Match Preview: Smells Like (No) Team Spirit

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC VS. TORONTO FC
Qwest Field - Saturday 4:00PM EST
TV: CBC RADIO: The Fan 590

TFC finally embarks on their first trip to the town everyone in MLS is talking about. No not expansion candidate Birmingham, Alabama - it's the jewel of the Pacific Northwest - Seattle! That is of course if you don't count Vancouver. And maybe Portland. I hear Eugene, Oregon is nice too. Either way - it’s Seattle! What can you say about the Emerald City? It's famous for overpriced coffee, Kurt Cobain's mysterious death, "Spoonman", rioting against the World Bank, TV's "Frasier" and that tossed salad song of his, the poor man's CN Tower, Xavier McDaniel's huge dunks and "Harry and the Hendersons". Damn you Seattle and your Generation X' iness - suck on our Tower. They've also got a football club with a good heritage (for North America) and an obvious solid fan base. So hyped are their support numbers that Don Garber has been cheating on TFC with them! Remember when we were your sweethearts Don? What did we do? ... Oh, the not winning? I'd say we can change but...On to the road game!

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC - 8-6-9 - 3rd in WEST (5th OVERALL)
There has never been an expansion tag on this club. No management yarns about 5 year plans, no waiting on bringing in a DP, no playing just for pride for the first few years. How dreamy must that be? Since SSFC came to BMO Field on opening day and pissed on our old green rug they have shown the league that they are here to compete. They bought a lot of pricey players (in MLS terms) and they have paid off. Swedish Chef/ Underwear salesman Freddie Ljungberg still has the ability to control a game from the attacking midfield position while the main recipient of his passes, Colombian wonderkid Freddy Montero, leads the club with 10 goals. Throw into the rave green mixture a resurgent Nate Jacqua (7G, 7A) and an internationally renowned 'keeper in Kasey Keller and you can see why success has come early. The fans are filling the stadium and the Supersonic-less city seems to be embracing the club which no doubt has itself a bright future. The only plus for TFC is that Sounders had lost 3 out of 4 before last week's draw but they play well at home.

TORONTO FC - 8-6-8 - 3rd in EAST (8th OVERALL)
As if the usual Toronto road trip malaise wasn't bad enough, TFC has spent the week fighting fires from it's two biggest names. First was the Dwayne De Rosario "No Grass, Kiss My Ass - 2010" story followed by DichioGate later in the week. Tomorrow will prove whether or not the team spirit has stayed somewhat intact or if the dressing room is as fractured as some fear. Interim Mo puppet/ nice guy Chris Cummins will have some hard choices to make with two big gaps to fill in the way of Carl Robinson and Adrian Serioux. The two suspended hard men supply this team with 99% of its steel and that isn't easily replaced with rookies. The youth movement replay in the Reds loss to Chivas last week was not successful but TFC's puddle-like depth offers Cummins very little option. Luckily, midfielder Sam Cronin plays like a young Carl Robinson and seems very composed but the bright lights and 30,000 plus crowd of Qwest may be too much for the younger boys on the team. If TFC are going to get anything from this match, it will only be with a full team effort.