Thank You Cunningham
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Only in the MLS...
Dear Jeff, I wish to congratulate you on winning the Player of the Month Award for September from Major League Soccer. Although you no longer play for Toronto FC, you have no idea how grateful at least this Reds supporter is to you for your torrid goal scoring pace over that month.
I understand you are scoring all of these goals for selfish reasons. You are doing it for your teammates in Dallas, a club mathematically still alive in the playoff chase. You are also scoring for yourself, in a dead heat with Conor Casey of Colorado to win your second MLS Golden Boot award as league's top goal scorer. Nobody can begrudge you for any of this. What makes me praise you Jeff is that you are scoring these goals against clubs directly and indirectly in Toronto FC's way to a playoff spot.
September started with you netting the opener and then setting up the eventual game tying goal against DC United. Without you, DC would be three points ahead of Toronto as opposed to the slight edge they hold over the Reds in the standings today.
You then took the show to Carson, where you grabbed a brace for yourself and set-up another pair in an incredible 6-3 win over Los Angeles. Sure, LA beat Toronto the following week and has reached the playoffs since. But by forcing them to make up the three extra points they dropped against Dallas in last week's victory over Chicago, you've indirectly helped to make the Eastern Conference race behind Columbus tighter.
Who was the man against Real Salt Lake in late September? Got a mirror nearby? Yeah, you know it. Another night, another brace and another one of Toronto's playoff rivals is dealt a mighty blow. Well done, Sir.
Then finally, your September pièce de résistance: New England. This is now the team all clubs in ninth place and lower (Dallas included) is chasing. Up against Steve Nicol's managerial wizardry and the fear that Revs' midfielder Shalrie Joseph puts into the hearts of men, it was you who courageously hit the lone strike with an unorthodox header, delivering a 1-0 win against the club we are all hoping to bring down.
While this is all fantastic, and I am truly sincere in expressing my gratitude for September, I still can't completely forget that sitter you missed against Montreal in the first Nutrilite Canadian Championship in your TFC days. You remember. Later we had to watch Adam Braz celebrate with the trophy right there at BMO Field. Not a pleasant experience for anybody (especially not for the trophy, if that poor thing could talk).
But, redemption lurks near old friend.
Dallas' three remaining matches are against San Jose (tonight), Colorado and Seattle. Provided Dallas gets the maximum points tonight in Santa Clara against the Earthquakes, we both know what you need to do against the Rapids when they come into Frisco and in the last match against Seattle. For the sake of the Golden Boot and Dallas' playoff aspirations, you must keep scoring goals. In the process, you also get to help out a few old friends north of the border, who will surely forgive and forget that NCC debacle.
While I understand Dallas remains your priority, you are now scoring for two.
Eternally grateful (should the Reds make it to postseason),
Asif Hossain.
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Originally Posted by Detroit_TFC
