Ch-Ch-Changes

Mood: Surprised, yet not.
State of Mind: Waiting for the other shoe to drop
Location: Not on a plane to Dallas, or Ecuador, or Europe

                                           Was there really any other song choice?


The more things change...well it's been a busy week for whoever writes the TFC press releases as it's been a veritable flurry of activity the past few days.  The (finally) official announcement  of Joao Plata's loan to LDU Quito came down and made the situation clear as slightly murky water instead of mud...apparently he'll be back in January but I'll believe that when I see his pint size frame back at BMO.


And then came the surprising (only for the timing) news that Nick Soolsma and the team had parted ways by "mutual consent".  This was not an unexpected move as it had become apparent that Paul Mariner didn't rate him and that he wasn't going to be part of the team's long term plans.  Personally I thought Soolsma was one of TFC's better players this season - he seemed to have picked up some added pace in the off season that made those runs down the wing and that patented turn move of his even more deadly. And I truly believe he made the team better - However, the change in coach put the writing on the wall for Suarez's owner (Houston escapades notwithstanding) so while disappointing; it's not at all surprising. 


But the biggest news of the day - OK, last night - was the trade of TFC's first DP Julian DeGuzman to FC Dallas. The rumblings started on twitter late in the evening (this is why you need twitter kids) and by 2am there was confirmation from JDG's agent that he was indeed on his way to give Brek Shea hair tips. Official word didn't come down until today but it was obvious that Julian was moved in order to free up some additional cap space, open the possibility for a new DP and again, he wasn't a player that Mariner was going to utilize going forward.


JDG's presence on the team was a polarizing one for many fans - most either loved or hated him. Those firmly on the dislike side railed against his monster contract and seeming ineffectiveness on the pitch. His supporters loved his feisty play and point to the intangibles of his play.  I fall somewhere in the middle. I was often frustrated by his inability to perform in MLS games at the same (and highly competent) level as he did during CCL games. The difference in the style of play just never seemed to be something he could consistently overcome. And yes, he was much improved this season and had a really nice run of form in the past couple of months; but this was never going to be a lasting arrangement.  When he was on his game (and when he plays for the CMNT) I'm a fan; when he's doing his "walking yellow card" act and kicking balls into the stratosphere, not so much.  I expect that in true former Red fashion he'll do spectacularly well in Dallas and I do wish him well - especially if it keeps him sharp for CMNT games!  


After all this clearing of the locker room - and there is more coming - what has TFC received in return? Not much as of yet, although there are all sorts of rumblings about defensive help in the form of one or more players being on their way. But first up is Generation Adidas player, 22 year old Andrew Wiedeman (Pronounced Wee-de-man? Puns be praised!) who while listed as a forward seems to play anywhere but at centreback. He has barely played at all for FCD so looks like a work in progress and definitely not a starter. Whether he is meant to be some sort of back-up for Danny and RJ remains to be seen but he is already with the team in New England so there is that outside chance that we'll see his debut tomorrow night.


As it stands at the moment TFC is not improved by all of these changes; at least not yet. Not to belittle the (unknown and hopefully eventual) contributions of Wiedeman, there's still no answer for the team's most pressing need and that is a quality CB.  I do hope that the promised help is coming to bolster the backline and give it the leader and anchor they've never had; anything else is really a waste of resources. 


Lamborghini Links: The Yorkies, Waking The Red and Red Nation Online.

TFC = Trolling For 'Caps

Mood: Tired but happy
State of Mind: Wow, we needed that!
Location: Sunny supporter's couch
Voice: About 40%


Whee!! Tempted to make that my entire post; just lines of "whee!!!" but then you'd all think I'd lost my mind  (Hush peanut gallery). OK, one more time - WHEE!!!!  And may I add to the Van City team - HAHAHAHAHA! - Petty you say? In this case I am more than willing to accept that.  If only to refute all of the conspiracy theories from the 'Caps - no excuses this time guys - our Reds beat you fair and square.


It's been hours and I'm still smiling and giggling and just so happy from last night. If you weren't there then I'm oh so sorry that you missed it; I do hope that you at least watched so that you could share in the utter madness that was the last 30-40 minutes of that game!  And if not then at the very least I hope you've watched the Game in 6 (I could watch that all day) over and over again like the rest of us. 


In an attempt to live up to the name of this blog I actually went to my seats in the West Stands for the first time in weeks; mostly to visit with some of my seatmates but much to my surprise none of them were at the game! Maybe they're avoiding me? Regardless, I decided to watch the first half from my usual perch and well all I can say is please for the love of Pele, someone teach RJ9 how to finish!  That breakaway on Joe Cannon (and his tiny shorts) should have been a goal! Never mind that whole hitting the post business (again).  I appreciate his work rate and the fact that he never (ever) gets a rest but c'mon man, your job is scoring goals. 


Anyway, the first half was pretty much a snooze; perhaps due to the empty seats (players can't get amped in front of 209 people),

The stands right before kickoff

or maybe they were trying  to lull the Whitecaps to sleep? Or perhaps it was in protest over losing Soolsma (I don't want to talk about it)? I'm not sure but either way - even though they made some noise right near the end of the half - the half ended with my thinking that perhaps not much good was going to come of this. This was the TFC that makes me sigh...


I also decided to relocate back to the South Stands with the Cynics Circle et al. for some second half silliness. 


The Reds looked a lot more lively after halftime - perhaps they got in a 12 minute nap? But of course it had to be the Whitecaps that struck first when rookie Darren Mattocks was able to ping a rebound from a Kocic save into the net - cue the "here we go again" groans from everyone. Great initial save by Milos but no one to clear and Mattocks had an easy one. Even still, I refused to believe that Van City would get the best of our Reds; it's not allowed, right?  Right. And then something fantastic happened - no our Reds didn't immediately get an equalizer - no, the always hilarious @ignirtoq of The Yorkies and his buddy Phil started singing "Bohemian Rhapsody"; shortly thereafter myself, @theyorkies1812 and our merry band of cynics joined in and well watch for yourself:

                                        We never claimed to be professional singers


This may seem like an odd song choice but if you listen to the lyrics they're oddly fitting for a TFC fan and well it just fit the mood.  As the half progressed the Reds continued to press and were having greater success getting forward and then our Nasty Leftback Ashtone Morgon put another of his (soon to be) patented crosses into the box and found Luis Silva who easily put it past Cannon!  Game on!  Then our boys just kept on coming - Das Kapitan Frings almost put TFC ahead if not for a wonder save by by Joe Cannon. But the Whitecaps couldn't keep our Reds at bay much longer when just minutes later Frings stepped up and delivered a gorgeous blast of a free kick into the left hand corner of the net!  Jubilation!!  Much yelling, jumping, shouting and hugging ensued - but could it last?

The 'Caps continued to fight back and with minutes left in the game YP Lee came within a whisker of tying the game when he was also stopped by the post...this is where I started holding my breath and looking to see how much added time; 4 minutes? And then the worst happened; Darren freaking Mattocks leapt what seemed four feet in the air to beat Kocic to the ball and headed it into the net - if that wasn't bad enough Mattocks then became the biggest douche at BMO by coming over to the South Stands and taunting the supporters. And not just for a few seconds but for well over a minute - what ticks me off more than the jerky taunting was the lack of any sort of sanction from the ref - that behaviour in any other league would earn a card and should have in this case. We'll wait and see if the league does anything about it but I certainly don't expect anything to happen.


So there we were, with added time ticking away, the score tied and it looked like our boys were going to toss away three points yet again. But wait in the dying seconds a corner! We didn't hold out a lot of hope knowing TFC's less than stellar record on set pieces when the most glorious thing happened; Terry Dunfield (yes that Terry Dunfield, former Whitecap Terry Dunfield,) headed the ball into the net!!  Total freaking pandemonium!!!!  Screaming, shouting, jumping - I don't remember when I've last hugged that many people - and then the whistle!!  I can't remember the last time I was that happy to hear three blasts of a whistle!  What a great night, what a fantastic finish, what a WIN!!  


Was it the best game they've ever played? No. Are there still plenty of issues with the team. Yes. Does that matter one bloody whit? Hell no. That was one of the finest nights I've ever spent at BMO watching the team I love.  I'll leave you with a few words from the hero of the night:

                                          
TFC TIL I DIE


Laughing Links: Here are your usual suspects with the recaps - The Yorkies, Waking The Red and Red Nation Online.

Time To Whip The Whitecaps

Mood: Shrugging off Sunday
State of Mind: They're going to win, it's Wednesday after all and you know, Vancouver
Location: Currently, work. Later, BMO
Weather Forecast: No Towrads in sight

OK boys and girls today our boys get to take on that team that they love to beat and that we love to watch them beat.  Yes once again those conspiracy toting visitors from the west coast the Vancouver Whitecaps are in town. There's nothing quite like playing Vancouver to get the team fired up and get the fans pumped up. There's just something really, really fun about beating them; maybe it's that it drives them crazy and of course the endless conspiracy theories after each loss are well, just hilarious.


And let's be honest; our boys need a win based off of a strong performance - OK any win will do but wouldn't a good trouncing be nice? - to lift their and our spirits after the less than stellar outing on Sunday.  And really there's no better team (well, except maybe Montreal) out of our growing list of bitter rivals than Vancouver to make a match have some underlying drama and emotion.


Vancouver of course are coming to town with revenge on their minds after our Reds once again won the Voyageurs Cup and left the poor Whitecaps without any shiny silverware to call their own (yes I'm doing an evil laugh as I type that).  The Van City team had come to town back in May assured that they were going to finally walk away with our (yes damn it, it's ours - try and take it away) trophy but of course the Reds put in one of their best games - what is it about Cup games anyway? - and convincingly won over Van City.


Tonight will likely be a scrappy affair as there is no love lost between these two teams and the last time they met things got well, a little heated shall we say? Of course that scuffle was capped (see what I did there?) by the spectacularly awful dive by Jun Marques Davidson and the tossing of Sebastien Le Toux.  And by the Amazing Invisible Man aka Eric Hassli - oh those were the days...And Hassli will indeed be invisible again tonight as he's been suspended for yellow card accumulation (pardon me while I laugh delightedly) and I'm back. 


This match is no sure thing - even though it's a Wednesday, at home, playing Vancouver - since you know Van City has only (only!) 20 more points than TFC, has only lost once in their last 5 games (and winning two) and well they're just better than TFC.  Don't think it's a walk because Hassli is out; Sebastien Le Toux is not one to ignore and he's joined some fairly talented folk up front (otherwise known as the Van City striker collective) with Camillo, Darren Mattocks and their new Scottish DP Barry Robson who although still adjusting to MLS play should not be discounted either as a threat off of the bench.


Does any of that matter? Not one bit - this is after all the team we love to torture - who wouldn't be ticked off when they continually lose to one of the worst teams in the league? And lost a major trophy to them as well? That boys and girls is the object of this particular match - tick off the Whitecaps.  Seriously. OK yes, the boys should be playing for the badge, the fans, their pride but really at the end of the day if they can do all of that AND irritate the Whitecaps? All the better; after all tradition is important in any sport and this one should certainly be carried on.  If only to keep tweaking their noses for yet another year. Fun!


I have hopes for this game; hopes of the "not crashing and burning" sense. I hope that Mariner meant what he said about making some changes to the lineup tonight; of course I hope that we don't see an entire starting XI of kids out there but that JDG and maybe Soolsma get some legitimate time on the pitch.  I also hope to not see that high line employed again until we have more solid and experienced defenders to execute it.  And I (and you too, admit it) hope that not only Danny scores but that Terry puts one past his old team; just for that final turn of the screw.


We've got a gorgeous night, a (hopefully) fired up team, a Wednesday night tradition - really what more could we ask for? Oh yeah, 3 points - yeah, we'd like that too. See you at BMO; be there or be a parallelogram. 


COME ON YOU REDS!


Laid Back Links: Your pre-game posts from the usual suspects - The Yorkies, Waking The Red (James & Duncan) and Red Nation Online.

Back To Reality

Mood: Sigh
State of Mind: Sigh combined with not surprised
Location: Subdued supporters sofa


Due to work I didn't get to see the game as it happened on Sunday. However, I've watched the replay (2 hours of my life I'll never get back), read some of my fellow bloggers thoughts and mulled for a couple of days.  These are just some of my thoughts and I'm not going to make any attempt to analyze the entire game but for me there are some things that stand out.

                                                   That pretty much sums it up, right?


Thud. That's the sound of many fans' and supporters' optimism crashing back to earth after Sunday afternoon's disheartening loss.  For those of you that thought TFC were turning the corner and on to the road to respectability well sadly we haven't even approached the corner. There it is, kind of off in the distance - it is close enough that you can see it and maybe it's time to slow down and prepare to turn, but they're not there just yet.


Much has been made of fatigue due to number of games played, travel, heat and so forth.  And while yes those were contributing factors for this game in particular you have to remember that they had an extra day of rest, they arrived in Philly early giving them extra time to acclimate, they had the players that were available back to full health and they were playing the second worst team in the league (who were also dealing with similar issues).


Yes, games like this are inevitable and it's true that the team still lacks the needed depth (well, talented depth) to withstand the rigors and unbalanced nature of the MLS schedule.  But I have to ask why yet again the exact same players were put out there - what happened to managing minutes? - and why it took so long for certain subs to be put in (why leave Emory in there for so long?).  I have called for consistency in the starting XI all season long, but I also recognize when it's time to change things up to keep your players freshn because this stretch of a game every 3 days or so is not ending anytime soon.  Especially with the really exciting friendly with the Liverpool FC scrubs coming up...but I digress.  


Not helping the seemingly exhausted team (and they pretty much all looked gassed) were some of the tactics being employed (high line that the inexperienced defense just cannot execute), the regression in form of Logan Emory and the cold foot of Danny Koevermans. Like I said, if he doesn't score they're going to lose and well, you watched the game, you know what happened.  And perhaps Paul Mariner has realized some of these things as he's stated that there will be changes in the lineup tomorrow night against Vancouver - what that means exactly is obviously under wraps until oh about 6pm but my first thought is that maybe (finally) Ryan Johnson will get a rest; but probably not.


Do I think all is lost? No; that's not my way. I just don't believe in blindly supporting anything and everything that happens with the team that I love.  They didn't play well, there were some suspect coaching decisions and still no sign of any of the much needed support coming through the transfer window.  Asking questions is part of my being and I think part of being a supporter of any team.  Does that mean I'll stop going to games or stop cheering for the boys in Red? Of course not - I go to every game thinking (hoping, wanting) that they're going to win; I hold my breath, bite my nails and work myself into fits of anxiety during every game.  I'll be there tomorrow night as always ready to celebrate when our boys win; just like I'll be there the following week and two weeks later and so on. Hope to see you there.


Lot of Links: For some actual recaps and some other perspectives on Sunday's game and the current state of TFC I suggest you visit the following fine folk: The Yorkies, Waking The Red, Red Nation Online and Typical TFC.

Time For Some Less Than Brotherly Love In The Battle of the Basement

Mood: Cautiously optimistic
State of Mind: Still too damn hot to think
Location: Still right in front of the fan


It's a rare Sunday afternoon match for TFC and they continue their roadtrip with a swing through Philly to take on the second worst team in MLS (yes, we're still the worst), the Union.  You remember them right? That team that our Reds got their first MLS win of this tumultuous season against? I know that it was way back in May but you can't have forgotten already!  You didn't forget? Excellent; hopefully our boys haven't forgotten either.


Like TFC, the Union have gone through some changes since that game back in May. While Aron Winter didn't get shown the door until further into the international break, Union's coach Piotr Nowack was sent packing fairly soon after losing to the "worst team in the world". Once again Philadelphia seems to be our sister (sorry, brother) squad in terms of performance and drama. However again they are responding and playing just that little bit better than TFC which means even if the Reds win today they will still be the lone occupant of the MLS basement - hmm, maybe we should decorate?


Included in that just a bit more effective play was their win over the Galaxy on Wednesday night; which means that although the Union are also in the midst of an ugly stretch of multiple games they'll be coming into today's match with perhaps a shade more confidence having earned those valuable 3 points. Although beating the Galaxy isn't that great an accomplishment these days...


Now I am in no way saying that the Union have somehow become an unstoppable opponent; not in the least. In fact this is a match that our boys stand an excellent chance of coming away with all 3 points.  Both teams are tired, both have been playing two games a week, both will be playing in the same unrelenting heat and both are still very much trying to prove something to themselves, to their fans and to the other teams in the league.  Not that I care about what the Union have to prove of course; I only wish to see our Reds continue on some sort of path to respectability and hey a win against, well anybody would sure go a long way to seeing that happen.  Yes I know I'm stating the obvious but TFC need to do the obvious things if this season is going to have any sort of positive look to it.


The same questions remain for today's game: 


1. Will Danny continue on his goal scoring streak? I'm going with yes, otherwise don't expect a win.
2. Will the backline still look shaky and uncertain on set pieces? Again, I'll sadly say yes. Oh when will our CBs be healthy (or when will the transfer window gods smile upon us?)
3. Will the midfield continue it's strong play and keep breaking up the opposition attack? I'll go with a qualified yes - I think JDG (health issues hopefully at bay) needs to start to make that happen.
4. Will Mariner be more willing to bring subs on when players start to fail? I'm going with a maybe on this one - past experience says no, but these games are starting to wear on the players and the two a week pace isn't ending soon.
5. Will TFC put in a complete 90 minute performance? That remains to be seen.


There are a lot of positive signs going into this game; the knocks that Danny and Terry Dunfield picked up on Wednesday seem to have been minor so Mariner will have his preferred starting XI ready. TFC were the better team in the second half on Wednesday night and should be building off of that performance. And they've had an extra day of rest and have been in Philly for an extra day so should be well acclimated and set to go.  


Sadly the delightful vagaries of a retail schedule mean I won't be watching this game - considering the last time I couldn't watch they won 3-0 in Montreal perhaps this is a good sign - so I will be relying on the twitterverse to keep me updated. I've got a good feeling about this one folks; here's hoping I'm right.


COME ON YOU REDS


Link It Up Baby: And here are your usual suspects with the pre-game breakdowns - The Yorkies, Waking The Red, Partially Obstructed View and Red Nation Online.

Decent Effort On The Field, More Confusion Off

Mood: Optimism rising
State of Mind: It's too hot to think
Location: About two feet from the fan - gods I miss A/C


Well alright then. Wednesday night TFC went deep into the heart of Texas, on the most sacred of American holidays and emerged more or less unscathed. In the midst of a punishing schedule and the oppressive, Toronto-esque heat the Reds once again came away with a point to keep their unbeaten streak at 5 games.  Was this the best game that TFC have ever played? Not by a long shot. But they managed to do enough to continue the road trip with some confidence heading into the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday.


Wednesday night's game started like far too many of TFC's game this season, with the team looking flat, disorganized and generally shambolic. And in true TFC "what's defense" fashion a complete lack of man marking on a corner allowed Zach Lloyd to head in the first goal after only five minutes had passed. Also discouraging to watch was both Brek Shea (and his terrible hair) and Fabian Castillo pretty much run wherever they wanted time and time again. 


But they Reds managed to put some semblance of defense together and kept the Hoops off of the scoreboard for the rest of the half. And in the 31st minute after some pinging about the box Danny managed to put a ball from Eric Avila past Kevin Hartman with a lovely little flick and once again the boys had managed to equalize instead of completely collapsing and conceding. Game on!


The second half saw Dallas try to press the advantage; but instead of wilting under the pressure our Reds actually pulled themselves together and showed some nice defensive shape and grit. Jeremy Hall appeared to have realized that Castillo was going to continue to be blow past him unless he stuck to his shadow, Ecks put in his best performance as the stand in CB and Terry Dunfield decided to emulate some of his favourite hockey players by sacrificing his body and eventually his face to keep the Hoops at bay.  Even better was that they kept attacking instead of falling back to just play for the point; instead they continually moved up the field to try and make it three. 


The Reds were definitely much improved in the second half and came within of whisker of going ahead when Soolsma just missed a lovely ball. TFC were actually quite enjoyable to watch in that second half. Led by stand out performances from Danny Koevermans who not only scored the goal, but has shown some really nice movement all over the field of late (yay for match fitness!), Milos in net and Torsten (other than the free kicks, please no more!) was again excellent for the team. What most impressed me was that they got better in the second half; they settled down, held their shape and didn't let up - a nice improvement that I hope continues.


Really my only issue with Wednesday's match other than the first 30 minutes of so was the way Mariner used (or didn't use) his subs. There has been much talk of managing minutes for this team as they are in the middle of a punishing few weeks schedule wise and yet other than the sub for Avila - who did not shine against his former team in one of his worst performances of the season - the other subs were very late in the game even when it was obvious that players were fatigued and had obviously stopped being effective. You could see the immediate difference when both DeGuzman and Soolsma came onto the pitch; I have to wonder what the outcome would have been had they been given more time to influence the game.


However I will happily take a point on the road from a team that in times past would have crumbled and left it's fans once again frustrated. Although soon they've got to find a way to win these games, but for now equalizing and getting points will have to do.


Lots of Links: If for some reason you haven't read these, what are you waiting for? The Yorkies, Waking The Red and Red Nation Online.


Drama Update: 


And once again still marring some good on the field performances by TFC is the ongoing drama surrounding Joao Plata. Even though the TFC front office continued to state that they were still working on a loan deal this piece from mlssoccer.com  and this from Waking The Red obviously show something quite different.  It is frustrating as a fan to see this sort of ongoing confusion still happening from those that run the team.  I don't really have much more to add to what I said earlier this week and the comments by Duncan in the piece at WTR really sum it up. Tomorrow is a brand new day, week etc...fingers crossed for a few days of drama free TFC - let's just watch them play, distraction free - OK?

More TFC Fireworks In Dallas Or Fizzle Out On The Fourth?

Mood: Sort of optimistic
State of Mind: Wondering what sort of drama is next
Location: Not air conditioned splendour 

                                         Brek Shea looks worried; as well he should


Alright boys and girls here we go. Tonight TFC return to the scene of one of their greatest wins ever; that glorious 3-0 (yes, it was glorious damn it) victory on October 18th of last year that sealed the Reds entry to the next round of the CCL. It was a game that no one said they'd win. Not only did they win but they destroyed the Hoops on two goals from (the now departed) Joao Plata and another from Danny Koevermans.  In fact it was so fantastic I say it calls for a wee reminder:

If watching that doesn't make you grin like an idiot in happiness then you're likely reading the wrong blog...move along, nothing to see here...


Of course tonight's match is the polar opposite to the one last fall. Both teams are mired at the bottom of their respective conferences and have not lived up to expectations. TFC has once again taken the term "lowered expectations" to dizzying new lows and the FCD have plummeted from the heady heights of MLS Cup contenders to, well the third worst team in the league. And while our Reds have been slowly showing some positive signs of improvement, FCD have been anything but impressive over the last couple of weeks having lost 3 of their last 5 games, whereas TFC have only lost 1 of their last 5 and are unbeaten in their last 4 games. 


Points for the taking you say? Could be; with multiple draws and even a win on the road of late this could be an opportunity to crush a weakened opponent. However, you cannot discount the emotional charge that the Hoops will get from playing on the 4th of July - they're already having the biggest fireworks show ever (OK, in that part of Texas but still) - expect what little crowd there is to be loud and uber "USA" all night and that goes for the players and half-time "entertainment" as well.  Personally I suggest draping yourself in a Canadian flag to help ward off the "America is the best" vibe escaping your TV set tonight.  Not to mention that Dallas are well rested not having anywhere near the punishing schedule that TFC is facing at the moment and they also have much missed midfielder David Ferreira returning from injury. While not likely to start Ferreira is a both an emotional spark for the team as well as being a game changer when on the field.


In TFC's favour is confidence and being unbeaten in 4 games. No they're not setting the league on fire but they're scoring and hey that was a pretty good team they held to a draw on Saturday...and there's the whole Wednesday night record thing and there may be hope yet. Other than the fact that they're getting little rest in between games, are heading into the Texas heat (although not much different from Toronto heat these days) and they still have off the field drama possibly distracting them as the Plata situation continues to spiral comically out of control.  You have a potential for a less than sharp group of Reds out there this evening.   However I'm very much in favour of spoiling a good jingoistic celebration and putting the boots to a demoralized opponent (especially one that lets Brek Shea do that to his hair) so I'm feeling pretty good about tonight's match and our boys chances.. And if all else fails, remember this:

     They named their park after a giant Pizza blob! Or at least that's what I like to think.


COME ON YOU REDS!!!


My Links Are Bigger Than Yours: The Yorkies, Waking The Red, Partially Obstructed View and Red Nation Online