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    Michael Mccoll
    I don’t know what it is about the centre-back position and the Whitecaps but there’s definitely a jinx of some sort hanging over them. So many injuries over the years in the position. Has anyone actually been immune?
    Maybe Robbo needs to go and take a piss in each corner flag, ala Barry Fry, to exorcise those demons, but he made it very clear at the start of the season that he wanted to carry five quality centrehalfs and it hasn’t taken long to see why.
    Just who will be taking the field against the Earthquakes on Saturday is anyone’s guess right now, and there's a few unknowns still thrown in the mix.
    Kendall Waston has played every minute so far this season. The Costa Rican has been a beast at the back and has been looking better and better pretty much game upon game. He’s a crucial cog to the Whitecaps success this season and when he landed heavily on his neck on Wednesday, the collective worry and concern on the faces of ‘Caps players, fans and media alike was very clear and said it all as to how important everyone views him.
    It looked a bad one. This is a guy that doesn’t stay down without good reason. I honestly thought he’d broken his neck. Watching one replay was enough for me, it was a horrible fall. But remarkably the big man seems to be fine and played out the rest of the game.
    “I’m feeling much better,” Waston told reporters at training on Thursday. “Yesterday I was really scared because the way how I drop to the floor and how I twisted my neck it was very, very hard, but thank god nothing else happened.”
    It really was quite remarkable that he finished the game never mind that he’s declared himself fit to face San Jose.
    The ‘Caps medical team gave him massages after the match, but the worry is that Waston may feel some delayed pain and tenderness. That might hit today or he could wake up on matchday with it, or he may just show some superhuman recovery.
    There’s also the possibility that there could be a concussion, which the Whitecaps will obviously check out, not that Waston was concerned about that in the slightest, as he joked, "Concussion, what is that? I don't believe in concussions."
    I think we're all crossing out fingers that he'll be good to go on Saturday and I really fancy him to break his goalscoring duck for the season when he shakes up the Quakes.
    As serious as the incident looked at the time, the ‘Caps players were able to find some humour in what had happened, especially Waston’s central defensive partner for most of the season so far, Pa Modou Kah.
    "For myself I was like, naw, I hope that he didn't break his neck," Kah said of his initial reaction to Waston’s horror fall. "But you know, when you've got a big head, a big strong head like Kendall he'll be fine. I think we'll probably change the spot where he landed at BC Place. There's a big dent right there!
    "But actually it was a very scary moment because you don't wish anybody to fall like this and especially him. But the big man came strong. You know he's strong. I hope he just have no pain."
    Kah was rested for the game, and you have to think the original plan was for him to come back in to the line-up to face the Quakes. But the best laid plans and all that, as an early injury to his replacement, Diego Rodriguez, who was only able to last 14 minutes before injury, meant Kah was called into unexpected action once more.
    "In soccer, you never know what will happen, but you don't expect your centre-back to get injured after 14 minutes," Kah said. "But that's the way the game is, so you always have to stay ready and stay focused. For me it was nothing different to what I'm used to, but the way we approach the game on Saturday will be the way that we've approached the past games."
    So at 34-years-old, can Kah make three pretty much full games in a week? It’s a question that the former Norwegian international is almost insulted by.
    "You serious?!" was his initial response to be being asked, before adding, "Age is nothing but a number."
    Maybe so, but it would be a surprise if he were to play. Robinson does like to surprise us though and with what could be crucial Western Conference points on the line, if the 'Caps feel they can go with a Waston/Kah central defensive pairing, then they will.
    If they don't, and with Rodriguez looking set to miss out bar another remarkable recovery, it will give another centre-back a chance to come in a stake a claim to a start or at least move up the depth charts. If nothing else, they'll garner a place on the bench. And that opens the door for either Christian Dean or Tim Parker.
    Who that player will be will be very interesting to see and tell us a lot about who ranks where in the pecking order right now.
    You expect it to be Dean. He's in his second year with the 'Caps, has been patient despite his frustration at not playing more, and has just been away with the US national team. Yup, all the indicators point to him, except Parker has been outperforming Dean for all of the preseason and at training.
    I've been very impressed with what I've seen from Parker on the whole, although he did have a bit of a horror USL outing against Seattle. Mind you, who didn't? He's also more importantly impressed the management team and I genuinely feel he's the fourth centre-back at the club right. I expect him to be at least on the bench and if Kah can't go, then I see him getting the start against San Jose.
    So where does that leave Dean? Apart from frustrated? He's highly thought of and although Robbo wants to carry those five centre-backs, I sense Dean's patience will run out and we will see him traded sooner rather than later.
    That's the problem when you have five quality centre-backs, the MLS minutes are simply not there. But whoever does line up in front of him on Saturday, goalkeeper David Ousted is confident that will get the job done.
    "Unfortunate with Diego," Ousted told reporters. "I knew how much he wanted to play. You saw in Orlando what he can do, so unfortunately he had to go out. But we've got really good centre-backs. We've got a lot of them, so we're still good in that position."
    "We've got figure out what Carl wants to do for this game, but three games for Pa in a week, and Kendall got a little bit of a scare there. I think everybody saw how worried the whole team was because that looked grim. But I've said it all along. We've got Christian Dean out there, we've got Tim Parker. They're capable of stepping in when we need them, so I'm not worried."
    As for poor Rodriguez, he can’t seem to catch a break in MLS right now. He’s made two appearances so far and been suspended for two games after the first one, then pulled his groin 14 minutes in to the second. Not been a happy area for him so far.
    It's a shame because he looks quality and you have to see him as the regular partner for Waston somewhere down the line this season. He's commanding, he has some bite about him and has great footwork.
    He may be fine for Saturday but it's hard to see that. If he misses out, then he'll get another chance soon for certain. He's too good not to.
    The nightmare scenario for Robinson is that he has neither Waston or Rodriguez available. He described the Costa Rican as "tough as nails", but if the worse case plays out, he's more than happy with what he has left at his disposal.
    "We'll reassess them [Friday] to see how they are," Robinson said of Waston and Rodriguez. "Hopefully they'll both be available but if we can get one of them out of the two then I'll be delighted. We're beaten up and banged up at the moment but we'll deal with it and get on with it because we've got other players that are ready to step in."
    Certainly going to be interesting to see who's on that starting line-up come 6.30pm on Saturday evening.
    Duane Rollins
    It’s possible that the renovations will make the fan experience better – although it’s unclear who was pushing for them among fans – but very few TFC fans care or are excited by what’s happening.
    It’s all about the Argos and the fear of what having them there will do to the playing surface.
    By now, there is little point reiterating the concerns. This is a topic fans have been talking about for about five years. There doesn’t even seem to be much point in galvanizing support to oppose the possibility. MLSE knows the fans’ position. It’s clear that this is a decision that the fans have very little control over.
    All we can do is take stock of where things are. As was widely reported today, time is of the essence (for the Argos) to get a deal done. It was said today that if a deal isn’t in place in “one month” then the possibility of the Argos moving in will be pushed back a year.
    That said, it was reported by the Toronto Star last month that there was a one month deadline to get a deal done. Clearly, time is a bit flexible.
    If you read a bit between the lines a few more things are clear.
    The club was clearly preparing fans for the possibility of a deal. Tim Leiweke wrote a letter to season ticket holders that went a little too overboard in stressing their commitment to soccer while at same time writing “As a city-owned facility, the purpose of the renovations has been to enhance the soccer experience at BMO Field, for both the team and its fans, while improving the stadium’s ability to host other events.”
    City owned facility. Host other events.
    The “city owned” line is important because it speaks to what else is clear. That is that the desire to do this isn’t coming from MLSE, but rather the city’s political class. MLSE investigated the possibility of buying the Argos last year and ran away screaming. They have next to no interest in owning the team and without owning it there is almost no upside to letting them play at BMO.
    This isn’t to suggest MLSE is the great protector of the integrity of TFC and soccer. No, their indifference is financial. They fear that hosting the Argos will hurt their asset. TFC fans are a pain in their ass at the best of times and they understand that this will cause incredible pushback from TFC fans.
    They also aren’t dumb. They are well aware that the rhetoric they give about the pitch not suffering is not based on any real world testing. And, if the field can’t handle it then they run the risk of losing the ability to attract top players. If they have to replace the field with turf they run the risk of TFC fans burning the stadium to the ground.
    Maybe it works, some might say. Technology evolves and maybe there is a way to maintain the surface. If not now, then in a few years.
    That is possible, but it’s also a risk. Given their choice they would rather play it safe. If the Argos aren’t there none of this is an issue.
    Here I’m going to take a brief aside to address the inevitable CFL fan that has wandered into here from the link on Reddit (I assume). Hi. How’s the weather in Regina? Ok, here’s the thing. Your perception about the value and popularity of TFC is simply wrong (if your friends who yell at me on Twitter are representative of you). Putting aside pointless conversations about who has more fans in Toronto (your TV numbers prove nothing. They are national numbers; equally our season ticket base advantage must be viewed in full context to your stadium situation at the Dome), what you need to understand is that TFC is profitable both locally and, more importantly, as part of a North American market for soccer. MLS is a league that is currently attracting $100-million expansion fees. TFC would be worth at least that in a sale. It isn’t close. MLS and TFC is far, far more valuable a property than the Argos and the CFL. I don’t say this to attack your sport, but rather to help you understand how little leverage the Argos have here. From MLSE’s perspective, bringing the Argos to BMO is almost literally charity. They have nothing to gain and a lot to lose.
    That reality is why there isn’t a deal yet. As stated above, the only reason this is on the table is because the city’s politicians are fighting for it. No one wants to be the one who kills the Argos, especially those who run for office. MLSE doesn’t want to be the ones who take the shotgun behind the shed here either. At least not openly. So, they are cooperating to a point.
    They are giving the Argos the opportunity to pay their own way. That’s MLSE’s position. Pay for the entire conversion. If they are going to risk their asset they aren’t paying a penny.
    If the CFL and Argos refuse to pay it then MLSE can use that as a way to appease the politicians. It would be their choice. They would have made their own bed.
    We suspect the Argos lack the resources to pay for it. So that leaves the league. The CFL needs to decide whether the Argos are worth about $16-million (based on the $26-million figure quoted today minus the $10-million the city willing to pay) to them.
    Speaking to CFL fans again: Here’s the thing guys. Even if this happens it’s a band aid at best. And, before you dismiss my opinion here know that I understand the CFL argument better than you think. Before I covered soccer, I wrote about CIS football. I know your sport.
    I also understand how bad the Argos situation is. I know that they will have nowhere to play after 2017. I get that this is a life or death issue in your mind and that you feel that the Argos will fold if they aren’t permitted to play at BMO.
    You might be right. Speaking as someone that just watched my childhood team, the Belleville Bulls, die I fully empathize with you.
    But, BMO isn’t Molson Stadium and Toronto in 2015 isn’t Montreal in 1999. This romantic notion that the Argos are going to move in and suddenly become the in thing to do in the city isn’t based on anything more than hope.
    BMO isn’t intimate (30,000 seats), not really that easy to get to, cold and the Argos will still get the shaft on dates.
    More importantly, as tenants at BMO, the Argos will not have any additional revenue streams beyond ticket sales. Unless the team is selling out every game – and, again, what evidence is there that they will? What real evidence? – they will still lose money. Probably a lot of it.
    I fully understand how impossible what I’m about to write seems, but it truly is the only thing that can truly provide the Argos with any type of long-term stability.
    You need your own stadium.
    Otherwise you are just delaying the inevitable and possibly taking soccer down with you.
    Duane Rollins
    Good morning,
    With each passing week of this young Major League Soccer season, we are closer to Toronto FC’s return to BMO Field and the re-opening of the stadium after the first phase of renovations. We’re now just one month away from what will be a historic home opener!
    As we have shared with you over the past year, the renovations of BMO Field will deliver a world-class facility for Toronto FC and its fans. BMO Field will always be, first and foremost, a soccer facility and the additional seats, more spacious concourses, extra amenities, a larger HD scoreboard, new lighting and sound system and the addition of a canopy next year in phase two will make BMO Field one of the top stadiums in Major League Soccer and give Toronto FC, and Canadian Soccer, a spirited home-field advantage.

    This summer will also feature additional events that reinforce BMO Field’s standing as a premier soccer venue. On May 27, Toronto FC will host a friendly match against legendary English Premier League club Manchester City FC, led by Argentine international Sergio Agüero, Spanish international David Silva, captain and Belgian international Vincent Kompany, and England’s starting goalkeeper Joe Hart. We also look forward to welcoming the Canadian Men's National Team for a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match.
    As a city-owned facility, the purpose of the renovations has been to enhance the soccer experience at BMO Field, for both the team and its fans, while improving the stadium’s ability to host other events. With more than $120 Million invested in the project, including a long-term commitment to a grass field that will include $1 million for a reinforced turf system, BMO Field will be a world-class soccer stadium and a multi-purpose venue that will attract major events and continue to improve Toronto’s standing as one of the top sports and entertainment markets in the world.
    This summer promises to be one of the most memorable in club history, with a sold out BMO Field cheering on a TFC team focused on the playoffs and it all starts May 10 as Toronto FC faces Houston Dynamo in our home opener. We look forward to seeing you then and thank you for your continued support.
    Yours truly,

    Tim Leiweke
    Michael Mccoll
    "It’s a great signing for the club," Robinson told reporters on Thursday. "We’re delighted to have Cristian on board. Hopefully we can get him here quicker, as quick as we want, next week sometime, with all the visas and paperwork done. We’re delighted to have him. He’s coming in to the right environment here. He's coming into a place where he knows a couple of the guys."
    Techera speaks little English at the moment but he'll be made to feel comfortable in his new surroundings by the number of his fellow Latinos at the club.
    Amongst them will be two familiar faces in Nicolas Mezquida and Diego Rodriguez. Techera played alongside Mezquida on the regional team of Paysandu years ago and has spent the last three seasons as a teammate of Rodriguez's younger brother Leandro.
    Techera came through the youth system with Peñarol, before moving across the city to sign pro forms with River Plate in the 2009/10 season. He made his pro debut with the Darseneros on April 11th 2010, coming on as a second half sub in the 2-2 draw with Cerro Largo.
    It's always somewhat tricky to find exact stats for some of the South American players, but from what we can initially uncover, Techera went on to make 84 appearances, scored 20 goals and registered 17 assists in five seasons with River Plate, in all competitions. He played 5,013 minutes overall, picking up one red card and nine bookings.
    Techera's farewell to the River Plate supporters came in Sunday's 2-1 loss in the Montevideo derby against Peñarol. Techera didn't get on the scoresheet, but he did bag both of River Plate's goals in the 2-1 win against Fenix the week before.
    With his signing imminent, Robinson was an avid viewer of Sunday's game against Peñarol and was happy to see his new player come through unscathed. He also feels that anyone who has watch Techera play in these last two games will have been given a great insight into what the wee winger will offer the Whitecaps.
    "I watched him with great interest hoping he’d get through that," Robinson admitted. "I think you could see in that game, against a top Peñarol team, what he can do and what he’s very good at. We know that he’s quick and he’s got great technical ability. He’s got a lovely left foot and takes set pieces and brings something different to the table to than what we’ve got here.
    "He’s an addition to the group. He’s going to come in and fight for his place. He’s a winger, a natural winger. We lost Seba last year, who was an outside to in player, and we're delighted to bring Cristian on board."
    River Plate were obviously disappointed to be losing one of their key pieces. Techera has scored 10 goals in 24 matches for them this season and reports last week out of Uruguay indicated that the team were disappointed by just how much they are initially getting out of the deal.
    That's not the Whitecaps concern if they've let an important player go cheap and the focus is now on integrating Techera quickly into the Whitecaps first team squad. Part of that will see some movement of season long loans to the USL squad, with Andre Lewis the prime player there.
    Techera now becomes the latest signing from what was a very productive pre-Christmas South American trip from Robinson. The winger joins Rodriguez and Octavio Rivero in the haul he brought back, and the 'Caps coach explained just how the move came about.
    "I went down to watch him in the offseason when I went down to see Diego and Octavio," Robinson said. "Cristian caught my eye as someone who could help this group moving forward and I earmarked him then at that time to try and bring him in. Fortunately enough we were able to do that today."
    If he has anything near the initial impact that Rivero has had, then this is going to be fun to watch.
    Michael Mccoll
    REPORT:
    With all eyes on Vancouver Whitecaps after their climb to the MLS summit, the question was whether the juggernaut would continue or would a talented Columbus Crew side prove to be a banana skin.
    In the end, the Whitecaps showed a fighting quality that shows just why they sit top of the standings, but they were made to work very hard for a share of the points after an entertaining 2-2 draw.
    A goal in each half from Kei Kamara put Columbus ahead twice, with Octavio Rivero and Darren Mattocks cancelling those strikes out with one of their own. Vancouver will have been disappointed not to take all three points after some intense late pressure but they extended their unbeaten run to five matches and increased their lead at the top of the tables.
    Carl Robinson had signaled changes but made only two, with Diego Rodriguez coming in for a rested Pa Modou Kah and the in-form Darren Mattocks, coming in for the equally in-form Kekuta Manneh on the left wing.
    Columbus were missing an important piece in the suspended Federico Higuain, but they took the came to the home side early and should have taken the lead in the 9th minute when Justin Meram showed some fine footwork in the box but pulled his effort wide left.
    Vancouver were dealt a blow in the 15th minute when a groin pull forced Rodriguez out of the game and Kah had to come in for his second game in five days.
    The Crew were looking the more dangerous and their fast paced play got its reward in the 24th minute when Kamara played in Ethan Finlay, but as Kendall Waston went in for the tackle, the ball broke back to Kamara who clinically finished past David Ousted for 1-0 Crew.
    The goal kickstarted the Whitecaps and they leveled just seven minutes later following some quick thinking from Mattocks on a throw-in. The Jamaican took a quick throw to Rivero, who easily shook off Michael Parkhurst and poked the ball past Steve Clark.
    Vancouver had a couple of chances to go in with the lead at the half, but Columbus were also looking dangerous on their counterattacks and both sides had to be happy going in at the break on level terms.
    Columbus game out quickly again to start the second and took the lead following a rare mistake from 'Caps keeper David Ousted. Meram pounced on a weak kick from the Dane, ran into the box and squared to Kamara who showed some cool composure to sidefoot home and give the Crew the lead once more.
    Again the goal gave the 'Caps a kick up the ass and they went out all guns blazing for the equaliser, with Pedro Morales and Matias Laba both coming within inches of grabbing it.
    It was to finally come in the 64th minute when substitute Manneh got on the end of the fantastic long ball from Kah, hit the byeline, and cut the ball back to Mattocks who slotted home under Clark from eight yards out.
    The goal signalled a full-on attacking onslaught from Vancouver, with Mattocks having numerous chances to get the go ahead goal, but was thwarted by the post, Clark and misfiring.
    Columbus held strong and nearly grabbed the winner themselves when Finlay was played in by Kamara but Ousted was out quick to close him down.
    There was to be no way through though for either side and an entertaining affair came to an end at two apiece. Columbus will have been happy to survive the late push by the league leaders and while Vancouver will be happy with coming from behind twice, their defensive mistakes and wastefulness in front of goal are concerns.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 2 Columbus Crew
    ATT: 18,083
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Diego Rodriguez (Pa-Modou Kah 15), Sam Adekugbe; Matías Laba, Russell Teibert; Nicolás Mezquida (Kekuta Manneh 57), Pedro Morales, Darren Mattocks (Robert Earnshaw 90+2); Octavio Rivero [subs not used: Paolo Tornaghi, Jordan Harvey, Erik Hurtado, Deybi Flores]
    COLUMBUS: Steve Clark; Chris Klute, Michael Parkhurst, Tyson Wahl, Héctor Jiménez (Chad Barson 70); Wil Trapp (Mohammed Saeid 45), Tony Tchani; Ethan Finlay, Ben Speas (Kristinn Steindorsson 70), Justin Meram; Kei Kamara [subs not used: Matt Lampson, Kevan George, Aaron Schoenfeld, Adam Bedell]
    REACTION:
    VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
    CARL ROBINSON
    Thoughts on the match:
    “A very entertaining game for a neutral. I think we’ve had enough chances to probably win the game. We didn’t take enough of our chances. But we weren’t good enough defensively, we let two sloppy go in. We got countered, and the second goal obviously, it was a bad goal for us to concede.”
    Thoughts on Darren Mattocks:
    “He was very good. He got his goal, he could have maybe had one or two more. But I can’t fault my players in there today because, we were exciting to watch attacking wise but we just have to tidy up a few things on the defensive side of it.”
    Updates on the injuries to Rodriguez and Waston:
    “I’m carrying five centre backs for a reason, and I might have lost two in one game. Diego has a slight twinge in his groin, obviously to what extent I don’t know and Kendall fell very badly. I think everyone was clear to see he got undercut and fell awkwardly, which made me angry, as you can see.”
    Thoughts on Kekuta Manneh subbing on in the second half:
    “He was excellent when he came on and you know, ideally, in an ideal world I want to play Kekuta maybe three games, 90 minutes in a week. But the boy is 20, he’s got massive potential and I just thought the game would be very tight in the first hour and I was probably correct with that. Obviously I didn’t envision we concede two goals, but we did. I just think it was the right time. I was obviously going to play him for half an hour and see if he could bring that spark and maybe try one in the game, but he showed me what he can bring to the table. He’s probably disappointed he didn’t get one of his shots on target as well.”
    Thoughts on Ousted:
    “We score goals as a team. We concede them as a team. So there’s no fault in any player for me. My fault. You can blame me for the second goal.”
    Thoughts on coming back twice:
    “A lot of character shown today. A lot of character. We’re young. We’re hungry. We’re energetic. But when you get down a goal at home and you’re able to bounce back and then you concede again, really against the run of play in the second half I thought. We started to come out, I challenged them at halftime to come out on the front foot. They did. But we conceded again, a bad goal, my mistake. So we responded very well. I’ll never fault the character of the group in there. Because they wanted to win and we’re disappointed we only got a point. But that shows how far we’ve come. Against a very good Columbus team, [Gregg’s] done a super job there, moulding the team in the way he wants to play. So they should be given a lot of credit as well.”
    Thoughts on Columbus’ attacking play:
    “[No, not surprised] If you watch them, and I do watch them, they like to play, they like to attack, and they’re wide open at times. We got into that match with them because we’re wide open at times, and I think that’s why I said it was an entertaining game. But not surprised at all. I think in the previous games when they played New York, New York beat them at home but they could have won on those days. So I wasn’t surprised.”
    Thoughts on Mattocks given the start:
    “I felt it was the right time to give Darren the opportunity. He’s been away with Jamaica, he scored two goals, he got very very lively in training. And the decision was correct, because he came on and put a very strong performance for 90 odd minutes. He ran out of gas in the end, which is why I tried to put [Earnshaw] on to see if we could nick a second ball off a Kendall header or something, but he should be very proud of his performance today.”
    On what he said to Mattocks after match:
    “Well done. As I say to all my players if they play well or if they play poorly. It’s another day, it’s gone. But he should be proud of his performance. He’s done everything, he scored his goal, he maybe could have had two or three on a different day but his work rate was there. His run in, his understanding of the game was there. And I thought he gave us a very good option down the left side and the right side when we flipped him over.”
    DARREN MATTOCKS
    Thoughts on the match:
    “It was a fantastic game. We should’ve gotten three points. In the second half, I think the guys did really well and showed great character. That’s what’s going to take this club to the next level. After five games, we’re unbeaten so we just have to keep that going.”
    On his individual performance:
    “I guess the fans took it really well so that’s a positive. It’s expected of me to score. I put so much work in defensively, something I’m not used to doing on a regular basis because I’m a striker. I think I did really good defensively, that’s what I’m going to take from this game. If I can continue to do that on both sides of the ball, creating chances for the team but working hard defensively, I think I will be in pretty good shape going forward.”
    On Kekuta Manneh’s contributions:
    “He’s a great player. Every game he plays, we know what he’s capable of doing and what he’s expected to do. He gets by defenders so easily. Fortunately for me, I was in the right place at the right time. That goal was all because of him. As soon as I scored, I told him, ‘That’s all you, kid.’ This squad is deep and we’re going to need it from him for the entire season.”
    RUSSELL TEIBERT
    Thoughts on the match:
    “It’s a tie. I think that shows the kind of locker room we have this year and the quality of that team that we have. We’re disappointed with a draw, whereas maybe in years past, we’d be happy coming out of here with a draw. We played well tonight but I don’t think we were up to the same standards as we played last Saturday but we still created chances and we still scored goals. There’s a lot of positives we can take out of this game but just like Saturday, today’s done. We turn the page and look forward to the weekend because we have another tough game ahead of us. We need to keep taking as many points as we can.”
    On the team’s mentality:
    “That all just stems from the winning mentality that we have. No matter how we’re playing, we’re always looking to win. Maybe even in games in the past that we didn’t played our best, we came out of here with points. You could say that against Toronto, the first 45 minutes was the best football we’ve played and we didn’t manage to get a result there but ever since that game, we’ve gotten points from every single match.”
    On his health:
    “It was just a knock on my foot, I got some ice on it right now. It doesn’t seem too serious. We’ll re-evaluate it in the morning but we just need to get some rest tonight.”
    On players going down due to injury:
    “You’ll never know what will happen in a game. People can go down with injuries anytime like Diego [Rodriguez]. You just wish and hope that nobody’s seriously injured and that everybody can do what they love and that’s just to play on the field and be healthy.”
    On the team’s performance:
    “I don’t think you can single one person out. You have 18 guys who are pushing to get on the field and anyone who comes on the field and fills a position is giving their best and giving their all. I think there were a lot of great performances tonight, both from guys coming off the bench and guys starting. All over the field, I think there were fantastic performances. Being the team that we are, I don’t think any one person will single anybody out. It’s a team game and we win, lose, and draw as a team.”
    COLUMBUS CREW
    GREGG BERHALTER
    Thoughts on match:
    “I think overall it was a positive match for us, a good performance. We had a game plan and I think by and large we executed the game plan.”
    Thoughts on Kamara scoring both goals tonight:
    “He’s a very good player and he got some good chances and finished them. When we can get him in positions like that, we know he’s going to score. Overall we’re pleased with his performance. I think he showed a lot tonight.”
    Thoughts on the next match against New England:
    “It is what it is. It’s our schedule and we have to deal with it. I think it’s obviously not the easiest, but it’s something we’re up for the challenge.”
    KEI KAMARA
    Thoughts on scoring twice:
    “It’s my job, it’s what I do, obviously it’s good to do it at the right time for the team and putting us in a good position. I still could’ve been better. I felt like we could’ve been a lot better today against Vancouver, they’re a good team, but you know getting two goals on the road should definitely give us three points.”
    On playing against Waston and Kah:
    “[Laughs] Trees man. It’s great, it’s a competition and I enjoy it. We’re not a team that kicks the ball forward and kicks the ball so I can really jump with them showing height with them. Physically they are strong guys and they’re really smart and as a player you really want to test yourself against some of the good players in the league. Vancouver is first place for a reason they’re doing well defensively and offensively the collectiveness of the entire team is good and I really enjoyed playing against those two guys.”
    BEN SPEAS
    Thoughts on getting a road result:
    “Game was back and forth. They’re dangerous, I thought we did well to hold on to get the result.”
    Playing at BC Place:
    “It’s a nice stadium, I thought it was loud. We got another one in four days so yeah just getting used to the turf.”
    Positives from the match:
    “Tough place to play, obviously the stadium, the fans, and then the team. I thought their team was very dangerous especially on the counter, they just like to go. We were able to hold them, they scored two goals but so did we. I think that was a good result and we’ll move from here.”
    Duane Rollins
    Women’s football is developing at an enormous pace and Canada, by in large, is staying still. Exhibit 1a of those changes could be seen today in Canada’s opponent France. Three years after beating Les Blues in the bronze medal game the gap in talent between the two programs is staggering (and French were already more talented in 2012).
    So, despite brave/misguided rhetoric coming out of the CanWNT camp, there is quite literally no way Canada can close the gap in the next 60 days.
    What’s troubling is to imagine what the gap will look like in 10 years, but what matters now is what Canada can do this summer to have a good World Cup at home.
    Having a good World Cup is about exceeding the talent and putting on a good show for Canadians. It was with this in mind that I watched today’s 1-0 loss to France and came away feeling both hopeful and terrified.
    The latter comes from the fact that anyone could see that Canada is not in France’s class. For the sake of this article, we will put that aside.
    What made me hopeful was that for the first time in memory I saw a Canadian team that understood its place. That sounds bad, but it isn’t. Canada played hyper defensively, organized today. It didn’t kid itself by trying to out skill a masterful opponent. That pragmatism isn’t pretty, but it’s needed if Canada is to be a factor this summer.
    Earlier, I said that Canada cannot win the World Cup. I believe that to be the case, but that’s different from saying that Canada can’t beat a team that can win the World Cup. Or, at least, keep a competitive score line.
    It was only 1-0. Woulda, coulda, shoulda for the French, but the fact was Canada was one weird bounce away from a draw. So long as they can be one weird bounce away they have the chance to pull one upset off this summer. If they do that then the World Cup is a smashing success.
    If they do it three times someone is throwing “billion to one odds” back in my face.
    So, even though Canada was badly outplayed and that reinforced the fact that they aren’t close to the best teams in the world, I still walked away with hope because I finally see evidence that the team understands what its best chances are.
    They need to “pull a 2004 Greece” basically.
    The time for worrying about “playing the game properly” and entertaining people is not now. Now they just need to do whatever it takes to make sure the legacy of this World Cup is positive.
    Defend and hope Sinclair can score. No one will remember the how if the result is a Canadian win.
    Guest
    Fury FC Observations
    Talking points: Referee blows several calls, resulting in a PK conversion for Carolina, a 3rd goal for Carolina and fury-ous protests from Julian de Guzman and co., rightfully so. Mohamed Dagnogo made the matchday squad, becoming the first call-up from the Fury Academy in its NASL era. Colin Falvey had a very tough and forgettable debut and must bounce back quickly next week.

    Play: Carolina brought the game to Ottawa with Ty Shipalane dominating proceedings from the right flank against Mike Randolph in the 1st half. Fury valiantly attempted to come back while down, and a conversion on the PK by Carl Haworth in the 25th minute would have brought the game even. Instead, Ottawa found themselves down 2-0 soon after. While Ottawa pressed hard and fashioned some good chances afterwards, with Paulo Jr. and Haworth leading the charge, Carolina remained dangerous on the counterattack.

    Lineup and formation: Ottawa lined up in its customary 4-3-3 formation, and handed debuts to 7 debutants. Due to the absence of 6 players to injuries and suspensions, including FIVE midfielders, de Guzman was handed a start at LCM despite joining the squad just 3 days prior, alongside Patryk Misik, who was making his pro debut, and Drew Beckie, a CB/RB who was asked to fill in at DM. Manager Marc Dos Santos shifted the formation to a 4-2-3-1 in the 65th minute to try to narrow the 2-goal deficit, with some success.

    Canadian content: An all-Canadian midfield, how’s that for Canadian content? De Guzman, Beckie and Misik formed the trio, while Haworth started at RW. Marcel DeBellis, Dagnogo and Mason Trafford remained on the bench, surprisingly for the latter, while Mauro Eustaquio was suspended for the match from his red card in the last match of the 2014 season.

    Looking forward: Ottawa will welcome back a minimum of four players, with Sinisa Ubiparipovic expected to be back from injury, while Nicki Paterson and Eustaquio will return from suspension to add to the desperately thinned midfield corps. Oliver will come into the squad and challenge Paulo Jr. and Haworth for a starting spot in the flanks against Atlanta.

    Carolina MotM: Ty Shipalane; Ottawa MotMs: Paulo Jr., Ryan Richter

    —
    Key Fury FC Moments
    15′ Carolina – Fury FC gives up a chipped goal to Ty Shipalane, who was found all alone at the edge of the penalty area on their right flank
    17′ Ottawa – A beautiful combination from Paulo Jr. and Julian de Guzman finds Patryk Misik all alone in the penalty box, but the shot is saved
    25′ Ottawa – Ryan Richter comes streaking down the right flank and finds Paulo Jr with a perfect cross, who volleys just over from close range. Golden opportunity
    27′ Ottawa – Andrew Wiedeman goes all alone into the box and is felled by a shoulder barge. A fortunate PK call for Fury FC. Carl Haworth steps up and curls it to his right but Gilstrap is equal to the PK and saves it
    29′ Carolina – Disaster on the other end as Drew Beckie is penalized for a lunging tackle just outside the edge of the penalty area on Shipalane. Neutrals can judge for themselves on YouTube, but a key blown call. Beckie does not receive a warning, interestingly. Nacho Novo slots the PK in.
    37′ 44′ Carolina – Mike Randolph makes a fantastic tackle to deny Carolina an opportunity, while Peiser comes up big just before HT
    46′ 47′ Ottawa – The Fury FC receives the hair-dryer treatment from Dos Santos with their 2-0 deficit, and comes out strong to start the 2nd half, with key chances from corner kicks for Paulo Jr., Richter and Rafael Alves all being saved superbly by Gilstrap.
    56′ Ottawa – Haworth makes a fantastic darting run across the middle of the penalty area, with his left-footed piledriver hitting the inside of the post
    65′ Ottawa – Tom Heinemann comes on at ST and the formation shifts to a 4-2-3-1 with Beckie sacrificed and Wiedeman playing CAM (see below)
    83′ Ottawa – Brandon Poltronieri’s FIRST touch as a Fury FC player is a header planted firmly in the back of the net, as he attacks a floated cross from the right flank by Paulo Jr., who’s been Ottawa’s best attacking threat all game
    86′ Carolina – Key Peiser save to keep the game 2-1
    90′ Carolina – De Guzman is pulled down by two hands on his shoulders with the ball but the referee astonishingly waves play on, despite all the players stopping their movement. Bracalello continues with the ball challenged half-heartedly by Rafael Alves, as none of the players can believe the play is still continuing, and he finishes the game through the legs of Peiser. 3-1, Carolina. De Guzman is cautioned and then sent off for protesting the decision and the goal. Horrendous refereeing, and I used to serve as a soccer and tennis referee for a number of years.

    Photo courtesy of RogersTV.com
    —
    Lineups and Tactics
    The Fury FC started the match in their customary 4-3-3 formation, with Drew Beckie filling in at DM as 5 Ottawa midfielders missed the game due to injuries or suspensions, while marquee signing Julian de Guzman started at LCM next to Patryk Misik. Andrew Wiedeman received the starting nod over Tom Heinemann, while Mason Trafford surprisingly remained on the bench.

    Lineup courtesy of lineupbuilder.com (http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=6jy83)
    With Ottawa down by two goals, the introduction of Tom Heinemann led to a shift in the formation to a 4-2-3-1, which we saw often in 2014 when Ottawa was chasing a lead, with Beckie being sacrificed in the 65th minute.

    Lineup courtesy of lineupbuilder.com (http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=6jy85)
    Poltronieri came in the 82th minute and was stationed on the left flank, as expected, with Misik departing the field and Haworth shifting to LCM.

    Lineup courtesy of lineupbuilder.com (http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=6jy87)
    —
    2015 Fury FC NASL Season – Matchday 1 – Carolina RailHawks vs. Ottawa Fury FC Review – 3-1 L
    When: Saturday, April 4, 2015 @ 1:00pm EDT
    Where: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC. Watch on Rogers TV Ottawa 22, TSN Go, OttawaFuryFC.com
    Ottawa Injuries and Absences: M Phil Davies, DM Richie Ryan, AM Sinisa Ubiparipovic (out – injury); DM Mauro Eustaquio, CM Nicki Paterson, F Oliver (out – suspension); GK Waleed Cassis (out – registration); F Mohamed Dagnogo (in – registration); CM Julian de Guzman (in – fitness)
    Ottawa (4-3-3) (L to R) – Peiser © 7; Randolph 6, Falvey 4, Rafael Alves 6, Richter 7; de Guzman 5, Beckie 5 (Heinemann 63′, 6), Misik 6 (Poltronieri 82′, 8); Paulo Jr. 8, Wiedeman 6, Haworth 6
    Ottawa Subs Not Used – DeBellis, Trafford, Dagnogo
    Carolina (4-5-1) – Gilstrap, Wagner, Tobin, Scott, Knight, Anderson (Coleman 79′), Osaki, Albadawi, Hlavaty, Shipalane, Novo (Bracalello 72′)
    Ottawa Goals/Assists – Poltronieri (Paulo Jr.) 83′
    Carolina Goals – Shipalane 12′, Novo 30′, Bracalello 91′
    Ottawa Red Card – De Guzman 93′
    —
    You can follow Namu Yoon on Twitter at @BBSC_SeoulBro and @OFFCReview, and his Canadian Soccer News articles on Ottawa Fury FC at http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/index.php?/page/articles.html/_/ottcityfootie and https://offcreview.wordpress.com.
    Duane Rollins
    The Reds have booked a mid-season friendly against Manchester City. The game goes May 27, four days after TFC hosts Portland and three days before San Jose comes to town. I’m sure the spring weather in Toronto will allow BMO to hold up just fine. The pitch won’t be ripped to shreds at all.
    There will be some that will be baffled by resistance to having a big club come to town. They will think it’s good to see a “real” team up close.
    Real team. In fairness, they might not articulate it like that but that’s the message these games send. The season doesn’t matter—come watch the circus! Tickets start at $50!!
    As most will know, this particular match-up has a personal connection. I support Manchester City. I think anyone who pays to watch this game is wasting their money. Under no circumstances will I be there. City will be a week off the end of their season and I’m not happy that the club is forcing them to fly over here and play this.
    But, this isn’t about City. This is about how damaging it is to TFC and how it betrays the idea that they actually care about anything more than growing the market. If you’re OK cheering for a balance sheet then enjoy. I, for one, would like ownership to actually respect the league and the fans. Playing these games is disrespectful.
    Why?
    Because they make TFC lose. More. Think I’m exaggerating, check out the numbers:
    TFC has played 10 mid-season friendlies all-time. Eight have forced the team to play on a short week (less than seven days rest). Their record in those eight games is 0W-3D-5L for 0.375 points per game. Compare that to TFC’s all-time record of 1.02 points per game and you’ll see that playing these games directly hurts performance in the games that actually matter.
    By the way, TFC’s record in MLS games on a short week is exactly the same as its MLS record is – 1.02 points per game. It’s playing the friendless, the extra crap around them and the disruption they cause that creates the problem, not simply the short week.
    The only reason to be accepting of these games is if you believe MLS isn’t worth supporting on its own.
    And the only way to stop them from holding these games is to stop going.
    Guest
    In a very hostile environment, the Impact were beat 4-2 on the night, but were able to eek out two away goals that were enough to propel them to this continent's highest club
    football stage possible!
    To talk about this historical result, Kevin had Daniel Feuerstein of Feuerstein's Fire and together they dissected the game, talked about the refereeing in Concacaf or the lack
    there of, the rowdy crowds who were throwing everything ,shoes included in the direction of Evan Bush, hitting him many times with coins in the back of the head (which is a
    despicable behavior if you ask me) and the importance of this game in Montreal's history, in Quebec's soccer history and on its importance on a national level as well!
    Until next time, have a great soccer!
    @OfftheWoodworkx
    @KevLaramee
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    James Grossi
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert returned to Vancouver's starting eleven after a two-match absence, helping to guide his side to an impressive 2-0 win over defending champion LA Galaxy on Saturday night – it was his third start of the young season, having missed one match on international duty and been held out against Portland last week.
    Taking up his deep midfield position, alongside Matias Laba, Teibert was a force on the night, stifling LA attacks at every turn and helping to push Vancouver forward in the other direction.
    Robbie Keane, with whom Teibert has had several run-ins in the past, was not best pleased to see the Canadian, suffering the occasional extra bit of contact, as Teibert sought to get under the Irishman's skin – to great effect. And Gyasi Zardes regularly saw his advances quelled by Teibert's aggressive running, suffering a great tackle on one occasion that stripped possession, forcing a turnover and then seeing his cross into the box cut out by Teibert's tracking later.
    He would end the night with some impressive figures: ten recoveries, six interceptions, three tackles, and a clearance, committing two fouls throughout.
    But it was the interceptions, along with his excellent passing – misplacing just six of some sixty attempts – that proved crucial,
    , who sprung Kekuta Manneh down the left-channel, leading to Vancouver's opening goal.The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native earned plenty of plaudits, including shouts as Man of the Match – the official honour went to teammate Nicolas Mezquida – and a spot on MLSsoccer.com's Team of the Week.
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele started his fifth-straight game for Dallas on Saturday night in their 3-1 loss at Portland – he has been in Oscar Pareja's first-choice eleven for every match so far this season.
    Beginning as the underneath striker, playing off the shoulder of David Texeira who led the line, Akindele was free to roam the pitch as he pleased – the freedom he is given under Pareja is rather astonishing for a second-year professional, exhibiting the level of faith that the coach has in his charge. He would drop into a right-sided midfield position once Blas Perez joined the fray shortly after the hour-mark.
    By then, the Calgary, Alberta-born forward had already left his impression on the match.
    As with last round against Seattle, one of Dallas' recurring attack patterns was for Fabian Castillo to rush at defenders, drawing attention to himself before poking a through-ball for Akindele to attempt to latch onto; as with last week, a quick-footed keeper was off his line fast to prevent the chance.
    His next look was perhaps even sweeter, again latching onto a pass from Castillo, as he made a diagonal sprint into space on the left, breaking in alone on goal, only to guide a left-footed effort harmlessly over the bar.
    Portland would not be so lucky in the 29th minute, when Akindele
    , spinning away from Rodney Wallace to get the crucial touch on Michel's left-sided corner kick. The delivery was helped on at the near-side by Atiba Harris, whose deflection allowed Akindele to get the decisive touch with he knee at the back, equalizing the match at ones – it was his second goal of the season.The goal came on one of his three shots on the night, one off and the other easily saved by the Portland keeper, Adam Larsen Kwarasey.
    The Dallas forward would complete 22 of his 29 passes, adding seven recoveries, an interception, and a clearance.
    Post-match he noted, ”I thought it was a decent first half. Obviously they came out with a lot of energy. I think we matched it, even after we got scored on we bounced back well. Just the second half didn’t go our way so it was kind of disappointing.” He continued, “We felt like we were going to score another goal. We really believed in it and it was just one of those days it just wasn’t going for us. The last ball wasn’t there.”
    Ashtone Morgan
    Morgan, despite the return of the suspended Justin Morrow, maintained his place in the starting lineup as Toronto lost 3-2 to Chicago on Saturday, making a second-straight appearance at left-back – it was his third appearance overall this season.
    The Toronto, Ontario-native exuded a confidence that he had not shown in years, contributing defensively – finding himself in position to clear a potentially dangerous ball from the goal-mouth early and showing some good speed to stay close to Chicago's fleet-footed David Accam in a chase. He was not able to fully catch the Ghanaian, but applied enough pressure to limit the options, allowing Joe Bendik to make the timely save.
    But it was going forward that Morgan truly excelled, getting up-field with ease – hitting in two crosses inside the first seven minutes, one of which nearly fell to the foot of Sebastian Giovinco, who was surprised by the fortune.
    At times in the past guilty of not lifting his head and flinging mindless balls in, Morgan showed a bit of nous in the 20th minute,
    by pulling back to Giovinco above the near-post, where his attempt kicked off the heels of Jeff Larentowicz to handcuff Jon Busch in the Chicago goal, leveling the match six minutes after Joevin Jones had given the hosts the lead.It was Morgan's first assist of the season and the first he had registered since April 13, 2013 – about a week shy of two years to the day between helpers for the resurgent left-back.
    With the Fire conceding a lot of space on his side, Morgan's passing was very good – completing 24 of 33 - as was his decision making on the ball, losing possession just once. Defensively he compiled six recoveries and three clearances, conceding a single foul on the night.
    He would make way for Daniel Lovitz in the 88th minute, as Greg Vanney piled on the attacking substitutes in search of an equalizer, TFC having conceded the advantage with a pair of second half goal through Shaun Maloney and Jeff Larentowicz after taking the lead when Benoit Cheyrou placed a Giovinco pull-back into the Fire goal.
    After a forgettable season in 2014, Morgan has shown that getting a few matches under the belt and a bit of confidence is the best medicine for a slump, and can do wonders for a player. For Toronto and Canada's sake, it will hopefully continue.
    Cyle Larin
    Larin made his second appearance of the season in Orlando on Friday night, coming on in the 22nd minute for the injured Pedro Ribeiro, as his Orlando City fell 0-1 to DC United – the 68 minutes he spent on the pitch quadrupled the amount of action he has seen thus far.
    Leading the line, chances fell fast and heavy for the rookie. Mere seconds after coming on he found a good chance for a look at goal, collecting a Kevin Molino drop-pass as he curled to the right, only for his effort to be blocked by Taylor Kemp.
    An offside flag would cancel out a left-footed attempt sent over the bar in the 24th minute, but the Brampton, Ontario-native could only blame himself in the 42nd minute, collecting a lovely scooped ball from Kaka on his chest, bringing it down calmly, but dragging his right-footer wide of the left-post.
    He would force a save out of DC keeper, Bill Hamid, in the 74th minute; the final of his four shots on the night – two on, one off, and one blocked – and was more than willing to get involved in the build-up as well, sliding a nice pass out wide left for Molino to find a chance.
    But, Larin may have been
    his face and into the Orlando net, a late winner in the 91st minute.A rookie mistake no doubt, and one Adrian Heath will likely address.
    Larin was solid on the ball, completing six of his ten passes, winning four fouls with his physical presence, and adding an interception and a recovery to his achievements. He was caught off-side of three occasions however, and, still adjusting to the pace and pressure of the professional game, he appeared to snatch at his chances, rushing his attempts rather than coolly dispatching them.
    That said, his movement, probing the opposition back-line, and positioning, finding those little gaps to craft half-chances, have been very encouraging. Surely his first goal is not far off and if Ribeiro is forced to stay on the sidelines for an extended absence – it appeared to be a hamstring strain at the time – Larin will get the time he needs to score that first MLS goal sooner rather than later.
    Kofi Opare
    Like it may for Larin, injury has provided Opare with the chance to force his way into the starting eleven, making his first start of the season for DC in Orlando, having debuted last weekend when Steve Birnbaum went down with an early ankle injury.
    Paired with Bobby Boswell as the left-sided centre-back, Opare was faced with another difficult opponent. Last round it was LA, this week he was confronted primarily with Kaka and Ribeiro, at least until fellow-Canadian Larin came on as an early replacement.
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-raised Opare handled those threats well.
    Kaka barely got the chance to slice through the box, as he did so devastatingly against Montreal last time out, while Larin was in tough against a potential national teammate, closed down on the right by Opare on one occasion, blocking an attempted cross, and then welcomed to the league with a bit of physicality, as Opare ranged all the way to the touchline to put in a heavy sliding challenge, winning the ball and snuffing out the attack at the cost of a thrown-in.
    He would finish the match with seven clearances, three recoveries, a tackle and an interception, while completing 15 of his 21 passes. And became the second Canadian to suffer a heavy collision with Orlando keeper, Donovan Ricketts, getting flattened as he went up for an aerial ball in the box – he came off better than Sam Adekugbe did in his challenge however.
    Last summer when Opare joined DC from LA, he came at the expense of position in the allocation order and a second-round pick in the 2015 SuperDraft – that pick, 42nd overall, would become Dan Metzger, for those interested. Such moves are the kind that a good club makes, filling a possible need at a relatively low-cost so that quality is available when needed.
    Opare has been nothing but solid in his two outings, not putting a foot-wrong – the opponent has not scored a goal while he has been on the pitch. And DC is all the better for having him in the squad.
    Sam Adekugbe
    Adekugbe made a fourth-consecutive start for Vancouver in their dominant win over LA on Saturday, maintaining the starting left-back position ahead of the veteran Jordan Harvey.
    Tasked with keeping a lid on Stefan Ishizaki, thrusting down LA's right-flank, Adekugbe was forced to tangle with one of the few Galaxy players to not be thoroughly outplayed on the night, troubling Adekugbe in one instance, before the Vancouver defender eventually snatched away possession.
    The English-born defender would see a yellow card, his second of the season, in the 59th minute for blocking off Ishizaki's run in midfield, ending a potentially troublesome LA transition – it was his only foul of the match.
    Adekugbe showed all the assets that have helped him keep Harvey out of the lineup: quickness, an ability to get forward, and a defensive tenacity, contributing seven recoveries, five clearances, and a tackle. But also seems to have grown in confidence on the ball, misplacing just seven of over fifty passes on the night; doing his part in an outstanding outing from the Whitecaps.
    Continuing his education in MLS, Adekugbe once more suffered physically, taking an awkward bit of contact from Alan Gordon and Kendall Waston as he went up for an aerial challenge. It was unclear exactly what happened, possibly an inadvertent head-butt from teammate Waston, but regardless, both Waston and Gordon are fearsome opponents in the air and Adekugbe's fearlessness, at the cost of a few moments prone on the pitch, is admirable.
    That said, he may want to avoid picking on the biggest people on the pitch in the future.
    Steven Vitoria
    Vitoria continued his iron-man run for Philadelphia as they dropped a heart-breaker in Kansas City on Sunday night, falling 3-2 on a pair of stoppage-time goals from Sporting that overturned what would have been the Union's first win of the season – Vitoria has played every minute for his club, the only Canadian to do so, as both Jonathan Osorio and Tesho Akindele have not completed all their starts.
    Once more the left-sided centre-back, paired this time with new partner, Maurice Edu, Vitoria was a calming presence for Philadelphia, but even he could not prevent the late crumbling.
    Though he could not be held directly responsible for any of the three goals against, he would liked to have done a better job of marshaling his teammates on set-pieces, from which all three were conceded.
    The Toronto-born defender did his part in the run of play, ending the match with five clearances, five recoveries, and four interceptions, conceding two fouls and winning one. His passing – completing just 10 of 23 – showed just how much pressure the Union were under, preferring to launch long passes rather than play out of the back on the road, hence the poor completion rate.
    He showed his ability to aid in attack, pointing for left-back Fabinho to make a run before playing a leading ball down the flank, a play that eventually led to Andrew Wenger forcing a good save out of Luis Marin.
    And was on the end of a nasty challenge from Krisztian Nemeth, but came off no worse for wear.
    Marcel De Jong
    De Jong returned to Kansas City's starting lineup after a one match absence for the win over Philadelphia on Sunday – it was his third appearance of the season, all as a starter.
    The Newmarket, Ontario-native's night would be all but cut short in the 18th minute when he was called for a foul on Erik Ayuk Mbu. It was no doubt a hard challenge, but both De Jong and Peter Vermes doubted it was even a foul – De Jong would receive a yellow card for it, his only foul of the match.
    As if that was not enough punishment, the ensuing free-kick would lead to Philadelphia's second goal, reinstating their lead in the 19th minute, the two sides having exchanged goals earlier.
    De Jong would seek to make amends, sending a long, hopeful free-kick into the Union box, seeking out the head of Jalil Anibaba, who had strayed offside. Getting into advanced positions, De Jong had two attempts at goal, both off-target, including one weak shot from distance when the ball fell to him in the middle of the pitch.
    He would go to ground again for another challenge on Ayuk, this time getting beat, and when he was replaced by Seth Sinovic for the second half, Vermes relayed to the broadcast team that the decision was based on the risk of another booking, already having seen one, in the midst of a physical game, and with concerns over 'soft' calls.
    De Jong completed 20 of his 24 passes, made three tackles, and two interceptions.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio made his fourth-straight start for Toronto in their loss to Chicago on Saturday.
    Once more on the right-side of the midfield, sitting a little deeper as part of a three-man quasi-shield in front of the back-line, Osorio again struggled to make an impact on the match.
    His passing was excellent, as usual – completing all but 5 of some roughly 45 passes – but with Sebastian Giovinco again the focal point, Osorio has been forced into a supporting role out wide, which does not make best use of his talents.
    The Toronto, Ontario-native did have one good look at goal, when a Warren Creavalle ball from the left fell to him at the back-post, but Osorio dragged his right-footer wide – his only shot of the match, off-target.
    He would make way for Bright Dike in the 80th minute having amassed three recoveries and an interception, winning two fouls in the process.
    The Rest
    Only one additional Canadian was in the gameday eighteen this round: Kyle Bekker on the bench for FC Dallas in Portland. Though he did not see the pitch, he was involved, slightly, in the post-match confrontation that began with the offering of a tissue. Bekker was mostly trying to play peacekeeper, like a good Canadian should.
    Each week James takes a look at the contributions of Canadians in the league. He can be followed on twitter @grawsee and more of his writing is available at Partially Obstructed View
    Guest
    Today on the Two Solitudes Soccer Podcast, Duane and Kevin talked to Will Parchman about development, the USL-MLS partnership and the national team side of the equation for Canada and the United States.
    Also, they previewed the Concacaf Champions League Semi Final 2nd leg game between Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and the Montreal Impact.
    Plus the latest installment of the famous Canadian Review, the most popular segment in Canadian podcasting!
    Until next time, have a great Champions League!
    @24thminute
    @KevLaramee
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    Music on this episode is courtesy of Saint Clare, the song "East Ending" is available for purchase right here-> https://saintclare.bandcamp.com
    Duane Rollins
    While you were eating ham or yelling at the TFC senior team’s backline, the Baby Reds were having their ass handed to them by the New York Red Bulls 2. The final score was 4-1 in a game that TFC2 was badly outplayed in for long stretches.
    It was the first poor game for the Baby Reds and it illustrated a difference in philosophy between what TFC is doing with the USL team and what the Red Bulls are.
    The Red Bulls started one homegrown player, Sean Davis. TFC2 started six homegrowns. Although the Red Bulls did have a few other interesting prospects (or one anyway in draft pick Leo Stolz) they also had a guy in his 30s on the pitch.
    The Baby Reds? Well, they earn the “Baby” part of that nickname.
    The line-up was: Alex Bono (94); Wesley Charpie (92), Daniel Fabrizi (92), Adam Bouchard (96), Mark Serjeant (96); Chris Mannella (94), Luca Uccello (97), Marcos Nunes (95), Jay Chapman (94) ; Mo Babouli (93), Jordan Hamilton (96)
    That’s an average age of 19.5.
    New York’s starters averaged 23.1.
    So, yes, TFC2 lost the battle 4-1, but will their group of players be better at age 23 than the NY players are now? No way to know, but there are very few players at age 23 that become more than what they are. There are plenty of examples of teenagers that grow into substantial players.
    Going young by itself is not proof that TFC2 is doing things the right way, but it’s probably best to fail to develop a star than to not even try to.
    Regardless, the game illustrates how each USL game involving the 2 teams has to be looked at a bunch of different ways. Unlike the standalone teams the 2 teams will approach games differently depending on circumstance. So a win isn’t always the only important thing.
    It’s never not important – winning is part of development at this level, but each result must be viewed through the long view.
    Guest
    Today on USL Radio, Duane and Kevin talked about the transition from USL to MLS, its benefits, its downside and everything in between.
    To talk about a team that might have its sight on that transition, Duane and Kevin had Evan Ream from the Davis Enterprise and Sacramento Republic FC beat reporter.
    They also talked about the Canadian quota being respected and then some for the three USL Canadian team so far this season.
    TFC2 Coach Jason Bent after practice last wednesday and his thoughts on the upcoming game vs NYRB2 (which NY won)
    and the now famous Weekend Roundup, running down the scores of the last week of play in the USL!
    Support USL Radio by becoming a patron of the show, a dollar goes a long way! http://patreon.com/twosolitudes5rings
    @USLRdio
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    @KevLaramee
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    Guest
    Today, Kevin previewed the historical game that will take place this Tuesday at 10pm Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
    Montreal arrived in enemy territory Saturday with a two goal advantage, looking to stop the existence of "la r3 m0ntada" and book their tickets to the Concacaf Champions League Final!
    Kevin also reviewed the first game in the history of the FC Montreal, a 2-0 loss against their 401 Derby rivals Toronto FC2 .
    Kevin also reviewed the Impact's home opener versus Orlando City Soccer Club, a 2-2 draw and gave his impression on KAKA in MLS in 2015 so far!
    Post game comments of Phillippe Eullaffroy, John Dinkota, Victor N'Diaye and Louis Béland-Goyette aka LBG of FC Montreal after their game against TFC2.
    Until next time, have a great soccer!
    @OfftheWoodworkx
    @KevLaramee
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    Michael Mccoll
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    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

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