The King’s Club. The White Ballet. The Galacticos (but not the Landycakes version). Rumour has it that one of the world’s most storied clubs is coming to town on August 7th. They are so special that MLSE has agreed to lay down real grass over the turf for the game in order to protect the precious knees of their numerous stars. Some of the big names that play for the Spanish runner ups and Scouse/Catalan doormats are Iker Casillas, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, and Gonzalo Higuain. Of course, they also seem to have a special deal with the Dutch National Team, who have given them half of their starting XI: Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

After seeing Independiente and Pachuca last year, you’d expect Reds fans to be in ecstasy after hearing the news today. Alas, think again. It seems MLSE has decided to book another friendly for later in the year. The idea is to make that second friendly the prepaid one in the season ticket package, while charging top dollar for Real tickets.

There are two angles to this story. The first is that fans should treat the second friendly as the International Friendly, and be thrilled that MLSE is providing them the option of also purchasing tickets to see TFC play one of the best teams in the world.

The other (and far more popular) angle is that ML$E are scumbags who are making much more money off TFC than expected, and refuse to give fans anything for it. No DP, no grass, and no good friendly opponents unless fans are willing to dig deep into their pockets again. Add to the story the fact that Seattle season ticket holders get to see both Chelsea and Barca without paying additional money, and you’ve got a full-out shit storm brewing.

While details of the Real game (such as ticket prices) have yet to be released, rumours have been swirling about the potential second friendly. One of them (courtesy of the same guy who originally broke the Real story) is that Juventus Turin will come, and play against another International team (not TFC). If this ends up happening, I will be very interested in seeing how MLSE spins that this is TFC’s International Friendly that we paid for. Stay tuned for more news about both games.

How do you feel about TFC - Real Madrid?(online surveys)

In order to make space for the Real game on the schedule, the 2nd home game against NYRB (originally scheduled for August 9th) now becomes the 1st home game against them, and will be played on June 13th. Combined with the June 24th matchup with the Red Bulls, this gives TFC two home games in a row against them.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to catch Dwayne De Rosario’s return to Houston tomorrow night at 8:30 PM, as TFC takes on the Dynamo (Sportsnet). I don’t have time for a full preview, but here’s the likely Starting XI:

Frei – Wynne, Attakora, Serioux, Brennan – Cronin, Robinson, Guevara – Barrett, Dichio, De Rosario

Stay tuned throughout the week for updates!

Until then,

COME ON YOU REDS!

While I’m sure you’re all well informed about TFC’s results over the past month (stellar in CL qualifying, good in MLS), some personnel developments have also not been covered on this blog. Most importantly, we’ve seen the emergence of Nana Attakora as a starting central defender. While he is listed as a right back, he has stepped into his new role admirably, and is deservedly in the first XI ahead of Marco Velez. If you want to hear about how he would not be ready to play regularly this year, you have to look no further than my season preview.

While Attakora has been the feel-good story of the year, Rohan Ricketts certainly has not been. After being one of the Reds’ stronger players last year (despite inconsistent performances throughout the season), he played abysmally in the first two games of the year, and has been axed from his usual starting spot ever since. To be fair, it has been very hard to get a spot in the midfield this year, as Chris Cummins plays a 4-3-3 instead of John Carver’s 4-4-2. Amado Guevara and Carl Robinson start automatically, while Sam Cronin has been very impressive as a rookie. Ricketts is usually left with a cameo in the last five minutes.

What makes this situation particularly awkward for TFC and its fans is the fact that Ricketts was a fan favourite last year, and compiles most of the Reds’ community appearances. He has been given his own segment on TFC TV (Rollin’ with Ricketts), where he says a whole bunch of nothing in a lovable British accent gives valuable insight into the world of Toronto FC. In addition, he has made his Facebook page accessible to all comers (such as Yours truly), and has created various shirt designs which he sells online (with the help of his cousin “Plain English”, who is a regular on fan message boards).

However, some fans feel that his endless self-promoting is taking away from his concentration on the field. I’m willing to draw the comparison between Ricketts’ loss of form, and Maurice Edu’s final months for TFC. Though people were already annoyed at Ricketts’ social networking habit, a recent bout of unprofessionalism has brought the matter to a boiling point. After posting that he “just wants some playing time” on his Facebook a few weeks ago, much more serious messages began appearing on his Twitter on Monday afternoon. In chronological order:

What do u do when your not wanted and someone wants u leave but they wanna try and trade u
behind your back then ask u to walk 4 free.. Nuts 1:37 PM May 25th from TwitterBerry

This is a message from Rohan… It was not me who was sending out those messages prior to this one!! I apologise to anyone who was offended! 4:22 PM May 25th from web

Whether you believe that these messages were in fact written by someone else (I do), the fact remains that the author is close enough to Ricketts to know his twitter password. So while they probably did not have his permission to post those updates, it is very likely that they got the info straight from the horse’s mouth (/failed Riders of Rohan joke).

This leaves us with three interesting questions, which I will turn into three polls (for the sake of making this an epic post).

1. Does this mean that Ricketts` days with TFC are numbered? Word on the street is that San Jose is looking for a winger and a keeper. We have too many keepers, and a disgruntled winger. They have the rights to Canadian International striker Ali Gerba. A deal could work for both teams. But can we draw conclusions based on allegedly false Twitter posts?

Is Rohan Ricketts about to leave?(myspace polls)

2. Ricketts has barely seen the field this year, and been ineffective when he has played. Keeping in mind that he is a fan favourite and very personable guy (as opposed to the aforementioned Edu), would you care if he left?

Will you be upset if Ricketts is dealt?(online surveys)

3. With the creation of Twitter, and the widespread popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites, it is only a matter of time before this sort of situation becomes more common. Before TFC’s game against Chicago, Pablo Vitti was posting on his Facebook at 4 am, and then proceeded to play a horrible game. Understandably, fans wondered how he might have done with a couple more hours of sleep. This begs the question: Should fans be able to get this much insight into players’ lives, or would it be better if athletes made their pages inaccessible to the general public?

Should athletes make their Facebook/Twitter private?(online polls)

There you have it. Vote early, and vote often.

A lesson we can all learn from this is that we shouldn’t take everything we see online at face value. In fact, Ricketts made a post about this on his website on Thursday morning following the twitter fiasco.

Meanwhile, I hope to have another post up later tonight about a very special friendly opponent.

Until then,

COME ON YOU REDS!

And for irony’s sake, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter!

Of TFC’s four attackers, which one will start on the bench?(answers)

Frei – Wynne, Serioux, Velez, Brennan – Cronin, Robinson, Guevara – Barrett, De Rosario, Vitti

I expect a tough battle tonight (8 pm kickoff). This is possibly the biggest game of the year for Vancouver, who will be trying to see how they measure up against MLS competition. The weather’s sunny – should make for a great night on the Lakeshore.

Check back tomorrow for a recap. Until then,

COME ON YOU REDS!

It seems fitting to ask:

Would you like to see “It” replace Chris Cummins at the end of his interim job?(online surveys)

Check back later today for a postgame of the Reds 1-1 draw with Columbus.

Until then,

BE CHAMPIONS!

This afternoon brings about the second instalment of the now annual Trillium Cup. While this league-created competition has been received by fans with reactions ranging from derisive laughter to outrage (over the extent businesses will go to in order to generate interest in their product), it is undeniable that the Crew is TFC’s biggest rivals, and that our games against the Yellow Football Team are always interesting (though they have never led to 3 points).

This game however, is special. For the first time in team history, TFC comes into a game in 1st place, and is favoured over the still winless Crew. Despite a midweek injury scare to Danny Dichio, he’ll be ready to go. Joining him on the field will be Dwayne De Rosario, though he likely will not play a full ninety. After recovering faster than expected from his hamstring injury, I expect him to come on for Barrett for the last 30 minutes, if TFC needs more attacking help. If not, he may sit out entirely until Wednesday’s home date with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Frei – Wynne, Serioux, Velez, Brennan – Cronin, Robinson, Guevara, - Vitti, Dichio, Barrett

The Crew have had a horrible start to their year – last week their first victory was stolen by a late Chicago Fire comeback (Jerseygate) from two goals down at Crew Stadium. They will be missing several important players: Gino Padula (TFC’s hero from Matchday 2) will be missing from left back due to a joke of a red card handed out by my favourite Jersey-accepting referee. Keeper Will Hesmer will be spared from South End abuse with a knee sprain. The other notable is Frankie Hejduk, who may or may not miss the game with hamstring tightness (currently listed as questionable). Centre half Chad Marshall, who gave TFC lots of problems at Crew Stadium (or rather TFC did not give him any), is coming off concussion problems, and it will be up to Dichio to wear him down, while Pablo Vitti and Chad Barrett use their speed on the other defenders. Another potential mismatch will be between Amado Guevara and Emanuel Ekpo. The latter had the game of his life against TFC earlier this year, but is usually average at best, while the former leads TFC in scoring in ‘09.

It’s a cloudy day in Toronto, with the temperature in the low teens. In other words, a beautiful day for footy on the lakeshore. Hope to see you there! Check back here tonight for a recap.

Until then,

COME ON YOU REDS!

As I write this, I’m watching the Q&A session of the press conference live on TFC TV. Cummins is hinting that he will stick with the 4-3-3 (assuming he has three fit strikers), but that he is willing to change his formation depending on the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. He also said that he isn’t viewing this as an interim employment, but that he will coach until he is asked to leave (I’m paraphrasing here). Similarly to John Carver, Cummins seems like a stand up guy, who will find rapport with the fans.

Let’s hope that unlike JC, Chris Cummins will be able to string together a series of wins. He’s off to a great start so far, and the team looks much more confident (especially at the back).

Time to apologize: I’m extremely busy at school, and was thus unable to get out postgame analyses for either Chivas or KC. After tomorrow my work load drops off a bit, and I’ll make sure readers are well prepared for our date with the winless Crew on the weekend.

Until then,

COME ON YOU REDS!

Fasten your seatbelt and ensure that your seat is in an upright position - it’s the fastest game preview EVER! A mere 10 hours from now, the Reds will take on the Kansas City Wizards at beautiful BMO Field. In the wake of John Carver’s sudden resignation, Chris Cummins and Nick Dasovic will take the reigns on an interim basis. If you’re interested in this type of thing, it will be the first time ever TFC will be coached by a Canadian.

Starting XI

Never change a winning team - especially when the 4-3-3 was so much fun against Chivas!

Frei - Wynne, Velez, Serioux, Brennan - Cronin, Robinson, Guevara - Vitti, Dichio, Barrett

The Wizards are unbeaten in four games and are coming off a 1-0 victory midweek against NYRB. However, they will be missing Adam Cristman (metatarsal fracture) and Jack Jewsbury (concussion). If TFC can replicate the ball movement from their season opener in Kansas City, they will be able to round off the week with a win. If they resort to long balls, I’m not so confident. Jimmy Conrad is a beast of a central defender for the Wiz - if anybody can contain Dichio’s physical presence in this league, it’s Conrad.

Looks like it will be a rather chilly 8 degrees on an overcast afternoon. In other words, a replica of our first ever home game, also against the Wiz. And because I couldn’t think of another picture to post, that’s what you’re getting.

Hope to see you at BMO - come by Sec. 108, Row 21, Seat 9 to say hi.

Until then,

COME ON YOU REDS!

Others are talking about a possible call from Alan Shearer at Tyneside, but there’s nothing to back that up yet.

Edit #2 Carver’s statement in a press release from TFC: “There are a lot of people I’d like to thank, and it begins with Mo Johnston and Tom Anselmi. This is a great company to work for and I thank them for the opportunity to be part of this club. The office staff has been wonderful to me as well, and of course the technical staff who I work with day in and day out. The team is in great hands and I know they will all keep working towards our goal of reaching the playoffs.”

“I have worked with some top international players in my time, and we’ve got some here in Toronto, but this group is the best bunch of guys I’ve ever worked with. I also want to thank the fans, they are some of the best without a doubt and I hope they keep supporting this club for a long time to come.”

Since the first game of the season, it has gone decidedly pear shaped for Toronto FC. With only two points in the last four games, TFC has dropped out of a playoff spot (though fans wiser than me would frown upon looking at the standings before the tenth game). As you are undoubtedly aware, the Reds are coming off a loss to finish off their home and home series with last place FC Dallas. In this game, both Adrian Serioux and Dwayne De Rosario went down with injuries late in the second half. Serioux is fine, and will start tonight, but De Ro has a small tear in his hamstring. John Carver is predicting that he will be sidelined for up to four weeks. All in all, this is about the worst start anybody in Toronto could have imagined.

Starting XI

With De Ro’s injury, JC will finally be forced to make some changes. In fact, I believe we will finally see Vitti start again.

Frei – Wynne, Harmse, Serioux, Brennan – Cronin, Robinson, Guevara, Ibrahim – Vitti, Barrett

In his comments after Sunday’s loss, John Carver hinted that his job may be on the line should recent performances continue. In particular, he (like me) was critical of the referee’s performance: “When your job is threatened, and on the line, because of decisions like that, then I’ve got to say something”.
Though I’ve been critical of Carver recently, especially because of his line ups and substitutions, I would hate to see him go. The players really seem to like him, and (despite what many people out there think) his knowledge of the game is well above average for MLS coaches.

That being said, I do think his job is on the line if the next 3-4 games don’t show a considerable improvement. Unfortunately, I don’t have much hope for tonight, as Chivas are league leaders. The Weathernetwork is predicting snow for this evening at BMO, which I don’t think the Reds have ever played in (though I doubt most Chivas players have either). Either way, bundle up as you head down to BMO tonight, and join me in encouraging the currently rather hapless Reds. Also, please remember to remind Alecko Eskandarian that he is a T.O. reject. With our help, and a bit of luck, TFC they might actually win. I’ll be in 117 and 127 (depending on what end TFC is attacking). Hope to see you there.
Check back here tomorrow for a postgame post.

Until then,

COME ON YOU REDS!

However, he is by no means the only culprit. I am usually much fairer to referees than most fans (as I ref myself). While I am aware that refereeing in MLS is often shocking, I give credit when it is due. Tonight, it was not. Two horrible calls led to two Dallas goals (though Mr. Barrett helped out on one of them). Dallas’ first goal resulted from a free kick cross, which was then headed in by Drew Moor after Barrett let him go. However, the free kick should never have been given in the first place. Referee Tim Weyland inexplicably blew his whistle after Adrian Serioux cleanly won the ball off a Dallas winger. The Hoops’ third goal came on a late penalty kick after the ball struck Marvell Wynne in the arm.

Unfortunately, the referee felt that when the ball hits an arm, it has been handled. This, Mr Weyland, is not the case. To quote from the Laws of the Game:

Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm. The referee shall take the following into consideration:

• The movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand)

[etc.]

Since Wynne’s arm was already extended for balance a second before David Ferreira kicked the ball at it, this example was a clear case of ball towards the hand.

Now that we’ve discussed the two main culprits for the loss, let’s go back to the beginning, shall we?

Frei – Wynne, Harmse, Serioux, Brennan – Cronin, Robinson, Guevara, Ibrahim – De Rosario, Barrett

I believed (or hoped) that Vitti would get the start this week, but Carver went with Barrett again. He never showed this type of patience with Jeff Cunningham last year, which leads me to believe that he is unwilling to change his system to accommodate Barrett. Since De Ro drops back a bit and has a license to roam on the pitch, we are essentially playing a 4-5-1. This means that Barrett operates as a lone striker. Perhaps JC has tried putting Vitti in this role in practice, and it hasn’t worked. Who knows? Either way, Barrett with the start.

The Action

TFC started off strong, and created several chances early on. Both Amado Guevara and Barrett should have had goals early on. What upsets me especially in retrospect is that Dallas’ keeper Ray Burse showed a weakness on crosses several times early on, and we didn’t try to exploit it throughout the game. Ibrahim re-centred one of his dropped crosses, but Barrett shot the ball at an FCD defender on the line instead of finding the otherwise unguarded mesh. At this point, TFC was playing some of its best football of the season. However, Dallas rained on our parade by scoring their opener, and soon added a second after a De Ro giveaway in his own half. Kenny Cooper finished with a great long range shot at the bottom corner, and left Frei without a chance. Deep into added time, TFC clawed one back with a replica of Dallas’ goal last week. The corner from the left side sails over everybody to the back post, from where it’s played back in by the winger, and an attacking player is faster to the ball than a defender. In this case, it was Adrian Serioux who got the final touch, and the Reds had something to be upbeat about going into the break.

They came out strong for the second half, and eventually got the equalizer through Chad Barrett, after a great throughball from Guevara. There weren’t many clear cut chances on either side in the second half, but TFC was controlling the match and always looked closer to taking the lead than Dallas. In the 70th minute, De Ro pulled up slow and went down clutching his hamstring – surely a recurrence of the tightness he was experiencing this past week. He was replaced by Vitti, who joined Chad Barrett up front in a 4-4-2 formation. Dallas got their penalty, and Kenny Cooper converted to get his sixth goal against us in our short existence. Carver reacted by bringing on Marco Velez for Fuad Ibrahim (don’t worry, I didn’t get it either) and Danny Dichio for Amado Guevara in injury time. To add injury to insult, Adrian Serioux went down with only seconds to play clutching his shoulder, and the Reds had to finish the match with only ten men.

Player Ratings

Disclaimer: I find it much harder to judge player performances on TV than when I’m at the game. It’s tough to identify players and you can’t watch them off the ball.

Stefan Frei (8) – A commanding presence in goal. Faultless for all three goals, and was able to set up a couple TFC chances with his distribution. Looks very sure on crosses, and doesn’t allow many rebounds.
Marvell Wynne (6.5) – a bit too much offense on Dallas’ left wing for my liking, but Wynne was able to contribute well offensively, especially in the second half. As explained above, I do not blame him for the penalty.
Kevin Harmse (6.5) – typical Harmse performance this year. No blatant mistakes, but nothing to get excited about either. Would have been nice to see him challenge Cooper before his first goal, but that was more De Ro’s fault than his. As usual, balls were cleared instead of played out of the back.
Adrian Serioux (7.5) – a force at the back. Aggressive as always, but within the realms of legality (just about). Nice to see him on the scoresheet. Was unable to contribute much with his long throw, as the advertizing boards were too close to the field for him to get much of a run up.
Jim Brennan (7) – formed a nice partnership with Ibrahim on the left wing, and was good (but not great) at the back. Got one nice cross in early in the second half. A solid performance overall from the captain.
Sam Cronin (7) – I was yelling at the screen after Cooper’s first goal, but then I figured out that it wasn’t Cronin with the giveaway, but De Ro. Cronin was a solid link between defense and attack (which is what a good midfielder is). Swung in some dangerous crosses, which would have led to goals with better finishing.
Carl Robinson (7) – Solid tackling as usual. Had a long shot of his own, but saw it drift wide late in the second half. Very nice control and pass to create Serioux’s goal.
Amado Guevara (5.5) – Invisible for long stretches, but still managed to give the ball away lots when he did get his touches. Should have opened the scoring, but blasted the ball over the net from short range. You also have to wonder why he didn’t take the free kick just outside the box in the 89th minute. One positive – nice header to set up Barrett.
Fuad Ibrahim (7) – another good game on the left wing. Was able to beat his opponent consistently, and (like Cronin) swung in some dangerous crosses. All he needs to add is a finishing touch.
Dwayne De Rosario (6.5) – would have been a 7.5 if not for his giveaway. Excluding that, another strong game by De Ro, as he continues to have his way with defences. Let us unite in prayer for his hamstring.
Chad Barrett (5) – Without the goal, this is a 3.5. I’m sick of writing the same crap…hard working, unlucky…at some point, you have to measure a striker by the number of goals he scores. Chad could have six this year. Also responsible for Dallas’ first goal.

Finally, a shout out for the Duke of Gloucester just south of Yonge and Bloor – I ended up watching the game there as I couldn’t make it to Shoeless on time. Great atmosphere and knowledgeable fans – this has become my new away game viewing pub.

Keep checking back here for updates, as there will be lots of posts in the next week. Don’t forget we play Chivas on Wednesday night at BMO, as well as New York on Saturday Kansas City on Sunday. I suppose I jinxed us in the preview, when I complained about scheduling leading to injuries. I hope Serioux and De Rosario are healthy for Wednesday, as they are among our most important players. Chivas preview coming tomorrow.

Until then,

COME ON YOU REDS!