Waking the Red end of season awards.
MVP, best rookie, blah blah blah. also, best red card, worst tweet, Danny Dichio award for worst acting and many many more.
Another PJ Podcast as the season winds down, mostly on the 'Caps and their gutting of staff, but does weigh in on Frei v Kocic and the end of season events with Winter and De Klerk
PAUL JAMES ON SOCCER PODCAST: EPISODE 32
A few others an interview with Soolsma on his year with TFC, as well as looking at the next batch of potential TFC Academy grads
TFC's emerging youth includes Soolsma
TFC Academy graduation class of 2012/13
One more relevant piece
Hainault proving crucial to Dynamo revival (MLS playoff related)
http://www.rednationonline.ca/Hainau...morevival.aspx
Tfc top 40 countdown continues
number 39: Kyle davies
"one of the best kyles we've ever had"
Important Dates Ahead for Toronto FC
http://viewfromthesouthstands.com/20...dates-for-tfc/
A brief look ahead to some of the more important off season dates for Toronto FC between now and the start of the 2012 season.
The TFC top 40 countdown continues. number 32 on the pitch, but number 38 in your hearts, ladies and gentlemen, Dasan Robinson.
A few bits for you today.
Alex Bunbury wants Canadians to forgive Teal, and actually makes a reasonable case
CCL quarter finals: the case for Santos laguna as our opponent.
and number 37 in the top 40 countdown: Boo-Ya! it's Keith Makubuya
A second argument is that we can achieve what the Montreal Impact failed to do in 2008-2009: beat Santos Laguna.
That's exactly what I said yesterday.
Never forgive Teal. I believe he was going to play for Canada until the US gave him a shot and that is what changed his mind. I don't think he would've been a large piece for us (or will be for the US) but he would've brought some unique qualities to the player pool.
Pick your poison. New strip now up East Side Stand Up!
Armen and I (among a whole crapload of other people) are on this podcast...
http://www.rednationonline.ca/5outof...earsofTFC.aspx
TFC Ready for Anyone in the knockout round
http://www.rednationonline.ca/TFCrea...koutround.aspx
The question about the players threw me off. I thought he wanted 1 guy out of all the outfield positions instead of 3. So I had Nana picked and basically just reverted to stock answers without thought for mid/forward.
Also, you know Armen gave him the shout out! hahah
Top 40 countdown continues, slowly getting closer to the players you care about. In the meantime though, here's number 36, Eddy Viator
honestly, im growing tired of it.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9...s-with-the-mls
how can you say you don't support the league and then give it flack? this doesn't come off as "here's why i dont watch it", it comes off as "here's why the league will never make it"
what's the fucking point? the only thing i ever read is a reminder that MLS isnt EPL, la liga, serie a, or bundesliga (in case we hadnt noticed). im sorry, i just read shit like this everywhere. im thinking of starting up a campaign to try and shoot down this ignorance. anyone else be with me?
here's a very rough excerpt from an article im writing for bleacher report, it's going to lead into an article called "5 things that wont change anytime soon in MLS" which is akin to the one i wrote here
(keep in mind this was stream of consciousness, i havent edited it since i wrote it, and i wrote it when i was pissed)
Major League Soccer: founded 1996 as part of the United States bid to host the World Cup in 1994. Since its inception fifteen years ago the league now spans two countries and saw two teams become defunct only to welcome another ten teams, with one more on the way. With its struggle to gain recognition on national level, local supporters are often questioned by media outlets, amateur bloggers, and even other supporters as to why the North American model differs so much from our international counterparts. Make no mistake about it; the league is still a work in progress, but I’d like to use this fact as my strongest counter-point.
Where the critics make their strongest stand is the comparison of the leagues quality to other top tier leagues in England, Spain or Italy. It is the first point of contention, and ultimately the loudest. This is an unfair comparison to make, but it’s made regardless. The first reason is due to the vast head start these leagues have on MLS. The second is due to the widespread fame and fortune that comes with that head start. In addition to this, many of the world leagues MLS competes against don't have a major market rival, let alone 4 (NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL) of them, each with as equally wide a head start, and the television deals that go with them.
The issue with criticism of the league is that most of it is unfounded, unjustified, and in no way shape or form constructive. Enter the EuroSnob: the North American fan that doesn’t understand that each league is a separate entity. They see the quality soccer as a whole, without realizing that the game itself is the sum of its parts. They will distribute criticism, and readily disown their local North American club while having absolutely no birth affiliation to the one they support overseas. The club they follow may dazzle them with a stunning flurry of passes or a shelf full of trophies, but it will never be “their” team more than the New York Yankees would be for a Toronto native because they play “beautiful baseball”. They may support them, and know the clubs history back to front, but at the end of the day, most of the vocal critics of the MLS wouldn’t have a Birmingham kit hanging up anywhere in their closet.
Instead of article after article pointing out how ass-backwards the MLS is, few, if any, offer a constructive look as to why the league is where it is, and how it can adapt to fit the model of its European equivalent without effectively self destructing in the process. They can cite a variety of reasons the league is doomed to fail, and how the league needs to adapt quickly or face destruction, yet they often overlook the fact that attendance has steadily increased league wide or that MLS has signed its highest sponsorship and media sponsorship to date.
The thing I love the most about these articles is that they will often describe how they are fans of the sport and don’t regularly watch MLS. If you don’t watch MLS, what makes you the authority on condemning the league? I’m not a fan of Serie A, so I don’t feel fit to comment on it. See where I’m going with this? The only thing writers can do at this point is remind us that North American soccer is not like football in Europe, like we somehow hadn’t noticed. The fact of the matter is that MLS has created substantial growth at a maintained pace. It has tried to ensure that the league avoids the pitfalls of its predecessor, the NASL, and it does this fighting an uphill battle to gain recognition in North America. Make no mistake about it, I’m not trying to sway your opinion on the league. If you are a fan of the European leagues, chances are you’re still a fan of the European leagues. If you wouldn’t be caught dead watching the MLS, chances are that you still wouldn’t be caught dead watching the MLS after you’ve read this. There’s no changing your mind in an argument and that’s what this is. If you want to shoot down the legitimacy of the MLS, you’re already shutting down any indication that the league might actually be any good. However, if that’s the case, why are there still so many who feel the need to speak out against the league?
Those who site their love for EPL, Serie A or La Liga based off of the quality of the sport serve to only emphasize one thing: they don’t love the game as much as they love being entertained by it. Do you love watching your favourite team play the fourth string against Scunthorpe? Quality can be achieved when you’ve got a 100 year, multi-million dollar head start on us, but if you don’t love the game at every level, here’s a newsflash: you don’t really love the game.
It's cite, not site.
^ caught that on the edit.
anything else you think about this? im not trying to sound snarky, im just thinking that if that's all someone took out of this, that im not doing a good job expressing my opinion.
also, can this be moved to a football forum? it was supposed to be an MLS/other league discussion, i dont think it fits the fold of a blog. however, i could be wrong.
Follow me...... https://twitter.com/#!/aGeRoO76
"Just like JDG. It wasn't a post-and-in shot, but JDG is smart & experienced" - Carts
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
fair nuff, i was feeling bloggish before but it turns out it was just gas
its just so prevalent! i found it dominates everything i read about the sport in north america. you always see that reporters are "surprised" by crowd turnouts and at pubs where the world cup is played.
i dont know, im feeling particularly pissed about it as of late.
well said, wowza. fucking right.
Top 40 countdown get's a bit melancholy, as we remember the recently departed.
Number 35: Demitrius Omphroy
Mr Bedakian's latest
http://www.rednationonline.ca/TFCgre...inthename.aspx
Countdown: MLS Conference Final:
http://www.rednationonline.ca/Countd...ls1152011.aspx
Suspicious minds. New strip now up at East Side Stand Up!
Top 40 countdown continues with another player recently shown the d'Or.
Number 34: Matt Gold
also, trying to figure out salary cap details, how much space tfc has and what they should do with it.
Last edited by Darlofletch; 11-06-2011 at 11:38 AM.
Thinking warm thoughts. New strip now up at RedNation Online!
Top 40 countdown continues with number 33: Oscar Cordon.
also, we're running a contest to win a sweet, though as yet unspecified Patrice bernier related prize. Share your canada fan story. serious, humourous, good or bad, the lengths you've gone to to support, how you became a fan, whatever you want to do with it really. Full details here.
Bunch of New RNO MLS/CanMNT related content:
Ryan Johnson: Positional Flexibility Key
http://www.rednationonline.ca/Johnso...talForTFC.aspx
RNO Interview Series with Issey Nakajima-Farran
http://www.rednationonline.ca/rednat...imafarran.aspx
Impact 2012-2013 Graduating Class
http://www.rednationonline.ca/Montre...tingClass.aspx
Across the Pond, November 6, 2011 - Update on Canucks overseas.
http://www.rednationonline.ca/Across...mber62011.aspx
My latest discussion about the playoff format and grown men saying "Shimmy Shimmy Cocoa Pops": www.jimmystone.wordpress.com