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    Guest
    Vancouver Whitecaps are back on the road and looking to put in a better performance than last week's draw with ten man Chivas USA.
    The AFTN team preview the game out east in Foxborough with the help of Revs reporter and co-founder of <a href="http://www.nesoccertoday.com" target="_blank"><u>New England Soccer Today</u></a> <b>Sean Donahue</b> (<a href="https://twitter.com/seanldonahue" target="_blank">@SeanLDonahue</a> on Twitter).
    Sean looks at the Revs winless start to the new season, what may lie behind it, discusses the latest in the Jose Goncalves contract situation, and a lot more besides.
    Who are the danger men that the Whitecaps need to watch out for? What are the keys to both team's success? Will Carl Robinson make any line up changes? That's all discussed here and <b>Carl Robinson</b> shares some of this thoughts ahead of the game.
    And there's still time for <b>Predictapooch</b> to cast his wily paws over the weekend's action. He's 100% for the season, but after a toy picking calamity, which ball will he select this week?
    [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/5096772/url/http%253A%252F%252Faftn.podbean.com%252F2014%252F03%252F20%252Fepisode-49-the-aftn-soccer-podcast-talking-about-a-revolution%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1?skin=3" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
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    Guest
    Yesterday we broke down the TFC v Seattle game in part I of Jock Math. In part II we will provide a look at some league-wide categories. It's still too early to draw too much from the numbers, so we will save true analytics until we are deeper into the season.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The first stat we will look at is the league wide Total Shot Ratio. Consider this CSN's MLS Power Ratings!
    1. Galaxy .750
    2. San Jose .692
    3. Chivas .666
    4. Colorado .620
    5. Portland .600
    6. Seattle .586
    7. Kansas City .562
    8. Montreal .553
    9. DC United .550
    10. Philly .523
    11. Houston .485
    12. Vancouver .478
    13. Columbus .473
    14. New England .428
    15. Toronto .409
    16. Chicago .375
    17. New York .372
    18. Dallas .365
    19. Salt Lake .280
    Again, this will take about four weeks before trends start to shake out. So, I'll resist pointing out that the MLSSoccer.com Power Rankings might be jumping gun on Houston at No 1.
    Now for some individual numbers.
    I tweaked Defensive Involvement this week, removing Recoveries (which is a negative stat that requires a team to lose the ball to acquire) and adding Aerial Battles -- the ability to win the ball in the air. So, it's the total amount of Aerial Battles, Interceptions, Tackles and Clearances that a player gets per 90 minutes.
    DI leaders for Week 2
    1. Norberto Paparatto (PDX) - 26.5
    2. Jose Goncalves (NER) - 26
    3. Bakary Saumare (Chi) - 25
    4. Doneil Henry (TFC) - 23
    4. Drew Moor (Col) - 23
    6. Armando (NYRB) - 22
    7. Ibrahim Sekagya (NYRB) - 21
    8. Bobby Burling (Chivas) - 20.5
    9. Andrew Farrell (NER) - 20
    10. Steven Lenhart (SJ) - 18
    10. Mo Edu (Philly) -18
    Yeah, Toronto. Fourth.
    Moving to the offensive side of the ball we look at Key Passes plus Shots.
    KP+S leaders fie week 2 (per 90 min)
    1. Landon Donovan (LAG) - 10
    2. Shea Salinas (SJ) - 9
    3. Steven Lenhart (SJ) - 8
    3. Robbie Keane (LAG) - 8
    5. Deshorn Brown (Col) - 7
    5. Diego Valeri (PDX) - 7
    5. Erick Torres (Chivas) - 7
    5. Thierry Henry (NYRB) - 7
    5. Juninho (LAG) - 7
    5. Marcelo Sarvas (LAG) - 7
    Moving on to pass percentage (min 30 passes/game average)
    1. Michael Parkhurst (CBS) - 92.2
    2. Mauro Diaz (Dal) - 91.9
    3. Javier Morales (RSL) - 90.5
    4. Perry Kitchen (DCU) - 90.2
    5. Tony Tchani (CBS) - 89.8
    5. Marcelo Sarvas (LAG) - 89.8
    7. Shaun Francis (SJ) - 89.5
    8. Matt Besler (SKC) - 89.3
    9. Amobi Okugo (Philly) - 88.9
    10. Will Trapp (CBS) - 88.0
    These represent the basic categories we will be tracking. Once the season gets older we will start to look deeper into these numbers and at other categories.
    Guest
    Possession is a funny thing in soccer. For a long time it was undervalued, especially in places where the English influence was too strong.
    English tactics were based on the misguided notion that the longer a team held the ball the less likely it would be that they would score--goals happened after a quick succession of direct passing that got the ball into the 18-yard box as quickly as possible.
    This thinking is why my greatest memory of my youth soccer experience is my coach screaming BOOT IT from the sideline.
    HOOFBALL! is no longer in fashion. In many ways that's a good thing--if I was allowed to actually, you know, dribble the ball, maybe I would have been just a mediocre player rather than a terrible one.
    However, it isn't all perfect. Rather than understanding that there is more than one way to play the game we switched our obsession 180 degrees. Now, we are possession zealots.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    That possession numbers are held up as the be all end all statistic in any game. If a team loses with a high possession number then our instincts are to suggest that they were unlucky. We rarely consider that the opposition's tactics played a role in the number.
    What's especially interesting in MLS is that it's a league where there is almost no correlation between possession and winning. Actually, there might be a slight correlation: the team with less possession wins more often than the team with the possession advantage does
    Odd, eh?
    Why that is is subject to debate and study and will be something we watch throughout the year.
    With the caution that one game in isolation does not tell us anything about long-term trends, let's start by trying to evaluate Toronto's win over Seattle.
    In Seattle, it's being suggested by some that TFC were lucky to win based on their 32% possession number. Beyond the obvious fact that a visiting team that's up two goals 24 minutes into a game is going to adjust tactics to defend more, what did allow Toronto to win with such a low number?
    An idea could be gleaned from looking at Seattle's team passing. Seattle completed an astounding 622 passes. However, 530 were short passes with the vast majority taking place in the middle of the pitch. Although, Seattle's 68% possession number was the highest of the week, a statistically average 33% of the game was played in Toronto's defensive third.
    That suggests that Toronto gave up possession in the middle of the pitch as part of an effort to maintain defensive organization.
    The TSR ratio backs up that suggestion. Although Seattle dominated pure possession they did not create a great deal of opportunities from that. Total shots were just 13-9 in favour of the Sounders, with Toronto actually directing more on target (4-2) than Seattle.
    If TFC were truly bunkering (which implies they were holding on for dear life) then you'd expect much more attempts than 13. No, what Toronto did was adjust tactics to reflect a road lead.
    Where TFC's play really becomes impressive is when you look at individual performance. Using Whoscored.com's stats, we see that four of the top five performances were by TFC players. Those top five WSR's were: Bradley (8.07), Defoe (7.94), Osorio (7.89), Alonso (7.74) and Henry (7.65).
    The spine of TFC -- and building a spine is how you build successfully build MLS teams -- vastly outplayed Seattle. Additionally, the game's top player was, well, amazing.
    If Michael Bradley plays at this level all year he will be the runaway MVP of MLS. Sadly, I can't back this opinion up with numbers, but I'm pretty confident Saturday's numbers would be among the best single game performances in TFC history.
    Let's take a closer look. On the defensive side of things Bradley did exactly what you'd hope a No 6 would do. He had 7 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 clearances and 1 arial duel. His Defensive Involvement (11) number was the game's second best among non-defenders behind Jonathan Osorio's 12 (!).
    But, it was the offensive numbers that really jumped out. Bradley had 1 shot, 4 key passes, 1 dribble, 2 won fouls and only turned the ball over once.
    His S+KP number was by far the best in the game.
    However, Bradley's performance was expected. Doneil Henry's was not and it might have been the biggest bright spot on the day.
    Henry had the best Defensive Involvement number of the day with 5 arial duels, 3 tackles, 2 interceptions and 13 clearances (23 DI). As a comparison former Defender of the Year Chad Marshall had a line of 6-2-3-5--16.
    Again, one game. But, it was a remarkable game that looks even better the deeper you look at it.
    Later today we will have the week 2 league leaders in our advanced stat categories posted.
    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.
    The top three spots this week go to Jonathan Osorio, Patrice Bernier, and Doneil Henry, with special mention for Will Johnson, who suffered only in that he forgot to put on his scoring boots.
    Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio began and completed Toronto’s season opening 1-2 win in Seattle; stationed in the central midfield alongside Michael Bradley, Osorio had a very impressive start to his sophomore campaign in MLS.
    Throughout the off-season, many voiced concerns that Bradley would be forced to sit deep, thus not fully utilizing his box-to-box skills, or that Jermain Defoe would be starved of service in an anemic TFC attack – Osorio responded to such accusations immediately and with aplomb.
    He showed an uncanny ability to read the intentions of his midfield partner (given how little they have played together), moving forward when able, but more often staying deep to allow for Bradley’s forays forward – answering the first concern. And it took just seventeen minutes to formulate a response to the second, threading a lovely ball inside the Seattle right-back to spring Defoe, who scored his first MLS goal:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NTT1yeH59ws?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    It was not all smooth sailing however, as once too often a pass went astray, ultimately resulting in Seattle’s consolation goal when his feed for Jackson was intercepted by Chad Marshall, precipitating a counterattack (pass not shown, but the result is):
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/oPnRm74C5T8?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    The Toronto, Ontario-native completed 27 of 37 passes, lost possession thirteen times, made eight recoveries, seven clearances, and three interceptions in a very busy performance, committing a pair of fouls, while earning one, winning and losing a tackle each way.
    After the match, Defoe revealed a conversation between the two - “I said to Jonathan, I said to him, ‘when I make the runs, just look for me,’ and he said, ‘yeah, I’ll look for you straight away’.*It was an unbelievable pass.”
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier made his first start of the season in Montreal’s 1-0 loss in Houston, having sat out the opener in Dallas as he recovered fitness following off-season surgery.
    On the right of the midfield-base, paired with Hernan Bernardello, Bernier got stuck in immediately and had a nice little battle going with Brad Davis through the opening stages.
    His scintillating passing was on display, swinging a nice ball out wide for Eric Miller, before hitting a lovely long-range weighted pass for Felipe.
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=E0MWg3bDqueSQv8-xP679MxqMIvQlgUJ"></script>
    Bernier showed a little bit of rust, sending a later attempt to no one in particular and getting stripped easily by Oscar Boniek Garcia when he tried to surge into the box.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native’s shooting however, was not lacking, forcing a big save out of Houston keeper, Tally Hall, with this right-footed lash from distance.
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=VhaGg3bDqA5G0JXroug8gXTa0SNT17df"></script>
    He worked hard on the other side of the ball too, tracking all the way back to the end-line to see out the danger of an Andrew Driver run with a savvy bit of defensive reading, before making way for Blake Smith in what was likely a pre-arranged substitution in the 72nd minute.
    Post-match the Montreal captain commented, "I was pleased to step back on the field and contribute. It was a frustrating game because we showed a lot of effort but couldn’t take a point. We created several scoring chances and played well defensively against a team that is hard to beat at home. We are progressing and we want to continue in this direction next week at home."
    Doneil Henry
    Henry went the full ninety in Toronto’s win over Seattle.
    From his left centre-back position alongside Steven Caldwell, Henry put in another physically dominant performance – whether outracing Obafemi Martins to a loose ball or winning a header over Marshall (not an easy feat), he was a force to be reckoned with.
    It was his header than turned a Seattle half-clearance towards Osorio, leading to Defoe’s opener, while the big centre-back got on the end of a TFC corner kick to nearly grab one of his own – taking a shin to the face for his troubles:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=xheWM3bDoydAruDTHBaMUrmomstmcPfi"></script>
    His defensive aggression was both an asset – stopping Dempsey dead in his tracks on one occasion – and a detriment - by getting draw in on Marco Pappa, he allowed space behind for the midfielder’s back-heel to play in Martins, only to be saved by Caldwell’s big block; while it was his lunging tackle near the halfway line that played a role in the odd-man rush that led to Dempsey’s goal in the 68th minute.
    He finished the match, despite rubbing his hamstring after a big tackle on Chad Barrett in the closing minutes.
    The Brampton, Ontario-native completed 17 of 23 passes, lost possession seven times, had one headed shot - off target, committed two fouls and suffered one, while making thirteen clearances, six recoveries, a pair of interceptions. He also won two of his three tackles.
    Will Johnson
    Johnson made his second consecutive start for Portland in their 1-1 draw against Chicago, the club he began his MLS career with back in 2005, on Sunday.
    Again alongside Diego Chara at the base of the Timbers midfield, Johnson was the driving force of the side, though he failed to capitalize on several good looks at goal throughout the match.
    First he whistled a low free-kick wide of the post, then curled a volley from a Diego Valeri free-kick off target, before being denied by Chicago keeper, Sean Johnson, when a chance fell to him at the back-post.
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=BqeXQ3bDpYegom_ZuFtujVpo6zAmhW37&pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f"></script>
    He later made an attempt to get on his bike for a high ball in the Chicago box, only for Gonzalo Segares to get enough in the way to prevent connection, and finally, most frustratingly, Johnson failed to capitalize on a dreadful Fire mix-up that gave him a clean look at an open goal, only to roll a weak shot wide.
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=B4bHU3bDrX6pRkTUuOnBr4slLsEIv08G&pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f"></script>
    And those are just a few of the chances he missed on the day.
    The Toronto-born midfielder completed 31 of his 39 passes; lost possession nine times, attempted five shots – two on goal, while making eight recoveries, three clearances, two interceptions, and won one tackle.
    Dwayne De Rosario
    De Rosario made the first appearance of his second-stint with Toronto FC in their win over Seattle – it was his 58th MLS appearance for the club.
    Starting the match as a forward, paired up top with Defoe, De Rosario was lively if slightly understated in his performance, perhaps indicative of his willingness to play a little more for the team than many expect.
    It was, in part, his intelligent pressure that helped force the turnover that led to Defoe’s second of the afternoon:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ma2RFURLIkI?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    He would possibly have had one of his own, if right-back Mark Bloom had not picked the wrong pass in a counter, where De Rosario did very well to hold the line having put himself in excellent position to ghost in unmarked with a simple through-ball, but the pass never came.
    De Rosario drifted between playing out-and-out striker and dropping into the midfield to counter Seattle’s numerical advantage in the middle; especially taking care to do some more often once the two-goal led had been achieved, before making way for the fresh legs of Andrew Wiedeman in the 63rd minute.
    The Scarborough, Ontario-legend completed 10 of his 16 passes, lost possession just eight times (very good for De Ro), had his one shot blocked, made a pair of recoveries, and tellingly committed three fouls, while winning two.
    The Rest
    Ashtone Morgan was on the bench for TFC in Seattle, he entered the fray in the 93rd minute – even if the unofficial scoresheet says he entered in the 89th (he didn’t) - replacing Jackson, mostly as a substitute to kill a few seconds off the clock.
    Kyle Bekker, Karl Ouimette, Wandrille Lefevre, and Bryce Alderson were all on the bench as unused substitutes for their respective sides (Toronto, Montreal, Montreal, and Vancouver, for those not paying attention).
    Russell Teibert missed out on Vancouver’s 1-1 draw at Chivas with a hamstring concern that had kept him out of training, if not on the injury report.
    A handful of Canadians have been sent out on loan to USL PRO – Toronto’s Quillan Roberts and Manny Aparicio were sent to Wilmington, while Vancouver’s Jackson Farmer, though not technically part of the MLS roster, has joined Charleston.
    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

    MLS Week in Review – Round 02

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The second week of the 2014 MLS season took place over the weekend with eight matches (six Saturday and two Sunday), resulting in five draws and just one away win, as teams still find themselves struggling with late fitness through the early going.
    Goals were at a premium this round with only nineteen scored, including a perfect two-for-two from the spot; considering six of those came in San Jose and that just three of the sixteen teams on display managed more than a single strike, this weekend was hardly a goal-fest.
    Some 33 yellow cards were flashed and the first red card was shown, to Chicago’s Patrick Nyarko for a pair of yellows within nine minutes of each other. Not to be outdone, Chivas’ Agustin Pelletieri saw the first straight red of the season in Sunday’s second match for a more-clumsy-than-malicious hop in Los Angeles.
    Before the results, the goals of the round:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    With so few from which to chose, only two are really worth highlighting, but some textbook plays will be applauded in postscript.
    Up first is Toronto’s Jermaine Defoe, who announced his introduction to MLS with a brace 24 minutes into his debut in Seattle. Each exhibited his deadly finishing skills and sharpness in the final third, but the first earns the plaudits.
    Many were concerned that Defoe would be starved for service in an anemic TFC attack, but Jonathan Osorio and Doneil Henry served him up on a platter in the 17th minute for the opener:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NTT1yeH59ws?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Expect to see many more of those this season.
    Salt Lake’s Kyle Beckerman earns the second nod with this pinpoint accurate finish from range, kissing his left-footed shot off the inside of the left-post to draw his side level early in San Jose:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BcDqZsR2VN4?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Who does not like a fierce strike from distance?
    Honourable mentions for a trio of exemplary plays, textbook in their execution – Seattle shows how a
    should be done, while San Jose make the most of a , and Dallas give a lesson on how to best use a . Results in Brief
    Philadelphia 1 – New England 0
    The Union continued their strong start to the season, following that impressive draw in Portland, with a win in their home opener over the Revolution thanks to a Sebastien Le Toux strike just after a half-hour mark.
    Surprise starter Leo Fernandes, who was called into action mere minutes before kickoff as Brian Carroll succumbed to illness, proved the difference maker, beating Andrew Farrell to a Fabinho pass up the left-wing, upending the defender before dashing towards goal and hitting a low ball through the six-yard box that Le Toux beat goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth to, redirecting it in with a right-foot.
    New England suffered a rude shock on opening day in Houston and coach Jay Heaps responded to that disappointment by leaving stalwart centre-back Jose Goncalves out of the game-day lineup, much to the surprise of many.
    Philadelphia bossed the opening third of the match before New England came to life, but the Revs could not beat Union keeper, Zac MacMath, who earned his first clean-sheet of the season.
    John Hackworth’s renovated Union are now unbeaten through two matches, while Heaps and the highly-touted attacking talents of the Revolution have lost both their matches and are yet to score a single goal.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iHumjAFdieI?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    New York 1 – Colorado 1
    Thierry Henry opened his 2014 goal-account with a tidy diving header, but the Red Bull home opener was spoiled by a debatable penalty decision that rescued a point for the Rapids on the debut of legend Pablo Mastroeni prowling the Colorado touchline.
    After nearly setting up Bradley Wright-Phillips in the second minute, Henry broke the deadlock in the 57th, when Wright-Phillips won a loose ball back to Lloyd Sam, who worked inside the right-corner of the box and hit a lofted cross to Henry at the back-post. Both Marvell Wynne and Shane O’Neill were drawn to the threat of Tim Cahill, leaving Henry free for a diving header that whistled through the legs of debutant goalkeeper, John Berner.
    A hard-fought match saw a running battle between Red Bull centre-back Armando and Rapids forward Deshorn Brown and a breakout performance from Dillon Serna, who twice drew fine saves out of Luis Robles.
    The Rapids found their equalizer in the 72nd minute, under somewhat fortunate circumstances - Vicente Sanchez lifted a ball to Marvin Chavez in the Red Bull box, only for Jamison Olave to be whistled for a penalty kick when Chavez bounced off of him and to the ground as though he had run into a brick wall.
    Sanchez coolly converted the spot kick, left-footing low to the keeper’s left; Robles guessed correctly, but could not reach the well-taken penalty.
    Mike Petke’s New York, who failed miserably in the season opener in Vancouver, looked much better, but could not overcome the shock of the penalty decision, while Mastroeni’s Colorado salvaged a point in their season opener.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/EoTIKN9S_zg?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Seattle 1 – Toronto 2
    The Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley era in Toronto got off to a flier in Seattle as a seven-minute brace in the first half was enough to hand TFC an opening day victory, their first ever in Seattle.
    It took just seventeen minutes for Defoe to show why he had been recruited, as a lightning quick attack began when Doneil Henry headed a half-cleared ball down the left channel. Jonathan Osorio collected, worked past Marco Pappa and then threaded a ball for Defoe, who savagely slotted a right-footed finish past Stefan Frei for the opener.
    Seven minutes later, in the 24th minute (hmm, sounds familiar) Defoe exhibited his nose for goal, latching onto a poor back-pass from Pappa, crossing up Djimi Traore and placing another right-footed finish into the right-side of goal for his second of the afternoon.
    Bradley was a force of nature, counterbalancing the midfield thrust of Clint Dempsey and Osvaldo Alonso; Dempsey found minor consolation after a poor Toronto giveaway allowed a classic counter. Lamar Neagle rolled the ball down the right touchline for Obafemi Martins to chase, he turned towards goal and laid a pass into the path of the hard-charging Dempsey, who took one touch to settle before lashing a right-footer past Julio Cesar to the short-side.
    Unlike last season, Ryan Nelsen’s TFC was able to see out the result and begin their campaign with an impressive, if flawed, victory in Seattle; Sigi Schmid’s Sounders were unable to respond adequately after a mistake-filled first half, though they bossed the play and were perhaps unlucky to not find a point.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/O33wVHEA4pk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Kansas City 1 – Dallas 1
    Late drama a plenty at the regular season opener at Sporting Park as Kansas City’s Aurelien Collin looked to have headed in the winner, only for Dallas’ Matt Hedges to respond in kind in the final minute of regulation.
    Playing their third match in a week, KC once more shuffled their lineup, handing a debut to young Colombian midfield, Jimmy Medranda. Dallas proved, after a strong home win over Montreal in week one, that they would be in consideration this year, with a solid outing at a daunting venue.
    Despite an even match, it appeared the points would rest firmly with the home side when Collin rose unmarked, dead-centre of the goal to flick a left-sided, in-swinging Benny Feilhaber corner kick on to the far-side of goal in the 81st minute of play.
    But Hedges and dead-ball specialist Michel had other thoughts, combining on a free-kick from roughly 25 yards that the Brazilian curled towards a crowd at the back-post. Hedges rose majestically, similarly, unmarked, to power his header past Eric Kronberg into the upper right-side of the KC goal in the 90th minute.
    Sporting boss, Peter Vermes, was adamant that conceding late goals – as they had here and last weekend in Seattle – was not part of his team; a problem that will undoubtedly be attended to in training. For Oscar Pareja, whose side remains unbeaten through two, the never-say-die attitude was exactly what he wanted from his charges.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yR_YqCTV_dA?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Houston 1 – Montreal 0
    A match with the potential to get nasty proved anything but, as a deflected goal from red-hot Will Bruin proved the decisive factor in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Play-in match.
    These two clubs do not like each other, whether the Brian Ching-saga, that Montreal demolished Houston in 2013, or a couple of chippy matches in 2012, is a matter for debate, but following last season’s disgraceful exit from the Impact that saw three players ejected and suspended as the match descended into anarchy and handbags, fireworks were expected.
    With Marco Di Vaio still suspended from that incident, it was left to Andrew Wenger to provide the attack, but he squandered at least two glorious chances, before Bruin broke the deadlock in the 40th minute. A left-sided throw-in found Corey Ashe trying to bust into the corner of the box only to be denied, the loose ball fell to Giles Barnes, who neatly laid back to Bruin just left of the arc.
    The striker, who nabbed a brace on opening day, shimmied to make space for a shot, sending a right-footer towards goal that kicked up off the sliding block of Eric Miller, looping into the top left-corner of the goal, handcuffing a helpless Troy Perkins in net. Bruin’s third of the season puts him squarely in the early lead for the golden boot chase.
    Dominic Kinnear’s Dynamo begin the season with two wins at home, but must take that form on the road with a visit to Vancouver after a bye week, while Frank Klopas’ Montreal stare down the other side of that coin, having lost their opening two on the road and return home to face Seattle next weekend.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bXrjNtuGRgU?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    San Jose 3 – Salt Lake 3
    In a weekend that was largely devoid of free-scoring, San Jose and Salt Lake provided a neat contrast with a six-goal thriller that prompts the question, Do Quakes ever die?
    Chris Wondolowski, goal-scorer extraordinaire, got his 2014 tally started in the sixth minute when a wonderful Shea Salinas set-piece from the left, skimmed off the head of big Victor Bernardez into the path of the deadly striker, who kneed in the finish instinctively with his right-leg.
    Salt Lake responded with a trio of goals – including one while San Jose coach, Mark Watson, was being interviewed on the sideline – first from Kyle Beckerman who lashed a left-footer in off the base of the left-post after Joao Plata teed him up from some 25-plus yards in the 11th minute.
    Plata himself added the second in the 32nd minute, avoiding the attentions of two defenders in the left corner by playing back to Luis Gil before surging into the box to receive a return ball. A momentary hesitation, aided by a fake shot, bypassed Jason Hernandez and gave the diminutive forward space to smash a right-footer into the bottom left-side of goal for his second in as many games.
    Luke Mulholland rounded out the impressive first-half from Salt Lake when he pounced on the rebound from a blistered Ned Grabavoy shot that Jon Busch could only parry into the path of the Englishman, who has proved a good fit for RSL’s style – exhibiting a bit of panache with his celebratory dance.
    But, as they had many times before, the Earthquakes refused to admit defeat. Watson called on Alan Gordon and JJ Koval after the hour mark and Salinas’ dead-ball skills proved crucial once more in the 75th minute when his left-sided, in-swinging corner kick was invitingly served up for Bernardez at the near-post, where the defender rose well to redirect in to the far-side.
    The minutes ticked down as the assistant referee’s board flashed for five minutes of stoppage-time – San Jose would use every second.
    In the final minute, a corner kick was eventually cleared deep, but Shaun Francis lofted one more hopeful ball into the area. Gordon went up with Nick Rimando, but could not take it down. The ball rolled to Bernardez, who settled and smacked a right-footer into the bottom left-side of goal from near the penalty spot to equalize in the 95th minute – Goonies and all that jazz.
    Watson’s San Jose, who similarly worked their way back into their Champions League match midweek with a late equalizer (from Gordon), got their MLS season underway in their usual style, while Jeff Cassar’s Salt Lake were not able to pull out another away victory, having stole a result in LA on opening day.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZgJU4h1uaBU?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Portland 1 – Chicago 1
    Sunday’s early match was a near carbon-copy of Portland’s opener a week ago, as Chicago surprised the hosts by bossing the early play and taking a lead through Jeff Larentowicz at the spot, only for Gaston Fernandez to once more steal a point in the final third of the second half.
    Chicago, who opened the season with a disappointing display at Chivas, shuffled their starting eleven, handing starts to Benji Hoya, Harry Shipp, and Quincy Amarikwa, rewarding strong cameos in week one and preseason. It was Amarikwa who really threatened, eventually winning a penalty kick after nineteen minutes when he got goal-side of Norberto Paparotto, who clumsily bundled the forward over in his haste to recover.
    Larentowicz calmly converted the spot kick; right-footing his finish low the keeper’s left after eyeing Donovan Ricketts in the other direction.
    Portland pressed for an equalizer that would not come and Chicago responded with several half-chances of their own; a breakthrough would eventually come in the 79th minute. Jack Jewsbury on the right handed off to Diego Valeri, who cut back a pass to Darlington Nagbe arriving late at the top of the box. Nagbe’s hot-drive was too much for Sean Johnson to handle, pushing his save straight to the boot of Fernandez, standing all alone at the left-post for a simple right-footed tuck into the open goal, not unlike his stoppage-time header against Philadelphia last weekend.
    Caleb Porter’s Portland have yet to find their feet after an impressive 2013, but have managed to salvage draws in both their matches – a feature that served them well, though dropping points at home is of concern. Frank Yallop’s side responded to a week spent on the West Coast, but were once more haunted by a late-concession.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2ksqEN4Q_Ks?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Chivas 1 – Vancouver 1
    Despite a circumspect red card inside the first thirteen minutes, it appeared as though Chivas would see out Erick Torres’ deflected strike, until late-substitute Kekuta Manneh leveled in the last ten minutes of play.
    Agustin Pelletieri was dismissed in the thirteenth minute for jumping into a block tackle on Pedro Morales, catching the midfielder on the leg, though whether it warranted a straight-red was a matter for debate.
    Chivas solidified down a man and took the lead thanks to a horrendous giveaway from Nigel Reo-Coker, passing straight into Mauro Rosales who sprung a sharp counter. Rosales run up the middle, fading to the left before playing in-field to Torres who cut back onto his right-foot and saw his shot deflect off Jay DeMerit past a helpless David Ousted in the 45th minute.
    Vancouver had little response for a stoic defensive display from Chivas, making it difficult at times to determine which side was playing with a man advantage. That is until a similarly poor turnover handed the speedy Whitecaps contingent a good look at goal.
    Darren Mattocks, who has responded to a controversial off-season with renewed vigour, again played provider, collecting a poor touch from Dani Fragoso and charging down the left before cutting back to Manneh arriving high at the near-post. The youngster’s right-footed finish was placed neatly into the bottom left-corner of goal to salvage a point for the road side.
    Wilmer Cabrera’s charges have shown a certain steel in their two home matches, having beat Chicago in the opener and not let their heads drop with the early red card in this one. Carl Robinson’s Vancouver similarly have surprised through the opening two matches to remain unbeaten, responded to critics that expected little from them.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/z03Et8gjNMw?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    CanCon
    As usual, the in-depth review of the Canadian performances this weekend will be posted tomorrow (Tuesday) – watch for strong outings from Jonathan Osorio, Doneil Henry, and Patrice Bernier, while Will Johnson was everywhere, but forgot to put on his scoring boots.
    Overheard
    San Jose keeper Jon Busch sang the praises of the two-goal performance from Victor Bernardez post-match, but could not resist ribbing the defender for a woeful free-kick attempt, “He’s always a stud and to add two goals tonight – I was going to give him a little grief about his free kick, but I think I’ll leave that be now that he’s got two goals and got us a point.”
    New England’s Jay Heaps responded to the surprise exclusion of Jose Goncalves with the pointed, if diplomatic, “Our focus is to put the best players on the field to win this match. We wanted to put the guys in a position to win the game, and that’s what we did.”
    Peter Vermes was not pleased with conceding another late goal, though he reserved tough words for behind closed doors, “It's unacceptable and it's not who we are. I'm not happy and the guys know it. It's not who we are. We have been very good the first five minutes of every game, the last five minutes of each half, the first five minutes of the second half ... we've been very good. So it's not something that is going to continue, I can tell you that.”

    while he was being interviewed mid-match on the touchline spoke volumes.See It Live
    Plenty of little nuggets from the weekend, from the signal loss in the Colorado broadcast in the final minute of stoppage-time that left the announcers scrambling and apologizing for the technical difficulties to Michael Bradley jawing at Osvaldo Alonso as the two midfield powerhouses went toe-to-toe in Seattle.
    The skillful capture of a bird from the Houston pitch could have descended into farce, where it not for the quick, calm hands of an unnamed field attendant, while the ongoing mismatched battles between Victor Bernardez and Joao Plata provided a moment of levity in a hard-fought match in San Jose.
    And then there was
    by capturing his teammates on film.It appears the thunder of this segment has been stolen somewhat...
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CNWQRAlwq5o?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Controversy
    The penalty conceded by Jamison Olave in New York was a tough call, as was the red card on Chivas’ Agustin Pelletieri – was either really necessary?
    The second week of replacement refereeing passed largely without incident, though, as usual, there were plenty of penalty shouts waived away – none of which truly warranted much consideration.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Nine matches on the docket for next weekend headlined by a rematch of the opening night Salt Lake-LA clash.
    Saturday: New England-Vancouver; Salt Lake-Los Angeles; Montreal-Seattle; Toronto-DC; Columbus-Philadelphia; Colorado-Portland; Kansas City-San Jose; Dallas-Chivas Sunday: Chicago-New York
    The CONCACAF Champions League resumes midweek as well. All three MLS clubs took positive results from their home legs, but must travel down to Mexico in order to progress to the Semifinals.
    Tuesday sees LA make the short border hop to Tijuana with the aggregate score set at 1-0; Wednesday pits San Jose against Toluca (1-1 aggregate) and Kansas City against Cruz Azul (1-0 aggregate) – should be interesting, if nerve-wracking viewing.
    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 atPartially Obstructed View
    Guest
    Chivas v Vancouver Whitecaps. An uninspiring game that produced several talking points. And we're here to cover as many of them as we can.
    Episode 48 of <i>"There's Still Time"</i> is a Chivas post game special. Michael and Steve look at all the game's talking points from the two goals to the controversial first half sending off.
    How unlucky were Chivas not to come away with all three points? How did it take one sub to change the game almost single handed? And what happened to that attacking style and flair that we saw in week one and was promised on the road?
    A lot of questions and a lot more besides.
    We try and answer as many as we can and look at all of the Week 2 action in MLS.
    And there's still time to turn our attention to more local matters, as we chat with UBC Thunderbirds head coach <b>Mike Mosher</b> after his team's latest victory over cross city rivals SFU. We look at the win and the recent back to back Championship win and bring you news of what Thunderbirds will be playing for the Whitecaps U23's this summer.
    [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/5093393/url/http%253A%252F%252Faftn.podbean.com%252F2014%252F03%252F17%252Fepisode-48-the-aftn-soccer-podcast-chivas-v-whitecaps-post-game%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1?skin=3" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
    <p>
    Guest
    <b>Report: (Reaction to come later)</b>
    Vancouver Whitecaps' Latin flair saw the Carl Robinson regime get off to a perfect start at BC Place last week. The question now was could they take that form on the road.
    On the evidence of this game, it's not there yet as the Caps struggled to grind out a 1-1 draw against a ten man Chivas side who took the lead through a deflected Erick Torres goal in the first half before substitute Kekuta Manneh struck with nine minutes remaining to salvage a point for the visitors.
    Robinson promised the same attacking style in the build up to the game but it was in short supply as Vancouver looked devoid of ideas at times on how to get past a Chivas side that played the last 77 minutes with ten men after Augustin Pelletieri's harsh sending off.
    In the end, both teams will be somewhat happy with what they've come away with after how the game played out, but Vancouver cannot be happy with the type of performance they put in.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Whitecaps made one change from last week's starting line-up with attacking midfielder Pedro Morales coming in for his first start as expected, after his fantastic 25 minute debut as a sub last Saturday. Robinson's headache of who to drop was made easier by a hamstring injury to Russell Teibert and the Canadian international wasn't even able to make the bench, allowing Bryce Alderson the chance to come in to the gameday squad for the first time in a long time.
    It was a slow start by both teams in the Carson heat but the game burst into life in the 13th minute thanks to a horrible decision by replacement referee who showed a straight red card to Chivas midfielder Augustin Pelletieri for a strong challenge on Pedro Morales. It was never a sending off.
    Since the lockout of the officials, people have been waiting for one of the replacements to make a crucial game defining mistake. After a few good performances and some iffy decisions here and there, we may have got that moment today, although it took Vancouver a long time to capitalise on it and Chivas played well whilst being a man down.
    The game continued to be chippy, with bodies hitting the ground all over the pitch. Sebastian Fernandez was one of them, going down in the box in the 19th minute after collecting a great ball from Morales and cutting into the penalty area, but there was no contact on the Uruguayan and the ref waved away penalty appeals.
    Both teams enjoyed some possession and had nice built up work, without any shots troubling either keeper.
    Chivas regrouped well after going down to the ten men and played some of the better football as the half plodded along.
    The home side forced David Ousted to make a near post safe from Leandro Barrera in the 35th minute after the Argentine wrong footed Steven Beitashour and got off a fierce shot from a tight angle.
    Chivas were looking the better team and it wasn't a great surprise when they took the lead in the final minute of the half, albeit through a fortunate deflection after a horrible giveaway from Nigel Reo-Coker.
    Mauro Rosales easily intercepted a sloppy pass from the Englishman just inside his own half and powered forward before playing the ball left to Erick Torres. The Chivas striker cut inside, took a couple of touches and let fly, with his shot deflecting off the ass of Jay DeMerit and past Ousted into the Caps goal.
    After a trying first half for them, they deserved to be heading in to the half with the lead.
    Robinson let his team know that if there was no change then the subs would come and Vancouver started the second half camped in the Chivas half but doing nothing with the possession.
    They were nearly caught out in the 52nd minute after some terrible play at the halfway line from DeMerit, who was looking for the foul that didn't come, allowed Torres to break forward and play the ball to Barrera, who forced a save out of Ousted for a corner.
    The Caps had a break of their own in reply but Kenny Miller found himself with little support and the play broke down with a misshit Fernandez shot.
    Vancouver's first change came on the hour mark when Kekuta Manneh came on for a poor and ineffective Nigel Reo-Coker.
    The Caps showed a little more impetus and Morales pulled a shot wide moments later before the visitor's had their best chance of the match so far in the 66th minute when Morales sent a beautiful ball over the top and Darren Mattocks did well to get on the end of it and poke it past Dan Kennedy but it didn't have enough pace to take it over the line and Chivas cleared the danger.
    Manneh showed some great skill to skip past Eric Avila and fire in a long range shot which Kennedy parried with 20 minutes remaining.
    Chivas were still a danger themselves and Rosales fired over in the 72nd minute before Manneh, who was already looking the liveliest Whitecap, did the same minutes later.
    And the young Gambian got his reward when Mattocks intercepted and cut the ball back to Manneh, who buried it past Kennedy from just inside the box with nine minutes remaining.
    Chivas would have been now happy with the draw as Vancouver tried to press home their man advantage, but they still had forays forward and Torres got on the end of a free kick but Ousted easily collected.
    Manneh still had time to cause problems to the Chivas defence but he was starting to look like a one man wrecking crew, with little support from the other Whitecaps out there.
    The game came to a close and it was an overall disappointing affair but one which might be good in some ways for Vancouver as it will temper those expectations after last week's heroics.
    It certainly showed that despite the good players that Carl Robinson has put together in his side, there is still a long way to go and skill and flair count for little when so many of them have an off day at once and can't get anything going.
    Undefeated Vancouver now head east next weekend to take on the winless New England on Saturday. Despite the Revolution's poor start to the season, they will need to play a lot better and have more creativity if they are to get anything from that one.
    FINAL SCORE: Chivas USA 1 - 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 6684
    CHIVAS: Dan Kennedy; Eric Avila, Bobby Burling, Carlos Bocanegra, Tony Lochhead; Mauro Rosales, Agustin Pelletieri, Oswaldo Minda, Leandro Barrera (Matthew Fondy 71); Erick Torres (Kristopher Tyrpak 87), Thomas McNamara (Daniel Fragoso 80) [subs Not Used: Trevor Spangenberg, Eriq Zavaleta, Luke Moore, Adolfo Bautista]
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Jay DeMerit, Andy O'Brien (Christian Dean 77), Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Nigel Reo-Coker (Kekuta Manneh 60), Sebastian Fernandez (Erik Hurtado 74), Pedro Morales, Kenny Miller; Darren Mattocks [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Bryce Alderson, Gershon Koffie, Nicolas Mezquida]
    <p>
    Guest
    Perspective is for tomorrow. There will likely be plenty of voices calling for calm and they won't be wrong.
    Right now, however, it's OK to stay focused on the positives. There were plenty.
    Let's start with the most basic of all: TFC won the game. On the road. Against Seattle.
    Despite a sluggish pre-season and only having Jermain Defoe in camp for one week they found a way. When you think about the past, it's hard to imagine another time when that would have happened.
    They did it by setting out to play a counter game which would utilize the one gift that Defoe has that is so very rare. He scores goals.
    Neither of Defoe's goals were beautiful in a jump off the couch and scream wow kind of way, but both were technically perfect. Watch his first touch, how he recognized the smallest space and how he instinctively he took it. Then marvel at the calm finish. How many times have you seen a TFC striker put it into row Z? That was never going to happen with Defoe because scoring goals is instinctive to him.
    Any doubt anyone had about the signing should have been erased with those two goals. There might be two other strikers in MLS that can finish as well. Both came from the Premier League as well.
    In a league like MLS having a player that can instantly change a game is vital and it's why concerns about other aspects of TFC's starting line-up were overstated.
    Defoe will cover up TFC mistakes elsewhere.
    So, will Michael Bradley.
    Bradley was everywhere and he's the No 1 reason why the panic of old was missing in the final 10 minutes. TFC will probably allow a late goal or two this year, but Tobias is dead. It won't be the norm. Bradley won't allow it.
    Nor will Julio Cesar. When Brazil's No 1's debut takes third billing something special is happening. But, make no mistake Cesar was a huge part in the win. He made at least two world class saves and effectively killed time down the stretch.
    Let's not forget Henry and Caldwell. Quietly they both had a huge game.
    Then there was Osorio. Playing a slightly different role than last year he didn't look like he was about to go on a sophomore slump.
    I could go on, but we'll end with the first point made.
    3 points. On the road. Against a glamour MLS team.
    It just got real, folks.
    Guest
    Vancouver Whitecaps are hitting the road and looking to build on their Week One success against Chivas USA.
    The AFTN team preview the game down in Carson with the help of managing editor of <a href="http://www.thegoatparade.com" target="_blank"><u>The Goat Parade</u></a> blog and MLSSoccer.com contributing editor <b>Alicia Rodriguez</b>.
    Alicia tells us about the busy off the field happening with Chivas these past few months and what we can expect this season from the on field product. Are the Goats going to be on the move and what will they even be called this time next year?
    Who are the danger men that the Whitecaps need to watch out for? How should the Whitecaps line up? Will Carl Robinson spring any line up surprises? That's all discussed here and <b>Carl Robinson</b> shares some of this thought on the game.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    And there's still time for <b>Predictapooch</b> to cast his wily paws over the weekend's action. Which ball will he select this week?
    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/5091176/url/http%253A%252F%252Faftn.podbean.com%252F2014%252F03%252F14%252Fepisode-47-the-aftn-soccer-podcast-chivas-v-whitecaps-preview-show%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1?skin=3" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
    <p>
    Guest

    Eternal hope

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    In my midget year of hockey my team lost 31 straight games.
    However, a funny thing happened that year. Despite having been on good teams before, I still look back on that team more fondly than any other I've ever played for. The losing made us closer and when we finally did win (5-2 over Brighton, Ont., I can remember it like it was yesterday) it was as sweet as any victory I can ever remember.
    Parents cried. An impromptu party was thrown together. I've never seen my mother as, um, refreshed as I did that night. Our teenage boy awkwardness was swept away in the euphoria--we were joyful, silly, boys enjoying being boys.
    This is sports. You care and hope about things that logically don't matter and you dream about things you know are likely impossible. It's a constant chase for a fleeting moment of pure happiness that forever stays with you.
    Welcome to season 8 of Toronto FC.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    If you're reading this you're one of the ones that fell hard for the Reds. You're still here. You always knew you would be. You're likely never letting go. None of us are.
    Despite the teasing of friends that don't understand, the scorn of colleagues that think we're insane and the nagging voice inside our head that agrees with them, we refused to stop caring or dreaming.
    We're dreaming now. And the club has given us enough hope that we might even be prepared to admit what we're thinking.
    Maybe this is the year. Maybe we'll experience that moment we've been waiting for.
    But, regardless you're excited about the journey you're about to take. That's the thing, right? The journey through all of the highs and lows is what makes those rare moments of joy possible.
    The last seven years have lead us to this place. They have shaped us and we should wear them with pride.
    Seven shite years and we're still here.
    And if it takes seven more we'll still be there.
    Our dreams matter. Embrace them. Dare to believe they'll come true.
    If they don't then we'll still wear the colours with pride because we are supporters.
    All for One onto the next adventure...
    Guest
    And so we return to begin again.
    Toronto FC are set to launch their 2014 Major League Soccer campaign on the west coast of the United States in Seattle, with a game against the Sounders. After an off-season transformation unlike any in the club’s short history – arguably in the league’s – Reds supporters have reason to be excited, but cautious as well.
    The last time TFC visited Seattle, also for a season opener, the mood around the team was exuberant after eliminating the Los Angeles Galaxy from the Concacaf Champions League and advancing to the semifinals. Toronto lost that game in Seattle, captain Torsten Frings went down with an injury, and they didn’t end up winning a league game until May 26th.
    As omens go, it’s not exactly encouraging.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Exactly what to expect from the newest version of Toronto FC is extremely difficult to gauge. For all the credit they earned by, for once, completing their major off-season signings early, the Reds still managed to have a seemingly largely ineffectual pre-season.
    Jermain Defoe only joined up with the club earlier this week and has not started a match, competitive or otherwise, in the calendar year of 2014. Gilberto arrived carrying an injury and it’s been reported that he has not travelled to Seattle. Combined with the injury to Bright Dike, that might keep him out for the entire season, TFC’s striking corps looks decidedly unready to start the season. It’s likely that Defoe will start, if only because the only other options are Andrew Wiedeman and Dwayne De Rosario.
    Meanwhile, at the back, the Reds have, like up front, added players, but never had the opportunity to get them on the field together. Pre-season ended with an emergency attempt to try Jeremy Hall back at his old position of right back. While that proved thankfully temporary, and is unlikely to be repeated, new signing Bradley Orr has yet to see the field beside Steven Caldwell or the team’s other new expected starter (at left back) Justin Morrow.
    Fortunately for Toronto, Michael Bradley has shrugged off the minor injury that saw him held out of the United States’ game against the Ukraine and should get the start in central midfield. With Matias Laba now a Vancouver Whitecap exactly who will partner the American star is probably Ryan Nelsen’s biggest question. Most fans seem hopeful that Nelsen will be adventurous, and hand 2013 standout Jonathon Osorio the opportunity to establish himself there, but historically Nelsen’s conservative approach lent itself more towards a second holder. That could mean that either Jeremy Hall or Jackson, especially if Osorio plays as a true attacking midfielder in some variation of a one forward formation.
    After five straight playoff appearances, and three U.S. Open Cup victories, the perception is that Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid is under pressure. All those trips to the playoffs have only amounted to one Conference Final appearance and, to add insult to injury, the Sounders were embarrassed by their archrivals the Portland Timbers in last year’s Western Conference Semifinal.
    In 2013 the Sounders started slow, became the hottest team in MLS during much of the summer, but absolutely collapsed down the stretch and fell from Supporter’s Shield contenders to fringe playoff qualifiers. It was hard to escape the conclusion that the much heralded addition of U.S. international Clint Dempsey disrupted what Schmid had succeeded in creating. Dempsey arrived injured, never really found fitness or form, and the Sounders never seemed to find a way to fit him into their system.
    Now Dempsey has returned from a mostly unsuccessful loan at a former club Fulham of the English Premier League and missed all of the Sounders preseason. He was even left on the bench to start the Sounders season opener against Sporting Kansas City. Granted, the Sounders ultimately won that match after Dempsey’s header off the bar in stoppage time created chaos in the SKC penalty area before being hooked home by TFC old-boy Chad Barrett, but Dempsey’s contribution up to that point could best be described as patchy.
    What should see the Sounders through to a sixth consecutive playoff appearance, however, is the veteran MLS strength they’ve added around their squad. While striker Eddie Johnson has left, the Sounders have added former Defender-of-the-Year Chad Marshall in the heart of their defence, Marco Pappa out wide, and long-time Red Stefan Frei in goal. Added to an existing spine of Obafemi Martins, Brad Evans, and Ossie Alonso the Sounders should have no trouble staying competitive, even a tough Western Conference, even if the scale of Dempsey’s contribution never matches his pay cheque.
    The game from CenturyLink Field is once again a national broadcast in the United States and clearly the league hoped to highlight the visit of Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley to one of the league’s most atmospheric venues for a game against “Clint Dempsey’s Seattle Sounders.” Unfortunately, it may have just come too early in the new TFC’s life-cycle to create the spectacle they expected.
    Guest

    Herdman's honeymoon

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Canada finished 5th in Cyprus.
    It's a bit of a fall from grace for a team that has won the tournament several times in the past. But, that's the past. It's been three years now since Canada won the second most important annual women's soccer tournament.
    At least they finished fifth in style, I guess. A 90th minute winner propelled the Canucks over the 33rd ranked Republic of Ireland. That would be one of those "tier 3" teams John Herdman talks about (and correctly says that Canada should easily handle). The 33rd ranked women's team is equatable to a men's team ranked in the 100s.
    So, a win's a win a win and all that, but sometimes you have to be blunt in putting a result in context.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Beating the Republic of Ireland with a late goal is simply not good enough. It's especially not good enough if you believe, as Herdman constantly tells us, that Canada is competing in the 2015 World Cup to win.
    In fairness, Herdman has been critical of the lack of results recently. Whereas he stressed building over absolute results in the immediate aftermath of the Olympics, he has said recently that he needs the women to start getting results.
    Results have not been forthcoming. In seven games against top 10 opposition this year Canada has no wins on five losses. They haven't scored a goal against top opponents since April 4, 2013 and have been outscored 9-1 in those seven games.
    In fact, the five of the six wins they have this last year are against teams ranked 17th or lower. Italy (No 12) is the highest ranked victory Canada has claimed this past year.
    Does that sound like a team close to winning a World Cup?
    Supporters of the program will point to the team's bronze medal run in London. They will also ignore that Canada really only played one complete game in that tournament (quarters against Team GB) and advanced as one of the best third place teams.
    The bronze was a remarkable story, but there was no shortage of straight-up luck involved in winning it. It would be a mistake to think it represented a long-term breakthrough by the program. It was something closer to a reward for a mid-level team that had always been around.
    Up until now, Herdman has almost completely escaped any criticism. At some point fans have to ask themselves why that is. He is undoubtably a charming guy that is very good with the media. My girlfriend tells me he's easy on her eyes as well. Is it possible the good press he is getting is related to those factors and not his actual performance?
    That question becomes even more interesting when you compare coverage of Herdman to his predecessor Carolina Morace, a woman who was gruff with the media and likely not as traditionally photogenic. Media was quickly to attack Morace when results started to slip, but so far remain nearly 100 percent behind Herdman.
    I'm not willing to fully place the blame on Herdman, but, at this point, it's fair to spread some blame around.
    It's clear this is Herdman's team and direction. It's time to move the focus away for the charm and judge him on his results.
    It's just 450 days until the start of the World Cup...
    Guest
    Well, it's not quite the top-two finish Canada is accustomed to at the Cyprus Cup, but fifth place is ... well, better than nothing! So, huzzah for something! (If you need some sort of consolation, consider that the Americans had to settle for seventh (!) at the Algarve Cup, and fifth is better than seventh!)
    It was (apparently) a dramatic, last-minute 2-1 victory over Ireland that sealed the result. I say "apparently" because, as is customary, it was impossible to watch the game short of actually being in Cyprus. Given that there is zero visibility out the window as I type this, due to the seventh consecutive hour of blustering snow, I can assure you I am not in Cyprus.
    So, here's a half-hearted synopsis, cobbled together from the live tweets provided by the Canadian Soccer Association. No fanciful stories about dragons or talking cheese sandwiches today, unfortunately; I somehow find myself unable to muster the mental energy to put together a fabricated synopsis, and I'm not sure why oh for the love of, it's snowing UPWARDS now! It's March 12, for crap's sake! Come on!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Ireland got the jump early, scoring the opener in the 13th minute. But thankfully Big Red was bailed out by its attacking powerhouses... Diana Matheson and Sophie Schmidt. Wait, what? Matheson equalized after the break and Schmidt, with her third of the tournament, scored the winner off of a goalmouth scramble in the 90th minute.
    The record will ultimately show Canada finished a second-tier tournament in fifth place, which doesn't seem to bode very well ahead of next year's World Cup. But ultimately, they won three of four games (beating the three teams they'd be expected to beat) and lost to a team (England) that's similar in many ways and is always a toss-up result. If Canada were to meet England in a game that really mattered, there's no reason Canada couldn't prevail (though, of course, it's equally likely that England would emerge with the win).
    Frankly, the most significant news coming out of the 2014 Cyprus Cup is the pre-tournament knee injury suffered by Lauren Sesselmann. She's become a crucial part of the Canadian set-up since coming on board a few years ago, and her availability could make a notable difference in Canada's World Cup hopes.
    Sure, there are young defenders coming through the system (Kadeisha Buchanan and Sura Yekka have shown promise, while Rebecca Quinn earned her first CanWNT caps in Cyprus), while the recent addition of Rachel Quon (who also made her CanWNT debut in Cyprus) also provides some depth. So ultimately, it's possible that the ongoing development of Buchanan and Quon will compensate during the absence of Sesselmann, who's shown herself adept at both centreback and fullback.
    But the reality is that Canada doesn't yet have the depth to fully and immediately absorb the loss of any critical player.
    Canada scored eight goals in four games at the Cyprus Cup, and only two of them came from strikers (one from Christine Sinclair, one from Adriana Leon). This could be the function of any number of things (we're left guessing, since the games weren't televised) -- was the scoring outburst from midfielders the outcome of a tactical shift by John Herdman? Did those tactics also lead to Sinclair's one-goal-in-four-games output (not great, by her lofty standards) or is it a sign of a lack in production on her part? Is Josee Belanger truly ready to step back into the picture and provide what the team needs?
    Again, it's impossible to really come up with answers based on a sporadic collection of 140-character messages from the national governing body.
    The real answers will come later this year, as Canada tests itself against the world's best on home soil. Those will provide fans with a clearer perspective on what can realistically be expected from next summer's World Cup.
    Yes, they're just friendlies, and ostensibly any tournament is more "meaningful" than an exhibition match.
    All the same, those are the games upon which we can all really form judgments about where this team sits. Fifth place at the Cyprus Cup? Meh.
    Besides, fifth is still better than seventh.
    .
    Guest
    Days have passed and the full impact of Vancouver Whitecaps emphatic 4-1 win over New York has had time to sink in.
    In Episode 46 of <i>"There's Still Time"</i> we talk to Caps head coach <b>Carl Robinson</b> about his first win as a manager, the team's performance and tempering expectations. We also look at the new post game training initiative he's introduced and Carl tells us who won the fashion stakes between himself and Mike Petke.
    <b>Steven Beitashour</b> then joins us for his first appearance on the podcast. The Caps new right back talks about Saturday's win, the role the veterans have in the squad and just how good this team could be this season. And despite being attacked by a bee, Steven discusses why he's not getting carried away by the thought of appearing at the World Cup, despite everyone asking him about it!
    There's a new, yet familiar face at training this week, with Residency alumni <b>Brody Huitema</b> back from Duke University on spring break. Brody talks to us about his first season in the NCAA, the differences he's found in the college game, how the Residency helped him prepare for his college career and returning to train with the Caps.
    And there's still time to look at some of the things we missed first time around in the Caps win over the Red Bulls and do a round up a busy first week of MLS action.
    [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/5088609/url/http%253A%252F%252Faftn.podbean.com%252F2014%252F03%252F12%252Fepisode-46-the-aftn-soccer-podcast-guests-steven-beitashour-carl-robinson-and-brody-huitema%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1?skin=3" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
    <p>
    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 4-1 demolition job over New York Red Bulls? Aaron Campbell makes his selections. Do you agree?</i>
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <b>11 - Steven Beitashour:</b>
    Was very flat footed in the first 30 minutes. DeMerit laid into him a few times about him being out of position. Picked up his play in the final 60 minutes.
    <b>10 - David Ousted:</b>
    Made plays when he had to. Gave up a weak goal in the 91st minute to give away a clean sheet.
    <b>9 - Jordan Harvey:</b>
    Didn't have to do much this game. Was in the right spots when he had to be.
    <b>8 - Nigel Reo-Coker:</b>
    Paired up well with Laba. Didn't have to carry all the pressure like he had to do at times last season. Great vision setting up Morales goal.
    <b>7 - Russell Teibert:</b>
    Had some great controlling attacks. Needs to attack a little more in this fast paced offense.
    <b>6 - Andy O'Brien:</b>
    Helped control in front of Ousted with DeMerit. Was talking a lot to Beitashour trying to get him into the right spots on the pitch.
    <b>5 - Darren Mattocks:</b>
    Showed a great pace all game long. Made the right decision leading to the Fernandez goal but had two soft attempts right at the keeper.
    <b>4 - Jay DeMerit:</b>
    Was very vocal in the box. Stepped up and disrupted crosses into danger areas.
    <b>3 - Matias Laba:</b>
    Controlled the midfield like no other Whitecap has in the MLS. Quiet but very effective. His positioning defending the attack stifled the Red Bulls offence.
    <b>2 - Kenny Miller:</b>
    Could of had 3 or 4 goals in the game. Very clinical on the finish of his 2nd goal.
    <b>1 - Sebastian Fernandez:</b>
    Very good debut. Controlled the wing and wasn't afraid to shot from any spot on the pitch.
    <b>Super Subs?:</b>
    <b>3 - Kekuta Manneh:</b>
    Helped stretch the field after it got a little smaller when Mattocks was subbed off.
    <b>2 - Nicolas Mezquida:</b>
    Looked very controlled after coming into the game. Adds some great skill to this team.
    <b>1 - Pedro Morales:</b>
    What a 25 minute debut. Looked great on the pitch and his touch was amazing. Can see his potential moving forward.
    <p>
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