D.C. UNITED (16th) VS. TORONTO FC (11th)
RFK STADIUM - SATURDAY 7:30 PM ET
TV: GOL TV ----RADIO: THE FAN 590
All of the supporter protests are done, the PR exercise "Town Halls" are finished and the result is a "bridge-building" mea culpa from ML$E. I am a cynic when it comes to Anselmi & Co. (no surprise to regular readers) so I will reserve judgement on their sudden "listening skills" until actual results are produced. Giving season ticket holders a free home opener (despite still forcing the MLS Cup tickets) and a "price freeze" are band-aids over for the necessary solution - a real GM for this sinking club.
The fourth "new beginning" for TFC starts on Sunday but first up is one last tilt with the only club more depressing right now than Toronto - DC United. Expect Toronto to field another experimental line-up while still aiming for a win. Interim coach Nick Dasovic would love to go out on a winning high as it could be his last chance at managing The Reds - although I wouldn't bet against his return. One glaring omission from the line-up is Stefan Frei. This will mark the third match in a row the talented Swiss keeper will miss, this time in favour of young Milos Kocic, and his absence has many wondering aloud if the stopper isn't headed out of TFC Red for European pastures in the next window.
The truth is, depending on whether ML$E was really "listening", this could be our last look at many current Reds. If a true GM with real power is hired you should expect to see a major overhaul of players - possibly in the double digits. If ML$E gets lazy however and goes with a Cochrane / Brennan / First Wave puppet as GM - expect to be in the same spot this time next year.
On the other side of the pitch is a stark reminder of how bad things can go when your owners neglect proper team-building. United were once the super-club of this league - the nearest thing MLS has had to a necessary major force. The four-time champs are rudderless at the bottom of the table and all their great fans have to show up for is the retirement party for their long-time hero Jaime Moreno. His 61 goals in 177 appearances for the club will be hard to say goodbye to for the Barra Brava and co. It's hard to think of too many tears for whoever may depart TFC.
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME: "The Underachiever"
UNITED THEY STAND: Jaime Moreno, Dejan Jakovic, Julius James
DIVIDED WE FALL: Milos Kocic, Dwayne De Rosario, Nana Attakora
THE ODDS:
- MLS Commissioner Don Garber upsetting both DC and Toronto fans by calling whatever city he's in next "home of the best fans": 5-1
- Match getting better ratings this weekend than npower League Two's match-up "Hereford v Accrington Stanley: 50-1
- Two sets of "great supporters" watching great football: 10,000-1
WHO ARE YA?
- D.C. United's long-term struggle to find a new home has had them rumoured to destinations such as Arlington VA, Baltimore MD, Dover DE, Moncton NB, Nuuk Greenland and a barge in the Mid-Atlantic
- DCU bosses plan to present aging and retiring Bolivian forward Jaime Moreno with a gold embossed walker and a special Black and Red hemorrhoid pillow
- While Jaime Moreno receives his hero's send off, TFC officials plan on handing Nick Garcia bus fare to the airport
SCREAMING EAGLES SAY: 1-0 DCU
SCREAMING SUPPORTERS SAY: 1-2 TFC
HEADLINE: "THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR... AGAIN"
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