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Friday, August 19, 2011

THE MATCHUP: Smoke... not quite Fire

11 starting Knackwurst and 5 subs! Game on!

CHICAGO (17th) VS. TORONTO (15th)
 
TOYOTA PARK - SUNDAY 7PM ET
TV: GOLTV
 
THE KICKABOUT:
- With TFC unbeaten in nearly a month (I know!) can they finally shake that MLS away match monkey off their backs?
- Does Torsten Frings' return to the line-up put the steel back in the team that went missing during the 2nd Half against Tauro?
- Can Julian de Guzman continue to put in consistent performances?
- Will The Reds' game plan against Chicago be the same as all teams used to try against them - run all the offence towards Dan Gargan?
- If we beat The Fire are we officially "on fire"?
 
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME: "The Great Laker"
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
CHICAGO: Patrick Nyarko. Dominic Oduro, Marco Pappa
TORONTO: Eric Avila, Torsten Frings, Ryan Johnson
 
THE ODDS:
- Toronto looking disjointed and uncomfortable at rare occurrence of playing team lower in the table than themselves: 5-1
- Dan Gargan inevitably having a performance that makes him look like the next Franz Beckenbauer: 10-1
- Toronto to Panama to Chicago in 5 days causing players to take short midfield naps: 20-1
 
WHO ARE YA?
- Stagnating attendance at Chicago's Toyota Park has led to Saturday's "Earth, Wind and Fire Night" where fans get a match ticket, a bag of top soil and a tin of baked beans
- MLS is considering a ban on the local Chicago delicacy Knackwurst after elements of Fire's hardcore support started to use them as a replacement for league-shunned streamers
- Bridgeview, Illinois - home of Toyota Park - is a small western suburb of Chicago. Snagging the Chicago Fire as residents was first step in marketing themselves as "Mini-Chicago". Nicknamed "The Slightly Breezy City", Bridgeview is home to the 3-story tall L'il Sears Tower, has a Wrigley Field made entirely out of Wrigley's spearmint gum and was the location for the filming of dwarf versions of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Blues Brothers"
 
THE WAGER: 1-0 Chicago (2011: 18-16 with 6 exact scores)
FUTURE HEADLINE: "REDS BLOW COLD IN WINDY CITY"

2 comments:

  1. "Can Julian de Guzman continue to put in consistent performances?"

    Yes, but he's not the impact player that Frings clearly has been so he's not going to be here when his contract concludes, plain and simple. Takes up too much cap space for what he does. The only reason he's still here is because he can't be moved anywhere in MLS or Europe, for that matter, based on what he's getting paid.

    The money paid to de Guzman needs to go to one quality CB or younger, up and coming players.

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  2. gargan scores...just sit back and think about that for a few minutes...

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