By: KURTIS LARSONHas a 1-0 win ever felt so uneasy? "On another day we finish one or two more chances and go to Honduras two or three goals up," Dwayne De Rosario said while walking to the changing room. The players didn't know what to feel following Terry Vaughn's final whistle, neither did the 18,000 plus in attendance. "We created a lot of chances but the disappointment was that we didn't put a second goal away," Preki reiterated in his post-game remarks. "We'll take the result right now and we have seven days to get ready for the return game."... Continue reading

By: KURTIS LARSON Three MLS teams are in action mid-week as preliminary home and home CONCACAF qualifiers get underway across the continent. Since the preliminary round began in 2008, MLS clubs are 1-4 all time in CONCACAF play-in games. Major League Soccer has made it known that the league must compete at a high level in this tournament if the league is to be taken seriously. A reflection of that was seen earlier this week when it was announced that MLS was ranked 88th in the world by the IFFHS as far as strength goes. Now, we all know there's... Continue reading

Photo by ISIPhotos.com By: KURTIS LARSONToronto FC and FC Dallas traded goals midway through the second half at BMO Field in Toronto to share the points and keep their respective MLS streaks alive. It looked as though TFC's newest acquisition Maicon Santos had all but locked up three points for the Reds after opening the scoring in the 61st minute, but Dallas' Milton Rodriguez would quiet the 19,743 on hand following a powerful header off a corner 10 minutes from time. The draw saw both teams keep impressive MLS runs alive as Toronto extended a home unbeaten streak to nine... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com BY: Kurtis Larson Call it a well-earned draw. Though highly overshadowed by Thierry Henry's debut against Tottenham tonight, Toronto FC took on the EPL's Bolton Wanderers Wednesday in front of just under 20,000 in attendance at BMO Field in Toronto. Fielding a team largely comprised of reserves and teenage academy players, Toronto played last year's 14th place Premier League finisher to a 1-1 draw, eventually losing in penalties. TFC head coach Preki reacted to the 1-1 scoreline following the game. "This game was fun but we have a game on Saturday that means a lot to us,"... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By KURTIS LARSON TFC's impressive eight-game MLS unbeaten run came to an end Saturday night thanks to a 94th minute penalty kick from Sebastien Le Toux in Philadelphia. Heading into stoppage time at 1-1 after Chad Barrett had pulled one back for the visitors in the 81st, a desperation cross was handled by Toronto's Maksim Usanov in the penalty area, giving the referee no choice but to provide late-game dramatics in pointing to the penalty spot. Philly's leading scorer, Le Toux, placed the ensuing PK in the upper right hand corner, giving TFC keeper Stefan Frei no... Continue reading

A late-game Dwayne De Rosario penalty was all that separated these two teams during their first ever meeting in April. Now, the Union look to avenge early-season defeat as Toronto visits PPL Park for the first time in Philly's short existence. TFC puts their astounding 11-game unbeaten run on the line against a Philadelphia side that's coming off an impressive 1-0 victory over Celtic midweek. Union fans will look to their leader Sebastien Le Toux who has five goals and two assists in five home matches his year. A win for Philadelphia propels the Union out of the eastern conference... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By KURTIS LARSON Teal Bunbury's first MLS goal early in the first-half held up at Crew Stadium Wednesday night to give Kansas City their first win against Columbus since 2007. The win was Kansas City's first away victory of the season and snapped a three-game scoring drought when Ryan Smith unlocked the Crew defense with a well-timed through ball to Teal Bunbury in the 14th minute. The KC rookie slotted the ball through Columbus keeper Will Hesmer's legs to make it 1-0. "(The win) means a lot," Bunbury told reporters following the game. "We kept hearing how... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By KURTIS LARSON FIFA World Cup final, July 16, 2038, Victoria, British Columbia, CA. England vs. Ivory Coast (say what you will...). Full of cameras flashing and spectators chanting, the newly constructed 89,000-seat Tim Horton's Arena sits jammed packed on the Pacific shoreline. Awaiting two flags, six referees (future goal-line refs included) and both teams to emerge from the tunnel, the world's most anticipated sports spectacle is about to get underway. After each and every World Cup the conversation quickly turns to the likelihood of certain nations hosting the world's greatest sporting event. With the front-runners being... Continue reading

By KURTIS LARSON Toronto FC announced the signing of Spanish striker Miguel Angel Ferrer Martinez to a contract that will run through the end of this season. As per league rules, details of the signing were not released. Martinez (“Mista”) has played for Real Madrid, Valencia and most recently for Deportivo La Coruna, and he will be available for selection following the July 15 summer transfer window. “He adds experience to our team,” Toronto FC general manager Mo Johnston said. “Mista is a different type of player from what we have and we’re excited to get him in the lineup.”... Continue reading

Photo By Nick Turchiaro, ISIPhotos.com By: KURTIS LARSON A trio of ejections, two second-half goals and a brawl culminated in arguably the most action packed 1-1 draw in Major League Soccer's short season. An otherwise tame opening hour turned into a massive second-half scuffle when Houston's Joseph Ngwenya and Toronto's Nana Attakora exchanged choke holds following an altercation deep in TFC's half. In the 61st minute referee Jair Marrufo whistled a foul against Ngwenya on TFC's Dan Gargan. It appeared Ngwenya had not heard the whistle over the 21,374 in attendance and continued despite play being stopped. As Ngwenya approached... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By KURTIS LARSON "We are not far away." With MLS on break and the sporting world focused on South Africa, there's no better time to recall Canada's lone trip to a FIFA World Cup and those words above issued by Canadian international and Toronto FC Designated Player Julian de Guzman earlier this week in Toronto. The 1986 World Cup had 24 teams compete from five different confederations. The tournament sported the likes of the Soviet Union, Northern Ireland and first time qualifier Canada, all competing in the sweltering heat of Mexico. In the months leading up to... Continue reading

Photo by Greig Cowie/ISIphotos.com By KURTIS LARSON From Owen Hargreaves (Calgary, AB) to Jonathan de Guzman (Scarborough, ON), Canadian soccer players have repeatedly shunned their country of birth to play for other, more powerful soccer nations around the globe. A whole host of names comprise a list of promising young Canadians that have moved overseas to join more prestigious national teams. That said, recent improvements to the Canadian set up may have lured a potential Premier League standout back to the Great White North. After signing a two-year contract extension at Blackburn Rovers, it seems Canadian David Hoilett is putting... Continue reading

Photo By Nick Turchiaro/ISIPhotos.com By: KURTIS LARSON Playing a man up for nearly a half-hour against an already flat and sluggish Toronto side, Kansas City looked all but assured to take three points and break TFC's home unbeaten run Saturday at BMO Field. To the surprise of many however, Kansas City continued to sit back in a defensive set-up pushing only a handful of players forward and not producing any real scoring opportunities. The defensive and ineffective tactics deployed by Wizards head coach Peter Vermes left something to be desired and made it look as though TFC would salvage a... Continue reading