The Week That Was - October 22nd

Here are the updated standings:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3qPRqJFXHoRYlpOQndiODFJeFE/edit?usp=drive_web

Toronto FC

What an amazing save, that is why Stefan Frei has been one of my favourite Toronto FC players and it was good to see him play what was probably his last game with the team.  But other than that the game was just infuriating we had barely any attacking prowess and the referee lost the game for us.  What should have been a nil-nil draw turned into an example of the horrible officiating calls that go on in MLS.  First a hand ball call outside the penalty area that was suspect and Toronto players were arguing with the ref over, but no good camera view showed what actually happened.

But on the ensuing free kick Mike Magee lines up a shot and as it travels around the wall it hits Jonathan Osorio’s upper arm which is right against his body and he has turned sideways to shield his face.  With hand ball calls one of the first things that goes through a ref’s mind is if it was ball to hand or hand to ball, this was a clear example of the ball travelling and hit the players hand/arm and the said player having no time to move it out of the way.  Furthermore the next step that I would take as a ref would be to imagine if their hand/arm had been in a different spot would the ball still have been blocked by a different part of their body such as when a player has their arm against their chest, the handball did not give an unfair advantage to the defending team so I would not call a penalty.  As you can see in the highlights of the match around the 4:00 minute mark Osorio’s arm is tight to his body as he turns and the ball hits his upper arm/shoulder area if he had for some reason had his arm raised it would have hit him in the under arm which would not have led to a penalty kick and game winning goal. So in my opinion if MLS is to be one of the top soccer leagues by 2020 calls like this need to be eliminated and the overall quality of refereeing needs to increase.

Movers of the Week

In the west, Portland, Salt Lake, Los Angeles, and Seattle all clinched playoff spots this past week.  And the fifth spot is all but wrapped up by Colorado who would have to lose 6-0 and San Jose would have to win 12-0 to swap places.  Vancouver was eliminated from playoff contention after a hard fought 3-2 loss and probably sealed the release of Martin Rennie as coach.  While in the east no new teams clinch a playoff spot but Columbus was officially eliminated.  But Chicago had the biggest rise getting 4 points closer to clinching a playoff spot through a win and the highest max total points of a non-playoff team dropping by 1.  Philadelphia had the biggest drop of 5 points through a loss and 5^th place points total increasing by 2.

Predictions

Last Week

Montreal Impact @ LA Galaxy	LA Win	Correct LA Win 1-0
DC United @ Sporting Kansas City	SKC Win	Correct SKC Win 1-0
Philadelphia Union @ Montreal Impact	Draw	Wrong MTL Win 2-1
Seattle Sounders @ FC Dallas	SEA Win	Wrong FCD Win 2-0
Vancouver Whitecaps @ Colorado Rapids	COL Win	Correct COL Win 3-2
Columbus Crew @ New England Revolution	NE Win	Correct NE Win 3-2
Toronto FC @ Chicago Fire	CHI Win	Correct CHI Win 1-0
Real Salt Lake @ Portland Timbers	POR Win	Wrong Draw 0-0
New York Red Bulls @ Houston Dynamo	NY Win	Correct NY Win 3-0
San Jose Earthquakes @ LA Galaxy	LA Win	Wrong Draw 0-0

Last Week’s Prediction Record	6-4
All Time Record	58-61

This Week

Chivas USA @ Real Salt Lake	RSL Win
Sporting Kansas City @ Philadelphia Union	SKC Win
Montreal Impact @ Toronto FC	TFC Win
FC Dallas @ San Jose Earthquakes	SJ Win
Portland Timbers @ Chivas USA	POR Win
Houston Dynamo @ DC United	HOU Win
New England Revolution @ Columbus Crew	NE Win
Chicago Fire @ New York Red Bulls	NY Win
Colorado Rapids @ Vancouver Whitecaps	VAN Win
LA Galaxy @ Seattle Sounders	SEA Win

The Week That Was - September 24th

Here are the updated standings:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3qPRqJFXHoRcGhVdkV2R20zaUk/edit

Toronto FC

Before the game, last Friday September 20^th, Tim Leiweke and Toronto FC announced they had found their GM, another MLS Head Office suggestion and former Senior Director of Player Relations and Competition with MLS Tim Bezbatchenko.  With MLS he oversaw the budgets of many different MLS teams and has an intimate understanding of contracts and league rules.  He was brought in here to have control of the budgeting side of Toronto FC’s team and to assist in player selection; he will not be the be all and end all in player acquistion like the “typical” general manager in North American Professional Sports.  So Leiweke has finished putting together one team now the hard work begins trying to turn Toronto FC into a team.

What a team they currently are, and with Jonathan Osorio’s 2 game suspension announced the day before the Kansas City game I knew it was going to be a long day for TFC.  The game ended 2-1 in Sporting Kansas City’s favour not that unexpected but the way in which the game went down was not.  The Kansas City goals were both by C.J. Sapong who took advantage of lackluster defending by Doneil Henry on the first and Mark Bloom on the second.  Toronto also took advantage of a bad pass reception by Aurelien Collin who gave up the ball to Rey who passed to Russell and he slotted it in the bottom left hand corner.  But that was not it for Collin, already sitting on a yellow when defending Alvaro Rey who was making his way along the right side of the 18 yard box Collin deliberately elbows Rey in the face.  Collin looked to see where Rey was before throwing his elbow out, this could have been a red card and was definitely a yellow card but neither was shown.  Furthermore a penalty was not called even though it looked to be inside the box.  In addition to this, in the 91^st minute Toronto had a free kick at about half and sent everyone up, the kick was headed on further into the box and when Justin Braun went up to head the ball on frame Collin tackled him preventing him from getting to the ball and again no card was shown but even worse no foul was given and in turn no penalty.

Here we are with 4 games left and currently the same point total as last season of 23 supported by the higher number of draws this year because we have one less win compared to last year.   And it doesn’t look like that will change much we arguably have one last shot at tying the win total of last year.  That is the next game coming up against DC United but with Osorio and Caldwell out and then all of the injured players it looks bleak.  At least we will have a good draft pick, oh wait we traded it.

Movers of the Week

The biggest movers in the West were the Portland Timbers who through a win vs. Colorado and the highest max points of a non-playoff team dropping by 2 they moved 5 points closer to clinching a playoff spot.  While FC Dallas had the largest drop of 5 points with a loss vs. New York and the 5^th place points going up by 2.   In the East, New York, Kansas City, and Houston were the biggest winners all moving 6 points closer to clinching the playoffs through each of their respective wins versus Dallas, Toronto, and Chivas and the highest max points of a non-playoff team dropping by 3.  Whereas Chicago had the biggest drop through a loss and the 5^th place points rising by 1, they fell 4 points closer to elimination.

The under 10 club makes it return finally with one member San Jose Earthquakes who are 9 points away from being the next club eliminated from the playoffs.

Predictions

Last Week

Colorado Rapids @ Portland Timbers	POR Win	Correct POR Win 1-0
Vancouver Whitecaps @ Montreal Impact	MTL Win	Wrong VAN Win 3-0
Sporting Kansas City @ Toronto FC	SKC Win	Correct SKC Win 2-1
DC United @ New England Revolution	NE Win	Correct NE Win 2-1
Chicago Fire @ Columbus Crew	Draw	Wrong CLB Win 3-0
Chivas USA @ Houston Dynamo	HOU Win	Correct HOU Win 5-1
San Jose Earthquakes @ Real Salt Lake	RSL Win	Wrong SJ Win 2-1
Seattle Sounders @ LA Galaxy	LA Win	Wrong Draw 1-1
FC Dallas @ New York Red Bulls	NY Win	Correct NY Win 1-0

Last Week’s Prediction Record	5-4
All Time Record	42-42

This Week

Philadelphia Union @ Sporting Kansas City	SKC Win
DC United @ Toronto FC	TFC Win
Real Salt Lake @ Vancouver Whitecaps	Van Win
Houston Dynamo @ New England Revolution	Draw
Montreal Impact @ Chicago Fire	MTL Win
LA Galaxy @ Portland Timbers	POR Win
Columbus Crew @ FC Dallas	CLB Win
New York Red Bulls @ Seattle Sounders	SEA Win
San Jose Earthquakes @ Chivas USA	SJ Win

The Week That Was- Sept 17th

Here are the updated standings:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3qPRqJFXHoRdHRENDVDaGluUnM/edit

Correction: Last week I did not update the standings correctly I missed Seattle’s win vs. Chivas and Columbus’ win vs. Houston.

Toronto FC

So we are now mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, although we were really out in June.  We got a draw at home versus Chicago, 1-1, and lost on the road to New York 2-0.  The one real bright spot of the week our only goal scored was followed by the goal scorer, Robert Earnshaw, needing to be subbed off after pulled a leg muscle because the ground gave way as he took his shot.  That’s how it is for TFC.

The superficial story line of the week has been, with the release of a part of the MLS 24 under 24 list, Jonathan Osorio and Matias Laba made the list, at 24 and 21 respectively.  These “awards” do not really matter if their talent goes wasted on an uncompetitive team such as Toronto.  An actual MLS team needs to be built starting now and continuing into the off season with the addition of players of influence.  Leiweke, Nelson and co. need to get it right next year or it will be the sign that MLS soccer will, in my opinion, fully succeed in Toronto.  Too much has gone wrong in the seven years of playing, and another season like this one could end it all.

Movers of the Week

In the Western Conference Colorado and Seattle tied with moving 6 points closer to clinching a playoff spot through their wins and Dallas’ lose.  While on the other side of the table, FC Dallas dropped 4 points closer to being eliminated from being in playoff contention.  In the East, NY moved 4 points closer to a playoff spot with a win against Toronto and the highest max points of a non-playoff team dropping by 1.  Chicago had the biggest drop of 4 points through a draw vs. TFC and the point total of the 5^th place team moving up by 2.

The under 10 club currently has no members, all of the possible members DC United, Toronto FC, and Chivas USA have all been eliminated from playoff contention while 2-3 clubs are just outside the below 10 zone. 

Predictions

Last Week

Chicago Fire @ Toronto FC	TFC Win	Wrong Draw 1-1
Real Salt Lake @ Seattle Sounders	SEA Win	Correct SEA Win 2-0
Columbus Crew @ Montreal Impact	MTL Win	Wrong CLB Win 2-1
LA Galaxy @ DC United	LA Win	Wrong Draw 2-2
Toronto FC @ New York Red Bulls	NY Win	Correct NY Win 2-0
Houston Dynamo @ Philadelphia Union	Draw	Wrong HOU Win 1-0
New England Revolution @ Chicago Fire	Draw	Wrong CHI Win 3-2
FC Dallas @ Colorado Rapids	COL Win	Correct COL Win 2-1
Vancouver Whitecaps @ San Jose Earthquakes	SJ Win	Wrong Draw 0-0
Portland Timbers @ Chivas USA	POR Win	Wrong Draw 1-1

Last Week’s Prediction Record	3-7
All Time Record	37-38

This Week

Colorado Rapids @ Portland Timbers	POR Win
Vancouver Whitecaps @ Montreal Impact	MTL Win
Sporting Kansas City @ Toronto FC	SKC Win
DC United @ New England Revolution	NE Win
Chicago Fire @ Columbus Crew	Draw
Chivas USA @ Houston Dynamo	HOU Win
San Jose Earthquakes @ Real Salt Lake	RSL Win
Seattle Sounders @ LA Galaxy	LA Win
FC Dallas @ New York Red Bulls	NY Win

The Week That Was-August 13th

Here are the updated standings:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3qPRqJFXHoRQ2YxdllNVzBvRVU/edit

Toronto FC

Seattle 2 Toronto 1, two defensive errors, one of which was an own goal and Toronto loses another home game when they need to be picking up all home points possible to have any chance of reaching the playoffs.  I know it’s irrationally optimistic but I will continue to hold the belief of 2013 playoffs for Toronto FC until they are mathematically eliminated.  Blind optimism is the only way to stay sane as a TFC supporter.    On the bright side Osorio notched another goal to take his total to 5, in his incredible rookie season.  But to have any chance, however so small, Toronto needs to bring in these supposed Designated Player level signings in the next few days to add more attacking options.  One of the targets, Max Urruti is supposedly on his way to Toronto right now and will soon be announced.  The chance is slim, but Toronto will have to get 10 out of 15 points over the next five games to keep my playoff hopes alive, while it seems the club could already be resigned to focusing on next year.  Hopefully with the incoming players the team will be revived and make a run for it.

Movers of the Week

The Western Conference experienced the same thing as the Eastern Conference last week, with Seattle moving up into the playoff spots each team got 6 points closer to clinching.  In addition to this 6 points Vancouver and Salt Lake both gained an additional 3 points with both teams winning.  San Jose was the biggest loser this week getting 4 points closer to elimination with a loss and the 5^th place points moving up 1.  In the East, Kansas City and Philadelphia both got 3 points closer to clinching a playoff spot, while New England, Toronto, and DC all dropped 3 points closer to being eliminated, each with a loss this weekend.  Finally, after this week, Chivas USA joined DC United in dropping below 20 points to elimination with 18 and 14 points until elimination, respectively.

Predictions

Last Week

Seattle Sounders @ Toronto FC	TFC Win	Wrong SEA Win 2-1
New York Red Bulls @ Columbus Crew	NY Win	Wrong CLB Win 2-0
San Jose Earthquakes @ Vancouver Whitecaps	Draw	Wrong VAN Win 2-0
DC United @ Philadelphia Union	PHI Win	Correct PHI Win 2-0
New England Revolution @ Sporting Kansas City	SKC Win	Correct SKC Win 3-0
Montreal Impact @ Chicago Fire	CHI WIn	Correct CHI Win 2-1
Houston Dynamo @ Real Salt Lake	RSL Win	Correct RSL Win 1-0
LA Galaxy @ FC Dallas	LA Win	Wrong Draw 3-3
Colorado Rapids @ Chivas USA	COL Win	Wrong Draw 1-1

Last Week’s Prediction Record	4-5
All Time Record	12-15

This Week

DC United @ Montreal Impact	MTL Win
Toronto FC @ Columbus Crew	TFC Win
Chicago Fire @ New England Revs	Draw
Philadelphia Union @ New York Red Bulls	NY Win
Seattle Sounders @ Houston Dynamo	SEA Win
Vancouver Whitecaps @ Colorado Rapids	COL Win
Real Salt Lake @ LA Galaxy	LA Win
FC Dallas @ Portland Timbers	POR Win
Sporting Kansas City @ San Jose Earthquakes	SKC Win

The Week That Was- July 30th

Here are the updated standings:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3qPRqJFXHoROVdPSmxSQ2ZTN1U/edit

Toronto FC

After giving up a soft goal in the 17^th minute, Joe Bendik bounced back making save after save to get Toronto through the early onslaught of Columbus.  This made it possible for Toronto to mount a comeback in the dying minutes with goals in the 87th minute and 90’+4 minute, by Jonathan Osorio and Andrew Wiedeman respectively, to get the win.  New addition Alvaro Rey put in 20 minutes of work coming on as a sub in the 76^th minute and added something new to the equation.  But the biggest change of the second half was Jonathan Osorio being moved into the centre of midfield instead of being out on the wing. This gave TFC an attacking option through the centre of the field, with them playing more of a diamond midfield with one attacking and one defensive midfielder instead of our normal flat line with two central defensive midfielders. This new formations effectiveness was seen in Osorio’s goal where he was able to push up through the centre and latch on to Jeremy Brockie’s laid off pass. 

I hope to see this same formation used in Toronto’s next game vs New England on Sunday.  Furthermore another change that should be made is, if Robert Earnshaw and Danny Koevermans are still injured, Wiedeman should get the start next game beside Brockie.  His great finish on the game winning goal, in my opinion, is worth a lot more than Justin Braun’s recent “workmen” like performances.  When looking at the standings, after this week’s game TFC got one point closer to being eliminated from the playoffs after the Houston Dynamo earned a point increasing their point total as the 5^th place team in the east.  Toronto will have to go on a pretty big winning streak to even have a chance of being in the playoff picture, hopefully this win starts that run.

Movers of the Week

After this past week’s two teams, Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution, moved up into playoff positions as the two Texas based clubs, FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo, dropped down.  No current playoff bound team moved closer to clinching their playoff spot. While, Chivas USA got 3 points closer to being eliminated in the West, while both Columbus Crew and DC United got 4 points closer to being eliminated in the East.

Predictions

Last Week

Columbus Crew @ Toronto FC	TFC win	Correct TFC win 2-1
LA Galaxy @ Colorado Rapids	Draw	Wrong Colorado Win 2-0
New England Revs @ DC United	NE win	Correct NE win 2-1
Real Salt Lake @ New York Red Bulls	NY win	Correct NY win 4-3
Sporting Kansas City @ Montreal Impact	SKC win	Wrong MTL win 1-0
Philadelphia Union @ Vancouver Whitecaps	VAN win	Wrong Philly win 1-0
Chicago Fire @ Houston Dynamo	HOU win	Wrong Draw 1-1
Portland Timbers @ San Jose Earthquakes	Draw	Wrong SJ win 2-1
Chivas USA @ Seattle Sounders	SEA win	Correct SEA win 2-1

This Week’s Prediction Record	4-5
All Time Record	4-5

This Week

New York Red Bulls @ Sporting Kansas City	SKC Win
Montreal Impact @ DC United	MTL Win
Chicago Fire @ Philadelphia Union	Draw
Real Salt Lake @ Colorado Rapids	RSL Win
Columbus Crew @ Houston Dynamo	HOU Win
Chivas USA @ San Jose Earthquakes	SJ Win
FC Dallas @ Seattle Sounders	SEA Win
Vancouver Whitecaps @ Portland Timbers	POR Win
Toronto FC @ New England Revolution	TFC Win