Beyond POV-FS – July Recap: Radio Hits, Night Games, Three Matches, Patience, Tosaint Ricketts, Damien Perquis, & a Handful of Mailbags

So, it seems as though making this a regular post is a little more difficult than previously hoped.

This edition, like its predecessor, comes ridiculously late – apologies.

Waking the Red – WTR Mailbag: On Night Games

In this edition of the mailbag, the opening topic revolved around the change of schedule that Toronto FC has undergone this season.

Since the club was formed, the majority, if not all, league matches were played mid-afternoon, when the sun was highest in the sky.

Unsurprisingly, it evoked a response from one reader who feared that this decision would adversely affect the ability for families with younger children from taking part.

The rest of the conversation involved Jordan Hamilton, the Alex Bono vs. Quillan Roberts conundrum, a bit of Tosaint Ricketts' will-he, won't saga, and the MLS transfer window.

MLSsoccer.com – Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire

The post-match reactions from TFC's 1-0 win over Chicago: Toronto solid and unconcerned by Sebastian Giovinco's goal-less run; while Chicago take pride in effort as the club continues to be molded into the vision of Veljko Paunovic.

Greg Vanney's last words – 'He'll find his way' – seem especially prescient now.

Nextsportstar – Red Card with Anthony Totera

Mr. Totera was good enough to have me on the show, talking all things TFC.

Always a must listen for footy fans, covering a good mix of local, national, and international topics.

Waking the Red – WTR Mailbag: On Patience in Youth

In this edition of the mailbag, the tale and of Hamilton came to the forefront.

Listening to the chatter, would have left one to think that the youngster was on the outs having vanished into the background since coming onto the scene with such fanfare. But given his chance, he seized it with both hands (feet?), making the most and proving that he has a future at this level.

Conversation in the comment section included whether the club would stick with the youth, or reinsert the starters upon their return – still a pertinent issue, as well as how the club should proceed during the transfer window, what with the then-recently announced departure of Damien Perquis.

Vocal Minority Podcast – Episode 146 #MuskyGuide

The good folks over at VMP were kind enough to proffer the invite, unaware of what awaited them – a cracking, albeit flimsy, seven-point defence of the egg laid in San Jose where TFC fell 2-1 to an Earthquakes side reduced to nine men by a pair of highly-debatable, later-rescinded red cards.

MLSsoccer.com – Toronto FC's Alex Bono owns up to mistake, while [Jozy] Altidore likely to return

With the debacle in San Jose in the rear-view, Bono acknowledged the gaffe, discussed needing to have a short memory, while proving to his teammates he could be counting upon. It also emerged that Altidore was nearing his return, exciting Giovinco in particular.

MLSsoccer.com – Tosaint Ricketts 'ready to go' after ending wait to sign for Toronto FC

The worst kept secret, and longest transfer saga, in TFC history finally came to a conclusion as the Canadian international was finally able to put pen to paper and join his new side months after coming into the fold.

Ricketts discussed the peculiarity of his situation, what he brings to TFC, and the familiarity of BMO Field, having excelled there with the National Team.

Waking the Red – WTR Mailbag: On the Realities of MLS Rosters & Damien Perquis

In this edition of the mailbag, a hearty candidate for longest title to date, the difficulties of managing an MLS roster, where both spots and finances make it difficult to make a move without first making others.

As well, a salute to Perquis who departed the club, recognizing one of the presumably many private moments that the greater public does not get to see, hopefully, providing a glimpse beyond the fiery competitor on the pitch.

Conversation revolved around the then-recent announcement of the EFL's intentions to punish dissent more full-throatedly, the projected lineups and their veracity, Perquis as emblem, breaking down opposition defenses in MLS, logical fallacies (only the best), and another deep dive on the rules & regulations, trying to suss out their true meaning.

MLSsoccer.com – Toronto FC vs. DC United

Post-match reactions following TFC's 4-1 win over DC: Giovinco announces 'he's back' with an emphatic hat-trick, while DC lick the wounds of a bad performance in preparation for a return home.

Waking the Red – WTR Mailbag: On Home Form

And finally, with Toronto in the midst of a four-game home stretch, not to mention six of their last eight matches this season at home, the important of utilizing the advantages of to pile on the points. Up first was a potential-Trillium Cup clinching bout with Columbus.

The advantage of hindsight allows one to say that the club took this message to heart.

Conversation below, although a little muted, saw yet another dive into the dark abyss of MLS rules where swirling eddies of GAM and TAM, flotsam and jetsam, remained tantalizingly beyond comprehension, and a spot of autographing hunting.

MLSsoccer.com – Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew

Post-match reactions following TFC's 3-0 win over Columbus, that saw the side win a second trophy of the season: the Trillium Cup.

For Toronto, the stunning performance by a youthful midfield – Jonathan Osorio, Marky Delgado, Jay Chapman, and Tsubasa Endoh – stole the headlines in the absence of Benoit Cheyrou, who has been the straw that stirs the drink through a difficult month; while the Crew lamented an unacceptable outing.


Seeing as it is already the second week of August, no promises will be made about being more timely with these, though that is the intention.

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 – Sebastian Giovinco on Italy Absence, Mo Babouli steps up, & WTR Mailbag

A trio of pieces in this past week's, admittedly late, round-up, featuring Sebastian Giovinco, Mo Babouli, and the usual weekly mailbag feature.

MLSsoccer.com – Giovinco vows to find a way back on Italy squad

Sebastian Giovinco spoke on Wednesday in reaction to his being left off of Antonio Conte's Italy squad for the upcoming UEFA EURO 2016 tournament.


MLSsoccer.com – Newcomer Babouli filling in for injured Altidore

When Jozy Altidore went down, many questioned whether Toronto FC had the depth to carry on without the big man. In his absence, Mo Babouli has earned the chance to shine.


Waking the Red – WTR Mailbag, Post-Columbus, Pre-Red Bulls

In this week's mailbag, there's a deep dive on some arcane MLS roster regulations, including the distinction between Discovery and Special Discovery, as well as how homegrown salaries factor into the cap structure.


Bonus Quotes:

Greg Vanney on Giovinco staying with TFC

“It definitely benefits us, anytime a player like Sebastian is with us, it's always a bonus. We have a handful of important games coming up, including the Canadian Championship. It helps us that he's here, he's an important piece of our team – probably the understatement of the day.”

Beyond POV-FS – Tsubasa Endoh, WTR Mailbag, Jozy Altidore's Hamstring, & Toronto FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

This week's roundup includes a piece on Tsubasa Endoh, the Mailbag, Jozy Altidore leaving the pitch injured and post-match content from Vancouver's visit to TFC.

MLSsoccer.com – Japanese FA contacts TFC's Endoh after his first goal

In a follow-up to his first MLS goal on Saturday against Dallas, Tsubasa Endoh reflected on the moment, as did several of his teammates, and he revealed an important call from his homeland.

Waking the Red – WTR Mailbag, Post-Dallas, Pre-Vancouver

This week's edition discussed the Kei Kamara situation in Columbus, Fraser Aird's role in Vancouver as a replacement for Steven Beitashour, and Victor Montagliani's ascension to the top role in CONCACAF.

MLSsoccer.com – Another hamstring injury for TFC's Altidore

A quick reaction to Altidore limping off the pitch against Vancouver, looking at how the injury occurred and his history of hamstrings getting in the way of him finding rhythm. The extent of it will only be revealed in the coming days.

MLSsoccer.com – Vanney furious at TFC's 'pathetic' start vs. Caps

Covering a lively post-match press conference from TFC boss Greg Vanney and several players who were dismayed by the woeful start and horrendous play that led to a seven-goal thriller.

MLSsoccer.com – Against all odds, 'Caps win at BMO Field

Carl Robinson was back at BMO Field on a night that honoured Danny Dichio, leading his side to a thrilling win, despite a number of factor weighted against them.

Bonus Quote from Robbo: “I was emotional, standing on the touchline. I've got good memories here. And to top it all off I see Danny Dichio at the start of the game, he made me smile.” And his celebration at the final Vancouver goal made that fact evident.

Beyond POV-FS – WTR Mailbag, One Moment in Montreal, & Will Johnson

Faithful readers may have noticed a certain decline in the linking to articles that appeared elsewhere – let alone, original content.

In order to make amends for the first problem – working on the second will be more tricky – every weekend an article linking to all the week's content will be posted.

In that spirit:

Waking the Red – WTR Mailbag

Each week Waking the Red issues a call to its readers for their questions in the hope of sparking some conversation, or pointing out concerns that may have missed the writers' attentions. Topics this week included: looking forward to the match in Portland, assessing Greg Vanney's performance thus far, and Garth Lagerway's decision opting for Seattle instead of Toronto.

Waking the Red – One Moment: Toronto FC @ Montreal Impact

In this new column, which time and circumstance allowing, will be a new regular feature, a single play from the most recent TFC match is analyzed, both for its relevance to the game, as well as what it displays about the current state of the club. In this edition, TFC skillfully manages a potential threatening situation by the use of an enhanced collective defensive ethos.

MLSsoccer.com – Johnson Eagerly Anticipates 'Special' PDX Return

And finally, ahead of his return to face his former club, Will Johnson spoke with the media about the experience of facing his old teammates and revealed a little about the growing relationships with his new ones.

Check them out!

Beyond POV-FS – Jozy Altidore, Clint Irwin, Sebastian Giovinco, & TFC 2016 Team Guide: January & February Posts at MLSsoccer.com

As faithful readers will have noticed, I am now doing some writing for MLSsoccer.com. It's pretty excited, getting to cover this team I've been watching so long from a closer vantage point.

Over the past two months, several pieces have gone up, on topics ranging from the impact of Clint Irwin's signing, Sebastian Giovinco raring to get 2016 started, Greg Vanney & Company on bracing for the eight-match road trip and the renovations at BMO Field, as well as the leaner, happier Jozy Altidore ahead of his second season back in MLS.

In addition, the 2016 TFC Team Guide went up as well.

Check them all out, and look forward to the March coverage, which includes some features on Marky Delgado and Giovinco, as well as a little insight into the kitchen at the KIA Training Ground.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy and How You Doin'? Philadelphia Union at Waking the Red

The usual preview materials went up over at Waking the Red earlier this week in preparation for Toronto FC's match on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union; their second encounter of the 2015 season.

A single installment of Know Your Enemy reviews Philadelphia's form since the last meeting at the start of May, projects a starting eleven, and highlights a few threats and avenues of attack to keep an eye out for during the match.

In How You Doin'?, WTR exchanges questions with Eugene Rupinski of SB Nation Union site The Brotherly Game ahead of Saturday.

WTR's responses can be found here.

Check them out

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy: New York City FC – Meeting the Second & How You Doin'? at Waking the Red

The usual preview materials for Toronto's match away to New York City FC on Sunday went up over at Waking the Red earlier this week.

Know Your Enemy digs into the opponent, catching upon on how they have done since the last encounter and highlighting a few concerns and strategies heading into the game.

In How You Doin'?, WTR exchanges questions with SB Nation sister-site, Hudson River Blue, hitting on some of the issues surrounding both clubs at the moment.

Raf Noboa y Rivera was kind enough to spend some time giving TFC fans some insights into NYC and the minds of their fans – he can be followed on twitter @hudsonriverblue or @noboa.

Waking the Red's responses to HRB's questions can be found here

Should be an interesting match, Frank Lampard is not available, nor is Andrea Pirlo, but given the bad-blood that was sparked in the first meeting, this one should be interesting, setting up a September encounter that will be even more must-see.

POV-FS Out Loud! The Vocal Minority Podcast - Episode 81 #RedMoustaches

The good folks over at VMP were kind enough to (finally) grant me my season debut on the show – it's award-winning now, if you haven't heard.

As for a brief rundown of the topics, if memory serves we discussed the loss in Chicago, the announcement of the first summer friendly, Duncan and I debated the bending of the space-time continuum, as per a specific refereeing decision in Colorado (not sure if that made it past the editing room floor to be honest), as well as all the usual pageantry of Bitchy Blanks, Would You Rather, and so on.

Plus I got to steal a CAW or two in the process. Random sidenote: CAW also stands for Canadian Auto Workers and I saw one of their economists, the one from the TV, on the subway prior to recording, which I suppose is something.

It's great fun chatting with some friends, so I hope you enjoy.

The episode page can be found here. Or it can be downloaded directly from this link Or there's a thing called Soundcloud which is apparently pretty cool. And of course, if you don't want to have to remember to download every week, iTunes works – and if you're not into that, I'm sure you have some other way of getting that taken care of (do people still use RSS?).

Now to ice that hamstring.

Beyond POV-FS – Know Your Enemy and How You Doin'? Chicago Fire at Waking the Red

The preview material for Toronto FC's upcoming match on Saturday against the Chicago Fire went up over at Waking the Red over the past few days.

Know Your Enemy provides a detailed look at the Fire. Part One examines their lineup and form, while Part Two hits the video tapes, reviewing game film for strengths and weaknesses.

In How You Doin', Waking the Red exchanges questions with sister SB Nation Chicago Fire site, Hot Time in Old Town, where Sean Spence provides answers to some queries and helps kick off the match with a touch of banter.

In turn, Waking the Red responded to some questions about TFC prior to the match in a Fire Side Chat – the one about the Death-Clock in particular was striking.

Check them out – and enjoy the match!

Beyond POV-FS – TFC Season-Ending Press Conferences: Tim Bezbatchenko and Greg Vanney

A pair of summary pieces went up over at Waking the Red earlier this week, recounting the second day of season-ending press conferences, featuring Toronto FC's General Manager, Tim Bezbatchenko and Head Coach, Greg Vanney.

It was a pretty interesting day, both for things said and those left unsaid; a fitting end for an interesting season, full of twists and turns, positivity and disappointment.

Plenty of reasons to be optimistic; it will be a very busy off-season for TFC.

Check them out – Bezbatchenko and Vanney

POV-FS Out Loud! – Episode 53 #NonDisclosureAgreements of the Vocal Minority Podcast

The good folks at VMP were kind enough to have me on again, this time taking up the role of curmudgeonly Northerner, as ‘New Duncan’.

It was a special edition, dissecting the latest round of upheaval at Toronto FC – talking Ryan Nelsen, Tim Bezbatchenko, Greg Vanney, Jermain Defoe, and the rest of the gang at the club.

Check it out – and subscribe on iTunes to have it delivered directly to your computing box each week.