Signing DeRo Was Just The Beginning?
We received this email in or mailbag just a little bit ago:
Hello MLSR,Please do NOT disclose my name but I had the fortune of having dinner with someone close to TFC over the weekend and they gave me some insight into what the "big picture" is about the club's future plans in a conversation lasting about 45 minutes.

Seattle's shutout streak continued in Week Three, with Freddy Llungberg taking Fredy Montero's place at striker and in the score sheet. Elsewhere, Colorado's Connor Casey hit a hat-trick to beat LA. Seattle 2 - Toronto 0 Kasey Keller has three shutouts in his three MLS career starts and Seattle keeps the best record in Major League Soccer with a 2-0 win over Toronto at BMO Field.

DeRo Goes Agro About BMO Turf
In an post-match interview following Toronto FC's 2-0 home loss to Chicago Fire, Dwayne DeRosario on CBC sports gave the strongest condemnation of the FieldTurf used by BMO Field to date:
"This turf has to go, I'm sick of it."
Indeed, one would think with the money that MLSE earned from their portion of the nearly $5 million Canadian dollars received for the transfer of US International, Maurice Edu to Scotland's Rangers, they would be able to install grass or at least a better grade of Fieldturf similar to what is in use in Seattle.

Another full week of games in Major League Soccer and Chivas USA and the Chicago Fire remain the top 2 teams. Both lead their respective conferences and continue to get results. Here's the results from this past weekend along with the latest MLS Rankings through May 25, 2009.

Saturday, May 23, 2009 Status Home Score Away
VENUE (ATT.

For those of you who are fans of either Celtic or Benfica, or if you just want to see 2 big European clubs go at it on North American soil, Celtic are playing Benfica in Toronto on Wednesday September 2nd at BMO Field, home of Toronto F.C. Tickets to the match can be purchased by clicking on this link.

Benfica defeated Celtic in their international friendly game at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. Benfica scored early in the game when Keirrison gathered a rebound two minutes in to give the pro Benfica grab the lead but Celtic tied the game just before the half when Paul McGowan scored on one of Celtic's few chances in this game.

Well, it's that time of year again. The National Hockey League, and in particular the Toronto Maple Leafs, are back tonight meaning that every sports station, every news channel and every newspaper in the city will devote 90% of its coverage to every minutiae of the sport that is Frozen Stick Soccer.

----------------------Coming soon to a BMO Field near you

This time you have to think it's for real. The Toronto Argonauts owners are aggressively petitioning The City of Toronto and the CFL to move the team to BMO Field. When this has been rumoured in the past it was always ignored as hot air from the Argos' camp but this time politicians are weighing in and it's bad news for Toronto FC supporters.

As expected, the Exhibition Place board approved MLSE's proposal to expand the north end of BMO Field by 1200 or so seats. The plan will now proceed to Toronto City Council in the New Year for a final checkmark which will probably be met with little resistance. A short while ago this would have been joyous news for TFC fans.

Toronto FC fans may have new reason to cheer in 2010 according to a source within Toronto FC:
span style="font-style:italic;">I just thought you guys would like to know that I was just informed from within TFC that grass is coming to BMO Field next season. An agreement has been struck with the city with regards to use of the facilities and an alternative that Toronto FC will set up this fall/winter.

You may read about this in the next few days. I was at the game, the two guys in question lit the flares near the exit ready for a quick getaway after they threw them into the SUPPORTERS SECTION (these guys definitely weren't among the ultras), and I noticed a few fans trying to stop them on their way out.

Don Garber's hopes that USL would be shut out of the 2009/10 version of the CONCACAF Champions League have not been realized. Last night in Trinidad, the Islanders recorded a 2-0 semifinal win in the CFU Final Four over Haitian Champions Tempete. Kendall Jagdeosingh scored the winning goal on a cross from Scott Jones early in extra time and Peter Villegas scored another later to provide the margin for victory.

Courtesy of The Canadian Press:

MONTREAL — The Montreal Impact is seeking $25 million in government funding to expand its stadium and strengthen its bid for a Major League Soccer franchise.

Joey Saputo, president of the United Soccer Leagues club, said the decision was inspired by government funding of stadiums to be used by the two teams recently granted franchises by MLS for 2011 - Vancouver and Portland, Ore.

No DeRo. No wins in our last four. No confidence in me for this team to beat the MLS-leading Chivas USA, who are 4-0-1. We have a huge opportunity to make a point though. If we can beat the league's best team thus far, some of the fans can once again start believing in the potential of this team. It is no easy task, of course.

After a full week of games, Chivas USA has extended their lead to 6 points in the Western Conference and DC United has moved into first in the Eastern Conference with 2 consecutive wins. Colorado has moved up to 3rd in the Western conference and Columbus remains the only winless team in the league.

Toronto FC's rival to the north managed to put in grass at their new stadium from the beginning.
Way back on April 21, loyal MLSR readers will remember this leak we received from someone within the Toronto FC organization wishing anonymity.
The latest report regarding putting grass in at BMO Field comes courtesy of Canada's SLAM!

Weeks after initially saying that Franck Ribery wouldn't be sold at any price, Bayern Munich has now decided to set a price tag.

And it ain't cheap.

Bayern has set a €94 million asking price for the French star, increasing speculation that there still may be hope for Real Madrid to add another jewel to its already absurd collection of world stars.

Chester Stadium currently under construction. (Photo via Philadelphia Union)

Lots of attention lately has been given to the start of next season for each club. It mainly seems to boil down to two clubs that are causing the league to redo the start of the season schedule every other day.

Both Toronto and 2010 expansion club Philadelphia seem to have their own issues going on.

Fasten your seatbelt and ensure that your seat is in an upright position - it's the fastest game preview EVER! A mere 10 hours from now, the Reds will take on the Kansas City Wizards at beautiful BMO Field. In the wake of John Carver's sudden resignation, Chris Cummins and Nick Dasovic will take the reigns on an interim basis.

To brand Friday night's friendly against Real Madrid as a negative would be an ignorant thing to do. To imagine that MLSE brought the Nu-Galacticos here to further the "beautiful game" in Toronto would be a far more ignorant line of thought. The fact that our local squad, comparable in stature with a second division European club, gets to test their skills against the reserves of one of the world's Top 5 clubs is great in theory.

Benfica have arrived in Toronto, Canada for their friendly tomorrow against Scottish side Celtic at BMO Field. Benfica will have a practise tonight before tomorrow's matchup which kicks off at 7.30pm eastern time

Toronto FC and BMO Field took a giant step forward in their progression towards complete football legitimacy today as Toronto City Council, led by season ticket holder Mayor Miller, approved the installation of delicious, real, green grass in time for the 2010 season. The plan still has to pass provincial and federal watchdogs due to their original contributions to the stadium construction but that is not considered to be a major concern.

If there is any team in MLS we can bounce back against right now, surely it is FC Dallas. They are 0-3-0, with two home losses coming before last weekend's loss away to New England. Tomorrow's match opens up a home and home series we have with them. Next Sunday, we are at Pizza Hut Park.
This match is one that I looked for right away when the schedule came out.

image via Chad's Facebook page

Chad Barrett is an Oregon native living the dream playing for Toronto FC which is one of the most well supported clubs in MLS. He left UCLA early, signed a generation Adidas contract, played in the U-20 World Cup, and has the potential to be one of the top strikers in MLS one day.

Liquor Arrest on Queen West near Simcoe Street (circa 1917)
Photo Credit: Crime and Punishment in Canada
Dear RICHARD,
-Dear [Mail Merge Field filled with an enormously large Excel file of Toronto FC season ticket holders]
Earlier this week, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) served BMO Field with a one-game suspension for a violation that occurred in May 2008.

Benfica will be paying a visit to Toronto, Canada on September 2nd, 2009 in a friendly to take on Scottish side Celtic. The teams respective leagues will be on a break as World Cup qualifying will be taking place so expect that some team players will be with their National Teams and not make the trip to Toronto.

From the first time Danny Dichio stepped on the field for Toronto FC you could see the difference. There was a fire in the belly of a man who was enjoying his football curtain call. Dichio didn't come to TFC for one last paycheque, he came here to prove to himself and to the football world that he was still the physical force that made him a fan favourite with such big clubs as QPR, Sunderland and West Brom.

Politics and football have long been uncomfortable but necessary bedfellows. Throughout the last 100 years of history, "the world's game" has been used as a propaganda tool, a way of placating restless populations and a powerful ally to political ambition. In turn, football clubs have often used these intimate connections to further their own ambitions and indeed their fortunes.

The City of Toronto are all high on grass after approving MLSE's proposal to install a new natural grass turf for BMO field. This is great news for Toronto FC fans who have been enduring a brutal turf war for the past 3 seasons since TFC joined the MLS.

The last time BMO field boasted a shiny grass field was when Real Madrid came to town to thoroughly trounce TFC.

The long-awaited and costly removal of BMO Field's dreaded FieldTurf playing surface began on Friday to the delight of Toronto FC fans, but their exuberance was almost immediately tempered by a report suggesting that the city's Canadian Football League franchise - the Argonauts - again have an eye on moving their home games to the stadium in the not-too-distant future.

MLS mid-week action saw Amado Guevara's goal leading to Toronto FC's 1-0 victory against Chivas USA on Wednesday night at BMO Field. TFC's win was their first ever victory against Chivas. The loss was Chivas USA's first of the 2009 MLS season. Chivas USA (4-1-1) vs. Toronto FC (2-2-2) April 22, 2009 BMO Field Scoring [.

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Friends, Romans and Canadians, I come to bury Carver, not to praise him.
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
As everyone knows by now, the John Carver era in Toronto officially ended on Saturday. CHRONICLE LIVE IN THE UK says "fans at the BMO Field club (are) gutted" over his departure.

Zidane got a surprisingly warm welcome in Canada yesterday after playing against the Canadian All-Star team in Toronto, June 25, 2009. The retired French soccer star was asked and accepted to play in Canada for various world charities.

The BMO field was packed with 10,152 spectators who all came out to watch Zidane.

Liverpool never planned on selling Xabi Alonso, but in the end the Reds couldn't fight off Real Madrid.

One of the lengthier transfer sagas of the summer concluded on Tuesday with Liverpool agreeing to sell the Spanish international to Real Madrid for £30 million ($50.76 million).

A report in today's Globe & Mail newspaper hints at Dwayne De Rosario's growing unhappiness at the state of BMO Field's dreadful Field Turf and its effect on his long-term plans. When asked if the green polyester slacks which substitute for grass in Toronto makes him question his future, the all-star midfielder said "Yeah, kind of, in a way, because my career depends on me playing, and if turf is hampering the longevity of my career, then you have to question how long can you actually deal with playing on turf.

If you didn't watch the Colorado Rapids' 3-2 loss to Toronto on Saturday, don't be fooled by the score. This was no five-goal explosion of offense. It was a 1-1 struggle blown open by two quick Toronto goals midway through the second half.

Substitute Michael Holody scored his first Major League Soccer goal in his second Major League Soccer game, but by that time (the 89th minute), the deed was done.

Even though TFC will likely get about 95% season ticket renewals this year, not every Reds' supporter will be returning to BMO in 2010. Maybe the 15% increase is too steep or maybe the lacklustre season made you say "enough is enough". Not to fear though, you can still enjoy that BMO South End Experience from the comfort of your living room.

After a couple weeks of wondering when Toronto FC would get their home opener announced for next season, the club came out today and announced the date and their opponent. The Reds will open the home portion of the 2010 MLS season on Saturday, April 17 against the expansion Philadelphia Union on their new natural grass field at BMO Field.

--------------------That is some quality toad. Nice hole too.

Well, that's it then. 2009 is done and dusted with Toronto FC having nothing but a big wad of mediocrity to show for it. But have no fear brave TFC supporters - Mo Johnston is working feverishly to make everything better!

We're not as against turf fields as many, but there is no doubt that MLS raises its stature and increases its chance of success as a business (by attracting those who are put off by such fields), when it converts to grass. Such is the case in Toronto, where Field Turf is no longer and grass is on the way.