Maicon Santos will miss the match. (Scotty/TFCpics.com)

If you find yourself in Frisco, Texas this weekend, don’t be surprised if you’re asked to suit up for TFC.

Toronto heads to The Land of Bouncy Castles with a skeleton squad, a result of injuries to key attacking personnel and international call-ups to the three best Canadian players on the roster.

No worries though, it’s not as is FC Dallas is arguably the hottest team in MLS at the moment or anything.

David Ferreira and company roll into the weekend on a 12-game unbeaten streak in the league, having last tasted defeat way back in mid-May. In fact, the Dallas-es(?) have only lost twice all season, less than any other team in the league. So to say that getting anything out of a visit to Pizza Hut Park is next to impossible may actually be, amazingly, an understatement.

TFC with Dwayne de Rosario, Julian de Guzman, Nana Attakora, and the injured Chad Barrett and Maicon Santos would be hard-pressed to gain any points in Frisco, what with The Reds’ amazing road record and all. Without them… well it’s as close to a throwaway game as Toronto will experience all season.

Of course, the 2010 version of TFC doesn’t exactly follow any sort of rational convention. In games that should have been gimmes — Philadelphia away, Kansas City both times, New England away — Toronto has crapped the proverbial bed, playing down to their opposition’s level almost compassionately, as if to say, “we know you suck, so how about we make you look good on this occasion?”

How gracious.

On the flip side, in games where they should have had no business being competitive in — Cruz Azul, the Motagua away game, RSL away — they’ve either kept it close or actually earned a result.

It is this strange phenomenon that leads me to believe that TFC will make this one exciting, even though everything suggests that this should be a blowout.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Photo courtesy TFCpics.com

Must Win.

It’s a phrase that gets thrown around far too often in sports, especially in today’s world of instant gratification. It’s one that I am loathe to use very often, but in the case of Saturday’s TFC match versus Real Salt Lake, I’m saying it.

It’s a must win game.

Sure, if the Reds don’t get full points at BMO Field on the weekend, there is still the entirety of September and October for the team to get hot and pick up the requisite number of points to get into the playoffs, so a loss wouldn’t be devastating from a mathematical point of view. But the points would definitely help, and the game is a must win for other reasons.

For starters, Toronto is coming off two very demoralizing losses over the past week. Both were in different competitions, and both were very different defeats. The end game was the same for each though, with Toronto having dropped three very claimable points against unremarkable opposition.

So in that vein, TFC needs at home win on Saturday to pick the team’s collective spirit up and wash away the memories of the previous two matches.

Secondly, the opponent is RSL, as side that Toronto will become intimately familiar with over the next month, to the tune of three matches against the Utah club between Saturday and September 28. It would be incredibly advantageous if the Reds could kick off the first of those matches on the right foot and stamp their home authority over the Salt Lake crew.

Speaking of home authority, TFC just lost hold of a BMO Field unbeaten mark that lasted over a full year in all competitions when they got thrashed by the New York Red Bulls last weekend. Toronto thrives on the home field advantage — one could say that the entire season depends on it given the atrocious road record — so a win over a very good RSL side on the Lakeshore will send the message that the Red Bulls loss was an anamoly rather than an emerging trend.

Finally, Toronto needs to win on the weekend for the simplest reason of them all, and one that I alluded to above — points. TFC, after having sat in a playoff position the entire season, is now on the outside looking in where post-season rankings are concerned. Toronto is once again in a dog fight for the playoff table scraps, and every single point from here on out will help the Reds in that fight.

Win, TFC. That’s all there is to it.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Hello Marlon Mejia. Thank you for refereeing this match. Your calm, even-handed demeanour was a credit to your profession, and bucked the trend of your CONCACAF brethren. In no way were you going to fall into the age-old stereotype of corrupt officials from Central America with complete and contemptible bias against the team trying to play honourable football. Your two red cards against TFC players made sure of it. Those Toronto bastards were asking for it all night, what with their audacious attempts to take the ball away from Arabe Unido players and stop them from attacking. Where do those gringos get off?

Hello Fuad Ibrahim. Thank you for giving loyal viewers a new aspiration to strive for. The way you threw your voice into Julian de Guzman’s mouth after you got that much-deserved yellow card for brazenly trying to put the ball into the Arabe Unido net was the stuff that Las Vegas shows are made of. You even managed to say a few words in Spanish. It’s too bad the ref saw right through that act and gave you that straight red card, which was possibly the first ever ejection given for ventriliquism. He obviously isn’t a true fan of the performing arts. Don’t sweat it though, you’ll go down in the history books, kid. Way to stick to your guns for your craft.

Hello Jose Calderon. Thank you firstly for having the same name as a beloved Toronto basketball player. The Raptors’ Calderon will never match you, the vaunted Arabe Unido goalkeeper, in healing abilities, though. While our Calderon keeps getting silly injuries that force him to miss swaths of crucial games with the Raptors, you’ve managed to master the instant healing technique, by which you were able to take a knee in the face from Nick LaBrocca — which totally shattered every bone in that handsome mug of yours — and minutes later make a full recovery in order to finish the match. You’ll need to show our Calderon how to do that. I know you probably like to keep your powers a secret, what with that dastardly Senator Robert Kelly trying to turn the world against your kind, but I think it has to do with your hands, as your pressing them against your broken face (in combination with your rolling around on the magic FieldTurf of Estadio Agustin Sanchez until LaBrocca was dismissed) seemed to do be the catalyst for your remarkable recovery. Your secret’s safe with me, bub.

Hello CONCACAF. Thank you for governing football in this region with the sort of class and diligence that other confederations should be striving to duplicate. You ensure that the entire region can continue to develop as clean, fair-minded soccer nations, with absolutely no bitterness or need for rampant conspiracy theories about you by fans like in those other confederations. Thank you for never cutting off your proverbial nose to spite your face by blatantly favouring the sides that bring hundreds of spectators to your Champions League matches over those that are among the top attendance-getters in the hemisphere. That would just be stupid and provincial.

Hello Arabe Unido. Thank you for consistently showing us North Americans how true football is played. Our teams foolishly do things like stay on their feet when brushed up against. Such naivete needs to be corrected, and fortunately you guys are more than willing to educate the rest of us.

Hello Wednesday. Thank you for not being Tuesday. That day sucked.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

You will be, almost from the moment the opening whistle is blown. Arabe Unido, the obscure Panamanian side that plays host to Toronto FC on Tuesday, seem to be aiming for the title of Most Vilified Team In The History Of Club Soccer(TM).

Of course, this is the CONCACAF Champions League, and the stature of the tournament (and the teams involved) won’t actually allow for such a momentous title to be thrust upon a relatively unknown side in the world of football, at least not when there are far bigger clubs in far more meaningful competitions acting the fool week in and week out.

But that won’t stop the little team from Colon, Panama from trying, dammit.

In two years of Champions League play, Arabe Unido have earned the reputation as the biggest time wasters and lollygaggers this side of YouTube. Hell, you could even find clips on YouTube where opposing coaches are complaining about Arabe Unido’s time-wasting prowess.

To say that TFC’s hosts will more than likely employ all the negative tactics that turn people off soccer, especially if they go up a goal, is an understatement of the highest order. Based on what’s been seen from Arabe Unido in the past two CCL tournaments, they will dive, clutch, grab, complain to the referee, and generally act like massive tools in order to try to throw Toronto off its own game.

What TFC players will need to not allow happen is them getting caught up in the moment and retaliating, as that’s exactly what their hosts will be looking for.

Toronto will be looking for a little bit of redemption on Tuesday, of course, given the embarrassment the Reds suffered at home on the weekend at the hands of the New York Red Bulls. This is another reason that TFC players must be in control of their emotions, as eagerness to erase a terrible result could lead to rash decisions, baited on by douchebag Panamanians awaiting any opportunity to draw fouls, phantom or otherwise.

As long as the Reds play their own game they should be able to earn a result on the road. Yes, Toronto’s away form has been nothing less than a four year-long horror show, but apart from the long flight to Central America, there should be nothing particularly tough about this road venue (whichever venue it actually ends up being).

The game will be won or lost (or drawn) almost entirely inside the TFC players’ own heads. Hopefully, they won’t allow their hosts to take up residence in there on Tuesday night.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Photo by Tim Drodge

‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.”
Singin’: “Don’t worry (don’t worry) ’bout a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right!”

Rise up this mornin’,
Smiled with the risin’ sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin’ sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin’, “This is my message to you-ou-ou:”

Sometimes things just don’t go your way.

Toronto FC found that out the hard way Saturday afternoon, when the visiting Red Bulls of New Jersey New York ended the Reds’ seemingly infallible home unbeaten streak with an emphatic 4-1 result.

It was not for a lack of trying on TFC’s part, though.

Toronto employed the same strategy against New York as they did four days earlier versus Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions League, feeling out the opponent for the first few minutes, then kicking into the soccer equivalent of a full-court press. Unlike the match against Cruz Azul, however, TFC didn’t manage to get on the board during their high-pressure tactics, instead seeing the Red Bulls answer with a screaming 30-yard strike from Rafael Marquez, his first as an MLS player.

That one kick of the ball seemed to change the flow of the entire match, as it simultaneously energized the New Yorkers while deflating an up-until-then highly energized TFC.

For the rest of the first half, the visitors controlled the pace, stroking the ball around and attacking at their own leisure. That it took a Joseph Nane own-goal just before the half time whistle to finally get New York another goal was a testament to the stellar work done by TFC keeper Stefan Frei and centre back duo of Adrian Cann and Nana Attakora to keep the Red Bulls offence at bay.

Despite being down by two at the half, Toronto came out of the break gangbusters once again, and were rewarded two minutes in with a Dwayne De Rosario goal, his first in the league since May. De Ro slotted home a perfectly-weighted O’Brian White through ball to pull Toronto within one, and once again TFC were on the front foot, pressing for the equalizer and keeping the high-priced Red Bulls on their heels.

And once again, it was a goal against the run of play that turned the game in the Red Bulls’ favour, this time for good. Attakora, who had the unenviable task of shutting down Thierry Henry — and succeeded at it — committed a brain fart of the highest order, as he intercepted a New York cross in to the Toronto area. With his hand.

Red card. Penalty kick. Goal by Juan Pablo Angel.

Game. Set. Match.

From then on out, it was academical, and the Red Bulls, now up a man and with a two-goal lead, played out the duration of the match like sharks drawn to blood. Only the continuing heroics of Frei kept the game from truly getting out of hand, and even the normally rock-solid Swiss keeper fell victim to the brain fart bug that was apparently going around when he completely misjudged a cross, allowing former Red Carl Robinson to easily nod in the fourth and final New York goal.

With that, Toronto fell even further behind the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, and a BMO Field unbeaten streak that stretched back to August 2009 was broken.

Truth be told, the scoreline flattered the visitors, and even though the Reds did not do enough to win the match, they certainly didn’t play as poorly as 4-1 suggests. Had one on Toronto’s many first half chances found the back of the net — and TFC did come as close as hitting the post — the game likely plays out very differently.

But this game always comes down to which side finishes its chances. New York did, Toronto didn’t.

It’s as simple as that.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pros and Cons for the Toronto FC versus New York Red Bulls match played on Saturday, August 21, 2010:

PROS

• Toronto was not afraid to go at the vaunted Red Bulls, opening both halves on the front foot.
• Dwayne De Rosario finding his finishing form with a coolly slotted goal.
• O’Brian White getting much more involved in the play. From chasing down balls to providing the pass for De Ro’s goal, OBW was much more effective than in recent games.
• Carl Robinson’s classy goal non-celebration.

CONS

• Lack of finishing, which ended up being the difference between the two sides.
• Nana Attakora and Stefan Frei’s rare lapses in judgment, both which led directly to New York goals.
• Joseph Nane as a centre back. Sure, he was thrust into the role due to Attakora’s ejection, but let’s hope he never finds himself in that position again.
• The BMO Field crowd, which was the largest in history for an MLS match, yet empty seats were in abundance. Why do people buy tickets and not show up? Also, a little bit of rain won’t kill you.

HIGHLIGHTS

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Cruz Azul displayed the unbecoming characteristic in spades last night, and when all was said and done, it was Toronto FC that had a swagger to its step.

It all started with the report that the Mexican side had trained on artificial turf in preparation for yesterday’s CONCACAF Champions League Group A opener at BMO Field. Clearly, Cruz Azul couldn’t be bothered to look into the matter to find that that Toronto had, indeed, installed natural grass back in March.

With scouting like that, one has to wonder what sort of research the team from Mexico City had actually done on their opponents. From the opening kick, it was apparent that they really hadn’t done much at all.

Everyone who watches Preki’s side knows that Toronto tends to apply high, full-field pressure against teams that are perceived to be an offensive threat. It happened again last night, with the Reds chasing down everything from the instant the opening whistle was blown.

Cruz Azul’s mixture of A and B players lined up in a curious formation that included a three-man backline. Sure, they are the better side overall, but it was like Los Cementeros were clearly thumbing their noses at TFC’s home field advantage, one that hasn’t seen the Reds lose a competitive match at BMO Field in over 12 months. They knew that they were the best team to ever set foot on the new grass pitch by the lake shore, so obviously they would be immune to the effects of our charming little stadium.

Not quite.

Within two  minutes, their cockiness was their own undoing. A combination of Toronto hustle and shambolic defending saw the Reds go up before most of the crowd (outside of the packed-past-fire-code south end) had even taken their seats. Martin Saric, returning from a month-long absence due to injury, opportunistically headed the ball into the gaping Cruz Azul net, and for the rest of the first half TFC toyed with the shell-shocked Mexican giants.

It really was the most dominating half of football Toronto has ever produced, led by the coming out party of Spanish designated player Mista. The former Depor man had arrived to Toronto in less than optimal shape, and was looking like 2010’s version of Laurent Robert in the weeks since his signing.

That all changed last night, with the Spaniard looking like a man possessed. His fitness was finally starting to catch up to his obvious talent, and by the end of the first half he had been involved in the creation of one goal and was the goalscorer of another.

Cruz Azul coach Enrique Meza finally decided to show Toronto some respect after 45 minutes of one-way traffic, bringing in his big guns for the second half. The biggest, dirtiest gun of them all — Mexican national team stalwart Gerardo Torrado — had the most influence, with rough-and-tumble antics that would make hard men like Saric and Maxim Usanov blush.

Not that the head official seemed to notice. Jamaican referee Courtney Campbell, a fairly prominent CONCACAF official, was absolutely dreadful yesterday, constantly letting the Mexican side simultaneously act like thugs and nancies throughout the night.

Campbell fell for just about every dive the Cruz Azul players attempted, while also allowing the goonery of Torrado and company to continue unabated. It culminated in a laughable sequence in the dying minutes of the game in which Dwayne De Rosario — who was holding the ball up in the Cruz Azul end in an effort to kill the clock — was clearly choked by Torrado, which somehow led to both men being booked by Campbell. De Rosario obviously needs to control his throat, as it got into the way of one too many Mexican hands for the Jamaican referee’s liking.

Predictably, Los Cementeros had more of the play in the second half, but it was a case of too-little, too-late as the Reds had already locked down the match, both physically and mentally, despite the best efforts of an upgraded Cruz Azul side.

Now Toronto has three points in hand that nobody expected them to have. Besides the obvious, one huge positive is that TFC’s performance should have awoken a sleep-walking giant, with Cruz Azul still having to play the other two Group A opponents with, as coach Meza stated in the post-match presser, “a sour taste” in their mouths.

That doesn’t bode well for Real Salt Lake — who currently boast an even better home unbeaten streak than the Reds — or Panamanian side Arabe Unido, as the Mexican powerhouse will now by chasing points and trying to prove a point. Hell, it probably doesn’t bode well for TFC in the return leg in Mexico City, where Cruz Azul is utterly dominant.

But screw it, Toronto just won the biggest match of its history, and the tournament just started.

“Tell all of Mexico… you got f—ed by T.O.!!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pros and Cons for the CONCACAF Champions League Group A match played between Toronto FC and CDSC Cruz Azul on Tuesday, August 17, 2010:

PROS

• Mista finally proving his worth, and doing so in style.
• Martin Saric returning in the best possible way, with a goal less than three minutes into the biggest match of TFC’s history.
• Much maligned fullback duo Raivis Hscanovics and Maxim Usanov stepping into the lineup and stepping up to the challenge.
• Toronto’s midfield, led by Julian de Guzman, completely outclassing their counterparts.
• The crowd, while smaller than usual, was about five times louder and much more involved.

CONS

• Courtney Campbell. Awful officiating from a referee that seemed to want to let Cruz Azul back into the match.
• O’Brian White continues to lumber out there in his limited minutes, looking out of sorts once again.

HIGHLIGHTS

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Mexico’s Cruz Azul storms into town for the CONCACAF Champions League, looking to continue its dominance over the region — especially MLS teams — en route to yet another CCL final.

Sure, Los Cementeros may not be on par with Los Galacticos in terms of pure skill and talent, but the difference between this visit and Cristiano Ronaldo’s last year is that Cruz Azul is actually here to play for something.

The Mexico City club has never actually won the Champions League, despite having advanced to the final in both editions of that competition. This is a fact that does not sit well well with the team, and Cruz Azul will be looking to assert its dominance on the competition at the first opportunity.

That first opportunity is against Toronto.

The Reds are heading into the game an incomplete side, hampered by injuries to key personnel, most notably forwards Chad Barrett and Maicon Santos. Both players pulled up lame in recent games, and both are looking at possibly another couple of weeks before suiting up for TFC again.

This places the weight of the attacking responsibility on Mista, O’Brian White and Fuad Ibrahim. The thought of the three carrying the team’s offence through the thick of the late summer logjam is hardly inspiring, given Mista’s fitness issues, White’s complete lack of form and Ibby’s lack of minutes.

Luckily, the supporting cast is relatively unscathed, specifically Dwayne De Rosario and Julian de Guzman, both of whom will be looked upon to lead the upstart Reds against a highly motivated Mexican powerhouse.

Even Martin Saric is back to full training after a long layoff, which gives Preki a weapon if he feels that Cruz Azul isn’t intimidated enough.

It’s tough to give Toronto a real shot of winning this game, despite a home record that has seen the side unbeaten in over a calendar year. Cruz Azul will be simply the most powerful side to grace BMO’s pitch in the stadium’s history, once motivation and fitness are taken into account.

Tomorrow will not be a friendly kickabout in which both teams are more concerned with playing to the crowd than the final score. Quite the opposite, actually.

Both teams will absolutely be concerned with the final score. Toronto will be playing its best version of Preki-ball in order to keep the score respectable, while Cruz Azul will be looking to set their goal differential as big as possible, as early as possible.

Given that Los Cementeros are fresh off of pumping current Champions League holders Pachuca 4-1 in the Mexican Apertura on Saturday, the Reds will have their work cut out for them.

Fortunately, if there’s one thing that Preki’s team has shown in 2010, it’s that they don’t mind getting their hands dirty.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

TFC really needs to figure out how to play on the road in MLS. For 15 or so minutes in the first half, it seemed as though the mojo that Toronto had recently found (in Honduras) would continue to be on display at beautiful brand new Red Bull Arena.

The Reds were looking the livelier of the two teams. Toronto was passing with purpose, making smart runs, and keeping the ball away from New York’s double-headed monster in the form of Juan Pablo Angel and Thierry Henry.

In fact, for the first half of the first half, Toronto — kicking it old school in red shirts and white shorts, a far better look than the drab monochrome that they’ve settled on since the final game of 2007 — appeared to be the team deserving of all the hype that New York’s been getting lately.

Then two things happened.

New York scored against the run of play, and Chad Barrett got hurt.

The Red Bulls goal, courtesy of Joel Lindpere via a hustle play by Henry and a perfectly-placed chip by Seth Stammler (!), took the wind out of the sails of an up-to-that-point chipper Toronto side. Barrett pulling up lame with a hamstring strain was the torpedo that took care of the rest of the boat.

From that point on, it was typical TFC road soccer; aimless passes to nowhere, boneheaded defensive miscues, and fruitless long balls to the forwards.

Why Toronto is so terrible away from BMO Field is a subject for a much broader investigation, but specifically why TFC flamed out so spectacularly last night is easier to break down.

First off, the Reds have just completed a gauntlet of matches that saw them criss-crossing the continent to the tune of nine games played in just over a month. Regardless of the improved squad depth since the beginning of the season, the core is still playing the majority of each game, and that will eventually take its toll.

No, it’s not an excuse for the lackluster play, but it does help explain why the side couldn’t sustain the torrid pace to the game that they started with.

Also, Barrett coming out of the game immediately changed the Toronto attack, as in there was no more. With Maicon Santos staying at home with a knee ailment, Barrett was paired with Dwayne De Rosario up top, and the duo fed off each other’s energy to cause New York’s defence problems in the early going.

When Barrett subbed out and Mista came on, the work rate of the TFC forward partnership was immediately cut in half. Mista is still, for all intents and purposes, in pre-season form, and while his vision and touch are vital weapons in his arsenal, his speed and hustle game (or lack thereof) is nowhere near that of the young Americant. With an attack that is seemingly built on Barrett’s ability to draw defenders away from De Rosario and Julian de Guzman, Mista’s early entry into the game was a precursor to the direction-less play that would define Toronto’s attack for the final hour.

Not that the other forwards were of any help. One thing Mista does well is send a cutting through ball into the final third, and unfortunately the count is now up to two (consecutive) games in which a sublime Mista feed to a teammate has been severely screwed up by the player on the receiving end.

On Saturday, De Rosario blasted a beautiful pass from Mista directly at Chivas keeper Dan Kennedy, wasting not only a great feed, but also a nice juke move from the Spaniard to get himself free.

Yesterday it was O’Brian White’s turn, the Jamaican flubbing the pass by trying to take an extra step or ten rather than firing a first-time shot at backup Bulls’ keeper Greg Sutton. White’s ultimate offering wasn’t even on frame, mostly because by the time he had gotten the shot off, a New York defender had made his way between the Toronto striker and the goal.

White’s hesitation epitomized the entire second half for Toronto. Truth be told, New York was not much better on the night, as the Red Bulls almost seemed to want to keep TFC in the match. That makes it even more frustrating.

When all was said and done, the teams split possession evenly, had the same amount of shots on goal, and generally sleep-walked through the match (the first 20 minutes aside).

The difference between the two teams was Lindpere’s strike, and the fact that New York was missing four starters, while Toronto could reasonably claim to be missing two (the merry-go-round of defensive midfielders notwithstanding).

The return leg in ten days will also see the return of those missing in action for both sides, and will ostensibly feature a much more in form Thierry Henry. And no Julian de Guzman.

Catching New York just got a lot harder, and it didn’t have to be that way.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pros and Cons for the match played between Toronto FC and New York Red Bulls on August 11, 2010:

PROS

• The first 15 minutes. Toronto clearly wanted to strike first, and showed no fear in trying to do so.
• Mista’s passing. Eventually someone won’t screw it up.
• Keeping the score close. Hey, at least it wasn’t 5-0, right? Right??
• The red-white-red TFC colour scheme. Can we please keep that over the boring all-red get up? In fact, I’d like to see the dark grey shorts matched up with the white away shirt, as well.

CONS

• More road woes. Seriously, it’s getting hard to write the same thing over and over again.
• Aimless “link-up” play. Booting the ball to a slow-as-molasses Mista and a dog0tired Dwayne De Rosario is never going to work.
• O’Brian White. All of his confidence is gone, culminating in his house league hesitation on a fine through ball to set him free.
• Jacob Peterson. Can you please put a single effen shot on frame for once?
• No Julian de Guzman for the reverse fixture. New York’s mids will have a field day on the 21st if someone doesn’t step up in JDG’s absence.

HIGHLIGHTS

Posted by Rudi Schuller

With monsoon-like conditions setting the scene for the final soccer game ever to be played at Giants Stadium, TFC’s hopes of a first ever playoff berth were washed away that night in a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the godawful 2009 New York Red Bulls, one of the worst teams in MLS history.

All Toronto needed was a draw to advance, as they held the tiebreaker over Salt Lake, Colorado, DC and Kansas City. As it was, Salt Lake squeaked by the hapless Reds and proceeded to go on a hot streak that gave that side an improbable MLS Cup championship. The Utah side has arguably never come off that hot streak, as they are now sport one of the best records on the league nearly a year later.

The Red Bulls famously re-tooled, adding Barcelona rejects alumni Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez to an already vastly improved side. New coach Hans Backe had already transformed the sad-sack Bulls into a respectable team before the recent arrival of the two superstars, and now with arguably two of the best players of their generation joining the New York side, the Red Bulls have to be in the conversation as genuine cup contenders.

Fortunately for Toronto, the timing is not quite there yet for New York. Not only have Henry and Marquez not yet had enough time to completely integrate themselves into their new club, but due to circumstances neither might be available for Wednesday’s match in New Jersey at all.

Henry, while giving glimpses of skill and a chemistry with fellow striker Juan Pable Angel that is sure to frighten the hell out of opposing MLS defences, is still working his way back into match fitness after having spent the better part of a year on the bench, both for Barcelona and for his national team. He seems to have overdone it, with a groin pull threatening his availability.

Marquez joined the Red Bulls less than a week ago and, while he did show superb vision and passing ability in his 60-minute debut versus Chicago yesterday, is also less than one hundred percent. Not that it matters, as the Mexican captain will be at Estadio Azteca this week with his national team.

In fact, as many as five NYRB players will be missing due to international play, with offensive catalyst Joel Lindpere of Estonia likely being the biggest loss after Marquez. New York will also likely be without goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, defender Roy Miller and speedy attacker Dane Richards, all key cogs in New York’s turnaround season.

What that could mean for the Reds — who themselves will be missing Maicon Santos (knee sprain), Dan Gargan (suspension) Emmanuel Gomez and likely Ty Harden, Martin Saric and Amadou Sanyang — is that they could be facing a team featuring a backup keeper (former Red Greg Sutton) that has yet to play a single minute in MLS in 2010, along with a very makeshift attack.

Good news, indeed.

Given the impending schedule logjam that TFC is about to face a week from now, the time is now to take advantage of New York’s misfortune. Toronto owes the Red Bulls a bit of payback for that season-ending debacle last year, and the brand new Red Bull Arena is just the place to wipe the slate clean and take down the charging Bulls.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Jesus comes to Toronto

Are you rested yet, TFC?

Toronto FC returns to BMO Field Saturday after pulling off the Herculean task of securing a result in Honduras on Tuesday, allowing the team to move on in the CONCACAF Champions League. Nearly as impressive was the fact that the Reds scored a whopping two goals in less than 45 minutes.

Toronto hadn’t scored more than a single goal in a match since the May 29 road win over San Jose. In the two months between, TFC played nine games, scoring a total of five goals in the process. The wells had dried up as summer hit, making the two-goal second half that the Reds put together in Tegucigalpa a rare treat.

But now that Toronto had showed that it could not only fight its way back into a match, but also do so on the road (where that San Jose victory still stands alone as the only road win thus far in 2010), what does that mean?

Will TFC use the confidence gained in that CCL match as a motivating tool to get back on track in league play? Or will the dramatic series victory over Motagua end up being a one-off, with Toronto slipping right back into the summer doldrums?

Fortunately, we won’t have to wait very long to find out. Toronto hosts Chivas USA on Saturday, a club whose fortunes seem to be the polar opposite of TFC’s.

Where Toronto started off poorly and had a great late spring run followed by a dour July, Chivas kicked off with a decent April, followed by six straight losses in May and June, leading into an undefeated July.

Preki’s former side took far longer than his current side to come together after a roster overhaul and coaching change, but Chivas can claim to be the better team right now. The Goats arrive in Toronto having dispatched Columbus 3-1 last week, a good result that was preceded by a road draw at RSL, and positive results against both Kansas City and Philadelphia (two teams Toronto have lost to in recent weeks).

Chivas’ form mirrors that of young striker Justin Braun, who has notched eight goals in MLS play thus far. As the season progresses, Braun’s confidence grows, and the Goats are better off for it.

Toronto’s central defence tandem of Adrian Cann and Nana Attakora will have their hands full with the likes of Braun and Mexican-American forward Jesus Padilla, but what TFC will need to be more wary of is Chivas’ team attacking style as a whole.

Coach Martin Vasquez finally has Chivas playing the Latin game that owner Jorge Vergara promised when he incorporated the franchise as an offshoot of C.D. Guadalajara back in 2005. That actually may be good news for a Toronto side that has just spent the past week learning to counteract the same style in the Champions League.

Ultimately, given that the game is as BMO Field, it will come down to which Toronto side shows up that determines whether TFC takes the victory or continues to drop crucial home points.

Will it be the clueless, disinterested TFC that dropped points to Dallas, Kansas and Philly in recent games? Or will the determined, gutsy Toronto side that took its chances and clawed out a result in Central America?

Posted by Rudi Schuller