Strike While The Plate Is Hot

Friendly matches. They are a bit like marriage. Men pretending to be interested, very little contact and any scoring usually happens by accident. Now and again, the friendly offers up something new and interesting that makes it worthwhile - kind of like when the wife has too much to drink.

Wednesday evening Toronto FC host those wacky Argentines - River Plate, in this year's Carlsberg Cup. Ah, the Carlsberg Cup - up there with the great awards like the FA Cup and the Jules Rimet Trophy - but we digress. The Reds are indeed offering up something new to their supporters. What the BMO Field faithful will get to see is a glimpse of TFC's striking (as in goal scoring not handsome) future. Not one but two new forwards will take part in the otherwise meaningless match. Strikers eh? Just like the bus. You wait for ages for your stubborn Scottish Director of Football to drive up in one - then two come along!

Indeed, Ali Gerba will make his on-field debut with TFC fresh off his strong showing at the Gold Cup with Canada and a solid 08/09 campaign with MK Dons. The very strong Cameroon-born tank will be a welcome crash-and-bang style forward in the style of Danny Dichio except able to move sideways. Gerba is a known quantity and will surely bulge the onion bag on a regular basis.

The other debut is the unknown quantity. O'Brian White, the newest member of TFC's "Scarborough Massive" is the club's top draft pick this year and comes out of the NCAA with all of college's highest football honours. He was scoring goals at a great clip and was headed towards being the 1st overall pick when he suffered a bad ACL injury. His hometown club could not resist his potential though and drafted the injured forward, immediately putting him to work with TFC's top-notch training team. The rehab is ending and the local boy is ready for the big-time.

Fans will need patience with White but he and Gerba may very well be this team's strike force for the foreseeable future. Now the questions can begin about the existing strikers. Player of the Week award aside, Chad Barrett is no better than an off-the-bench sub. His scoring ratio is simply not good enough but he comes cheap and is locked up long term. Pablo Vitti's time is simply running out. His hustle and raw talent are admirable but the numbers aren't there. Few goals and a hefty (MLS-hefty at least) wage makes the Hairy Hitman a target for the pink slip. Mo Johnston is surely thinking of sneaking him onto River Plate's plane home like a sleepy B.A. Baracus on The A-Team. Finally, the bald Messiah himself. Danny Dichio is due to hang up the boots after this season and ride off into the sunset - at least as far as Etobicoke. His future off the field with TFC seems assured - possibly team barber/ DJ.

So, on an otherwise forgettable Wednesday night by the lake, Reds' supporters may finally be getting a glimpse of the strike force they so desperately want and need. Let's just hope they are as good as former wrestling tag-team "Strike Force". In the words of Tito Santana and River Plate - "Ariba!!!"