An image that's hard to erase...

Trillium Shmillium, We Still Need To Beat The Crew

Toronto FC have never beaten the Crew. Odds are this won’t be the match that ends the streak. I’d like to see the Reds bounce back from the DC debacle with a stronger match. I’m praying we won’t see another goal scored by the Columbus goalkeeper, William Hesmer. Even though it was after the season had to be written off last year, his extra time goal stole that first TFC win between these clubs and had to be the absolute nadir of the 2010 bummer.

It will be interesting to see if the slow and steady progress will continue under the new system. Much has been made of TFC’s lazy starts and early goal deficits, not to mention the lethal giveaways from the back line that keep ending up spinning in the twine behind Stefan Frei. Not nearly as many are talking about the current scoring drought – now at 243 minutes. In my eyes, and after last weekend’s dreary aftermath, any notable improvement Saturday in any one of these problem areas would have to be seen as a major accomplishment.

The match’s gossip point for TFC fans has to be whether we’ll get to see the new fullback of Manchester United pedigree. Richard Eckersley has had a week to train with TFC, which is more than many of the other newcomers were given before being dropped into starting roles. Given the issues thus far filling that position for the Reds, I would be shocking if Eckersley didn’t make an appearance in at least a substitute role.

Alen Stevanovic really didn’t look healthy by the end of the DC game. It would be nice to see him rested and someone else given the chance to work the left flank. For all Stevanovic’s obvious skill on the ball, his inclinations also seem selfish. Perhaps Oscar Cordon will return as a starter, and Peterson freed from duties as a defender this week. Word has it that Alan Gordon will be back and that could mean the twin towers will be at work down the middle. All in all, the Reds have some appealing options for tomorrow’s starting 11.

Columbus haven’t been scored on in the past four matches. Chances are, it is going to be hard to crack them on Saturday. Realistically, TFC should be content with a draw in this contest. Given the rivalry that has developed between the teams and the supporters, the fans at BMO won’t be sharing that opinion. It would be a huge coup to beat Columbus, better yet to do it at home. A win would also be a huge morale boost for a team that needs to keep their spirits high.

The coming weeks are going to be a grind, with the Canadian Championships overlapping with a dense part of Toronto FC’s MLS schedule. Another NCC title seems very far-fetched at the moment, with the Whitecaps playing much better football than the Reds. The best case scenario as I see it is that TFC escape without major injuries and use the surplus of match time to get their game in order. A strong performance at home against the Crew would be a great way to start this next stretch of the season.

Too bad it was in a meaningless match to finish out the group stage of the CONCACAF Champion’s League. Both teams were already eliminated from the next stage of the competition.

Still, a win is a win. Here’s hoping the experience will revive the desire to win again this weekend, when the Reds finish out their regular MLS season in Washington against DC United. Again, another contest of already eliminated teams.

Highlights for yesterday evening included a goal for defender Nana Attakora, and some decent performances from some of the youth talent in Toronto FC’s academy system. Doneil Henry and Nicholas Lindsay have certainly looked inspiring in their recent appearances for Toronto FC. Last night, Ashtone Morgan got a chance to step up to the first team as well. He’s looking like a strong prospect for joining the back line as a left fullback sometime soon. He’s strong and quick, and likes to attack. His runs with the ball on the flank are a skill the Reds could have used more of this season.

It’s been a tumultous year at BMO. At least we can claim the team ended the home season with a win yesterday.

The off-season promises lots of intrigue. I’m sure there will be lots to chew on in the coming months.

And Other Unlikely Outcomes

Don’t take my relative silence over the past few weeks/months as a lack of interest or a sense of defeat. It’s just been a stunning run since mid-summer, when Toronto FC and this franchise seemed full of promise.

Sure, the team’s performance after the World Cup break was one of ever diminishing potency. And the off-field drama eventually eclipsed the story playing out with the games on the pitch. But in August, the team was close to catching the NY Red Bulls for second place in the East. The playoffs seemed a reasonable expectation. The optimists out there might have even seen hope that the Reds would be in the final – a game awarded to our city whether or not TFC made the post-season.

Today marks the final home game of the 2010 season. Weather looks promising. The stands will likely be full for a contest against rivals the Columbus Crew, a team TFC has never beaten. And the struggle between supporters and the MLSE looks to be the more unpredictable of the competitions taking place at BMO this afternoon.

It’s been a wild week in the realm of Toronto FC. The club’s owner, MLSE, issued apologies to season seat holders. They even readjusted the 2011 ticket package, pushing the price down. And sent out notice that it would hold town hall style meetings with the fan base. Seriously. All it took this time was MLSE getting excoriated in the national press – again. All it took was being held to account for being a greedy money-grabbing corporation, uncaring about its teams’ capacity for winning.

Raptors and Leafs fans can shrug here. Again. What else is new, right? And yet, in the case of Toronto FC, MLSE seems to be trying to care. Now.

Sadly, Toronto FC have been in a losing skid. Just to add insult to injury. Lots of excuses can be found for this impotence. Bottom line, however, is that the Reds have looked bad. Much worse than anyone would have expected. As other clubs focused on the finale and improved their game, Toronto FC dove off a cliff without a chute. Forget the playoffs.

Now it looks like TFC will finish with their worst season record ever. Each of the final matches has been an exercise in self-flagelation. Don’t expect that to change soon. The team has been caught standing hang-dog, taking each whipping like they deserve it. Ugly indeed.

Protests are planned in the supporters sections. Look for green on their bodies today, as they use that colour to protest MLSE’s singular care for hard currency. Go ahead. Kick the corporation while it’s down. It appears they may even care what you think too.

Me, I’m going to be hoping to see DeRo score a few today. Maybe he’ll celebrate by mock-signing his own transfer papers in the air. Who knows, he still could win the golden boot scoring title this year. And what would spite his critics and the team’s losing ways more than that ironic outcome? At least that drama would be played out on the pitch.

Oh well, too bad he’s sitting out a yellow card suspension today. Maybe he can rack up four goals next week in DC.

The drama of the past month and a record of 1 – 5 – 2 in the past eight games are not encouraging signs of a post-season. Toronto FC are now 8 points out of the wild-card race, fourth in the East behind Columbus, New York and the surging Kansas City. So, with four games remaining, three wins probably won’t be enough to make the playoffs. Four wins, however, might just do it.

That miracle would have to start this afternoon with a trip to Qwest Field in Seattle to face the Sounders. Seattle hasn’t lost a league game at home since June, and are sitting pretty for a playoff spot with 39 points and four matches remaining. Toronto have nothing left to lose at this point. An away win today would be a significant achievement. Anything short of that outcome and the season will more or less be over for the Reds.

Working in Toronto’s favour, Seattle has had a busy travel schedule in September. They are coming off a Champion’s League victory this week and have a mid-week contest against Columbus for the U.S. Open Cup. With all that action, Toronto have to hope to catch Seattle tired and distracted. The biggest change in the game plan would have to be scoring. Toronto FC has struggled all season to get the ball in the goal, and they’ll have to make good on the few chances Seattle will allow them.

My guess  is that interim coach Nick Dasovic will direct the Reds toward an aggressive attack today. Their best hope would be scoring the first goal and taking the game to the Sounders.  Toronto FC’s back line will have to be confident and resilient. With Sanna Nyassi due to return and Steve Zakuani on the other flank, Seattle will have two credible wide threats. Down the middle, Seattle’s Freddy Montero and Blaise Nkufo are capable goal scorers too.

For a real shot at the playoffs, some other matches need to fall Toronto’s way today as well. Tonight’s match between the Kansas City Wizards and host New York Red Bulls ought to provide some hope, provided NY doesn’t choke on their home turf. Columbus is playing host to San Jose tonight as well, and the Reds could receive some help from the Crew in keeping the Earthquakes closer to the wild-card margins.

Sure, we’re all feeling disappointed if not outright sour. It sucks that we didn’t get better. But just making the playoffs hardly would have been enough. That merely would have raised our expectations.

We also have short memories. If you were closely watching the team at the beginning of the season, you would know we never should have gotten our hopes up in the first place. We had nobody on the roster in April. And 80 newcomers before May was over. All in the hands of a hardass coach with a defensive mindset and probably impossible goals to meet.

And no, firing Mo Johnston and Preki didn’t make it better. If anything, it has made it look worse for me. More uncertainty ahead, more new management, more trades, more ‘rebuilding’. The cynic in me sees playoffs as realistic no sooner than 2013.

I don’t fault anyone for feeling defeated by 2010 so far. It’s been a bit of a gong show. I guess that’s why so many people are ready to give up. People now note that the stands fill late and empty early at BMO Field. Has the party really ended? I’m not leaving yet, but then I’m known as last man standing for my frequent ‘closing’ of festivities I embark on.

This week has really rung out with negativity in the realm of Toronto FC. Nothing taints the experience with as much finality as failure. Hey TFC might not even make the playoffs if they win their final four regular season games.  Should we dissect the cadaver of the team’s DUI now or can we wait until the end? Maybe we can just burn it from our memory banks and sprinkle the ashes out over the new grass at BMO.

Thankfully, into the breach steps the kind of story that can distract you from the doledrums of a team-loathing supporter. DeRo, bless his talented boots, managed to ignite a small PR fire this weekend. After a beautiful goal (watch the goal and celebration, at the beginning and end of clip):

DeRo’s celebration imitates signing something. A not so subtle statement to the world that somebody wants a raise.

Much chatter has ensued. If you can fault DeRo, it is not because he doesn’t deserve the raise. It’s just bad timing. But then, we also just got news that the cost of season seats were yet again raised by Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment. I say DeRo’s timing is no worse than theirs, and probably totally appropriate given that the team is asking us all for more money right now.

I say pay some of that new revenue to him, he’s carrying the team on his own. A lot.

All that aside, there’s nobody out there that is going to feel too charitable about the outstretched hand at this particular moment. Not as we watch four more regular season games, or don’t watch as the case may be, with the knowledge that our season will not include post-season.

Don’t count me as altogether gloomy. There’s still light out there. For the optimists. Before finally putting 2010 to rest, the Champion’s League could be a last genuine gasp of hope and pride. All Toronto FC have to do is beat a really good Real Salt Lake team at BMO tonight. Then the chances are good for advancing out of the group stage.

I like the fantasy, but not the odds. I’ll be rooting for them, of course, and thrilled if we can salvage something from the debris of this season.

Maybe if DeRo can engineer that kind of miracle, people would be sweeter on the subject of his raise. Otherwise, like many fans of this game, I’ll be hunkering down for the cold winter months and watching some higher-calibre football from Europe.

But not too much. Setanta’s expensive. My TFC seats just went up again. Maybe I’ll just watch more hockey – and definitely not the Leafs.