TFC should take Champions League seriously

Consider this an add-on to Monday's Toronto FC post.

After Tuesday's 2-2 draw against Motagua in Honduras, TFC's place in the CONCACAF Champions League group stages was confirmed winning the two leg match by a 3-2 aggregate score. Some Reds supporters can be forgiven if they think this is the greatest result in the club's short history, as the greatest triumph still lies ahead.

As I mentioned on Monday many supporters would prefer that Preki make the CCL the lower priority in favour of making the MLS playoffs for the first time in club history. Although I do not exactly share this point of view, I would agree that making the playoffs is ONE of Preki's priorities, but it should not place the champions league completely on the back burner. Making the playoffs would be TFC greatest achievement to date, but you cannot say that if TFC beat Cruz Azul (Mexico) on August 17th at home it would not be a watershed moment for the club.

As underwhelming as many find the CCL, it does place Toronto FC on the international stage, even if it is a bit smaller that the rest. It gives the fans the opportunity to continue building a history around the club, which all great clubs in the world have. It becomes hard to build a history when the teams is not winning or competing in the top tournaments in the region. I can't argue that making the playoffs won't do that either, but champions league nights can become magical events for clubs just like in Europe.

The Tournament also gives Preki the opportunity to play some of the youth squad members that normally would not see a lot of pitch time. On Tuesday Doneil Henry the 18 year old central defender who normally plays for the academy team started at right back in a massive match for the club. As the team tries to balance the squad between league games and CCL matches during mid week young players like Nicholas Lindsay, Oscar Cordon and Henry could find themselves playing major minutes in very important matches.

This can only be seen as a positive for the club who will be able to try and progress through the group stages of the CCL and qualify for the playoff while getting the future of the club some much need match action with the first team.

Onwards and upwards for TFC as they say.

Cheers,
Mike

Toronto FC must cure road jinx

Saturday was another tough night for TFC as they traveled to Kansas City to take on the Wizards. Since the inception of the club the on major issue that has followed the club though all 4 seasons has been the inability to consistently win away fixtures. Saturday was no exception as the Reds fell 1-0. Many have pointed to Adrian Cann's sloppy back pass that lead to Teal Bunbury's goal as being the back breaker, but that was a small part in the larger problem of being mentally tough on the road.

Last year when TFC missed out on the playoffs by one point, you had to look to the amount of blown games on the road as being the difference, had TFC even won 40% of those road games they would have made the playoffs, and it seems that the same holds true this year as well. The club has only 1 victory on the road this season out of a possible 8, and only 4 points to show for it (They drew the L.A earlier this season).

What also is concerning to manager Preki is the lack of offencive punch going forward. On Saturday the teams didn't look close to scoring a goal aside from Mista's early chance. This has been the case form the majority of the road games this year, take away the 3-1 victory at San Jose the scoring line for TFC on the road does not look good. None of the forwards or midfielders had any creative spark Saturday night, and it looked like the game was heading to a poorly played 0-0 draw.

If there is one thing that is positive about the road record is the better defensive display from the team. Preki clearly has instilled a tighter defensive set up and preached responsibility to his midfielders. However you can argue this has been at the cost of goals scored. After the Wizards scored it seemed the team was happy to continue playing the same formation and style as if it were still 0-0.  This type of mentality in tactics cannot win you road games or get you far in the playoffs.

Few can argue that this club has improved in many aspects of the game under the new management of Preki, however he still faces an uphill climb in terms of getting the squad mentally tougher for away matches. If TFC really want to make the playoffs they have to do it on the road and pick up valuable points, or else we could have a last day of the season New York fiasco like last year....and we know how badly that ended.

Cheers,
Mike

CONCACAF Champions League important for Canadian development

After Toronto FC's important 1-0 win of Honduran side Club Deportivo Motagua, I began to read the debate around how important or not the tournament is to TFC. For those who oppose TFC taking the tournament seriously, the argument goes; TFC is in the hunt for its first MLS playoff in club history, therefore the club needs a less crowded fixture list down the stretch in order to help qualify. This importance on making the playoffs is made even more urgent considering the MLS Cup is going to be held at BMO Field in November.

What the playoff only pundits seem to be missing is the fact that a run into the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League will go a long way in improving soccer all round in Canada, plus bringing TFC extra revenue for future signings.

Montreal's run into the quarter finals of the tournament in 2008 brought not only a level of excitement about the game (The first leg of the quarters was held in front of 51,000 at the Olympic Stadium), but it also brought more talented players into the Impact academy. What the run also did was place the issue of soccer development in the minds of the public. It also infused the grass roots players with a goal to shoot for, play against the best in the region for your home town club. This was an aspect of Canadian soccer that was missing for a long time. In the past there would be little incentive to play in the Canadian pro ranks as it was thought to lead you nowhere. Now the promise of champions league soccer is a reason young players can choose to stay and develop in Canada. This is especially important for TFC as they are still growing their academy, and trying to convince their young players to sign with the club once they turn 18.

The Voyageurs Cup, Canada's one ticket to Champions League

The tournament is also important to the bottom line for TFC, no one can argue that at the minimum, 4 extra home games will hurt the club in the pocket book. The extra money can be used to help upgrade the stadium or build the long dreamed of training complex for both the senior and academy teams that the club wants so badly. As said earlier it will also provide funds for new signings that could help turn the club into league and region elites. Which at the end of the day is what every club wants, competing with the top clubs in CONCACAF helps to raise the team's profile both at home and abroad. It can also provide healthy competition from Vancouver and Montreal who will push to become better and represent Canada at the tournament. In the longer run what fans would like to see is more than one Canadian club be included in the running for the champions league, and with today's announcement of three new teams applying for NASL in Edmonton, Victoria and Ottawa we could see the Voyageurs Cup expand outside of the 3 teams currently involved.

In the end the CONCACAF Champions League is still a work in progress in terms of prestige, but if a Canadian club won it, soccer would really be on the map in Canada.

Cheers,
Mike

2 points lost more than 1 point gained

TFC kept their unbeaten home record alive for the 2010 season by drawing with FC Dallas 1-1 at a rain soaked BMO Field this afternoon. Both teams came into the game on a bit of a streak, TFC had their afore mentioned home unbeaten streak. While FC Dallas had been unbeaten in 6, and came to pad their lead over TFC in the chase for one of 8 playoff births.

Stfan Frei dives to make a save in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas

TFC head coach Preki will be less than satisfied with the result as his team controlled much of the play and created the better clear cut chances. He will also be upset with the way TFC conceded the tying goal. It all came about from sloppy and lazy play between captain Dwayne De Rosario and defender Nick Garcia. After a poor clearance from the back by Garcia, De Rosario played the ball back towards his own goal for a corner kick. As has been the case for the majority of the season so far, the marking on the resulting corner was poor allowing Milton Rodriguez a free header past the helpless Frei. After the game Preki stated about the Garcia, De Rosario incident that “It was one of those lethargic plays,” Frei added regarding defence of set pieces “We’ve got to win our individual battles and almost take the intensity up a notch when we defend our set pieces. It’s got to get better.”

However there were positives to take from the game.

 Up until that point TFC were in the drivers seat. They were playing some of their best football up front in a while, as recent signing Maicon Santos is proving to be an astute pick up for the club. Staring his first MLS game for the Reds, Santos provided the hold up play Preki has desperately been seeking. Santos also has the ability to play the link up role with either Chad Barret or De Rosario. It was Santos who fired TFC into the lead in the 61st minute with a low shot to the near post, which in all honesty the FC Dallas keeper should have had.

It is also as good sign that Julian De Guzman seems to be picking up his game on the offensive end, as it was he who provided the inch perfect through ball for Santos to score. De Guzman is starting to look like he's finally finding his feet for TFC after his transition form the Spanish league.

Today also provided us our first look at former Spain international striker Mista in an MLS game. He came on in the second half and immediately showed his quality on the ball providing excellent passes out wide and to the feet of the forwards. He also looked like someone who had not played a competitive match in over 2 months. TFC fans shouldn't be too worried about this as he will be in full match fitness soon, but supporters shouldn't see him as the saviour as well, there is still much to be improved upon with this team.

Overall it seems like a good news, bad news view for TFC today. On the good side they kept the club record home unbeaten streak to 9 matches, however on the bad it's two point lost in the standings against teams they are fighting with for a playoff spot. As De Guzman said in his closing remarks “We made it a bit more difficult now for us giving away two points at home.”

Cheers,
Mike

Things looking up for the CSA?

Recently I wrote about the past stagnation of soccer development in Canada. One of my main criticisms was that the CSA (Canadian Soccer Association) lacked the organization and vision to lead Canada to a World Cup birth. In May of this year the governing body set up a new governance framework in order to address some of the long term issues there have been around the CSA.

This framework calls for an elected president, 6 appointed directors, 6 elected directors and most importantly none of them can be members of their provincial or territorial associations. This point may seem useless to casual observers, but for someone who knows how provincial power plays within the CSA has stymied progress in the past this is a huge deal. It in theory eliminates the provincial bias out of the decision making process. Time will tell if this will be true, but it is a positive first step in building credibility in the decision making process for soccer Canada.

Another positive aspect that came out of the new framework is its emphasis on gender in the top decision making group. The stipulation that there must be at least 3 directors of each gender is a first step in truly making women a part of the national team process. Given the success of our Women's Senior, U 20 and U 17 teams this step was long overdue.

What this also spells out is the clear roles of each of the branches of the association. Each branch understands and knows it role in helping to produce not only the best talent we can, but also to attract more sectors of corporate Canada who can help pour more money into player development. This will help Canada move away from member fees an dues which is the association's financial life blood, and into a more cost effective relationship with corporate Canada.

However what I hope this really does is send a message to the players and supporters of the national program that change is coming and that it is worth staying in Canada to reap the rewards. In the past players like former TFC captain Jim Brennan, current TFC captain Dwayne De Rosario and others have questioned the decision making of the CSA. This has lead to players retiring early from the national set up like Brennan, to players out right choosing other nations to play for due to the FIFA linage rules. Although this is only a first step in building a stronger CSA, this can instill a bit of belief in players that the national team will be moving in the right direction.

• If you want some excellent insight into what these changes mean I suggest you read former Canada and Ipswich Town Captain Jason De Vos's take on the governance changes (Click Here)
• On Saturday Michael Grange wrote and excellent article on Canadian Soccer and youth development through the club level here in Canada, and how it works in some other nations, I highly suggested read. (Click Here)

Cheers,
Mike

TFC v Houston Dynamo on Canada Day pics

Hello All,

I had the good fortune to attend last nights match between Toronto FC and Houston Dynamo on Canada Day. It was a very well played game by TFC as they held the majority of the play. The match ended in a 1-1 draw which saw a fight break out between the squads and two red cards shown. TFC has run their club record unbeaten streak to 10 matches, and also remain unbeaten at hone this year (4-0-3). Enjoy the pics and I'll be back today to break down the two world cup quarter final games today....Hint: There will be a few less samba drums in the stands.

Cheers,
Mike

TFC Corner

With the world's soccer attention focused in South Africa I've been neglecting our Toronto FC. Granted MLS was on a world cup break for 3 weeks but TFC made their return to the pitch on Saturday against the Landon Donovan/Edson Buddle-less L.A Galaxy.

The last time we saw the Reds they were involved in a dower 0-0 draw with the Kansas City Wizards. This result brought TFC's unbeaten run to 8 games in which they have only conceded 4 goals. For a team that looked like they couldn't stop anyone from scoring at the beginning of the season, head coach Preki has moulded the team into one of the strongest defensive units in the league. However there was a slight concern that TFC could not wrap up what should have been 3 points against a woeful KC.

Saturday would prove to be a stiffer challenge as the Galaxy came to BMO Field with the best record in the league. What the 15,000 fans saw was another dower 0-0 draw which produced very few chances and sloppy play. Credit must be given to the Reds back four and keeper Stefan Frei who once again were strong when called upon. However there is now a concern that TFC is lacking a bit of a offensive spark upfront.

In training sessions Preki preaches the elements of two touch passes and quick movement of the ball in order to create openings in the defence. However this is not translating to the pitch on match days as at times the attacking play looks lost and punch less. Many including myself have been looking for Preki to play a formation closer to a 4-3-3 that would emphasise the attack. This in theory could be done with O'Brian While in the centre flanked by Chad Barrett and Dwayne De Rosario upfront.

This of course would fly in the face of Preki's desire to build a strong game plan from the back out, but he must realize that too many draws could be just as damaging to a playoff run as losses are.

Although the team is right up against the salary cap it might be time for TFC to look for a offensive DP player to help the team's attack and boost their playoff chances. Earlier this year I made a case for the signing of French star striker Thierry Henry. It seems now Henry is set to sign for conference rivals New York Red Bull, which would leave Toronto behind in the arms race so to speak. This obvious issue would be trying to convince a either aging or about to be aging football star to sign in Toronto. Some suggestions that with a large Portuguese population in Toronto, former Portugal international Nuno Gomes would be a fit with the club. I can only see a move for him as a positive, first it will help you on the field in regards to quality; but second and maybe most importantly he can help develop a young striker in O'Brian White who is still improving his link up play.

Now a move for Gomes is just wishful thinking on my behalf at this time, but TFC will have to address this issue at some point in the near future if it hopes to score more goals and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in club history.

Cheers,
Mike

Docket # 14..The TFC case for Thierry Henry

After watching Toronto FC for the second time this young season, two things strike me. One this is clearly a team that is still getting to know each other on the pitch, you could see in some of the passes and the positioning guys are still learning their roles under the new Preki regime.

Second and possibly more concerning for the long term, is figuring out where this club is going to score goals. In the first 30 minutes of the game TFC showed little in the way of attacking prowess. Dwayne DeRosario was the only player who showed any creativity up front as they tried to grab a foothold in the game. It really only by the grace of a bad back pass by the Philly defender to the goalie and a stupid red card challenge on Julian De Guzman by the same defender, and a lounging challenge by the keeper in the box in the second half did TFC have any of its clear cut chances. Even with the introduction of Chad Barret , O’Brien White and playing with a man up you felt as though they were going to struggle to find a goal.

After the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed by both the Players Union and The league one of the new components that came out of it was the new 3rd designated player spot for each roster. Each team could buy that 3rd spot in order to sign a player over and above the league’s salary cap. For TFC this means the club could conceivably sign two world class players to the club roster without taking a hit on the salary cap. The aforementioned De Guzman already occupies one of those spots, but who should be TFC’s next DP signing? Well based on what I’ve seen from TFC this season, and also based on the endless talk of Barca striker/attacking winger Thierry Henry’s interest in coming to North America to play. TFC should make a bid for France’s all time leading goal scorer to dawn the Reds shirt.

Now as I see in my mind the foot snobs choking on their pints, hear me out there is more of a case for Henry to at least consider coming to hogtown. There is also a few massive reasons why making a bid for Henry makes both football and business sense for TFC. I list and explain my reasons below.

For Henry:

He gets his move to North America- Now the talk of the former Arsenal captain coming to the MLS coincides with comments that Henry made saying that he would like to try his hand in North America and that he loves New York. A couple of things he should consider before he runs with the Red Bulls. The team is coming off one of the worst seasons in MLS history (5-6-19 ,21 pts). Yes they do have a new stadium this year, however can it truly match the game atmosphere at BMO on a hot July afternoon? He’ll also have to consider that the stadium is nowhere near Manhattan where he likes to chill (It’s actually in Harrison, New Jersey) He’ll also have to decide which is the better Soccer market, and with all due respect to New York’s reputation as a massive city. In terms of Soccer it is slightly behind Toronto in terms of fans recognizing him.

He gets to spread the “Henry brand”- Let’s not be delusional he won’t be leaving Barcelona just for the football in the MLS, he’ll want to build a brand like Beckham. This slightly ties into the previous point with one massive difference. In New York he will have to be sold to the New York public, in a sense he’ll have to build himself up again. Unlike David Beckham who for the most part already had a big fan base in North America, Henry will have to build his brand practically from scratch. However in Toronto he’ll already be a recognized name. There are tons of Barca and Arsenal supporters in the city who will rally around him and bring those who don’t know with them to matches to see him.

Money- Anyone who is a sports fan in Toronto knows Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) has massive amounts of cash to spend/waste on talent. If you don’t believe me check out how much Jeff Finger and Marcus Banks are being paid not to play for the Leafs and Raptors respectively. The word out is that if Henry were to sign with NYRB it would have to be tied into an ad deal in which a big part of the contact is paid by advertisers, similar to Becks deal with L.A Galaxy. MLSE would be able to pay Henry practically anything he wants without the ad deals (Though I have a suspicion this would happen anyway). Plus with the percentage of the shirt sales Henry would get, he would be rolling in cash considering how fast his TFC shirts would sell out.

For TFC/MLSE:

Soccer exposure- MLSE can use Henry to grow its continuing investment into Canadian Soccer. MLSE loves profits more than anything and this would be an exciting business opportunity for the company. CEO Richard Pettie and the board must have seen the numbers regarding soccer enrolment for youth in Canada. MLSE could grow the game and a loyalty to the TFC brand at a young age by signing and marketing one of the game’s greatest players over the past 15 years.

Sending a message- For the club it would send a message to the rest of the MLS that TFC are serious about winning and improvement. If you listen to talk about the club outside of Toronto the product on the pitch is not taken seriously at all, and for all the talk about how great the supporters are at matches it’ll mean little if the club continues to struggle on the pitch. Even if the club fails to sign Henry, it shows that the club is looking for the best talent out there and will make attempts to bring them to BMO.

On the pitch- Of course signing Henry does not guarantee immediate success on the pitch, however what it does show the players is that there is another level that can be reach through hard preparation. This eventually will rub off on the players, especially the younger ones and the academy players. This can happen even to the senior squad as those players will try to keep up with a legend. Henry also provides a legit goal threat some TFC has never really had on the pitch, say all you want about DeRosario but he’s not a striker. With Henry’s skill against MLS defense’s one can see him scoring 20 a season pretty easily.

Overall the task of signing a player of Thierry Henry calibre is a massive undertaking which in most cases would end up in failure. However this does not mean TFC should not try, if there are serious about making the playoff and becoming a dominate power in the league as Mo Johnston says they do then the gloves need to come off. It is time for MLSE and TFC to put their money where their mouth is and make the moves the supporters and the players want. TFC needs to sign a DP this season, and frankly why not shoot for the top?