Beyond POV-FS – The Voyageurs Cup, Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact 1st Leg, & the WTR Mailbag

This week's round up previews both legs of the Voyageurs Cup, as well as recapping the first leg and assessing the possibility of summer reinforcements for Toronto FC

MLSsoccer.com – Will Giovinco be ready for the Canadian Championship?

The good news for TFC fans is that the injury that forced Sebastian Giovinco off in New York was a minor one, but his availability for either leg of the Voyageurs Cup is in question. He missed the first leg, but may just feature in the second one.

In addition, a variety of TFC players – Benoit Cheyrou, Ashtone Morgan, and Jonathan Osorio – speak on the value of cups and addressing a lack of Canadian glory over the past few seasons.

Waking the Red – WTR Mailbag, Post-Red Bulls, Pre-Voyageurs Cup

After a short consideration of the Voyageurs Cup, the, albeit brief, comment section delved into whether the possibility existed for TFC to consider a summer addition, especially at the higher price ranges, as reinforcement given the spate of injuries at the moment.

MLSsoccer.com – TFC kids delight vs. Montreal: “It's our future”

Post-match reaction from TFC revolved around the impressive outing from a variety of non-starters, coming out to a 4-0 lead, only to allow two late, setting the table for an interesting second leg.

Stellar outings from Morgan, Osorio, Jordan Hamilton, Dan Lovitz, and Mo Babouli, as well as from centre-back pairing, Eriq Zavaleta and Nick Hagglund – not to mention the calming presence of Benoit Cheyrou in the middle, making his first appearance after a long injury lay-off – turned what could have been a disaster into a thrilling night.

MLSsoccer.com – Impact livid over slow start vs. Young TFC team

Montreal's post-match reaction, mainly involving Mauro Biello refusing to concede an inch towards questioning – to be fair, he was probably right – along the lines of his team taking their foot off the gas when the lineups emerged.

Hidden amongst the TFC performance was a memorable night for Michael Salazar, who scored his first goal for the club and a cracking free-kick from Didier Drogba.

MLSsoccer.com – Should Toronto FC turn to vets, or stay with kids?

Heading into the second leg, Greg Vanney is faced with a dilemma: insert the now-available – possibly – players in the form of Giovinco, Will Johnson, Drew Moor, Damien Perquis, and Justin Morrow, or stick with the youth that did so well in the first leg?

In all likelihood, a mix of both will trot out onto the pitch at Stade Saputo this evening.

Bonus Quotes:
Jonathan Osorio on Drogba – “[Drogba] is a big guy, that's for sure. His technical ability, the way he uses his body is like none other. Easy to see why he's been so successful.”

Osorio on Wednesday night's result – “It was nice [to see all the young boys get a run out]. A lot of guys with a point to prove. They want to show that they belong here, that they deserve minutes. So it was nice, to play like that. Guys had a lot of energy, especially being at home, playing in front of family and friends. It was good, a really good game, but that's past now, we have to go into this game with a whole different mentality.”

Jordan Hamilton on waiting for his chance – “It's part of the job, being a young player. I had full trust in the coaches, that they'll know when it's my time. A lot of people on the outside will say 'you deserve to be playing', but the coaches know. That's their job to know when I'm ready. They thought I was ready tonight. Hopefully I proved them right.”

Ashtone Morgan on CanCon in the Voyageurs Cup – “Definitely. Oso and Jordan scoring, Jay getting in, Mo starting. Everybody. There was some good Canadian content today.”

Beyond POV-FS – How You Doin' NYC FC & Weekly Mailbag at Waking the Red

A couple of posts went up over at Waking the Red this week.

The Weekly Mailbag kicked off a few interesting conversations, including over who should take up that left-sided attacking role while Jozy Altidore is out, especially considering that Dan Lovitz looks to have picked up a knock, the role of Benoit Cheyrou and some formation talk ensued, as did an interesting little thread on concerns over the pitch dimensions at BMO Field.

Check it out.

And ahead of Sunday's match at NYC FC, WTR spoke with Jake Gofman of Hudson River Blue for the How You Doin'? Segment, where the two SB Nation sites exchange a series of questions.

Jake's responses can be found at WTR – and he can be followed on Twitter – while WTR's answers are over at Hudson River Blue.

Check them out.

TFC got a huge three points on opening day, another three today would go a long way towards their road-trip minimum. Should be interesting.