TFC's De Guzman and Gargan fight for possession with RSL's Morales at BMO Field, Aug. 28, 2010. (Scotty / TFCpics.com)

So TFC v4.0 has been upgraded to TFC v4.01.

Out is Preki, who managed to wear out his Toronto welcome in record time. Also out is Director of Soccer Mo Johnston, who, while much more personable than his coach, probably should have been gone a long time ago.

(Back) in is Nick Dasovic, the loyal assistant coach-turned-interim gaffer who seemed to be on his way out as recently as this past weekend. Things changed, of course, when TFC played arguably its worst home game in franchise history in losing to lowly DC United on Saturday.

Julius James’ 80th minute dagger was the final nail in the coffin of the two most senior soccer men in the organization, leaving The Reds once again in the hands of temporary caretakers promoted from within.

There are many places where you can read post-mortems on Preki’s and MoJo’s TFC careers. There’s plenty of conjecture out there about what this latest overhaul means to a franchise that is showing cracks in the previously infallible armour of constant sell-outs and fan goodwill.

This will not be one of those pieces, because there is a game tonight and a season that is still somewhat (albeit improbably) salvageable.

First off is TFC’s Champions League visit to Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake has become, since squeaking into the MLS playoffs last year en route to its first ever championship, a juggernaut. The Utah side hasn’t lost at home for nearly two years. It took Mexican giant Cruz Azul to the brink in a thrilling, rain-soaked CCL match in Mexico City last month. It is, along with one or two other teams, the class of MLS.

Fortunately for Toronto, many of the key RSL weapons could be out for this one. Javier Morales, Fabian Espindola, Alvaro Saborio and Ned Grabavoy are all likely to miss the match, which will severely test Salt Lake’s depth, especially in the offensive third.

Given that TFC is already a defensively sound squad — thanks mainly to the trio of Stefan Frei, Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann — the slim chances of stealing at least a point from the Utah fortress got a boost with the aforementioned RSL player absences.

Toronto will no doubt be playing with the newfound levity that always follows the firing of a strict coach, so a positive result could be the catalyst for a late-season resurgence.

Or not.

Whatever happens, it couldn’t get much worse than the past few weeks.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Hello Marlon Mejia. Thank you for refereeing this match. Your calm, even-handed demeanour was a credit to your profession, and bucked the trend of your CONCACAF brethren. In no way were you going to fall into the age-old stereotype of corrupt officials from Central America with complete and contemptible bias against the team trying to play honourable football. Your two red cards against TFC players made sure of it. Those Toronto bastards were asking for it all night, what with their audacious attempts to take the ball away from Arabe Unido players and stop them from attacking. Where do those gringos get off?

Hello Fuad Ibrahim. Thank you for giving loyal viewers a new aspiration to strive for. The way you threw your voice into Julian de Guzman’s mouth after you got that much-deserved yellow card for brazenly trying to put the ball into the Arabe Unido net was the stuff that Las Vegas shows are made of. You even managed to say a few words in Spanish. It’s too bad the ref saw right through that act and gave you that straight red card, which was possibly the first ever ejection given for ventriliquism. He obviously isn’t a true fan of the performing arts. Don’t sweat it though, you’ll go down in the history books, kid. Way to stick to your guns for your craft.

Hello Jose Calderon. Thank you firstly for having the same name as a beloved Toronto basketball player. The Raptors’ Calderon will never match you, the vaunted Arabe Unido goalkeeper, in healing abilities, though. While our Calderon keeps getting silly injuries that force him to miss swaths of crucial games with the Raptors, you’ve managed to master the instant healing technique, by which you were able to take a knee in the face from Nick LaBrocca — which totally shattered every bone in that handsome mug of yours — and minutes later make a full recovery in order to finish the match. You’ll need to show our Calderon how to do that. I know you probably like to keep your powers a secret, what with that dastardly Senator Robert Kelly trying to turn the world against your kind, but I think it has to do with your hands, as your pressing them against your broken face (in combination with your rolling around on the magic FieldTurf of Estadio Agustin Sanchez until LaBrocca was dismissed) seemed to do be the catalyst for your remarkable recovery. Your secret’s safe with me, bub.

Hello CONCACAF. Thank you for governing football in this region with the sort of class and diligence that other confederations should be striving to duplicate. You ensure that the entire region can continue to develop as clean, fair-minded soccer nations, with absolutely no bitterness or need for rampant conspiracy theories about you by fans like in those other confederations. Thank you for never cutting off your proverbial nose to spite your face by blatantly favouring the sides that bring hundreds of spectators to your Champions League matches over those that are among the top attendance-getters in the hemisphere. That would just be stupid and provincial.

Hello Arabe Unido. Thank you for consistently showing us North Americans how true football is played. Our teams foolishly do things like stay on their feet when brushed up against. Such naivete needs to be corrected, and fortunately you guys are more than willing to educate the rest of us.

Hello Wednesday. Thank you for not being Tuesday. That day sucked.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Mexico’s Cruz Azul storms into town for the CONCACAF Champions League, looking to continue its dominance over the region — especially MLS teams — en route to yet another CCL final.

Sure, Los Cementeros may not be on par with Los Galacticos in terms of pure skill and talent, but the difference between this visit and Cristiano Ronaldo’s last year is that Cruz Azul is actually here to play for something.

The Mexico City club has never actually won the Champions League, despite having advanced to the final in both editions of that competition. This is a fact that does not sit well well with the team, and Cruz Azul will be looking to assert its dominance on the competition at the first opportunity.

That first opportunity is against Toronto.

The Reds are heading into the game an incomplete side, hampered by injuries to key personnel, most notably forwards Chad Barrett and Maicon Santos. Both players pulled up lame in recent games, and both are looking at possibly another couple of weeks before suiting up for TFC again.

This places the weight of the attacking responsibility on Mista, O’Brian White and Fuad Ibrahim. The thought of the three carrying the team’s offence through the thick of the late summer logjam is hardly inspiring, given Mista’s fitness issues, White’s complete lack of form and Ibby’s lack of minutes.

Luckily, the supporting cast is relatively unscathed, specifically Dwayne De Rosario and Julian de Guzman, both of whom will be looked upon to lead the upstart Reds against a highly motivated Mexican powerhouse.

Even Martin Saric is back to full training after a long layoff, which gives Preki a weapon if he feels that Cruz Azul isn’t intimidated enough.

It’s tough to give Toronto a real shot of winning this game, despite a home record that has seen the side unbeaten in over a calendar year. Cruz Azul will be simply the most powerful side to grace BMO’s pitch in the stadium’s history, once motivation and fitness are taken into account.

Tomorrow will not be a friendly kickabout in which both teams are more concerned with playing to the crowd than the final score. Quite the opposite, actually.

Both teams will absolutely be concerned with the final score. Toronto will be playing its best version of Preki-ball in order to keep the score respectable, while Cruz Azul will be looking to set their goal differential as big as possible, as early as possible.

Given that Los Cementeros are fresh off of pumping current Champions League holders Pachuca 4-1 in the Mexican Apertura on Saturday, the Reds will have their work cut out for them.

Fortunately, if there’s one thing that Preki’s team has shown in 2010, it’s that they don’t mind getting their hands dirty.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

TFC, away to expansion Philadelphia Union in the less-than-impressive environs of Chester, Pennsylvania (although PPL Park is a true gem of a stadium), did their part in making the newbies feel as if they may actually still have a shot at success in this MLS season.

They don’t, of course, but the Reds did their best to play the part of gracious guests.

Much of the blame has to lay at the feet of Preki, whose “play not to lose” strategy was obvious from the outset. Chad Barrett was left alone up top as the solitary striker, with five mids behind him. This from a team that now has a “glut” of forwards, playing against a side that has proven to be awful defensively.

It’s one thing to come out of the block with negative tactics against a team like Los Angeles or RSL, but against Philly? Preki showed the Union far too much respect, and it came back to haunt his side in the end.

That TFC was still in until the closing moments with a shot at stealing a road draw speaks much more about the talent disparity between the two teams,  and while that may seem laughable, it’s obvious once a closer look is taken.

Philadelphia is a team built on youth. Very good youth, mind you, but still with too many pieces a few years away from really starting to click on the MLS level. In three or four years, should they retain their young talent, Philly will be a power. Right now, however, they are a team filled with greenhorns and retreads, much like all expansion sides in every sport.

Seriously, a team with Sebastien Le Toux as “the franchise” should never be allowed to boss the game as the Union did on Saturday. Toronto should have thrown everything at their hosts from the get go, unsettling their inexperienced opponents with an early goal or two and locking down at the back for an easy win.

Instead, TFC tried to do it in reverse, and ended up chasing the game to the point of exhaustion in the stifling midday heat. They were outworked and outsmarted for nearly all of the 90 minutes, an inexcusable feat for a team looking to break into the upper echelons of the league for the first time.

A smart Barrett header got Toronto back into the match after the Reds found themselves down, and instead of turning the tide in the visitors favour, all it seemed to do was energize the home side. That was made easier by the fact that TFC seemed all too eager to accept the 1-1 draw and be done with it.

That Philadelphia was gifted the entire three points in injury time was less shocking as it was fitting, as the Union were by far the dominant team on the day. That simply cannot happen against lesser teams going forward.

Tomorrow, Toronto gets to erase the poor result of the weekend with the annual Carlsberg Cup friendly, this time against EPL mid-tablers Bolton Wanderers. While mid-season exhibition contests are generally a poor idea — especially for TFC which is always on a busy stretch at this time of year — the upside is that perhaps a no-pressure kickabout  (in which the team’s newest signing Mista* will get a chance to play alongside his new teammates for the first time) may just be what the doctor ordered for a team trying to get over a stinker.

Some Academy kids will get a shot at playing with the big boys, and some trialists may even get a run out. We may even get to see Jon Conway and his baseball cap in goal for the Reds.

It’ll be a lighthearted affair, and perhaps some levity ahead of the upcoming game against surging FC Dallas will be a good thing for all.

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Pros and Cons from Toronto FC’s match at Philadelphia Union played on July 17, 2010:

PROS

• Chad Barrett finding new ways to score. Sure, he was largely ineffective as the lone striker, but he put the ball in the net when he had to.
• The travelling support. Kudos to RPB and NEE, along with about a dozen U-Sector – for bringing it in the heat.

CONS

• Way too much respect given to Philadelphia. TFC needs to go for the kill against teams that suck. The Union most definitely sucks.
• Maxim Usanov’s double-handball in the area in injury time.
• Dwayne De Rosario and Julian de Guzman’s disappearing act. When both of them are having sub par games, TFC suffers.
• The piped in “Doop” song after Philly scores a goal. We do it better at BMO Field, and we don’t have the PA telling us when to do it. Lame

HIGHLIGHTS

Posted by Rudi Schuller

* By the way, it was really poor form for the club to announce Mista as signed, sealed and delivered, only to announce hours before kickoff that he was, in fact, not available to play against Philadelphia. He’s either available to play or he’s not, and TFC shouldn’t have touted his signing until all the details are ironed out. Those of us who traveled to PPL Park were confused as to why he was training with the team but not actually on the bench or the field. But I digress…

Toronto FC – who sources say will ditch the grey kits for its primary red – has never lost to the Montreal Impact. Many of us take great pleasure in reminding their fans of that fact.

Sure, Montreal won the inaugural Nutrilite Canadian Championship on our turf back in 2008, but even that “victory” was actually just a draw. In fact, every other game between TFC and the Impact has resulted in a win for Toronto, a little tidbit that surely weighs heavily on the minds of Montreal’s supporters.

To be fair, TFC’s record against the Impact is probably a bit more lopsided than the actual games have been. Included in Toronto’s 4-0-1 record versus their Quebec-based rivals is a pair of 1-0 victories, the fateful 1-1 draw at BMO Field that propelled the Impact into the Champions League two years ago, the infamous 6-1 TFC win at Stade Saputo last year, and last month’s 2-0 slugfest.

Also included in those meetings is the dominance of Montreal by one Chad Barrett, who in three matches against the Impact has tallied three goals and two assists. Joey Saputo’s side seems to bring out the best in Barrett, and given the Toronto forward is coming off perhaps his finest performance in a TFC jersey against former side Chicago this past weekend, Barrett will no doubt be looked upon to help lead the Reds in a game that could see Montreal eliminated from contention.

The Impact will be without three players due to suspension, as Adam Braz, Reda Agourram and Roberto Brown will all be sidelined due to red cards in previous NCC matches. Brown is actually also on indefinite suspension from his own club after using Nick Garcia’s face as a punching bag during the tournament opener.

With a very tough road match at Los Angeles on Saturday, it’ll be interesting to see what sort of changes Preki makes to his TFC side. Fears about the Toronto coach not placing proper importance on the NCC proved unfounded, as the tournament opener saw the gaffer field a very strong lineup featuring most of his “A” squad.

Expect to see the same on display in Montreal, as Preki pushes for an early Toronto victory in this tournament. Some starters will be rested, but for the most part  Toronto should have close to its strongest squad out there tomorrow night.

The math is simple for Montreal. After a defeat in their first NCC match and a draw in their second, if Montreal loses to TFC on Wednesday they are out.

Toronto will be well aware of this and must be prepared for the fact that the Impact will be fighting for their tournament lives. Montreal coach Marc dos Santos will be forced to instruct his side to push for a victory, which could work right into TFC’s hands provided they can withstand the early pressure. Nothing up to this point suggests that they cannot.

History is on Toronto’s side in this one, contrary to anything the UM02 might sing tomorrow.

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For those traveling to Montreal, please join us for pre-match bevvies at Peel Pub (1196 Rue Peel) from 5:00-6:45pm. Anyone who has ordered match tickets through me will be able to claim them there.

For those staying in Toronto, feel free to head to the Duke of Gloucester (649 Yonge St.) for the U-Sector Away Game Viewing.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Between now and the MLS-mandated World Cup break (which starts following the June 5 match vs. Colorado), TFC will play eight matches. The Reds will see MLS action five times in that span, as well as three more matches in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

By the time this stretch of games is over, the NCC champion will have been crowned, and TFC will have completed more than one-third of it’s league campaign. To say that the picture of TFC’s season will be much clearer by then is an understatement.

But first things first, today’s game against Chicago is a crucial encounter against a conference opponent. The Fire have been remarkably consistent over their first six league games this year, amassing a 2-2-2 record that consists of identical 1-1-1 records home and away. Hey, I said consistent, not stellar.

Last year, the Fire were the antithesis of the conventional MLS paradigm of “win at home, eek out results on the road”, as they were markedly better when away from Toyota Park. It’s too early to tell whether they will be traveling giants this year, but I’m sure Preki has considered Chicago’s performances on the road last season in his pre-match preparation.

New coach Carlos de los Cobos is, like his TFC counterpart, still attempting to stamp his own mark on his squad, with new players having joined the side and a different tactical approach than his predecessor Denis Hamlett.

The Fire are a work in progress, although talented attackers like Brian McBride and Marco Pappa can turn a game on its head through individual talent alone. New striker Collins John – who has a pedigree as good or better than anyone else in the league (save the designated players) – has struggled with fitness and finding his place in the side, but even if he doesn’t start he will provide a threat for de los Cobos off the bench.

Big Wilman Conde has not been as dominant in the backline for Chicago as in previous years, but he can still control the game and will look to shut down Dwayne De Rosario. The loss of Gonzalo Segares has weakened Chicago’s defence a bit, but they are still fairly organized and the core is familiar with one another enough to make up for the Costa Rican’s departure.

Given today’s weather conditions, not to mention Preki’s tactics, the match should be a fairly scrappy one, with the wind and cold asserting itself down by the lake.

Perhaps one day we will be able to enjoy decent weather for an MLS match, but unfortunately that day will have to wait.

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Join U-Sector at Maro (135 Liberty St.) for pre-match bevvies, starting at 12:30pm. Our post-match gathering spot is the Done Right Inn at 867 Queen St. W.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Preki did just that, of course, when he kept Dwayne De Rosario and Julian de Guzman on the bench to start Saturday’s road loss at Salt Lake.

That Real Salt Lake jumped out to a 2-0 first half lead came as a surprise to no one. It was, after all, TFC’s third game in seven days, on the road, at altitude, against the MLS Cup holders who just about never lose on their home turf.

Regardless, I think all TFC fans would have preferred to see the big guns on the field, especially given that they now have a full week to recover before their next match. It’s arguably still early enough in the season that throwing out the stars on little rest would not have been as detrimental to them as it would be, say, in September.

The decision was made, and it was always going to be a gamble given what Preki has at his disposal. It’s no secret that TFC is built on an ethos of hard work, team spirit and grit, and while those are all fine qualities that any pro sports team should aspire to have in spades, they need to balance that out with a depth of skill as well.

It’s painfully obvious that there are very few “skill” players on this TFC squad, and in packed weeks like this it becomes even more apparent as the coaching staff attempts to protect those players.

When De Ro and JDG – along with O’Brian White – stepped on the field to start the second half, Toronto showed an extra spring in their step, and for periods took it to RSL.  The second half TFC was at least equal to their opponents, and was actually unlucky not to have at least salvaged a draw for the visitors.

Lesson learned though, and if I were a betting man, I’d lay down a princely sum that Preki never keeps both of his big Canadian guns on the bench at the same time for the rest of the season, regardless of how busy the schedule is.

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Pros and Cons for the Toronto FC at Real Salt Lake match played May 1, 2010:

PROS

• Dwayne De Rosario simply cannot stop scoring
• Chad Barrett’s leadership in the absence of the team’s captain
• Super Stefan Frei’s continued stellar play

CONS

• The first half lineup, one of the ugliest lineups TFC has ever put out
• Lack of attacking depth means conceding an entire 45 minutes to RSL
• Way too much space on Andy Williams’ goal
• Kyle Beckerman’s hair. It still pisses me off after so many years
• TFC’s road record, especially against the Western conference. Just brutal, and it needs to change

HIGHLIGHTS

Posted by Rudi Schuller

No one knows the importance that Preki places on this event, and no one will until shortly before kickoff.

Toronto supporters, of course, relish this tournament. The Voyageurs Cup competition has resonated with this fan base, much more so than the average, run-of-the-mill MLS match.

Perhaps the fact that a real rivalry with Montreal (the city) existed long before either TFC or the Impact ever kicked a ball in anger helps fuel the passion, a rivalry that doesn’t really exist with opposing MLS cities. That the civic rivalry translated onto the field of play, backed by rather large fan bases that genuinely dislike one another, really comes as no surprise.

There are so many angles at play in a match involving TFC and the Impact. MLS versus USL/NASL/USSF-D2. English Canada versus French Canada. Multiple Voyageurs Cup winners versus the brash new kid on the soccer block.  And so on.

The fact of the matter is, we (the TFC fans) want to beat them just as much as they want to beat us.

But does Preki share that sentiment?

This is a tough stretch for Toronto, a team that will be averaging roughly a game every three days for the next month. Preki is already on record as saying that his priority is MLS and having his side reach the playoffs for the first time ever, which would suggest that we’ll see many of the benchwarmers (Nick Garcia, anyone?) in red tomorrow night.

Of course, Preki has also been quoted as saying that every match is important to him and his coaching staff, and that he’ll treat the Canadian Championship matches the same way as he does every game.

So which is it? Will Preki throw out the scrubs versus Montreal and hope for the best? Or will we see the De Rosarios, de Guzmans, Freis and Attakoras out there on the BMO grass?

TFC is finally showing signs of coming together as a team, so perhaps Preki will use the modest bit of momentum that Toronto built up in Sunday’s victory over Seattle.

Only time will tell.

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As for Montreal, they are only two games into their 2010 USSF-D2 campaign, and still looking for their first win.  They lost their season opener 2-0 at Austin Aztex before drawing Portland Timbers 1-1 at their 2010 Stade Saputo debut.

The Impact showed a bit of rust in those games, and could be ripe for the “outwork the other team” philosophy that TFC has implemented this season.

Montreal remains largely unchanged from the squad that only scored one goal in the NCC in 2009, with young striker Reda Agourram taking over Joey Gjertsen’s roster spot after the American departed for San Jose Earthquakes. A couple of Euro imports have also joined the Impact, with varying degrees of success thus far.

Last year’s form means nothing, and Montreal will have the advantage of familiarity amongst its players. The Impact will obviously be motivated to keep the game competitive, and will feed off the hostile BMO Field crowd that will likely be the biggest they play in front of in 2010 (not including friendlies).

The “Miracle in Montreal” match notwithstanding, every TFC versus Imact match has been a close one, and it would be wise to expect more of the same on Wednesday.

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Join U-Sector at Maro (135 Liberty St) for pre-game bevvies, starting at 5:00pm Wednesday. We will be marching with RPB to the stadium starting at 7:30pm.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Watch the interview, and draw your own conclusions.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

With the news that captain Jim Brennan has stepped down from his playing duties to step up into the role of Assistant General Manager, only Chad Barrett, Fuad Ibrahim, Nana Attakora and Gabe Gala remain from the 2008 squad.

While Jimmy B himself has alluded in recent interviews to his playing days being numbered, one has to wonder about the timing of such a move. Brennan was widely rumoured to be considering retirement after the 2009 season, but signed one for one more season after re-evaluating his time at Toronto FC and the “unfinished business” of never having led the Reds to the playoffs in their three seasons together.

Why, then, would Brennan put himself through the rigours of another pre-season – which he has annually stated is his least favourite time of year – simply to give it all up after one game in which he looked far more like the lively Jimmy B of 2008 than the run-down 2009 version that many said was holding the club back?

On the surface, he appears to have taken the team up on a plum front office gig, one in which he would be afforded more time with his family and less giving his body up to the latest of coach Preki’s endless drills.

Of course, there is likely far more going on than the eye can see, and there are murmurs that Brennan simply did not get along with Preki, especially the new coach’s taskmaster training methods. Given Preki’s propensity to hack at the roster as he sees fit – and he has made Mo seem positively pensive by comparison this year – is it any surprise that Brennan would simply accelerate a retirement plan that he came so close to enacting a few months ago?

As I wrote in this space earlier, I’m prepared to give Preki’s “method-to-his-madness” approach some time to prove itself, but all we can hope for is that the “madness” that has been happening these past few weeks becomes replaced by a successful “method” before more players decide to follow Brennan’s lead.

Seriously, if someone like Jim Brennan – captain for the first three seasons of TFC’s existence and a man who sacrificed his body for this club on numerous occasions – is willing to throw his hands up and walk away so easily, what’s to stop others from doing so?

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As for the match itself, TFC could have done worse than having to face the Revs.

True, New England is coming off a morale-boosting 2-0 victory away at DC United on April 3, but to this untrained eye the Revs looked no better in either that game or their loss to LA the week previous than Toronto has looked since pre-season began.

The Revolution may or may not have talisman captain Shalrie Joseph back in the lineup after the Grenadian suffered a pre-season injury that kept him out for both of New England’s regular season matches thus far. Obviously, Joseph’s presence – or lack thereof – will alter the game significantly.

Steve Nicol’s side have still not replaced Jeff Larentowicz in the midfield, after the red-headed veteran joined Colorado Rapids over the off-season. Career leading scorer Taylor Twellman is likely finished his playing days, as he has been dealing with post-concussion syndrome for well over a year now without signs of progress.

The man Nicol signed to replace Twellman’s goals up front, Lithunanian Edgarus Jankauskas, proved far more injury-riddled than effective, and he too is set to sit this one out with an ailment.

Starting keeper Matt Reis, he of a phallus-shaped head, is also on the shelf, following surgery in the offseason that will keep him out for months.

The rest of the New England squad may just be more anonymous than TFC’s. If ever the conditions were ripe for a stealing of points on the road, they are so right now.

Posted by Rudi Schuller