They played a game in Philadelphia. People, including people from Toronto, watched and then they forgot about it (especially the people in Toronto).
It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the game – it had a couple nice goals and was a perfectly entertaining distraction for 90 minutes. It was just that it was just another game near the end of a long season that had little meaning for either team (despite what the league and commentators were insisting, Philly had already clinched a playoff spot heading into the game because teams below them are playing each other there was no combination of results that saw the Union out, despite the math seemingly suggesting otherwise).
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It especially had no meaning for Toronto, other than as a run out to help prepare for the Champions League game in Dallas Tuesday. That’s not to say that the players were giving a half effort, but it is to suggest that the supporters were mailing it in.
At Toronto’s Duke of Gloucester, the normal away game hang out of U-Sector, the crowd was as subdued as it has ever been. Most of the conversations were focused on what the post game plans were or on who was going to get the phone number of the two women wearing hockey jerseys in the other room (answer: as it turns out, no one).
When Toronto scored the equalizer there was a brief and half-assed effort to fake some enthusiasm. Game 33 of 34 and another non-playoff season will do that.
There were some positives though – especially in the second half, where Toronto showed that they have the ability to compete now. Are the Reds a top half team yet? No, but they are a mid-pack team and, so long as they play as they have since August when the season kicks off next year they should be in a playoff race.
Will it be enough to get a rare road win on in Dallas? The reds better hope so, because that’s something that TFC fans do care about.