THE MATCHUP: Where ankles fear to tread

CONCACAF give Estadio Independencia's pitch the thumbs up



REAL ESTELI VS. TORONTO
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PRELIMINARY - 2ND LEG
AGGREGATE 1-2
　
ESTADIO INDEPENDENCIA - TUESDAY 10PM ET
TV: SPORTSNET ONE
　
THE KICKABOUT:
- Will The Reds bunker down and protect their 1 goal advantage or do they try to exert their 1st Leg dominance and go for the away goal?
- Can TFC's ever-rotating backline show the quality to keep Real Esteli off the scoresheet at home?
- How will Toronto's European-bred players react to the substandard facilities and fan peculiarities found in deep Central America?
- Does Real Esteli have the quality to beat Toronto or was the 2-1 1st Leg scoreline complimentary to the Nicaraguan side?
- Is there a Dutch word for urine-filled ziplock bag?
　
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME: "El Diablo para Ankle Bone"
　
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
REAL ESTELI: Rudel Calero, Francisco Lopez, Manuel Rosas
TORONTO: Stefan Frei, Andy Iro, Ryan Johnson
　
THE ODDS:
- TFC acquiring expensive ankle insurance pre-match: 2-1
- Torsten Frings, veteran of many UEFA Champions League tournaments, wondering if "Champions League" has a different, more torturous, meaning in English: 10-1
- Referee seen leaving the stadium in mink-lined replica kit and gold-plated Nicaraguan Cadillac: 20-1
　
WHO ARE YA?
- TFC attackers have been told to use caution when patrolling the wings as a family of eight live in one of the craters that make up the Estadio Inependencia pitch
- The "Real" in Esteli's name, usually a moniker of royal association, was actually bestowed upon them by a 1987 touring "Prince" impersonator named Ernesto. Interestingly, his cover of "Purple Rain" was # 1 in the Nicaraguan charts for 5 weeks straight
- Esteli, Nicaragua's third largest city, is a fast-growing metropolis of nearly 120,000... including 9000 burros dressed as people for "fotografia" purposes. Local citizens are called Estellegettys and the main exports include uprisings, wispy moustaches and menacing knuckle-cracking
　
THE WAGER: 1-1 Draw (2011: 18-12 with 6 exact scores)
FUTURE HEADLINE: "TFC ESCAPES NICARAGUA - ANKLE BONES TO RETURN ON LATER FLIGHT"