The Starting 11 - Recent posts
Viewing all posts which authors have tagged ‘The Starting 11’.
You can also subscribe to this tag's feed.
Reggie shows the ball how to bow at his feetEvery club has one of them now and
again. A colourful and flamboyant character who has such a lofty opinion of their own skills that
they can't help but tell the world. Often this can be an endearing quality to fans but only when
there is actual skill to back it up.
"Stop loafing Frings, that windmill ain't gonna build itself!"The biggest investment in
Toronto FC this year will not come in the way of a Designated Player but in a group of buildings
and pitches in the city's north end. The new TFC training facility, due to open this May in
Downsview Park, will arguably be the finest club training facility in North American professional
football.
Monty Hall... a proud father"
The boys are back in tow-owu-wow-own!" Oh,
sing it yourself then. It's true though - like well-paid groundhogs in shorts, our beloved Reds are
making their annual late-winter appearance! And guess what? Spring is coming early! (March 7th at
SkyDome - operators are standing by) It's always fun to see old faces return and new faces emerge
(except on defence where we are apparently in tip-top shape) and catch up on all the news and
gossip from a long off-season.
It's gone to Extra Time!Rather quietly last week, the pristinely un-corrupt body that oversees Caribbean, North and
Central American football announced changes to its Champions League format. CONCACAF's changes are
a good news-bad news scenario for Canadian clubs as the NutCan winner will get to skip the
preliminary round and go straight to the group stages, but, be placed in a three-team group with at
least one other MLS club or a Mexican giant.
The halftime show will be spectacular!"50,000 fans". This was the mantra repeated ad
nauseam during TFC's Dutch Breakfast Extravaganza on Friday regarding the CCL Quarterfinal at
SkyDome. There is a great expectation from the club's owners as well as many supporters that the
fixture versus LA Galaxy will equal, if not eclipse, Montreal's memorable CCL Big O filler of a few
years back.
"Wow Jimmy, looks great! Now get it to Anselmi - Chop! Chop!"That's it - the
holidays are over. Take down the lights, put the tree in a chipper and tell the Mayans to bugger
off. Nothing but months of sleet, cold and snow to look forward to now... unless you're a TFC
supporter! Like a Dutch groundhog, Bob de Klerk has seen his shadow and it's under four weeks until
The Reds' return for pre-season.
Happy Boxing Day!Boxing Day... not only the one day of the year that Maxim Usanov
celebrates his hero, Soviet-era pugilist Ivan Drago, but the day where you look at all of your
Christmas gifts and ask your loved ones... "do you still have the receipt?" It's not always quite
as easy as gently hinting that the new Cosby sweater your dear Aunt Nora gave you "isn't quite you"
though.
The Netherlands' # 1 feline holiday celebrity - Suarez SoolsmaOne of the great things about the Holiday Season is the nightly treat of festive television
specials. From claymation to variety specials and all things puppet-related in-between, December is
a cornucopia of sugary TV treats.
"Ugh, my iPhone is stuck on the UNHOLY setting"The dust has settled over Bay Street
since Friday's dramatic announcement that Bell and Rogers were buying major shares of Maple Leaf
Sports and "Entertainment". A few things became evident by watching the glad-handing press
conference: Bell and Rogers may be in bed over this deal - but they do not enjoy each other's
company; the deal is 99% about getting corporate boxes at Leafs games; and, TFC are the equivalent
of "the player to be named later" in the deal.
Theo and Danleigh Borman. Pre-Re-Entry Draft.After testing the market for a potential sale of its MLSE assets, The Ontario Teachers' Pension
Plan recently decided to take the sports and "entertainment" monolith off the market. Funny that
four flailing sports teams without a major trophy (sorry NutCan) between them couldn't tempt a
multi-billionaire.
That's one delicious seat cushionBienvenue la "401 Derby"! With the new improved
Stade Saputo (aka L'Emporium de Fromage) under construction and the bones of the squad starting to
come together via the MLS Expansion Draft, TFC's natural rival, Montreal Impact, are inching
towards life in the big leagues.
Jeez, get a roomThere are still a few negative types out there in North American
football who claim that David Beckham's five-year affair with Major League Soccer was a failure.
Long before he raised the MLS Cup last night - this simply wasn't the case. Did he play his best
football with LA Galaxy, far from it.
"Looks like the Golden Frank will be the decider!"Every year during the lead-up to
the MLS Cup, the league Commissioner holds a "State of the League" press conference. The speech is
usually a self-congratulatory pat on the back detailing all of the ways the loop has improved over
the past season and hints about what direction MLS plans to take in the future.
"Oooh your manbag is so moody - it must be a Laurent Robert!"Autumn is a time of
transition. Where the once promising blooms of spring must wither and make way for Winter
(
Lazio 1992-1996) and the eventual dawn of a new re-birth. Oh, the circle of life - love
it when this blog goes all Robert Frost.
MLS 2021 Playoff brackets are set... Go Oklahoma!We have never made any bones about
it - we don't like playoffs in football... unless you're trying to get promoted to the Premiership
(hello West Ham). Playoffs that decide a "champion" after a long, hard season is wrong on many
levels but such is life in North America.
"Tick-tock, The Reds won't stop"Over the last few years MLSE has marketed their
seasons with cute little taglines, often incorporating the season's numerical value within it. For
example -
"fOUR Season" and
"Season fIVe" have been used over the last few years.
Here at The Yorkies we have already branded next season as "SIXual Healing" of course, but that
didn't stop the boffins on Bay Street from trying out a few of their own for TFC's sixth kick at
the can.
You can really taste the Plata!Every season, Toronto FC has had at least one match
dubbed as "The Most Important Match of the Season". There have been at least three already in 2011
- but this time they mean it! A win (and only a win) on Tuesday night at FC Dallas' Pizza The Hutt
Park, will propel The Reds into uncharted territory - namely the CONCACAF Champions League
quarterfinals.
Never forget.With a coaching staff and a number of players far from home, it's
always a nice touch to get everyone together for a bonding holiday meal. When Toronto FC sat down
for their holiday supper, it was the first taste of a North American Thanksgiving for many of The
Reds. The club no doubt wanted a special day for all involved but just like any family gathering, a
few things went awry.
Pictured: Fresh Prince (R), unnamed jazz musician (L)With Major League Soccer's 2011
regular season winding down, TFC's players can look forward to the end of long pre-match
preparations and training. However, before they can plan their holidays and look ahead to the 2012
Season (aka "SIXual Healing) their final MLS away match is on the horizon.
The most interesting team in Mexico CitySome may say that being a CONCACAF super
club is akin to being the tallest midget. To those negative nelly's we say... yeah, you're probably
right. That being said, Mexico City's Pumas UNAM is one of the region's biggest and most storied
clubs and when they roll into town they do carry some clout.
Regrets, we've had a few... hundredThere was a special, almost spiritual, occasion
in the world of Toronto FC last week. No, it wasn't the club's first ever win over Columbus, nor
the hoisting of the illustrious Trillium Cup - it was an anniversary of a momentous date in TFC's
history.
Now that's a midfield!The life of a non-league football blogger isn't all the glamour,
celebrity red carpets and beds covered with money you may think it is. Although I did find two
dimes and a nickel in my laundry - so there's that. Sometimes, the need to pen a match preview can
come up too quickly, such as The Reds' fixture this Wednesday in Mexico City versus Pumas UNAM.
Team Canada: So hot in the 80's!While this site is usually 93% Toronto FC related - and
7% random 80's reference related - today we put down our Reds' scarves for er... red scarves. The
Canadian Men's National Team embarks on its long, arduous and no doubt hair-pullingly frustrating
journey towards World Cup 2014 this Friday at BMO Field.
It's that wacky time of year again around BMO Field. Thousands come and go, there's screaming,
laughing and crying, all while countless clowns and freakshows entertain for peanuts. No, it's not
the MLS Transfer Window - it's the Canadian National Exhibition. Toronto's annual fair to celebrate
and showcase the best in fried dough technology, the finest in men's leather belts, Sha Na Na cover
bands and amusements "assembled" by some of North America's finest carnies.
"Anything to declare?"... "Yes, we're not very good."When things go poorly for Toronto
FC on the road, we often hear that "travel" has caught up with the team. It may seem like a handy
excuse but any of us who have fought our way through airports know that it can be taxing at the
best of times.
Panama: Hot canal actionOne of the best things about Toronto FC's qualification into
CONCACAF Champions League proper is the chance to meet new opponents. The finest of the finest
Caribbean, North and Central American squads doing battle to crown the ultimate regional
champion... like a battle royale.
Like my new hat? Got it in Malvern!It's Murphy's Law in football, as in many other pro
sports, that an ex-member of your club inevitably comes back to haunt you. Saturday night was
Dwayne De Rosario's turn. Arguably the best player ever to don the TFC kit, De Ro of course left
Toronto under a cloud of "he said, Mo saids".
Wait, even the Nicaraguans have a roof?One of the great joys of CONCACAF Champions
League is the opportunity to tour some of the stadiums of Central America. If the "always fair and
balanced" officiating wasn't enough to contend with, clubs of TFC's ilk have to be introduced to
"exuberant" fans, pitches that resemble the surface of the moon and projectiles filled with all
types of joyful human gifts.
Like Magellan apparently...It's the word that's sweeping the nation: "gel". As Toronto FC tries to explain away loss after
loss, the collection of new players added recently has provided excusematicians (it's real - I
looked it up) the new verb du jour. "Injuries", "lack of talent", "a new system", "Harden".
"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.
Ah, the GD. No, not "God damn" (although TFC's may make you blurt that) nor "Gerry Dobson"
(although you may blurt "
God damn, Gerry Dobson stop showing me TFC's GD!"). The GD we
refer to today is of course "Goal Difference" (or differential if you're a high falutin' professor
type. Nerd.) Currently Toronto FC has the worst GD in MLS at a whopping -19, a full -9 worse than
the next most useless club.
"I say, one believes Vancouver to never get a NutCan. God Save Me."Two days later and
we've still got NutCan buzz! Some have advised to seek medical attention, possibly an ointment, but
we care not. It's thrice as nice! Yes, in the grand scheme of world football winning the Voyageurs
Cup isn't exactly the Jules Rimet but for suffering Reds supporters it was a sweet and almost fated
victory.
#soccerbowl79 - So hot right now!A common joke term used to describe Canada is "
America's Hat". However, if you look at
the two Canadian clubs in Major League Soccer - it's more like "
America's Bib". While the
perfectly perfect Vancouver Whitecaps have the excuse of being a first-year MLS club to was away
their sins, the local club just has to rely on its corporate motto "Rebuilding Since 2008".
Oooh, natural grass pitch!The Nutrilite Canadian Championship just got more muddled. Well, by "just" we mean in 2014 - the
projected inaugural season for Ottawa's new NASL club. Scheduled to play in a revamped Lansdowne
Park Stadium alongside a new CFL club, Ottawa will be joining the ranks of Canadian pro footy clubs
alongside the three MLS squads and their NASL brethren FC Edmonton.
All these screens and not one Jan de Bont film?Few people who have to regularly travel
by air for work claim that it is a pleasurable experience. Airport line-ups, cramped flights,
security headaches and long delays are the norm for these weary airline commuters. For Toronto FC
and their MLS brethren, fixture lists can sometimes mean criss-crossing the continent three or four
times over a fortnight.
Kinder Surprise! You're moving to mid-Ohio!When David Beckham made his much bally-hooed, sexy landing in Los Angeles a few years ago, many MLS
observers thought it would open a floodgate of European stars heading to North America. As
supporters of the league know, the deluge never quite happened.
"Qatar #1, Russia #1... ethics...hach pewy!"There isn't too much else we can, or want, to say about Toronto FC this week after sitting through
their 6-2 drubbing on Saturday. So, we thought we'd take a look at another well-oiled football
machine with no apparent problems - FIFA. Unless you've been living under a football rock (I think
it's in Oklahoma) then you've heard about the many accusations and allegations of corruption coming
out of The Death Star FIFA's Swiss headquarters.
Sadly "The Ali Gerba Dip" didn't make the cutHappy Victoria Day! As Canadians enjoy their first long weekend of the summer and celebrate what
American soap actress Victoria Principal did for this country, many will crack open a big box of
our national dish - the donut. From the Cod Fritters of Newfoundland to the Marijuana Glazed of BC,
Hosers love their fried dough - especially the Tim Hortons type.
The Halftime show has t-shirts and everything!We love us a bit of the old NutCan.
While the Canadian Championship may be a far cry from England's FA Cup (we kind of lack the 755
other clubs), it is our national equivalent and has usually been good fun. 2011 saw a change to a
knockout format which has led to an exciting two-leg final between the two "best" clubs - Toronto
and Vancouver.
Mr. Platadopolous is hilarious!For a fanbase that has had little to cheer about over
four years, a little treat is well-deserved. And we do mean little. At a generously listed 5 Foot
3, Ecuadorian whiz-bang Joao Plata has stutter-stepped his way quickly into Reds supporters' hearts
with his skilful play and "against all odds" attitude.
