Tilting At Windmills Or Finally A Step Forward?

Mood: Still ecstatic. Tired but ecstatic
State of Mind: Still Blown


Was that, or was that not the best night you have ever spent as a TFC fan?  Yes the Dallas win was amazing and I can still remember how it felt watching it and the amazed happiness when they won; but this - this was something special.  Last night's win was a huge step in the right direction for our club. No more pretenders, no more running around in the desert tilting at those windmills - this changed things. We've heard for the past year (or pre-season Season 6 as most of us called it) that this year we would finally see the team that we've been asking for since 2007. And boy did we ever.  Was it perfect? No. But did they focus and get it done? Hell yes.


If you're at all like me you spent yesterday pretty much freaking out; twitchy, nervous and unable to sit still waiting for it to 10pm.  Even though I spent the day with my mom it was hard to not check twitter a million times to see what everyone else was doing - as an illustration of my obsession with my team and the game I wore the exact same clothes as I did last week at the Skydome - from head to toe. TMI you say? You'll survive.


Game time found me in front of the TV (sadly had to stay home so as to pretend to be responsible as I worked at 7am this morning) trying to sit still but more often than not pacing around my living room.  Wherever you were - because you did watch, right? I mean really, you HAD to have watched; if not I'm not sure we can still be friends - whether at home, in a bar, on PVR later, you were pumped and you were watching your (our!) team!


Now I'm not going to give you a blow by blow of the match (and I'll include the usual helpful links in a bit) but there are a few things I'd like to mention. Side note: if I had proposed a drinking game around the number of offsides that would be called we'd have all been in a stupor before the first half ended! 


The game itself was full of beautiful moments and well,some pretty scary ones.  RJ9's goal sent me (and the rest of you of course) into spasms of joy - I really must apologize to my neighbours - but then it started to get a little nervy as LA kept pressing and exploiting that high line the TFC defense were employing.  Then that moment (you know what I'm about to say) when Ty scored...the own goal...and then Robbie bloody Keane with one of the douchiest moves ever gave him that little pat? Ugh. Despair - was this where it was all going to end? Were the wheels on the bus coming off?  I was losing my mind until that beautiful, wonderful moment when Soolsma slotted that lovely pass from Johnson past Saunders!!!  If my neighbours weren't ticked before I'm sure my screaming, jumping & clapping at that point sent them over the edge - do I care? Umm, no!  And Milos - what can be said about the play of Kocic other than MOTM - he was a Monster in net last night and they would not have won without him. 


Those 25 minutes after Soolsma's goal were some of the most stressful of my life - could barely force myself to watch, hiding behind my scarf, hardly daring to breathe and then, oh then the ref blew the whistle and bedlam!!  Ok, maybe not bedlam as I am only one person but as close to bedlam as I could manage. To the few people I talked to on the phone after than wonderful moment - sorry if I blew out your eardrums; but you understand because you were watching too. 


Folks, this was the moment; the moment when our team, our beloved Reds really moved out of from under the shadow of the past 5 years and became the team that gets it done. Because you & I both know that a year ago they would not have pulled this out. But this is a new chapter; this is the beginning of what I know is going to be the most amazing year we have ever had supporting (loving, living for) this team.  Will they win them all? Of course not. Will they frustrate us to no end at some point? Of course they will. But this moment, this game, this was the step forward we've been waiting for. Welcome to the next chapter - enjoy.


Link it up baby: As usual check out The Yorkies After 90 & their post-game thoughts today.  Then hit Waking the Red for the most active game thread ever, several post-game write-ups and more great video and in game reports from their Western Correspondent John Leung and finally head over to Red Nation Online for Steve Bottjer's match report.