TFC on paper is better than UNAM Pumas?

My dear brother-in-law and blogger on this site, Mike, officially went off the deep end last night. Mike has been having a long temper tantrum about MLSE and how they have ruined Toronto FC. He derides most every move they make and every result they achieve. Once a season ticket holder, he has become an embittered old man hating everything TFC.

Last night, following the 1-1 draw between TFC and UNAM Pumas, we exchanged text messages. We bitched about the horrible Setanta Sports broadcast (what was up with that, Setanta?) and he stated (again) that they (MLSE) need to fix the team. I pointed out that I wasn't disappointed in the draw and that TFC had put forth a good effort. "No shame in drawing a better team.", I said. Mike replied with "Fuck that, on paper we are better. Shame."

As you can imagine, dear reader (literally, probably only one reader), this blew my mind. This morning, Mike continued, suggesting I look up who is on their team, compare it to who we have, then accused me of being a typical Leaf fan, accepting mediocre teams. There is some truth in this - I am a Leaf fan, and probably too easily accept mediocrity. However, I felt I needed to address Mike's delusions in-depth.

So let's take a look at UNAM Pumas. They are ranked #7 in CONCACAF and #179 in the world by Oosterpark.  They have produced dozens of Mexican international players, a country that is currently ranked #20 by FIFA and has been as high as #5. 6 of their current players have recently played for the national team. They have won the Mexican league 7 times, including the Clausura 2011. They have been CONCACAF champions 3 times. They have been the champions of a now-defunct North and South American competition once. The Mexican league itself is ranked #12 in the world by IFFHS.

Our heroes Toronto FC, are not ranked by Oosterpark. The top ranked MLS team as of the end of 2010 was D.C. United, at #12 in CONCACAF and #306 in the world. As we know, D.C. United now sucks, and I'm sure their 2010 ranking is a result of past successes. Hey - there's the Puerto Rico Islanders at #1,736 in the world - we fall somewhere below them. Toronto FC currently features Canadian internationals Julian de Guzman and Terry Dunfield (and injured Adrian Cann), Jamaican international Ryan Johnson, Curacao international Javier Martina and Guadeloupe stalwart Eddy Viator. Comparing this to Mexico's #20 ranking, we see Jamaica at #45, #87 Canada, #178 Curacao and Guadeloupe not ranked. Toronto has won the MLS... Never, and never even made the playoffs. They haven't advanced out of the CONCACAF Champions League group stages. MLS is ranked #52 in the world by IFFHS - but is now second in CONCACAF, having passed the Costa Rican league!

Now, I don't believe that we should be thrilled that Toronto FC only managed to draw UNAM Pumas. I would have been ecstatic with a victory. But to claim that Toronto FC is better on paper and should have won is so ludicrous that I am beginning to question Mike's sanity.

Oh Greg..

I can honestly say after watching this clip that I am glad Greg Sutton is not with Toronto anymore. Nothing short of embarrassing here. He absolutely looks as though he would fit into Toronto FC current system. Lack of sensibility and ball handling skills makes him a perfect fit. What a mess.

Roger Levesque had a great goal celebration. At this point though I would like it if Toronto could just score.

SMILES!

Canadian Keeper Scores from the other side of the pitch!

What can only be described as a major embarrassment to England. Canada scored an absolute gem. The Canadian Goalkeeper Quillan Roberts evened up the score at 2-2 in the 86th minute from the Canadian side of the pitch! If I find a better clip today i will post it.
LOL

Priceless.

Canada vs. Ecuador Friendly Report

I had the pleasure of attending the Canada vs. Ecuador men's friendly at BMO Field last night with a vocal crowd of Canadian supporters. Unfortunately, the dirty, diving Ecuadoreans had more supporters so the stadium looked mostly like a sea of yellow jerseys.

Canada was a bit lucky to steal a draw, after Julian De Guzman, the crappiest designated player in MLS history (next to Mista) took a quick free quick and caught the dirty Ecuadoreans busy whining at the referee. One Tosaint Ricketts goal later, it was a 2-2 draw and the Canadian supporters could feel free to hurl nasty swear words at the opposing fans.

Attiba Hutchinson is great. He was all over the field and had a huge impact. I described him as a "good version of De Guzman" but that's probably not doing Hutchinson justice. Simeon Jackson looked dangerous and Terry Dunfield scored a brilliant opening goal for Canada. The keeper, Mirlo Borjan (or whatever the hell his name is) looked fantastic, other than when he stared sadly at the 2nd Ecuador goal flying into the net without actually moving.

Shout out to the guy in front of us who spit all over the place when he shouted - the wind carried it right back into our faces, which was awesome. Props to the supporters who chanted and danced the whole time. It was nice to see an energetic base of support for the team.

Thursday June 2nd 2011

Thursday June 2nd 2011

 

Afternoon Links

 

National Post - Toronto FC head coach Aron Winter needs to banish haughty talk of rebuilding and patience and replace it all with the truth:

 

Toronto Sun - Canada came away with a lucky 2-2 draw vs. Ecuador at BMO Field on Wednesday night

 

MLS - 50/50 Gordon may play; The Toronto FC forward, who has been out with a groin injury, trained with the team on Tuesday at Cherry Beach.

 

The Canadian Press - Adrian Cann will miss the remainder of Toronto FC's season after the defender suffered a knee injury during training Tuesday. "I can confirm that Adrian has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season," said Toronto FC Head Coach

 

Monday's Links

Whitecaps well rested for this weeks Nutrilite championship game vs. Toronto FC. 

Goalkeeper Jay Nolly, shown in action recently, says his team knows it has to score against Toronto FC on Wednesday.

Windsor Stars fell 5-2 to Toronto FC 

Windsor fell 5-2 to Toronto FC Academy Saturday, but put up a much better effort 24 hours later in losing a heartbreaker 1-0 to the defending CSL champion Brantford Galaxy.

MLS Recap 2011: Colorado Rapids 0 - Toronto FC 0

Toronto remains in 15^th place, only two points out of a playoff spot. What matters, besides the “golden point”, is how confident this team is growing.

Toronto get break as de Guzman is only Canada call  

Toronto FC will need to do without the services of Designated Player Julian de Guzman for most of June, after the midfielder accepted the call for Canada to play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

 

 

IM BACK!!

Hey, I have been gone (from the blog) for a while now I’m back. I will try my best to keep the blog up to date. It’s been a little tough lately only because well I am getting tired of following a team that is potentially in its fifth losing season. Obviously would like to watch a winning team. Truly I believe that the MLSE big wigs are the root of the problem. Anyways. In an effort to stay positive and away from the negative. I will try posting daily links to soccer and mostly Toronto FC related links with a brief thought on the link.

cheers.

Best You Tube Video discovery so far!! AWESOME!

SPAIN!!!

The Spanish U-19's have been doing some very entertaining stuff this year. I love this free kick.

Icelandic fishing Celebration!

Icelandic side Stjarnan with an awesome goal celebration.

Mista

PRESS RELEASE
Toronto FC announced Tuesday that Spanish forward Miguel Angel Ferrer Martinez “Mista” has signed with the club. Mista’s contract will run through to the end of the 2010 MLS season. As per team and league rules financial details were not released.
“Mista adds a wealth of experience to our team,” said manager, director of soccer Mo Johnston. “He’s played at Real Madrid, Valencia CF, and Deportivo La Coruna which are all world class clubs. Mista is a different type of player from what we have and we are excited to get him in the lineup after July 15.”
Mista, 31, joins Toronto FC after spending his entire career in Spain playing almost entirely in The Primera Division (La Liga). The forward spent the 2008-2010 seasons with Deportivo La Coruna, where he was a teammate of current Toronto FC midfielder Julian de Guzman. Mista’s most successful seasons in La Liga came while he was a member of Valencia from 2001-2006 when he made 142 appearances, scoring 40 goals. He won two Spanish league titles (2001-02, 2003-04) during that time and was a member of the 2004 UEFA Cup winning squad where he scored the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Olympique de Marseille of France. By winning that title Valencia went on to compete in the UEFA Super Cup where Valencia CF defeated FC Porto of Portugal 2-0.
Mista began his career under current Inter Milan boss and former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez at Real Madrid where he spent three seasons before moving on to Tenerife where he helped that club gain promotion into the first division.
Internationally, he made his debut for the Spain on March 26, 2005 in a 3-0 friendly win over China and has two caps with the senior squad. He also was a member of the Spanish U17, U18 and U21 sides.
Due to International Transfer Rules, Mista will not be available for selection until after the July 15 transfer window opens.

Bendtner colors his socks vs Japan.

At the 4th minute in Thursday's match Denmark Vs. Japan. Nicklas Bendtner was sent to the sidelines by the ref to color in his socks!! Apparently the ref did not like Bendtner's stylish white tape that was just showing above his shoe line. No worry's the Denmark bench had a red marker on hand to correct the mistake. GAME ON!!

France is gone... Good ridance!

I wish I found this earlier...  I'm just very happy that France is out!.. tee hee

Senderos AWESOMENESS!!

Wicked tackle on his own teammate! AND he sprained his ankle in the process he will miss the next 2 games. wow

Woody Harrelson takes Penalty Kick

Looks like a nifty team they put together for a charity match at Old Trafford in Manchester. Woody was playing with the likes of Henrik Larsson, Mike Myers, and Zinedine Zidane in front of 65,000 people. No pressure man. In the video below looks like Mike Myers was giving him tips on taking the penalty.

World cup starts FRIDAY!!!!

I still don't know who I will cheer for this world cup. So far I am just ABE!!

Pirès thinks Philly is a shitty town

Robert Pirès thinks Philly is a shitty place to live. That is AWESOME! He wont play on Philly cause it's not nice. He would rather live in a nice place like Henry in New York. WOW. So I wonder how Toronto holds up? I wonder what cities meet his standards other than New York? maybe San Jose, Seattle, and L.A.

Anyways I read the following at the MLS website.

NEW YORK – Former French World Cup winner Robert Pirès, who was being pursued by the Philadelphia Union as a Designated Player, has come out publicly and stated that he will not be joining the MLS expansion club because the city’s not nice enough.
“[Philadelphia] is not very appealing to me,” the Frenchman told L’Equipe. “I don’t want to be difficult, but if I’m leaving to take my family far away, I prefer that it’s in a beautiful city.”
Making the matter worse for Philly fans is what Pirès had to say about the arrival of Thierry Henry in New York with the Red Bulls.
“I hope for him that he can go out there,” Pirès said of his former Arsenal teammate. “Now that’s a beautiful city.”
The 36-year-old told the French sports daily that he now waiting for other proposals and, if he does not receive any, he’s content to hang his boots. His preference, however, would be to take on one more challenge, possibly with a club in France.
Spanish club Villarreal decided not to renew his contract after the 2009-2010 European season although Pirès says that he would have wanted to stay.

Spurs midfielder Jamie O'Hara ponders playing for Republic of Ireland

I love this..

I hope Jamie plays for the Republic but it doesnt change the fact that Henry is a dirty cheater.

Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara could ditch England and choose to play for the Republic of Ireland at international level.  
O'Hara, who spent last season on loan at Portsmouth and played in the club's 1-0 FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, is expected to make a decision on his international future this summer.  
The 23-year-old, who qualifies for Ireland through his grandparents, has played for England at Under 21 level but has never been selected for the senior squad.  

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1279411/Spurs-midfielder-Jamie-OHara-ponders-Ireland-switch.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0oOF4Z0NU

17 year old to retire.. shitty..

Just read this press release. It is a bit of a bummer. This guy found out about a heart condition from team doctors. Now he needs to retire and he will be honored with a coin toss. So shitty. 






PRESS RELEASE
Retirements are often a time of reflection on a professional’s long and storied career. It is rare the word “retirement” is attached to a player at such a young age, but such is the case with Toronto FC defender Zachary Herold. The club announced Monday that the 17 year old Generation Adidas product has had to retire from the game of soccer.
Herold suffers from the condition Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) – which causes abnormal thickening of a part of the heart muscle. With this condition, under strenuous exercise, there is a risk of developing a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm, or arrhythmia.  Unfortunately the only way to reduce this risk is to put significant life-long restrictions on exercise.
On Saturday, May 22 the team will honour the 2010 MLS SuperDraft pick in a ceremonial coin toss before the 1 p.m. ET kick-off against the New England Revolution at BMO Field.
“Early in pre-season we did medical’s on all our players, and obviously our doctor, Ira Smith, was concerned with some of Zac’s results,” said manager, director of soccer Mo Johnston. “From there he then began a series of tests with a variety of doctors, in both Canada and the U.S.  Zac’s health was first and foremost in this process. Our hearts go out to Zac and his family; it’s a very difficult situation. We felt it was the right thing to do by honouring him in front of our fans, and give them a chance to show their support.”
As part of Toronto FC’s screening procedures, an electrocardiogram (otherwise known as ECG or EKG) is done on all players. There are certain patterns that are recognized as potential problems for athletes, and it is at that point that cardiologists are consulted. In Herold’s case, several experts in both Canada and the U.S. were consulted and a variety of tests were performed to properly and accurately diagnose this condition.
“Announcing my retirement from soccer at this age is something I never, ever thought would happen to me,” said Zac Herold. ”I am grateful to Dr. Smith, and all the specialists I’ve seen over the last few months – this news was very hard to take but I know it’s the best decision for me and my health. My parents have been with me every step of the way, and it means so much to me that I’m able to “retire” as a Toronto FC player. The whole team has been wonderful to me and my family and although it’ll be a tough day, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on the 22^nd”
“The support we have received at this very difficult time has been more than we could have ever imagined,” said Zac’s mother, Beth Inniss. “We want to thank the Wasserman Media Group, particularly Aaron Maines and Richard Motzkin. All of the doctors, especially, Dr. Ira Smith and Dr. Christine Lawless, and to the staff at Toronto FC. Special mention to Mo Johnston and Preki, I have never felt such support from a group of people as I have in the past three months. You have all stood by Zac, and lifted him up. I cannot thank everyone enough.”
Herold was drafted in the 2^nd Round, 24^th overall on January 14 in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft that was held in Philadelphia. The defender was a fixture with the U.S. U-17 MNT and made 15 appearances, 13 of those as a starter. Herold was also part of the U-14 and U-15 teams before enrolling in the U.S. U-17 Residency Program in the fall of 2007.

Toronto FC to host Bolton

This is the big news today. Big deal. I'm getting very tired of friendly games that mean absolutely nothing in the middle of the season. 

 

Toronto FC to host Bolton of England's Premier League in Carlsberg Cup

By The Associated Press (CP) – 20 minutes ago

TORONTO — Toronto FC will host English Premier League club Bolton Wanderers on July 21 in Toronto's annual Carlsberg Cup.
Bolton boasts the highest number of seasons in England's top flight, this past season being No. 71.
The Wanderers, which finished 14th in the Premiership this past season, will announce their roster for the friendly at a later date.
Toronto hosted River Plate of Argentina last season, which the visitors won 4-3 on penalties.
The Philadelphia Union, meanwhile, will host Scotland's Glasgow Celtic at PPL Park on July 14 in place of an exhibition against Spain's Valencia that had been announced in March.
Union president Tom Veit said Tuesday that Valencia and its promoter "backed out of the agreement that was reached with the Union and other MLS teams."