Today came the shocking - OK, not really - news that centre back Geovanny "Spoon" Caicedo had been released by TFC. When I first heard that the 45 minute man was no longer with the club my immediate thought was "oh no, why does this feel like TFC the early years" all over again. My second was that we were all being robbed of various "Spoon" related puns - no Spoon dishes off to the Silva Plata...ah well, what could have been; no use crying over wasted puns...*sob*...sorry, got a little emotional there.
One angle that I realize pretty much every other blogger and footy journo here in Toronto has covered is that why did Caicedo agree to come to the MLS? You would think that he'd perhaps research the league he was headed to...and on paper the imposing 6' 2" defender seemed to be a good fit. Stranger things have happened however and better to have it dealt with early I say - and the freed up international spot and salary doesn't hurt either (hello summer transfer window?).
However, upon hearing the news, my chief concern as a long-time fan was that the dreaded (and seemingly patented) TFC revolving door had returned. These quick in and out signings (shoud they stay or should they go now?) have long plagued the team and caused myself and my fellow fans to fly into fits of rage and despair. And I do not want to spend the next seven months watching Frei and Kocic glaring at the defense or watch TFC keep claim on that worst ever goals against record. However, the press release from Toronto FC made it clear that the parting of ways was mutual and had more to do with Caicedo's difficulties in adjusting to the style of play in the MLS as well as missing his family back in Ecuador; rather than that poor 45 minute performance we saw via a shaky online stream.
So what does this mean for TFC's oft beleagured backline? Well, it looks like until (at the very least) Adrian Cann regains full fitness, that newcomer Miguel Aceval will continue to be joined by Ty Harden or "The Spork" as he's now to be known thanks to those master punsters/nickname givers over at Waking The Red and The Yorkies. And I'm completely on board with my blogging brethren (ooh, alliteration!) - Ty is a serviceable tool (did I just call Ty Harden a tool? Yes, yes I did) - he's not your first choice but he'll do the job more or less until better more complete ones come along. With Ecks and Morgan on the wings expect to see Frings spending a LOT of time as the fifth defender (or CB in charge) - not a terrible thing, but I would much rather see our captain in the midfield coolly and calmly distributing the ball and well, running the show - JDG, this is your moment to step up; take it!
The main point of this? All hail The Spork!
Showing posts with label The Yorkies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Yorkies. Show all posts
Friday, March 9, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Post-Game Reflection
Mood: Somewhat despondent yet happy, oh and tired.
Irish Boys that sang to me: One
Irish Boys whose hearts I broke: One
Streamers Thrown: Three
Beers Drank: Umm...
Voice Left: 30%
A beautiful day led into a beautiful night - perfect for some football. Pre-game at Crocodile Rock was ridiculous fun - packed with red clad supporters all geared up for an exciting night down at the Dome. A mini tweet-up took place - finally got to meet CyberMercy, Michelllllllle & IAmSairax - with many introductions being made using twitter handles (oh hi, I'm kzknowles on twitter; you know the Left Wing Pinko and you are?), made for a festive atmosphere and promises for future gatherings - social media is fun boys & girls; get on it!
Surprising item number one was that there were actually people at the Dome (47, 658 according to official reports) and that most of them were there before that match started. If only those people would come to matches at BMO...but that's for another post - likely the home opener when I will once again be irritated beyond all belief by the lollygaggers - get to the game on time people! Sorry, straggler rage got the best of me...
Highlights of the Night: Being in the supporter section was a great deal of fun - everyone was excited, singing, chanting and (at least those near me) were focused on the game at hand. My thanks to @demonscootergirl and CB for allowing me to abandon them while I obsessed over watching my team. Being covered in streamers (oh how I've missed the streamers), seeing the flags, singing and yelling my head off all night while surrounded by thousands doing the same? Awesome. Although we did miss the first minute of play as we passed the GIANT tifo over our heads (how did it look? still haven't seen it).
TFC started the game completely on the front foot - pressing hard, creating space and in the 12th minute Ryan Johnson (or RJ9 as we like to call him) took advantage of a defensive breakdown by LA and a bouncing ball off of a Frings corner kick - jubilation ensued amongst the faithful in red. And award for best goal celebration of the new season has to go to Johnson's spin move and kick at the corner flag.
Then not six minutes later Luis Silva scored his first professional goal (this kid is going to be a force!) placing a gorgeous header past a diving Josh Saunders off of a lovely ball into the box from Frings - although I still maintain he is not allowed to take free kicks; this does give him a bit of leeway with me until the next match. The entire stadium went completely insane and I almost knocked the guy next to me over in my excited jumping and celebrating.
I wish we could just freeze the game there - TFC were playing like we know they can - using space, great use of the midfield, Frei seemed in control and Torsten was doing; well everything - can we please clone him? Please?
And uber awesome highlight of the night - other than the amazing turnout, the fantastic atmosphere and the fact that TFC held what is arguably the best team in the MLS to a draw - was getting my very own set (in their own case even!) of the YorkiesSet from @ignirtoq - the creator of the amazing cards - of The Yorkies at the half. It's all in who you know or who you pester; whatever works. Again, my thanks - the cards are amazing!
Lowlights: Then it started to come apart. Instead of pressing the advantage the boys let up; just enough to allow those openings that a team of LA's calibre know how to exploit. You don't let any team take it to you like that - especially when their backline is just as exploitable as ours (yes I'm looking at you Harden & you too Ecks - you were not perfect last night). That last goal was preventable - a sea of red shirts yet no one clears the ball? And what happened to Frei? The confident, in total command of his area Frei from pre-season - we didn't see nearly enough of him last night. Yes, he kept them in the game and he's still the #1 keeper in my eyes but he cannot backslide in this regard.
Not helping at all was the "NBA star" refereeing that was seen throughout the vast remainder of the match - far too much of the "oh well, you're the experienced Cup holders - you've earned the right to push players around and hey, you want to handle the ball outside of the box and kick the opposing striker? Go ahead" with some "hey rookies, you haven't earned your stripes yet, take your lumps and move on" mixed in for good measure. Do I disagree with Danny K. getting a YC for his actions? No, it was warranted but there should have been another handed to Saunders at the same time. And the card for Frei? Ridiculous - why the hell was Ecks kept off the pitch for that long? Because he wears red, that's why.
To the idiot that threw the beer can; you are a wanker in every sense of the word. There is NO place in football for that kind of jerky behaviour. Please do not come to another match ever again; supporters like you we don't need.
Overall this was a good match - the team acquitted itself fairly well, they didn't lose, Silva got his goal, Danny got fired up (take that fire and score!), no one got injured on the plastic pitch and they're not heading into LA next week with no goals scored. Did I expect them to win? Yes. Should they have won? Yes. Will they win on Wednesday? No reason why they shouldn't, so I say YES! To me this was a great start to TFC's season and they're going to keep building on this and will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
And in case you didn't go or even worse didn't watch the match last night (and why not? No excuses!) - here are a few poor quality pics from my phone.
Post-Game Post-Script: Ok, so I've rewatched the match in the light of day (or late afternoon) without my sight and memory being clouded by streamers and confetti. I offer the following follow-up opinions: The ref was not quite as bad as I thought but there were a lot of things not called and/or called incorrectly; but we've seen worse (really, we have). And I stand by my NBA star ref analogy.
TFC really let up in the second half and weren't pushing and using space the way they had in the first; the back line started to unravel and Frings was forced to do far too much (Man of the Match - needs to be cloned). The lack of man marking on both goals makes me grind my teeth - you do NOT leave Donavan unmarked! And the inability of the team to get that last crucial goal speaks to the continuing issue with closing out games.
However, even with acknowledging all that I remain positive that this team will do very well this season and that the outcome of next week's match in LA is far from a forgone conclusion. There were many positives - from the ongoing development of Silva, the dominance of Frings and for at least awhile a lovely display of how this team can play the game of football. Last night's match will not change where I will be week in, week out for the next 7 months - either in my seat at BMO or at the pub cheering on my team.
TFC Til I Die
Irish Boys that sang to me: One
Irish Boys whose hearts I broke: One
Streamers Thrown: Three
Beers Drank: Umm...
Voice Left: 30%
A beautiful day led into a beautiful night - perfect for some football. Pre-game at Crocodile Rock was ridiculous fun - packed with red clad supporters all geared up for an exciting night down at the Dome. A mini tweet-up took place - finally got to meet CyberMercy, Michelllllllle & IAmSairax - with many introductions being made using twitter handles (oh hi, I'm kzknowles on twitter; you know the Left Wing Pinko and you are?), made for a festive atmosphere and promises for future gatherings - social media is fun boys & girls; get on it!
Surprising item number one was that there were actually people at the Dome (47, 658 according to official reports) and that most of them were there before that match started. If only those people would come to matches at BMO...but that's for another post - likely the home opener when I will once again be irritated beyond all belief by the lollygaggers - get to the game on time people! Sorry, straggler rage got the best of me...
Highlights of the Night: Being in the supporter section was a great deal of fun - everyone was excited, singing, chanting and (at least those near me) were focused on the game at hand. My thanks to @demonscootergirl and CB for allowing me to abandon them while I obsessed over watching my team. Being covered in streamers (oh how I've missed the streamers), seeing the flags, singing and yelling my head off all night while surrounded by thousands doing the same? Awesome. Although we did miss the first minute of play as we passed the GIANT tifo over our heads (how did it look? still haven't seen it).
TFC started the game completely on the front foot - pressing hard, creating space and in the 12th minute Ryan Johnson (or RJ9 as we like to call him) took advantage of a defensive breakdown by LA and a bouncing ball off of a Frings corner kick - jubilation ensued amongst the faithful in red. And award for best goal celebration of the new season has to go to Johnson's spin move and kick at the corner flag.
Then not six minutes later Luis Silva scored his first professional goal (this kid is going to be a force!) placing a gorgeous header past a diving Josh Saunders off of a lovely ball into the box from Frings - although I still maintain he is not allowed to take free kicks; this does give him a bit of leeway with me until the next match. The entire stadium went completely insane and I almost knocked the guy next to me over in my excited jumping and celebrating.
I wish we could just freeze the game there - TFC were playing like we know they can - using space, great use of the midfield, Frei seemed in control and Torsten was doing; well everything - can we please clone him? Please?
And uber awesome highlight of the night - other than the amazing turnout, the fantastic atmosphere and the fact that TFC held what is arguably the best team in the MLS to a draw - was getting my very own set (in their own case even!) of the YorkiesSet from @ignirtoq - the creator of the amazing cards - of The Yorkies at the half. It's all in who you know or who you pester; whatever works. Again, my thanks - the cards are amazing!
Lowlights: Then it started to come apart. Instead of pressing the advantage the boys let up; just enough to allow those openings that a team of LA's calibre know how to exploit. You don't let any team take it to you like that - especially when their backline is just as exploitable as ours (yes I'm looking at you Harden & you too Ecks - you were not perfect last night). That last goal was preventable - a sea of red shirts yet no one clears the ball? And what happened to Frei? The confident, in total command of his area Frei from pre-season - we didn't see nearly enough of him last night. Yes, he kept them in the game and he's still the #1 keeper in my eyes but he cannot backslide in this regard.
Not helping at all was the "NBA star" refereeing that was seen throughout the vast remainder of the match - far too much of the "oh well, you're the experienced Cup holders - you've earned the right to push players around and hey, you want to handle the ball outside of the box and kick the opposing striker? Go ahead" with some "hey rookies, you haven't earned your stripes yet, take your lumps and move on" mixed in for good measure. Do I disagree with Danny K. getting a YC for his actions? No, it was warranted but there should have been another handed to Saunders at the same time. And the card for Frei? Ridiculous - why the hell was Ecks kept off the pitch for that long? Because he wears red, that's why.
To the idiot that threw the beer can; you are a wanker in every sense of the word. There is NO place in football for that kind of jerky behaviour. Please do not come to another match ever again; supporters like you we don't need.
Overall this was a good match - the team acquitted itself fairly well, they didn't lose, Silva got his goal, Danny got fired up (take that fire and score!), no one got injured on the plastic pitch and they're not heading into LA next week with no goals scored. Did I expect them to win? Yes. Should they have won? Yes. Will they win on Wednesday? No reason why they shouldn't, so I say YES! To me this was a great start to TFC's season and they're going to keep building on this and will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
And in case you didn't go or even worse didn't watch the match last night (and why not? No excuses!) - here are a few poor quality pics from my phone.
 |
| Tifo awesomeness |
Post-Game Post-Script: Ok, so I've rewatched the match in the light of day (or late afternoon) without my sight and memory being clouded by streamers and confetti. I offer the following follow-up opinions: The ref was not quite as bad as I thought but there were a lot of things not called and/or called incorrectly; but we've seen worse (really, we have). And I stand by my NBA star ref analogy.
TFC really let up in the second half and weren't pushing and using space the way they had in the first; the back line started to unravel and Frings was forced to do far too much (Man of the Match - needs to be cloned). The lack of man marking on both goals makes me grind my teeth - you do NOT leave Donavan unmarked! And the inability of the team to get that last crucial goal speaks to the continuing issue with closing out games.
However, even with acknowledging all that I remain positive that this team will do very well this season and that the outcome of next week's match in LA is far from a forgone conclusion. There were many positives - from the ongoing development of Silva, the dominance of Frings and for at least awhile a lovely display of how this team can play the game of football. Last night's match will not change where I will be week in, week out for the next 7 months - either in my seat at BMO or at the pub cheering on my team.
TFC Til I Die
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Pre-Game Jitters
Current State: Barely contained excitement, much fidgeting and clock watching - is it time yet? Well, is it??
In a few short hours I and upwards of 40,000 of my fellow fans (because you are all fans, right?) will be making our way to the Skydome to cheer on our beloved TFC. What do you need to know for today? Here is a handy pre-game checklist:
Outfit: Consisting mostly of TFC gear or red & white clothing?
Ticket: You have one.
Mood: Fidgety, jittery excitement bordering on the extreme
Songs: Here is a handy cheat sheet courtesy of the guys and gals over at U-Sector
Passion: Off the charts in readiness to cheer on your team
This is the big one - the one we've been waiting four long months for. So if you're like me; right now you are twitchy, giddy, giggly and liking irritating the hell out of any non-footy fans around you. Fun isn't it?
As this game is at the Dome I will not be in my usual West Stand seats; instead I am sitting (well, standing) with the Supporter Groups in the South End. But wait you say - didn't I say you don't need to sit with the SGs to be a supporter? Absolutely true - doesn't mean that I don't enjoy being part of the incredible energy and passion that they bring to every match - it's where I sit for Canada matches - and as this match is larger than life in scope and importance; being with the SGs is what I wanted for this game. The SGs have gone all out and were up late last night decorating the Dome - I don't want to spoil it for you; you'll see it tonight. I expect the entire stadium to be a loud, vocal, crazed sea of red anchored by the south end. I also expect to be partially deaf and to have no voice at this time tomorrow - happily so!
If you haven't already been voraciously reading all sorts of pre-game posts here are some links to get you caught up - actually, because all of the fine blogger folk I follow have been working around the clock to bring us a ton of coverage you'll be in good shape if you visit the guys over at Waking The Red, The Yorkies, and Red Nation. There are many more and several others I could link to but like I said; this will put you in pretty good shape.
If you're not going tonight, you best be watching - get decked out in your best TFC gear, turn the TV up LOUD, chant and cheer along with the rest of us and be part of the biggest, game, ever!
COME ON YOU REDS!!!
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