The Toronto FC Sadvent Calendar: Day 3

"A TAXI FOR DAN GARGAN"

 

　

Few TFC transactions over the years can so consummately sum up the lack of preparation this club has during pre-season as this one. With barely enough players to fill a bench, Kringle-esque GM Maurice Johnston signed blue-collar plumber trialist Dan Gargan so late that the defender had to change into his kit in a taxi bound for Columbus' Crew Stadium.
A holiday miracle!

　

Check back tomorrow and open another Sadvent window!

Yorkies Cards 2011 - Pack 2

Didja like what you've seen so far? If you answered "no" then it probably won't get much better than that.  In this package of brilliance, you will find the inaction shots of Milos Kocic, 2010-workhorse-2011-goat Dan Gargan and the biggest endorsement 'miss' going of the not-yet-Harvey's sponsored Torsten Frings.

Download Pack 2 [PDF]

AFTER 90: Unbeaten Streak's Day Off

I had the same look on my face watching TFC



IN THE TUNNEL:
Rarefied air for Toronto FC as they fly into suburban Chicago's Toyota Park tonight. Not only are The Reds trying to extend an unbeaten streak that goes back nearly a month now but they also face a team lower than themselves in the MLS table. Fire have been sputtering this season and look ripe for the picking but TFC is on the bad end of a Central American round trip and are carrying some big knocks with them. Will The Torontos manage to shake the away form monkey from their backs? Will Dan Gargan score a hat trick against his old club? Are games in Chicago suburbs the same as John Hughes' suburban Chicago movies?
　
ON THE PITCH:
1' - A sunny night in suburban Chicago but no sign of any members of The Breakfast Club, Gary & Wyatt, or Long Duk Dong. Kick-off...
3' - Early pressure from Fire as Patrick Nyarko forces a save from Milos Kocic
7' - Young TFC bulldog Matt Stinson cracks a long range blast that forces a big save by Fire GK Sean Johnson
10' - No sign of Abe Froman - Sausage King of Chicago
16' - GOAL: Fire's Dominic Oduro gets on the end of a little TFC defensive pinball and slides the ball past a diving Kocic. Geeks, wastoids. dweebies.
CHICAGO 1 - TORONTO 0
22' - "Defence?... Defence?... Defence?..."
32' - Ryan Johnson breaks free and takes shot on Sean Johnson. Johnson v Johnson. Sean comes out Head & Shoulders above. I'm here all week. Try the knackwurst.
37' - Julian "de Bomber" de Guzman goes close on yet another long-range attempt. Feeling confident on those lately
40' - "Dominic Oduro moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss him."
44' - Marco Pappa doesn't preach but almost makes Milos Kocic lose sleep with a curling volley from just outside the TFC area. Big save by the lanky Balkan
45' - Ref blows to end the half - tells Ed Rooney to make sure Sloane is waiting outside Toyota Park
　
HALFTIME: CHICAGO 1 - TORONTO 0
　
45' - SUB: Is that Abe Froman?! Oh, no it's just Nathan Sturgis. In for the underwhelming Javier Martina.
47' - Fire could have been up by two if Sebastian Grazzini hadn't fluffed a huge opportunity in front of Kocic
50' - de Guzman strikes a good right-footed shot that cracks the Fire post and Joao Plata barely misses putting home the rebound. Very close to equalizing
55' - Ball shot into stands. Caught by dapper teen and his two friends. Holds ball up to show the crowd.
60' - SUB: The effective de Guzman replaced on the hour mark by Belgian supervillain Mikael Yourassowsky
67' - Kocic forced to rush out of goal and crash into a charging Oduro to make a very crucial save
68' - GOAL: You are effing kidding me. Dan Gargan. Goal. Words do not exist.
CHICAGO 2 - TORONTO 0
72' - Frings & Iro: "Where's your brain?" "Why'd you kick me?" "Where's your brain?" "Why'd you kick me?" "Where's your brain?" "I asked you first."
77' - Ryan Johnson grazes the post with a header. TFC's main offensive threat tonight
80' - SUB: Ashtone Morgan seeing out the game for Danleigh Borman
84' - "SAVE KOEVERMANS"
90'+ - Ref whistles to end the match as TFC's bus driver becomes distraught when finding out that the miles aren't coming off the bus' mileage gauge by running it in reverse
　
FULL TIME: CHICAGO 2 - TORONTO 0
　
IN THE BATHS:
"In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in an effort to alleviate the effects of the... Anyone? Anyone?... the Great Depression, passed the... Anyone? Anyone? The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered?... raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? Anyone know the effects? It did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression. Today we have a similar debate over this. Anyone know what this is? Class? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone seen this before? The Laffer Curve. Anyone know what this says? It says that at this point on the revenue curve, you will get exactly the same amount of revenue as at this point. This is very controversial. Does anyone know what Aron Winter called this in 2011? Anyone? Something-t-a-l football. "Total" football."
　
PLAYER RATINGS: Milos Kocic 7 / Richard Eckersley 6 / Torsten Frings 6 / Andy Iro 5.5 / Danleigh Borman 5.5 / Matt Stinson 6.5 / Julian de Guzman 6.5 (Mikael Yourassowsky 5) / Peri Marosevic 6 / Javier Martina 5 (Nathan Sturgis 5.5 ) / Ryan Johnson 6.5 / Joao Plata 5.5
　
THE YORKIES' TFC MAN OF THE MATCH: Milos Kocic
TALKING POINT: Too many "Days Off" this year. Discuss.

The Gargan not released - Fire'd

"What the hell do I do with that thing?!"



The Dan Gargan mystery was put to rest this morning with the affable defender's trade to Chicago Fire. It was widely reported, and accepted, that Gargan had received an outright release by TFC earlier this week but the club never made an official announcement.
　
Word has it that the Gargan release was nearly a done deal until Chicago Fire showed some last minute interest. After brief negotiations, Gargan was dealt to the Windy City along with a 2012 2nd Round Draft Pick for Dasan Robinson, a 27-year old utility defender. Robinson, by all accounts a Fire fan favourite and solid citizen, is a RB/CB who has made 82 appearances with Fire but only two as a starter in 2011.
　
On the surface, the deal seems like a slight upgrade for TFC but now creates more questions with a right side that features Robinson, Richard Eckersley and Eddy Viator. With all three capable of filling in next to Andy Iro in the centre, the move will do little to solidify the future of the one-dimensional (and Preki-leftover) Ty Harden. As with all of The Reds' recent moves, it would seem like the dealing may yet to be done.

62 losses in a 6-2 loss

"I got 62 problems but FC Zurich ain't one"



When you are beaten down so badly by a 14-month-old expansion club at your home ground, it is hard to see much past the digits on the scoreboard. 24 hours later, most ardent Toronto FC supporters are still feeling wounded by the experience of the 6-2 loss to Philadelphia - The Reds most humiliating home loss in its history. As bad as Dan Gargan and Ty Harden's charitable donations to Union's scoreline were; the shockingly underwhelming display of heart in majority of the rest of the squad; and, the seemingly bewildered state of Aron Winter; this was more than just a lopsided one-match set-back. In dishonour of the pathetic scoreline of 6-2, here are 62 other things lost at BMO Field yesterday...

- Three points at home
- $50 dollars lost betting on "the under"
- Julian de Guzman's last twelve supporters
- Enough creatively effective swear words to aim at Ty Harden
- Atmosphere
- Richard Eckersley's refusal to return to League Two Football
- Away matches seeming tougher than home fixtures
- Plans (or necessity) for stadium expansion
- A summer without fake DP rumours to sell season tickets
- Zero viewers on GolTV (already too low)
- Dan Gargan's right to put word "defender" on resume
- Crowded Supporters' Sections
- A chance to stick it to French playboy Sebastien Le Toux
- Another chunk of Aron Winter's reputation for picking line-ups
- Demitrius Omphroy's planned "Suck It Philly" tattoo
- Interest in how many free pizzas won at halftime
- Use of positive adjectives in blogs
- A chance of winning the "Cheesesteak v Butty" Derby on aggregate
- 30% of hearing from blaring pre-match music
- Scalpers' kids university tuition payments
- Large numbers of people who once thought DeRo played selfishly
- Joao Plata's 6-inch shoe lifts
- The enthusiastic second verse of "The Dichio Song"
- A chance to watch The Champions League pre-match show
- Some half-digested Chip Buttys
- Don Garber's glowing compliments of TFC as a "model franchise"
- Sales of "This Is Our House" t-shirts
- Any regrets Kevan Aleman had about not signing with the Academy
- Rohan Ricketts' interest in tweeting about #TFC
- Two hours of life
- 1000 names off MLSE's famous season ticket "waiting list"
- Chance to watch Stevanage Borough's dramatic playoff win
- Dutch players' celebratory post-match pancake
- The ability to show our faces in Chester, Pennsylvania
- New fans
- Persuading Academy prospects not to choose clown college instead
- Chance to see Nick Soolsma's post-goal tribute to Latino Hip-Hop
- Fans caring enough to even bother booing
- Keith Makubuya's usual happy post-match "Booyah!" greeting
- Ignoring family when they ask "why you pay money to be miserable"
- Stock in Jurgen Klinsmann's "Soccer Solutions" company
- The last 3 1/2 chapters of Union's 5-Year Plan
- Stefan Frei's chances of a summer transfer to FC Zurich
- Any chance of selling extra seats
- Nana Attakora's belief in himself
- Not a minute of sleep on the MLSE Board of Directors
- The unlikelihood of cheerleaders, thundersticks and a fluffy mascot
- Bob de Klerk's mind
- Another day in our second 5-Year Plan
- Adrian Cann's photoshoot in "Winning Athlete" magazine
- Other clubs' transfer interest in any TFC players
- Complaints about noise
- Players making eye contact with supporters
- Maicon Santos' desire to Lambada the night away
- Our one match with non-biblical weather
- Opportunities to make Fresh Prince jokes at Union's expense
- Chance for one Winter press-conference without word "pity"
- Time before Danny Dichio inevitably named next manager
- Any feeling that you weren't in a one-way love affair with TFC
- Whitecaps' nerves over NutCan replay
- Dicoy Williams' "Irie"-ness
- Player's self respect... we hope