I have to say this- I like the players we have

[trane]

I think, that we could stick with this roster and get things done. I also like the formation that we are ussing, I would like to ensure that at least three stay back at all times, hence I would not mind three CBs at the back, and I would like for our defenders, and players in general to concetrate for the whole game. But other then that, I am happy with the roster as whole. Greba is a good MLS striker. De Ro is a great AM. Guevarra is a great CM. Cronin and Robbo as good a pair at DM as there are. Vitti is one of the most skilled M in the MLS. Barrett has been doing great on the wing. Serioux and Attakora are good MLS CBs, Garcia is defensively sound. Wynne and Brennan , to a lesser degree, ar good going forward. Our bench is deeper then it has ever been, DIchio OB, Velez, ext. The Ghanian kids show great promise. I am not saying that all positiiosn could not be upgraded. I would take Balotelli over Gerba, or Pirlo over Guevarra. However, I think we have the tools to win, it is up to them and CC to make sure that they perform up to their skill. If they do we will go furhter in the Champions league and make the playoffs.

[trane]

It is not a perfect roster, but by North American Standards it can be a winning roster.

[BFin]

What's a ghanian?

On the serious though, Barrett has looked great on the wing, and Gomez looked very skilled and very large back on defence. Looks like a great pickup by MO, tho it is just an initial result.

[Parkdale]

whoa... a positive thread? must be a friday. Have a good weekend trane!

[trane]

^ Yeah, I am happy, for some reason. But I thought this before today. Still disapointed at our loss. But I am being realistic, I think.

[Parkdale]

sun is shining, rhythm is sweet yeah,

[trane]

^ I am running away from the rhythm, Caribana, too the egoisam and rudeness, Montreal. You know the French.

[Parkdale]

you can run, but the rhythm is gonna get cha, the rhythm is gonna get cha

[trane]

^ Fuck. Now I will have that song in my mind, all weekend. The rhythm did get me.

[Lucky Strike]

I think, that we could stick with this roster and get things done. I also like the formation that we are ussing, I would like to ensure that at least three stay back at all times, hence I would not mind three CBs at the back, and I would like for our defenders, and players in general to concetrate for the whole game. But other then that, I am happy with the roster as whole. Greba is a good MLS striker. De Ro is a great AM. Guevarra is a great CM. Cronin and Robbo as good a pair at DM as there are. Vitti is one of the most skilled M in the MLS. Barrett has been doing great on the wing. Serioux and Attakora are good MLS CBs, Garcia is defensively sound. Wynne and Brennan , to a lesser degree, ar good going forward. Our bench is deeper then it has ever been, DIchio OB, Velez, ext. The Ghanian kids show great promise. I am not saying that all positiiosn could not be upgraded. I would take Balotelli over Gerba, or Pirlo over Guevarra. However, I think we have the tools to win, it is up to them and CC to make sure that they perform up to their skill. If they do we will go furhter in the Champions league and make the playoffs.

Not to nitpick, but they're Gambians actually. Other than that, +1 for a positive thread. I happen to agree, the team is composed of good players. Which kind of makes it frustrating sometimes because it seems they should be getting better results but one thing is for sure: I'm much happier with the direction of the team now than I was at the beginning of the season under Carver.

[manic.street.preacher]

happy thread, happy day :D

[__wowza]

all i ask is for a constant effort. when our roster plays in top form, its best of the MLS, and i dare you to find one better. however, we dont have "droughts" or "rough patches" that some players have for long strings of games, we have an on-again-off-again team that plays well one game and horrid the next.

[DangerRed]

all i ask is for a constant effort. when our roster plays in top form, its best of the MLS, and i dare you to find one better. however, we dont have "droughts" or "rough patches" that some players have for long strings of games, we have an on-again-off-again team that plays well one game and horrid the next.

Couldn't agree more. This team lacks consistency. Some commentator during one of our games said that Guevara is "world-class, when he wants to play," and I think that certainly applies to him and a bunch of our other players.

You can have a winning roster. We definitely do. But without consistency, our droughts and rough patches will leave us eliminated from the CCL and a bunch of points short of the playoffs. The playoffs and a nice run in the CCL are certainly doable, but not at the consistency with which we're performing right now.

I'm nervous as hell about the New England game, and I wish I wasn't.:(

[Detroit_TFC]

^ true that. A win in NE puts us back in the playoff hunt. A loss = no need to reschedule your November events. Unfortunately this is true of the DCU home game too. Sanyang has been training with the senior team for a while waiting for eligibility, so hopefully should fit in smoothly.

[trane]

Gambians yes, I have a meeting with Ghanians today.

[H Bomb]

I believe its Ghanaians:D:canada:

[trane]

^ I checked , as my spelling is shite, but it is Ghanians.

[BFin]

It's actually accepted both ways as an FYI...use that at you're meeting.
Little insight to impress the clients/co-workers.

[Shway]

i dont like all players...
we need players to play in there actuall position...
known fact, dont even have to name

[Super]

We are a DP striker short of the play-offs and possibly (since it's not over yet) a spot in the CCL group-stage. If we don't make the play-offs I feel Mo will have to take the blame on this one. A top notch striker worth around what we offered JDG would be worth quite a few goals, and thus points, and would have given us a different season.

Who dares wins!

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

Hate the players we have, like the players we have, it's still nonsense to not add to the squad for the purposes of depth.

[trane]

We are a DP striker short of the play-offs and possibly (since it's not over yet) a spot in the CCL group-stage. If we don't make the play-offs I feel Mo will have to take the blame on this one. A top notch striker worth around what we offered JDG would be worth quite a few goals, and thus points, and would have given us a different season.

Who dares wins!

I agree with supermegamo that a team can always add, but I do not think that we are a DP striker short, we have what we need to win. We just have to do it. Play consistenlty to our potential and we will. There are always better players. But we do not need them to win in this league.

[Roogsy]

whoa... a positive thread? must be a friday. Have a good weekend trane!



Hey hey hey...what about my "112 is jumping" thread? I hate you Sparky!

I too think this squad is decent, at least for the playoffs, and I definitely think they can beat PR on Wednesday.

What we need is consistency, and maybe just slightly better coaching. I think Cummins needs to freshing things up and double his efforts as well as the players.

[trane]

^ "Decent" is the word. Thanks Roogsy. We are "Decent" that is a great improvment from season 1. I am glad I can say it, mid way in season 3.

[Hitcho]

Hey hey hey...what about my "112 is jumping" thread? I hate you Sparky!

I too think this squad is decent, at least for the playoffs, and I definitely think they can beat PR on Wednesday.

What we need is consistency, and maybe just slightly better coaching. I think Cummins needs to freshing things up and double his efforts as well as the players.

We also need a bit more luck with injuries to defenders (and others), and to STOP PLAYING MID SESON FRIENDLIES. :hump:

but yeah, overall I think we have a good squad now, and a great absis to really make a good end of season run. :scarf:

[Yohan]

We are a DP striker short of the play-offs and possibly (since it's not over yet) a spot in the CCL group-stage. If we don't make the play-offs I feel Mo will have to take the blame on this one. A top notch striker worth around what we offered JDG would be worth quite a few goals, and thus points, and would have given us a different season.

Who dares wins!
you do know that scoring is NOT the problem of TFC this season?

[DangerRed]

We have TONS of offensive firepower that can't finish. That's something that can and has been worked on. What we lack, flat out, is a little less sexy than a goal-scoring monster.

It's little ol' defence.

We're the worst in the league if I'm not mistaken for giving up goals in the last 15 minutes and that's not going to change if we keep playing guys like Marco "holy shit the ball's coming at me" Velez or Nick "the striker's faster so I'll just break his legs" Garcia.

Spend big on defensive depth and we'll get there.

My $0.02.

[C.Ronaldo]

what we need is kaka.

[Luanda]

We are still a 21 man roster outfit. Hence room for improvement, both in the starting 11 and on the bench. Mid-field is fine, as is the golie situation. Improvement can still take plade on D and up front.

[Shakes McQueen]

I think we are a quality LB and CB away from being one of the best teams in the league. Brennan and Garcia are the weakest links in our best XI. I still think we have the strongest midfield in the league, and I think Gerba has and will continue to significantly change the complexion of our team up front.

Obtaining a solid new CB would allow Attakora to play RB (where he has played well), and obtaining a new LB would allow Brennan to either play as a winger, or sit on the bench. But they need to be quality signings - not guys with the "potential" to be quality signings.

Aside from these two defensive holes, we are a really good team.

- Scott

[Brooker]

Marco "holy shit the ball's coming at me" Velez or Nick "the striker's faster so I'll just break his legs" Garcia.

im laughing and cursing at the same time. good description.

i do like Garcia, tho. i want him to stay.

[DangerRed]

im laughing and cursing at the same time. good description.

i do like Garcia, tho. i want him to stay.

Oh I like Garcia, too, but it's getting costly -- and I'm not talking about money. Every time since the penalty that he drew for us in the Impact game for brutalizing their "attacker," I've been worried about him. He tries to make up for his lack of speed with force and it's not good.

[Super]

you do know that scoring is NOT the problem of TFC this season?

We do score a lot of goals, sure, but look at who are scoring the goals. It's not our strikers. That creates a very inconsistent team - especially when you have to rely on mainly DeRo and Guevara to score the goals. Stats do not reveal everything - we could have 80 goals this season all by a defender, but that doesn't mean we couldn't do with a top notch striker. Gerba might be it, but why take chances - we were about to pay DP cash for a midfielder to add to what is probably already the best midfield in the league. Surely an investment in a striker wouldn't be a terrible idea.

We almost lost the Canada Cup due to a severe lack of scoring - before of course we had our miracle in Montreal. Against Puerto Rico we once again had a ton of chances, and yet no goals.

Unless you feel a DP striker would hurt our chances?

[Yohan]

We do score a lot of goals, sure, but look at who are scoring the goals. It's not our strikers. That creates a very inconsistent team - especially when you have to rely on mainly DeRo and Guevara to score the goals. Stats do not reveal everything - we could have 80 goals this season all by a defender, but that doesn't mean we couldn't do with a top notch striker. Gerba might be it, but why take chances - we were about to pay DP cash for a midfielder to add to what is probably already the best midfield in the league. Surely an investment in a striker wouldn't be a terrible idea.

We almost lost the Canada Cup due to a severe lack of scoring - before of course we had our miracle in Montreal. Against Puerto Rico we once again had a ton of chances, and yet no goals.

Unless you feel a DP striker would hurt our chances?
considering the 4-3-3 formation TFC players, the attacking midfielders will be relied on to provide a lot of the scoring.

adding a DP striker, to me sounds like the team will be needing to retool to fit the striker in again, in middle of critical part of the season. Gerba was brought in early enough so that he's familiar with TFC system right now, plus he had benefit of playing for GC for Canada which plays a similar style.

TFC is not getting points because we can't score; TFC is not getting points because we can't defend

[Super]

TFC is not getting points because we can't score; TFC is not getting points because we can't defend

It's not that I don't agree, it's just that I believe that it's a combination of the two. Personally, I find we're far too inconsistent to blame all our problems on one thing or another. Puerto Rico is a good example of that - a million chances, and no goals. We score on just a few of the chances and we win the game. Also, we've seen in the past that the frustration that builds when our strikers can't score on any of our chances the rest of the team feel as though they have to push forward - and that leaves us open to counter-attacks.

Let's see how we do tomorrow. Gerba still may be the man to do the trick. I truly do believe that if he is able to step up to the plate and score consistently, DeRo (and others) will not feel as though they have to push forward all the time - and that should help us defensively.

Still, A DP striker would be welcomed at any point of a season. Why not use our slot and get one - when we so clearly create chances like few others teams in the league - largely thanks to our amazing midfield? I really feel that would be the way to go. Use our financial might and push for a 2-3 million a year striker.

[trane]

^ I am sorry man, but were did you see a milion chances? The only chances we had were manafactured by De Ro and Gerba almost out of nothing, otherwise our mid had trouble getting the ball anywere near the box, or close enough for a shot.

[Yohan]

It's not that I don't agree, it's just that I believe that it's a combination of the two. Personally, I find we're far too inconsistent to blame all our problems on one thing or another. Puerto Rico is a good example of that - a million chances, and no goals. We score on just a few of the chances and we win the game. Also, we've seen in the past that the frustration that builds when our strikers can't score on any of our chances the rest of the team feel as though they have to push forward - and that leaves us open to counter-attacks.

Let's see how we do tomorrow. Gerba still may be the man to do the trick. I truly do believe that if he is able to step up to the plate and score consistently, DeRo (and others) will not feel as though they have to push forward all the time - and that should help us defensively.

Still, A DP striker would be welcomed at any point of a season. Why not use our slot and get one - when we so clearly create chances like few others teams in the league - largely thanks to our amazing midfield? I really feel that would be the way to go. Use our financial might and push for a 2-3 million a year striker.
I'm convinced that the inconsistency comes from lack of grass. Approx 2 goals per game on grass, and 1 goal per game on turf.

Once the grass comes (and stays), I don't think the offence will be problem

Defence however, whether it's turf or grass, it needs help.

[Super]

I agree with the grass part. I've thought the same for quite a while. It kills the game, and I hope it will be the end of the fake turf next year.

[felipe]

I dunno, grass kind of kills your ambition...I'd prefer if TFC didn't go down that route; or we'll soon have a team of fat cheeto munching bastards