Auf Wiedersehen Herr Kapitan

A bittersweet farewell



"Frustration": Webster's German Dictionary calls it der Frust… then says a bunch of stuff in German. We assume it's about sausages. Soon, it may contain a passage about Torsten Frings' time at Toronto FC. What started as ein bang back in 2011 has now ended in ein whimper as The Reds say goodbye to their talismanic captain - and the club's most famous player - after he decided to retire due to lingering injury.
　
With an illustrious playing career in the Bundesliga and the German national team behind him, Frings joined Toronto FC, along with Danny Koevermans, in the summer of 2011 in what was supposed to herald in Phase 2 of Aron Winter's Total Plan. Of course, "Total" turned into totally sad and as his new club's fortunes spluttered (again) so did the luck of the midfield general. Whether it was the wear and tear of MLS travel, artificial surfaces and summer heat on Frings' physique or just a blend of bad luck and age, his body started to let him down. His pace dropped off dramatically (even during his tenure at TFC) and a rash of injuries saw him miss large portions of seasons. It seems as if the latest hip injury was his career's final blow.
　
There may be a rash urge to blame Winter/Mariner/Payne/modern day hip-hop for the disappointing nature of Frings' time here but this one may have to be put down to bad luck. Few argued Frings' signing at the time - players with his pedigree, smarts and clout don't come along that often. His presence in the midfield was meant to be the sun that the other pieces of a now failed experiment were meant to orbit. It was a nice, but likely too lofty, ideal. No one can predict injuries and few would have truly believed TFC would have fallen so much further into the abyss as they have since he joined.
　
For Kevin Payne, Frings’ choice to end his DP contract is a fortuitous one. This may possibly lead some to suspicion that the German was gently nudged out in a cold and calculated cap room jettison. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle – we will likely never know. What Payne does (or what he hasn't done) with his bundle o’ cash is an argument for another day but if Torsten Frings was unlikely to play serious minutes for the club this year - any other GM in MLS would have quietly welcomed the news. For better or worse, Payne seeks increased maneuverability in the transfer market and this move almost clears his decks as far as his inherited contracts go with only Richard Eckersley, Darren O'Dea and Danny Koevermans in the "hefty" category. That was not a Koef pancake joke.
　
For Frings himself, this must be an awful blow for a warrior and much respected professional. After such a long career full of tremendous highs it will not be the way he wanted to walk off the pitch. He will look back and perhaps cringe at a club that was in a constant state of upheaval for his entire stay while being surrounded by teammates that would never match his footballing IQ. Joining another club as a player is unlikely (unless it was a staged run-out with Werder Bremen for a few minutes) but he will no doubt remain in football as his former club has been pining for him to join as a coach for some time now. Kevin Payne has also hinted that Frings will continue to work with TFC in some capacity in Europe.
　
Frings will move on, Toronto FC will stumble along as they do, and eventually one day the supporters at BMO Field will look back and at least fondly remember watching a modern-day international superstar - even if he was a shadow of the World Cup hero he once was. However, as with Dwayne De Rosario, Julian de Guzman (despite different circumstances) and countless others who arrived with bangs and left with whimpers, many fans - and no doubt Frings - will say "it should have worked out so much better".

LETTERS FROM CAMP: Fring the bell?

He's the new "Grumpy Cat"



DOWN AND ALMOST OUT?
He came into camp seemingly "close" to being ready; he played for around 20 minutes in TFC's first spring friendly; he suddenly returned to Toronto for mysterious "personal reasons"; today, word is emerging that he is at least 2 months away from fitness and that even more dramatically - he may be on the verge of having his TFC career ended. Yes, it seems like the stern captain of TFC, Torsten Frings, could very well be at the final exit of his Canadian autobahn.

If the once-brilliant midfield general isn't likely to play a role for TFC until May or June it is safe to assume that Kevin Payne (if he isn't still missing) will do what he can to end the German's DP contract before the beginning of the regular season. It would be a sad end for a classy player and not the way Reds supporters would have wanted him to go out but a cold and calculated move may be what offers TFC the best manoeuvrability going forward. If the end of Frings really is nigh, Toronto fans can be comforted that one of the best midfielders of the last 20 years played here, but saddened that we never saw him close to his best. More to surely come.
　
THE LOAN ARRANGER?
Does Kevin Payne want to buy your gold, silver and unwanted jewellery? No. But, he may be trying to pad out the paper-thin roster with a couple of loan signings just a week before the season begins. The woefully attack-free Reds possibly have their non-transfer eyeballs on two attackers - QPR-product Hogan "The Raisinballs" Ephraim and Honduran, Romell "The Latino Fox" Quioto.
　
The Ephraim rumour was started when the player himself hashtagged the word #Toronto on his Twitter account and seemed to engage in a little football career talk with a friend. It could however have some extra legs due to his QPRness which he shares with TFC's new manager Ryan Nelsen.

#Toronto
— Hogan Ephraim (@HoganEphraim) February 21, 2013

If simply hashtagging something makes it happen, here goes: #SexyBillionaireAstronaut
　
The Quioto re-rumour is not the first time that his name has been attached to Toronto this spring. The update, appearing in Central American football press, may be nothing more than the ramblings of C.D. Vida President and professional hint-dropper Carla Dip who seems to think that transfers are completed by announcing them on Honduran internet machines.
　
THIS $12 BUD'S FOR YOU
Terrible beer news: have you hated paying through the nose at BMO Field for stale Carlsberg for the last six years? Not to fear, even staler-er Budweiser will now be on tap instead! Marf. (Mouth + Barf = Marf) This original deal was worked out last autumn but has been expanded to incorporate a whole spectrum of annoying promotions. To poorly paraphrase Monty Python: "Why is drinking a pint at BMO Field like sex in a canoe? It's fucking close to water"

LETTERS FROM CAMP: Smell you later

Backwards hat? Check. Fluent German? Sure. Why not?

 

Those of you who are regulars here (Pete, Steve - how's the wife?) know that we are physically, dare I say spiritually, unable to pass up the opportunity to "Fresh'n" up the site when we face Philadelphia. We just can't seem to resist the temptation to honour the City of Brotherly Love's greatest ever citizen who was in fact born, and yes, raised there. In fact... on the playground is indeed where he spent the majority of his days.

However, this site is first and foremost a kafka-esque playhouse of football-related malarkey- serious sports news outlet, so we must mesh the pressing stories surrounding Toronto FC with this aforementioned spiritual journey/Carlton. With that in mind we present you with a topical tome, followed by some-nonsense hard-hitting sports analysis on Philadelphia v Toronto live from O-Town, FLA.

"The Fresh Frings of Werd-air"

Now this ist die story all about how
Meine life got flipped, turned upside down
Und I'd like to take ein minute just wait und see
I'll tell you how my contract ends at Toronto FC

At Werder Bremen is where I played
In Weserstadion where I spent most of meine days
Cap back, tattooed und looking quite mean
Shooting der free kicks in a kit dass was green
When a couple of guys, Winter und de Klerk
Started making offers for some new kind of work
I got on one little flight und joined a club that's a mess
And said "I'll finish meine career in der M.L und S."

I played at der BMO for nearly two years
We barely won a match und could hear der fans jeer
Injured und older but still mit long hair
I played out last season under Paul Marin-air!

I pulled up in Orlando, saw a squad not-so-great
Und I told Payne und Nelly "Yo, homes smell you later!"
Look at my hip, it does not have one more season
It's time to go home, just say "personal reasons..."

Now to the business at hand, if your hand is in Orlando or on your computer's mouse. Those striker-phobic Reds face Union in what is possibly their final Mickey Mouse Cup match of 2013. Just for shiggles, TFC ended the trial of Argentine winger Nicolas Cabrera but added two new trilaists with even less pedigree. Joining the club is Norwegian/NCAA defensive "prospect" Henrik "Norwegian Nickname" Robstad whose claim to fame is leaving school and being cut at San Jose Earthquakes camp; and, sometime Canadian international central midfielder - and most recent superstar of the German third tier - Jonathan Beaulieu-"Beef"-Bourgault. Well... colour us... um... perplexed.

 

Meanwhile, TFC management's quest "southwards" (no doubt scouting for all positions except forwards) must have gone past South America, over the South Pole and is headed back towards Canada. You're on the clock Greenland League players. To the "action"...

 

KICK-OFF: Sound and vision intact on a very blustery Disney day. If Daffy Duck wore trousers they would have blown off

5' - Trialist getting a chance today with Taylor Morgan and Ashton Bennett looking lively early on

8' - GOAL: Philadelphia - French-born Antoine Hoppenot slices through TFC defence like hot knife through brie. Tres easy.

PHILADELPHIA 1 - TORONTO 0

15' - Is "Up shit creek without a striker" a trademarked phrase?

20' - Emery Welshman beats his defender in the box and lays it off to open man... Jeremy Hall... do we need to write the rest?

25' - In addition to lack of anything close to finishing from TFC, physical domination by Philadelphia is not inspiring

30' - The Wide World of Sports "stadium" may be minor league but it has two things over BMO Field - a roof and a food truck named Yum Yum's

41' - GOAL: Philadelphia - So easy for Roger Torres to make his way through a TFC defence very guilty of ball-watching

PHILADELPHIA 2 - TORONTO 0

45' - If things are supposed to get better through pre-season, TFC didn't get the memo. Arguably their worst half so far this spring. Bad at both ends. Unlike a lunch from Yum Yum's.


HALFTIME: PHILADELPHIA 2 - TORONTO 0

 45' - No changes to start the 2nd Half... since the 1st Half was such a fine tuned footballing machine. Apparently.

51' - GOAL: Philadelphia - Union trialist Matt Kassel jumps all over a miserable TFC defensive clearance to put Philly up by three. Ugly.

PHILADELPHIA 3 - TORONTO 0

57' - Luis Silva with the closest thing to a scoring opportunity. And that is generous.

60' - In retrospect, watching Disney characters fight the wind would have been more fun. Looking at you Winnie The Pooh

64' - Wholesale changes for TFC as the likes of Kyle Bekker, Andrew Wiedeman and Reggie Lambe join the "battle" along with a debut for Jonathan Beaulieu-Beef-Bourgault

69' - Danny Califf and "Slappa De" Bassi on for Gale Agbossoumonde and Darren O'Dea. Why Califf and O'Dea are not working on their partnership is obviously beyond our feeble football minds

72' - The subs keep rolling (meatball for me please) as Justin Braun takes over as THE ONLY TORONTO FC STRIKER for Taylor Morgan
80' - Justin Braun with a chance. Seemed newsworthy.

85' - If TFC had an auntie and uncle in Bel-Air... they'd be on a plane by now
FINAL WHISTLE: For those of you who get their post-match wrap-up by reading this over sitting through the online stream... you're welcome. You were able to avoid watching TFC give their worst spring performance so far and resembling the worst parts of TFC 2012. Except without an actual recognized striker. Yes, we still see the silver linings of being patient and not panic buying... but c'mon. There has to be a point, when all the teams around TFC seem very able to buy players, where The Reds go out and pick up some actual reinforcements. If today's team goes into opening day, a lot of supporters with a justified lack of patience, will be extremely upset.

FULL TIME: PHILADELPHIA 3 - TORONTO 0

And... while you sit on your throne here is Der Prinz von Bel Air... 

LETTERS FROM CAMP: It's personal...

Down for the count?

IT'S NOT ME, IT'S YOU?
Could TFC be on the verge of breaking up with their main man a day after Valentine's Day? That would be cold - Taylor Swift dumping cold - but it was the first thought for many Reds supporters this morning when the club dropped this solemn tweet...

#TFC training update: Torsten Frings has returned to Toronto to deal with personal matters. He will continue to rehab in Toronto.
— Toronto FC (@torontofc) February 15, 2013

Now let's not add zwei and zwei and come up with funf just yet but Das Kapitan is obviously at the very tail end of his career and there are major question marks about his ability to play in Toronto this year. Throw in his generous salary and the fact that TFC have a couple of weeks to make any DP-slicing decisions and the whispers gather steam. Perhaps it is a completely innocent coincidence but the zungen are wagging.

FEAT. THE ROY G.
Here's an absolute left-field assumption that is admittedly without proof... have TFC invited an English journeyman, with bags of experience in the middle of the park, as an emergency back-up for an imminent hole in that area? Ok... it's a stretch but the club have invited 32-year old Cockney Darel Francis "Roy G." Russell to camp for a run about. The veteran of such clubs as Norwich, Stoke, Norwich again, Preston and Portsmouth is versatile but definitely of the "workman' model. Don't expect step overs and 360's but (some of his many) middle names are "Roy G." which sounds like a guy who is "Feat." in a rap video. So there is that. Yo.

AIR MILES

Reds' Head Coach Ryan Nelsen is headed back to England. No, he's not planning to suit up for QPR, he's headed over to close up shop on his old life and apparently scout a few players while there. No word if he has finished doing Harry Redknapp's taxes which may or may not have been part of his agreed release. When Nelsen does return in a few days he will be down a man as Matt Stinson will be out for an undetermined amount of time after getting injured against Orlando City on Wednesday. So scout away Nelly! (Psst... a striker or three please.)

 

 



LETTERS FROM CAMP: Payne management

"It's good to talk..."



With just a few days before The Reds go all snowbird and head down to Orlando ("WHOOO! SPRING BREAK!"), Kevin Payne took time away from packing his mesh "Daytona Beach '84" tank-tops to hold a round-table discussion with some members of the mainstream Toronto football media. The boss of all things Eff Cee seemed to be in "line drawn in sand" mode which may or may not be a beach metaphor. Here's a few of K-Payne's phat rhymes...
　
ON THE KIDS:
- Some TFC Academy players will be invited to join the first team down in Florida due to some early "impressive performances".
- No word if they will be allowed any beachside hijinks with locals much like in the 1983 seminal theatrical spring break opus... "Spring Break"
　
ON NEW SIGNINGS:
- TFC are "looking almost exclusively south" for new players adding that European targets are "overpriced"
- Somewhere Mikael Yourassowsky said "WTF man?!"
- Did not get into any type of financial conversation about the Greek Debt Crisis or the falling value of the Euro over the Honduran Lempira
- Club is hoping to announce new signing this week or early next week but warned "it has been a complex deal"
- Possibly related, possibly not, but definitely complex, Payne dropped that "Peralta deal is not dead"
- In addition to the above 'imminent deal' the club is also working on 3 further deals with attacking players preferably under the age of 27.
　
ON THE MONEYZ:
- Claimed that the business side of TFC was in "great shape"
- Thousands of TFC supporters rolled their eyes in unison
- Ryan Nelsen was awarded a three-year contract
　
ON FITNESS:
- "Very disappointed" that "many players showed up unfit" and that "1 or 2 were not even close to being fit"
- Sternly stated "that won't happen again"
　
ON THE DP'S:
- When asked about Torsten Frings, Payne stated "he's deserving of every opportunity to prove he can still do the job" but then quickly added that the German is not in full training yet.
- Claimed that there are "no discussions yet to buy (Frings) out"
- Journalists likely safe to put "yet" in all caps
- Payne was clear that "buying out a DP is an option". Clubs may only do this once a year if you were hoping to hear that Frings, Hassli and Koevermans were all on a bus to Pearson.
- Rather randomly dropped that "the jury is out on Hassli". Not sure what the Frenchman is charged with but it sounds ominous in a 12 Angry Men kind of way
- When asked if it was explained to him why Hassli's contract was renewed a week before he was hired, Payne paused and wryly said "No."
- Somewhere Paul Mariner's ears started to burn.
- Unsurprising to most, Danny Koevermans won't likely be ready to play until the end of June at the earliest. His form would likely be found a month or two after that.
- As if wanting to end things with a big asterisk, Payne let it be known that the 3 DP's along with Darren O'Dea and Richard Eckersley eat up a "very, very large percentage of the salary cap"... so see you this time next year?
　
IN PARTING:
- First home fixture now solidly scheduled for SkyDome on March 9 at 1:30 PM. Get your thundersticks now!
- Payne may or may not have put on mesh "Daytona Beach '84" tank-top and strapped surfboard on top of Studebaker station wagon with Florida plates and peeled out of BMO Field parking lot.

Balls of String: Stories to watch as Toronto FC plays out a lost season

"Today's attendance is 19,575... thank you fans"



Getting casual fans to watch TFC matches when times were good... well at least fun.... was a challenge. Now, as yet another season enters the "playing for next year" phase, even getting the most ardent supporters interested grows harder. For those of you who know they are addicted to this club and will be back next year despite 2012, finding a reason to watch a futile string of matches may be frustrating. So, if you need more reasons to watch a match aside from hearing Thomas Rongen's Dutch "donkey hitting his foot on a rock" analogy - here are some stories that you can keep your eye on...
　
FRINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
When we last heard, the club whispered under its breath that club captain Torsten Frings had suffered a hip injury and had headed back to Deutschland to visit some BundesDoctors. The wording seemed to hint that Frings may be shut down for the year and if that is the case - is it unreasonable to think that TFC may cut ties with the Bavarian talisman? Frings has definitely lost a step this season (possibly due to injury) but with only a year left on the pricey 35-year old, will the club look in a different direction? Also see: Danny Koevermans
NOW UPDATED WITH 50% MORE HORRIBLE TRUTH (HERE)
　
EL MILAGRO DE LA CONCACAF
Most sane Reds supporters would concede that TFC's 3-1 loss to Santos Laguna at BMO Field all but ends the club's quest to progress in Champions League. While all signs point to "no way Jose", could TFC pull out a miraculous double of victories in Mexico and El Salvador AND get help to steal their CCL Group?
　
4-4-?
While not exactly blessed with a plethora of football knowledge in his starting eleven, Paul Mariner's tactics as manager have been described (sometimes fairly, sometimes not) as "dump and chase" or "hoof ball". Decried as a relic of 1960's English football, the style has even drawn mocking from opponents and without the scoring prowess of Danny Koevermans has not been effective. Will Mariner try to massage a little more "football" into his soccer in an attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff in his squad?
　
THAT ONE'S A KEEPER
It seems pretty evident that a TFC keeper is being frozen. No, not by an opponent from the penalty spot but by the coaching staff. After Stefan Frei went down with a major injury, Milos Kocic became the defacto # 1 but recently he has been replaced by very raw Bermudian Freddy Hall. Is Kocic's benching a sign that his TFC days are numbered and is Frei headed back to his place as The Reds' main man in goal for 2013?
　
END OF THE ROAD?
We may only see them if garbage minutes allow but it would seem as if 2012 may mark the end for a few old faces. Adrian Cann and Ty Harden have been phantoms (even when not injured) and do not seem to fit into Mariner's plans while other names such as Eric Avila have been surprising in their omissions. More than a few Reds may be down to their last few weeks with the club.
　
PETER OUT OR "PAUL" UP?
The on-field performance lately has been far from inspiring. Lack of talent is one thing but coming out flat is just downright infuriating for fans to watch. With little to play for except clichés, will we see a scrappy TFC inspired by their manager - or, will heads and effort levels drop in unison as other teams prepare for the playoffs?
　
CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE?
Will the blend of injuries and general lack of talent on the club allow Paul Mariner to "audition" the younger members of the team for 2013? While a few veterans will be necessary to give the appearance of "trying" to win, the remaining fixtures may be an opportunity to see what youngsters can really cut it at the MLS level. While the likes of Ashtone Morgan and Luis Silva have solidified a future, names like Aaron Maund, Quincy Amarikwa, Matt Stinson and Logan Emory still need to show they have the consistency to demand a salary next year.
　
BIT OF A HASSLI
The imposing Frenchman avec le tattoos du neck was brought over to TFC as something of a panic buy after Danny Koevermans went down for the season and beyond. As far as panic buys go, he's a fairly good one - despite likely being able to snatch him for free at the end of 2012 if the injury hadn't forced Mariner's hand. However, Hassli has yet to find any consistency and has been far from the replacement needed up top. The Reds once again find themselves desperate for a consistent goalscorer but will Hassli find the form in the last few weeks of 2012 to warrant his pricey return?
　
TICKETS! WHO NEEDS 'EM, WHO WANTS "EM?
Oh to be a TFC Season Ticket Rep over the next few months. Not an enviable task. Through no fault of their own (except guilt by association), these poor souls will have to convince TFC season ticket holders to hand over wads of cash for yet another season that is yet to hold promise of much different. Many Day One ticket holders are finally calling it a day and casual support is bleeding on a weekly basis. Will MLSE have the Saputo-prodded smarts to lower season tickets across the board? GASP! Will they freeze ticket prices once again? Can they offer anything to the long-abused to avoid TFC matches from resembling FC Dallas matches? This is a question that only time will tell.
　
C.O.-OH NO!
The inevitable coronation of Tom Anselmi to MLSE's COO (aka head virgin sacrificer) will have many TFC supporters rolling their eyes. How a man so directly involved with the slaying of a golden goose is exalted to one of North America's highest sports management positions is beyond us, but hey. Maple Leafs and Raptors fans are suddenly screaming that "the sky is falling", but to them we say... "you are absolutely right". Welcome to our world. From a TFC slant, it will be interesting to see if Anselmi continues his iron grip over the club or if in a move of appeasement, an actual football man (not looking at you Earl Cochrane or Jim Brennan) is put into place as a TFC "President". Either that or the new owners move the Argos into BMO, get us a fluffy mascot, thundersticks and the TFC City Dancers. Whatevs.

THE STARTING 11: Reasons why Torsten Frings tossed the captain's armband away

Voller: men's hairstyling legend



If there was a bad movie-of-the-week about Saturday's loss to D.C. United, the moment when Torsten Frings came off the pitch injured would have been very melodramatic. Frings (as played by Casper Van Dien in the film) marched off the field injured and frustrated and tossed aside the black captain's armband in what looked like a disgusted motion. (Imagine the armband hitting the grass in slow-motion with thudding sound effects and the crowd gasping... now!) After the match, the renowned professional Frings dismissed talk that the tossing was an act of impudence but rather that he needed to leave the pitch in a hurry for treatment. Yup. But what else could be behind Das Kapitan's doffing of cloth?
　
11. Somewhere, a baseball cap was in dire need of reversing
　
10. With De Ro in attendance, Frings thought it was tradition for TFC captains to make a bold silent gesture of disgust
　
9. Hasn't yet learned how to say "I've had enough of this f*cking sh*t, I’m a God damned World f*cking Cup legend" in English
　
8. Upset after his pre-match attempts to style his long hair into a 1980's Rudi Voller style perm failed once again
　
7. After himself, he felt that the next best team leader would be a blade of grass
　
6. Armband still slippery with hair product from Jim Brennan's days as Toronto FC captain
　
5. Thought that Joao Plata was going to take his place and was simply tossing it down to where his arm should be
　
4. Furious with Miguel Aceval's inability to pronounce Borussia Moenchengladbach properly
　
3. Far too anxious about the future of the European Union's financial austerity measures after the election of socialist Francois Hollande as French President
　
2. Had to get into the locker room quickly before Danny Koevermans ate all of the Black Forest Cake that his family sent from Bavaria
　
1. It was actually an experiment to see if anything could plummet to the ground faster than TFC's playoff hopes

In honour of our Kapitan here he is on lead guitar performing with German pop sensation Peter Schilling. Also, Miroslav Klose on drums...

Achtung defence! Field Marshal Frings out of action for 4-6 weeks

Great, now who will do... um... everything?



The news that TFC supporters were dreading came out through the Toronto mist like a miserable German foghorn. Reds' captain, talisman... well, Mr. Everything... Torsten Frings will be out of action for 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury. With one gut-busting, turf-ridden tackle, The Reds' early season went from one full of optimism and excitement - to a hand wringing, month-and-a-half of hoping that the rag-taggiest bunch of defenders can hold some kind of shape until Das Kapitan returns.
　
The injury of course illuminates the serious deficiency of building a one-man team. While there are a few quality players on Toronto FC, the tactics have been built in a way that without Frings, almost everything else falls apart. Because of the inability to properly bolster the backline and an underperforming central midfield, Aron Winter made Frings "the everyman", responsible for babysitting a porous defence while then trying to orchestrate the engine room. While blaming this for Frings' injury maybe naive, it hurts to see the club's finest ever player hurt on a play that was caused by the centrebacks' inability to hold their line.
　
Of course, this is all hindsight now and The Reds have to prepare for life without Frings for the foreseeable future. Players who have so far been anywhere between mediocre, down to inept, have to step up their game in a very big way. On defence there will be no more babysitter for Ty Harden and Miguel Aceval and the temptation to rush back Adrian Cann may be hard to resist. In the midfield, if there was ever a time for Julian de Guzman to prove his worth - it is now. He must find the way to be the puppet master of the offence and become the link-up between the frantic defence and the jumpy forwards.
　
It is going to be a big ask for the whole squad, now bereft of the man they leaned far too heavily on but perhaps that is the only silver lining. This is the opportunity for many players to show what they are made of and their value to this club. If there is a failure to step up to the challenge, The Reds could already be in a big hole in six weeks’ time.

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.

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]

"Glory To Torsten Frings"

"Torsten played in Bethlehem Bremen"



SkyDome is being hung with wreaths, Stan Bentley has put on his festive gentleman's loungewear, The Rumoumeter is frozen this week by TFC's lack of activity and Collin Samuel just ate all the stuffing. With the holidays upon us, we want to take the time to join together with you, our cherished readers, for a classic Christmas carol sing-a-long in the key of "Hark The Herald Angels Sing"... but with a Bavarian twist.
　
"GLORY TO TORSTEN FRINGS"
　
Hark the drunken Reds' fans sing
"Glory to Torsten Frings!
Black tattoos and hair so wild
The midfield has been reconciled"
Joyful, all the sections cheer
Joining triumph, spilling beer
BMO Field in harmony...
"The saviour came from Germany"
Hark! The drunken Reds' fans sing
"Glory to Torsten Frings!"

Captain's armband he does wear
MLS forwards now beware!
Late in summer he arrived
The CCL we then survived
Came from Bremen on a free
Veiled in ballcap backwardly
Happy owners with star to sell
Frings, our DP plays so well
Hark! The drunken Reds' fans sing
"Glory to Torsten Frings!"
　
Hail the German midfield rock!
Other midfields we now mock!
Heart to TFC he brings
Tackling from the mid to wings
Playing hard's what he demands
Opening space for Koevermans
A World Cup hero yes it's true
The Captain in shirt 22
Hark! The drunken Reds' fans sing
"Glory to... Torsten Frings!"
　
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF OUR READERS!

THE STARTING 11: Recent changes in Toronto FC's dressing room

"Mr. Bojangles can partner me at CB boss"



To say the last few days have been a time of great change at BMO Field would be a major understatement. While most people familiar with The Reds are used to the revolving door with playing staff, the sheer amount of new faces in such a short period is still quite monumental. Such change affects the club at all levels of course but nowhere can it be felt as much as within the club's most inner sanctum - the dressing room...
　
11. "Hello My Name Is..." tags
　
10. Dan Gargan and Ty Harden's permanently packed suitcases
　
9. A countdown clock over Julian de Guzman's locker
　
8. "Lonely Planet: Nicaragua" guidebooks
　
7. Stickers on Danny Koeverman's boots saying "Pass Ball Here"
　
6. Dicoy Williams and Ryan Johnson's new pirate radio station
　
5. Intercity bus & train schedules
　
4. Joao Plata walking around like he's 5 Foot Tall
　
3. Torsten Frings giant ghetto blaster pumping out the sounds of hardcore "Oompah-Pah" and David Hasselhoff music
　
2. Andy Iro keeps breathing life into dead mice
　
1. 25 Copies of book "What to Expect when you Expect to be Traded"

You wait all year for a Designated Player, then two come at once!

The criticisms surrounding Aron Winter & Co's "re-building" of Toronto FC had recently started to reach alarming levels in some supporting circles. A lack of results and seemingly neutral development on the pitch coupled with relative quiet off the pitch started to make murmurs of displeasure turn into yells. For a good majority of long-suffering Reds supporters though, patience was always going to be paramount with the summer transfer window the first litmus test for the new management. As far as tests go, it was a good first day.

　
A couple of weeks before the international transfer window opens in MLS, Toronto FC made a massive splash today by inking two Designated Players - German midfield legend Torsten Frings and Dutch hitman Danny Koevermans. With the 2011 season being lost in the dregs of re-building, the most historic and momentous signings in the club's young history may have turned the atmosphere at BMO Field from tentative to optimistic in a few pen strokes.
　
Frings, the 34-year-old German defensive midfielder arrives in the twilight of his career, yet with no recent signs of diminished skills or physicality at his long-term club Werder Bremen. With piles of experience with the German National squad and playing in the highest levels of UEFA club championships and the Bundesliga, his pedigree and leadership will be looked at to anchor the TFC midfield.
　
The 32-year-old Koevermans is a towering central striker who had quite the dynamic strike rate during his career peak in the Dutch leagues. Most famous for his stretch with PSV Eindhoven, the former Dutch international found himself on the fringes of his former club this season and eagerly jumped at the chance to become the talisman striker for the goal-shy TFC. With no history of major injury and with the size and pace that suits MLS, Koevermans has the chance to make an impact up front with The Reds where so few have before him.
　
We can be cynical and claim that MLSE has only approved these moves to ensure healthy ticket renewals but it isn't the time for that. The ownership has rubber-stamped three DP's, the maximum allowed in the league, and that deserves some commending. The "R" word of re-building can't stop here yet however, as the defensive squad needs desperate quality. After today's splash into the transfer market though, a few of those yelling for change will now be eagerly awaiting the next moves at BMO Field.