Matchday 10: Columbus at Toronto, Sat 31 May 5pm

[nlsanand]

Garbage statement.

The drumming at this game, and having all 3 drums together was friggin awesome. LOVED IT. Best drumming session of the year. Hands down.

No dog in this fight, and I like the drum. But some of the drumming seemed off time today (I sit in 109 and this is totally just my thoughts. I noticed it on "Allez les Rouges" Wasn't a dealkiller for me, and it's still nicer to have drum playing.

[boozilla]

Not so much worried about off time drums. At least they serve a purpose, unlike the Tribal Rythm background muzak.

[MightyDM]

Both were great plays, I agree.


It was a smart play by Defoe. He felt the tug on his arm and went with it. I know he could have fought through and had a chance, but sometimes all it takes is that little tug on the arm to throw you off stride and make you miss. It was a penalty, anyway. Jermaine just made sure it was called

Jack is right here. Defoe helped make the call clear, but it was a stonewall penalty, called in any league. He beat the defender so the defender grabbed him. Shooting after that with his body position off he would have skied it almost certainly. But the bigger point was it was a deliberate foul by the defender to prevent a scoring attempt in the box. That's what a penalty should be.

Unlike, perhaps, running into your opponent on purpose, bouncing off, and holding your face while screaming.

[ensco]

Have to give Nelsen and the team some credit for the work on the deep offensive throw ins.

It didn't lead to a goal, but Morrow throwing to Hagglund or Henry, heading the ball on, gave Columbus fits 3 or 4 different times. Henry really is a handful in the air.

[james]

I think this is what I call a reasonable dive. The ball got away because he was slowed down by defender impeding him. Therefore, the dive is necessary to rectify the result.

that is what's wrong with soccer. There should be no diving, no matter what. But it happens so much today, that if you don't go down then its a lost opportunity. Soccer should have never got to this level, that is why many people wish there was a huge crack down on any sort of diving, embellishing exc. Once upon a time soccer never had these necessary diving situations, the game has changed for the worst as far as diving goes and is now part of the game, and it really shouldn't be.

[james]

Both were great plays, I agree.


It was a smart play by Defoe. He felt the tug on his arm and went with it. I know he could have fought through and had a chance, but sometimes all it takes is that little tug on the arm to throw you off stride and make you miss. It was a penalty, anyway. Jermaine just made sure it was called

again it just shouldn't be part of the game. If I changed anything about soccer it would be that I wish they could stop diving all together, a ref should be able to make a call without a player diving to call it. I think all divers should be penalized, fined, and suspended for any such diving even if the ref didn't call it during the game then replays can be reviewed still after the game and reviewed by some sort of judges to call the play as a dive or embellishment exc. It would really clamp all that shit out of it. And Defoe's dive wasn't even the worst, you see much more obvious dives on a daily basis in the world of soccer. But changing rules to clamp down on diving seems like a pipeline dream sadly..

[james]

As someone who has been a season seat holder since year 1, I always thought the atmosphere was pretty good. However, the past year, since I've moved away, I have been forced to watch most of the games on tv. It may be a combination between the team's performances leading to fewer people to cheer and the shitty acoustics in our open air stadium, but the atmosphere does seem to be lacking. I'm reading a lot of people saying that yesterday's was one of the better atmospheres. Perhaps that was the case in the south east corner, but that doesn't translate to much when watching on tv. For most of yesterday's match, the chants that were being sung, sounded like no more than 30 people were getting involved. I don't fault the groups for trying because they are! The atmosphere only picked up around when the game was tied 2-2. Then it was rocking!


What this tells me is what we already know. The fans need something to be excited about. The supporter groups will sing until they have no more voice but they are clearly a tiny minority in a stadium of 20,000+. This isn't to knock the supporter groups because the best way to fix it is to keep doing what they're doing. But there are times when I watch on tv and I feel like there are a handful of people chanting and the rest of the stadium of people chatting to their neighbours.

This is just my observation.

On a plus side- everything picks up when the team plays well and attractive. So maybe it's a symptom of our ugly playing style? Let's be honest, there wasn't much to cheer for prior to Defoe tying it up.

the crowd atmosphere this year is WAY better then last year (we were awful last year, and can you blame the crowd atmosphere last year for being shit?). Are we as good as year 1 and 2, not yet. But when comparing to watching on TV we have never sounded that good, never. Sound in that open stadium is bad. There was a lot of fans singing yesterday, I have seen many games after being there live and realized on TV it sounds nothing like it does in the stands of 112. Then you also get different songs being chanted in different parts of the south end at the same time, 112 can't here what 110 is chanting and 113 can't here 111, this is all nothing new and been an issue even since 2007. A new roof and closed in stadium would help a LOT, well my guess anyways. If that doesn't work then I don't know what will!!

[Ivy]

I agree that diving should be strongly enforced, even if that means having the DC go back, and punish players after the fact for blatant diving.

Football is reffed a lot differently than other sports, that is why diving and over playing will never be eliminated. For example, a minor challenge or play in the middle of the park will be called foul a lot faster in the middle of the pitch than it would be in the box. If Defoe felt that arm tug throw him off balance, but rather than falling down just spin around and stop running, would it be called foul? Probably not. Would it be a foul in the middle of the park? Probably. So players have to over play the slightest touches that mess with their flow of play in the box.

[Tony Santiago]

Not to be all technical, but Dichio was not the home opener. KC game was the home opener where we lost 1-0. Just saying.

That's why I put it in quotes as "home opener". It was called the "Grand Opening Weekend" officially, even though it wasn't the opening weekend, like you said.

The first actual game at BMO with fans in attendance was watching a game on the screen as a trial run. About 3 or 4 thousand turned out for that.

[ryan]

again it just shouldn't be part of the game. If I changed anything about soccer it would be that I wish they could stop diving all together, a ref should be able to make a call without a player diving to call it. I think all divers should be penalized, fined, and suspended for any such diving even if the ref didn't call it during the game then replays can be reviewed still after the game and reviewed by some sort of judges to call the play as a dive or embellishment exc. It would really clamp all that shit out of it. And Defoe's dive wasn't even the worst, you see much more obvious dives on a daily basis in the world of soccer. But changing rules to clamp down on diving seems like a pipeline dream sadly..

All pro team sports have the athletes trying to earn calls. Soccer you go to the ground. Baseball you frame pitches. Hockey you snap your head back and touch your face. Basketball you go to ground. Football has QB's hitting the turf, lineman flailing arms when held.

Diving will never go away, players will always go to ground.

[C.Ronaldo]

this may not hold true for TFC yet, and i can barely type it out

but was the game against Columbus just a Good team finding a way to win no matter what?

[Oldtimer]

Both were great plays, I agree.


It was a smart play by Defoe. He felt the tug on his arm and went with it. I know he could have fought through and had a chance, but sometimes all it takes is that little tug on the arm to throw you off stride and make you miss. It was a penalty, anyway. Jermaine just made sure it was called

I certainly don't consider it a "dive." Selling it to the ref is not a "dive." A "dive" is a form of cheating when you claim there was a deliberate foul when none happened. Defoe was legitimately fouled, and the PK was just.

We have had a few divers on our team in the past, and even Gilberto has been occasionally guilty. I hate it! Defoe did not cheat in any way, however.

[Derko]

I can take a bit of embellishment, it is the blatant diving that irks me, Defoe was tugged from behind and he went down, The call was made immediately, so the referee had said to himself, Defoe goes down with any contact, I am calling a penalty. End of story, it went TFC's way. Ihate the diving as well, especially when it goes against us. Is that unreasonable, not in my mind. Great 3 points for TFC, now get the same result in Montreal.

[Ultra & Proud]

this may not hold true for TFC yet, and i can barely type it out

but was the game against Columbus just a Good team finding a way to win no matter what?

I guess it was the makings of a good team fighting through a really bad day to come through with points.

I still hope our play improves going forward into summer. I would blame tactics like everyone else but it isn't Nelsen directing players to pass the ball out of bounds on simple passes or to long ball it on the first possession of the match (Henry) or to always try to thread the needle with cutting passes to Defoe. If our passing was at least half decent we would see some better Football but right now it's awful. The shape and all is on Nelsen and I think defensively we are good that that regard but by design or by lack of quality wide, we definitely play too narrow going forward.

Also the book is being written on Bekker and it's becoming league wide knowledge. Press him and he crumbles and attack him offensively and he gets turned a lot. Unless he figures out how to deal with the focus that will be placed on him we will have trouble and he will be back on the bench.

Big plus on Saturday; Orr goes down and we lose our starting DM. Nelsen looks at the bench and sees the one other DM we have in Hall. He then decides to put out Lovitz and send Bekker back. Smart decision. If Hall plays we don't win that game and I think Nelsen sees that now too. To the scrap heap with him!

[C.Ronaldo]

im afraid Hall is still his choice for lets hunker down its 1-0 with 80 minutes left on the clock,

[Canary10]

We're missing possibly the best player in MLS and still picking up wins, so that's pretty positive. It really is a cobbled together midfield at this point. I agree with Ultra, we are playing really narrow. Nelsen is just trying to gum up the mid by pulling everyone in but it's left us with no width at all on attack. Hopefully that's just him compensating for not having Bradley.

[OgtheDim]

im afraid Hall is still his choice for lets hunker down its 1-0 with 80 minutes left on the clock,

Hall has barely played this season, even with all our CM injuries and Bradley's absence.

[cmonyoureds]

There is nothing exotic about it. It's laughable to say that. It's a failed attempt at something exotic.

I'm not sure if some of you just feel like sticking up for your friends or what, but to anyone with any ability to observe could see the two capos looking at each other at times...often the guy in 113 seemed a bit bewildered at why it was always off. I would only be looking over at times because when the chant would suddenly go to hell, and sound like it was being sung through a fan or from under water the drums always seemed to be the source of confusion.

The problem is that you shouldn't decide from one game to the next, or even at different points during the game to change the tempo of chants. They're established. Consistency is the best thing. It's unfortunate that the guys on the drums get bored, but their entertainment shouldn't be what it's all about.

There were long stretches when people gave up on even trying to get it together with 112/113. It was a lost cause, magnified by 112/113's inability to act as a cohesive unit. It was obvious to anyone who has any power of observation that it was the pounding of feat on the bleachers that eventually got the corner acting as a unit.

People can insult me for calling it like it is. That's fine. The truth is still being said. Once again, if cohesion is the true aim then the more elaborate attempts and poor execution are only ruining that. That's reality.

I'm confused, did you watch the game at all? Or did you have the concert specific seats?

[Jack]

again it just shouldn't be part of the game. If I changed anything about soccer it would be that I wish they could stop diving all together, a ref should be able to make a call without a player diving to call it. I think all divers should be penalized, fined, and suspended for any such diving even if the ref didn't call it during the game then replays can be reviewed still after the game and reviewed by some sort of judges to call the play as a dive or embellishment exc. It would really clamp all that shit out of it. And Defoe's dive wasn't even the worst, you see much more obvious dives on a daily basis in the world of soccer. But changing rules to clamp down on diving seems like a pipeline dream sadly..

Defoe was fouled, so in light of that, it wasn't technically a "dive" so much as an embellishment. A dive, in my eyes, is where you go down over something that didn't happen at all in an attempt to fool the referee. That is cheating. Exaggerating contact or going down to make sure a real foul is called isn't as bad in my book, simply because referees miss so much with the speed at which these things happen. As I mentioned, when you're lining up a shot on goal, a small tug like the one Defoe took is all it takes to make you sky the shot over the bar or pull a hamstring or something. A slight push or small tug on the jersey is enough to slow you down so the defender can get a tackle in or the keeper can get into a better position and, since those are illegal plays that often don't get called, I don't blame to players for making the referee notice the fouls.

[Milanista]

#	Club	PTS	GP	PPG	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	HG	HGD	RG	RGD
1	New England Revolution	23	13	1.77	7	4	2	21	16	5	11	10	10	-5
2	D.C. United	21	13	1.62	6	4	3	18	14	4	13	6	5	-2
3	Sporting Kansas City	19	14	1.36	5	5	4	19	14	5	12	6	7	-1
4	Houston Dynamo	17	15	1.13	5	8	2	16	27	-11	11	1	5	-12
5	Toronto FC	16	10	1.6	5	4	1	14	13	1	7	2	7	-1

[Milanista]

3rd best team in PPG...we got tons of games in hand and 3-4 in hand with teams behind us...we are sitting pretty, just hold on till world cup is over

[ryan]

We'll surely be top 3 once GP are leveled out.

[barticusz]

What's more important to everyone now? A ACC title against Montreal or a win against SJ to move ot 6-4-1 on the season at the world cup break?

... Can't wait for the SJ game.

[Ultra & Proud]

3rd best team in PPG...we got tons of games in hand and 3-4 in hand with teams behind us...we are sitting pretty, just hold on till world cup is over

This Saturday is an important match. Win this one and walk confidently into the WC break at 19 points and on a small streak.

[Pint]

What's more important to everyone now? A ACC title against Montreal or a win against SJ to move ot 6-4-1 on the season at the world cup break?

... Can't wait for the SJ game.

Both?

[Ultra & Proud]

I know the on the pitch product hasn't been as pretty as we'd like but it's crazy to think that we could technically have more points by my birthday (mid July) than we did in either of the past few full seasons. Not perfect but I will accept that as reasonable progress.

[OgtheDim]

I got the distinct feeling from Nelsen after the game on Saturday that they want this next cup.

[Fort York Redcoat]

What's more important to everyone now? A ACC title against Montreal or a win against SJ to move ot 6-4-1 on the season at the world cup break?

... Can't wait for the SJ game.

Voyageurs Cup.

[Voodooman]

That Dyanmo GD...damn

[BuSaPuNk]

Voyageurs Cup.

This. No reason to not go after both games. Guys get two weeks off after SJ. Start your best XI both games.