What Ever Happened To … Cuba’s Toronto Defectors

    In homage to MLSsoccer.com ‘What Ever Happened To…” series, an update on one of the more intriguing stories Canadian soccer endured in 2012.

    Toronto was captivated when Canada’s World Cup Qualification match against Cuba last October began with the announcement, well not quite that official, that several players – news reports oscillated from seven to four to three - defected prior to kickoff.

    The prematch buzz quietly faded after the initial flurry, but now several months later one of those who chose to start a new life has surfaced on the pitch.

POV-FS Mail it in Friday Video – Messi’s Eighty-Six & Classic Radio from Africa

    Each Friday POV-FS brings forth a footy-related video from the cacophony that is the internet.

    The intent: to share some small aspect of the week that was.

    So, without further ado…

Thoughts on the Recent Trades at Toronto FC

    Yesterday Toronto FC completed their second trade of the off-season sending Ryan Johnson and Milos Kocic to Portland for goalkeeper Joe Bendik, allocation money, and the third pick in the 2013 SuperDraft.

Second Annual Unofficial POV-FS Xmas Drinks – Details

    It’s winter in Toronto; the time has come to wrap another year

    The temperature has dropped – only to oddly rise again – though the outdoor rinks are ready to be marked by newly sharpened skates. The MLS Cup has been hoisted – congrats to LA and the Galaxy, the trees have been decorated – well, some of them anyways, and the NHL is in full effect – oh wait.

    It may be some time until Christmas and the holiday season are truly here, but that’s no reason not to get a head start on the celebrations.

    Wednesday afternoon – December the 5th for those more detail oriented, myself in conjunction with friends over at Waking the Red, would like to invite everyone to a get together to watch the final matchday of Champions League action.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemies: 2012 MLS Cup Final Preview at Waking the Red

    Preview of this afternoon’s MLS Cup Final at the Home Depot Center between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo is up over at Waking the Red.

    Check it out.

    Also, highlights of last season’s final and a behind-the-scenes feature.

Beyond POV-FS – Toronto FC Top 31 Countdown: Number 18 - Jeremy Hall at Waking the Red

    My contribution to Waking the Red’s annual countdown of TFC players profiling the season of Jeremy Hall.

    Be sure to have a look and check out the rest of the countdown as assembled by the fine staff at WtR; looking back at the season in such a manner is a laborious, painstaking and often heart-wrenching task.

    Reminding oneself of the failures discarded from memory, assessing whom amongst them is worthy of a return; putting to words the failings of another season.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemies: Eastern & Western Conference Finals Previews at Waking the Red

    Preview’s of today’s conference finals are up over at Waking the Red.

    Check them out – East and West.

First Person View – Soccer on Canadian Television

    It’s been a volatile time for soccer on Canadian television. Counter intuitively, it seems the more the big players get involved in broadcasting and rights holding, squeezing out the smaller boutique outlets, the less is available for viewers.

    It wasn’t so long ago that one could find at least a match or two available live every day and replays of matches dotted the overnight schedules, but now large swathes of the programming calendar are left empty, while the sport plays on.

Beyond POV-FS - Know Your Enemy: Columbus Crew – Meeting the Third at Waking the Red

    Preview of Sunday’s match between Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium in Ohio is up over at Waking the Red.

    Check it out.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy: Montreal Impact – Meeting the Fifth & Final at Waking the Red

    Preview of today’s match between Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact at BMO Field is up over at Waking the Red.

    Check it out.

The Cavellini Debate – Will He See the Pitch?

    Nineteen-year-old Lucas Cavellini joined the Canadian National Team as a replacement for the suspended Olivier Occean - who saw an unjust red card in the second half of action against Cuba on Friday.

First Person View - TFC Academy v Montreal Impact Academy

    Wednesday night, on a lark, I hopped on the TTC and made my way up to Downsview Park to take in the rescheduled match between the TFC Academy and the Montreal Impact Academy.

Cuban News Rounds

    In preparation for tomorrow evening’s match between Canada and Cuba, POV-FS fired up the Google machine and the old-reliable translate function to dig a little deeper behind the upcoming opposition.

    Information was scarce, with Cuba already eliminated and the nation’s sporting attentions more internally focused on Baseball, Boxing, and most-interestingly, Chess, but there were a few tidbits of information that may be of interest to the anorak-enthusiasts out there.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy: DC United – Meeting the Third

    Preview of this afternoon’s match between Toronto FC and DC United at BMO in Toronto is now up over at Waking the Red.

    Check it out.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy: New York Red Bulls – Meeting the Second

    Preview of tonight’s match between Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena is up over at Waking the Red.

    Check it out.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy: Los Angeles Galaxy at Waking the Red

    Preview of tonight’s match between Toronto FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center is up over at Waking the Red.

    Check it out.

The Curse of the SkyDome Strikes Again

    Back on March 7th Toronto FC began their 2012 season with a dramatic 2-2 match in front of nearly fifty-thousand fans at the SkyDome in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

First Person View - Mariner’s Contrasting Comments

    In the space of just under a month Paul Mariner has radically changed his tune.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy: Chicago Fire – Meeting the Third at Waking the Red

    Preview of tonight’s match at BMO Field between Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire is up over at Waking the Red.

    Check it out.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy: Sporting KC – Meeting the Third at Waking the Red

    Preview of tonight’s match between Toronto FC and Sporting KC at Livestrong Sporting Park is up over at Waking the Red.

    Check it out.