AFTER 90: Tossed salad and scrambled eggs... they beat us again

"Next caller... schizophrenic football club..."



THE BUZZ:
On a day of big crowds in MLS, The Reds head to CenturyLink Field in Seattle (or whatever it's called this week) to face the Sounders and their famous fanbase. Tonight's matchup in North America's Sasquatch District may very well go to the team who can shake of their Champions League hangover the best. Will Sounders buck themselves up and rebound from their humiliation against Santos Laguna? Can TFC come down from their heady victory over Los Angeles and not think ahead to... er... Santos Laguna? Time to get ready, it's MLS First Kick for Sounders and Toronto FC as "SIXual Healing" starts here!
　
FIRST HALF:
17' - GOAL: Seattle - David Estrada
SEATTLE 1 - TORONTO 0
24' - SUB: Aaron Maund on for Torsten Frings
　
FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHT: Not seeing Ty Harden return for the second
FIRST HALF LOWLIGHT: Torsten Frings and possibly our season limping off the pitch
　
HALFTIME: SEATTLE 1 - TORONTO 0
　
SECOND HALF:
45' - SUB - Danny Koevermans for Ty Harden
51' - GOAL: Seattle - David Estrada
SEATTLE 2 - TORONTO 0
57' - SUB: Joao Plata on for Eric Avila
62' - GOAL: Toronto - Ryan Johnson
SEATTLE 2 - TORONTO 1
63'' - GOAL: Seattle - David Estrada
SEATTLE 3 - TORONTO 1
　
SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHT: Johnson's highlight reel screamer
SECOND HALF LOWLIGHT: Dunfield getting burned 50 seconds later to allow Estrada to cap his hat-trick
　
FULL TIME: SEATTLE 3 - TORONTO 1
　
PLAYER RATINGS: Milos Kocic 6 / Richard Eckersley 7 / Ty Harden 3.5 (Danny Koevermans 5.5) / Miguel Aceval 5.5 / Logan Emory 6 / Torsten Frings 6.5 (Aaron Maund 5.5) / Terry Dunfield 4.5 / Luis Silva 5.5 / Nick Soolsma 6 / Ryan Johnson 7 / Eric Avila 5 (Joao Plata 5.5)
　
THE YORKIES' TFC PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Richard Eckersley
　
THE MOOD:
It's likely too early to overreact but boy, didn't that feel like any of the last five seasons? The Reds seemed to be able to hold their own against Sounders and their engaged crowd but the calamitous opening goal that featured Ty Harden literally get spun around (knocking over Eckersley in the process), Terry Dunfield flap on the ground like an earthbound trout and the rest of the team watch like yokels while Milos Kocic was left exposed, sucked the mojo (not Mo Johnston) out of the team. Really, it was very, very downhill from there.
　
Of course, the real horror show tonight was watching Torsten Frings get injured and rapidly remove himself from the match. A man of his ilk and quality doesn't asked to be taken off for a little knock and the chances of a layoff for TFC's talisman seems likely. This of course highlights the danger of making Frings the "everyman". Through inability to address the terrible centreback situation, Frings has had to be everything to everyone and may have now broken down on a play where one of the world's best midfielders was the last man on defence. A painful loss, that may mean a painful season depending on medical test results.