THE MATCHUP: “Union Day" at BMO Field!

Danny Callif's button went unclaimed



TORONTO VS. PHILADELPHIA
　
BMO FIELD - SATURDAY 4:30PM ET
TV: SPORTSNET ONE
　
THE KICKABOUT:
Okay. Is THIS the real "new beginning"? After every cup victory for TFC this year, much has been made that the result would be the catalyst for much needed league success. As we all know, that has yet to happen but if the team spirit isn't right after snagging the club's fourth Canadian Championship on Wednesday evening, it may never be. The timing may be right for The Reds to break their league duck as Union are as close to a fellow struggler as we could find. But... what if it doesn't happen? If TFC falls back into old habits and... gasp... go 0-10... what next? The ever cool Aron Winter doesn't seem too worried but with no more cup matches until Champions League, the league is where they must now find victory.
　
While we rarely rant in a pre-match (we leave that for every other post and Twitter), we nearly choked on our own prognostication when TFC emailed their "valued" season ticket holders yesterday to inform us of the exciting "Caribbean Carnival" and Oktoberfest" promotions on their way. We have always joked that when BMO Field got to be half-full that a truckload of thundersticks, the "TFC City Dancers" and adorable mascot "StrikerPup" (TM) would emerge but we didn't expect ML$E to bite so soon. This is exactly the kind of garbage that a club that is far more interested in profits than product pulls. The lack of this stupidity is what drew genuine football fans to TFC in the first place. BMO Field was NOT like most of the other MLS stadiums that were drowning in "family fun" promotions and thus became renowned for its "real football experience". So "Teflon" Tom Anselmi - if you want to pack the house again, cut out this promo trash and give your "real fans" what they want - a stable and successful club on the pitch.
　
If you want to read more on this very bad sign for the future of the club, we highly recommend our good friend Duncan Fletcher's article on the topic at Waking The Red.
　
Now back to regularly scheduled idiocy...
　
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME: "The Fresh Prince of Wales Trophy"
　
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
TORONTO: Torsten Frings, Danny Koevermans, Ashtone Morgan
PHILADELPHIA: Freddy Adu, Danny Mwanga, Carlos Valdes
　
THE ODDS:
ML$E gameday promotion on Saturday will be...
- "United Steelworkers present "Union Day": 3-1
- "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air-A-Palooza": 10-1
- "Snakes in the South Stand Day": 25-1
　
WHO ARE YA?
The Danny Koevermans-billed "Worst Team in the World" moniker has gotten TFC into some hot water as basketball's Washington Generals are contemplating legal action. The Generals, best-known as the Harlem Globetrotters' whipping boys, make their living off of the "World's Worst Team" angle and are unhappy at TFC's claim to infame. Luckily it seems like a compromise will be found as ML$E's promotions department is adding a special gameday event where The Generals will play a "soccer-basketball" friendly vs. Toronto FC. The Generals will dress as Caribbean Germans while TFC will wear their special "Support the Troops" camouflage kits (soon available at RealSports for $129.99). Members of Liverpool FC's reserve squad will be the game officials. "All For One $"!
　
POST-MATCH HEADLINE: "UNION THUGS CROSS TFC LINES"

And now... because it's Friday and the Union have a snake on their badge... what else would we play? But since Duran Duran are unionized - here's some dude named Wilson from 1985...