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    <i>Match report and post game reaction from Colorado Rapids 2-1 over Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. With the thoughts of Vancouver's Carl Robinson, Jay DeMerit and Kenny Miller; and Colorado's Pablo Mastroeni, Drew Moor, Clint Irwin, Dillon Powers and two goal hero Jose Mari.</i>
    <b><u>Report:</u></b>
    Vancouver Whitecaps' undefeated streak to start the season ended on Saturday afternoon when they dropped a 2-1 result at home to Colorado Rapids.
    The Whitecaps opened the scoring when Darren Mattocks picked up his first of the season midway through the second half, but two goals from Jose Mari, after Vancouver had gone a man down when Matias Laba was sent off for a second bookable offence, gave the visitors the three points.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It was a positive start for the Caps as they pushed the ball forward and were able to test Clint Irwin a couple of times in the first fifteen. They came close to scoring when Darren Mattocks looked to have slotted his first goal of the season from a rebound but the striker was deemed offside by the linesman.
    Last season’s rookie sensation, Deshorn Brown, had a couple of his chances go wide of the target for Colorado before the half hour mark. The first was deflected by a defender while the second was the better of the opportunities as he was sent in alone but sent his shot wide from inside the box.
    There were shouts for a Vancouver penalty with just over five minutes to go in the half when it looked like Irwin had brought down Miller in the box. Unfortunately for the Caps it was not seen that way by the referee resulting in just a goal kick.
    It was very quiet after the restart and the home side was unable to breakdown the Rapids, who played even more behind the ball.
    Then from nothing, the Caps finally broke through midway through the half and took the lead when Mattocks beat Irwin. It was second half sub Sebastian Fernandez who got the ball forward to Kenny Miller and after a couple of nice controlling touches the Scot sent in Mattocks alone on goal and he finished clinically.
    Just two minutes later it looked like the Whitecaps would double their lead when they got a 3 on 1 break. However Irwin came up big to stop Morales and sent the ball wide with a fingertip save.
    That was a big turning point in the game but perhaps the biggest one in the match came in the 77th minute.
    Matias Laba was hauled down from behind, but with no foul called on the play, Laba purposely handled the ball earning himself a second yellow and putting the Caps a man down.
    It only took the visitors two minutes to take advantage of the extra man when Jose Mari struck an unstoppable curler from distance to even up the score. Three minutes later disaster struck for the Caps as Mari found himself free just outside the box and fired home another curler to give the Rapids a lead, they would hold on to.
    There were moments in the final few minutes of the match when it looked like Vancouver would even the score and pick up a point but the Rapids were able to hold them off and pull off what was looking to be an unlikely victory three quarters of the way into the match.
    Vancouver will be disappointed at losing their lead, but the nature of the defeat and the silly sending off will sting for a while. They need to pick themselves up quickly, with back to back road games coming up against LA.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - Colorado Rapids 2
    ATT: 21,000 (sell out)
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    David Ousted; Steven Beitashour (Erik Hurtado 90+2), Andy O'Brien, Jay DeMerit, Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie (Sebastián Fernández 57), Matías Laba, Pedro Morales, Russell Teibert; Darren Mattocks, Kenny Miller (Kekuta Manneh 74) [substitutes not used: Paolo Tornaghi, Johnny Leverón, Sam Adekugbe, Nicolás Mezquida]
    Houston Dynamo
    Clint Irwin; Thomas Piermayr, Shane O’Neill, Drew Moor, Marc Burch; Nathan Sturgis (Jared Watts 90+2), Jose Mari, Kamani Hill (Nick LaBrocca 59); Gabriel Torres, Deshorn Brown (Charles Eloundou 69) [substitutes not used: John Berner, Marvin Chavez, Grant Van De Casteele, Marlon Hairston]
    <b><u>Reaction:</u></b>
    <b>Carl Robinson on Laba's red card:</b>
    "He's sent him off for a decision I think he's got wrong in my opinion and obviously ultimately it's cost the game."
    <b>Carl Robinson on his team's performance:</b>
    "It's a kick in the teeth to us and the boys in there and I said I'm proud of them, I really am. We didn't go under. We kept fighting till the end. We had one or two half chances but it's a pity we're not talking about the game. It was a good game today. It really was. We missed a couple of chances we probably should have taken, but there'll be other talking points and not the game, which is unfortunate."
    <b>Jay DeMerit on loss:</b>
    "We all feel we got punched a little bit in the gut there. Unfortunately that happens in our sport. Some things you can't control."
    <b>Jay DeMerit on referee:</b>
    "Everyone get assessed on their performances, including the referee, so hopefully people take a look at that and assess it in the right way."
    <b>Jay DeMerit on team performance:</b>
    "The guy's fought for 90 minutes tonight, even when we went down a man. Had enough chances to win but unfortunately that didn't happen either."
    <b>Kenny Miller on the sudden change of events:</b>
    "Obviously when I was walking off with 15 minutes to go, I could never have envisioned we were going to lose that game because I felt we were so comfortable, but obviously the red card has turned the game on it's head."
    <b>Kenny Miller on the performance:</b>
    "The manager had a bit of a go at us at half time because we never hit the heights we were expecting to hit, but we went out in the second half, got our noses in front and deservedly so. At that point it looked like we were going on to win the game and win it comfortably but with the red card coming at the time it did, and losing a goal within a minute, it was 1-1 and it was going to be a long 12 minutes."
    <b>Kenny Miller on Caps not taking chances:</b>
    "I think it was plain to see we never really hit the heights we hit in the first two home games but nevertheless, 1-0 up, should be 2-0 up, it's probably game over if that goes in."
    "Listen, you can create chances but you're not always going to score three or four goals every week. It's about you want to take the chances when you create them."
    <b>Kenny Miller on what Vancouver can take from the game:</b>
    "At the moment it's disappointing. Obviously when you finish off a result like that you try to go away and assess it, look at the game and see what we can take out of it."
    <b>Pablo Mastroeni on the win:</b>
    "I think it was a hard fought contest. There were times when we were in the upper hand but there were times, especially in the second half where Vancouver was pushing the game, and you know they got a good opportunity and scored with it and got another good opportunity right after the first goal there. So we weathered some storms there. Credit to both teams it was a battle. The guys in that locker room fought really hard and found a way to win. That's what we've been talking about all preseason, finding ways to win. You can’t coach that, that doesn’t go on a whiteboard. That is found in the spirit of the group."
    <b>Pablo Mastroeni on importance of winning at Western rival:</b>
    "Every point that we get this year is huge. Every road game, every home game, and the mindset for me and the group is we're going to play every game to win. We're not going to play for a tie, we're not dropping off, we're not sitting in."
    "Three points are incredibly hard to come by....Every point's critical. There is no easy point in this league anymore, everyone asks me about the tough start that we had in the first five games, I can’t find one game in the next 34 games that are easy, so it’s a great result for us. Extremely pleased with the effort and excited to get back to work this week."
    <b>Pablo Mastroeni on resting players and depth of his squad:</b>
    "I have 27 players on this roster and I believe in every single one of them. And from the beginning, every preseason game we’ve played, I had experienced players playing with trialists. I do things a little differently, I’m a little out there, but really believe the spirit of the team and when we go on the road and we have a lot of changes to our line up I’m so confident in our ability as a staff to prepare these guys and give everyone the same opportunities during the week. So we come here, completely confident that we know exactly what we’re going to get for the guys."
    <b>Drew Moor on getting away win:</b>
    "You know I think any game on the road is a tough game. But Pablo has preached since he was here you’ve got to be able to go on the road and get results. You have to play on the road in the playoffs. You can’t expect to get all your points at home."
    "It’s early in the season for sure but anytime you can go on the road against your conference opponent and get a victory it’s a good sign."
    <b>Drew Moor on Colorado depth:</b>
    "We feel we have a very deep team. We have some good young guys. People talked about young we were last year, I feel we're just as young, if not even younger, this year. Pablo's got confidence in everybody and we've all got confidence in each other. To be able to make changes like that and get three points is a good sign at this stage of the season."
    <b>Clint Irwin on win:</b>
    "I thought the team played really well. We kept the ball well. Maybe we could have been more penetrative with our balls in our runs, but we hung in there, came up with two great goals from Jose Mari and it’s just a great result for us on the road."
    <b>Clint Irwin on importance of winning against key playoff rival:</b>
    "It’s very big for us I think at the end of the season for us last year we played two of our last four games against Vancouver. We came up here and really struggled and they really stuck it to us. This is a really difficult play to play and I think Vancouver plays really well here. The fact that we can take three points from here is going to be huge for our season.”
    <b>Dillon Powers on the win:</b>
    "We had a few chances we didn't make the most of. They got on us, they got a goal and they had a chance to put the game away, Clint made a great save to keep us in it. Then some great goals from Jose to win the game for us. It could have gone probably either way. Both teams I thought put in a pretty good performance."
    <b>Dillon Powers on Pablo Mastroeni's style:</b>
    "He wants to play a very simple brand of soccer where you pass. move, the next guy comes in. He's really made that clear that that's what he wants to do. To move the ball and move off the ball. That's the two biggest things he stresses."
    <b>Jose Mari on whether he's hit two better goals and importance of them:</b>
    "No. The truth is those are the two best goals that I’ve ever scored, but it’s also true, I understand the importance that they have. These are three very important points for us and we have to keep growing."
    <b>Jose Mari on winning on the road:</b>
    "For us they are very important. All the games are important not just the ones outside of home but also the ones at home. We’re a team full of humble players but we’re also very hard working. We’re always going to give it everything that we have until the final moments of the game to defend the colour of the Rapids."
    <p>
    Guest
    <i>We’ve always felt it’s hard to grow MLS in Canada when so few of the out of market games are shown. A lot of people know something about the teams but often not so much the players and some of their stories. So we thought we’d remedy that a little with our new series "Around The League", where we’ll chat with some of the more interesting and often lesser known players from the team that Whitecaps meet in MLS action. Kicking off the new series, we chat with Houston Dynamo’s Andrew Driver.</i>
    A number of UK players have headed over to Major League Soccer over the years. Some big names (Beckham, Keane, Miller, Defoe), some not so much (our own Matt Watson for example).
    A lot of them have struggled to adapt to the League for whatever reasons and/or struggle to perform. Many head home quicker than they had probably hoped. The Scottish pair of Kris Boyd and Barry Robson instantly spring to mind.
    The American dream perhaps not being all they expected it to be cracked up to be.
    You often find the players that stick best are the lower level players that most people in the UK haven't even heard of. FC Dallas' Adam Moffat is a prime example.
    I saw him playing Scottish Third Division football for Elgin City against East Fife. Never thought I'd be watching him in MLS but now he's a five club and seven season veteran in the League.
    Moffat's former teammate at Houston, Andrew Driver, is another and he is settling into his second season in Texas after first coming to Houston on loan from Scottish Premiership side Hearts last year.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Driver went on to make 31 MLS appearances for the Dynamo last year, racking up 1906 minutes and contributing three goals and an assists. He's played in all three of Houston's games so far this season, starting two, the latest of which was last week's loss in Vancouver.
    Having spent his whole footballing career up to that point in Scotland, coming through the Hearts academy into the first team, how did the 26 year old midfielder find the experience of his first season in Major League Soccer?
    <i>"It's been amazing. Obviously getting to travel around America, a new country, living in a great city like Houston, I've loved every minute of it.
    "As you know, the standard of football is very high, so it's been a good challenge. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made to come out here."</i>
    Driver was born in Oldham in England but moved to Edinburgh with his family at the age of 11. Despite playing internationally for both Scotland and England at youth level, he has pledged his international future to Scotland, although he is yet to earn a senior cap.
    He initially played his youth football with the famous Hutchison Vale Boys Club before transferring to the Hearts academy system and signing his first pro contract with the Jambos in 2006, scoring on his home debut in the 2006/2007 season.
    Driver went on to stay six and a half seasons at Tynecastle, lifting the Scottish Cup with Hearts in their 5-1 Edinburgh derby win over Hibs. With the club facing serious financial problems, a dispute with then Hearts manager Paulo Sergio towards the end of 2012 saw him hand in a transfer request and the writing was on the wall for Driver in Edinburgh.
    With many options available to him, he'd previously been linked to Chelsea and FC Twente amongst others, what made him decide to move to America and MLS?
    <i>"I was at Hearts for a long, long time and the last couple of years there didn't go great, obviously with the problems the club's had.
    "I just wanted a fresh start, to try something new, and luckily I was given the opportunity to come here and I grasped it. It's a great decision and something, a life experience, that not many people get to have, so I'm absolutely delighted I've managed to do it."</i>
    And he can't speak highly enough of what he's found in the league since coming over.
    It started with Beckham but with big name players like Miller and Defoe heading over to MLS from Scotland and England in recent seasons, the League has garnered a lot more attention back in blighty. Does Driver feel we could be seeing the start of an influx in UK players looking to head over to North America whilst still having a lot to offer?
    <i>"I think a lot of guys would look at it if they want, but obviously it's hard to get here with the international spots. I've spoke to all my friends back home and they'd love to do it. It's just difficult to find an opportunity and luckily I found one.
    "As the league gets better, I think most people in Scotland would look at it, consider it. Even now. As the league goes higher and the league gets better, the whole world will want to come and play here. I'm very lucky in the way I got the chance."</i>
    Of course, as a fair skinned Scot with reddish hair, playing in the heat of Houston wouldn't be what many would think of as the best place to call home!
    <i>"It's hard at first but you get used to it as the year goes on. Obviously the training everyday, you can't escape from it. It's just stifling wherever you go. Day to day you just get used to it.
    "In the end I kind of enjoy it. I don't like the cold any more! When I was home there for a month I was desperate to get back into a bit of heat."</i>
    Having undergone two knee surgeries in 2010 and 2011, for Driver, making the most of the experiences and opportunities presented to him are appreciated in their importance.
    Many players in MLS seem loathe to play on turf, especially those that have suffered previously bad injuries, but that's not something that even comes into play in Driver's mind.
    <i>"No, no. I've played numerous games since my injuries and I've been fine on the artificial surface. It's not ideal but it's the same for both teams. I think maybe the risk of injuries is a little bit higher but that's football. You've got to get on with it.
    "I remember the days where, I was born in Oldham, they play on a plastic pitch. It was like concrete. We're lucky in a way."</i>
    Refreshingly, Driver knows it just adds to a team's individual home field advantage. Each team has one and there's no point in moaning about it.
    <i>"That's just the way this league is. The variables in each game are so massive. You can go and play in the heat of Houston and then turn up in Montreal's cold the week after, so everywhere's different and you could complain about everything everywhere you go."</i>
    Houston have found themselves in the Eastern Conference for the past four seasons, which is likely to change moving forward next season with the addition of the Citys of New York and Orlando.
    Dominic Kinnear's record with the Dynamo is impressive, making the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons. Since moving to the East for the 2011 season, Houston have been losing MLS Cup finalists twice and lost out to Sporting KC in last year's Eastern Championship game.
    Houston surprised many last year and the way things have been shaping up in the East this season, they could find themselves the surprise packages once again.
    With the focus on the big name rebuilding in Toronto, the MLS Cup winners in Kansas City and the hype that always goes with a Thierry Henry led New York, is there a feeling at the club that Houston can take advantage of flying under the radar a little bit with their talented side?
    <i>"I think we kind of did last year. We got to the Conference Finals. Not a lot of people had much belief in us or anything, but that's what this team is like.
    "We've got a group of guys, we've not got any, well I think we're all stars, but you've not got the big marquee players. But you've got a team of people that will work for each other and everyone's friends. There's no cliques in the dressing room. It's all a team effort.
    "I think we just get on with out job. We get a little bit underrated at times but we're usually there or thereabouts at the end of the season. So I think it's the same mentality for us this year. We might not get any attention but we've just got to do our job and hopefully get back in there."</i>
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    <p>
    Guest

    Jock Math: Evaluating a trade

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    (With apologizes for delay - I've had the flu this week).
    So, the Philadelphia Union have lost their mind. That's the initial response to a bizarre straight swap today with Montreal that sees Jack McInerney go north for Andrew Wenger.
    The subjective view is that the Impact have just landed a player that could be in the mix for the US national team in the 2018 cycle for a athlete that doesn't really have a position.
    It's also an admission by the Impact that making Wegner their first ever SuperDraft pick was an error. That's a small admission, really, as the SuperDraft, even at the top, is often an exercise in throwing darts.
    As said, that's the subjective opinion. What about the objective one. Is there something in the numbers that we're missing? Let's look.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Both players have been playing up top so far in 2014 and both players have three appearances so far this year. On the most basic stat they are also tied. Each have a goal.
    But, what about the deeper numbers? Is Wenger producing more offence, but just not finishing? That's been the feeling by many.
    If he was it would show up in his shots + key pass number.
    Wenger 1.8 shots, 1.3 KP, 3.1 S+KP
    McInerney 3 shots, 0.5 KP, 3.5 S+KP
    So, the slight edge here goes to Montreal in the trade. McInerney produces many more shots, Wenger appears to be a better passer. Maybe the Union see Wenger as a midfielder. Many do.
    Regardless, we move on in evaluating their forward play now. Which player creates more on the ball. To get an answer we'll look at how often they beat a player on the dribble and how many fouls they create.
    Wenger 0.8 dribbles, 1.3 fouls earned (2.1 combined)
    McInerney 0.3 dribbles, 1.3 fouls earned (1.6 combined)
    So, Wenger is a bit more creative on the ball. Advantage Philly (and maybe more evidence this kid's a midfielder).
    Next, we look at how careless the two are with the ball. Let's look at turnovers.
    Wenger 0.5 offsides, 1.5 dispossessed, 3 misplaced passes (5 turn-overs per game)
    McInerney 0 offsides, 1 dispossessed, 2.3 misplaced passes (3.3 turn-overs per game)
    Thus is the biggest gap yet. Advantage Montreal, with the caveat that more turn-overs can sometimes be an indication of a player being more involved in the play.
    Although defensive responsibility is far less if a concern with attackers (and highly dependent on team tactics and score effects) it's still worth a quick look at defensive involvement.
    Wenger 1 tackle, (no other stats)
    McInerney (0.3 interceptions, 0.5 clearances)
    Call this one a wash.
    Overall, the objective numbers still seem to give Montreal the advantage, but the gap looks slightly less profound than the subjective reaction might suggest. The key will be whether McInerney's early season success in 2013 was a blip or a prediction of future ability combined with whether Philly can find a home on the pitch for Wenger.
    Guest
    The week always goes quicker when your team has won and you have another match to look forward to.
    Vancouver Whitecaps head into April unbeaten and set to face Western Conference opposition in the shape of Colorado Rapids.
    The AFTN crew look ahead to the game and ponder which formation and players head coach Carl Robinson will go with this week.
    To get a better insight into the visiting Rapids, we chat with <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/author/Chris-Bianchi" target="_blank"><u>MLSSoccer.com</u></a> writer and <a href="http://milehighsports.com/" target="_blank"><u>MileHighSports.com</u></a> Editor-in-Chief <b>Chris Bianchi</b>.
    How have the team coped with their own turbulent offseason? Will their impressive young guns from last year suffer a sophomore slump? And how strong will the team that heads to Vancouver be this weekend? We discuss all this and much more.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    And there's still time for Predictapooch to make his latest prediction. Can he add to his 3 for 4 record?
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/aftn/id628306235" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/mobile/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we've joined <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-mccoll/the-aftn-soccer-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank"><u><b>Stitcher Radio Network</b></u></a>. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 15,000 shows <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-mccoll/the-aftn-soccer-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
    <iframe width="100%" height="100" id="audio_iframe" src="http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5112761/url/http%253A%252F%252Faftn.podbean.com%252F2014%252F04%252F03%252Fepisode-54-the-aftn-soccer-podcast-riding-the-rapids%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1?skin=3" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
    <p>
    Guest
    After putting on a passing clinic at BC Place against Houston, where he showed a breadth and depth of passing abilities that made the entire league take notice, Pedro Morales has been called a "maestro" by many fans and pundits.
    It’s a title that is apt for a player who, much like the conductor of an orchestra, has such an ability to dictate the overall direction of the event. Robinson quite successfully altered his tactics last week to give Morales the space and time on the pitch to impose his authority over the game. As a result, it really did make for the appearance of a man, in Morales, with all the instruments around him, each one springing to life when he lifted a finger (or sometimes a foot) in their direction.
    While Morales may be the man coercing the sound and emotion from the song, there is another man who is equally as important to the ear of the audience.
    While he is a mere colleague, just another member in the symphony, it is the percussionist that keeps the group together. Whether it’s the resounding and rhythmic boom of the bass drum that keeps everyone in step, or the massive crash of a cymbal to focus a single moment, it is he who is critical to the rest of the group to establish harmony.
    For the Whitecaps, that man is Matias Laba.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Although he didn’t necessarily excel in either away game, he may be Vancouver’s most consistent player through four games. Whether playing beside another midfielder in a double pivot, or even more impressively as the lone holding midfielder like the match against Houston, Laba has been an ever present hunter who impressively balances between fiery tenacity and calm control.
    After he was bled into the league on a very poor Toronto FC team last year, reports were that he was one of the lone bright spots on an otherwise bleak roster. The reports have proved accurate, as Laba has hit the ground running in Vancouver.
    Laba has a strong 85% passing completion rate, which includes a dominant 44 of 46 passes completed versus Houston. He also is responsible for 13 interceptions through the first four games, not to mention 17 successful tackles and only three lost tackles.
    Even beyond the statistics, it’s easy to see why the Whitecaps have had so little of their opponent’s attack come down the middle. Laba is always either in an advantageous position, or is nipping at the heels of his opponent causing decisions to be made under pressure and with limited options.
    In addition to his robust defensive work in the middle of the park, Laba has shown he’s a much more capable attacker than the holders seen on previous iterations of the squad, as he is much more involved in the build-up play and is even occasionally seen in and around the opponent’s 18 yard box.
    Laba won’t get the fanfare that Sebastian Fernandez, Kenny Miller, or certainly "Morales the Maestro" will get, but one thing is for sure: the Whitecaps' song just wouldn't sound as good without Laba keeping the beat in the back.
    <p>
    Guest
    Back when Toronto FC first entered Major League Soccer games in Columbus were some of the more anticipated on the schedule. The, by MLS standards, relatively short drive down to central Ohio meant at least a regular contingent of Reds’ supporters made the trip, even excluding the record setting number achieved in 2008.
    In addition to proximity there was almost always the perception that Toronto could take something from the match. In those earliest days Columbus weren’t very good and the Mighty Reds, all piss-and-vinegar and backed by a then heretofore unseen level of support, were certainly destined to soon surpass the little club from the city most Torontonians would never visit otherwise.
    Ironically, as any Crew supporter will tell you, Toronto failed to record a victory against the Black-And-Gold until nearly the conclusion of TFC’s fifth season. As the Reds went from bad, to mediocre, to diabolically terrible, the Crew always stayed at least a little bit ahead: bad, to very good, then slowly back to mediocre. Toronto FC has still never managed to finish a season ahead of Columbus in MLS’ Eastern Conference standings.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Finally though, after a couple years outside of the playoffs, the normally stable Crew had an offseason shake-up at the same time as the regularly scheduled Toronto FC one.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] New ownership took a tangential approach to the popular trend of appointing former MLS players to head coaching positions by luring Gregg Berhalter back to North America after his perceived failure at Hammerby in Sweden. It was a move that was looked upon sceptically by a fair number of jaded Crew supporters.
    Surely, with the big transformation in T.O., and a good start to boot, it was time for the Reds to once again not fear a trip to the home of their erstwhile Trillium Cup rivals.
    It hasn’t worked out that way.
    Part of that is down to circumstance as a litany of injuries and suspensions will move Toronto severely down their depth chart and away from the first-choice 11s who earned wins against Seattle and DC United. The week has been one piece of ominous news after another for closely tuned in supporters. Jonathon Osorio has not recovered from his hamstring issue. Steven Caldwell received a one-game suspension for his tackle on Ned Grabavoy. Jermain Defoe’s early removal from the game in Salt Lake was apparently not early enough and he is likely to be unavailable Saturday.
    While Jackson will be back from the suspension he earned in the victory over DC and Michael Bradley will surely be starting in central midfield, the American starred for 90 minutes Wednesday night in a 2-2 draw for the United States against Mexico, has missed a week of training with the team, and has to fly back across the continent to rejoin them before heading down to Columbus.
    Bradley earned rave reviews for his play in an advanced position at the top of a midfield diamond but, as detailed here on CSN, the tactical options are much more limited to Ryan Nelsen should he hope to replicate such a role with the Reds, particularly in Osorio’s absence.
    But even if Toronto were to have a full, first-string line-up available, coming off the shellacking in Utah there’d be reason for concern heading into Columbus. The Crew have looked much improved and sport the league’s only perfect record at 3-0-0.
    Federico Higuain – a player some observers thought was unfairly overlooked in last season’s MLS MVP voting -- has been in fine form and if he starts to find space in front of the Toronto backline the way Javi Morales did last weekend it will likely be a long evening for TFC. Sacrificing Michael Bradley’s offensive contributions and desire to go hunting the ball high up the field in favour of blanketing Higuain in central midfield is an unattractive, but possibly necessary trade-off, considering the personnel available to Nelsen.
    Higuain, like Defoe in Toronto, has dominated most of the headlines, another player who will pose a more quiet danger to the Reds is Michael Parkhurst. Probably the least heralded of the American internationals lured back to MLS over the last year Parkhurst has gone from a somewhat regular MLS player (who once scored a famous goal in TFC’s first season), to a European-experienced and savvy professional.
    The efficiency of his play is exemplified by the fact that after the first few weeks of the season he had some of the highest pass completion AND attempt statistics in the league. While Parkhurst, like Bradley, completed 90 minutes for the United States in midweek his play is more based on organization and relies significantly less on pure athleticism. So the Reds will not only have to stop Higuain; they’ll also have to stop the supply to him from Parkhurst and young midfielder Wil Trapp.
    If Toronto FC are to take anything from Crew Stadium Ryan Nelsen will need to engineer a gutsy, backs-to-the-wall performance and organize a largely second-string Reds into the “hard to beat” team he wants them to be. The season was never going to be a cake walk and, if TFC wants to stay successful over the course of it, these sorts of adjustments will almost certainly have to be done again. Just think of this as an early start.
    Guest
    <i>"Caps Countdown" is our Vancouver Whitecaps player rankings with a twist. The starting eleven is ranked from eleven to one, from worst to first. Who was the 'man of the match' and who, if anyone, had a game to forget in the 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo? Aaron Campbell makes his selections. Do you agree?</i>
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    11 - Gershon Koffie
    Showed a lot of rust in most of his time on the pitch. Looked very uncomfortable in his marking and possession with the ball. Calmed down as the game went on.
    10 - Steven Beitashour
    Steven "Ghost" Beitashour he shall be dubbed. Has been very quiet this season on the pitch. That's not always a bad thing. Hope he gets more involved with the offense moving forward.
    9 - Jordan Harvey
    He has sure found a liking for scoring goals the past 14 months. Still leaving way too much space when forwards are attacking towards him. Him being out of position led to Dynamo goal. Will need to improve his defending.
    8 - Matias Laba
    Looked more comfy being the only DM on the field in the 4-4-2 diamond formation. Probably his most quiet game this season.
    7 - Jay DeMerit
    Looked fresh out there after being "rested" against the New England Revolution. Controlled his half of the defensive box okay.
    6 - Darren Mattocks
    Continues to do a lot right. His hustle led to the Miller PK goal. He looks like he is getting more and more frustrated with his lack of goals. A lot of Barry Robson hands up in the air after very miss or save by opposing keepers from him.
    5 - Kenny Miller
    Hope they can afford him after he has become a internet sensation with his HUMBA viral video with the Curva Collective. If he keeps his play up it might be hard to let him go at the end of June.
    4 - Russell Teibert
    Is growing into a solid player that helps out his defenders when needed. They don't need him to be an assist machine like he was last season, but it would be nice. Needs to keep being solid in his position on the pitch.
    3 - Andy O'Brien
    Has been the best defender this season by far. Great header (hard to not be great with that forehead) on the Harvey goal. Hope he can stay healthy all season.
    2 - David Ousted
    Improving every game this season. Had no chance on the goal with the horrible marking by Beitashour. Lots of great touches with his moving helping getting the offensive push moving forward.
    1 - Pedro Morales
    Camilo who? Davide who? Is a magician on the pitch with the ball. Defences are going to have to learn you can't give him all the space he is getting. Amazing pass after amazing pass.
    <b>The Changing of the Guard Countdown</b>
    3 - Nico Mezquida
    Hard to get involved and make a difference when you get on the pitch in the 87th minute.
    2 - Kekuta Manneh
    Looks good as a super sub. The question is when does he start up front for Mattocks? Has to be coming soon.
    1 - Seba Fernandez
    Came on for Mattocks and kept the attack moving forward. Might be hard to start him in the diamond formation with Teibert, Manneh and Mattocks filling in nicely.
    <p>
    Guest
    The sun was shining so it was outside broadcast time once again as we bring you Episode 53 of <i>"There's Still Time"</i> from UBC's Thunderbird Stadium after Vancouver Whitecaps' 4-2 friendly win over FC Edmonton.
    We look over the game, who stood out, who didn't take their opportunity to impress and ponder just how young the average age of the Whitecaps team was in that second half.
    <b>Kekuta Manneh</b> was the two goal hero and we speak with him after the game about the season so far, the match itself, the pressure raised by last season's heroics and ask him just how good could this Whitecaps team could be this year.
    We also catch up with FC Edmonton Head Coach <b>Colin Miller</b> and chat about the Eddies preseason trip west, the players to watch out for this season, the new NASL playoff format, this year's Voyageurs Cup and more.
    Moving away from the pro level to local soccer, we talk to <a href="http://www.bcsoccer.net" target="_blank"><u>BC Soccer</u></a> Executive Director <b>Paul Mullen</b> about the upcoming 2014 BC Provincial Cup, whether BC will follow Ontario and look at a provincewide U23 league and their travelling big red jersey.
    And there's still time to ask our listeners and twitter followers for a little bit of help in explaining Nigel Reo-Coker's Marcel Marecauesque mime show on Saturday. What could he have been demonstrating to Marco Carducci?!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/aftn/id628306235" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/mobile/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we've joined <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-mccoll/the-aftn-soccer-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank"><u><b>Stitcher Radio Network</b></u></a>. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 15,000 shows <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-mccoll/the-aftn-soccer-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
    <iframe width="100%" height="100" id="audio_iframe" src="http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5110516/url/http%253A%252F%252Faftn.podbean.com%252F2014%252F04%252F02%252Fepisode-53-the-aftn-soccer-podcast-rabbiting-on%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1?skin=3" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
    <p>
    Guest
    An extension to Canadian Soccer News’ MLS Week in Review, this article provides a closer look at the performances of the Canadian players who saw the pitch this week.
    Top three spots this round go, almost by default, to the three who started their respective matches – Will Johnson, Russell Teibert, and Doneil Henry – though special mentions for Issey Nakajima-Farran, Kyle Bekker, and Karl Ouimette who made their season, or MLS in the case of Issey, debuts this round.
    Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Will Johnson
    Johnson started a fourth-straight match for Portland in their 2-1 loss at FC Dallas on Saturday, once more paired with Diego Chara at the base of the Timbers midfield.
    Again playing a more reserved role on the road, Johnson did not venture forward as much as he does when at home and his tenacity in midfield saw several good battles throughout, most notably with Blas Perez, who was booked in the 17th minute for a foul.
    He played his role as captain admirably, ushering off a distressed Michael Harrington after his shock dismissal with a proper old-school bum-slap:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=E5b3FnbDpYYJKEmGgxwAwcV7r9Nbm58h"></script>
    And Johnson was involved in the build-up - making a little pass to free up Diego Valeri in midfield - that led to their only goal from Max Urruti, thanks to a healthy deflection off Matt Hedges:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YWpzYcIN2Gk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    He had a good look at goal in the 72nd minute, but could not make contact in stride with a bouncing ball for a shot from the top of the box to capitalize on a turnover and had the last look of the match from a 95th minute free-kick that curled over the corner of the goal.
    The Toronto-born midfielder completed a near-perfect 42 of 46 passes, had one shot – off target, won four headers and two tackles, suffered a pair of fouls, and made three recoveries, while conceding possession just three times.
    Post-match, he took the disappointment of going winless through a fourth-straight match to start the season with the cool head one expects of him – “Tough result; thought we deserved better. Give credit where it’s due, guy made a great play. You never feel great after a loss. A loss is a loss, and that’s tough to take. We have to keep building and realize we’re four games in to a 34-game season” adding “We had opportunities to win the game ourselves, and again we didn’t convert. So that’s where the frustration comes from. … But if we start to turn [on] ourselves and let the frustrations of the losses build up, that’s where you run into trouble.”
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert made a second-straight start after returning from a hamstring concern in Vancouver’s 2-1 win over Houston on Saturday – it was his third start of the season.
    Cutting in-field from his station on the left-side of the midfield, Teibert made a very strong run up the middle of the pitch inside the first three minutes, unleashing a low drive from distance that trailed wide of goal.
    He put in a good defensive shift, tracking deep into his own box in the 16th minute and tangling with a Houston forward, taking a cleat to the forehead for his troubles, for which he required momentary treatment.
    Back on the attack, Teibert put in two good searching crosses from Darren Mattocks, but both were cut out by the towering Houston back-line. Changing tact, Teibert later rolled a nice ball down the touch-line for Mattocks to chase, which led to Kofi Sarkodie’s handball in the 56th minute and Kenny Miller’s goal from the penalty spot shortly thereafter.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Fwu6Tx6QXJ8?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native completed an impressive 31 of 38 passes, took that one shot, lost a tackle and committed a foul, while making six recoveries and losing possession eight times.
    Doneil Henry
    Henry made a third-straight start for Toronto in their 3-0 loss at Salt Lake on Saturday night – it was his eighth-straight start dating back to last September.
    It was a mixed night from the twenty-year old defender, once more exhibiting his dominant physical prowess, while showing he still had some lessons to learn.
    Eleven minutes into the game his inexperience was exploited by the savvy, veteran guile of Alvaro Saborio who tied him up inside the corner of the box, daring the centre-back to do something. Henry reacted as Saborio hoped, engaging in the wrestle and granting the Costa Rican a chance to emphasis how he was tossed to the ground.
    The referee bit (no surprise there) and pointed to the spot, putting Toronto behind early as Saborio himself stepped to the spot and converted:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=RkdXFnbDpAzcNyyeWH2gbc64X9Xr884m&pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f"></script>
    His aerial dominance and hard-headedness came into play in a massive collision with Olmes Garcia, with whom he had many a battle on the night, leaving the Colombian prone on the ground in search of treatment, while Henry played on as though it were nothing.
    His frustration at how the match played out grew, whiffing on a cross, yelling at the linesman for a call (or lack thereof), shoving Garcia in the back as they tangled, and picking up a yellow card for smashing into Javier Morales in transition; a professional and necessary foul – it was his first booking of the season.
    Henry nearly notched the second goal of his career on a 58th minute header from a corner kick, only to see his connection whistle over the target – interestingly his only goal came in Salt Lake back in 2012 from just such an instance, something about that mountain air.
    The Brampton, Ontario-native improved his pass completion from last match, completing fourteen of eighteen on the night, had that one headed attempt – off target, won three headers, both his tackles, and committed two fouls – one led to the penalty, the other to a booking, and tallied seven clearances, six recoveries, and six interceptions, while conceding possession a mere four times.
    Issey Nakajima-Farran
    Nakajima-Farran made his MLS debut for Toronto in Salt Lake, entering on the hour-mark to replace Bradley Orr, having finally, officially completed his long-rumoured signing on Friday.
    Taking up the left-side of midfield, Nakajima-Farran was rather impressive in his thirty-minutes, looking lively in attack despite the game having already been decided.
    He showed a nice bit of spatial awareness, laying a ball down the left-side of the box for Justin Morrow, whose deflected cross nearly caught Nick Rimando cheating:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=ptN3NnbDpy2WNmvT-hxYYPQNxuW3_Jbd"></script>
    And he had a very tricky run down that same side and was fouled, but could not buy a call.
    The Calgary, Alberta-native completed ten of twelve passes, won two headers, and made two each of interceptions and recoveries, losing possession four times.
    He spoke about his wandering career:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YGpiFi9RGNE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Dwayne De Rosario
    De Rosario too entered Toronto’s loss from the bench with a three-goal deficit to make his third-appearance of the season – second as a substitute.
    Replacing Jermain Defoe in the 62nd minute, De Rosario showed all the hustle and willingness to chase one would expect, if not more – chasing down every pass and going up for every header in a losing effort.
    He tested Rimando with a low drive in the 76th minute and again later, and his tenacity on a Steven Caldwell header forced a turnover out of Ned Grabavoy to set up a wonderful look for Michael Bradley, who whistled his shot over the top corner of goal.
    The Scarborough, Ontario-native completed three of four passes, took two shots – one on, one blocked, won a header, made a single recovery, and lost possession three times.
    His post-match interview can be seen here.
    Kyle Bekker
    Bekker made his first appearance of the season from the Toronto bench having been an unused substitute through their first two matches – it was the tenth league appearance of his career.
    Replacing Jeremy Hall in the 78th minute, Bekker made a good case for seeing more minutes in the future, forcing a turnover and initiating a counterattack by intercepting a Morales pass (no small feat on the night), leading to a dangerous Alvaro Rey cross that was cleared out for a corner by Nat Borchers.
    And he showed a willingness to track back, following Devon Sandoval all the way to the Toronto goal-line after a Luke Mulholland back-heel gave the big striker a sniff at goal.
    The Brampton, Ontario-native completed a perfect eleven from eleven passes and made two recoveries – the inaccuracy of the chalkboards laid bare by the absence of his interception, but it did indeed occur.
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier began the match on the bench in Montreal’s 1-1 draw at Philadelphia, but entered in the 74th minute, replacing Collin Warner in the Impact midfield – it was his third appearance of the season and first from the bench.
    Moments after his introduction, Andrew Wenger was sent off for a rash tackle – a decision that Bernier did not agree with, remonstrating gently with the referee:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=xqMW5nbDo8vTQsxlz02LB1Qbfugw5Mtm"></script>
    Just six minutes in, it was his intelligent pressure in the midfield that played a part in Brian Carroll’s rushed pass that led to Vincent Nogueira’s loose touch that Justin Mapp pounced on to spring Marco Di Vaio for the equalizer:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MYyMf9QqwXk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    He would round out his 26 minute cameo with a decent low drive from distance that drifted wide.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native completed six of seven passes, made three recoveries and one interception, conceding a single foul and losing possession three times.
    Post-match he commented, "It's a big point for us. We had to come out with something. The first half was a little difficult, but we came out in the second half, we created more chances, especially in the first few minutes. It's a great point to take after getting that red card, but we still have to look at ourselves as things are not exactly right eleven versus eleven."
    Karl Ouimette
    Ouimette made his first appearance of the season in Philadelphia, replacing Felipe in the 87th minute – it was the tenth league appearance of his young career, having joined the club in 2012.
    In his briefest of outings, the Terrebonne, Quebec-native completed one of three passes, won two headers and a tackle, made one clearance, and lost possession twice.
    The Rest
    Ashtone Morgan, Tesho Akindele, Bryce Alderson, and Nana Attakora were unused substitutes for their respective sides (Toronto, Dallas, Vancouver, and DC, respectively).
    All videos and quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
    Each week James takes a look at the contributions of Canadians in the league and the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Guest
    Sources close to the situation have confirmed that embattled Toronto mayor Rob Ford is putting together a $100-million bid to buy Toronto FC.
    He plans to re-brand the team the Argonauts Soccer Team and investigate the possibility of sharing a front office with the CFL football team of the same name, which he will also purchase.
    His brother, Doug, is expected to serve as team president.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Although the Fords would not comment, the source shared a series of Post It notes the brothers appeared to write to one another detailing the plan.
    "What about the soccer?" Doug wrote to Rob. "The Italians like that s***"
    The note went on to explain how owning the soccer team could appeal to the new Canadian vote and help secure Rob's reelection this fall.
    At first Rob was reluctant, but when Doug suggested including the Argos he was swayed.
    "What about if we made them a part of the Argos?" he asked. "Sex 'em up. Then I could see it."
    Excitedly Rob jumped in with both feet. He detailed plans to bring "cheerleaders and Pinball (Clemons)" to the team.
    "As long as we de-pussy it, it will be fine," Doug reassured Rob. "We'll get rid of those annoying hipster 'fans' of theirs and put real taxpayers in there. This could be brilliant!"
    The brothers exchanged several more Post Its with increasingly elaborate stadium plans, which eventually evolved into a plan to build an amusement park called ArgosLand in Trinity Bellwoods park.
    No one from TFC's current management was available for comment.
    Guest
    Sorry for the delay. I only write when we're winning...
    So, yeah. About that.
    Three nil. Sigh.
    I think it goes without saying that most people understand that MLS is a place where you can go from world beaters to bums pretty much overnight. And, then just as quickly go back to being world beaters.
    Logically, most TFC fans understand this. Emotionally, maybe not. After a two week run that made the Reds the talk if the league, it was a bit difficult going back to being, well, Toronto FC.
    Add to that the sight of Jermain Defoe limping off the field in the second half and logic becomes the last thing anyone is interested in.
    Losing sucks. Screw logic.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    But, you can't. Perspective and patience will need to be as much a part of the TFC experience in 2014 as exhilaration and excitement. Good MLS teams lose 10 games in this league. Good teams struggle to win on the road. Losing to RSL does not mean that TFC isn't a good team.
    There might have been evidence that they are yet to be a complete team yet though. That was expected going into the year and, although jarring to watch on Saturday, we all probably needed to be reminded of that.
    The biggest concern remains the depth. The best XI are as talented as any team in MLS, but the drop from there appears to remain large. Hall for Osorio was exhibit 1a for that. Defoe's limp the anxiety provoking underline.
    Finding depth is a long-term project. The problem for now is dealing with it while that happens. Perhaps the best way to do that is to remember that good teams lose 10 games in this league and that good teams struggle to win on the road.
    It is vital that TFC's best players are healthy for the run in to the season. This is a playoff league and TFC is a playoff caliber side. No one really remembers the Supporters' Shield winners.
    All of this is a long-winded way of saying that Toronto would be insane to play Defoe next weekend if they aren't 100 percent sure of his health.
    No one wants to lose to Columbus, but it will be OK if they do. That's especially the case if you are able to get some depth players minutes in the effort. You're going to need them eventually. It's better to know what you've got now, rather than finding out when it's too late to fix it later.
    After all, a MLS season is a Bloody Long Grind.
    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 04

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The fourth round of MLS play over this past weekend had a little bit of everything for one’s viewing pleasure.
    Nine matches were scheduled (eight on Saturday and one on Sunday) resulting in three draws and three way wins, as the Eastern Conference sought a bit of revenge against the feted West.
    If goals are what draw the eye – there were some 28 scored, including a perfect six-of-six from the penalty spot and a pair of horrendous and hilarious own-goals.
    Red cards and controversy more to one’s liking – well, 29 bookings and four straight reds (as well as a fifth dismissal for a pair of yellows), littered the weekend as the officials continued to flex their card muscles having returning to action last weekend post-strike.
    If drama is what makes the heart race – this round had no less than four stoppage-time goal that determined the outcome of the points and three more in the final ten minutes of play that proved integral to the result.
    Before those results, as always, the goals of the round:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    A trio of top class finishes - two from some of the best forwards in the league and the third from a contender looking to join them.
    Up first, Montreal’s Marco Di Vaio announces his return to MLS following a three-match suspension by rescuing a draw for his struggling side:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MYyMf9QqwXk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Give him an inch and he’ll take it.
    Next, Kansas City’s Dom Dwyer smashes home from a similar angle, opting to blast short-side instead, to grab the winner:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5SnM0fiOpdo?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Simply unstoppable.
    A little more subtle than those two was Salt Lake’s Alvaro Saborio, who punished Toronto’s loose lips (and marking) twice, thanks to some skillful midfield dominance from Javier Morales:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/02Tbm3uiXeg?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    On to the matches…
    Results in Brief
    DC 2 – Chicago 2
    DC United finally broke their goal-less drought with strikes from Fabian Espindola and Perry Kitchen after Jhon Kennedy Hurtado had put Chicago in front, only for a late Quincy Amarikwa equalizer to put a damper on a soggy night in the American capital.
    A pair of winless teams kicked off Saturday’s action - DC had lost their first two matches of the season, while Chicago followed up an opening day loss with consecutive draws.
    DC were on the prowl through the opening stages, but Hurtado put the visitors ahead in the 27th minute from a Harrison Shipp corner kick. The impressive homegrown rookie hit an out-swinger from the right to the edge of the six yard box, where the burly centre-back eluded his marker, Sean Franklin, and out-jumped Christian, to nod his header back against the grain into the top right corner of the goal.
    Eight minutes later United would finally notch their first of the season from a dead-ball routine just outside the box. Nick DeLeon ran over the ball, touching it back inside to set up Espindola’s thunderous left-footed drive that found a gap in the wall and beat Sean Johnson low to the bottom right corner of goal.
    The two scrapped to break the deadlock in the falling rain and DC took the advantage in the 73rd minute from an almighty scramble in the box. Espindola’s out-swinging corner from the left was won at the back-post by Bobby Boswell, but Johnson clawed it away from goal. Boswell’s follow up attempt struck the base of the right-post and bobbled around in the area before falling to Kitchen, who lifted in a right-footed finish and celebrated with a corner-flag-slide-and-pile-on befitting of a team in desperate need of a victory.
    But it was not to be.
    Nine minutes later a long Greg Cochrane cross isolated Patrick Nyarko on Christian deep in the right corner. The tricky Ghanaian nutmegged the defender en route to goal and cutback a pass for Amarikwa at the near-post – his right-footed drive beat Hamid to level the match at twos.
    While neither side could find the elusive victory they wanted, the draw was a fair result on the day. Ben Olsen, who viewed scoring as a step in the right direction, sees his DC pick up their first point, while extending their forgettable winless streak to fifteen matches – a new club record – having last won on August 3rd of last season (against Montreal).
    Frank Yallop’s Chicago, who drew a third-straight match, also remain without a win this season – something he hopes to redress with a home match next weekend.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Aa4w0a1CN9U?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Philadelphia 1 – Montreal 1
    Vincent Nogueira looked to have sealed a second win of the season for the Union, only for the returning Marco Di Vaio to make his presence known in the final ten minutes of play.
    Philadelphia and their revamped midfield have been one of the revelations of the new season – Mo Edu, Christian Maidana, and Nogueira have reinforced the always sturdy Brian Carroll, helping the Union control large swathes of each match they have played.
    And it was Nogueira who put the hosts in front after 35 minutes.
    A poor Heath Pearce ball was read by Carroll, who easily intercepted and played up to Jack McInerney racing up the right-side of the pitch, McInerney in turn laid a ball down the right-side of the box for Nogueira, who finished high over Troy Perkins with a right-footer on the break.
    Montreal entered as strugglers, opening the season with three-straight losses after embarrassing themselves in their playoff collapse in 2013 - one of the ramifications of which was Di Vaio’s three-match suspension.
    His absence had been severely felt by Montreal, who had not scored since opening day, shutout in their last two.
    When Andrew Wenger was sent off in the 76th minute for a rash tackle on the Union goal-scorer, it looked as though both streaks would continue. Cue Di Vaio.
    In the 80th minute, having warned Philadelphia with an offside look ten minutes earlier, Di Vaio collected the ball on the left after Justin Mapp pounced on a poor touch and turned up-field. The Italian finisher backed Amobi Okugo off, threatening to cut inside, as he is wont to do, but instead stayed wide and picked out the top right-corner of the goal with a pinpoint right-footed finish across Zac MacMath to level - it was his fifth goal is as many matches against Philadelphia.
    For John Hackworth’s Union, it was the second time this season they snatched a draw from the jaws of victory, having conceded a stoppage-time equalizer on opening day in Portland. Meanwhile, Frank Klopas picks up his first point in charge of the Impact, a much needed one.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lnrsmvX5QvE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Colorado 2 – Kansas City 3
    Another match, another pair of penalty kicks for Colorado – both converted by Vicente Sanchez - seemed to have put the hosts in the driver’s seat, but a dismissal for Marvell Wynne and goals from Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber and a stoppage-time winner from Dom Dwyer overturned the result.
    Zusi would open the scoring in the 50th minute; tapping in a low Sal Zizzo ball from two yards out after Paulo Nagamura played him past the stretching Marc Burch down the right side of the pitch. Ten minutes on, Colorado were given their first spot kick, after a curious decision that saw Ike Opara penalized when he appeared to fall on the ball after Sanchez sent a cross to the back post. Either way, the Uruguayan dispatched the opportunity to tie the match.
    Eight minutes later Sanchez again converted from the spot after Feilhaber scythed down Shane O’Neill in the box, leaving little doubt about this one – it was the fifth penalty kick awarded to the Rapids this season, four of which Sanchez has taken and scored.
    Feilhaber would find salvation for his error within a minute of the restart, whiffing on the first attempt before swatting in a right-footer from the ground after Zusi’s cross from the left was nodded into the middle by Zizzo. Colorado keeper, John Berner got a piece of it, but could not stop the shot from crossing the line and tying the match at two.
    Wynne, who had a tough match, was dismissed in the 85th for a second bookable offense, going in hard on Zusi and the hosts would have to see out the draw with ten men.
    Undaunted by a tricky – and perhaps, unfortunate – afternoon, Kansas City would craft a winner in the second minute of stoppage-time when Feilhaber played straight up the middle to Zusi, who in turn helped it on to Dwyer at the left-corner of the box. The substitute forward backed O’Neill off and made a yard of space for himself before unleashing a thunderous left-footed smash high to the near, top corner of the goal, leaving Berner little hope of preventing the inevitable.
    The last-minute loss is the first of Pablo Mastroeni’s career behind the bench for the Rapids, who had ridden the wave of penalties to a win and a draw through two matches. Peter Vermes’ defending champions add a second-straight win, having gone winless through their first two.
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    Vancouver 2 – Houston 1
    Goals from Jordan Harvey and Kenny Miller in the opening fifteen minutes of each half were enough for Vancouver to see out the challenge of Houston, who clawed one back late through Rico Clark.
    Houston, who had yet to concede through two wins at home, found themselves trailing after fourteen minutes in their first away match of the season, having been put off-balance by Vancouver’s yet-to-be-seen diamond 4-4-2.
    The breakthrough came from a half-cleared corner kick that was recycled back to Pedro Morales on the left, his cross was cleverly put behind a sluggish Dynamo back-line by Andy O’Brien’s header and Harvey reacted quickest, darting in behind and beating Tally Hall to the loose ball with a left-footed touch.
    Miller would double the advantage in the 58th minute from the penalty spot after Russell Teibert played Darren Mattocks down the left-side-line and the Jamaican speedster bore down on Kofi Sarkodie. Mattocks stepped around the defender, who went to ground, only for the ball to catch a trailing arm as Sarkodie slid – prompting the referee to point to the spot.
    Miller coolly dispatched from twelve paces, only for an over-eager Mattocks to encroach, thus forcing the Scotsman to take again, which he similarly put past Hall to reinforce the Vancouver advantage.
    It was reinforcement needed too, as a Brad Davis free-kick from deep on the right picked out Clark on a near-post run, flicking his header down into the bottom right-corner of the Whitecaps goal, to draw the Dynamo within one in the 75th minute. Such an equalizer would not come.
    Vancouver’s Carl Robinson continues the impressive start to his coaching career, unbeaten through four matches and a perfect two wins from two at home. Houston’s Dom Kinnear will look to shake off a disappointing road result before heading into next week’s Texas showdown back home.
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    Dallas 2 – Portland 1
    Dallas’ triumphant stroll through the first month of the season continued thanks to goals from Blas Perez and Mauro Diaz, despite an unfortunate own-goal from Matt Hedges, which handed a life-line to a struggling Portland.
    It was a busy night for the officials, who were more than eager to pull out the cards – booking Portland centre-back, Norberto Paparotto, inside the first three minutes of play. A bizarre decision saw both Dallas’ Je-Vaughan Watson and Portland’s Michael Harrington dismissed in the 40th minute, after the two clashed off-the-ball behind the play, reducing each side to ten men.
    The match opened up with the extra space and Perez, the consummate poacher, exploited that space in the third minute of first half stoppage-time with a predatory header. Left-back Jair Benitez drove into the top left-corner of the box and hit a lazy cross to the back-post where his opposite full-back, Kelyn Acosta, nodded it down into the middle. Perez was on hand to pounce, redirecting the ball into the left-side of goal with a strong header past backup keeper, Andrew Weber, in for the suspended Donovan Ricketts.
    Portland, who struggled to find much purchase despite good attacking play, were gifted an equalizer on a good build. Will Johnson found Diego Valeri moving down the right-channel from the centre-circle, who in turn threaded a ball to Max Urruti inside the arc. The Argentine tried to lay a ball to the right for Kalif Alhassan only for his poked pass to carom off the leg of Matt Hedges, loop up and handcuff Chris Seitz in goal as it sailed into the Dallas net.
    But true to form, Dallas would find the eventual winner from a broken set-piece in the 84th minute. Michel, whose free-kick had salvaged a point against Kansas City two week previous, curled another ball into the box. It was half-cleared and put back into the crowd at the top of the box, falling kindly for the evermore impressive Diaz, who made a yard of space moving to the right and finished with a low right-footed shot that found the bottom left-corner of the goal.
    With the win, Oscar Pareja’s Dallas remain unbeaten and take an early hold atop the league with three wins and a draw. Caleb Porter’s Portland, however, who many projected to be contenders this season and an attacking force, are still winless through four matches with just three goals scored.
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    Salt Lake 3 – Toronto 0
    Salt Lake dismissed any early speculation about the quality of Toronto with a resounding victory at home on a brace from Alvaro Saborio and another from Luis Gil.
    It was billed as a clash of top sides, but the difference between potential and earned plaudits was evident from the start. It took just eleven minutes for Salt Lake to take the lead from the penalty spot after Doneil Henry spun Saborio to the ground inside the Toronto box. The Costa Rican striker would convert and pretty much seal the result from there.
    Seventeen minutes later Luis Gil added a second for the home side. Saborio was again involved in the buildup, dummying a Javier Morales ball to Chris Wingert wide on the left. His cross was deflect off Bradley Orr, falling to Gil above the right-post, where his left-footed shot kicked up off the sliding challenges of Henry and Justin Morrow to elude Julio Cesar in the Toronto goal.
    If the first two could be deemed unlucky on TFC, the third dispelled any doubt about which side was superior, as Morales, who was scintillating on the night, collected the ball from midfield partner Kyle Beckerman, chipped a pass over Steven Caldwell caught in no-man’s land, to Saborio, who touched past Cesar and bounced his finish in off the right-post.
    Dismayed, Toronto would have a few good looks, including a Michael Bradley shot from distance that froze Nick Rimando and struck the base of the post, but consolation would not be found.
    The win stretches Jeff Cassar’s – ‘Hail Cassar’ scarves were cleverly circulated – unbeaten start to his managerial career to four matches with two wins and two draws through four potentially troublesome fixtures – who needs a savior when there is an emperor about. The loss was the first for Ryan Nelsen’s rebuilt side this season after opening with a pair of wins and should prove as both a lesson and a target as the year progresses.
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    Seattle 1 – Columbus 2
    In an alliterative contest, the hosts would take the lead through Kenny Cooper in the first half, only for Federico Higuain and Justin Meram to find vengeance in the final half hour of play.
    Matches between the Seattle Sounders and the Columbus Crew have been interesting since the former entered the league by poaching the cup-winning coach from the latter. The Sigi Schmid-derby (fittingly more alliteration there) got underway in the 22nd minute when Cooper stole down the left in transition. The big man used the run of Lamar Neagle to buy space, opened his body, and placed a right-footed shot across Steve Clark to the right-side of the Columbus goal.
    While hardly in charge – Higuain had struck the bar with a looping chip and Bernardo Anor missed a sitter from the follow-up before half-time – Seattle looked to have a grasp of the match only for it to turn shortly before the hour mark.
    Dominic Oduro, nightmarish haircut and all, had snuck in behind Djimi Traore on a bouncing ball and found himself in alone on Stefan Frei. The centre-back could not help himself, inserting a high boot into the mix, sending Oduro to the ground as Frei saved the attempt, giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot and show Traore red, reducing the hosts to ten men.
    Higuain would take the chance from the spot, leveling the match at one and Columbus would press for a winner that would not come.
    Then, from virtually the last kick of the match, Higuain took a quick, left-sided corner kick short to Meram at the edge of the box, catching both the Sounders and the official by surprise. The substitute shaped a perfect shot over the crowd into the top right-corner of the goal in the 94th minute to seal the victory.
    Schmid’s Seattle decried the double jeopardy and the dastardly quick-wittedness of Columbus, falling to a second straight home loss. Gregg Berhalter’s Crew continue their perfect start to the season with a third-consecutive win, though perhaps thanks to a bit of good fortune on this night.
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    San Jose 1 – New England 2
    A Victor Bernardez own-goal and a bit of late magic from Lee Nguyen saw visiting New England turn the narrative on hosts, San Jose, cancelling out a Chris Wondolowski strike.
    Saturday ended as it began – with a pair of winless teams meeting in a wet match.
    Rain played a role in much of round four, but nowhere was its effects more obvious than in the slip-and-slide first half of this match as neither side seemed prepared for the drenched field conditions thanks to a rainy afternoon, causing players to fall all over the place in a misadventure of a first half.
    Fittingly, the opening goal came from just such a blunder. Miscommunication between Jon Busch and Jordan Stewart saw the Earthquakes keeper rush off his line to collect a Diego Fagundez ball just as his full-back touched it back towards goal. Rolling goal-ward, Bernardez scattered back for a routine sliding clearance, only to catch one foot with the other and turn it into his own net in the 35th minute.
    It was New England’s first goal for of the season, ending a three-hundred-plus minute dry spell – and they didn’t even have to score it themselves.
    San Jose would finally awake on the hour mark – as usual – with Chris Wondolowski making up for a poor attempt into the side-netting five minutes earlier by scoring his second goal of the season in the 69th minute.
    Cordell Cato stole down the right-side and drove a ball to the near-post, where Jose Goncalves was on hand to turn it away. His clearance fell straight to Wondolowski, who made space to drive a low, right-footed shot across the face of goal, finding its way through the crowd and the keeper to nestle inside the far-netting.
    The Earthquakes are renowned for their late match-altering strikes, but those who live by the sword, must occasionally suffer its fate themselves.
    In the third minute of stoppage-time, Charlie Davies took a quick free-kick to Scott Caldwell, catching San Jose out of position. Caldwell put Nguyen in down the left-channel, from whence he moved in-field past a retreating Clarence Goodson and faked a shot before tucking a right-footer into the bottom left-corner of the goal to win the match for the visitors.
    With the defeat, Mark Watson’s San Jose remain winless on the season, having lost their last two after a resounding draw against Salt Lake to open the season. Jay Heaps’ New England notch not only their first goals – including one they actually scored – but grab a first win of 2014.
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    New York 1 – Chivas 1
    In Sunday’s lone match, it appeared as though Erick Torres’ strike would stand up as the game-winner when Chivas visited New York, but Peguy Luyindula had other plans, salvaging a draw in the 95th minute of action with the last play of the match.
    New York’s dreadful first half saw Armando booked early, Tim Cahill leave injured and Chivas take the lead after 25 minutes from the penalty spot after Richard Eckersley obstructed Thomas McNamara from leaping for a Mauro Rosales cross from the right.
    Red-hot ‘Cubo’ Torres converted straight down the middle as Luis Robles dove to his left, notching his fourth goal in as many matches – one in each.
    Jamison Olave would send their best chance of the first half over the bar from a Thierry Henry free-kick in stoppage-time and Eckersley too would leave injured during the break.
    New York, no doubt after a stern talking to, would come out for the second half in desperate search of an equalizer that refused to come. Whether missed, deflected, or saved by Dan Kennedy, it looked as though the Red Bulls’ search would be in vain – even Dax McCarty’s wonderful half-volley that looked to dip under the bar from the outside the box was turned away by the leap of Kennedy, standing on his head once more.
    But in the 95th minute with virtually the last kick of the game, Eric Alexander set an in-swinging corner kick into the box from the left and Luyindula escaped his marker, Adolfo Bautista, found an inch of space at the edge of the six yard box to win the header, helping it on to the right-side of goal to tie the match at one.
    The disappointing afternoon, though saved, extended New York’s winless start to the season to four matches with a third-straight draw – Mike Petke was not best pleased post-match. Though disappointed to drop two points late, Wilmer Cabrera will undoubtedly be satisfied with the effort his troubled team has put into their first four matches.
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    CanCon
    As usual, the extended look at the Canadian contributions will be posted tomorrow (Tuesday) midday – pickings were rather slim with only Russell Teibert, Will Johnson, and Doneil Henry starting matches for their respective sides.
    But debut appearances for Karl Ouimette, Kyle Bekker, and, MLS newcomer, Issey Nakajima-Farran will provide some fodder for discussion.
    Overheard
    More on that off-screen double-dismissal in Dallas (alliteration is fun) – from the referee, Sorin Stoica to the pool reporter, “The players were moving out from Portland’s penalty area when Watson struck Harrington. Harrington struck him back. Both were off the ball. Both players were sent off for violent conduct.”
    Both players responded to the charge post-match:
    Je-Vaughan Watson - “I’m still pissed I got a red card for nothing. He didn’t say nothing to me and I didn’t say nothing to him. So I don’t even know what to say, because it was like he just issued a red card for nothing at all.”
    Michael Harrington - “I probably do something like that in a match every game that I’ve ever played in my career. It’s a physical game that we play. We’re not swimming or anything like that. It’s going to get physical, guys are going to get shoving sometimes and like I said it wasn’t like we were fighting or anything or like it was a serious scuffle. I was pretty shocked by it.”
    A touch of the Commentator’s Curse struck in Seattle when Ross Fletcher on the call could not stop himself from uttering, “I can’t believe that Columbus haven’t got a winning goal at the very last” as the clock struck 93:37 in the fourth and final minute of stoppage-time. By 93:43 the ball in the net.
    Mike Petke’s disappointment brought some harsh words for his starters, “I’m going to pay very close attention to the reserve players throughout this week because there has to come a point that some of these kids are given the opportunity they deserve.*… But we need some life in this team at times and we saw it in the second half, but we saw it very sparingly throughout the first four games.*That to me – talk tactics all you want, talk individual players and mistakes – but at the end of the day, if we’re going to come out flat like that, then might as well not come out at all.”
    See It Live
    Plenty of little Easter eggs scattered throughout the round – Mike Magee’s reaction to getting bumped by the referee was priceless, as was Uri Rosell’s attempt to keep his feet as he tracked back at pace – can’t; stop; running; and Federico Higuain’s chip off the bar followed by Bernardo Anor’s miss exhibited both sides of the game.
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    Then there was Victor Bernardez’ horror own-goal:
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    Controversy
    A whole raft of controversy this weekend:
    Did Montreal’s Andrew Wenger deserve to see red for this tackle? Should Kansas City’s Eric Kronberg and Portland's Pa Modou Kah only have seen yellows for their respective infractions? And what to make of the double reds in Dallas?
    Was that really a penalty kick on Ike Opara? What about on Kofi Sarkodie? Did Alvaro Saborio use his veteran guile to goad Doneil Henry into this one?
    And what about the
    that drew protestations from the Sounders at the referee allowing the play to restart so quickly? Something similar struck in San Jose as caught out the home side, but was the ball moving? Should it have been retaken?Upcoming Fixtures
    Another nine fixtures on the docket for next weekend, with a smattering of rivalry matches to spice up the round – the first Cascadia match of the season, Texas and LA derbies, and a rematch of last season’s MLS Cup Final; not too shabby.
    Saturday: Portland-Seattle; Montreal-New York; Chicago-Philadelphia; Columbus-Toronto; Vancouver-Colorado; DC-New England; Houston-Dallas; Kansas City-Salt Lake. Sunday: Chivas-Los Angeles.
    All video and quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
    Each week James takes a look at the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Guest
    So that happened.
    All over the TFC internet fans were waking up the morning after and trying to figure out what it means.
    Among other things, the tendency will probably be to blame Jeremy Hall -- since he's a popular scapegoat (and it's not like he played particularly well) -- but, in terms of formation, as alluded to in my match preview yesterday, TFC were always in danger of being overwhelmed no matter who was paired with Michael Bradley. Ryan Nelsen didn't seem to make any obvious tactical adjustments[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] to counter RSL's diamond, 4 > 2, and Javi Morales ran riot to a soundtrack of Kristian Jack superlatives.
    Keep in mind though: even good MLS CMs would have a hard time dealing with Morales on their own!
    This is where too much writing and discussion about football tactics becomes dangerous, however. The truth is that we don’t know if Ryan Nelsen made the correct tactical choices and never can. It certainly looked like Toronto were completely disorganized and had no idea how deal with RSL but there’s literally no way to run the counterfactual and actually test any hypothesis.
    The fact is that there is no perfect formation, and even a perfectly organized tactical system can be undone by a moment of inspiration, lack of concentration, just plain better players, or the happenstance of luck. While there have been periods of tactical stasis in the history of the game – W-M in England, or the now bizarre asymmetrical sweeper systems in ‘60s Italy – the reason there’s normally tactical evolution is that formations are reactive: they give your players a numerical advantage in some space at the expense of exposing yourself in another.
    So, avoiding the word should, let’s examine what Ryan Nelsen could have done when faced by the question of Salt Lake’s (now somewhat novel for MLS) diamond midfield.
    After two wins to start the season Nelsen would have needed a TON of guts to drop a forward, likely Gilberto, but could have done so in favour of a 4-5-1 (4-2-3-1):
    Beltran----Borchers--Schuler-----Wingert
    --------------------Defoe
    ------------------Beckerman
    --------------------Bradley*
    ------Grabavoy------------------Gil
    -----Rey---------------------------Bloom(Issey?)
    ---------------------Morales
    -----------------Hall-------Bekker(?)
    ------------Garcia----------Saborio
    Morrow------Henry---Caldwell--------Orr
    Here, you're inviting Beltran and Wingert forward and the game would turn on their contribution relative to Morrow and Orr's. I'd rather that than giving Morales the space he enjoyed. When you've got to pick your poison, pick the good, but not exceptional, fullbacks over the star CAM!
    The funny thing, however, is that if Ryan Nelsen had done that, and TFC had lost 2 - 1, it'd have been objectively better than what ended up happening but he'd likely be slaughtered by critics for being too conservative (after the wins). Who knows what his ultimate boss, Tim Lieweke, would think about seeing one of his expensive assets dropped in favour of an NCAA draftee too. That’s not to say that TFC’s line-up is selected by the marketing department, but we, as fans, should remain cognizant of the fact that there are always more forces at play inside a club than we’re privy to.
    Regardless, this is likely where the loss of Matias Laba finally caught up with TFC. The management tried hard to keep him and you can see why. Michael Bradley is undoubtedly a more dynamic player but, with Osorio and Jackson out, they didn't really have another steady, tactically aware and energetic tackler (beyond Hall, depending on your opinion) to create a 3-man CM that could swamp Morales and Beckerman and prevent them from dictating the game's rhythm.
    That’s the real lesson if there is one: TFC is still a ways away from becoming a consistent and deep enough team to really be considered an elite squad in MLS. There will be times when reality bites hard and an overstretched roster is exposed. Only years of steady talent identification and acquisition can rectify that. So maybe, let’s not get hung up on that and, rather, embrace what success the quick-fix has already enjoyed.
    Now, being a notably conservative guy myself when it comes to football tactics, I prefer the suggestion above. Alternately, and again this would have taken TONS of guts, Nelsen could have gone all Aron Winter:
    Beltran----Borchers--Schuler-----Wingert
    ---DeRo----------Gilberto-------Defoe
    ------------------Beckerman
    --------------------Bradley*
    ------Grabavoy------------------Gil
    ---------------------Morales
    -----------------Hall-------Bekker(?)
    ------------Garcia----------Saborio
    Morrow------Henry---Caldwell--------Orr
    It'd be entertaining, they'd probably lose 4 - 2 (or something like a baseball score) but at least there's a tactical logic to it. You've pegged back the RSL fullbacks, double teamed Morales, and asked Grabavoy and Gil to be the difference makers. If Orr and Morrow pick the right times to step up to support the midfield, TFC could find joy in attack and not be overwhelmed in midfield.
    Done right, they’d have been the ones dictating the shape of the game to Salt Lake. It’s a reason the formation has become popular again with the world’s elite teams: if you’re good enough, it presents all sorts of problems that your opponent must react to. Again though: if you’re good enough (as TFC learned under Winter).
    That said, the reality is that this is a brand new team, forced into sub-optimal personnel changes already, who are still probably figuring out how to play their coach’s preferred system! Asking them to switch things up only three games into this new era is probably very unrealistic.
    As it was Rey and Bloom were totally ineffective on both sides of the ball, because of their inability to get involved RSL dominated an overworked CM, and TFC looked completely at sea. Their 4-4-2 was neither solid, nor consistently two banks of four as Michael Bradley went hunting Beckerman and the centrebacks got pulled forward to help Hall.
    And there's no legislating for a Doneil Henry judo throw (even if it probably was just a matter of time).
    *Yes, that's Bradley at the point of the triangle in both formations. That's quite intentional because it's how he plays anyways and it would let him harry Beckerman without leaving Hall alone with Morales (as ended up happening in the actual match). Read this article by Michael Cox (of the excellent Zonal Marking blog) on Bradley's role in the evolution of the CAM away from a traditional #10 into a high-pressing hard runner if you doubt me.
    Michael Crampton has never taken a coaching course, never played the game at a high enough level for tactics to matter, and did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. He did, however, read Jonathon Wilson’s Inverting the Pyramid which probably creates an unrealistic expectation that he knows anything about football tactics. Please keep the above in mind while you slaughter him in the comments.
    Guest

    OttCityFootie Pod #2

    By Guest, in OttCityFootie,

    Brad Fougere sits down with Jon Eden of Canucks Abroad after the Ottawa Fury preseason match against Syracuse University to talk about the Rochester Rhinos game roadtrip and the most recent game March 29, 2014.
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