Sporting will play another home opener this week when they travel to Toronto to take on TFC at the Rogers Centre. With the earlier start, Toronto is moving the game from BMO Field to the larger facility.
TFC comes into the game on the heals of a 1-0 loss in Vancouver in the opener. Overall I wasn't that impressed watching them last week, but they were missing a few players as well.
PSP's Eastern Conference preview looks at each club and how the Union match up against them. In the end, PSP picks Michael Farfan and the Union to finish ... well, click on to read more.
From a team standpoint it was another rough week for Luis Silva but from an individual standpoint, theToronto FC midfielderenjoyed as good a week as possible.
Silva scored a goal and assisted on another in Toronto's 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy, earning him SBI's MLS Rookie of the Week award.
After a nightmarish start to the season, the Los Angeles Galaxy are headed back to the playoffs with the hopes of defending their MLS Cup title.
The Galaxy defeated Toronto FC 4-2 at The Home Depot Center on Saturday with two goals each from Juninho and Robbie Keane. The win moves LA into second in the Western Conference and locks up a spot in the playoffs.
When the 2012 MLS season began, Matt Hedges was penciled in as a rookie option off the bench for FC Dallas, but as the year has gone on he has established himself as a regular starter and ever-improving presence for a team on the comeback.
Hedges showed this past weekend just how far he has come.
Austin Berry has been flying high for the Fire this season. (Getty Images)
Programing note:Â ...and we're back. Yeah, I had to take yesterday completely off and I
won't apologize for it at all either. As some probably found out, yesterday was my wedding
anniversary so there was little need for writing yesterday.
When the Chicago Fire selected University of Louisville centerback Austin Berry with their
first-round pick in January's SuperDraft, they hoped they were getting a player who could come in
and contribute immediately. While injuries across the Fire back line may have accelerated his
growth curve, Berry has certainly proved that he was ready for the rigors of MLS all along.
After following his breakout play in the CONCACAF Champions League in March with a slow start to
his first MLS campaign, Luis Silva has rediscovered his groove for Toronto FC.
Silva scored a goal and had his rebounded shot put home by Eric Hassli in Toronto FC's mid-week
draw with the Portland Timbers, and he bounced back to go the distance against Sporting Kansas City
over the weekend to collect SBI MLS Rookie of the Week honors.
The Portland Timbers may not have won their first road game of the season on Wednesday night,
but they did manage to get a result that surely felt like a victory.
The Timbers drew Toronto FC, 2-2, at BMO Field on Wednesday after a late headed goal from
Darlington Nagbe. The Timbers attacker took advantage of some poor defending by TFC to get open and
equalize in the 82nd minute after Portland had relinquished a 1-0 lead earlier.
Toronto FC opened their Group 1 schedule with an easy 5-1 win over Aguila in the CONCACAF Champions
League. Playing at home, Toronto put a dozen shots on frame from 25 taken to Aguila's four from
eight. Luis Silva opened the scoring for Toronto in the 9th minute and it was 2-0 by the 17th from
a Reggie Lambe goal.
Toronto FC made an impressive run to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals in the
tournament's last installment, and on Wednesday TFC looked every bit like a team determined to make
another deep run.
Toronto opened Champions League play on Wednesday with a resounding 5-1 victory against
Salvadoran side CD Aguila.
It should be a nice weekend for MLS. (Getty Images)
Moving into another weekend of soccer. Week 21 has a couple decent looking games including one
tonight in Salt Lake City. It is all conference battles here this weekend as we head more into that
portion of the league schedule. Games will be even more intense since they nearly all have playoff
implications on them.
"Where's the party at?"The only question is "how did it take so long?" Reports
emerged this afternoon that Toronto FC and portly Chilean "defender"/ tequila aficionado Miguel
Aceval have "mutually parted" ways. Brought in to TFC during the off-season alongside equally
successful Ecuadorian Geovanny Caicedo, Aceval was touted to be one half of a South American
centreback pairing that would solve The Reds' six-year defensive crisis.
When Thierry Henry called rookie Connor Lade one of the New York Red Bulls' players of the
season more than a week ago, the high praise seemed a bit generous. Last Saturday, Lade showed just
why Henry and his teammates are so high on the St. John's product.
Lade turned in a Man of the Match-caliber effort in providing two assists in the Red Bulls' 2-0
victory against the Philadelphia Union.
"You'll Never Dome Alone"We've already made our feelings clear (here) about Toronto
FC and useless, often perilous, mid-season money-friendlies that see actual MLS fixtures
re-scheduled to accommodate. So, in apathy rather than any type of misplaced protest, we will
forego any kind of regular match preview or post-match report.
The acquisition of Andrew Wiedeman has paid immediate dividends for Toronto FC.Â
Wiedeman, sent to TFC from FC Dallas in exchange for Julian de Guzman last week, came off the
bench and scored the game-winning goal Wednesday night at BMO Field, lifting TFC to a 2-1 victory
over the floundering Colorado Rapids.
Luis Silva scored the first two goals of his professional career during the past week, and for
that he has won SBI's MLS Rookie of the Week award.
The Toronto FC rookie netted his first goal last Wednesday in the Reds' 3-2 victory over
Canadian rival, the Montreal Impact. And he followed that up by scoring the winner in this past
Sunday's 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution, a goal that capped a memorable week for the
young forward out of UC Santa Barbara.
Toronto FC head coach Paul Mariner was an assistant coach in New England from 2004-09. (Photo by
CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Toronto FC head coach Paul Mariner needed just one game to put an end to
the Reds five year history of ineptitude at Gillette Stadium.
Mariner, who got his first taste of coaching in MLS as an assistant with the New England
Revolution from 2004-09, led Toronto to a 1-0 road win over the Revs in Foxboro on Saturday night,
putting an end to TFC's six game winless run (0-4-2) in New England, dating back to the club
joining MLS in 2007.
If the New England Revolution do not make the playoffs in the East this season, they will look
back as Saturday's disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Toronto FC as one of the reasons why.
To be a playoff team you have to beat the poorer teams in your conference, especially at home,
and the Revs could not do that despite a significant edge in possession throughout the match and
registered 15 shots in the second half alone.
Clyde Simms put in a solid performance in the Revs loss. (Photo: Kari Heistad)
After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of
the New England Revolution players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5
average, 10 perfection).
Time to pay the piper... Scoring: 4 and a half points. Wow, that's brutal. Worst ever. Didn't see the insane SJ season coming, but did anyone? George john is gonna get me 5 and a half, come on Geroge!
The post 2012 Bold Predictions Redeoux appeared first on 3rd Degree.
It was the Eastern Conference filling out the two-game Wednesday schedule for Major League Soccer.
Columbus beat Toronto 2-1 in front of 10,049 at Crew Stadium. Eddie Gaven opened the scoring in the
4th minute for the home side, with Federico Higuain making it 2-0 in the 58th. Luis Silva scored
for Toronto in the 71st.
The MLS Week 19 fireworks exploded late Saturday night, with some of the league's most
recognizable names putting forth the best performances of the week to earn SBI MLS Best XI
recognition.
David Beckham marked his top performance of the season with two highlight-reel goals in
Portland, and his goal tally was matched by fellow DP teammate Robbie Keane.
Not having a ballTHE BUZZ:
Would a TFC loss be blamed on travel, fatigue or humidity?
Do any of you still listen to the post-match excuses?Will Kansas get a rare football "three-game
sweep"?Have the results of Livestrong Park's urinalysis returned?What's more American - Teal
Bunbury or Jacob Peterson's socks?
"To Club Escobar! Tell 'em Terry sent ya!" THE BUZZ:
Will the choice to play a B squad destroy any chance of TFC fight?At this point in TFC's season
does it really matter?Will fans feel let down if TFC loses to Santos Laguna anyways?Do you guys
know any good clubs in Houston for later?
"Oh the humanity! florae!" THE BUZZ:
Can TFC stop giving up late spirit-crushing goals?Will the O'Dea/Eckersley defensive pairing
continue?Does any man still use Barbasol?Can Mariner find a permanent partner for Eric Hassli?Will
it ever feel like Columbus 2008 again?
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES After the rains came down like a monsoon two hours before, sky's
blued and the weather was perfect-if not a little sticky for kickoff. And that's how it started for
the Fire. In the fourth, what turned out to be the best chance at goal in the first half was
squandered by the hesitation of new signing ÃlvaroFernandez.
"Get that defence an Irishman!" THE BUZZ:
Are the days of automatic away losses done?Is Eric Hassli ready to make his long-awaited debut?Will
Paul Mariner exchange shorts for Team GB Speedos?Did TFC use up all their goals against CD
Aguila?Are we the Cameron Frye of MLS?
Disclaimer: Graphics and information for today's match preview have been provided by the
detail-oriented London Olympic Committee's (LOGOC) production team... Please welcome our Texan opponents! TORONTO VS. HOUSTON 　 BMO FIELD - SATURDAY 4:30 PM ET TV: GOL TV ----RADIO: THE FAN 590
　 THE KICKABOUT:
Much has changed since these two clubs last met.
É que os visitantes aos 8 minutos chegaram ao golo, uma bola perdida muito perto da area do
Revolution, com Danny Koevermans a meter em Luis Silva e este a rematar cruzado fora do alcançe do
guarda redes Bobby Shuttleworth.
"I can has tazer?"COLUMBUS VS. TORONTO 　 CREW STADIUM - WEDNESDAY 7:30PM ET TV: GOL TV
　 THE KICKABOUT:
It's hard for any TFC supporter to think about an away fixture at Columbus without harkening back
to that frozen day in 2008 when thousands of hearty Torontonians invaded Crew Stadium.
"Something -'Dea defending. Anyone? O'Dea defending"CHICAGO VS.
TORONTO 　 TOYOTA PARK - SATURDAY 8:30PM ET TV: GOL TV RADIO: THE FAN 590
　 THE KICKABOUT:
While not exactly "on Fire", TFC have at least a 1-Alarm smoulder going on right now with 4 wins in
their last 5 competitive matches.
A pleasant surprise awaited when I logged into my fantasy team Monday morning. Although I had started an injured player (TFC's Luis Silva), the game had automatically subbed in my #1 reserve, Jeff Parke. What's amazing about this is that Luis Silva (middie) and Jeff Parke (defense) play different positions!
Ah the curse of a suspension to Thierry Henry. I debated long and hard on which two-game player to take this week. Chris Wondolowski or Thierry Henry. Taking the French striker didn't go as planned.
Just a mere 72 points on the week. Better than average but well below the high of the week.
Wondo would have been a bigger player to get and I can't stress how close I came to adding him back on the roster.
Sorry, I did this from memory.
I think they rescued a princess once...
it's like the stars above a crest for winning tournaments.
I think I could really get excited about this tournament... except nobody else really does. Sure,
the smaller Central American/Caribbean national champs probably look at this as "the big time" but
I fear no one else does.
