A Toast

[JoeParez]

I just wanted to stop by and thank all the RPBs past and present for giving me hope every year regarding TFC.

I was a day one (er) myself -- the first game against Chivas, seeing Alecko Eskandarian get his bell rung, Dichio 24, Carl Robinson's goal celebration.
I was on the Columbus trips in 2008 and 2009 (especially 2009 when we took over that fucking parking lot!!).

I saw Laurent Robert score a goal on a free kick, Amado Guavaras magic while he was here and yes, Rick Titus signing a one day contract to play with TFC because we were missing 9 regulars!

But the bad hits kept coming and sucking the passion out of me -- the 5 - 0 game against NYRB, The DeRO check signing (I was at that game!) The Aaron Winter Years ("the worst team in the world"), Jermaine Defoe, but I would always come back to these boards and read the TFC Trialist / Movement Thread, the game threads and passionate discussion and it would inspire me to march on in spirit with the RPB.

It's because of you guys, not just the players on the field, that we're here today.
That the celebrations are just as hard and passionate as they were on Day One.

A tip of the hat to you RPB, I will be with you on Saturday, December 10th.
Just have to tune up my voice. :-)

Do you still sing the Jim Brennan song?

[Pookie]

Standing there with my son last night, who is now in high school.

I was thinking about his first game as a 5 year old. How I had to remind him that the words he heard couldn't be repeated to his teachers. How we would kick a ball around in the parking lot and start the day happy but go home frustrated.

Of the days of the free pub crawls when Brennan, Serioux, Conway, Wynne, Dichio and others would stop at our table. Of talking to Gabe Gala about his goal against Real Madrid.

Of seeing Adrian Cann at an airport in Florida preseason and his surprise when I knew who he was and then telling my son about it and his eyes wide... you met Cann? And later that season, Cann stopping by the table at another pub crawl and him telling my son that he played for the same coach.

Of Mike Toshack apologizing to us on the way out of a New England hotel room on an early Sunday morning after a bad performance against New England. And the puzzled look he had when we saw Preki that day, wished him luck and Preki replied "thanks, we'll need it." A road trip my son still talks about.

We've had some down moments too. From green protests to hearing ticket plans from the Exec to our own decision to give up season seats after all the money we gave away when we couldn't do the same with the tickets.

But last night? That was a long time coming. And belting out the chants, standing virtually all game in a non standing section and seeing that result, that effort, that passion and to be there with my son?

Nothing but nothing but right. I'm taking that one to the grave.

Who said playoffs were dumb?

[Wagner]

[Red CB Toronto]

Or this footnote in TFC history, a 10 am start on a weekday morning after a crazy rainstorm the night before.

[BelfastBoy]

Ronnie O'Brien super-sub

[GuelphStorm2007]

A huge toast to all The Supporters who stuck with this team during the darkest days 2012 and 2013 . And Most importantly every time I have been to a game My Friends and I will always pop into Shoeless Joes Pre and Post game From the owner, and other supporters who always were fun and friendly always made us guys from Guelph seem to part of the Group we will always cherish that

[105]

From cushions to cup final in 10 years. What a ride.

[J-Man]

Every post i read on here gives me goose bumps just thinking about all the memories and the ups and downs we have been threw. As i write this i'm listening to LEGEND TFC.

[TFC Tifoso]

This is a toast to a small group of long timers. If this description fits, here's to you.

Here's to you if you read the Esky's World blog, if you remember Ricky Titus, and John Carver's reaction to him, and John Carver's reaction to Jeff Cunningham missing against Montreal from six inches out (paid back now in spades, baby!)

Here's to you if remember Dero to Celtic, the Fuad rating system, Fake Tom (OK that's a bit self-important, but it's that kind of night!), the rollerblader, and if the names Joao Pinto and Paul Dickov make you laugh.

Here's to you if you can close your eyes and see Amado Guevara curling a free kick onto the top corner, or Javier Martina taking a long kick from Frei on a frigid day and burying it. Same if you can see Torsten Frings lofting a beautiful ball 50 yards right on the button to Luis Silva at Skydome.

Here's to you if you have a soft spot for Mo Edu, Marvell Wynne, Sam Cronin. Danny Koevermans.

Does it give you a chuckle to think about Adam Braz hitting the Cinesphere with his free kicks, and Andy Welsh scoring in the rain, and Andy Iro getting beaten like a rented mule, or Nick Labrocca scoring on a 40 yard free kick, that was pushed by a 40 mile an hour wind?

If yes, here's to you, and thank you.

Thanks for sharing the ride, and making it great.

how 'bout Kiki Musampa lol....

great post!.....cheers to all who shared the lows and incredible highs

[Initial B]

Great post, ensco.

I remember all save the first three sentences of your post, but there was a lot of darkness and hopeless feelings before we entered the light. The one image for me that stands above all the others is Kevin Payne at a press conference announcing he was taking the reigns of TFC, surrounded by a stunned trio of Anselmi, Cochrane, and Mariner. At that point I think I realized that the long nightmare would soon be over and I started to hope again. The damage those Three Stooges did to the organization was incalculable, but fortunately MLS stepped in before it was terminal. I don't imagine this franchise would still be here if they remained in power for a full decade.

[JoeParez]

Kiki Musampa

WOW.

[TFC Tifoso]

^^ lol.....ya, exactly....

he never did play for us, but the hardcores will remember how he was "this close" to being our first "big" player......that's a looooong way from Giovinco and Jozy! lol

[MKR]

this is a great thread.

[cmonyoureds]

Geez, where do I even begin?

The Vancouver monsoon game.
Watching Columbus "finest" threaten to arrest people for helping push a cruiser outta the muck.
Meeting Barrett and other players in the hotel elevator in New England, giving them a giant pep talk, and then watching them play a stinker. (something I said?)
The pitch invasion.
"We are the worst team in the world" - Danny K
Laurent Robert collecting his paycheques for doing.....................something I guess
The heart of Carl Robinson in this jersey
Playing football in the parking lot post game, and pregame.
Owning a TFC garden gnome. Thanks BMO beer tent for that decision making process.
REALIZING REAL MADRID WAS COMING!!!!!!!............but it wasn't covered by the season ticket games.
Release the Gargan!
Collin Samuel - all 478 pounds of him.

[JoeParez]

^^ lol.....ya, exactly....

he never did play for us, but the hardcores will remember how he was "this close" to being our first "big" player......that's a looooong way from Giovinco and Jozy! lol

If someone could put together a list of TFC trialists alone, just for the LOLz, that would be amazing and bring back a lot of memories of scouring the internet for TFC rumours and discussions on how each trialist would “tear this league apart!”.

[Don Julio]

Rohan Ricketts twitter meltdown

[tfcfans]

^Release the Gargan!
Collin Samuel - all 478 pounds of him.

These two made me smile....a lot.....

[105]

Andrea Lombardo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GabrielHurl]

To the architects .........

[TFC Tifoso]

hahahahahahahaha!!

[105]

[ryan]

talk about a walk down memory lane

[brad]

Celebrating like we'd won the league and invading the pitch after that Dichio volley tied our last game. Probably my favorite memory of the early days

[Oldtimer]

The infamous Chivas game where TFC had to dress Rick Titus as an emergency signing.

Rick Titus was a beer league player aged 40 who was a truck driver and had once played for the Toronto Lynx. TFC could not pay him for the game or he would have lost his amateur status.

Another memory is Jeff Cunningham. The photo says it all.



How about when Mo brought in his old buddy, Nick LaBrocca. Someone "suggested" a chant for him:

He's old
He's slow
He's just a friend of Mo

Speaking of Mo...

[Cuppy]

This is a toast to a small group of long timers. If this description fits, here's to you.

Here's to you if you read the Esky's World blog, if you remember Ricky Titus, and John Carver's reaction to him, and John Carver's reaction to Jeff Cunningham missing against Montreal from six inches out (paid back now in spades, baby!)

Here's to you if remember Dero to Celtic, the Fuad rating system, Fake Tom (OK that's a bit self-important, but it's that kind of night!), the rollerblader, and if the names Joao Pinto and Paul Dickov make you laugh.

Here's to you if you can close your eyes and see Amado Guevara curling a free kick onto the top corner, or Javier Martina taking a long kick from Frei on a frigid day and burying it. Same if you can see Torsten Frings lofting a beautiful ball 50 yards right on the button to Luis Silva at Skydome.

Here's to you if you have a soft spot for Mo Edu, Marvell Wynne, Sam Cronin. Danny Koevermans.

Does it give you a chuckle to think about Adam Braz hitting the Cinesphere with his free kicks, and Andy Welsh scoring in the rain, and Andy Iro getting beaten like a rented mule, or Nick Labrocca scoring on a 40 yard free kick, that was pushed by a 40 mile an hour wind?

If yes, here's to you, and thank you.

Thanks for sharing the ride, and making it great.

just shed a tear. thx for this

[Gazza]

^Release the Gargan!
Collin Samuel - all 478 pounds of him.

These two made me smile....a lot.....

This thread needs more Dan Gargan.

Cheers to the Sunderland fan in 114 who obliged me in a "Kevin Harmse is our best midfielder" debate years ago. Not realizing that my Kevin Harmse jersey was my attempt at being ironic.

Harmse-house!

[Voodooman]

Just to add to some of the moments here

Seeing the best finisher in the world score in the pouring rain vs Columbus to give us the W
Russell's curler in the final moments to tie against Dallas
Praying that Vitti and Barrett would score a goal.
The phenom known only as Mista.
My brother walking on the field with Ryan Richter for his first ever game.
Seeing Clint Irwin and Jonathan Osorio who I used to play against play for TFC
Throwing those damn seat cushions on the field. (I grabbed another one at a garage sale ahaha)

So on and so forth.
First ones that popped in my head..its been a long morning. I am still on Cloud 9.

Cheers all!

[Parkdale]

We've come so far.

[Parkdale]

they built the house on lakeshore for the reds

and last night, we proved it

[eustacchio]

Pablo Vitti finally scoring a goal while wearing the pink jersey (I wish I had bought one).