Letters from Camp: "Can't beat the Fire without a spark..."

Dr. Rick Slott report to the Piggly Wiggly...

With three friendly matches left before the season opens two weeks from today, The Carolina Challenge Cup seemingly represents a chance to fine tune for Toronto FC. Sadly, based on tonight's performance, the tuning may well be continuing into the summer months. In no means is this meant as panic mode, but the reality is that Aron WINter and Paul mariNER (#WINNER) haven't had the time to create a squad that can play the style they are attempting to instill.
　
Tonight's match against Chicago, beamed to us through the choppy joy that is TFC-TV, turned out to be a mostly disappointing affair for Reds supporters but managed to squeeze in enough optimism to carry us until the next match. Highlights and lowlights included:
　
- TFC start with line-up of Frei, Gargan, Attakora, Yourassowsky, Morgan, LaBrocca, Cordon, Peterson, Martina, Maicon, Plata
- Chicago's Marco Pappa "Don't Preach" scoring the game's lone goal in the 6th minute on the back of some awful TFC defending. The giggling belonged to Adrian Cann.
- The online announcer/ Charleston Battery president crowing that this tournament was "the cream of US and Canada soccer". We're going non-dairy if this is the case.
- Toronto's first real offensive opportunity didn't come until the 30th minute when Jacob Peterson's blast from distance went wide
- Awesome Charleston advertising hoarding # 1 "Piggly Wiggly" supermarket
- Fire captain Logan Pause gets direct red card for a very dangerous tackle. Chicago down to 10 men for the rest of the match
HALF TIME: CHICAGO 1 - TORONTO 0
- TFC subs: Ornoch in for Morgan, Soolsma in for Plata
- Awesome Charleston advertising hoarding # 2 "Five Guys Burgers and Fries"
- Fire not playing like they are down to 10 men, TFC not playing like they are up a man
- Very little in the way of TFC finding a target man
- Announcers drop news that Dwayne De Rosario is slightly injured. Fantastic.
- Awesome/ Disturbing Charleston advertising hoarding # 3 "Panalpina". Um, ok.
- Zavarise and "Booyah" Makubuya in for TFC who start to push hard at Chicago with 10 minutes left
- TFC scramble to pour men into the Fire box but to no avail as match mercifully ends
FULL TIME: CHICAGO 1 - TORONTO 0
　
While most TFC fans held out hope that the Florida friendlies were a blip on the radar, it was painfully clear that The Reds are a long way out from fulfilling the Total Football promise. The bright spots of the evening were Javier Martina, Mikael Yourassowsky and Dan Gargan but there were still too many ball-watchers. The injection of De Rosario and Julian de Guzman into the team will go a long way, but the two big pieces of the spine that will still be missing are a dominant centreback and a prolific scorer up front. Where have we heard that before?