Columbus Crew 2 TFC 0

A quick report and some first impressions...
I travelled to Columbus today and was crushed to see TFC go down to defeat at the hands of the Crew. I don't think that there is any natural rivalry between the teams, we would rather squash Montreal and Michigan will always be the arch-rival of any team in Ohio. Still,The Crew is an important team to judge Toronto by. They must be caught if TFC is to become a playoff team in my lifetime.
So many of my fears after the struggles in Charleston during the pre-season tournament were confirmed. I thought that the new rookie keeper Edwards looked strong in net in his first start (other than the two goals - naturally). The defense was solid, one goal allowed came against the run of play and the other was a breakdown when TFC was pushing forward and Kevin Harmse passed back from the midfield and the Crew were better placed for it
Velez and Marshall worked well together as central defenders. I thought Wynne's time away from the team because of the Olympic tournament showed him to be a little disconnected from the team. I think that Brennan is better in the central role, not because of any lack when playing left back as he did today, but because he finds Robinson and Edu better from the middle of the field.
So much more to say, so let me break this report into a series....

Now let me enjoy my cold Bud in peace. I am licking my wounds (metaphorically, of course) in an Ohio motel, with a fair drive home ahead of me tomorrow.

Eve of season 2

As I messed around the house trying to pack for the road trip to Columbus tomorrow, I will admit that my thoughts were more practical than sport related. Where is that toothbrush was the central question. Who will play striker tomorrow for TFC did not creep into the considerations.
I will admit that I am nervous. The defeat against Charleston was only days ago. There is a rumbling discontent that Steven Brunt in the Globe and Mail mentioned the other day accurately in his column. What big off season move(s) did TFC produce that we fans can hang our optimism upon ? We hope that we did well in the draft, but every team participated and has the same hopes. We lost Pozniak and O'Brien from the midfield and gained Rosenlund and Harmse. Shall we say that the jury is still out on that exchange.
I may not be blogging from the road so look for my game and trip report on Sunday (unless I luck into a motel in Ohio that has an internet link).
May the sun shine tomorrow and I hope that the travelling sea of red witnesses something worth singing about.....

Canada, the Faroe Islands of CONCACAF......

U23 qualifying semifinals for the Olympics took place in Nashville tonight. The final score was USA 3 Canada 0. TFC players involved were Maurice Edu and Marvell Wynne for the USA and Tyler Hemmings for Canada. Andrea Lombardo came on as a substitute in the second half and Josh Wagenner who recently had a trial with TFC was the Canadian keeper. Ok, I have had time to think about it. Faroe Islands have never finished third in any Uefa tourney. So it was a harsh reaction to just how hopeless things looked against USA.

I have to take back my comments regarding TFC's play in South Carolina. Seeing Edu and Wynne in action tonight was an electric reminder of how much talent those two have and judging the quality of Toronto's play without them is a fool's game. So that makes me the fool. Yes, Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore are the flashy strike force of the US attack, but Edu was always on the ball in behind them. He shows such poise directing traffic and feeding balls up to the front runners. Edu's great leap forward could be the key to TFC's success this year.
Marvell Wynne played a dazzling game. In the first half he was pressing forward from the back and he was the dominant player on USA's right flank. He played more defensively in the second half although I noted at least one run up to the inside of Freddy Adu that almost paid off.
On the Canadian side Tyler Hemmings played well. He was more of a factor in the second half, but it is so hard to attribute his play to anything other than the US playing well back and giving Hemming room to search in vain for a hole in their armour.

I am sure that I am not the only Toronto fan who let out an audible sigh when Andrea Lombardo was added to the Canadian attack. Tonight I officially fell off the Lombardo's " young and therefore could develop" wagon. Not that I was buckled in mind you. I will always be willing to be proven wrong on this as it will benefit TFC and Canada, but I don't see any creative vision or finishing talent there. When trying to run onto the ball he always seems to veer off in the direction the ball is never going to follow him to. His passes suffer the same fate and the less said about his shooting skills, the better.
So come Olympic time this summer TFC will lose two stars for a good stretch of time. Then again it would be a thrill to welcome them back to BMO with gold medals around their necks .....

a small step in the right direction

With a more coherent showing in South Carolina this evening, TFC managed to tie the New York Red Bulls 1-1 in the Carolina Challenge Cup in Charleston, S. C. Both teams had stretches where they controlled the game, but there were few real opportunities for offensive fireworks.

Jeff Cunningham opened the scoring in the tenth minute of the first half. He used his timing and speed to run onto a ball passed up by Kevin Harmse and found himself alone with a keeper who failed to make much of a play for the ball. Kevin Harmse was active throughout the half, although sometimes his most energetic plays were those pursuing a ball that he had given away in the first place.
Colin Samuel came very close to adding another in the closing minutes of the half with a curling shot that seemed to just miss.

New York tied the game in the second half. Juan Pablo Angel is always dangerous for those Highpriced Energy Drinks and he helped to set up their goal. TFC never seemed to be a threat in the later stages of the game. Dicho and Jarrod Smith were late substitutions in the striker roles.

Brian Edwards played the entire game as TFC keeper. Despite a few shaky moments, he showed promise. We could easily see him as the Toronto starting keeper when Greg Sutton is off in World Cup qualifiers.

Julius James was injured in a collision in the first half and was replaced by Pat Phelan. Here's hoping that James did not suffer a serious injury. He had played well and Phelan was just as strong in relief. The qualities of these rookies is not a good sign for Andy Boyens. If the back four are Wynne, Marshall, Velez and Brennan, with both James and Phelan able to back up and Tyler Hemmings around too, is Boyens going to hang on ?

The midfield continues to miss Maurice Edu. Carl Robinson was always strong in defending and showed more precision in his passing when going forward. The search for an attacking midfielder continues. Not sure who is still on trial or still in camp but there were no Colombian players in evidence.

Next game- Saturday night against the host Charleston Battery

stay tuned for TFC signings

There has been a report from Ives Galercep (soccerbyives.net) that the signing of Amado Guevara by TFC is about to happen. Guevara is a former MLS MVP when playing in New York in 2004. Last year he refused a trade to Toronto from Chivas USA and returned to Honduras.

stay tuned for confirmation....

Charleston, South Carolina on a small screen

San Jose 1 - TFC 0 ( I think a final score - weather delay due to lightning was the last part of the broadcast)

Is this a new team and a new season ? I think that the play of Toronto FC tonight in Charleston tried to convince me that it is year 1 extended. Last year's sour style, especially the ineffective midfield, was back. Toronto's attack, to be kind, was the dream of any keeper. Yes, Edu and Wynne were missing due to Olympic duty. I am a huge fan of both of those players, but the suspicion is that their return will not be enough to make the difference.
Bashing Mo Johnston has been a road that I wanted to stay away from. I think that it is too easy for the average fan to complain and second guess and nominate players that should be signed. I don't knock the knockers too much, it is what makes the internet hum. I submit that the reality of building a team is more complex than some fan voices are willing to concede. I wanted to rise above the din and look for signs of growth. A performance like tonight's does make rising above more of a challenge.

Mo's words last October at season end were a perfect blueprint for the future. TFC had a core but needed 6 or 7 new players. These words are starting to haunt him. Where are these needed 6 or 7 ? Time seems to be short if you look at the season starting in two weeks. The Mo plan may include signings that will arrive later in the season, but patience is wearing thin. If TFC struggles, it won't surprise me if the vocal fans start to serenade. Mo rhymes too easily with go......

Highlights (if you will)
The San Jose goal was set in motion by a Ronnie O'Brien corner. Somehow, we TFC fans saw that one coming.

It was wonderful to hear Nigel Reed calling the game. Too bad he interviewed the Charleston Battery Coach at length without a second mike. I could hear him, but he did sound like he was in another room.

Julius James looked like he fits in. Cool on the ball and I don't remember seeing him beat one on one. However I cannot be too sure of anything. I use a iMac and the streaming webcast was tiny. The USL site would not increase screen size and the CBC site was worse.
Pacheco seemed ok, Brittain and Dunivant both brought little to the attack on the flanks.
Samuel had a few moments when he came on in the second half, a nice cross in the box and went forward with energy. Then he dashes your hopes by finding a way to step on the ball and lose everything.

Kevin Harmse traded to TFC

TFC have traded a 4th round draft pick in 2009 for Kevin Harmse, a Canadian International who is a midfielder. Harmse is a defensive player and is not intended to play the role vacated by Ronnie O'Brien. Harmse was involved in some retaliation/protection of David Beckham when recent friendlies in Australia turned unfriendly. This explains his odd stance in the above pic. If he proves to be a contributing depth player, there is confidence that the next time he is pictured it will be in a more conventional playing pose. I do recall online chatter about Harmse last year, saying he is a West Coast guy (Vancouver) and therefore is not a fan of Toronto. With LA he was probably in heavy competition for his roster spot, so perhaps the greater security , in roster terms, in TFC land will sway his thinking. Then again, in the land of Mo, does anyone have roster confidence ?
With this trade on the heels of the Ronnie departure, Mo has turned the temperature on his hot seat down one notch. I know I am dating myself, but anyone else remember the old TV show called Sports Hotseat ??
The watch on signings to come continues...
Without taking into account factors such as allocation money and salary cap, someone on the U-Sector forum (SweetOwnGoal) figures that there are now four International spots on the TFC roster still available and four Canadian spots too. His calculations do not include later draft choices Brian Edwards, Mike Zahar, Xavier Balc and Jarrod Smith. So a full roster in time for the start of the season is not an unreasonable goal.