THE MATCHUP: "The Good, The Bad and The Quakey"

"Oh God this is horrific. Hey! Let's name a football team after it!"

TORONTO FC (9th) VS. SAN JOSE (7th)
　
BMO FIELD - Saturday 4PM ET
TV: CBC
　
There's a lot of mixed emotions surrounding Toronto FC as they host San Jose in a match with apparent "playoff implications". There have been some good vibes around the club and Saturday marks the first home match after the Mo/ Preki removal which will surely involve a minor supporter celebration. There are tender hopes for a positive change in the off-season and those feelings haven't been damaged by the club’s play under interim coach Nick Dasovic and two surprising results against Houston and Cruz Azul.
　
On the other end of the spectrum are some very negative feelings about the club, in particular the ownership, after yet another price hike for season tickets was announced. The mark-up is bad enough in yet another season of upheaval and bad results for The Reds but ML$E's sneaky mandatory inclusion of the MLS Cup onto the package sent many loyal supporters into a tizzy. The greedy move in the midst of yet another major uphill battle for an unlikely post-season berth has left a sour taste for many.
　
With the good and bad out of the way, all that is left is the wildcard... the Quakey. San Jose has pulled together nicely in their third season under Canadian head coach, and should-be ML$E target, Frank Yallop. The DP signing of forward Geovanni seems to be working out well and with few games left, The Quakes have a 5 point lead over TFC and have two big games in hand. TFC has played San Jose quite well at home but there is that wildcard this time - in the footsteps of Jeff Cunningham and Carl Robinson, we can all see it coming... Sam Cronin's winning goal in extra time.
　
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME: "The Gallop for Yallop"
　
TREMBLERS: Dwayne De Rosario, Stefan Frei, Adrian Cann
FAULT-LINES: Geovanni, Bobby Convey, Sam Cronin
　
THE ODDS:
- TFC Supporters staring longingly at Frank Yallop: 5-1
- Frank Yallop distancing himself as far from ML$E as possible: 3-1
- ML$E's much touted 13,000 person season ticket waiting list only full of people wanting South End seats: 2-1
- To quell bad feelings, ML$E to offer "Buy 4 Get 1 Free Chip Buttys" coupons, 10% off all Marco Velez jerseys and free Marlies bumper stickers in 2011 season ticket packages: 2-1
　
WHO ARE YA? - Special "NO BEER. NO GEAR. PROTEST" Edition
Instead of the regular "Who Are Ya?" feature in "The Matchup", today we want to invite you, our BMO Field brothers and sisters to join us in our campaign "NO BEER. NO GEAR". ML$E's unending greed and lack of vision is sinking to new lows with every season and every ticket increase. If you love the club and don't want to give up your tickets - they have you over a barrel. There is a way to fight back though - in their language... dollars. Refuse to buy a drop of beer, a morsel of food or a stitch of merchandise at BMO Field until TFC changes its ways and becomes a successful club. The level of success is up to you but we recommend at the very least - a playoff appearance. Don't protest in silence, call or email your ticket rep or TFC customer service and let them know you're supporting TFC but not ML$E with Cheers, but not beers!
　
NICK DASOVIC'S PASSION SAYS: 2-1 Toronto
JOE CANNON'S THRUSTING SAYS: 1-2 San Jose
HEADLINE: "TFC TRY TO CRACK EARTHQUAKES' FOUNDATION"