Toronto FC - Canadian Champs

[Scotty]

Just got back from BMO Field where TFC, despite having 0 points from 9 league games have just won the Canadian Championship against Vancouver (after beating Montreal in the last round)

Lots of talking points, 2 red cards, seriously dodgy ref, but a bit of positive feeling tonight after league woes ....... More posts tomorrow perhaps and maybe a few pics if anyone is interested :)

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

E - eye - addio - we won the cup

[bauhaus]

what teams are in the league Scotty, Vancouver, Montreal, joe Toronto and what others

[tm4tj]

Who writes this shit............. http://www.canadasoccer.com/toronto-fc-wins-fourth-canadian-championship-p150619&t=championship_article

Toronto FC has won the 2012 Amway Canadian Championship following a 1:0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Toronto won its fourth-straight Canadian title, this time winning 2-1 on aggregate with both a goal on the road and at home in the two-leg final.

Lambe scored the winning goal in the 84th minute from the top of the box. Substitute Nick Soolsma advanced the ball to Lambe who then fired it through a Vancouver defender's legs for his second goal of the Championship.

After no goals were scored in the first half, both Toronto and Vancouver were reduced to 10 men after ejections to both teams in the 57th and 58th minutes. Toronto FC's Julian de Guzman was shown a direct red card while Sébastien Le Toux was shown his second yellow card of the match, hence also a red card and ejection from the match.

[Alex MacLeod]

Is that like an America's version of the North of Scotland Cup?

[The Mantis]

Wait till Barry Robson gets tore into them

[Scotty]

<mickey mouse pic>

E - eye - addio - we won the cup

Is that like an America's version of the North of Scotland Cup?

Bit of 'Euro Snobbery' going on here methinks !!! Decry the Canadian Championship (or MLS) all you like ... but the winners of this competition qualifies as Canada's representative in the CONCACAF Champions League and the winners of that competition compete in the Club World Cup. Toronto got to the Semi-finals last year knocking out several good Mexican teams as well as a couple of powerful MLS teams (like Beckham's LA Galaxy, the reigning MLS champions) before eventually losing in the semi to the Mexican Champions .... 2 games away from the Club world Cup !!!

Club world cup this year will have Chelsea, Monterrey (Mexico), Auckland (NZ) as well as the Champions of Asia, Africa, South America (winners of Copa Libertadores), and the Japanese 'J' league champions (as the host nation).

In the last few years, this competition has been won by Barcelona (twice), Inter Milan, AC Milan, Man Utd, Internacional (Brazil), Sao Paolo (Brazil), Corinthians (Brazil) ... so call it Mickey Mouse if you like ....

Who writes this shit............. http://www.canadasoc...ionship_article

Yeah, official articles on this particular official website are never the best !!! If you are interested, then I can see if I can post a better link thats more 'normal' !!! Suffice to say the game was 'interesting' !

what teams are in the league Scotty, Vancouver, Montreal, joe Toronto and what others

For now it is Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton as these are the only fully professional teams in Canada. The cup is actually called the "Voyageurs Cup" and was only started in 2002 as a cup given to the Canadian team with the best record in USL (the league below MLS) over the course of a season. It was paid for by fans and until 2008 all costs were borne by fans via donations etc. In 2008 it was brought under the wing of the Canadian Soccer Association and a new format for the competition started ... Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal played off in a group in a round robin competition and the winner of the group got the cup. this changed last year with the addition of Edmonton and now its a straight knockout with each game taking place over two legs. In the 5 years since the CSA took it over, Montreal won it the first year, and Toronto have now won it for the last 4.

Hopefully more teams will be added, but for now its just the 4. Football is still developing over here (and yes it IS developing not declining !!!) so plenty of scope to expand it in future years .....

figured I would post this last night as some may be interested in MLS or following a league that is still in play while the SPL season is over ... but if no-one is interested in doing anything other than looking down on MLS with a feeling of superiority then I wont bother my arse in future ....

For my own part, after 20+ seasons of watching Scottish Football and now 6 years of watching MLS (and USL before it) I can certainly compare the two and can also see the quality of MLS increasing year on year. Although its nowhere near the level of top European teams or even South Americans yet, it is a league that is growing in quality and also seems to be very focused on parallel development from the grass roots up so the foundations are strong. MLS are one of the few leagues that actually learned their lesson after burning brightly when originally formed back in the days of Pele, Beckenbauer, Best etc .... before crashing spectacularly. MLS 2.0 has strict fiscal controls in place, a salary cap, a requirement to have a fully fledged Youth Academy at every club and all sorts of other things designed to develop the game ... and every year the results of that are evident .....

[Scotty]

Wait till Barry Robson gets tore into them

with Barry Robson and Eric Hassli in the team, Vancouver will definitely be the biggest bunch of whingeing bar stewards on the planet !

If he's there by 11th July I might get to shout at him when TFC take on Vancouver in MLS !

[Kirishima]

With Frings, Frei, Koevermans plus probably quite a few other good but less well-known players, is Toronto that much different from Motherwell or even Rangers now?

With the MLS, where LA Galaxy are bottom despite having Beckham, Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, the standard must be decent.

I remember saying after USA 94 that the USA would win the World Cup within 10 years...that many kids, that mad a sporting nation, surely one day??

[Alex MacLeod]

Euro snobbery??????? Should I have dropped the standard a bit and said Inverness Cup?

[CaleyD]

Think it must have been the game from the round before (maybe first leg match?) where I saw highlights with the wonder goal the denied Toronto the win. Can't recall the team off hand but it was the volley where the keeper didn't have any chance to react, let alone make an effort to save it.

[Scotty]

Yeah that was Eric Hassli and 99 times out of 100 it would have gone miles over but he caught it just perfect on the volley.

[Scarlet Pimple]

I was watching that on the TV when , finally, the game actually came alive and that lovely, lofted pass from Alain Rochat (Swiss or French, canna remember) was a thing of languid beauty and 6'2" 200 lb Eric baby showed us how to do it. Good thing too since he had produced little of merit prior to this. He is a big strong player who plays in fits and starts but somehow he manages to pop up at the most unexpected time and "bling", another cracker goes in. After outplaying Toronto in the first half and generally looking like world-beaters,with immaculate passing to delight the purists, Vancouver went in to a purposeless decline in the second, allowing Tarrana to gain in confidence by the minute and , of course they were ahead by the time Hassli scored to send the fans into raptures.

After viewing that second half, and watching Toronto growing in confidence and energy, I had my doubts about the outcome in Toronto one week later as being favourable to the Whitecaps. Funny how they can be so dominant in the league and so (dare I say it) ineffective in the Canadian cup. Anyway the fans went wild.

So, what did you think of the Canadian soccer, boys? Not bad, eh?

Heh, it's all wev'e got so we are learning to love it. As for the Naysayesr on here decrying Canadian football, well, who cares a tuppeny ******,Scotty. We are in the land of the free and thereby hangs a tale....pf two coities. Vancouver and Toronto.

Manfer, where did you get all that info from? You are amazing,man.A Guru of genuflection, maybe ? Hoch! Hoch!

OOPS, that's the Queen calling . Just asking about Challlles' visit no doubt. Gotta go . Seems to have gone well anyways, and Camilla at least has a ratha nice voice. But really, who gives a tuppeny tos..............

[tm4tj]

Just a quick websearch to see what teams were in it Pimp.

I must try an American/Canadian style report for one of our games next season.

............County advanced to the top of the box where the resistance of the goal tenders was generous to a fault as they replicated the previous terms benevolence as Vigurs made the globe end up in the rigging installed to halt it's progress behind the caretaker of the sticks. Superman was ejected from the field of play for an assault on the County players legs rendering his team incapable of saving the tie.................

[Scotty]

I had my doubts about the outcome in Toronto one week later as being favourable to the Whitecaps. Funny how they can be so dominant in the league and so (dare I say it) ineffective in the Canadian cup. Anyway the fans went wild.

Ach well, 12 years in this competition for Vancouver .... 0 wins. 5 years in it for TFC and 4 wins

We enjoyed the win ... nothing else to celebrate so far this season

TFCpics TV: http://www.youtube.com/user/highlanderict

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

Scotty - is it one win in eleven so far but three players arrested outside pub in Houston on Monday evening - it wasn't an Irish one per chance - interesting season for TFC so far....

[Scotty]

yup .... you think ICT were bad in 2012 ..... its painful to watch TFC this year .... but still Canadian Champs

However, where MLS is concerned its more like chumps !

Just to add to your summary, you forgot the fact that Aron Winter was sacked as headcoach a couple of weeks ago - well, officially offered a job 'upstairs' but declined - and has now been replaced by Paul Mariner who was Director of player development until then.

His first game was Saturday against Kansas who are a good side. no superstars, but work very hard and for each other and do it for 90 minutes in every game .... then the team headed for Houston where they play tomorrow night and as you mentioned, 3 players - A Dutchman, A Chilean and an American were all arrested at 2:45AM outside a bar. TFC official statement was ridiculously short --- "We are aware of the charges filed against Miguel Aceval, Luis Silva and Nick Soolsma in Houston earlier today. The players are presently with the team and we continue to investigate this matter. As such, the team will not provide any further comment at this time."

So Houston tomorrow ... then its a home game against Mariner's former club New England on Saturday ..... then away to Montreal in midweek and capped off by a home game against New York the following weekend. I get the feeling its going to be a long two weeks !

[Naelifts]

No Scotty.............we don't think ICT were bad this year............we know they were.

btw My Ex wife lives over there..............do you know her!

[Yngwie]

has now been replaced by Paul Mariner who was Director of player development until then.

Wouldn't he have been at Ipswich the same time as our Terry? Send us some players please!

[Scotty]

Miguel Aceval, Luis Silva and Nick Soolsma might be available !!! These were the three who were sent home from Houston after being arrested ... no word on any internal club punishment yet !

TFC played Houston last night and it was actually entertaining to watch. Because of the three players getting sent home only 4 on the bench for Toronto last night so not too many options ... Houston were league runners up last year and are always in and around the silverware come the end of the season. They had not lost a game at their new stadium this season and were shell-shocked when TFC went in with a 1-3 lead at half-time despite a couple of players playing out of position and an already shaky defence having to make do with a youngster (but a good one) and a right back as centre halfs ..... Heat, humidity and slackness meant Houston were able to come back in the second half and tie it up 3-3 right at the death, but getting a point away in Houston with a 15 man squad is actually progress !!!!!

[Scotty]

Big Match tonight and a direct ICT connection !!!!

TFC take on Vancouver Whitecaps at BMO Field in Toronto.

Although TFC did ok in the Champions League (falling at semi-final stage) and won the Canadian Championship again, they do not have their troubles to seek in the league after a disastrous start to the MLS season that sees them bottom of the Eastern Conference. After 17 games (exactly half-way) its 2 wins, 4 draws and 11 losses with 18 scored and 33 conceded !!!! Looks a bit better if you go with recent results where it is 2 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses in the last 8 though with 12 scored and 12 conceded .....

Tonight's opponents, Vancouver are 4th in the Western Conference after winning 8, drawing 6 and losing 4. 19 scored, 19 conceded and the ICT connection of course is that Barry Robson is now playing for the Whitecaps. He made his debut against Colorado last Wednesday and lasted about an hour in the altitude and heat, then he played again on Saturday in Los Angeles against Chivas and lasted the full 90 and tonight should be his 3rd appearance for the '****eCaps'.

Looking forward to seeing the first former Caley Thistle player to grace Major League Soccer and hope he has a decent couple of years in MLS except when he plays TFC !!!!

A good few mentions of ICT in his profile too !

http://www.whitecapsfc.com/players/barry-robson?quicktabs_=about#quicktabs-

[lukemackay]

Catching the last half hour on a stream.

Frings is top class, great captain at the heart of everything in the middle of the park.

I started watching at 1-0 down now their 2-1 up. Doing very well. Barry robsons hardly touched the ball and has been a bit of a disappointment so far.

And as I speak Toronto are on the ropes. But have definatly been the better team over the last 20 or so minutes.

Also it's a decent standard but it's seems a real mix of class and workman players in one team strange to behold as you see bits of excellence and some horror passes and mistakes (most of which happen in defense).

Expecting one last push from Vancouver to salvage something

Edited July 12, 2012 by lukemackay

[Scotty]

Finished 3-2 to Toronto !!! 2-1 up with 1 minute to play then Darren Mattocks scored for the visitors and classlessly taunted the supporters section ..... but step up Terry Dunfield, former Vancouver player, and one of those journeymen you mention with the winning goal 3 minutes into injury time !!! Justice was done and the smile on his face was HUGE when he scored !

Yes, Frings is class, and to be honest, Robson also had a decent game. Almost scored in first few minutes with one of his trademark 30 yard efforts and generally looked pretty good in bossing the midfield ... He did fade in the second half so maybe why you didnt see much from him if you only caught the latter part of the match.

Word over here is that TFC might be targetting Bocanegra and they loaned out a player last week and released another today to make about $200,000 salary cap room for someone, just havent confirmed who ........

[lukemackay]

Great end to the game.

Bocenegra would be a very good signing imo thought he done well at newco last year and he was class against Scotland for the USA a couple months ago.

[Scotty]

Just had to share these photos from the TFC supporters group forum I post on .... Darren Mattocks taunting the crowd after scoring to make it 2-2 right on the 90th minute .....

then Terry Dunfield celebrating a couple of minutes later after scoring the winner 3 minutes into injury time !