of the games and so did Toronto.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For a team to go in to a Cup final needing to score no matter what, only mustering a meagre four shots on goal, and none of them on target, is disgraceful. A 64% passing accuracy also says a lot about the players not being on the same page.
    A lot is going to be made of fixture congestion in some quarters. Absolute nonsense as far as I'm concerned.
    Four games in eleven days should not kill a large squad of fit young men. The top clubs seem to manage it throughout Europe. Sure they moan, but they manage it well on the whole.
    Admittedly North America has the extra travel element, but still, other sports and sportsmen seem to do just fine. These are professional athletes. This is their job. They get paid to play a couple of games, a couple of days apart. What else do they do? And it's the same for both teams. Toronto have actually played more games than Vancouver since March.
    Whether we feel they should be or not, some players certainly do look tired and jaded and need a little rest, especially in the defence.
    Whilst trying to manage the busy schedule, some of Martin Rennie's line-up selections these last few games have been strange to say the least.
    There's no getting away from that, but as we said in an earlier article, whatever players he picked for the games would have found fault with many fans. He was always in a no win situation, which is exactly what results he got in the three games so far.
    If you look at Wednesday night's line-up, some fans would have picked that to be possibly our strongest starting eleven, with perhaps the main debate being around John Thorrington playing and Davide Chiumiento not.
    It was the team I expected would take to the pitch at BMO Field. Toronto probably worked that out for themselves too.
    If this is what Rennie feels is the strongest Caps line-up, then should this not have been the team that started the first leg in an attempt to bring a lead into Toronto?
    It was kind of too little too late, and on the night, it was certainly too little.
    I don't want to dwell too much on individual players this time because, as a team, they all failed to get the job done.
    A front three of Camilo, Hassli and Le Toux simply does not work. There is no understanding and their various styles make it extremely difficult for them to be on the pitch together at the same time.
    We made a big deal going in to the match that the Caps had to either look for the early goal with an attacking line up, or play the patience game and hit a tired Toronto side at the end.
    The problem we have with the line-up we put out is that unfortunately it can't do either effectively.
    That midfield does not allow for creative, attacking flair and setting chances up for the strikers.
    Ultimately, Toronto knew how to play that particular line-up, did so extremely well and never really looked in any sort of serious trouble. The deservedly one the trophy over the two legs.
    Fault for the failure lies firmly with both the Whitecaps players and the management.
    Mistakes were made. Players didn't perform. I'm pretty sure Rennie and Ritchie will sit down with the group as a whole and try and talk out what went wrong and how they move forward.
    And how they move forward now is vital, especially if some of these players want to remain Whitecaps past the summer.
    Lenarduzzi and Rennie have hinted that there will be additions to the squad in the transfer window, so let the speculation begin as to who may come in and who may be on their way out.
    There needs to be a response on the pitch from the current players. We need to see some fire in their belly and some spark. Both seemed to be missing last night.
    The problem is that some players may again be rested against Portland at the weekend and I have a feeling we may see a few surprises in that particular starting eleven. Maybe we should give Martin Rennie the nickname The Tinkerer ala Claudio Ranieri.
    Then the team have a mini break to rewind and refresh.
    Bowing out of the national Cup competition, blowing Champions League qualification and losing a last minute leveller to one of your fiercest rivals on League duty is not the best way to go into a break. We have one final game to send us there on a slight high.
    But let us not forget that we played well against Seattle (and San Jose). A good team that produced that football does not go bad overnight and we're sitting in a great playoff position as of now.
    These are the easy things to forget in the doom and gloom of defeat. We are having a good season. Two Cup games should not overshadow that.
    We are a much different side to last season. We win games at home and away. We play some nice football. We are an unfinished jigsaw and the task now is for the management to find those missing pieces to take us up to the next level.
    One goal is gone. The other is very much a reality and will not have our full focus.
    It's been interesting to see the Caps support split on what took precedence - League or Cup.
    For me, winning the Voyageurs Cup should have been our primary goal this season, if not all of them.
    Others see the competition as a mere irritant on the way to the playoffs and are glad to see the back of it.
    It will be interesting to see how the Toronto public receive the Champions League qualifying stages if the team are still doing poorly in the League.
    I don't even want to get into the rights and wrongs of both arguments just now, but both the Club and ourselves see this as an important loss in the Caps' growth and development.
    It's disappointing. It hurts. But now we all need to move on. It's over and there's nothing we can do about it now.
    Our sole concentration is now on the MLS playoffs. No fixture congestion come August. No weird travel plans. No burnt out players. No excuses.
    All of that is great, but we have to now go out and show that losing in the Voyageurs Cup has not been for nothing.
    It shouldn't be all doom and gloom. We've bowed out of one competition. We still have another huge prize to play for.
    Martin Rennie has talked all year about stages of the Caps season.
    Stage one is over. Stage two begins in Portland this weekend. Three points are a must.
    'Mon the Caps.
    <center>********************</center>
    <b>AFTN 3-2-1:</b>
    Hard to pick when no-one really performed, so just picking three that did something I at least noticed.
    3 points - CAMILO SANVEZZO (At least he was whipping dangerous free kicks in to the box. Wouldn't have taken him off either)
    2 points - JOE CANNON (like the passion he showed in those closing moments)
    1 point - ALAIN ROCHAT (was doing well on the left side and getting forward. Hopefully his injury is nothing too serious)
    <p>
    Guest

    Conferma ufficiale!!!

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    You read it here on May 1, Marco Di Vaio has now officially been confirmed on Thursday morning by the Montreal Impact as the club’s first ever designated player.
    In this special edition you will here Nick DeSantis (French) press conference followed by analysis from two of our regular contributors Pascal Milano (LaPresse) & Patrick Leduc (LaPresse/RDS) who answered questions at the Saputo Stadium presser with our reporter Raphael Larocque-Cyr.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We bring you to Qatar to talk to Di Vaio’s former coach Laurent Banide who had him for two half seasons in Monaco in France’s top flight.
    To have a feel from what the rest of MLS perceived from Montreal’s big announcement, we go to New York City with MLSsoccer.com columnist and ExtraTime Radio co-host Simon Borg.
    We conclude our show in Ontario to celebrate the 100th birthday of the founding of the CSA with THE soccer historian par excellence, Mr Colin Jose and we go back on TFC fourth straight Canadian Championship title against Vancouver with Canadian Soccer News’ colleague Duane Rollins.
    Enjoy our jam-packed 45 minutes show by clicking here!
    Guest
    There's been anger, frustration and heartache these past four years and it continued for Vancouver Whitecaps in Toronto tonight.
    Toronto ran out deserved 1-0 winners on the night and 2-1 Champions on aggregate, as the home side lifted the Voyageurs Cup for the fourth straight year.
    It wouldn't be the Canadian Championships of course if there wasn't also a little controversy thrown into the mix, with two players sent off in a fiery second half.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    With the teams tied at one apiece going into tonight's matchup, Toronto had the slight advantage of Ryan Johnson's away goal from the first leg.
    Vancouver had to score and Martin Rennie sent out an attacking line up with all three first choice strikers, Eric Hassli, Sebastien Le Toux and Camilo Sanvezzo getting the start.
    The main debate before the match was whether Vancouver would go for the quick kill or play the patience game. The line-up suggested the former and it was an open game from the first whistle, with Toronto having the better of the early chances and Vancouver struggling to really find their groove.
    The home side had the first shot on target in the fifth minute, when Joao Plata shot straight at Joe Cannon from the edge of the box, but the Caps keeper was untroubled.
    Toronto came within inches of opening the scoring on the night just over a minute later.
    Torsten Frings had returned to the TFC line-up after injury and the German chipped a delightful ball towards the back post. Plata met it on the edge of the six yard box, but couldn't get full contact and his header across goal trickled past the right hand post, with Cannon scrambling.
    Vancouver were happy to let Toronto have the better of the possession, but slowly showed signs of wanting to take control of the match.
    Camilo whipped a long free kick into the box from near the halfway line in the 22nd minute, and Alain Rochat met the ball unchallenged but directed his header wide left.
    Seconds later and John Thorrington had a 25 yard drive fly over the bar, as the Caps were keen to show that their goalscoring threat came from all parts of the team and not just the strikers.
    It was nearly a case of déjà vu for the Whitecaps in the 32nd minute.
    Camilo sent a long free kick deep into the box, Gershon Koffie rose to meet it and just failed to make contact. The ball bounced, but unlike in the game against Seattle on Saturday, this time it didn't end up in the net and Toronto keeper Milos Kocic fumbled the ball around for a corner.
    Toronto caused some danger with a free kick of their own with eight minutes of the half remaining, with Frings' fierce low drive curling left.
    The half petered out with a bit of a whimper, but with all still to play for, the second half was always going to be a tense affair, with neither side able to afford any defensive mistakes.
    Vancouver had a scare in the 56th minute when a deflected Frings shot had Cannon scrambling and nearly carrying the ball over the goal-line.
    Seconds later and the game exploded into life.
    Plata and Y-P Lee challenged for the ball and from out of nothing, a melee broke out.
    Julian de Guzman threw Le Toux to the ground and then slapped Jun Marques Davidson, who went down like he'd been hit by a brick.
    De Guzman saw a straight red and Le Toux got a second yellow, for what the referee deemed to be a stamp, and quickly followed the Canadian for an early bath.
    You could argue that De Guzman deserved a yellow for both offences, which would have been harsh, but to us, Le Toux's booking seemed to be for nothing, as there did not appear to be a stamp with any sort of intent.
    Tensions remained high and tackles flew in, as a game of football didn't appear to be close to breaking out any time soon.
    Vancouver made three quick substitutions as time was running out on their Cup hopes, with full on attack clearly on the visitors mind in the closing stages.
    Frings tried another long range effort with eleven minutes remaining, but it was well wide of the right hand post.
    Toronto thought they had taken the lead two minutes later.
    A quick break up the right from Richard Eckersley had the Caps defence scrambling, but although his cross-come-shot was turned in by fellow sub Nick Soolsma, the Dutch midfielder was several yards offside.
    Toronto weren't to be denied and took the lead moments later.
    Soolsma did well to head a cross back into the path of Reggie Lambe and the Bermudan did well to keep composed and fire through two Caps defenders and past Joe Cannon.
    The goal didn't change too much as Vancouver still had to score on the night and they tried to fight back.
    With five minutes left, Davide Chiumiento landed a free kick onto the top of the goal, but that was as close as the Caps got.
    The game moved into five minutes of stoppage time but Vancouver's impotent attack could find no way through a Toronto defence that held firm.
    The final whistle signalled jubilation for the Toronto players and their fans.
    Vancouver got what they deserved out of the two legs - nothing.
    Tactically and performance-wise the Caps were simply not at the races. A lot of credit has to go to Toronto for failing to let them play their attacking game, but it was a poor 180 minutes from those in blue and white.
    Failure to make the Champions League can be considered Martin Rennie's first failure with the Whitecaps. There is no spin that can be put on this result.
    Now full attention has to be turned to the League. Scant consolation at this point in time.
    FINAL SCORE: Toronto 1 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps (Toronto win 2-1 on aggregate)
    TORONTO: Milos Kocic; Jeremy Hall, Adrian Cann, Doneil Henry, Ashtone Morgan; Julian de Guzman, Torsten Frings, Eric Avila (Richard Eckersley 60) ; Reggie Lambe (Terry Dunfield 84), Ryan Johnson, Joao Plata (Nick Soolsma 77) [subs Not Used: Quillan Roberts; Ty Harden, Luis Silva, Danny Koevermans]
    VANCOUVER: Joe Cannon; Young-Pyo Lee, Martin Bonjour, Jay DeMerit, Alain Rochat (Jordan Harvey 65); Gershon Koffie, Jun Marques Davidson, John Thorrington (Davide Chiumiento 73); Sebastien Le Toux, Eric Hassli, Camilo Sanvezzo (Darren Mattocks 66) [subs Not Used: Brad Knighton, Omar Salgado, Etienne Barbara, Matt Watson]
    <p>
    Guest
    The word filtered out early Wednesday evening and has since been confirmed: Canadian midfielder Josh Simpson has broken his leg and will miss next month's World Cup qualifiers against Cuba and Honduras (and possibly the ones in September and October as well).
    The injury is a significant blow to a Canadian team that has often struggled to produce goals, and will surely cause head coach Stephen Hart to do some thinking about his lineup selection and tactics.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    During a conference call earlier this month, Hart told reporters that one of Mike Klukowski, Ante Jazic or Ashtone Morgan (the three leftbacks on the squad) could see playing time outside of their normal position. With Simpson now out, is it possible one of these left-footed players could be pushed up into the midfield?
    As for who will fill Simpson's spot on the roster, the name coming to the minds of many Canadian fans has been Randy Edwini-Bonsu. The 22-year-old completed a move to the 2.Bundesliga earlier this year, and represented Canada in the Olympic qualifying tournament before infamously being sent off following a confrontation with match officials.
    Hart had considered including Edwini-Bonsu on the roster from the start, but also said he wished he'd seen more of him at the Olympic qualifying tournament -- a not-too-subtle allusion to the red card incident. With Simpson now injured, the speedy attacker might just be receiving a call from Hart some time soon.
    One man who did receive a call from Hart is D.C. United defender Dejan Jakovic, who was officially added to the roster earlier this week.
    What do you think? How significant is Simpson's injury to Canada's chances in next month's games? Will Hart need to revise his tactics? Who, if anyone, will replace Simpson on the roster?
    Updates (May 24, 2012):
    Here is a link to the original article about the injury, run through Google Translate.
    And if you want to send Josh your best wishes for a speedy recovery, leave a note on this thread on the Voyageurs message board. It will be delivered to Simpson.
    .
    Guest
    <b>KEY PLAYERS :</b>
    ATTACKING
    Against Seattle <b>Camilo</b> was rested for the majority of the game, coming on in the final ten minutes, but made a major impression scoring off a long free kick. The Brazilian was one of the more dangerous attackers in the first leg and should either start in the middle or on the left wing.
    One of the players who has been outspoken in his disappointment for TFC’s season was <b>Danny Koevermans</b>, this week calling the club the worst in the world. Coming off an injury and fully fit, the designated player will be needed to be strong in the box and also hold up the ball well for TFC to hold on for the victory.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    DEFENCE
    The backline needs <b>Jay DeMerit</b> to step up his game and be the leader the club hoped for when they made him their first MLS signing. It will be up to the American defender to closely mark Koevermans, as he will make the Caps pay with any kind of space in the box.
    Coming off major knee surgery, and despite not being fully fit, <b>Adrian Cann</b> has emerged as one of TFC’s better defenders and his leadership will be needed with two young defenders as part of the backline. He will need to be prepared for either the pace of Darren Mattocks or the size and technical ability of Eric Hassli.
    <b>WHO'S ON FORM :</b>
    Canadian <b>Alain Rochat</b> is coming off a couple of impressive matches, playing his typical two way game at another level. He was able to make a significant impact on the attacking side against both Toronto and Seattle, first feeding Hassli a perfectly weighted ball against TFC and then scoring the opener against the Sounders.
    In a season of major disappointment, designated player <b>Julian de Guzman</b> has been a relative bright spot for Toronto FC. The defending champs will need him to play solid and combine with someone like Frings to clog the midfield and keep Vancouver out wide and away from the net.
    <b>2012 RECORD :</b>
    Vancouver:
    5W-3D-3L
    4th in Western Conference
    Last Match: 2-2 Draw vs Seattle Sounders
    Toronto:
    0W-0D-9L
    9th in Eastern Conference
    Last Match: 3-1 Loss at D.C. United
    <b>PROJECTED LINE-UPS :</b>

    <b>INJURIES/MISSING :</b>
    Vancouver:
    Out: GK Brian Sylvestre (knee), FW Atiba Harris (quad)
    Toronto:
    Out: FW Nicholas Lindsay (knee), GK Stefan Frei (leg), DF Aaron Maund (eye), DF Logan Emory (shoulder)
    Doubtful: DF Miguel Aceval (quadriceps)
    Questionable: DF Dicoy Williams (knee), DF Torsten Frings (shoulder)
    <b>GAME ANALYSIS :</b>
    It was early July 2011 and the Whitecaps had to watch Toronto FC lift the Voyageurs Cup after being defeated 2-1 on the day and 3-2 on aggregate. The loss was bittersweet, especially when you consider that the Caps were less than 30 minutes away from winning the title at the original second leg before the game was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. The Caps hope they can turn around their luck and finally lift the trophy that has eluded them in the silverware's short history.
    Apart from a few changes, there should be a similar lineup that starts on the BMO pitch as Joe Cannon will get the start on the goal with Lee, Bonjour, DeMerit and Rochat as the starting defence. Davidson will play his normal role as a holding midfielder while Koffie should start opposite him in front of the backline.
    The third spot in the midfield will either go to Chiumiento, if Rennie wants more skill, or to Watson, if he wants more physicality around the net. It looks as though Le Toux and Camilo will definitely start up front for the Caps, most likely as the two wingers. The spot in the middle will either go to Darren Mattocks, who impressed against Seattle with his pace, or to Eric Hassli, who scored a spectacular equaliser against TFC last week.
    The Caps will have to once again build their movement through the wide areas of the pitch and both Rochat and Lee will play a key role in the buildup plays. This will also be necessary with both Frings and de Guzman patrolling the central midfield for Toronto FC. The type of attack will also depend on which striker starts. With Hassli there will be patient buildup, compared to the quick strike style of Mattocks.
    The trio of Bonjour, DeMerit and Davidson will have to mark Koevermans closely, as he is the biggest threat to score for TFC. Once again it will be up to Lee to make sure that Plata does not become a factor in the second leg of the final, like he did last year.
    The media yesterday portrayed TFC as a wounded animal who is ready to give up due to all the losses this season. The Whitecaps must be wary of them, in the knowledge that the Voyageurs Cup and a berth to the Champions League is all they have left to play for this year.
    In order to win the Cup for the first time, the Caps need to play this match as though they are a goal down and come out for a quick goal and completely deflate their opponents. A win against Toronto, and adding their first piece of hardware as a MLS club, would be the next vital step into creating the winning mentality for the Whitecaps future.
    <b>AFTN Prediction: Toronto 1 Vancouver Whitecaps 2</b>
    <p>
    Guest
    By: Michael Crampton
    On Wednesday night at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario a national champion of Canadian men’s professional soccer will be crowned. Either Toronto FC will lift the Voyageurs Cup for the fourth consecutive time or the Vancouver Whitecaps will for the first time ever. A massive 18 points may separate the two sides in Major League Soccer’s standings but, on the night, they’ll enter tied with one goal apiece. If neither side manages to score then Toronto, by virtue of their away goal in the first leg, will retain their title. A team that has not won a game in league play this season is only one win, or a scoreless draw, away from once again competing with their continent’s best in the CONCACAF Champions League.
    If that sounds absurd, it’s because it is.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Supporters will tell you though, that throughout the short history of the club, Toronto FC and absurdity have gone together. The romantics, those who believe in fate, or who think that the whole universe is a story designed for moral instruction might even insist that Toronto winning another Amway Canadian Championship is the only rightful outcome. The idea of loyal fans, players, and teams being rewarded after persevering through adversity is a deeply resonant archetype of the sports narrative. Certainly the loyalty of Toronto supporters is being tested now as TFC establishes new benchmarks for futility in league play. To win a cup, a national championship, and a chance to play at a higher level could be seen as redemptive.
    There are others, not just Vancouver (or Montreal) supporters, who would disagree. Yes, they might grudgingly acknowledge, if Toronto FC wins Wednesday night they will have won the Voyageurs Cup by the rules set out at the beginning of the tournament. However, the idea that four games, maybe as few as one actual win, is all it takes to become champion of Canada and could be achieved while going winless in league competition has a certain injustice to it that prevents legitimacy. To the real malcontents, the Toronto supporters absolutely furious at owners Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, the possibility of the club being able to sell two more home dates in non-league play while the team fails so comprehensively elsewhere it is probably rage inducing.
    To say the least, the atmosphere at BMO Field should be interesting. There will be those that simply choose not to go or don’t really make an effort to be there. Among those in attendance there will certainly be a large group who see the occasion as a last attempt to salvage a disastrous season. Those fans will be fired up and doing their best to encourage others to join in. Most likely though there will be a wait and see approach from many in the stadium. How TFC performs, whether they reclaim the spirit that saw them dump Montreal out of the competition two weeks ago even when reduced to ten men, will have a big influence on whether or not they keep the crowd on side.
    On the field the teams have to bounce back as well. A week ago Whitecaps’ head coach Martin Rennie surprised many by sending out a starting side devoid of two of his best available attacking talents in Eric Hassli and David Chiumiento. A more robust midfield of John Thorington, Jun Davidson, and Matt Watson was tied to an early tactic of playing very direct very quickly designed to put Toronto’s young backline, deprived of the suspended regular Richard Eckersley, under immediate and sustained pressure. Most likely, Rennie hoped that an early goal would shatter TFC’s confidence and lead to a comfortable victory. Unfortunately for him the Reds weathered the storm and grew increasingly confident as the match went on. In the end the Whitecaps were very fortunate that Toronto didn’t grab a second goal before the end but were vaulted right back into the tie when a late lapse in concentration by TFC allowed a swift attack after a restart to result in Hassli’s wonder strike.
    For Toronto, whatever confidence they gained from their back to back performances in the Canadian Championship was surely dented on the weekend in Washington, D.C. Giving up a goal in under a minute, for the second time this season, and the conceding so quickly after scoring themselves has lead to a level of frustration that now seems to be leaking out of the locker room. Getting to half time without conceding a goal has to be the Reds’ first objective. At the start of the game TFC won’t need to score to advance and the longer they can keep themselves in that position the better chance they’ll have. If they succeed in keeping Vancouver off the score sheet for 90 minutes then a team winless in MLS will be Canadian Champions. Whether that looks worse on Toronto or Vancouver will be for others to decide.
    Guest
    Toronto FC fans waking up this morning will likely be knowingly looking out their window and shaking their head.
    Black clouds, not seen in days, have appeared just in time for a TFC game day. It’s become a running joke in Toronto that the best cure for drought is home games for the Reds. It seems like every time we go to BMO Field it’s miserable.
    But, is it true? Has there been more rain and terrible weather on game days. Let’s look.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Since Preki and Mo Johnson were fired (and we all know that if there is more rain on game days it has to have something to do with a curse of some sort put on the club by those two) TFC has played 34 home dates. They are listed below with indication of whether it rained or not and what the mean temperature was that day. All data is from weather.ca.

    Sept 25, 2010 – no – 14C
    Sept 28, 2010 – yes – 17C
    Oct 16, 2010 – no – 12C
    Oct 19, 2010 – no - 10C
    March 19, 2011 – no – 2C
    April 2, 2011 – no – 7C
    April 13, 2011 – yes – 8C
    April 16, 2011 – yes – 6C
    April 23, 2011 – yes – 14C
    May 4, 2011 – no – 10C
    May 7, 2011 – yes – 12C
    May 14, 2011 – yes – 15C
    May 25, 2011 – yes – 13C
    May 28, 2011 – yes – 16C
    June 4, 2011 – yes – 15C
    June 18, 2011 – no – 22C
    June 29, 2011 – no – 19C
    July 20, 2011 – no – 28C
    July 27, 2011 – no – 23C
    Aug 13, 2011 – no – 23C
    Aug 24, 2011 – yes – 22C
    Aug 27, 2011 – no – 21C
    Sept 17, 2011 – no – 14C
    Sept 20, 2011 – no – 17C
    Sept 27, 2011 – no – 21C
    Oct 1, 2011 – no – 9C
    Oct 22, 2011 – no – 8C
    March 24, 2012 – yes – 9C
    March 28, 2012 – yes – 12C
    March 31, 2012 – no – 4C
    April 14, 2012 - yes – 11C
    April 21, 2012 - yes – 7C
    May 5, 2012 - no – 12C
    May 9, 2012 – yes – 15C
    May 23, 2012 – a whole lot of black clouds, but that could just be the doom

    So, it’s rained on 15 of the 34 days, or 44 per cent of games. That includes a staggering eight of nine game stretch last spring, which is likely where the perception comes from that it always rains on TFC (that and, well, the soul-sucking losing).
    We know that it has rained for almost half of TFC games since Preki and Mo walked the plank, but is that abnormal?
    To find out we looked at 34 random dates throughout the same time frame (they were equally distributed through the months of April and Sept, with half weight distribution in March and October. They were selected randomly with days that a TFC game occurred on removed from selection possibility).
    Out of the 34 random dates there was rain seven days, or 20.5 per cent of wet days.
    The temperature is interesting, with just an average mean of 13.4C. Contrary to belief, Toronto is hot in the summer and Canadians don’t think 13.4C is all that warm. Of course TFC doesn’t play a lot of summer games because it’s too successful in selling season tickets and therefore, as good league partners, it gives up those home dates to allow clubs that need walk-up sales the better dates. Fix that next year TFC, OK...
    With only five dates warmer than 20C and just one above 25C there have been very, very few “nice” days at the park. We Canucks spend half the year huddled inside. It’s little wonder many people are choosing not to freeze by the lake while watching poor soccer.
    Using our random dates we found an average mean of 14.4C. Seven days were above 20C and two above 25C.
    Dress warm tonight and bring rain gear.
    Guest
    Impact, MLS and the national team lists for Canada, the U.S. and France on the menu of this week's 40 minutes show.
    We talk Impact with Pat Leduc (RDS/LaPresse) and Marc Tougas (CP) as well as discussing Stephen Hart's list for the June international dates.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Jonathan Tannenwald (Philly.com) also expands on the surprises on the U.S. national team list for their five international matches in the coming days as well as the growing tendency for unsatisfied MLS players to request and obtain trades.
    Ludovick Martin (Optimum-soccer.com) tells us what did the Canucks abroad in the last week and we go across the pond to Paris with our correspondent Cedric Ferreira (France 24) to go over the final week in the French Ligue 1 and Laurent Blanc's pre-lists for Euro 2012.
    Click here to enjoy the show!
    You can also subscribe directly on iTunes or on Stitcher to listen to us.
    Guest
    To call the mood amongst soccer fans in Toronto "subdued" these days would be a supreme understatement.
    Sure, Toronto FC could clinch its fourth consecutive Voyageurs Cup on Wednesday, but the numbers seared into the minds of the city's sports fans are 0 and 9. The squad's MLS campaign has gone from surprising, to frustrating, to infuriating to almost unreal.
    You sense it everywhere, at all times, in snippets of text on the 24-hour TV news stations, in overheard conversations at coffee shops and in transit -- even people who've never been to BMO Field (and couldn't point it out on a map) are keenly aware of the fact that Toronto FC really sucks.*
    That, of course, means trouble for another team in red that calls BMO Field home with some frequency these days: the Canadian men's national team. Despite the fact Canada is about to play its most important games in the last four years, an apt word to describe the mood around that squad's chances would also be "subdued".
    Coincidence?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Perhaps, perhaps not. It would be unfair to heap too much more scorn and ignominy upon Toronto FC by suggesting that relatively sluggish ticket sales for Canada v. USA (June 3) and Canada v. Honduras (June 12) are the fault or responsibility of the MLS cellar dwellers.
    But let's go back, for a moment, to August 20, 2008. Canada v. Jamaica at BMO Field. The grotesque fake turf still in place, no north stands to be seen, and yet, the enthusiasm was palpable. The concept of "supporter culture" in the city was still fresh and vibrant, with footie fans itching to get involved, in person. All four corners of the stadium (not to mention the entire south end) filled with red-clad flag-wavers, proudly touting their affiliation with some group or another -- the Voyageurs, U-Sector, the Red Patch Boys, North End Elite -- along with thousands just happy to be seeing a big game in a new stadium.
    The Jamaican presence at the game was sizable, but scattered. For the first time in... well, who even knows... Canada had a true, noticeable home-field advantage for a World Cup qualifier. There was buzz aplenty around Canada's best player at the time, Julian de Guzman, who scored Canada's goal and came agonizingly close to potting a winner late in the second half.
    Four years hence? JDG's level of play, and reputation, have taken a severe hit during his years of service with his hometown club. Indeed, the reputation of the club itself has continued to erode, as years of league non-success have chipped away at the ranks of the supporters groups, and the team's general fanbase. BMO Field is no longer a sellout (hasn't been in a while), no longer a fortress, no longer a beacon of excitement for local soccer fans.
    And that brings us to Canada in next month's games. BMO Field has been open for six years now. The "new stadium" bump is gone. Toronto FC is in its sixth -- and worst -- MLS season; the "wow, local soccer is new and exciting!" bump is gone. And the hopes that were raised last winter, when it was suggested that a couple of Canadian holdouts might finally pledge their allegiance to the red and white, have also been dashed against the rocks, as their names still remain absent from Canada's roster.
    So for those not already committed to watching the Canadian national team play, what's the hook? You could say that "your country is trying to qualify for the biggest soccer tournament in the world" should be a sufficiently convincing hook... but as history has taught us time and again, it isn't. Not in Canada. Not yet, anyway.
    You could say that individual players are the marketing hook, but who? Julian de Guzman and Dwayne De Rosario remain polarizing figures in Toronto; using their faces in marketing material could do as much harm as good. And the Canadians who've had the most success overseas in recent years -- Simeon Jackson, Atiba Hutchinson, Josh Simpson, Olivier Occean -- remain utterly unrecognizable to most Canadians, unless you happen to regularly read a site like CSN (which, tragically, the vast majority of Canadians don't.)
    The CSA has attempted to split the difference by doing what TFC did in its early years: focusing the marketing efforts on the fans, with the "See Thee Rise" campaign. While some folks will crow that "the CSA should do more to promote the games!" at every opportunity (usually without providing specific examples of what isn't being done, or what should be done), the official marketing push has been good, given the budgetary and logistical realities of the organization.
    Unfortunately, the phrase "See Thee Rise" has zero meaning in a soccer context to anyone outside of the already-converted hardcore. The ads that have appeared in newspapers and on buses and subways in Toronto don't really make clear what's being promoted, to someone who'll be glancing at them for a few seconds at most. Perhaps a black-and-white poster saying "Canada v. U.S.A., BMO Field, June 3" would have been too simplistic -- but it would have riled up some nationalistic sporting passion, don't you think?
    The more pressing point, though, is that the CSA took a gamble in putting all of its eggs in the BMO Field basket. The belief was that momentum from last year's set of World Cup qualifiers (and, hopefully, some long-awaited on-field good news for TFC) would help build and sustain a national-team fanbase in the Toronto area. And while Canada went undefeated in 2011's minnow group, 0-0 draws against the likes of Puerto Rico and St. Kitts and Nevis couldn't have helped build that momentum.
    So in the end, it's not Toronto FC's fault. It's not the CSA's fault. It's not the team's fault. The responsibility is shared. Would TFC doing better help give Canada a bump? Yep. Would better marketing help move a few more tickets? Yep. If the team had put on some inspiring recent performances, giving fans more of a reason to believe that World Cup qualification is possible, would that have helped? Yep.
    And, of course, the requisite nod of the head must go to the argument, made often and loudly by fans across the country, that spreading games around -- perhaps to Vancouver and Montreal, where the new-MLS-team excitement is still in full effect -- would help alleviate many of these issues.
    But we are where we are. It is what it is. The games are all in Toronto. TFC's start to the MLS season has been awful. The team, and the official marketing, could be better. We've got mere weeks until the games, and none of those facts are going to change.
    So, what happens next? One of two things.
    Either this unfortunate combination of factors conspires to create less-than-sold out (or, even worse, sold-out-and-overwhelmingly-filled-with-away-fans) atmospheres at Canada's two games in June, lending a whole bunch of credibility to the arguments about Toronto's lack of suitability as a regular home venue for the men's national team.
    Or, the tickets move. They get in the hands of Canadians. And we get a little glimpse, a little reminder, of what we saw at BMO Field back in 2008 -- and maybe, get a little bit of hope back about the prospects of local soccer in the city of Toronto.
    That latter one won't be accomplished by complaining about TFC, the CSA or the team. It'll only be accomplished by tickets getting into the hands of Canadians who then head through the BMO Field turnstiles on June 3 and 12.
    So, which is it going to be?
    * When it comes to results in MLS play, anyway. The non-soccer fan has no interest in how well the team played before conceding a late winner. Nine losses are nine losses.
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