AFTER 90: Reds' claim Independence Day point - Texas handed over to the British

"You can keep New England but we're taking the Tex-Mex!"

THE BUZZ:
Can TFC's unbeaten streak continue?

Could The Reds win two consecutive away matches... since forever?

Have we seen the last of Joao Plata?

Are there connecting flights from Dallas to Quito?

Will Danny Koevermans provide the fireworks again?

Does Club Escobar have a Frisco location?

Is it illegal in Texas for a Canadian team to win on the Fourth of July?

FIRST HALF:

5' - GOAL: Dallas - Zach Loyd

DALLAS 1 - TORONTO 0

31' - GOAL: Toronto - Danny Koevermans

DALLAS 1 - TORONTO 1

37' - YELLOW CARD: Richard Eckersley

43' - YELLOW CARD: Ryan Johnson

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHT: Koef "Settling the Catan" with a deft flick

FIRST HALF LOWLIGHT: 45 minutes of Independence Day and no alien invasion

HALFTIME: DALLAS 1 - TORONTO 1

SECOND HALF:

68' - SUB: Luis Silva on for Eric Avila

80' - YELLOW CARD: Torsten Frings

81' - SUB: Julian de Guzman on for Terry Dunfield

88' - SUB: Nick Soolsma on for Danny Koevermans

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHT: Torsten Frings emasculating Brek Shea

SECOND HALF LOWLIGHT: 90 minutes... still no aliens. Not even a Randy Quaid sighting

FULL TIME: DALLAS 1 - TORONTO 1

PLAYER RATINGS: Milos Kocic 6 / Jeremy Hall 5.5 / Richard Eckersley 6 / Logan Emory 6.5 / Ashtone Morgan 6.5 / Reggie Lambe 6.5 / Terry Dunfield 6.5 (Julian de Guzman N/A ) / Torsten Frings 6.5 / Eric Avila 5.5 (Luis Silva 5 ) / Danny Koevermans 7 (Nick Soolsma N/A) / Ryan Johnson 5.5

THE YORKIES' TFC MAN OF THE MATCH: Danny Koevermans

THE MOOD:

There is no way to be honestly disappointed by an away draw, in oppressive heat on a national holiday but we can't help but wish for more. And that is a good thing. It is a good feeling to wish for a bit more tonight as TFC probably deserved more. Despite giving up yet another early goal, The Reds again managed to tie the match (through the on fire Koevermans) and ended up bossing much of the second half. An unbeaten streak intact, a young defence playing a bit over their heads and a full squad that looks like it is always fighting. If any of the much whispered reinforcements are indeed on their way, Paul Mariner's Reds may yet deliver us Independence from the oppressive tyranny of The British five-year plans. Playoffs? No. Respect? Possibly.

THE MATCHUP: Burn on the Fourth of July

That Burns the eyes worse than a firecracker



DALLAS VS. TORONTO
　
FC DALLAS STADIUM - WEDNESDAY 9PM ET
TV: TSN
　
THE KICKABOUT:
Nothing bad can happen in Texas right? Pow! Pow! Kaboom! That will either be the noise of post-match Independence Day fireworks at FC Dallas Stadium or the Texas Rangers (law enforcement version not baseball version) catching up to Miguel Aceval. Yes, TFC makes its first return to The Lone Star State since "The TFC Three" made a mess of Houston's Club Escobar. While no further illegal activity is expected - team officials may be on the lookout for a 5 Foot 3 illegal emigrant.
　
Things on the pitch seem to have improved somewhat since The Reds blew that big lead against Houston a couple of weeks back and manager Paul Mariner claims that his side are "hard to beat". Recent results back up his statement and improved play by many in the squad, including MLS Player of the Week Danny Koevermans, gives supporters hope against fellow strugglers FC "Don't Call Us Burn" Dallas. However, with the transfer window open and a host of rumours imagining players coming and going - The MarinEra is still very much a work in progress.
　
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME: "El Fireworko"
　
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
FC DALLAS: Jair Benitez, David Ferreira, Brek Shea
TORONTO FC: Logan Emory, Danny Koevermans, Ashtone Morgan
　
THE ODDS:
- Night ending with Luis Silva running from cops: 5-1
- Joao Plata making a run for the border: 10-1
- In true "Dallas" fashion - Toronto FC's last four matches turn out to be a dream sequence: 25-1
　
WHO ARE YA?
This match may be regarded as one of the all-time MLS patriotic matches. The foreign TFC visiting (of all places) Dallas, Texas on the Fourth of July - America's holiest of holy days. And a pyrotechnic extravaganzo! The fixture of course has a long way to go to best FIFA'a All-Time Most Patriotic match though as that title still goes to the 1947 West Ham United vs. Hertha Berlin friendly at Upton Park. Down 2-0 to the visiting Germans at the half, The Hammers shocked the football world by subbing in 72 year-old former Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Despite his age and portly posture, the old bulldog bossed the midfield and ended the match with a hat trick which saw the London side see off the Berliners 3-2.
　
POST-MATCH HEADLINE: "REDS' ROCKETS DO GLARE; BREAK SHEA CLAIMS IT'S UNFAIR; 1-0 TFC - GOOD THING TEXANS DON'T CARE"

Churchill pops his second past the Hertha keeper

THE STARTING 11: Ways Joao Plata spent the Canada Day Long Weekend

"See you guys in six months... or not... who really knows?"



As of this moment, the status of Joao Plata is still in a state of "he said/ Quito said/ TFC said nothing/ Mariner yelled". Since Plata retweeted a message Friday evening claiming confirmation that he was returning to his native Ecuador, there has been a flurry of denials, rumours and malarkey surrounding the pint-sized favourite. If you want to predict the future based on manager Paul Mariner's post-game reaction to Plata's public posturing, you could fairly guess that we may have seen the last of "El MosQuito" in TFC red. Thus, with departure imminent, what better time for Plata to spend some final moments in Toronto than on a National holiday weekend...
　
11. Met up with some Canadian girls on Twitter - prematurely retweeted
　
10. Tearfully watched video of highlights of his goal celebration dances with Maicon Santos in slow motion to the Dirty Dancing hit "(I've Had) The Time of my Life"
　
9.Went out for a drink with Miguel Aceval on Friday night. Woke up Sunday afternoon... in Thunder Bay
　
8. Spent four hours with an English-Spanish dictionary and his contract trying to figure out what club he actually plays for
　
7. Stocked up at Gap Kids
　
6. Finally finished a whole TimBit all on his own
　
5. Said a long, tearful, face-to-face goodbye with Adrian Cann's abs
　
4. Spent the day at Canada's Wonderland desperately searching for a ride he was "This Tall To Ride"
　
3. Finally played some Canadian table hockey. Made 23 saves in net
　
2. Successfully climbed all of the stairs up to the CN Tower's lobby for charity
　
1. Somehow, managed to make MLSE look even MORE incompetent

THE SOUTH STAND REPORT : Toronto v Harrison Extreme Beverage... or all this talk of drinks is making me thirsty

Hey, remember, like, 8 days ago how we were the worst team ever?  Those were some cloudy days, huh?  Its as if we had an extended pre-season where it just didn't matter.  Million dollar Danny (seriously, that guy needs at least a nickname, if not a song) went from being slow and not being able to finish, to being a little faster and smashing them in.  Toronto went from being LOL to WTF with the change of manager.

Sure, the defense is still offensive, and the side blew two 2-goal leads in consecutive matches, but high holy hell, what great drama!  And for once it doesn't involve management / lying to star midfielders / foreign players going bust / snowmobiles.  It's all conveniently located on the pitch in two 45-minute increments consecutively.  I think this is the "football" we've heard so much about.  Waited five and a third seasons for it...

Its hot, humid, and a blessing in disguise - its a night game.

I'm going with a 4-1 result for the mighty Robins.  Why not, were smashing them all as of late.  Laissez les bon temps roulez!

4' - GOAL - Cross came in from the far right, and one touch from Solli starts the game off wrong.
ROBINS 0, BEVERAGES 1

6' - GOAL - corner from Frings, headed down by Million Dollar Danny.  Game on!
ROBINS 1, BEVERAGES 1

That was easy. (no it wasn't)

10' - Lambe takes a through ball 25 yards out, holds off his marker long enough to poke the ball past the keeper, but not enough juice behind it to cross the line.

13' - Our neighbour, Brandon, shows up.  Didn't miss much *big grin*

29' - Danny K gets completely tripped up on the edge of the box in full view of the ref, and no call give.  Idiot ref.

32' - YELLOW - Dunfield takes down Henry for a wee knock, but the hush-hush DP regulations + rolling around dramatically = a booking.

45' - Three of the Beverages were in a massive offside position in an attempt that went off the post.  Not sure of the flags went up, but I'm assuming the worst.

HALF-TIME MOOD : tired from the initial rush of adrenaline slowly tapering off for 40 minutes.


67' - SUB - Lambe makes way for Soolsma.  Meow.

76' - Emory comes up with a huge tackle on Lindpere that gets the ball and leaves the Beverege crumples in a heap.  Aaaaaaand, he's jacked about the tackle, as he should.

79' - SUB - deGoo comes on for Avila

81' - someone on Toronto whips a ball into the middle and Koevermans heads it right into the keeper's hands.

83' - Here's a string you've never seen before.  Dunfield lays off for deGoo who crosses it into a sliding Soolsma who just puts it wide.  Fabulous stuff.

Now its getting fun.

85' - Frings crosses just past the net, but Johnson's header places the ball 6 yds in front of goal and is cleared to safety by a defender.

86' - SUB - Koevermans makes way for Silva and receives a nice round of applause.

2 mins of Extra Time

FULL TIME : Toronto 1, Harrison 1

Man of the Match - Frings.  Engine goes vroom.

Goat of the Game - none, really.

Ref Rating : 2 out of 5.  Henry's theatrics, Dannys foul and some other nonsensical bullshit I expect with discount refs.

In our appreciation for the Extreme Beverage away kit that we liked (because if you look quickly, they look like Boca Juniors standing at a Sunoco) and our general fondness for kits and crests, I'd like to introduce a semi-regular feature that less than 1% of the nerds reading this will appreciate...

Kit spotting : we spotted a Birmingham City away, OGC nice away, Bordeaux away but the Obscurity Award goes to the Eintract Frankfurt home kit worn by the 9 year old behind us.  That's kinda random.

This was the first match in a long time that the visitors were the ones holding onto the point.  Totally not like TFC and definitely not like Harrison... good to see so many people out to support Henry today.  Better that he didn't do a helluva lot except complain, embellish and deny Ireland a rightful trip to South Africa (too soon?)... It really is too soon to gush but the combinations of good crosses from Morgan and Johnson gets some of us giddy.  Mariner has got them playing some fairly nice football... Remember when Kenny Cooper was someone?... So, we realize that we cannot nickname Logan Emory "Screech" because he has now lopped off his curly 'fro.  However, we recognize that he looks like someone else...

Stalteri, meet the younger version of you, Staltini

It's a compliment, we assure you.

Dear MLS/Adidas,

I know I've gone on about how I detest your numbers and how a 1 and a 7 look waaay to close, but I'd like to point out how we guessed that the Harrison keeper's name is probably Meara.  We say probably because the stupid futuristic A and the stupid futuristic R are both far too similar when you're sitting as far away as we are (which isn't that far really).  We resigned for the rest of the game to call him both Marrr or Meaaa because it is absurd and ridiculous for a literate person to have to guess what the name says.

Change it.

It's been too friggin long and it isn't 2003 anymore. 

Yours in football kits, nerdity and graphic design,

The Yorkies

Player Ratings - Kocic 6.5, Hall 6.5, Eckersley 6, Emory 6.5, Morgan 6, Lambe 6.5 [Soolsma 6], Frings 6.5, Dunfield 6.5, Avila 6 [deGoo N/A] Koevermans 6.5 [Silva N/A], Johnson 6.5

Short tenure for tiny favourite as Joao Plata heading home

Adios tiny amigo?

What began as whispers a couple of weeks back was last night retweeted by the player in question, then backed by numerous sources - TFC's Joao Plata may be heading back to his parent club, Ecuador’s LDU Quito. Of course in true Toronto FC fashion this is about the clearest point of the transaction so far.

Many Reds supporters can be forgiven for thinking that the post-season hoopla surrounding Joao Plata meant that TFC was now the wee winger's parent club. However, reports indicate that LDU Quito were in fact the ones with the rights to recall Plata at this time and that the astronomically high fee (well, MLS astronomical) spent by TFC was simply to extend Plata's existing loan to MLS. On the other hand, the current proposed move is also being dubbed a "six month loan" to Quito with the suggestion that Plata returns to Toronto in the off-season. It is as clear as mud but stinks of an absolute managerial cock-up by TFC being quietly papered over. The club can't fault supporters for thinking this way when they operate with more secrets that The Stonecutters. (Don't mention Steve Guttenberg to Anselmi)

While Joao Jimmy Plata is an endearing character who became an instant fan favourite, his departure would not make a noticeable dent on the squad. His local fame has much more to do with his stature and short bursts of speed and (over) creativity than do his prospects. Despite his affable nature, Plata has been "found out" in MLS this season. Where his sideshow height and speed shocked some clubs last season, he was simply manhandled this year and pushed out of plays. He has become far too dependant on trying to take an extra step when dribbling and seems gun-shy at shooting on goal. A wonderful storybook player, but more of a bright spark in a dark time than a long-term MLS forward. At least at this point in his development.

We will link to any official word from the secret society that is Toronto FC below that isn't about Efrain Burgos Jr's release (with accompanied sad-face picture). In other news, the Ecuadorian version of "Webster" was greenlighted for production.

THE MATCHUP: Takin' shots!

To get into the spirit of our corporate-controlled rivals from the Big Apple's apocalyptic suburb, we decided to drink a baker's dozen of Red Bull before starting this pre-match report...
　
DA' REDS VS. METROSTARZ
　
CNE MIDWAY - SATURDAY NIGHT 7PM ET TIL THE BREAKA' DAWN
TV: SPORTSNET ONTARIO... Suck it Pacific! Whoo Craig Forrest!
RADIO: THE FAN 590 - More rock! Less talk!
　
THE KICKABOUT:
Did you see that game on Wednesday against the CheeseStrings? Boom! I mean three goals and Frings with the bulldozer - righteous! (GUITAR RIFF!) I think things might be finally turning around for the TFCeez and we can like be on a winning streak and stuff - okay, okay, okay - like I know the New York Cosmos are pretty rad and shiz with that Thierry Mugler from Arsenal but if Da Koef can keep blastin' and ballin' we could totally give them the what's what right? Hold up for a sec...
　
Whooo! I just did 80 crunches.
　
Yeah so the football! Hey Nesta - did you hear? (X-TREME GUITAR RIFF!) Pouring out a half can for the departed Efrain Burgos Jr. - CheeseBurgos we hardly knew ya bro-stein - keep on keepin' on! Why do my legs feel like that? Saturday night - be there! I'm in 3D!
　
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME: "El X-Tremeassico!"
　
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
TORONTO: Scoring guy, passing bro and saving dude
NEW YORK: Frenchman, guy with "x" in name, blonde
　
THE ODDS:
- Match being "a sweet buzz": 2-1
- Match being "totally rad": 5-1
- Match being EXTREME GUITAR RIFF!: 10-1
　
WHO ARE YA?
In an effort to be extreme, TFC is.... aww, I'm crashin' dude... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Got the Jimmy-legs now, damn! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz So twitchy zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz drowsy jazz flute riff zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz huh? What? What day is it? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I just dreamt I was Jim Brennan's soul patch zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Need more Red Bull zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz AND I'M BACK IN THE ROOM! Get my boogie board! DOUBLE GUITAR RIFF!
　
POST-MATCH HEADLINE: "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
　
And... since it's Friday, I'm whacked out on Taurine and Paul Mariner wears short shorts (!!!) on the sideline - feel free to join us in this chant at BMO Field to welcome our new manager and his dress sense. (To the tune of LMFAO's "Shots")

　
"Shorts! Shorts! Shorts-shorts-shorts!
Shorts! Shorts! Shorts-shorts-shorts!
Shorts! Shorts! Shorts-shorts-shorts!
Paul Mari-NER!"　

Sadly... Nick Soolsma got to the video first. Suarez Re-Mix!

AFTER 90: Sharp Reds leave soft Cheesemakers feeling Blue

Crumbled Saputo? You said it, not us.



THE BUZZ:

Can Toronto manage to extend 70 good minutes into 90?

Will new DP Marco Di Vaio make an immediate "Impact"?

How many cheese puns can fit into a post-match report?

Are Aceval and Soolsma back in the Gouda books?

Can Koevermans keep up his hot strike rate?

Will the "amazing" Montreal supporters fill half of Stade Saputo?

Should I have gone with the provolone or the Swiss? Discuss.

　

FIRST HALF:

No Toronto FC events

　

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHT: Jeremy Hall taking a flying dropkick AND a cross to the face and getting up like a champ

FIRST HALF LOWLIGHT: Montreal fans kind of, sort of showing up for the big "401 Derby"

　

HALFTIME: MONTREAL 0 - TORONTO 0

　

SECOND HALF:

45' - SUB: Nick Soolsma on for Jeremy Hall

52' - GOAL: Toronto - Torsten Frings

MONTREAL 0 - TORONTO 1

56' - SUB: Doneil Henry on for Julian de Guzman

72' - GOAL: Toronto - Ryan Johnson

MONTREAL 0 - TORONTO 2

73' - SUB: Reggie Lambe on for Eric Avila

78' - GOAL: Toronto - Danny Koevermans

MONTREAL 0 - TORONTO 3

　

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHT: Three of the finest goals we have seen from this club in years. (yes that's three highlights - sue us)

SECOND HALF LOWLIGHT: That it had to end.

　

FULL TIME: MONTREAL 0 - TORONTO 3

　

PLAYER RATINGS: Milos Kocic 6 / Jeremy Hall 6.5 (Nick Soolsma 6.5) / Richard Eckersley 6 / Logan Emory 6 / Ashtone Morgan 6.5 / Terry Dunfield 6 / Torsten Frings 7 / Julian de Guzman 6 (Doneil Henry 5) / Eric Avila 5.5 (Reggie Lambe 6) / Ryan Johnson 6.5 / Danny Koevermans 7

　

THE YORKIES' TFC MAN OF THE MATCH: Torsten Frings

　

THE MOOD:

For stretches of the previous matches under Paul Mariner's TFC stewardship, there were moments you just wanted to keep separate from the rest. There were those exciting moments where the offence clicked or the scrappy defence fought hard but they were eventually overshadowed by the late-match let-downs. Tonight, especially in the stellar second half, it was only those moments on display as TFC dominated a limp L'Impact. Edam!

　

While it is far too early to proclaim this version of Toronto FC as "the seventh coming" and believe that all our ills are fixed - it is perhaps a jumping off point. Just maybe, Mariner's simple, straightforward plan is what this team is best suited for at the moment. If the much-hinted transfer window reinforcements can enhance the current squad we can at least hope for competitiveness and respectability for the remains of 2012. A playoff run is out of the question but if we can have more matches like tonight we at least get a bit of what we have missed while supporting TFC - a bit of fun. For now, we'll take that.

　

Absolutely owning Stade Saputo isn't bad as well. Pretty Gouda really.





THE MATCHUP: "It ain't easy beating Cheesy"

"It's the cheesiest!"



MONTREAL VS. TORONTO
　
STADE SAPUTO - WEDNESDAY 7:30PM ET
TV: TSN ----RADIO: THE FAN 590
　
THE KICKABOUT:
Let's look in the mirror for a second and be honest. Yes, we all hate L'Impact du Montreal dans la Bibliotheque FC but there is more than a tinge of envy when we look at them. It's not their superior record, their 3/4 good stadium, or even the debut of Marco Di Vaio on Wednesday - it's the one thing they have which we can't - an owner who wants to win. Put your personal feelings aside over Joey Saputo and know that Toronto FC would be a much different club with a similarly egomaniacal millionaire in charge who simply wants to fill a trophy case instead of a bloated bottom line.
　
But alas, we are not The Cheesemakers and the quest continues up the 401 as "The MarinEra" rolls on trying to steady the bad ship TFC. While the last two matches have left Reds supporters on a roller-coaster that ultimately crashes into the station, things have actually changed. Completely for the better? Only time will tell but those calling for Paul Mariner's head already need some bed rest. Mariner has polarized a few fans but he is likely a victim of circumstance in the way he ended up becoming manager. The chops are there for him to make a go of it and the transfer window should be very interesting. Plus... a manager in shorts!
　
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME: "The 401 Derby IV: The Curdenning"
　
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
MONTREAL: Patrice Bernier, Marco Di Vaio, Donovan Ricketts
TORONTO: Julian de Guzman, Danny Koevermans, Ashtone Morgan
　
THE ODDS:
- TFC not playing very Gouda: 2-1
- Montreal exposing our Swiss cheese defence: 3-1
- Reds not doing Edam in the last 20 minutes: 5-1
　
WHO ARE YA?
Due to their owner’s dairy connections, Impact are playing in a simultaneous league to MLS this year after gaining entry to the SuperCheesa, an international division devoted to cheese-related clubs. It has been a slow start for Montreal as you can see from the table so far:

1. RED LEICESTER CITY - 23pts.
2. PARIS ST. GRUYERE - 20pts.
3. DYNAMO BRIEV - 18pts.
4. NACHOS LAGUNA - 18pts.
5. PARMA SAN FC - 14pts.
6. AEK FETA - 12pts.
7. WEST HAM & CHEESE UNITED - 10pts.
8. MONTREAL IMPACT - 7pts.
9. LIMBURGER SV - 5pts.
10. MONTERREY JACK - 2pts. (Deducted 10 points for match slicing)
　
POST-MATCH HEADLINE: "REDS DO JACK AS IMPACT BRIE(S) TO VICTORY"

THE STARTING 11: Paul Mariner side-effects

"The Tractor Boy"... as seen on Ossington Ave.



For better or worse, things are most definitely different at Toronto FC under the stewardship of Paul Mariner. Where Aron Winter was reserved, rigid and formal - Mariner is emotional, animated and... wearing gym shorts. The ambitious 4-3-3 Dutch-style has floated away like a Friesen water lily and has been replaced with some old school push-and-run (well for 70 minutes at least). However, not all of the changes in "The MarinEra" are quite so obvious and there are a few (11 is always a good guess) developments you may have not been aware of...

　

11. Mariner's fledgling "Give a Goal Back" charity off to a great start

　

10. Finally, the full, dynamic offensive prowess of Terry Dunfield has been unleashed

　

9. Local media have been forced to switch their translators from the "Dutch" setting to "Lancashire Mumble"

　

8. Nick Soolsma is soon to be given a lot more free time to spend with his pet cat "Suarez"

　

7. Glasses with shorts so hot right now

　

6. Halftime oranges replaced by delicious Scotch Eggs

　

5. Jim Brennan now only goes by the name "Sub-Mariner"

　

4. Toronto-area "Subway" locations offering "The Paul Mariner Special" - when they make two bad subs you get the third for free!

　

3. Mariner's Ipswich Town-era hair-style all the rage with the Ossington hipster scene

　

2. Player arrests are down 300% this week!

　

1. TFC can finally accept the proud title as the "Plymouth Argyle of Major League Soccer"

THE SOUTH STAND REPORT : Toronto v New England... or oh no, not again

I was most proud of the four outlines where the 'near championships' would be at the top.

Man, Wednesday's match was fantastic.  Thrilling even.  Koevermans reintroduced himself to the score sheet twice and it was end to end action.  Strong finish, even if it was for the wrong team.  It made for great television.  I try to watch as many road matches as my schedule / girlfriend permits, and that was one of the best MLS matches I've watched.  Possibly the best, as most of which were sad, boring and frustrating.

The Paul Mariner Era, or as I've been referring it to - The MarinEra (TM) - is in full swing.  Winter is gone, and though I felt that he was building the club in his own image, the results were more important and he was dismissed.  Bye bye 4-3-3.

This 4-4-2 (or 4-3-1-2 as some have spun it) seems to be working offensively, but defensively it is yet to be determined.  The attack is spirited and aggressive and calculating.  Now if someone can just fix the back four.

On to the match...

We want Soolsma!

Sorry, but right now, he's in the cat house.

~ Myself and @theyorkies1812
bringing up Suarez

4' - GOAL - Ashtone Morgan floats in a perfect little cross for big Danny Koevermans to get up and head down and away past Reis.  How about that.

ROBINS 1, EVOLUTION 0

42' - GOAL - Another Morgan delivery just eeks past Koevermans but finds the head of Ryan Johnson.

ROBINS 2, EVOLUTION 0

Whenever they announce Jeremy Hall, we should do the Arsenio crowd-woof-woof thing.

Frings that make you go hmmm...

~ Myself and @theyorkies1812
having more random discussion

45+1' - Feilhaber corner finds McCarthy flying noggin forcing Kocic to make a superb diving save.

Half-Time Mood : Great, but you can't help but think you've seen this before, all too recently.

48' - YELLOW - Koevermans goes into the book for losing his crap on an apparent blown throw in decision.  They shake hands after, what I assume, was an apology.

56' - Johnson marauds into the New England penalty area, and after his third touch before shooting, his attempt was tackled away.  Too many touches Ryan...

59 - SUB - Silva comes in for Avila.  I start making siren noises.  Only to amuse myself though.

61 - Frings launches a rocket that is handled easily by Reis.

67 - SUB - Frings comes off for Emory.  Yes, the captain is replaced by "Screech" from Saved by the Bell.  Not a typo. (afterwards, it was clear that Frings was hurt and his knee looked bandaged).

68 - Johnson's cross was a smidge too high for Silva, who was in the right place to nearly make the Houston thing all go away.

71' - GOAL - Brettschneider pounces on a Kocic rebound and fires it into the net.  Ugh.

ROBINS 2, EVOLUTION 1

73' - YELLOW - Henry gets booked for something.

74' - Ensuing free kick sees Kocic reprise his role of Superman with a leaping save from a bending ball around the wall.  Top shelf stuff.

76' - Emory clears one off the line.  Too close.

78' - All New England.  Is this the start of 15 minutes of PanicBall (TM)?

81' - SUB - deGoo makes way for Lambe.  Okaaay...

88' - OMG!  Someone beat Kocic, but not the post.  Way too close.

4 minutes of extra time

90+4' - GOAL - [Woah! Lots of swearing in this one. Some might say excessive. Keep it clean, kid. ~ Ed.]!!!  Feilhaber unmarked from a corner, heads it past a stranded Kocic.  Tragic.

ROBINS 2, EVOLUTION 2

FULL TIME : Toronto 2, New England 2.

Man of the Match : Kocic.  He's for real and he didn't deserve a draw for all his work.

Goat of the Game : The group effort of PanicBall.  I haven't seen that since the Carver regime.

Ref Rating : 4 out of 5.  They blew a few calls but none of the ones that matter to the outcome.  Excellent crew.

Ryan Johnson loves to telegraph his passes.  It's like a segmented line is drawn as soon as it appears where he's passing to.  Even makes the xylophone noises as it's drawn, it's so obvious... To the military gentleman who sang the anthems : Please come back and sing them again.  Both renditions were fantastic.  He had people casually singing along to the American anthem he was that good... One of these days, we're gonna get a private box, invite the funniest people around us, and do a Mystery Science Theatre show of us calling a match.  I was howling tonight... hope the bandage on Frings isn't a sign of anything too serious and it's just a strain.  He's the engine... And how about those crosses from Morgan.  They're fabulous.  All floaty and stuff... With all of the reports that Plata is returning to LDU Quito, I kinda hope they're true.  He is an excellent strategy-altering substitute but not a starter and certainly not to play 90 minutes.  His career will flourish better anywhere in MLS.

Also, as a side note, I still have 4 Yorkies Card Sets remaining.  One person said "I wasn't expecting Upper Deck quality", so I know that's a helluva compliment.  Please contact us at theyorkies1812@gmail.com to inquire for your set.

Player Ratings : Kocic 9, Hall 7, Eckersley 6.5, Henry 6.5, Morgan 7.5, Dunfield 6, Frings 6.5 [Emory 6.5], deGoo 6 [Lambe N/A], Avila 6.5 [Silva N/A], Johnson 7, Koevermans 7.5.

I can be followed on the Twitter @ignirtoq.  It's an old gaming character name that I played with for years that is pronounced "IG-nir-tock".  I may change it one day, but until then, this will remain as is.  I jump in on conversations regularly, create ridiculous crowd-sourced graphics, and occasionally beg bands I like to release and sell me live recordings of their shows.