East Side Stand Up

Team Canada takes out Panama 1-0 to move atop of Group C. It was a critical result for the team who in a must-win were mentally prepared and tough against a tricky opponent. Kevin McKenna and Atiba Hutchinson stood apart as the class of the team and their presence was paramount in the result as McKenna dominated Blas Perez in the 18-yard box and Hutchinson imposed himself in the midfield. With the win, Canada are in a position where they just need to get a point in the away fixture to put them one step closer to advancing to the Hex. Stephen Hart will need to get the right approach in a hostile environment Tuesday night for that to happen.

That's right, TFC all but have bowed out of the Champions League and would need an epic result in Mexico to continue on into the next stage. A 3-1 loss that was achieved through two goals in the dying minutes once again showed TFC's inability to lock down results and soak up pressure. Santos Laguna were just the better side and now there is little to nothing to play for at BMO for the remaining two months - EXCEPT when Canada plays there! Bring on Panama!

With Krispy Kreme burgers and bacon wrapped EVERYTHING at the nearby CNE, not even bacon can make losing to the top side in the Eastern Conference easy to swallow. TFC looked to frustrate Kansas City defensively as Darren O'Dea looks the part from first impressions, but offensively the Reds are predictable and less than dynamic. There are a slew of games ahead against top sides that if TFC continue playing like this, will find themselves back to square one, as in back where they started at the beginning of 2012. It's tough to look ahead without the harsh reality that aside from the team struggling the most in the league, there are few teams they can realistically beat at this point.

The rest of the year, especially by the end of October, being in the basement is the last place you want to be. Toronto FC draw the Portland Timbers 2-2, and remain in the illustrious 19th position in the MLS standings - AKA - dead last. Alot of work in the second half, a goal and assist from Eric Hassli, was undone by static defending as Portland carved their way past a tired TFC and stole two points from the home side. Against the worst road team in the league, that is bad enough, but now Kansas City are coming to town for Saturday and the Reds will need to come up with something big if they are to fend off one of the top sides in the league.

You read that right - 5,000. The Reds smash through their opening competition to the 2012 Champions League, C.D. Aguila 5-1 in front of a sparse crowd at BMO Field. A brace from Reggie Lambe and assists from Luis Silva were enough to see Toronto comfortably through to their next fixture at the end of the month when they host Santos Laguna. In between they must bounce back from a poor loss against Houston and it will yet to be seen if the performance tonight is any barometer on where they will stand against MLS competition.

We hope you enjoyed it. Toronto FC are downed at home by the Houston Dynamo 2-0. It was not an impressive performance by the Reds who showed little outside of set pieces in terms of offensive capability. The long ball yielded little in terms of results and the midfield struggled to provide the link between the defence and attack. It is a new set of tough fixtures ahead in August and TFC will need to shake this off and earn results on the road, no easy task for a team lacking quality depth.

Toronto FC notch another away victory as they bag all three points at Gillette Stadium in a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution. Their first ever win visiting the Revs, the victory has the dark cloud of a potential injury to Danny Koevermans looming over it. Luis Silva notched a goal in his second game in a row, however, it is Koeverman's return to form that has been integral in the team's turnaround. After the match, we are also talking Julian De Guzman and his time at TFC and what is to come.

Toronto FC! That's right, the Reds cannot be beaten by their supposed superior national opposition, as a late Terry Dunfield winner secures only the second home win of the season, but an important one in the dying seconds. So much character shown on another impressive weekday performance that saw the team come back from the opening goal, take the lead, surrender the tying goal and then steal all three points. A refreshing change of fortunes for the club and supporters on hand at BMO Field.

Terry Dunfield propels himself five feet off the ground to block a David Ferreira attempt and preserve yet another away draw for Toronto FC. Yet again TFC concede an early goal through sloppy marking, but Danny Koevermans can do no wrong and continues to keep the team competitive. Even though the score was locked down in the first half, it was an entertaining match where the Reds could have stolen all three points had they dug deep enough. In the midst of a tough grind, a point is still a good result when looking at it one match at a time. Still sitting at the bottom of MLS, Toronto will now look ahead to Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon to get out of the basement.

You might miss all the goals! That's right, within six minutes the goals scored stood in a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls. Finally TFC are the ones who fight back and level the score as Danny Koevermans can't be stopped netting his eight goal of the season. With the draw, the Reds have positioned themselves for a streak of potential results as they will face both Dallas and Philadelphia in the next week. But in that period - will there be any new faces coming in, or more importantly, who would exit to make way?

Toronto FC finally get their first road win of the season - and the Paul Mariner era - as they defeat the Montreal Impact 3-0. Torsten Frings lead the charge with a howitzer of a free kick to open the scoring and the now usual suspects of Danny Koevermans of Ryan Johnson chipped in to secure the win. A rare moment of real positivity and a victory has many moments to relish with few negatives. It now is all about looking forward to see if this is simply beating the weaker teams in the league, or if they can match up with the likes of New York this upcoming weekend.

it was the worst of times. Toronto FC once again fail to hold onto the lead as New England complete the comeback and finish the day with a 2-2 draw at BMO Field. It was one of the few games supporters could have circled as a potential win for the Reds and it slipped through their fingers, again. In a holding pattern to finish off the year, there appear to be little Paul Mariner can do to stop the bleeding as TFC desperately need someone of real pedigree to right the ship. Unfortunately that won't be until 2013, and there is still more than half a season to go for Toronto.’’

A road draw is about as good as it gets this season, as TFC draw Houston 3-3. There will be two sides to this result, one that had a brace from Danny Koevermans and an unprecedented three-goal outburst, and the other which was once again abysmal defending that blew a two goal lead, a confidence building win. Realistically the result does not mean much in the bigger picture, but in the short term, a draw is a win and Toronto desperately need to find form to make something of this season.

And it doesn't matter because Canada earned all three points Friday afternoon in a sweltering Havana, Cuba to get the Third Round of World Cup Qualifying off on the right foot. An Olivier Occean goal was all that was needed, as even a red card to Lars Hirschfeld wasn't enough for Cuba to fight back in a 1-0 victory for the Canucks. The confidence cannot be overstated as Honduras comes to BMO Field having lost 2-0 and Canada will have to continue their form if they are to keep the momentum going.

Am I talking about posting the pod or the fact TFC finally won a game?! A little bit of column A and a little bit of column B. A late winner from Danny Koevermans finishes a solid week for Toronto that saw them lift the Voyageurs Cup, then win their first MLS match of the season. There are still plenty of questions and red flags for this team, but one step at a time, as it seems like no one is under the delusion that this team has turned a corner to get their season on track. There is still so much work to do and the questions that have plagued the team still remain. They now have almost two weeks to come together and make something of the final 2/3 of the 2012 season.

That's right, Toronto FC, 0-9 in league play, will represent the Great White North in the Champions League by defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 at BMO Field. We are high as kites going over the VICTORY that has been such a rare occasion for Toronto this year that was highlighted by another 10-man display in the second half that got the job done. Now it's a waiting game to see if the Reds can turn it around in the League against the Philadelphia Union.

An 0-9 start says it all and there are few positives to take from another loss that when you pile it all up, still results in no wins. Dwayne De Rosario underlines the state of the club through a brace to bury his former club, as the was able to score with ease on both occasions. Where to go from here is the question of the year ... for the last five years perhaps? Is how to turn this all around. It's been a nine match broken record and this might not be the last one of the year.

Toronto FC now have back to back results, earning a 1-1 draw with Vancouver in the opening leg of the Canadian Championship. The Reds surprised everyone opening the scoring and looked well on their way to actually winning the game until Eric Hassli sent in another incredible volley to level the score. TFC now have a bit of momentum and will need to get a result in DC and follow it up with lifting the cup for the 4th time.

It won't help them in the MLS standings, but as Dr. Leo Marvin says: Baby Steps. Toronto earned themselves a bit of pride by defeating the Montreal Impact 2-0 to go through to the finals of the Canadian Championship. A rare outing where TFC looked good from the opening whistle and Montreal simply could not find the final ball to hit the back of the net. Now Toronto needs to take the next step and finally earn a point in league play.

A 2-0 loss to DC United gives TFC an 0-8 start and an embarrassing accolade that really sums up over five years of missteps. Toronto started with five at the back, Frings locking it down, but could not hold off the likes of Chris Pontius who finished his chance and scored the winner. Where Toronto goes from here is anyone's guess - if history is any indication, TFC brass are not ones to be proactive or take initiative - so we'll have to wait and see when and where the Reds can ever get a result.