First Person View – The End of Frings

    Yesterday, after months of speculation, Toronto FC’s captain Torsten Frings announced his retirement after a glittering eighteen-year career in the game.

    Such occasions are always bittersweet; time to celebrate the good, lament the loss, and look to the future.

    For Torsten, it begins a second act to his career in the game; for the club it was the turning of yet another unfinished page. It would be grandiose to proclaim it the end of an era, but in many ways, it was.

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.

Beyond POV-FS – TSG’s 2013 MLS Preseason Predicition Preview – Part I of II

    POV returns from its offseason torpor - long overdue, by the way - with a contribution to The Shin Guardian’s 2013 MLS Preseason Prediction gambit.

    Part I looks at Supporter’s Shield Winners; Overrated, Improved and Underrated Players; Coach and Anti-Coach of the Year; and a few other useful tidbits.

    Predictions make fools of us all…

    Do go check it out, and keep an eye for Part II due in the coming days.

Should Toronto FC Fans Be Worried About the Club's Lack of a Preseason?

    In last season’s exit interviews, many players associated the failings of the club with the lack of a testing and thorough preseason.

    With the first few weeks of preparation for the 2013 campaign having come and gone, it seems a good time to ponder whether anything has changed.

Can We Play You Every Week? Canada vs. the USA – A Burgeoning Rivalry

    On the eve of another friendly between the Canadians and their neighbours to the south, the Americans, it seems the perfect time to ponder why these two countries do not make use of their proximity more often.

Where Are They Now? Former Reds Gargan, Harden, LaBrocca, Avila, Sturgis, Harmse, and Ricketts Find New Homes

    In the latest installment of ‘Where Are They Now’ several of the MLS-journeymen type players - and one very special footballer - who have donned the Red of Toronto FC find themselves in new surroundings with the North American season approaching in commence.

Beyond POV-FS – TSG’s USA vs. Canada Preview: Klinsmann On Border Patrol at The Shin Guardian

    A small contribution to The Shin Guardian’s preview of tomorrow’s match between the USA and Canada in Houston, Texas went live earlier this morning.

    In it an estimation of the scope of the project that faces the Canadian program, a look at the squad available, notes from the match against Denmark, and of course, a ton of information on their opponents, the Americans, courtesy of the fine folks at TSG.

    Check it out and see what rests in store for the Canadians against an MLS-heavy camp cupcake American side.

From a Different Point of View - Babayele Sodade Passes on National Team Camp from SoundersFC.com

    A piece up over at the Sounders team website indicates that Babayele Sodade, the towering forward who injured his knee – torn ACL - with the Olympic squad back in March of 2012, turned down an invitation to the national team’s January camp.

From a Different Point of View - Will Johnson Interview at PortlandTimbers.com

    There is an interesting interview with Will Johnson up over at the Portland Timbers website.

Where Are They Now? Joseph Nane & Demitrius Omphroy

    We here at POV-FS are always keen to spot former Toronto FC players – and there are quite a few of them – in our search for news.

    In that spirit, Joseph Nane and Demitrius Omphroy have been named as preseason trialists for DC United as the club begins its training camp in Bradenton, Florida.

POV-FS On The Road – England (Again) & Scotland – Days One & Two: Travel & Preparations

    It’s that time of year again.

    Hello and welcome to the introductory installment of the second annual POV-FS ‘On the Road’ World Football Tour. Yes, “World” is a little grand for another trip to the United Kingdom, but hey, you never know where these travels may take us in the future, so may as well think big.

    For now, while I dust up on my comprehension of other languages, these English speaking – more-or-less - nations will have to suffice.

    With the MLS season stretching further into the winter months and MLS Cup scheduled for the first of December, I decided it was wise to wait until the Christmas season – and its subsequent fixture pile-up – to plan this year’s tour.

    Last year’s voyage was immense fun, but the backlog of missed matches, a bulging PVR, and piles upon piles of reading that awaited my return is still being dealt with to this day, and so, the choice to travel when most other leagues went on their winter hiatus, and MLS entered its post-season torpor, made the most sense.

    Departing on the twenty-seventh of December and set to return on the eighth of January, we here at POV-FS began our journey.

Where Are They Now? Fuad Ibrahim

    When last Ibrahim popped his head above the parapet the former Toronto FC and Generation Adidas striker had joined Minnesota Stars FC of NASL at the start of the 2012 season.

POV-FS Mail It In Friday Video – Commercials

    Having previously promised to have the recap of POV-FS’s British Tour already posted – it will now begin on Monday; thought it wise to let the draft get out of the way first – we’ll begin with a few of the more entertaining commercials on offer while watching matches on television over there.

Toronto FC Draft Day - Allocation, Allocation, Allocation

    While watching the draft unfold yesterday, one could be forgiven for getting agitated at the peculiar – if brilliant – moves made by the TFC front office.

    Allowing the more high-profile potential to pass on by while collecting nebulous amounts of allocation money and grabbing the top two Canadian talents can be viewed as a missed opportunity, a waste of such a vaulted starting position – having initially held the first and third-overall picks, or as a small victory in the uphill battle that will see the club finally become relevant in the league.

First Person View - POV-FS Second Annual 'On the Road' Football Tour

    Regular readers may have noticed a severe drop off in posts over the recent weeks. Holidays and end of season lull aside, a good portion of my attention has been focused on the organization of another whirlwind town of the British Isles.

    Departing this evening bound for Manchester, the second annual tour will commence on Saturday and wrap up a week later with six matches spread over the seven days.

    Up first is a return to Old Trafford for United vs. West Brom followed by a day trip to Liverpool and Goodison Park for Everton vs. Chelsea, all before the new year is rung.

    Then off to the City of Manchester Stadium for City vs. Stoke on the first before travelling up north to the wiles of Scotland – Glasgow’s Celtic Park for Celtic vs. Motherwell and Heart’s Tynecastle for the Edinburgh derby vs. Hibs - Hibernian.

    The tour will conclude with a return south to Leeds United’s Elland Road for their FA Cup tie against Birmingham City.

    I had hoped to take in a final FA Cup tie on Sunday, but Mansfield Town’s home draw against Liverpool sold out quickly.

    With the occasional off-day I hope to tour a stadium or two and take some time to check out the National Football Museum.

    I’m not sure whether I will be able to provide live coverage of the trip - as I did last year - given the rigourous scheduling and the paucity – and expense - of internet service, but I shall do my best.

    Either way, expect a full recap of the tour upon my return home and normal service at POV-FS will resume with the build to the new MLS season and the completion of several thoughts from last season.

Happy New Year to all, thanks for visiting, all the best,

    James

From the Bookshelf – Philippe Auclair’s New Book “Thierry Henry – Lonely at the Top: A Biography”

    Out just in time for Christmas, Mr. Auclair’s latest work looks at the life and career of France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

    Given the extreme attention to detail and endless hours of investigation employed in his previous biography, of Eric Cantona, one can only assume it to be a similarly striking work.

    A lengthy interview with Off the Ball of Ireland’s Newstalk 106-108 on Tuesday (December 18th) discusses the scope of the project – give it a listen either on their popup player or via iTunes.

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.

POV-FS Mail it in Friday Video – 1983-84 Arsenal v Tottenham

    Each Friday POV-FS presents a video with the intent of sharing whichever clip has struck our fancy that given week.

    Without further ado…

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.

POV-FS Mail it in Friday Video – 2011 MLS Cup Final

    With the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo set to meet in a rematch of last season’s final on Saturday afternoon, it is the perfect time to revisit that match with these extended highlights.

2013 MLS Superdraft – On the Value of the First-Overall Pick & Defensive Depth at the Draft

    At the end of season TFC face the press sessions, Paul Mariner let slip that the club was not sure what it intended to do with the first-overall draft pick.

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.