Is Cummins or Goings

It feels like we have offensive power but there is no way to harness the power. What is the Deal with Coach Cummins? I think it is way to late in the season to make a coaching change unless we get eliminated mathematically from the playoffs. On the Red Patch Boys website a lot of the talk in the forums is to chase after any MLS assistant coach Paul Mariner being the funniest looking one. I do not buy into this strategy. If Toronto have to start looking for a new coach I think they should try something like stealing a successful coach from another team OR try using a coach from another league with experience on a winning team.


I guess I should mention a little about the shitty game played over the weekend. First they LOST! 2-0 to Chivas and NO Jesús was not the deciding factor in the defeat. In fact it was the bum Sacha Kljestan. Ya that’s right Sacha! If you travel to Chivas website you will see that Sacha only has 2 goals this season, and yes they were against us on Saturday. What a bummer. For the life I me I could not understand why Coach Cummins screws with our line-up so much. Danny Dichio apparently did not make the trip because he has a mysterious injury that does not allow him to fly to the west coast. Sanyang came on late in the game at the 79 minute mark. Gerba came on to replace Amado at the 53 minute mark not sure why. Amado is very good at controlling the ball so without him on the field how on earth would Gerba ever expect to get the ball fed to him? Putting Barrett out to start the second half and taking O’Brian White out well that is understandable. Apparently O’Brian white had some work permit problems at the border the day before and spent a lot more time travelling to L.A. then the rest of the team. I would love to know what happened to Lesley Felinga I figured we would get to see him a little. In a game that spiralled out of control pretty quick why not play him? Argh… I guess this just brings me around to my original thoughts. Lets FIRE the COACH!!!

Can DeRo be Stopped?

Will DeRo break his career high with his hometown reds? I sure hope so. Since the move was made to sign THE HeRo DeRo I have contemplated many times whether or not it was a good move or just another move from MLSE to sell more tickets. Dwayne had his best output in 2006 while playing with Houston 11 goals in 30 games. This season he has 9 goals in 19 games with 9 games to go in the season. I think it’s fair to say that in the last nine games Dwayne has a very good chance at making this season one of his best to date. Hopefully his knees don’t give out while he tries to carry the rest of the guys into the play-offs. At this point of the season looks like giving up Julius was a good plan.

Our guys (TFC) are headed to L.A. to face Chivas tomorrow night. We will be facing our next 3 opponents on the road. ARG!$@# To top it all off it looks like Jesús might be in the line-up for Chivas on Saturday! Ya that’s right Jesús Padilla on loan from sister club Chivas de Guadalajara, and will be eligible to play against Toronto FC on Saturday. I heard they are giving out free T-shirts and kids can go see the game for free. Why don’t we ever get deals like that? I think I could pass as a 12yr old. I can at least think like one.

Not sure how I feel about this little bit of news out of Columbus. The Crew defeated the Puerto Rico Islanders 2-0 in CONCACAF Champions league on Tuesday. Really? I hate both teams. Columbus sucks cause they are in Columbus and I am still a little sore about getting bumped out by the Islanders a USL club!

Let’s not forget to thank Travis for his Uxbridge under 10 update the other day! Good job Travis make sure you keep the big white van in the garage.

Mayfair Pools Stuns Andy's 24 Hour Towing

The Uxbridge Soccer Club opened their U10 Boys playoffs last night with 4th place Mayfair Pools facing off against league-leading Andy's 24 Hour Towing. Andy's had dominated Mayfair earlier in the season, scoring a 6-3 win the last time they met.

Mayfair took a first half lead on a goal by striker Alex Chen. Andy's looked disorganized, failing to mount much offensive pressure as they game went to the half. Mayfair players and fans enjoyed a tasty popsicle, courtesy of coach Cassie Cheeseman.

Coming out of the half, Andy's ratcheted up their game and pinned Mayfair in their end constantly, with pressure only relieved by the occasional run by Chen up the right side of the field. Finally, Andy's scored a late goal with darkness falling and only two minutes left in the game.

Chen, however, with only seconds left in the game, took the ball down the right side once again and fired a shot that bounced off a hapless defender and by the keeper, giving Mayfair a stunning 2-1 victory over the regular season champs.

Sniper Alex Chen later celebrated the victory with a small Rolo McFlurry.

O'Brian White, Sanyang, and Gomez Impress...

Toronto once again looks like a team that can not be beaten. Unbelievable performance's put in by the rookie on Saturday as TFC sported a line-up that included SIX rookies! TFC also moved up 2 spots in the MLS power rankings... Awesome. I spent the weekend at the cottage and had to spend most of yesterday catching up on my soccer news so instead of going on a long spiel about how I hope TFC can keep it up you can check out these articles I have found online.

Kids giving TFC brass something to think about

Reds blank United to move up standings

Toronto FC – The kiddie corps did their job against an off-kilter D.C. United on Saturday afternoon

Invasion of Canada goes haywire; Toronto FC smacks DC United, 2-0

Toronto FC boosts playoff hopes

Toronto FC beat D.C. United 2-0

If you watched the opening weekend of the EPL you would have noticed Arsenal looked AWESOME!! what a great weekend. They beat the shit out of Everton 6-1.

Also I found this funny Beckham Landy-D comic... some good jokes here.

Where are they now…

I have decided to do some research and find out were some of our old used and broken down Toronto FC players have fallen. The first guy on my list is Andy Welsh. A very curious looking fellow. While with the team he had 20 appearances and 1 goal. He played in the inaugural season and was released and given permission to go to Blackpool for free.
Some interesting tidbits I did not know about Andy. Apparently Toronto had to negotiate a deal with Sunderland to get the rights to mr.welsh! (Why did we let him go for free?) At Blackpool he managed 0 goals and then moved to Yeovil Town F.C. were he continues to enjoy his success with 38 appearances and 0 goals.


Yeovil is in England somewhere (I think). They play their games in League 1. The ground they play at is called Huish park and has a Capacity of 9,665 (5,212 Seated) Wooooweee. I was checking out Andy’s profile on the Yeovil Town F.C. website I noticed there is no record of him ever playing for TFC!!! I don’t get it. Are we that dirty secret you have to keep hidden away. Are you ashamed of us! It’s Yeovil no one in Yeovil should look down on you for playing 20 games in Toronto. Joking aside Andy was a good footballer for TFC he had a nice cross, an awkward run, and a head that looked like an eraser! Good luck Andy.

Toronoto!!!

Misprinted scarves hilarious!!

Toronto was thumped by Real Madrid if you have not heard. The game was entertaining. Nice to see Kaka and Xavi make there first appearances for Madrid in Toronto could be a trivia question some day. What I thought was interesting or funny about this match was the commemorative scarves. There is a misprint in the spelling of Toronto or should I say Toronoto. Awesome!! Not quiet as bad as the MLB team the Washington Nationals misprinting nationals (Natinals) on the uniform. How do mistakes like this get thru seems like it would be a big deal. If I worked for MLSE and the Scarves for the Real Madrid game just arrived I would be so stoked to have a look at them. Not only does the problem get past the manufacturer and sales but actually makes it to the sales kiosks… wow.

RICKETTS WATCH CONTINUES-
I am constantly on Rohan Ricketts watch I have no idea what my fascination is with the guy. I guess it’s kind of like watching a train wreck. There is news on him today in the Aberdeen evening express. He says “I’ll reject the Championship for Aberdeen FC”. Well that is awfully nice of him I thought he was going to be a LaLiga star?

CR9 in TOWN!!

CR9 is in town!!... If Real Madrid doesn’t spank TFC by at least 4 goals im calling shenanigans! I watched Barcelona thump Seattle the other night and was happy to see they did not let up to much. Personally I am not a big fan of these friendly games that pop up in the middle of our season. Really who cares if Real comes to town to spank us, what purpose does it serve other than to remind fans that the level we are at is not the European level. Enough already I just want to see my team with a new head coach and a squad that can move the ball up the pitch. Jeff Cunningham is doing all right in Dallas. He has 9 goals this season 1 more then our beloved DeRo. Still don’t want him back but it should serve as a warning that we need to start getting balls thru to our strikers. Barrett and Gerba are more than capable of scoring but we need to give them the opportunity to make things happen. Well I’m heading out of the office now to watch the Real Madrid practice that I PVR’ed last night (I know that’s pathetic) then watch the game. I feel compelled to watch it the same way as I feel compelled to slow down on the highway when I see an accident.

Would The Real Supporters (Please) Stand Up?

 

                             VS.

Last week, as part of my effort to convert more family and friends to the TFC cause, I gave my season seats to my brother and his girlfriend and picked up a pair in 110 for the wife and I. We brought streamers in anticipation of the streamer shower (which was awesome) and we were pumped to be in the supporters end. We watch most of our games from high up in 222. The view from 110 isn't that bad, plus it's nice being able to join in on the singing coming from the Bunker from time to time. So this is what it's like to be a "Real Supporter" I thought, the supporters that Red Patch Boys, NEE, and USector Boards are constantly praising for their TIFO's, coordinated songs, and unwaivering support of the team. So why at half-time did I abandon the South-East corner for my usual spot in the West Stands?

At the risk of being unpopular, I've got to say that I have never seen a group of people LESS interested in what's happening on the field than in 110 - and I sit in 222! Between "Jimmy Girl" (a young woman that shouted "Shoot Jimmy" when he was passing the ball back to Frei), "Road Trip Guy" (a gentleman in a blue shirt that I swear didn't see a goddam minute of football because his back was to the field the entire game telling the people behind him how they have to go to Columbus next year because he went this year and it was the best and everybody is going next year)(Editors note: nobody is going to Columbus next year...), and "make-out couple" (nuff-said) I started to wonder if anybody was even watching the game.

The fan that caught my attention the most capo guy. I'm not saying the guy doesn't love his TFC, but I hope he's got the game Tivo'd at home, because he sure wasn't watching it from his stand at the front of 112. I love what he does, I love the enthusiasm, I love the passion, but can you really be a fan of the footie on the pitch if you're not watching it?

I've spoken with hardcore supporters within the main SG's and been told that you aren't a real supporter unless you tailgate, road trip, banner-make, and sing every song. At a pre-season game at Joe's last year, I was even told by one person that they are sick of 'part-time supporters' like me. The comment was made because he was trying to get my table to sing along with a new Julius James song he was singing in the pub. Is knowing the songs what makes you a Real Supporter?

This brings me to the main point - who are the Real Supporters? Are you a Real Supporter if you sit (nee stand) in the South End and scream your lungs out? Or are you a Real Supporter if you don't want to be distracted by the jumping, singing, and beer-throwing of the South End so that you can concentrate on the match so you sit in the West Stands? What if you sing the songs, but don't watch the game? What if you sit in the West Side, but don't watch the game? Is there some sort of facebook trivia test that you can take to determine if you're really a supporter?

My $0.02? You're a Real Supporter if you watch the games, know the players, and love the team, regardless of how or where you do it on matchday. You're a Real Supporter if you get mad that mid-season friendlies are injuring our players (even if you can't resist going to watch them) and that the salary cap prohibits us from having a solid second string of players at our disposal. You're a Real Supporter if the first thing you do every morning is look for TFC related news (morning Denime!). You're a Real Supporter if you can look at the flags over the South Stand and point out which flag relates to the players on our team. You're a real supporter if you take the afternoon off work so that you can attend the official announcement that DeRo is joining the team (and get your flag signed). Basically, you're a Real Supporter if you love TFC. Plain and simple.

Before you judge somebody based on the location of their seat, the colour of their skin (painted red or just regular-type), or whether or not they get excited about a round of "West Side Stand-Up" (how does this cheer spur on the team exactly?), talk to them for a few minutes - I'm sure you'll find that we're all at BMO for the same reason - because we love our team and because we're all Real Supporters. *tear*

Toronto FC... Limp

As Travis stated earlier..Toronto FC managed to knock themselves out of Concacaf Champions League play last night. The Puerto Rican Islanders keeper Bill Gaudette looked stellar last night as he faced wave after wave after wave of useless attempts on goal from outside the box. Toronto sent everything they had but just like an impotent old man they were unable to rise to the occasion. I do not understand why they would not play Marco Velez against his former team. That should have been a no-brainer. I would be the first to jump on the get Velez out of town band wagon but this guy used to play for PRI! He has something to prove put him out there and let him prove it! I have no idea why Cronin showed up for the game he was shit and if he’s not going to play then don’t waste the money on a plane ticket. We needed goals last night and by the time Coach Cummins realized it was to late. The team pounded in shot after seemed like everyone was trying to win the game from a distance. Some of those shots had a real chance. Gerba had a nice attempt on a free-kick; DeRo had a nice strike that was deflected over the bar. Vitti had some nice headers. The Ref was totally useless making some horrific calls and non calls last night. If you looked at PRI’s Delgado the wrong way last night he was going down and getting the call. There were fouls called in the game were no contact was made at all with that guy. Vitti was tripped up in the box by the keeper and there was no call and Gerba was molested in the box and there was a no call. ARGH!!.. I guess best not harp on this loss to long really this team was not going to go very far anyways even if they did make it past PRI.

TFC Bumbles Way To Failure

Yes kids, TFC have reached new levels of futility by bowing out meekly to the second-tier Puerto Rico Islanders. I can't be bothered analyzing the loss - I'm too irritated with the team right now.

I will say that being a Toronto sports fan sucks. I'm so tired of the teams I support losing. Now please excuse me while I smash my head against a brick wall for a while.

Lesly Fellinga to TFC!!

Well it looks like TFC have made another move… According to a long and hard search of Wikipedia it looks like Toronto has secured another signing, Lesly Fellinga of Haitian descent who plays for Haiti national team. He comes to us after leaving Dutch side Heerenveen. He just received his work permit and it might take some time before we get to see him in action. Still waiting for the TFC website to add him to there roster. This guy is a solid defender that should solidify our “D” and lead us to the promised land( MLS Playoffs). From last week to this week it sure looks like our team has changed a lot (even though it really has not). With the two Gambians, one Haitian, three Canadians our "D" has firmed up. Now it’s time to cut ties with Velez.

On another Arsenal note. I read somewhere on the interweb that Philippe Senderos’ move to Everton has been confirmed by the Swiss Football Federation.

Bummer…

TFC manages to Draw New England

In Foxborough last night TFC squeaked out a draw. DeRosario gave the team the lead in the 34 minute of the game netting his 8^th MLS goal of the season. Chad Barrett was sent off the pitch with his second yellow card in the 50^th minute of the game leaving TFC a man short for the rest of the game. The Gambian kids were subbed on in the 2^nd half and I got to say... wow I was impressed. I take back all the bad things I have ever said about them. Can’t wait to see them play more. Looks like Serioux will be out on Tuesday vs PRI he looked like he re-aggravated his injury. Also DeRo looked like he may have suffered an injury against the revs as well. What’s the deal in New England the stadium looked empty! Well it’s the long weekend so im not going to write much more.

Thought maybe I would comment on Arsenal briefly. Arshavin had one of the nicest goals I have ever watched against Athletico Madrid. This morning Arsenal vs. Rangers. Andrei continues to impress and Wilshere (the kid) looks like he could be a starter for the team… or maybe that’s just pre-season play getting the best of me. J

TFC vs. New England Revolution... tonight

Today is an almost soccer filled day for me as I am watching Arsenal play Athletico Madrid for the Emirates cup (on GOL TV) this morning. Tonight TFC faces off against the New England Revolution (the Rev’s). I am almost at a lose for words when it comes to TFC now. Do I want them to put out there best line-up tonight. YES. But will that mean we are going to get ousted from Champions league on Tuesday against PRI? I hope not. It would be nice if our man MO would give us some depth that we desperately need. If Amado is not at 100% I do not think we have a chance in either game. It clearly looks to me that Serioux is Seriouxly injured right now and probably needs a bit of a break. He looks a little ginger walking on and off the field before and after games.

Chris Cummins commented on the game tonight “I don’t think it’s a must-win, but I do think it’s a game that we can’t lose, just to keep that distance between us, By all means we’d love to go there and get the three points but if we go there and get a point, we can build on that. What we can’t do is go in there gung-ho, and go all-out attacking and lose the game. It’s important we come away with something — even if it’s a point, it gives us a bit of confidence going into the next game.”

I’d say every game is crucial especially when there is no sign of any help on the way to the team. They are looking pretty desperate right now. With a game tonight against the REV’s, then Tuesday against PRI, then Friday against Real Madrid, and just coming off the midweek lose to PRI. Can’t wait to see Ibrahim back in the line-up at least he shows promise.