Today’s News, Monday , Mar.30

[denime]

Mornin'

Nice to be back.
Koryo, thanks for posting the news yesterday.


Toronto ekes out draw to remain undefeated
PAUL ATTFIELD

Toronto FC embraced the role of party poopers in Columbus on Saturday, plundering a point and spoiling what promised to be a day of celebration in the Ohio capital for the defending MLS Cup champions.
For much of the afternoon, the Crew (0-0-2) had looked destined to add a home-opening win to their newly unfurled championship banners courtesy of Guillermo Barros Schelotto's 30th-minute penalty.

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Own goal salvages draw for Toronto FC

The visiting Toronto FC salvaged a draw against the defending MLS champions on Saturday. Thanks to an own goal by Columbus in the final few minutes, TFC tied the Crew 1-1.
Crew defender Gino Padula headed a Danny Dichio cross over his goalkeeper and into the Columbus net in the 84th minute to even the score.
Though the goal came from a Crew player, TFC head coach John Carver says his team deserved the outcome.
"If you look at the possession, I think most of the game was played in [their] half of the pitch," Carver said. "Although we didn't create a great deal of chances, I thought we took the game to them and had a go at them."

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This tie amounts to a win for Toronto
By Bob Hunter
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


Robert Warzycha wanted to take the "positives" from the Crew's 1-1 opening game with Toronto FC. OK, so here they are: Guillermo Barros Schelotto can still flummox his opponents with dribbling skills that would make the Harlem Globetrotters envious, and he is still a better actor than Tom Cruise. The crowd in the Nordecke in the northeast corner of Crew Stadium seemed even louder and rowdier than usual. The team unveiled some very nice plaques, commemorating last year's MLS Cup title and two Supporter's Shields, on the stadium's east facade before the game. There were lots of pretty women in the crowd of 14,686.
It didn't rain.

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Subtle sub
Ryan Johnston
Toronto FC remains undefeated because of an underrated facet of the game: Substitution.

Chad Barrett sulked to the visiting dugout when he was replaced by Danny Dichio in the 68th minute of Saturday's draw with the Crew in Columbus. Perhaps the young striker was right to display his dissatisfaction as the scoring record of Barrett doubles Dichio and the team was a goal to the worse when the 9-for-19 sign was raised.
But if he has not done so as of yet, Barrett may need to seek out coach John Carver and apologize. As Dichio strolled to his spot in the centre of the pitch he became the intangible that allowed TFC to equalize on an ugly own-goal just six minutes from full time.

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CSA must make right move
By GARETH WHEELER

"A New Direction?"
The question is, will it be a better direction?
With the Canadian Soccer Association's firing of Dale Mitchell, betters days are hoped to follow for the battered and bruised men's program.
The infighting, disorganization, and unnecessary turmoil are things of the past. They have to stop.
The no-timetable search for a new coach is on. The process will not be rushed, so whoever coaches the side in their upcoming friendly against Cyprus and/or the Gold Cup will be doing so in a caretaker capacity with the aim at getting younger players much-needed international experience.

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Reds remain unbeaten with draw in Columbus
Toronto FC use Crew own goal to secure 1-1 result

COLUMBUS -- An unlikely own goal by Columbus defender Gino Padula helped Toronto FC remain undefeated this season as the Reds salvaged a 1-1 tie at Crew Stadium Saturday afternoon. The game was the first leg of the 2009 Trillium Cup; the draw spoiled the defending MLS Cup champions' home opener. Toronto's gift-wrapped equalizer came in the 84th minute after a free kick into the Columbus penalty area by Reds midfielder Dwayne De Rosario was headed backwards by the Argentinean defender into his own net.
Columbus fans had just started celebrating what looked to be the defending club's first win of the season before the late game letdown.

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SUNSHINE

[koryo]

No problem Denime and welcome back.

[drewski]

what a beautiful pic to start the week

[Oblio2]

what a beautiful pic to start the week

Damn straight. Love it

[scooter]

mornin d
hope everyone is back safe

4 points-----yes

[Nodoubtguy]

4 points in 2 away games....sounds great to me!!!

[JonO]

...especially once speedy winger Johann Smith had replaced the ineffective Michael Ricketts.

[nascarguy]

Mourinho takes shot at Beckham

• 09:56 AM ET 03.29

Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has taken a swipe at David Beckham, stating the midfielder only moved to America for the money. Beckham joined Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy in 2007, becoming one of the most highly paid footballers on the planet, but the former Real Madrid and Manchester United playmaker has failed to make an impact in the States. He has since joined Inter's city rivals AC Milan on loan until the end of the season, but it is thought Beckham will use his buy-out clause to join the Rossoneri on a permanent basis. And former Chelsea boss Mourinho has now slammed the football icon's actions, saying: "What do I think about football in America? It takes more than an important player to make a competition equally important. "They need people who are not thinking of coming here to take money and then leaving, but people who want to work in this country to insert themselves into American football."
soccer365.com

David Beckham, Getty Images

[tfcleeds]

Mourinho takes shot at Beckham

• 09:56 AM ET 03.29

Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has taken a swipe at David Beckham, stating the midfielder only moved to America for the money. Beckham joined Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy in 2007, becoming one of the most highly paid footballers on the planet, but the former Real Madrid and Manchester United playmaker has failed to make an impact in the States. He has since joined Inter's city rivals AC Milan on loan until the end of the season, but it is thought Beckham will use his buy-out clause to join the Rossoneri on a permanent basis. And former Chelsea boss Mourinho has now slammed the football icon's actions, saying: "What do I think about football in America? It takes more than an important player to make a competition equally important. "They need people who are not thinking of coming here to take money and then leaving, but people who want to work in this country to insert themselves into American football."
soccer365.com

In other words, somebody like a Danny Dichio.

And no, I'm not comparing Dichio to Beckham skill-wise, although I think DD has 100x the class that Goldenballs has. Dichio had the right attitude - not saying everyone who comes over to play in MLS has to decide to live in N.A. permanently, but Dichio has had more of a positive effect on his club and community than Beckham has, for sure.

[woolly]

IS it just me or are the scribes not paying attention. The Grope and Fail say that Jo Smith was subbed in for an ineffective Micheal Ricketts and the CBC sports says that the own goal was from a cross by Danny Dichio.

WTF? It's no wonder these guys are losing market share if they can't even do the most basic of fact checking.

[tfcleeds]

IS it just me or are the scribes not paying attention. The Grope and Fail say that Jo Smith was subbed in for an ineffective Micheal Ricketts and the CBC sports says that the own goal was from a cross by Danny Dichio.

WTF? It's no wonder these guys are losing market share if they can't even do the most basic of fact checking.

Yeah, that's pretty pathetic. It reminds me of Marty York-style reporting...

[Mojo]

SUNSHINE

Both bring sunshine to my day.

[Parkdale]

Seattle and Chivas leading the league in points?

are we in bizarro world? not so much for seattle, but Chivas? really?!?!

[rocker]

interesting that Shitcago, NE and TFC all have 4 points based on a road win and a road tie. None has played at home yet. these 3 plus RSL are the only ones not to play at home yet.
Seattle, FCD, LA and San Jose have yet to go on the road.

[Technorgasm]

What makes more sense?

to use the rest of theleague as the benchmark for our progress?

or to compare TFC 2009 to TFC previous years?

ps. Crew? SOoooo 2008 hahaha

[BFin]

Michael Ricketts still played better than rohan did...even if he doesn't exist.

[MartinUtd]

Michael Ricketts still played better than rohan did...even if he doesn't exist.

Hard to say. Both players were invisible on the pitch and neither created any chances.

[RealG-TFC]

Seattle and Chivas leading the league in points?

are we in bizarro world? not so much for seattle, but Chivas? really?!?!

I always thought Chivas wazs a very good side. Certainly the better LA team.

[jloome]

IS it just me or are the scribes not paying attention. The Grope and Fail say that Jo Smith was subbed in for an ineffective Micheal Ricketts and the CBC sports says that the own goal was from a cross by Danny Dichio.

WTF? It's no wonder these guys are losing market share if they can't even do the most basic of fact checking.

The two issues aren't even remotely related. NEwspapers are losing market share.... to themselves. For every 10,000 they lose in print, they get 20,000 online.

The value of ads online, however, is 1/34th of what they are on newsprint. That's why they're losing money. The revenue stream has largely dried up.

That's also why the content of many papers will get poorer and poorer, becuase their owners are cutting quality to try to make up the internet losses. (Which, of course, is the last thing they should do.)

If you want to know why they get soccer wrong it's simple: THEY DON"T CARE. Period.

Oh sure, there's always one fan at a newspaper. But media in north america in general are totally friggin' arrogant about how they choose what to cover, and you won't get decent soccer writing until sports editors consider it a priority.