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    So much of the problem with discussion of the different ways of constructing an MLS roster is that we're getting the classic Socratic shadow-play. The Major League Soccer Players Union (MLSPU) releases numbers, commentators jump all over them, and sketchy impressions get turned into assumed understanding.
    According to Ryan Nelsen, Darren O'Dea was "the most expensive player in the whole of the league, in terms of salary cap." The number that got thrown around was "half a million" in other quotes.
    Of course what happens here is that reporters go and reference the MLSPU's list of player salaries, quote the higher guaranteed number, and use that as a proxy for the poorly phrased "cap hit". So yes, Darren O'Dea's listed guaranteed compensation was (an extortionate) $456,250.00, or, roughly "half a million" if you're inclined to think of it that way.
    But what does that really mean?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    First, let’s review what the MLSPU says their projection of guaranteed compensation represents:
    The key phrase is “all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized”. They go on to write that performance bonuses are specifically excluded because it is not guaranteed that they will be achieved.
    The problem is that none of this speaks to the way that MLS calculates a player’s contract’s impact on a given team’s salary budget (not “cap”). Guaranteed compensation, as reported by the MLSPU, excludes some expenses -- performances bonuses, agent fees, and probably transfer fees -- and projects the impact of others over the life of a contract. It’s an artificial number, published by the MLSPU, for the benefit of its members. The idea is that they and their agents can use it as a benchmark in future contract negotiations with the league.
    I would suggest that the safest assumption is that MLS teams are given an annual salary budget, set by the league, simply equal to the published salary budget plus any accumulated allocation money. Certain players’ status – designated player, home grown, or Generation Adidas - excludes either all or part of their salary from the salary budget. Outside those exceptions, any expense incurred by MLS as a result of signing a player is charged against the team’s salary budget in the year that it is spent.
    There’s no reason to believe that MLS would engage in any sort of calculation like the MLSPU does to compare the impact of annualized bonuses. Teams have their budget for a year and, within the published rules, spend that budget. Allocation can be carried over from year-to-year but not indefinitely and, apparently, will eventually expire if unused. Remember, the point of MLS’s salary budget is not to induce parity in a given season, though that may be a happy side effect; it’s designed to control spending and provide a predictable labour expense for the league.
    So, if my assumption is correct, in example provided by the MLSPU the imaginary player’s contract would cost his club $60,000 of their salary budget in his first season (plus any achieved performance bonuses and agent fees) and $50,000 in each subsequent season; not the $52,500 “guaranteed” compensation that would likely be quoted.
    If the team were to decline to renew the player’s contract in his option years (or before that if he’s only on a semi-guaranteed contract) they wouldn’t “get back $52,500” in “cap space” either. They’d simply end up having an unused $50,000 of salary budget that could be allocated elsewhere in that year and the future.
    To return to Darren O’Dea, let’s look at the two most recent sets of salary numbers reported by the MLSPU:
    Oct., 2012: $330,000.00 base, $436,250.00 guaranteed
    May, 2013: $350,000.00 base, $456,250.00 guaranteed
    Notice that the difference between base salary and guaranteed compensation, $106,250.00, did not change. The difference from year-to-year is exclusively a result of a marginal (in the context of O’Dea’s salary, if not league economics) increase in the base salary.
    So what does that $106,250.00 difference represent? The most obvious suggestion, based on the explanation of how the MLSPU calculates guaranteed compensation, is that it is the result of a signing bonus Darren O’Dea was paid in 2012.
    Interestingly, thanks to some good reporting by Kurt Larson of the Toronto Sun, we now seem to know that Darren O’Dea’s contract was set to expire at the conclusion of the 2013 season. Thus, he had only been contracted for one and a half seasons; that’s the length of time any signing bonus would have been annualized over in the MLSPU calculations.
    By applying the formula of how the MLSPU calculates guaranteed compensation, a significantly more reasonable scenario with regards to Darren O’Dea’s contract starts to be sketched out. $106,250.00 might represent the annualized effect of a roughly $160,000 signing bonus ($106,250.00 * 1.5 = $159,375.00) paid in 2012 to lure O’Dea to MLS.
    Keep in mind that O’Dea would only be playing for half a season in 2012, so he’d only be making half his base salary in that season as well. Is it unreasonable to suggest that what Toronto’s then management did was essentially offer a signing bonus for the other missing “half” of O’Dea’s annual salary? Doubling $160,000.00 to $320,000.00 comes out to nearly exactly O’Dea’s 2012 reported base salary of $330,000.00
    Toronto FC didn’t make any other significant signings in the summer of 2012 other than being willing to take on Eric Hassli’s designated player contract from Vancouver after moving Julian DeGuzman to FC Dallas. They had once again qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League and the league now has a program to reward clubs that do so with allocation money. Would it be surprising, or even inefficient, if it was that allocation money that was used to lure O’Dea to MLS in the form a signing bonus, since TFC didn’t need to pay a transfer fee?
    Now, even if all the above suppositions are correct, it’s still worth noting that even at $350,000.00, the league’s maximum salary budget charge for a non-designated player in 2012, Darren O’Dea was a very expensive defender in Major League Soccer. Overly expensive is not even unfair. But it’s certainly a lot different from the suggestion that he cost the team “half a million dollars” in 2013 and provides a much different interpretation to Larson’s reporting that he was offered a new contract worth roughly half of his existing deal. O’Dea’s notion of “half”, possibly $175K per year, might be quite different from Larson’s.
    What seems to have been lost in the conversation around O’Dea is the realization that once allocation money has been spent it’s a sunk cost and is not returned when the player is traded, transferred, or released (unless the player is sold for a fee). So, if Toronto FC, could have kept Darren O’Dea on a contract in the $225,000.00 to $275,000.00 range going forward, it might not have represented a drastic cut in his actual annual compensation and would have moved him closer to the range of typical MLS starting centre backs. Maybe that’s exactly what they tried to work out, there’s really no way to be certain.
    Why does any of this matter? Well, have a look at the reported base salary for some of the Vancouver Whitecaps’ defenders from the MLSPU’s May numbers:
    Jay DeMerit: $325,000.00
    Jordan Harvey: $125,000.00
    Andy O’Brien: $200,000.00
    Alain Rochat: $190,000.00
    Brad Rusin: $120,000.00
    Lee Young-Pyo: $196,900.00
    Yes, Alain Rochat has since moved on and the ‘Caps are ostensibly getting a great deal on Johnny Leveron. But a May 1st backline with a combined base salary of over $1mil didn’t stop Vancouver from assembling a roster that also included Joe Cannon, Camilo Sanvezzo, Daigo Kobayashi, Gershon Koffie, and Nigel Reo-Coker all on higher end regular contracts and Kenny Miller on a designated player contract.
    So, as I wrote previously, the suggestion that Darren O’Dea’s contract situation was completely unmanageable might be overstated. Now, with 10 days left in the transfer window, only one international player signed, and reports of a possible transfer fee for a Swiss second division left back, the argument over the immediate necessity of Toronto’s nearly complete roster overhaul takes on a different character.
    Trading Luis Silva, releasing Terry Dunfield, transferring Darren O’Dea, the retirement of Danny Califf (who claims he was recruited more by Paul Mariner and Earl Cochrane), and the suggestion that TFC tried to trade Stefan Frei and Ashtone Morgan: was any of that really about clearing desperately needed budget space per se? Was budget space really at such a premium after shedding the designated player contracts of Torsten Frings and Eric Hassli before the start of the season?
    Or has this always been more about Kevin Payne and Ryan Nelsen wanting Toronto FC to be their team and not being burdened with any of the prior regime’s players? That’s their prerogative, and it certainly fits with previous approaches to management at the club, but this much is certain: the past is now the past and they can no longer reasonably claim to be hindered by any previous mistakes. How long it takes to turn around Toronto FC and whether or not they'll be successful is entirely on them.
    Finally, it should be noted that all of the above comes with one major caveat: I am not an expert. I do not have contacts at Toronto FC or Major League Soccer. There is no one on background confirming my interpretation. Everything written comes from the perspective of an observer without access to the inner-workings of the club interpreting, in my own way, the shadows I see reflected on the wall.
    In fact, there’s nothing I’d like more than to have someone with actual information come forward, show me where I’m in error, and enhance my understanding of the minutiae of MLS. But, as always, “as per team and league policies terms of the deal were not disclosed.” So be it.
    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 22

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Another cracking round of MLS is in the books; this one, as so many before, was marked by a flurry of late goals that proved decisive in determining the destination of the points.
    Nine matches were played, only a singled ended drawn – after last round’s smattering – and just two visiting sides left with the full points in hand.
    25 goals were scored – a perfect four for four of them from the spot – while an incredible nine came in the final 15 minutes, including three stoppage-time winners.
    32 yellow cards were flashed and a pair of red cards, one straight and the other a bizarre double yellow to Marvin Chavez, who was too fired up for his own good.
    As the clock ticks down with the season nearing its final third, the playoff race is shaping up nicely.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    No team has more than fourteen matches left - Colorado only eleven remaining – the playoff hunt has begun in earnest. Only three teams are beyond salvation, though not yet mathematically eliminated; Toronto, Chivas, and DC would need a miracle to see the promised land of the postseason.
    In the East, the top six are separated by a mere six points – with Chicago and Columbus, five and seven points off the final spot - and the jockeying for positions will continue throughout the final months. The West is similarly poised, with five points separating the top six and only ten points between eighth from first.
    A good run of form, or a few wins on the trot at this point in the season can vault a side into contention, while a string of losses can see them plummet.
    Before the results, the goals of the round.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    There was only one real candidate – that’s not to belittle some of the other wonderful contributions – but Alvaro Saborio’s third against New York was something special.
    An epic seven-goal thriller at Red Bull Arena saw New York surge ahead with two inside the first half hour. Saborio would grab one before half-time then add another to set up a dramatic final ten minutes of play.
    Two minutes after tying the match, Abdoulie Mansally – formerly known as Kenny – chipped a ball up the left-side for Olmes Garcia. Garcia and Plata exchanged passes before the Colombian hit a ball down the touch-line for the diminutive Ecuadorean to chase down.
    Plata turned in-field and hit an early ball into the feet of Saborio, just to the left of the arc. The Costa Rican, returning from a disappointing Gold Cup campaign, deftly side-stepped the attentions of Dax McCarty and waited for a window amongst the crowd to toe-poke a perfectly placed right-footer high into the right-side of the goal.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BXJh7sfliuA?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Smooth.
    McCarty however would have his revenge and the dog-pile celebration Salt Lake enjoyed would sour in the coming minutes.
    Some honourable mentions go to a series of well-worked fast-break goals –
    , , , and (pay extra attention to the hold up and touch from Frederic Piquionne). Do any other goals come close to Saborio’s? Which did you prefer?
    Results in Brief
    Toronto 2 – Columbus 1
    The second match of the Trillium Cup - that most desired of rewards - opened the round with a surprise turning of the tides.
    Toronto has suffered many a disparaging result at the hands of late concessions, but this time it was their turn to steal a victory at the death.
    Dominic Oduro opened the scoring with a clever early strike, after a cross-field ball from Matias Sanchez, that caught Toronto keeper, Joe Bendik, napping at the near-post in the 17th minute.
    But then, as the skies opened up, Bobby Convey moved in-field from the right in the 87th minute, played up to Jeremy Brockie, who touched the ball into the path of Jonathan Osorio to calmly stroke the equalizer past Andy Gruenebaum in goal.
    Convey would again craft the winner, hitting a perfect ball to the back-post in the 94th minute where the much-maligned Andrew Wiedeman would stretch for a clinical left-footed touch to seal the victory.
    The win, Ryan Nelsen’s first at BMO Field, would come over a year after the club had last won at their home ground, ending a six-match winless run in the process. Robert Warzycha’s Columbus conceded two goals in the final minutes of a second consecutive match and fell to a sixth loss in their last eight matches, as their playoff aspirations begin to dwindle.
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    DC 1 – New England 2
    A similar turnaround, though less dramatically so, played out at RFK Stadium, days after progress on the long-awaited new home for DC was announced.
    Luis Silva, playing in his second match for DC after arriving from Toronto, added a second goal for his new club – he is now tied for leading scorer on the side – in the 8th minute of play.
    Nick DeLeon intercepted a lazy pass, John Thorrington played up to Silva, who found a pocket of space and hit a hopeful right-footed attempt from just above the arc. Bobby Shuttleworth could not reach the strike, which kicked up off the grass, to open the scoring and give DC a shock lead.
    But New England would not be disparaged. Dimitry Imbongo leveled nine minutes into the second half, touching in a left-sided Chris Tierney ball in from amidst a crowd, while Diego Fagundez notched the winner in the 63rd minute, nodding the rebound after a venomous strike from Saer Sene struck the woodwork and fell kindly to the young striker.
    Ben Olsen’s United fell to a league-leading fifteenth loss of the season, mired in a woeful campaign and reeling from a series of injuries that forced recent additions Conor Doyle and Jared Jeffrey into service prematurely. Jay Heaps’ Revolution continues to show glimpses of a contender, picking up a second-consecutive road win to delicately position themselves on the verge of a playoff position.
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    Montreal 1 – Kansas City 0
    A match that was liable to explode, featuring two sides that have grown a distaste for each other through five previous hard-fought encounters, took 96 minutes to crack a deadlock that seemed destined for a draw.
    Montreal limped into the match winless in five matches and shutout in their last two after surging to the top of the East through the early season; Kansas City on the other hand, were on a three-match winning run and unbeaten in six.
    After the fireworks that ended their last meeting – Alessandro Nesta was sent off, as was Marco Schallibaum, and rumour of a refused handshake and some harsh words exchanged trailed the event – the two combined for nearly forty fouls on the night, as quarter was neither given, nor asked.
    With the final seconds ticking down, Montreal smelled blood from a back-line shorn of its starting centre-back duo – Aurelien Collin was suspended and Matt Besler at the Gold Cup. Nesta played up to Hassoun Camara on the right touch-line; he then laid a ball up towards the attacking arc, where Patrice Bernier stepped over it, leaving for Marco Di Vaio.
    Di Vaio was allowed to turn and poke a through-ball towards the left, where rookie Blake Smith was arriving unmarked. His first-time left-footer was placed through the legs of the on-rushing Jimmy Nielsen to end both streaks and hand Montreal a much needed victory.
    Schallibaum and Peter Vermes shook hands after the final whistle, the former more satisfied than the latter, laying to bed that animosity; for now. The win draws Montreal back within a point of East-leaders KC, tied with New York.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZssV_lGuLHo?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    New York 4 – Salt Lake 3
    The match of the round; perhaps of the season – either way entertaining viewing: a seven-goal thriller that saw the result change five times – win, draw, win, draw, win – eventually ended on a 94th minute game-winning header from Dax McCarty.
    New York took the lead, scoring twice within the first half-hour – Tim Cahill nodded in an unmarked header from a Thierry Henry free-kick in the 11th minute and Fabian Espindola converted from the spot in the 23rd after Abdoulie Mansally was deemed to have fouled Brandon Barklage in the box.
    But Alvaro Saborio drew one back from twelve paces before half-time converting after Marcus Holgersson fouled Olmes Garcia in the Red Bull eighteen-yard box.
    Saborio would complete his hat-trick with a pair in two minutes – swinging a right-foot to cap a fine counterattacking move in the 80th before notching his goal of the round nominee.
    With seconds remaining in regulation time, the referee once more pointed to the spot – the third of the match, for those keeping count – after Aaron Maund was ruled to have brought down Espindola; the Argentine would again convert against his former club.
    A diplomatic draw would have been a fitting end for such a match, but McCarty, who was victimized on Saborio’s third, would not be denied - diving to get his head on the end of some wonderful right-sided service from Barklage.
    Red Bull handler, Mike Petke, summed up the experience of a coach – especially in a match such as this – perfectly, “My job is ecstasy and agony. There’s no in between. This week I’ll be happy. For that moment after they scored I was miserable. The moment we scored to tie it up I was happier. The moment we scored [again, to win] I was very happy.”
    Salt Lake’s Jason Kreis will feel hard done by, losing a match in stoppage-time for a second consecutive week, especially with so many weak penalty decisions affecting the outcome.
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    Vancouver 0 – Philadelphia 1
    Vancouver could similarly feel hard done, but their downfall was entirely of their own making.
    Just eight minutes in, Jun Marques Davidson reacted angrily to a violent kicked from Keon Daniel with a weak head-ram into the shoulder of the Trinidadian (Tobagonian? Trinbagonian?) midfielder and was shown red by the ever-eager official. Oddly it was the tenth time a Philadelphia opponent was shown a red card this season.
    The Whitecaps put on a brave display, though a man down for over eighty minutes, often looking the brighter of the two sides, but they could not find a goal.
    In the 85th minute a Nigel Reo-Coker ball was easily cut out by Amobi Okugo, who fed Sebastien Le Toux – one of many players on the pitch facing a former club – on the right touch-line. Antoine Hoppenot, the Union’s super-sub, dropped deep to receive the ball from Le Toux and Vancouver centre-back, Johnny Leveron, unwisely tracked him and was beaten for pace on the return.
    Hoppenot passed up to Aaron Wheeler, Carlyle Mitchell got a touch, but the ball still found its intended target, who cleverly back-heeled a return ball into the path of Hoppenot, who had continued his run and drove the winner past Brad Knighton with his left-foot.
    Martin Rennie would lament the early dismissal that precipitated their first home loss of the season, but laud the fight and energy his side displayed through 84 minutes. John Hackworth patted himself on the back for making a trio of attacking substitutes, but will secretly be counting his lucky stars to have a result fall their way on the road without Conor Casey leading the line.
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    Houston 1 – Chicago 1
    The lone drawn of the round featured two sides currently on the outside looking in of the Eastern Conference playoff standings – on the MLSsoccer.com tables, at least.
    Houston, fresh off a bye week victory over Stoke City FC and consecutive league wins after a long dry spell, took the lead through Cam Weaver in the 61st minute - a sweeping attacking move began on the right, where Oscar Boniek Garcia eluded two defenders and played in-field to Adam Moffat.
    Moffat sprayed the ball wide to left-back Corey Ashe, who moved towards goal before laying Brad Davis down the edge of the box. Davis picked out the near-post run of Weaver, who neatly flicked into the net.
    Any celebrations were short lived, as Mike Magee responded within two minutes after Patrick Nyarko picked the pocket of Ashe and squared a goal-mouth ball to Magee - requiring only the slightest of touches from the striker for his thirteenth of the season, tying him atop the Golden Boot race with Vancouver’s Camilo.
    Houston’s Dominic Kinnear will not be panicking, he knows this league well, and his team, once fit and back from international duty, is poised to make that playoff push. Frank Klopas’ Chicago too appear set for a strong run in and added a new striker, Juan Luis Anangono.
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    Colorado 2 – Los Angeles 0
    Pablo Mastroeni’s return to the club where he spent the majority of his MLS career – twelve of sixteen seasons – was ruined as his new side was outmuscled by the team he left behind.
    Colorado laid down a marker early with Hendry Thomas booked in the ninth minute for a fierce challenge and again with a second some minutes later, before a bizarre foul call - and booking for LA’s Juninho for a foul (or dive) - despite significant evidence to the contrary, raised the ire of the Galaxy.
    Thomas, who last scored eighteen matches ago in Round 5, finally found his second of the season, absolutely manhandling replacement centre-back Tommy Meyer on a right-sided Dillon Powers corner kick to power in a header in the 41st minute.
    Powers himself would double the advantage two minutes after the break, bearing down on goal after a well-played one-two with Edson Buddle, allowed him clear in on goal down the left-channel.
    Oscar Pareja’s Rapids, truly one of the surprise teams of the season, stretch their unbeaten run to six matches – including four wins; while Bruce Arena will be alarmed at how his young team were humbled by the physical and energetic domination of a less-glamourous side.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ox7FWBxhPzc?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    San Jose 2 – Portland 1
    Grudge match number three between these two teams who have fast become fierce rivals saw San Jose pick up their first win in eight attempts over Portland.
    Shea Salinas earned a penalty kick – upended by Andrew Jean-Baptiste just inside the box after a mazy run, which Victor Bernardez converted in the 55th minute, opting for placement when all – including Timbers Goalkeeper, Donovan Ricketts – expected power.
    Steven Lenhart doubled the Earthquakes advantage three minutes on, sneaking in behind the mass of bodies to latch onto a quickly taken Salinas free-kick and touch home the second. Dance.
    Darlington Nagbe would grab a consolation goal on a precise counterattack – Diego Valeri played up to Frederic Piquionne who expertly held it up and directed the ball into the path of Nagbe in one smooth motion, setting up his right-footed finish in the 83rd minute.
    Mark Watson’s San Jose would hold on for the win, despite losing Marvin Chavez to a pair of yellow cards in the 85th minute – first for a foul, then for encroaching on the subsequent free-kick (the ref had had enough of his antics) – to collect a second-straight full points as they climb back into postseason consideration after a difficult 2013.
    Caleb Porter’s Timbers have now lost two of their last four matches since seeing their long unbeaten run ended in Columbus; though they are still firmly in the playoff picture, converting a few of those draws into wins would have served them nicely, especially if this moderate slump is to continue or worsen.
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    Seattle 2 – Chivas 1
    The lone Sunday fixture, running late into the evening, saw a Seattle side in desperate need of a win come from behind against the latest formulation of Chivas.
    Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres, playing in only his second match of the season, added to his growing legend with another goal, having scored the game-winner against TFC last Wednesday that ended their fourteen-match winless run.
    Carlos Alvarez forced a turnover in the 16th minute, exchanged passes with Gabriel Farfan and surged towards goal before laying off to Torres ghosting in unmarked to the left. The highly-touted forward on loan from Guadalajara calmly slotted a right-footed finish to the far-side of the goal.
    Any joy at taking the lead was short lived for los Ameri-Goats, as Brad Evans drew the Sounders level seven minutes later, finishing a threaded-ball from Mauro Rosales on the left-side of the box.
    Any hope turned to dust in the second half, when Seattle pressed and Chivas wilted, culminating in a Lamar Neagle game-winner in the 57th minute after a fast-break down the right that began with All-Star rookie, DeAndre Yedlin.
    Yedlin hit a ball from deep that bounced past a series of defenders to Obafemi Martines who touched to Rosales. Moving in-field, Rosales lay a return ball down the right-side of the box for the Nigerian striker, who then cut yet another return pass back towards the penalty spot, where Rosales stretched to touch it into the path of Neagle streaming down the left. He finished low across the keeper.
    Seattle boss Sigi Schmid, winning his 180th career MLS match, will have enjoyed the spirited comeback – their first win after conceding the opening goal this season – to snap a three-match winless run and make up some ground with the final playoff spot now less out of reach.
    Chivas’ Jose Luis Real will lament the defensive breakdown and poor ball-retention that allowed the Sounders back into the game, after seemingly shoring up those frailties through the last several matches since taking charge.
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    CanCon
    As usual, the extended look at the Canadian contributions to this round of MLS will be up tomorrow (Tuesday) midday.
    Plenty to discuss with strong contributions from Patrice Bernier, Jonathan Osorio, amongst others, and returns to the pitch for Dwayne De Rosario and a start for Dejan Jakovic.
    Overheard
    The feel-good story of the weekend was the return to the pitch of New England’s Kevin Alston in their win over DC.
    A local DC boy, who grew up mere miles away from RFK, Alston was diagnosed with a form of leukemia in April, but was cleared to return to the side last week – featuring on the bench in both the Revolution matches in Round 21 – before replacing Dimitry Imbongo in the 84th minute in front of family and friends to boisterous applause.
    When asked about his return, Alston said, ““It was unbelievable. My parents were there, my brother was there, my grandfather was there, all my family and friends. It made it special to be able to do it in front of them.”*
    Going on to add, “I’ve had to be very patient. There were a lot of unknowns. Even through the whole recovery process. I can’t tell you how many times I’d go in for a doctor’s appointment and think I was doing well, but have the doctor tell me my level was much lower. That was my fault for setting myself up for a fall like that, but a lot of patience was necessary because there was so much unknown. I didn’t know how long it would be or what the recovery process would be.”
    “As soon as the game was over, everybody came over to congratulate me and I was trying my hardest not to cry, I was fighting tears. They’ve been supportive since the start and they showed it again tonight.”
    Welcome back Kevin; top man.
    See It Live
    Plenty of enjoyable little tidbits provided some pleasurable viewing.
    In San Jose, Steven Lenhart’s goal-celebration dance (NSFW) – note the look on Adam Jahn’s face, Steven Beitashour’s premature celebrations when he thought Jahn’s header had found the inside of the netting, only to realize it skimmed the outside, and Marvin Chavez’ bizarre double yellow dismissal added some colour to a lively affair.
    Tim Cahill and Nat Borchers had an epic series of battles in the Salt Lake box as the defender tried to mark the dangerous midfielder – fierce, but good natured, while the MSG replay of an old-school MLS clip featuring a clash between then players-now coaches, Mike Petke and Jason Kreis the former gently head-butting the latter who made a meal of it – more of that please (the old clips, not the friction).
    Hendry Thomas’ ripping the goal-drought monkey off his back in celebration of his thunderous header and Jonathan Osorio’s stripping in the rain goal-celebrations joined Lenhart atop that category.
    While Seth Sinovic learn that one can throw a pretty savage body check early in the match with only minimal consequence as he laid out Justin Mapp inside the first minute – reminiscent of Chris Wingert’s controversial hit on Kei Kamara last weekend.
    One broadcaster got all potty-mouthed, referring to a “Butt Bruise” – the height of playground hilarity, while Pablo Mastroeni’s incredulity at one referee’s decision had him barking mad – the YSA chant blushed at some of the audible language on display this week (time to roll down the field mics).
    Then, of course, there was when Sigi Schmid miss-controlled a ball that bounced his way and almost hit himself in the face – or so it appeared. He looked suitably sheepish and dismayed, as the crowd razzed him a little.
    Controversy
    Vancouver’s Jun Marques Davidson saw red – and was shown it too – following a savage kick from Philadelphia’s Keon Daniel – Davidson’s dismissal was inevitable, but should Daniel have seen one too?
    And San Jose’s Chavez picked up two yellows in a matter of seconds – worthy of the ignominy or an overreaction from a frustrated official?
    And what of the final whistle in DC?
    Opinion Poll
    The referee in charge of the DC-New England match blew this final whistle with Sene in alone on an unguarded net with DC keeper, Joe Willis, attacking one final set-piece in the dying seconds at the other end of the pitch, robbing the striker of a well-deserved goal – he had been cruelly denied a sensational strike earlier by the woodwork.
    Stoppage-time, how it is tallied and ended is a constant annoyance.
    Yes, the announced time is technically a minimum, leaving it up to the official as to when the match should end – much to the chagrin of Salt Lake last weekend.
    Should time keeping be more official – and perhaps under the observation of the fourth official, who has less on his place than the man in the centre? Or is the current murky system part of the suspense and mystique of the game?
    Was the referee right to deny Sene a goal?
    Upcoming Fixtures
    The MLS All-Star Game takes centre stage on Wednesday, with the All-Stars hosting AS Roma at Sporting Park in Kansas City.
    Saturday: Kansas City-New York; DC-Montreal; Philadelphia-Chicago; Colorado-Salt Lake; Houston-Columbus; San Jose-Chivas; Seattle-Dallas; Portland-Vancouver. Sunday: New England-Toronto.
    Top matches include the top of the East clash between KC and New York, a Rocky Mountain Cup duel – the third of the season, between Colorado and Salt Lake, and another Cascadia Cup tilt with Portland welcoming Vancouver to the Rose City.
    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
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]3462[/ATTACH]Two points most certainly dropped on Sunday as opposed to a point earned from a brave fightback.
    Vancouver Whitecaps now head off for three tough and very crucial away games and they need to get points. But will they be on the road to hell or heaven?
    For me, not one or two or even three points will likely do. It has to be a four point minimum haul by the time they return from their trip to Montreal, and ideally five or more.
    The upcoming three game road trip looks like being the decisive making or breaking of this team.
    Come back with points, and they’re still in the mix for the playoff places. Come back with one or none and it’s sadly going to be a case of being left in the hunt for dead October.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Kenny Miller’s post game comments on Sunday summed it up nicely:
    <i>"We've definitely got the players. We've definitely got the ability to go and do it, but it's not about standing here talking about it, it's about going away to Dallas next week, to San Jose after that and to Montreal after that and actually going out and crossing that white line and performing enough and well enough to go and get the results that we need, because let's be honest we're going to need more than one win. We're going to need a few points to make sure we give ourselves a chance going into those last five game."</i>
    Sunday was undoubtedly a major set back to the Caps' post season hopes.
    The Chivas game was always likely to be a potential banana skin with the way both teams had been playing. We said as much ourselves <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?4906-Caps-cant-allow-nannies-to-make-them-ninnies" target="_blank">>last week</a>.
    In Erick Torres, Chivas have made one of the loan deals of the season. As he starts to get more attention from the Mexican national team, we can at least say we watched him in his breakout season.
    Andy O’Brien can say that too.
    Torres had O’Brien all over the place in that first half on Sunday. He just didn’t know how to handle him and that’s a worry. Other teams will see that and look to have a guy do the same and try and exploit some of the same weaknesses.
    He wasn’t helped out much back there by Johnny Leveron, who failed to be in the right places and clear danger when needed. We missed Carlyle Mitchell’s height in the box at times, although Leveron is much more composed and talented on the deck.
    With Jay DeMerit close to coming back into the starting eleven, there has to be concern about an ageing central pairing, fast opposition and a lot of road travel. At least they are fairly fresh from missing so much time.
    A DeMerit/O’Brien pairing will likely be the way Rennie will go, but I’m not totally convinced that will be the best partnership to have out there in some of the games.
    Nigel Reo-Coker’s presence was certainly missed in the middle. To his credit, Gershon Koffie stepped up big time on Sunday and Matt Watson played an important supporting role.
    The third midfielder and the right wing spots are the two positions that are likely to prove crucial to the Caps’ playoff hopes.
    The shape of the team was hard to read at times at the weekend, as was exactly where Russell Teibert was meant to be playing.
    The Canadian’s star is certainly starting to wane in the run in and it will be interesting to see if someone steps up during his absence on international duty and makes that spot in the starting eleven his own.
    Kekuta Manneh could step up, but he definitely seems more impactful coming off the bench and needs to look up and pass more. That said, when the young Gambian streaks forward and finds seven Chivas players back defending, with no Caps up in support, what is he meant to do?
    That particular breakaway in the first half was the clearest sign of an attack not working as a team and I found it interesting after the game just how many players eluded to the need to be playing as a team.
    It certainly felt that the players and/or the management were clearly pinning the recent results on the lack of a cohesive team unit and that has to be addressed pretty quickly.
    The Caps need to try and find a way to shake up what they’re bringing to their offense. It’s just got too predictable. Trying to find a way to get Tommy Heinemann more minutes could be the key. Get a big bulldozer in to ruffle a few defensive feathers, get some knock downs and hopefully grab a few decisive strikes.
    With 24 points left, the Caps can’t just rely on what worked in June starting to click again.
    They need a spark, they need something fresh and unexpected, and they need it quickly.
    The room for error in these last two months is close to nil.
    Without repeating ourselves too much. For us, RSL, LA and Seattle are guaranteed playoff berths. That leaves the other five teams battling it out for the final two spots.
    San Jose are both most in danger of falling away and most likely to make a late push. A couple of results, including the Vancouver one, could decide their fate.
    They sit five points away from the final playoff place right now, having played a game less than three of the other five teams in the mix, including the Caps.
    The Whitecaps could in fact inflict a death blow if they can go to Buck Shaw Stadium a week on Saturday and come away with a win. If they don't, you can realistically see San Jose getting four wins and a draw from their remaining games, which will leave them in a very strong position.
    Before the Earthquakes task, Vancouver have to head to Dallas. The Whitecaps have never won there and nothing is screaming out at me that anything different is going to happen on Saturday. Dallas will pick up some points in their run in but I see them falling short, which would make dropping points to them all the worse.
    Chivas have been playing some attractive football and Martin Rennie’s comments after the game on Sunday were that he expects them to take more points in their remaining games. So do I, although that may not help the Whitecaps out too much.
    Of our playoff challengers, the Goats have only taken two points from Colorado in recent weeks. Looking at their eight remaining games, two are against Eastern Conference opposition and three are against the top three in the West, who, as we’ve already covered, we fully expect to be in the playoffs anyway.
    That leaves one home game against San Jose and possibly two key games at home to Portland. If Chivas can take four or six points from those two matches against the Timbers, then that could really help the Caps out.
    Despite how well Chivas played against New York and Vancouver, that’s still a pretty big if, but not an impossible one. Portland and San Jose will still be feeling it’s six and three points respectively towards their final tally.
    But like last year, we cannot sit back and rely on other teams failures to make the postseason.
    Looking at the remaining fixtures, I see the following points won and final standings:
    4th - Portland - WWWLDLLD - 11 points - Finishing with 50 points
    5th - San Jose - WWLWDLW - 13 points - Finishing with 47 points (more games won)
    6th - Dallas - WDLWLWLL - 10 points - Finishing with 47 points
    7th - Colorado - LDLLLWL - 4 points - Finishing with 43 points
    8th - Vancouver - LLLDDLLW - 5 points - Finishing with 42 points
    It may look depressing but a Caps win in Dallas and in Colorado and we're sitting on 48 points and 5th spot.
    This is how tight it could all be and should be one of the greatest motivations for the team to head to Texas and come back with three points.
    The whole success of the remainder of their season could depend on it.
    ‘Mon The Caps.
    <p>
    Guest
    Episode 16 of <i>"There's Still Time"</i>, the AFTN podcast, is a Philadelphia post game pod.
    Ten man Vancouver Whitecaps lost their unbeaten home record to Philadelphia Union. We pick over the bones of the defeat, ask Martin Rennie why he went with an unchanged line up after the loss in LA, and search for the positives to take from the game.
    We also look at some of the recent talking points from Whitecapsland. Will the team be strengthened before the transfer window shuts? Is the Kenny Miller extension good for both parties? Is Nigel Reo-Coker doing enough? Why all the hype about Gershon Koffie? And a lot more besides.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    This episode was recorded at BC Place right after the Philly game, so enjoy all the background noise from the air conditioning and the horrible acoustics from the room we were in!
    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 you could just listen on one of the players below!
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    Guest
    <i>Match report and post game reaction from Vancouver Whitecaps' 1-0 loss to Philadelphia Union at BC Place on Saturday afternoon.</i>

    Vancouver Whitecaps lost their heads and their unbeaten home record at BC Place on Saturday afternoon, with the ten man Caps going down 1-0 to Philadelphia Union.
    It was a game which will hit their playoff hopes not just from today's result but from the impact their lack of discipline will have going into next week's Cascadia Cup clash in Portland.
    The shorthanded Whitecaps put up a spirited fight, and looked the more lively side for a lot of the game, but Philadelphia substitute Antoine Hoppenot dealt the killer blow in the 85th minute with a beautiful finish for the only goal of the game.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Martin Rennie surprised many with an unchanged line up to the team that started and struggled in LA last week. The Caps midfield were simply not in that game and the expectation was that changes would be made this time around, especially around Jun Marques Davidson and in trying to add some more creativity to the middle.
    The decision not to make those changes cost Vancouver dearly.
    The visitors had the first break of any real danger in the game when Danny Cruz got on the end of a Jack McInerney pass but pulled his effort across the face of the goal three minutes in.
    The game came to life, and Vancouver's job became harder, when Jun Marques Davidson saw the red mist and a red card in the 8th minute.
    Davidson and Philadelphia's Keon Daniel tussled near the touchline and Davidson went to ground indicating the Union midfielder had struck his head with a flailing arm. The Whitecap immediately got up and headbutted Daniel in the back, giving referee Baldomero Toledo no option but to send him off, with the Union player picking up a booking for his part in it all.
    The dismissal only breathed life into Vancouver and Russell Teibert got on the end of a long through ball from Kenny Miller in the 15th minute, but his chip over Philly keeper Zac MacMath ended up on top of the net.
    The game settled down and it became hard to tell which team had the man advantage, with neither side providing much goal threat, although Knighton was the busier of the two keepers and looking a little shaky at times.
    With five minutes of the half remaining, Camilo sprung Miller and the Scot showed some nice footwork before firing just right of the Union goal from the edge of the box.
    That was to be the last goalmouth action of the first half and the teams headed in to the locker rooms with Vancouver's unbeaten home record hanging but more than just a string, but not too much more.
    Vancouver have been very much a second half team for a lot of this season and they had the first chance of the half in the 49th minute when Camilo pounced on some sloppy defending from Amobi Okugo and forced MacMath into a sprawling near post save.
    The Caps came closer still to breaking the deadlock a minute later when substitute Kekuta Manneh played a short pass to Camilo then kept running to collect a return pass before watching in agony as his delicately placed shot beat MacMath but came crashing back off the left hand post.
    Both teams were enjoying spells in possession and creating half chances, without delivering the killer final ball, but the home side were still looking the livelier despite the man disadvantage.
    MacMath did well to hold a long range Manneh shot midway through the half and it nearly proved to be a key save when the Union went up the field and McInerney played in substitute Antoine Hoppenot, but Knighton stood tall and deflected the danger away.
    Philadelphia had seen a couple of penalty claims waved away earlier in the half and the Whitecaps had a shout themselves for one when Gershon Koffie went down in the box in the 73rd minute. Unfortunately for the Ghanaian and the Whitecaps, it was a blatant dive and a handball and referee Toledo booked Koffie, meaning he will miss next week's trip to Portland and further weaken an already light Whitecaps midfield.
    McInerney forced Knighton into a diving save in the 76th minute, as Philadelphia started to turn up the pressure against a slightly tiring Vancouver side and their plight wasn't helped with eight minutes of the game left when Brad Rusin had to go off injured and was replaced at the back by Carlyle Mitchell.
    The home side still had some fight left in them and Camilo found time and space in the box but drilled his shot straight at MacMath from a good position.
    Vancouver were punished for that mistake moments later when Hoppenot gave Philadelphia the lead in the 85th minute.
    The substitute ran on goal and his attempted pass was only partly blocked by Mitchell. The ball broke to fellow sub Aaron Wheeler who beautifully backheeled the ball back into Hoppenot's path and he curled a shot past the helpless Knighton.
    It was to prove to be the winning goal and although the Whitecaps tried to push for a late leveller, they never troubled the Union defence.
    The most disappointing aspect of the result will be the fact that Vancouver brought it upon themselves and their lack of self discipline will not only prove to be costly to them in this game, but could have huge playoff implications for them as they head to Portland next week for a huge Western Conference clash with a much weakened side.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 - 1 Philadelphia Union
    ATT: 21,000 (sell out)
    VANCOUVER: Brad Knighton; Young-Pyo Lee (Erik Hurtado 88), Brad Rusin (Carlyle Mitchell 82), Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Jun Marques Davidson, Nigel Reo-Coker, Gershon Koffie; Russell Teibert, Kenny Miller (Kekuta Manneh 48), Camilo Sanvezzo [subs: David Ousted, Matt Watson, Daigo Kobayashi, Corey Hertzog]
    PHILADELPHIA: Zac MacMath; Sheanon Williams, Amobi Okugo, Jeff Parke, Raymon Gaddis; Sebastien Le Toux, Michael Farfan, Brian Carroll, Danny Cruz (Antoine Hoppenot 67); Jack McInerney (Aaron Wheeler 82), Keon Daniel (Fabinho 65) [subs Not Used: Chris Konopka, Matt Kassel, Jose Kleberson, Leonardo Fernandes]
    <p>
    <b><u>Reaction:</u></b>
    <b>Martin Rennie on overall game:</b>
    "It was just one of those nights where it seemed like anything that could of gone wrong did go wrong. We lost our centreback, we lost our captain and also a goal threat for us. We missed chances when they came along. It was just one of those nights that are very disappointing but you have to put behind you quickly and move on."
    <b>Martin Rennie on Caps' performance:</b>
    "I was really proud of the players efforts and desire. Even with ten men they had a lots of chances and put a lot into the game, kept the ball well at times and didn't really look under too much pressure."
    <b>Martin Rennie on Davidson sending off:</b>
    "He reacted in a way he shouldn't have. He made a mistake and ultimately we paid the price for that."
    <b>Martin Rennie on surprisingly going with an unchanged line-up:</b>
    "We'd been on the best form in Major League Soccer with that line up. We'd been playing well. We'd been winning a lot of games, especially at home, so we felt it was right to stick with the same players."
    <b>Martin Rennie on losing unbeaten home record:</b>
    "It's disappointing to lose that undefeated record at home. I feel that even with the ten men we put enough into the game to at least preserve that record."
    <b>Jun Marques Davidson on his sending off:</b>
    "I reacted wrong and for all of it, I just want to apologize to all the players. It’s very tough to play pretty much the most of the 90 minutes with ten men.....What I did was wrong and I just want to apologize to all the people who support the team."
    <b>Nigel Reo-Coker on Davidson sending off:</b>
    "It's football. I've seen a lot of worse things happen on a football pitch and you're going to get punished for it. Jun has to take responsibility for it, which he has, and we just got to put it behind us."
    <b>Nigel Reo-Coker on game and performance:</b>
    "I said at half time that I thought we were the better team and even as the game progressed we still had the better chances. We looked like the more threatening team. We looked like the team that's more likely to score. If you don't take your chances, you're going to get punished."
    <b>Brad Knighton </b>
    "That shows a lot from the manager, having belief in you, giving you a run of games. It's huge for my confidence and it's up to me to keep the shirt."
    <p>
    Guest
    The Columbus Crew return to BMO Field Saturday afternoon for the second meeting of 2013 between them and Toronto FC.
    At one point, this game was considered a rivalry. Now, with another season in Toronto wasting away before summer ends and the Crew slowly slipping out of playoff contention, it seems like little more than the next in a long series of 2014 pre-season games. The Reds may finally pick up a long awaited home victory over Columbus but, after years of attempts, it would be more of a relief than a source of exaltation.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Of course for the Crew there’s still a chance of resurrecting their season. A couple wins in their last five is as many as Toronto have had all season, and a win on the road would be vitally necessary to hopes of closing the gap on 5th placed Houston. A little past half-way into the season the Crew aren’t quite out of it but anything less than a full three points will only make their task harder.
    In fact, the Crew’s last road victory was in Toronto back in May. That match featured the strange attempt to turn Justin Braun into a left midfielder and a first half clinic by Federico Higuain that probably deserved more than the one official assist he registered.
    Higuain is exactly the sort of creative, string-pulling organizer that Toronto is lacking. While there’s hope that Jonathan Osorio, or maybe even Kyle Bekker, may one day graduate into an attacking fulcrum in the style of the Argentine it’s doubtful that either are precisely that sort of player.
    Certainly, Toronto head coach Ryan Nelsen’s comments after the trade of Luis Silva to DC United, who had been playing as a withdrawn forward, suggested that TFC’s leadership has identified the need for an influential player in that position. The problem is that such a player is yet to materialize.
    New signing Alvaro Rey has been confirmed as eligible but looks unlikely to start and, in the end, is a wide midfielder. He may add some much needed creativity on the flanks, particularly if Osorio is played centrally, but doesn’t have any of the history of goal scoring that Higuain brought to Columbus.
    With Robbie Earnshaw and Danny Koevermans once again unavailable the most likely starting line-up that Nelsen can field would be a second consecutive pairing of Justin Braun and Jeremy Brockie up top. The notion that he would decide upon something more radical, such as an unlikely start for Kyle Bekker as the withdrawn forward, seems highly unlikely.
    By the time Toronto FC next takes the field for an MLS league game at BMO Field the much ballyhooed summer transfer window will be closed. The roster freeze of mid-September will still be some weeks out but, by and large, the final shape of TFC’s ever-changing 2013 squad should be more apparent.
    What will not be apparent is the direction of the club. Even if more deals are inked it’s going to take time, lots and lots of time, to start answering the question of whether or not the Reds have successfully taken the first steps toward a sustained run of league success.
    Did Toronto’s most recent roster purge clear the decks for needed additions or is it just the latest in a, until now, continuous series of false starts and overhauls? One game in July, with barely a move made, isn’t going to answer that question.
    Toronto fans, like the team, are stuck in a holding pattern. One day, maybe soon, games in late July, if not August, September, and October, will be meaningful but, until then, this is the TFC we’re stuck with.
    Guest
    An extra-time goal by Canadian youth international Valerie Sanderson has pushed the Laval Cometes to their first ever W-League Championship Final with a 3-2 win over the Carolina Cobras Friday afternoon at the IMG Soccer Academy Soccer Complex in Bradenton, Florida.
    Sanderson’s goal came at the 109th minute after the Cobras forced overtime with a 66th minute goal. Carolina had opened the score at the 26th minute, but Canadian international Christina Julien evened things out three minutes later.
    Defender Kelsey Wilson scored the go-ahead goal just before the break for the Quebec-based side.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Laval faces the 2008 and 2009 champions Pali Blues on Sunday in the title match. The California club was defeated in last year’s W-League final by the Ottawa Fury. The LA side has Canadian content with international Sascha Andrews on board as well as former Vancouver Whitecap Mele French (an American). In the other semifinal, Pali Blues defeated the Washington Spirit Reserve 3-2 in overtime.
    Several Canadian youth and senior internationals are playing on the Laval squad, including defender and coach Cindy Waslh, striker Catherine Charron-Delage, midfielder Kylie Davis, striker Christina Julien, defender Vanessa Legault-Cordisco, midfielder Amandine Pierre-Louis, striker Amy Pietrangelo, striker Valerie Sanderson and midfielder Danica Wu.
    Three Canadian clubs have won the W-League final in the past, including the Whitecaps (2004 and 2006) and the Ottawa Fury (2012). Vancouver was also finalist in 2001 and 2010, just like Ottawa in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Laval defeated the Ottawa Fury last weekend in the Central Conference title match. Ottawa previously ousted the Toronto Lady Lynx in the Conference semifinal.
    Sunday’s W-League Final is scheduled for 2:30 pm ET in Bradenton, Florida.
    Guest
    Last time on our football related music feature <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/tags.php?tag=sing+when+you%27re+winning" target="_blank"><b><i>"Sing When You're Winning"</i></b></a>, we took a look at that trusty old Vancouver Whitecaps anthem <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?4724-Sing-When-Youre-Winning-White-Is-The-Colour" target="_blank"><i>"White Is The Colour"</i></a>. A song from the 70's that is still played today.
    So we thought we'd bring you right up to date this time with a new Caps composition that hopes to capture the imagination of football fans in Vancouver and instill some <i>"Team Spirit"</i>. Will it have the longevity of the 70's classic?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Written and performed by local(ish) musicians, and fervent football fans, Alan Millen and Tim Readman, <i>"Team Spirit"</i> comes in at 3 minutes and 17 seconds long. It's a catchy tune that like the best (and I also guess worst) football chants and songs sticks in your head for a bit after you hear it.
    It's about the Whitecaps. It's about cheering on your team to glory. It's about football.
    You can listen to it below and download the track for free <a href="http://tinyurl.com/a6m6s5e" target="_blank"><u>HERE</u></a>.
    We caught up with Millen and Readman to find out the background to the song and about their love for the Whitecaps and their shared passion for Newcastle United.
    The tale of how the pair started working together is an unusual one, of which football plays a key role.
    Both musicians were born in the North East of England. Millen moved to BC at an early age, settling in Nanaimo before heading over to study at UBC. Along the way he met his Swiss wife and moved to Zurich in 1987, where he still resides today, although he comes back over once or twice a year to catch up with family and friends.
    Readman's journey to Canada was later in his life. He <i>"popped out for a paper one night in Fenham and somehow ended up here"</i>, calling Vancouver his home for the past 25 years, where he is a regular on the folk music scene.
    Alan Millen is a songwriter. He writes the words and gets other musicians to add the melody and instruments. Back in 2002 his Newcastle United themed song <i>"Glory Football"</i> was starting to take shape. He went on the Internet looking for a songwriting partner, and in particular a <i>"Geordie Folk singer"</i>. Up popped Tim Readman's website and the rest is history.
    <i>"Coming across Tim’s website, with his combined Newcastle/Vancouver connection, was a stroke of fantastic luck. Or maybe it was just destiny."</i> says Millen, and the pair have now released three CDs of Newcastle United songs under the name <a href="http://timreadman.com/the-exiles/" target="_blank"><b>The Exiles</b></a>.
    Millen describes the songs (45 and counting) as <i>"for and about fans of Newcastle United around the world. It’s a veritable football folk opera!"</i>
    So with that background in football songs of a black and white persuasion, how did a Vancouver Whitecaps track come about? Millen explains.
    <i>"The idea for this song grew out of one of the songs we did for our third Newcastle United CD, released in December 2012."</i>
    Readman takes up the story.
    <i>"We wrote a song called 'Toon Spirit' for that last CD. The sound engineer Bill Buckingham suggested changing the words to make it about the Whitecaps because he really liked the song and thought it would attract attention.
    "We liked the idea so we went for it. We co-wrote the new words over the course of the following three weeks or so. We used the original backing tracks and I re-recorded the vocals in a couple of hours. We were in a rush to get it out before the MLS season started."</i>
    <i>It was great fun to work in references to BC Place and the Skytrain and give it a real Vancouver feel rather than a generic “We Will Rock You” type stadium chant."</i> adds Millen. <i>"Tim and I are basically storytellers so most of what we do has a strong sense of time and location."</i>
    For Millen, it wasn't just a case of jumping on the Whitecaps bandwagon. He's been a bonafide fan of the Caps going back to their NASL days.
    <i>"I recall seeing the Whitecaps play LA Aztecs during either the 1977 or 1978 season, a certain George Best being the main attraction on that day. That may well have been my first game.
    "I was out of Canada for two years but I remember seeing the Whitecaps play at Empire Stadium in 1980, when Johan Cruyff and the Washington Diplomats came to town. The Caps had a very entertaining team during that era.
    "My most memorable match though would have to be the opening night at BC Place in June 1983 when a certain Peter Beardsley scored both goals in a victory over Seattle in front of 55,000 fans. I still have the program and Vancouver Province report from that game. Fantastic memories. I stayed with the Caps during their days at Swangard until departing for Europe."</i>
    And with the Swiss connection in Vancouver in recent seasons, he's found it easier than expected to follow the Caps' fortunes in MLS.
    <i>"When Hassli, Chiumiento and Rochat – all former FC Zurich players – made the move to Vancouver there was considerable coverage in the Swiss media."</i>
    Readman has been a more recent convert.
    <i>"I have been a fan for the past few years. Started going to games three years ago when they were still at Empire Stadium and really enjoyed it. I have usually only got to three or four games a season up to now – mainly due to music commitments."</i>
    And those music commitments have also hit his opportunities at watching his main footballing love of Newcastle United when he has gone back home.
    <i>"I miss the North East a lot and go back home whenever I can. Unfortunately I can only afford to go there if I also play gigs, so I find it nigh on impossible to make it to a game. One time I was home I was all set to see us away to Boro but ended up having to go to play in Oldham instead…and we won 1-0 to make missing it worse."</i>
    Readman was born and raised in the heart of Sunderland supporting territory. His hometown mates rag on him endlessly for being a Maggy, whilst his Magpie friends rib him about really being a Mackem.
    The reason for his strange allegiance is a great story.
    <i>"I grew up in a house full of Sunderland supporters. My St. Paul-like epiphany came after I was knocked clean off a barrier at Roker Park by a typically wayward shot from George Mulhall which hit me square in the forehead. My head, body and pride were severely wounded. I always hated going there because they always played badly and lost. That was in 1965. I never returned and turned my allegiances to the Magpies."</i>
    Millen though is black and white, born and bred.
    <i>"My history with Newcastle United is all about family tradition over four generations. I was born near Newcastle in 1952 and grew up in Canada, devouring newspaper stories about United which relatives in England sent over regularly.
    "While on a return visit in 1962 I saw my first ever match at St James’ Park. I was hooked and lived off that memory for years. It was a huge day for me in May 1970 when Newcastle came to Caledonia Park in Nanaimo to play a team of Vancouver Island Selects and won 3-0.
    "I spent several months visiting relatives during the 1972-73 season and saw 'Supermac' and co play a number of times. The advent of global television coverage made following the team a whole lot easier. My most recent visit to St James' Park was February 24th this year, a 4-2 win over Southampton on what was officially declared 'French Day' to celebrate the arrival of several signings from the French league. The lyrics for our French Day song have already been written."</i>
    It was a strange season for Newcastle last term, promising so much, then threatening to fall apart with the ultimate disaster of relegation again. They survived by just five points in the end.
    Both musicians have much higher hopes for the Whitecaps chances for the rest of the season.
    <i>"It's great to see them off to such a promising start. This could be a breakout season."</i> is the view of Millen. A view which Readman shares.
    <i>"The team has been strengthened and has made a great start. If they keep the ball on the ground and continue to keep the ball well we could surprise a few folks this year."</i>
    And they hope that success can be aided by their Whitecaps song <i>"Team Spirit"</i>
    The guys have knocked up a quick video for the song, but there may be plans to record a new version involving fans. The idea for the initial video is to lay down a supporters' <i>"game face"</i> challenge. The target? <i>"20,000 painted faces at BC Place by end of season!"</i>
    As long as they look a little better than the effort in the video!
    If the Whitecaps themselves can get on board, it could make for a striking visual around BC Place for say the last regular home game of the season and be a nice season ender to go with the now traditional fancy dress that we introduced into the Southsiders back in the D2 days.
    For now, here's the song for your listening pleasure and as always with our "Sing When You're Winning" feature, the full lyrics are reproduced below, so you can all show your "Team Spirit" and sing along...
    <center>

    </center><center><i>[Whistle]
    Come on everybody, get your game face on
    We're going to help the Whitecaps get the job done
    Strong in defence, steel in midfield
    Strikers scoring goals, we'll get the three points sealed
    Now it's time to kick it, turn on the style
    Give Vancouver a reason to smile
    We're ready for the chase, we'll get up for the race
    Cos we want to have a party down at BC Place
    Come on we can do it, get on a winning streak
    Climbing up the table, week after week
    Come on everybody, get your game face on
    We're going to help the Whitecaps get the job done
    Strong in defence, steel in midfield
    Strikers scoring goals, we'll get the three points sealed
    You can feel it in the sunshine, you can feel it in the rain
    You can feel it on the buses and on the skytrain
    Can we really win it, we say you bet
    Come and help the Whitecaps put the ball in the net
    Come on we can do it, get on a winning streak
    Climbing up the table, week after week
    You can feel it in the streets, you can feel it in the bars
    You can feel it when you're walking, when you're driving in your car
    You can feel it in the streets, you can feel it in the bars
    You can feel it when you're walking, when you're driving in your car
    And it feels like (whoo)
    Team spirit to me
    You know it feels like (whoo)
    Team spirit to me
    And it feels like (whoo)
    Team spirit to me
    You know it feels like (whoo)
    Team spirit to me
    You can feel it on the mountains and down by the sea
    When the Southsiders sing us on to victory
    We all feel it inside, blue and white pride
    This is the power of the Whitecaps tide
    Come on we can do it, get on a winning streak
    Climbing up the table, week after week
    Come on everybody, get your game face on
    We're going to help the Whitecaps get the job done
    Come on everybody, get your game face on
    We're going to help the Whitecaps get the job done
    And it feels like (whoo)
    Team spirit to me
    You know it feels like (whoo)
    Team spirit to me
    And it feels like (whoo)
    Team spirit to me
    You know it feels like (whoo)
    Team spirit to me
    [Repeat twice to fade]</i></center>
    <p>
    Guest
    The 2013 PDL playoffs are underway and four Canadian clubs are among the 16 teams still fighting for the North American D4 title.
    In the Central Conference, Forest City London and the Thunder Bay Chill will battle their way in the Conference Semifinals on Saturday as London play the Colorado Foxes and Thunder Bay face the Michigan Bucks.
    In the Eastern Conference, the Ottawa Fury defeated the Portland Phoenix 6-0 on Tuesday in the opening round on the back of Canadian youth international and former Montreal Impact draftee Carl Haworth’s hat trick. Haworth was a fourth round pick by Montreal in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft, but never made his way to the first team.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In the Conference semis, Ottawa will play Reading United, affiliate of the Philadelphia Union, while the Ocean City Nor’easters will play the Carolina Dynamo.
    In the Western Conference, the Northwest Division champions Victoria Highlanderswill face the Ventura County Fusion in one semi-final, while the Portland Timbers U-23 squad will play the Fresno Fuego.
    The Junior Timbers defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps’ U-23 squad in the opening round on Tuesday, winning 5-4 on penalties after the Caps forced overtime with an 83rd minute game-tying effort.
    London is the defending playoffs champions while Thunder Bay won the final back in 2008. The Chill won the regular season crown this year, becoming the second Canadian side to do so after the Calgary Storm in 2001.
    Guest

    TFC to add Alvaro Rey: Report

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The Toronto SUN is reporting (and the club has now confirmed) that Toronto FC will announce the signing of Alvaro Rey.
    The 24-year-old winger, who has recently featured for a relegated, lower division Spanish side, was on trial earlier this summer and will be available upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.
    We could waste our (and your) time by writing a 1,000 word article based on Wikipedia stats, poorly translated reports and draw all sorts of half baked conclusions without really saying anything, but frankly, this is just another signing. One more player through the revolving door at BMO Field.
    Perhaps, the only real relevant question to ask is: how long will he last in a Reds uniform?
    The opening bid begins at 'under one season.' Do we hear two?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    SoccerPlus' Standings of the Americas revisits the last 12 months of action on the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL club scene with an IFFHS-based point system. This month, Montreal is 148th, Toronto 181st and Vancouver 193rd across the Americas.
    For a second straight month, a Brazilian club is on top of the Standings of the Americas at the end June 2013, but this time, Sao Paulo FC is taking over its Serie A neighbour Corinthians.
    The results of close to 500 clubs have been processed in this monthly exercise in across the two confederations, including national championship and cup tournaments along with official international tournaments (CCL, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Caribbean Club Championship).
    The point system was established by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) and used with the permission of the IFFHS. Each championship and tournament has a point coefficient set by IFFHS.
    It is foreseeable to have South American sides largely dominating the top positions due to the higher value of their national championships and the Copa Libertadores against MLS and CCL for instance. Each month we also publish the CONCACAF Top 10 and the complete standings of MLS sides, including Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    This month, Argentine giants Newell’s Old Boys (12th in May) and Colombian side Deportes Tolima (11th) are back in the Top 10 of the Americas, pushing Boca Juniors (14th in June) and Fluminense (12th) out.
    Argentina’s San Lorenzo (29th in June) is the club of the month, mostly on the back of its progression to the Copa Argentina quarter finals and a 2-0-3 record in June.
    Vancouver’s late form has shown in the standings where the Caps have posted the best progression of the three Canadian MLS entries. The Caps’ 4-1 record in June has moved them up 10 spots to 198th in the Americas and 64th in CONCACAF. Montreal pushed ahead due to its ACC title in May, but a 2-2 record in June dropped it four spots to 148th overall. Toronto FC is still riding on the points picked up in 2012 and rank 181st overall.
    Five of the 19 MLS sides progressed in the standings in June, including the final four of the US Open Cup with Portland (-62), Chicago (-53), DC United (-42) and Real Salt Lake (-36) showing the most impressive hike. Also, Los Angeles has took over Seattle as leader of the pack. Chivas (+46), Philadelphia (+34) and San Jose (+28) have experienced the biggest drop.
    SOCCERPLUS STANDINGS OF THE AMERICAS - TOP 10
    (for results between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013)
    RANK CLUB/COUNTRY
    1 (-1) Sao Paulo/BRA
    2 (-2) Tigre/ARG
    3 (+2) Corinthians/BRA
    4 (-) Olimpia/PAR
    5 (-3) Emelec/ECU
    6 (+1) Atletico Mineiro/BRA
    7 (-1) Gremio/BRA
    8 (-1) Santa Fe/COL
    9 (-2) Deportes Tolima/COL
    10(-2) Newell’s Old Boys/ARG
    CONCACAF TOP 10
    RANK TOT. CLUB/COUNTRY
    1 (-) 16(+1) Tijuana/MEX
    2 (-) 17(+1) Monterrey/MEX
    3 (-) 27(-) Santos Laguna/MEX
    4 (-) 33(+3) Toluca/MEX
    5 (-) 36(+3) Herediano/CRC
    6 (-1) 38(-1) Tigres UANL/MEX
    7 (-2) 40(-4) Cruz Azul/MEX
    8(-) 44(+3) Los Angeles/MLS
    9 (+3) 47(+10) Seattle/MLS
    10(-) 48(-) America/MEX
    MLS CLUB STANDINGS
    RANK TOT. CLUB
    1 (-1) 44(+3) Los Angeles
    2 (+1) 47(+10) Seattle
    3(-) 66(+7) Houston
    4 (-1) 81(-36) Real Salt Lake
    5(+1) 127(+24) Kansas City
    6(-8) 147(-62) Portland
    7 (+1) 148(+4) Montréal
    8(-3) 153(-27) Dallas
    9(-6) 159(-53) Chicago
    10(+3) 174(+28) San Jose
    11(+2) 175(+14) New York
    12(-4) 180(-42) DC United
    13(+3) 181(+4) Toronto
    14(+6) 193(+34) Philadelphia
    15(+2) 198(-10) Vancouver
    16(+4) 200(+5) Columbus
    17(-1) 212(-13) New England
    18(-1) 230(+1) Colorado
    19(+2) 269(+46) Chivas USA
    Guest
    It looks like those Kenny Miller to Rangers rumours just got a whole lot of fuel thrown into the fire.
    Before the body of Vancouver’s 2012 season was even cold, Whitecaps Designated Player Kenny Miller was rumoured to be heading back across the Atlantic. Major League Soccer had not been kind to him that year. He appeared on the pitch for a total of 748 minutes, out of a possible 1350, or just over half. In that time, he managed two goals, which was not exactly a blistering pace. If you stretched that out over the entire MLS campaign, including CSA and MLS Cup matches, he was on pace to score 5.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    He took his cue from Barry Robson, who had arrived in Vancouver two months prior, and formed a strong friendship with Andy O’Brien. The three of them would regularly arrive at practice together, and back each other up when disputes arose.
    Even before the preliminary round of the MLS Cup, he was linked by The Telegraph to a loan deal to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian. However, the player himself poured some cold water on it by saying that <i>"Hibs are top of the league, they don’t need me now. After this game I’ll have a wee think about what I’m going to do."</i>
    In December, his agent had lined up a loan to move to Scottish Premiership side St. Mirren, but the Whitecaps vetoed this move. Having played 4,918 minutes of football over the European 2011-12 season and second half of the 2012 MLS campaign, it’s not hard to wonder why. They preferred that he train only.
    A month later, he was doing just that with then Scottish Division Three side Rangers, a club he had two previous spells with between 2000-02 and 2008-11.
    When asked in January by a Scottish reporter whether he would be open to a return, he said <i>"There is no doubt I would come back"</i>, going on to say, <i>"I would definitely do it. It’s whether it could happen."</i> And finally, he added that <i>"Rangers hold a strong place in my heart."</i>
    It would have been interesting to read what he said in between those quotes, but that probably didn't fit with the story.
    He trained with the full blessing of Vancouver Whitecaps. Indeed, the rumours of a move abroad worked in both directions, as Vancouver were thought to be keen to unload him and Barry Robson.
    When Vancouver’s preseason began, Miller returned, but Robson was nowhere to be seen. A few hours later, Vancouver announced that they had terminated his contract by mutual consent.
    In April, more stories emerged about Kenny’s possible return to Rangers, only this time it appeared that Rangers owner at that time, Charles Green, was pouring cold water on them by suggesting he only wanted to buy players with a sell-on possibility. At Kenny’s age, that appeared unlikely. Those three quotes by Kenny from January were trotted out again.
    In May, Miller’s name appeared on a list of transfer targets of Rangers manager Ally McCoist. This was apparently enough to fuel another round of speculation in the Scottish press.
    Vancouver’s number nine said, <i>"I’m contracted with Vancouver until the end of the season. It’s as simple as that. Obviously you can’t control what’s said or written by other parties, but for me, I’ve just been firmly focused on getting back and getting back on the field for Vancouver."</i>
    However, his compatriot Kris Boyd, now with Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock, had a lot to say on the matter. Before we get into those comments, let’s consider the source. In December of 2011, Boyd terminated his contract with Turkish side Eskişehirspor over a payment dispute. He thought he should be paid. How quaint.
    He signed as a Designated Player with Portland Timbers in January, took part in their preseason camp, and played his first game in March, almost five months after his last competitive match. All in all, it was a fairly smooth transition, with a lengthy end of season break.
    The 2012 campaign started well enough for him, scoring three goals in his first six matches for the Timbers. But it did not end too well. In the last 11 matches he was in the 18, he failed to score, and in three of them, he was an unused substitute.
    When asked about Kenny’s situation, Boyd said, <i>"Kenny’s made his decision and he wants to come back home."</i> At the time, Boyd thought that <i>"he’ll do well. Rangers probably need a couple of experienced players to help the youngsters coming through."</i>
    <i>"When you’ve played at the level Kenny has,”</i> such as in captaining Vancouver Whitecaps, <i>"and you have as many caps as he has,"</i> many of them as captain of Scotland, <i>"he would be an asset."</i>
    And if that wasn’t enough, he added this nugget of insight, <i>"I’m sure he’s now thinking he wants to help the Rangers kids mature into the kind of player Kenny has turned into. He’ll be eager to pass on all of his experience."</i>
    Strange, and here we thought that he was already doing that in Vancouver, taking the likes of Kekuta Manneh, Darren Mattocks, Russell Teibert, and of course, Camilo Sanvezzo under his wing. But alas, that kind of talk doesn’t sell papers in Scotland.
    When asked about Boyd's comments, Miller played them down and said he'd have to have a word with him about them.
    In June, Miller again appeared on Ally McCoist’s transfer target list. But given Rangers financial difficulties, I imagine the tablet he wrote it on was made of stone.
    In July, the Scottish papers reported yet again that Miller was on his way to Rangers. Clearly there were no other important topics on the Scottish game that they could write about. This time they incredulously made the claim that he was quite willing to take a hefty pay cut to play for Rangers. No quotes or sources were given. What is happening to the UK tabloids? They didn't even bother to make one up.
    Today, Kenny Miller has put pen to paper on a six-month contract extension, which will keep him with Vancouver until June 2014. Now, obviously the 2014 schedule has not been released, but he should be eligible for around 15-20 matches between MLS and the Voyageurs Cup.
    Martin Rennie offered his thoughts on the extension, <i>"This is an important move for our club and speaks to the value we place on continuity as we grow."</i>
    Having assumed the captain’s armband in Jay DeMerit’s absence, it is not surprising that Rennie would say that <i>"Kenny is a great leader and his contributions both on and off the pitch have been instrumental to the success of our team. It's an exciting time for the club and we look forward to a strong finish to the 2013 campaign."</i>
    <i>"I’m delighted to sign a contract extension with the Whitecaps,"</i> said Miller. <i>"I’ve really enjoyed my time in Vancouver and so has my family. The fans here are unbelievable, the club is always very professional, and I think we have a special group of players."</i>
    Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what this really means. This deal is all about flexibility. Shortly after the MLS Cup Final on December 7th or 8th, when the Vancouver Whitecaps will take on the Montreal Impact in a re-match of the... okay, I made that last part up.
    But shortly after the MLS season officially ends, Kenny Miller will be free to sign a pre-contract. This is what happened in 2013 when we signed Barry Robson while he was still under contract to Middlesbrough.
    By limiting the extension until June, it will give the Kenny the chance to sign with a European club during their off season, and Vancouver will have the chance to sign a replacement in the July transfer window.
    Let’s call a spade a spade here. By then, he’ll be 34-year old striker, halfway to 35, and who knows how his body will hold up. One only has to look at the change in Lee Young-Pyo’s form from last season to this to see how cruel time can be on a professional athlete.
    And if you’re one of those people who have been enjoying all the speculation about a possible return to Rangers, you’re in luck. This deal is the surest sign yet that Miller intends to return to his old stomping ground.
    Currently, Rangers are under a transfer embargo that runs until September 1st, 2013. It’s no great leap of faith to suggest that come December, Miller will sign a pre-contract with Rangers, pay Vancouver a transfer fee, or risk him getting hurt in the first half of the 2014 MLS campaign. By then, they’ll hope to have been promoted to the Scottish Championship.
    He’d join them after a proper off season for their fight to win promotion to the Scottish Premiership.
    In case you were wondering, earlier today the newly formed Scottish Professional Football League voted to rename the four divisions to Scottish Premiership, Scottish Championship, Scottish League One, and Scottish League Two.
    Of course, Miller could re-sign with Vancouver, either another six month extension for the balance of the 2014 season, or beyond. That’s why this deal is so good for Vancouver. It keeps an asset that’s been doing so well on the books, but they aren’t tied to it long term in case things go awry.
    We always knew Miller’s time in Vancouver would be short. We didn’t get him until he was already in his early thirties, but if nothing else, this will allow him to focus on the 2013 campaign, and the distraction of a pre-contract won’t emerge until after the season ends.
    What will the Scottish press fill their column inches with now?
    <p>
    Guest
    The Montreal Impact confirmed on Tuesday afternoon it has come to terms with Argentine defensive midfielder Hernan Bernardello who's turning 27 on August 3. The club also said he is becoming the second Designated Player (the other being Marco Di Vaio) after signing a one year deal with a two-year option.
    This announcement follows last week’s mid-season report and comes in the middle of the team’s second worst winless streak (one game away from a record six games). Bernardello arrived in Montreal on Tuesday to sign a new deal and take a physical exam.
    Ironically, the player had to be hospitalized late Tuesday for severe flu symptoms. His official public introduction planned for Wednesday morning was postponed and it is unlikely he will be in uniform Saturday against Kansas City.
    This is not totally surprising since Sporting Director Nick DeSantis told reporters last week Montreal was working on one or two players to help out in the playoff race and for the CONCACAF Champions League tournament. DeSantis also said the club held a few allocation dollars to spare with the tight space under the cap.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Bernardello played one friendly with Argentina’s national team back in May 2009 against Panama, on a side loaded mostly with domestic players.
    He has played his initial three professional seasons in Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys (18th/14th in 2006-07; 11th/8th in 2007-08, and 5th/15th in 2008-09). He then crossed the Atlantic on a $4 million transfer to Spanish Liga side Almeria in July 2009 and signed a six-year deal.
    He played 100 games on three seasons with Almeria (13th in 2009-10 and 20th in 2010-11 leading to relegation). He also played Barcelona in the Copa del Rey in 2011 where his club was destroyed 8-0 on aggregate by Messi and Co in the semifinals.
    Last year in July, he was loaned to Atletico Colon of Argentina’s Primera Division and his team placed 10th in the Apertura and 17th in the Closura.
    His arrival is expected to push Canadian international Patrice Bernier back in a more offensive role like he did last year when he scored a team-high nine goals. This can only be good news for the Impact, currently in a slump up front with only one goal scored in its last three outings.
    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.
    In a week in which three of the matches involving Canadians ended in score-less draws – the other three were disappointing losses - it comes as no surprise that nobody, other than Jonathan Osorio, really stood out this round.
    That’s not to say any one was bad, just not as impressive as they have been at various points throughout the season.
    Osorio was very good, while Will Johnson and Russell Teibert had slight Gold Cup – and viral – hangovers; Patrice Bernier rebounded from a disappointing result in New York with a strong outing; Doneil Henry was solid and Ashtone Morgan returned to the pitch after a long-spell on the bench.
    There was a Kyle Bekker sighting and Kyle Porter had a brief thirty-minute cameo for DC; Dejan Jakovic returned from nearly two months on the treatment tables.
    Top three this round?
    Osorio, Teibert, and Johnson – the latter two more for their words after the Gold Cup debacle than any particular on-field prowess.
    Find out what they did – and said - to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio made his sixth and seventh starts for Toronto FC (seventeen appearances on the season), having missed a pair of matches on Gold Cup duty.
    On Wednesday night Toronto played Chivas in Los Angeles; Osorio was one of the better players on the pitch in a losing effort, falling 1-0 to a late deflected goal after playing up a man for over an hour.
    Nominally on the right-side of midfield – though he and Convey switched freely – Osorio completed 50 of 56 passes and had a pair of shots – one on and one off – as TFC pressured Chivas, but could not buy a goal.
    Two of the best chances of the night – and a third less-glittering one – came from the boots of the Toronto, Ontario-native.
    He was involved in the buildup that led to Jeremy Brockie’s missed chance – the Kiwi could not turn the left-sided Osorio goal-mouth ball into the net, later laying a nice through-ball down the right-side for Brockie that eventually led to Darel Russell’s attempt – and heavy tackle – on Dan Kennedy.
    Perhaps best of all was the neat move he made on the right to make space for a low shot – Chivas’ keeper, Kennedy, got his fingertips to it, just enough to force it wide as it trickled past the far-post.
    Then, in the dying minutes after a nice bit of interplay involving three Canadians, Osorio looked to have won his side a penalty – when he was upended by Mario de Luna – but the referee had put his whistle away by this point and the match was over.
    The play in question saw Ashtone Morgan play in from the left to Kyle Bekker. His shot was blocked, but squirreled into the path of Osorio, who tried to maneuver around de Luna, before being felled near the left-post.
    Post-match Interview following the Chivas match
    Note – whoever is selecting the clips for the TFC matches is constantly leaving out all the most important plays from the matches. It is frustrating.
    Come Saturday, with TFC set to face New York, Osorio resumed his position on the right-side of midfield and, given the opposition kept all their players on the pitch, did a little less roaming that he had against Chivas.
    He completed 28 of 36 passes, had two shots (one off target, the other blocked), losing possession thirteen times and winning a foul. Defensively he added seven recoveries and an interception.
    Osorio was very active in attack as usual, freed of being overburdened by excessive defensive responsibilities by the impressive form of Matias Laba – hence the drop in his defensive numbers. He played a nice through-ball down the right for Brockie – the goal-mouth square ball was smothered by Luis Robles before Justin Braun could get to it.
    He desperately wanted to take a dangerous free-kick – that he won – but Bobby Convey ushered him off of it; Osorio had sought out the ball immediately, but Convey popped it out of his hands. Convey struck it well, but Robles was equal to the task.
    Osorio couldn’t find space for a shot after Laba’s ankle-breaking move on Dax McCarty at the top of the box – muscled out by Jamison Olave and Marcus Holgersson – and nearly latched onto a fine ball over the top from Jeremy Hall, but Olave recovered well to knock it away. (Highlights unavailable, sigh)
    The match ended as a score-less draw.
    Post-match interview following match versus New York
    It was a lively pair of matches back in MLS from the twenty-one year old of Colombian heritage, who represented Canada at the Gold Cup.
    In an interview with CONCACAF.com he discussed his experiences at the tournament saying, “This year is been going real well for me. I’ve been improving really fast and the coaches on the national team took notice. They called me up for a friendly in March against Costa Rica and I am here now in the Gold Cup. We haven’t gotten the results we wanted but it’s been a good experience for me. I am sure I will learn from this for the future.”
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert too returned to league play after an illness-shortened Gold Cup outing.
    Making his eleventh start of the season (twelfth appearance) having missed three matches on international duty, Teibert returned to his right-sided attacking position when Vancouver travelled to LA to face the Galaxy.
    He was not his usual dynamic self, perhaps still suffering from the lingering effects of the sickness that saw him miss Canada’s final two matches at the Gold Cup.
    Completing 22 of 30 passes and zero of four crosses, Teibert added three recoveries and won a foul; conceding possession twelve times.
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native’s only significant contribution to the match was his assist on Camilo goal in the 19th minute.
    From a counterattack that began with an LA corner kick, Nigel Reo-Coker bustled the ball out of the Vancouver end. He played back to YP Lee on the right touch-line, where Lee cleverly spotted Teibert and Camilo breaking quickly.
    Lee sent a cross-field ball towards Teibert in the centre-circle. Rather than take it down and risk losing momentum, Teibert simply helped it on, deflecting the ball with his shin or knee into the path of Camilo breaking behind the LA defense.
    Camilo finished calmly putting Vancouver in front; they would not hold on to that advantage.
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    Upon returning from the Gold Cup, Teibert discussed falling ill with whitecapsfc.com, “I couldn’t get out of my hotel room. It was tough to eat and stuff. I’m happy it’s over with 100 percent right now,” and it was revealed that he was roommates with Will Johnson, who also missed out on the second and third Canada matches in the group with illness.
    There has been a lot of confusion over how to properly pronounce his last name – T-burt, Tie-burt – but LA’s left-back, Todd Dunivant, took it to a new level, when he called him T-fert in a pre-match interview. Dunivant would mark Teibert better than pronounced however.
    A bonus bit of Canadiana – Rick Hansen gave an impassioned talk to the Whitecaps recently, it’s worth checking out.
    Will Johnson
    Johnson also returned to his club after a disease-ravaged outing at the regional championships, making his eighteenth start of the season and once more going the full match when Portland travelled to Philadelphia, playing out a score-less draw after having to wait nearly an hour for the second half to begin with thunderstorms in the area.
    Back alongside Diego Chara at the base of the Timbers’ midfield, he completed 35 of 41 passes, winning two fouls – including one that saw Conor Casey booked for a lunging challenge.
    Johnson won three tackles, made five recoveries and three clearances on the defensive side of the ball and showed glimpses of the player that had been so influential this season, earning consideration for MVP and an All-Star nomination.
    Whether it was the combination of weather, a physical and energetic opponent, or simply readjusting to play after being laid low with the affliction that robbed Canada of his service – probably a combination of all factors, he was not as influential as usual.
    The Toronto, Ontario-native did have one good attacking play, surging through the midfield, bearing down on goal before playing out to Ryan Johnson on the left – his shot on goal was saved handily.
    In a talk with portlandtimbers.com, Johnson discussed his All-Star selection, “It’s a big honor, not going to sugarcoat that. It’s something I’m very proud of, but first and foremost I have to mention the club and my teammates and coaches. Without them, giving me the opportunities and giving me balls in good spots, it just wouldn’t happen.”
    Going on to mention the disappointment of the Gold Cup, “Obviously, the Gold Cup was tough, no two ways about that. I wish I could have been able to stick around a little longer and give my full self. I was just out of it and couldn’t really do a whole lot there.”

    Doneil Henry
    Another player returning from Canada duty, Henry was not available for Toronto’s Wednesday match in Chivas – he was serving a one-match suspension for a red card picked up against Salt Lake, but returned to the starting eleven on Saturday against New York to make his seventh start of the season (eighth appearance) after missing two matches while away at the Gold Cup.
    Stationed between Steven Caldwell and Ashtone Morgan as the left-sided centre-back, the Brampton, Ontario-native, was as solid as he has been since breaking into the starting lineup at the start of May – all seven of his starts have come in Toronto’s last eleven matches (he has been suspended for two of those he missed).
    With New York’s attack largely anemic, Henry wasn’t called into any particularly heroic interventions, instead having a steady match, while completing 25 of 36 passes, winning seven headers, making eight recoveries and six clearances. He conceded only one foul and turned over possession eleven times; not too shabby considering he was facing up against the tricky and tenacious Fabian Espindola – and some guys by the names of Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill.
    One of the more unexpected improvements in Henry’s game has been his confidence in striding out of the back on the ball, looking to initiate attacks playing into the feet of a midfield, rather than just lumping long as so many centre-backs often do.

    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier started his sixteenth match of the season (nineteenth appearance) for Montreal when they welcomed Dallas to town, playing out a score-less draw.
    Coach Marco Schallibaum responded to the 4-0 drubbing in New York the week before by shuffling the deck – in part precipitated by Marco Di Vaio’s absence – opting for a three-man central midfield with Bernier and Davy Arnaud holding and Felipe more advanced.
    Bernier was once more immense for the Impact, completing 60 of 74 passes, conceding possession just sixteen times, and winning a single foul. Defensively he added twelve recoveries, won four tackles, make a trio of interceptions, two clearances and a block, conceding two fouls.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native was everywhere on the pitch, blocking a potentially threatening Michel cross, pressuring Kenny Cooper into a rushed shot that sailed off target and pushing forward when given the chance.
    He should have picked up an assist with a lovely ball over the top for Justin Mapp, but Mapp could not bring it down and the chance was lost.
    Bernier stabbed another neat ball out wide to Mapp, which eventually led to a chance for Jeb Brovsky, but, as with many other matches this round, it was destined to be score-less.
    His post-match interview
    Ashtone Morgan
    Morgan, who had not featured in more than a month, finally returned to the Toronto lineup following a decent showing at the Gold Cup.
    Resuming his starting left-back position, in part thanks to the departure of club captain, Darren O’Dea, Morgan made only his seventh and eighth starts of the season, first in the Wednesday lost to Chivas, then in the Saturday draw with New York.
    Against Chivas he was extremely active, completing 50 of 68 passes, given license to get forward more than any previous match this season, taking one shot – off target – and winning a foul, though he did lose possession 22 times.
    It was his under-hit pass to Russell that resulted in the Eric Avila red card and only one of his twelve crosses found their target – with Brockie’s header.
    Defensively he contributed five recoveries, two clearances, a pair of blocks and one interception, but was skinned by Tristan Bowen on several occasions and could have done better on Erick Torres’ game-winning goal. Gale Agbossoumonde put him in an awkward position by shuttling the attacker in-field, rather than ushering him outside.
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    Starting once more in the New York match, he looked slightly more comfortable, but still has some way to go.
    Not quite as involved as when the club were up a man, he completed 22 of 34 passes, including the low cross that led to Brockie’s disallowed goal, and took one shot that flattened Olave, when he stepped up to block the attempt.
    The Toronto, Ontario-native did have a couple of dicey moments, twice sticking a slightly late boot in on Eric Alexander – on another day, he could have conceded a penalty, though the second shout looked a very timely challenge.
    Morgan did well very to cut out a pass bound for Alexander and frustrated Fabian Espindola on several occasions; his awareness to step up with Richard Eckersley to catch Peguy Luyindula offside in the closing stages was good.
    He won two tackles, made three recoveries, two interceptions, one clearance; won one foul and conceded another, while limiting his turnovers down to 12.
    His post-match interview after the New York match

    Kyle Bekker
    Bekker, who has found minutes few and far between this season, made his fourth appearance of the season – his first since March – replacing Russell in the 68th minute of TFC’s Wednesday match at Chivas.
    Up a man, the Oakville, Ontario-native was given free-range to roam around the pitch, looking for pockets within which to operate, but could not help Toronto find a goal.
    He completed only nineteen of 30 passes – indicative of his pushing the match – and was unsuccessful on all nine of his cross attempts. He took two shots – both were blocked – won a pair of tackles and a foul, making six recoveries and an interception, turning over possession fourteen times.
    The shape of his delivery is excellent, but he needs to get the weight down – he was either over or under-hitting the ball. Same with corner kicks; one must beat the first man – or have a runner coming to the near-post – to make the most of the opportunities.
    Bekker, who was also with the National Team, impressed at the Gold Cup, not shying away from the higher level of international action, despite not yet fully breaking into the professional game; his time in the Toronto midfield will come.
    He was back on the bench come Saturday and was not used – Ryan Nelsen only made one substitute that day.
    Kyle Porter
    Porter, who was a late addition to the Gold Cup - replacing Nana Attakora - began DC United’s match in Chicago on the bench and by the time he entered in the 61st minute, replacing Sainey Nyassi, the match had already been decided.
    Making his seventeenth appearance of the season (fifth as a substitute) on the right-side of the midfield, with all the scoring haven already taken place - Chicago won handily, 4-1, Porter generally just made himself busy and caused trouble.
    The Toronto, Ontario-native completed fourteen of seventeen passes, won three tackles, had a crack from distance – off target – and committed a pair of fouls, picking up a yellow for knocking knees with Gonzalo Segares on a follow through.
    He showed some promising interplay with recently-acquired Luis Silva and tracked back well to block a potentially threatening Mike Magee cutback.

    Dejan Jakovic
    Jakovic also did not start for DC, but entered at the start of the second half (his eleventh appearance and first from the bench), replacing Ethan White, who had struggled through the first half.
    The centre-back returned from a pesky adductor strain that had sidelined him for nearly two months and did well in his 45 minutes, though, again, the result was preordained.
    The Croatian-born defender, playing as the right-sided of the centre-back pairing, did well under the pressures of Mike Magee, Chris Rolfe, and Quincy Amarikwa.
    Completing all five of his passes, Jakovic made four clearances, one interception and conceded a single foul, misplacing possession only twice – though he wasn’t on the ball that often.
    Of course he looked a little rusty at times, but did well to recover to clear the threat after he was knocked down by Amarikwa.
    The Rest
    Dwayne De Rosario had a rather wide-ranging, if brief, chat with The Washington Post – discussing his health, the Gold Cup, the future of the national team, and more.
    Plenty of Canadians were involved in reserve action over the past few days.
    Drew Beckie in Columbus returned from his injury, featuring for all 90 minutes in a 5-3 meeting between Chicago and the Crew. (Highlights can be viewed here – he’s number 22, watch for the lovely through-ball)
    Montreal and Vancouver’s reserve sides also saw action recently – with the likes of Karl Ouimette, Maxim Tissot, Zakaria Messoudi, and Wandrille Lefevre seeing time for Montreal, while Bryce Alderson and a handful of other academy players featured for Vancouver. (Vancouver Highlights)
    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
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