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MLS Playoffs - 2015


TRM

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Exactly, why I said that it is unrealistic but at the same time I took a shot at our "youth development".  

I heard and bought the "it'll take time" excuse from 2007-2010 but it's a pretty big joke that TFC is entering it's 10th season next year and has just Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry to show for their academy efforts.  Let's be honest Jonathan Osorio wasn't a TFC academy product.  

The club has invested millions of dollars in the youth development in a supposed "football hotbed" of North America and we've seen the best GTA players take their football careers elsewhere.  Dylan Carreiro, Ricardo Ferreira and Michael Petrasso made great career moves when they jumped ship early for some true development overseas.  TFC and Vancouver may have the facilities but clearly something isn't working.  Now we've seen Tristan Borges jump to Heerenven and Dario Zanatta to Hearts... this shouldn't be happening but it is because they look around and know they need to move on.

 

I agree with you on TFC. Their policies have been inconsistent to say the least. They should have had more to show for the ten years of investment they put in.

On the other hand, development does take time, regardless. Even at clubs who are renown for development (Ajax for instance) the huge majority of youth players will never see the pitch in the first team. Most of the ones that do, won't be able to stay in the squad. It's dog-eat-dog you know. And then bare in mind they scout extensively for youth players at other clubs and even in other countries (remember the kid they brought in from Denmark, Christian Eriksen? "Developed"by Ajax). So it's not like they are limited to Amsterdam and surroundings like the MLS clubs are. 

 

None of the Canadian MLS or NASL clubs are doing good enough in turning academy players into regulars. All clubs consistently talk big about how much money they are pouring into their academies and the great things that are being produced out of it. But, in 15 years of Canadian MLS clubs and 7 years of Canadian NASL clubs they've produced all of 1 starter (Henry, although even that is debatable) and a bunch of subs/fringe players (Osorio, Teibert, Morgan, Lefevre, Tissot, Adekugbe, Ouimette, Roberts).

Until our MLS and NASL teams do more than just talk big about how they can produce first team players and actually produce them the problem will only get worse.

I don't agree with this. It's not even correct, Mallan Roberts is a starter, so is Allen Zebie. But NASL still is a lower level than MLS so it's not too strange to see players earning their spots sooner in NASL. Toronto has been in MLS for ten years now. 

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Larson article on possible TFC away fans ban. Typical MLS

 

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/26/toronto-fc-supporters-facing-montreal-ban

Smoke is stupid. Fans & players have to breathe it, can't see what is going on in one end and it interferes with the players being able to play. Don't do stupid.

The 2009 incident in Columbus was all on the goon security not the TFC supporters.

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I don't agree with this. It's not even correct, Mallan Roberts is a starter, so is Allen Zebie. But NASL still is a lower level than MLS so it's not too strange to see players earning their spots sooner in NASL. Toronto has been in MLS for ten years now. 

I think you misunderstood my argument. I'm talking about starters produced for the national team, not on their club team. Yes, Mallan Roberts and Allan Zebie are starters with Edmonton, but Mallan Roberts has played all of 6 minutes with the national team, and Zebie has never been called. But considering Hanson Boakai and Sadi Jalali are both getting buried (in Boakai's case both parties seem to be the problem) it really speaks to how little FC Edmonton are actually producing from their academy.

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This is so pro MLS. 

No it isn't. I hate smoke. Whether I'm in the stands or watching on TV it just strikes me as stupid to smoke out one end especially when it is our keeper and defenders who get smoked out like happened at a recent MNT event.  Smoke is stupid.

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Personally, I think smoke bombs make an awesome visual. We don't use them in Calgary because they are banned by the city but we did like the idea.

That being said, they have to be used intelligently, so as to not disrupt other patrons, for the visual to work. Unfortunately when you set off a smoke bomb in stands with the more casual fan it will simply backfire, like it did in Edmonton last year, and like it did in Montreal on Sunday. Also using smoke to smoke out our national team keeper on a corner is just idiocy

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Personally, I think smoke bombs make an awesome visual. We don't use them in Calgary because they are banned by the city but we did like the idea.

That being said, they have to be used intelligently, so as to not disrupt other patrons, for the visual to work. Unfortunately when you set off a smoke bomb in stands with the more casual fan it will simply backfire, like it did in Edmonton last year, and like it did in Montreal on Sunday. Also using smoke to smoke out our national team keeper on a corner is just idiocy

How did it backfire in Montreal? No one was injured or died just like after thousands of usages every weekend in Europe, South America and elsewhere.

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How did it backfire in Montreal? No one was injured or died just like after thousands of usages every weekend in Europe, South America and elsewhere.

Now that MLS is allowing TFC supporters to go to the game, it's kind of a moot point, but if MLS had kept up the ban on TFC supporters, I think it's rather obvious how it would have backfired.

If my understanding of the  issues with UM02 and the front office in the "MLS and Club Suppression of Supporters" thread is accurate, the front office clearly have an issue with smoke bombs. Bring smoke bombs and use them, front office will have an issue and will do it's best to suppress.

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If my understanding of the  issues with UM02 and the front office in the "MLS and Club Suppression of Supporters" thread is accurate, the front office clearly have an issue with smoke bombs. Bring smoke bombs and use them, front office will have an issue and will do it's best to suppress.

No, because 127 in the Southwest corner does bring smoke bombs.

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How is that interesting, it is basically taking the best team in the East and saying they have the best chance of making the final. Then taking the best team in the West, a team proven to be Whitecap's nemesis all year, and somehow NOT favouring them for the final. On what basis?

My personal take on the West, from Whitecaps perspective, is that it is better to avoid Seattle any round. The rivalry is the sharpest, you get high emotions, if you can handle them amazing, but you can also get on your back foot and screw up a first leg at Century Link. They have attacking options that can kill you if you blink too hard.

For semis, I'd like to see Portand go through, we'd then avoid Seattle; we haven't had so much difficulty with them, we can send fans down there for the 1st leg and if we get a half decent result it will cut into their fans wanting to come up. Either way, I think they are less dangerous than Seattle offensively.

Eventually getting Dallas, though hard, at least means you have no Dallas fans being that pebble in your shoe at BC Place, and as a team they have a longer travel to come in. Hopefully we could also leave the roof open so they notice the cold. We have had better luck holding them to few goals, which makes for a tight 1st leg if we want one at BC Place. It won't be so hot 2nd leg sot hat problem is also reduced. We were also eliminated by them, on what I recognize was a fair but cruel penalti last year, so we have that motivation to reverse things, like with Impact and the V-Cup.

For a final, if Red Bulls gets knocked out, we have a beauty of a final at BC Place.

This is from someone who never makes a single prediction for any team he follows, ever, not individual games, not trophies, so I think I could have just jinxed it.

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Interesting as in I found it of interest ..   :)

Seriously I agree with you about avoiding Seattle. They tied the Caps for fewest goals allowed (36) and have played very good lately but so have Portland and Dallas. Portland in the semis would be best. I'd love to have NYRBs knocked out.

You didn't jinx it. We're going all the way!

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Was going through all the highlights from the knock-out games and--well there is one game where all the goals are quality, well taken, not due to bone-head clearing or bad positioning from defenders, or from on-the-limit set pieces. That is DC United -Revolution. The goals on  TFC show horrendous work from the back as Impact forwards broke through, plus bad clearing and second chances galore, however great Bernier is on that last goal.

Seattle-LA is a joke, LA's back line, also just terrible, but Seattle not much better. Really poor quality scoring. 5 dumb goals in a game, I don't even see that in 5th tier matches in Spain, it's like kids playing.

In the Portland match the first goal comes from a pure mess. The next two are well taken, the last equalizer is ridiculous defending. 

Thankfully, for Whitecaps this year, we had very few dumb goals scored against us, and maybe only one game we fell apart stupidly, away to SKC. Our problems with quality are pretty standard for strong pro teams, they actually are a credit to us (poor tactical mostly, and weak finishing).

You want to sell the league's quality with snazzy strikers and lots of flash but the scoring is worth so little because of the defending it's not going to convince anyone. I watch cause I'm a fan of a team I've followed for 40 years, it's a question of loyalty--but this is not quality football guys, there are things there that are bordering on atrocious. 

 

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Spot the problem .. You can see all the numbers on the backs of the red team's jerseys. 8 men in the box and everyone is ball watching. Nobody picks up the goal-a-game guy coming in on the far post, nobody is looking for anyone to cover

 

 

8back.png

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But I say, when a guy makes a great play, give him credit. And Bernier does.

You have to watch the whole goal though, as they cut easily through the back line, and then, when a defender can clear, he does it terribly, a 8 yard chip back to Bernier. For me the poor positioning defensively when in attacking mode on the 1st goal, and the way the defense got sliced open on that and the 2nd and this, were much worse tan the positioning on final pass.

So many of the other goals in that round were ridiculous scrambles and slips and half-hits in the box, like watching 5 year olds playing hockey. Maybe with the 1st legs tomorrow there will be more control, teams will be more cautious.

What made me post, really,   was those comment on the CSL thread about how silly the highlights look, and I agree. You watch those and you think you are watching pick-up, it is embarrassing. But hey, let's not get too cocky, MLS has its problems too. Time for fans to speak out and ask for pressure on the ball from the whole team and quality back-line defending as part of the entertainment package, I know it is a hard sell but it'll be better long term.

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I've just watched again Montreal's third goal, because from what I remember, I gave Bernier full credit for making that pass in a split second, and again, I must say the full credit goes to Montreal and particularly Bernier for that very well thought pass. Previous to the assist, Drogba passed the ball to Duka which resulted in breaking the defensive line, and the rest of the play happened so quickly that is normal that TFC wouldn't have time to organize themselves in their zone. 

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Quite happy with the 'Caps facing the Timbers, the rivalry will heighten the atmosphere and I think it should be the easiest match up over a two game series. I wonder if Portland will play as scrapy as they did against SKC, 4 of their players have already picked up a yellow.

How do yellows accumulate for reds in the playoffs? Do we have any chance of seeing Timbers players extra cautious about that?

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