Toronto FC vs. Sporting KC: My Thoughts

The boys are back in town.

Today, I decided to come out of hiding and go the Toronto FC home opener at the Rogers Centre (or the Skydome, if you're old school and/or against corporatism) against Sporting KC. On the days leading up to the match, I honestly thought TFC were going to lose. Man, was I wrong.

I made my way to Real Sports to pick up some gear and to take part of the pre-match festivities, which consisted of a music ensemble playing some samba music, which I thought was pretty cool. There was a good crowd and a lot of people were fired up and in fine voice for the upcoming match. After the samba performance came the walk to the stadium, and every time I took a step towards the stadium, I felt myself become slightly more nervous, but I was in absolutely fantastic spirits the entire day.

So I get to the stadium, and take my seat. The Torsten Frings tribute was a nice touch from TFC, and to see him for the last time almost put a tear in my eye.The teams come out. The anthems are sung. The supporters warm up their vocal cords.

We're back.

The first half was great from TFC, good passing and lots of pressure, which lead to a mistake in the SKC defense, and Earnshaw capitalized in the 3rd minute to make it 1-0. Not long after, new TFC player Bostock earned a penalty in the box and Earnshaw slotted in the PK to make it 2-0. I couldn't believe it, a Toronto FC team actually playing well? Halftime approached, and I was as happy as I can be.

In the 2nd half, TFC expectedly got a little too comfortable, and Sporting KC went on the attack for the vast majority of the half. I was constantly distracted by little children trying to throw streamers next to me onto the  supporters section below (I was in 226, so if you were sitting in 125-127, you will have seen at least 20 streamers fly down during the half). Distractions aside, SKC were getting frustrated and things started to get a little chippy, with a few pushes and shoves here and there. SKC got a goal back, but TFC did enough to earn the 2-1 victory and get their first win since July of last year. Brilliant.

There was an apparent incident in the 2nd half where I noticed a lot of reddish smoke coming from the supporters section right below me. My initial thought was that someone lit a flare or a smoke bomb, which explained the increase in security personnel on the floor and in my section looking down. If you're going to bring stuff like that and get caught, own up to it and pay the fine. You have to accept the responsibilities.

Overall, it was a fantastic day, and I hope this Toronto FC team builds on this win which will hopefully lead to more wins or a winning streak. Let's enjoy this win.

The boys are back in town, and I couldn't be more happier.

Kevin-Prince Boateng And The Issue Of Racism in Football

Today, Kevin-Prince Boateng, along with other AC Milan teammates, were subject to racist chants during a friendly from a minority group of people in the stands. He walked off the pitch, along with his AC Milan teammates, and the match was suspended.

First, I'll say this. I think it was right for Boateng to walk off the pitch and it was even better that the rest of his AC Milan teammates to walk with him. It shows great solidarity, and it shows that AC Milan doesn't tolerate racism. But there is the other side of all this. By walking off the pitch, they are also telling the minority of racist fans that they have the power to affect the outcome of a match, whether the match is suspended, or if the match goes on.

Racism cannot be stopped completely. That is impossible. But racism in football can be reduced to the point where if someone or a group of people engage in racist chanting, the punishment for it towards them and the club they support will be so severe that it deters them and other people from engaging in racist chanting. For that to happen, FIFA, UEFA, and the other continental footballing bodies need to make the hard-line stance that racism is unacceptable.

But will they do that?

It has already shown the FIFA and UEFA are more willing to punish people for conflicting with sponsors' interests than with actually taking a stance with racism, (Nicklas Bendtner, anyone?) and I think I know why this is the case. Sponsors make money for FIFA and UEFA. Racism doesn't make money for FIFA and UEFA. If you mess with the sponsors, expect big fines to come your way, because sponsorship is a big money stream for FIFA and UEFA.

So then how can we make FIFA and UEFA stand up and make a hard-line stance that racism is unacceptable?

There needs to be awareness from supporters and pressure on FIFA and the continental footballing bodies. I don't think it is enough for just supporters to pressure the footballing bodies. Entities like football clubs need to also pressure the footballing bodies and punish those who engage in racist chanting. AC Milan have made their stance today, and it is time for other supporters, players, and clubs to build on it. Despite the recent racial incidents, racism has always been a lingering issue in football. It's time for all of us to put overwhelming pressure on the footballing bodies, and to make this issue obsolete once and for all.

My 2013 Predictions for Toronto FC

2012 was a year to forget for Toronto FC.

9 straight losses to start the season under Aron Winter (which lead to his sacking) and the season ended with a 14 game winless run under Paul Mariner. I don't even want to mention what happened in between, but this season in particular drew a lot of anger from the majority of TFC supporters, myself included. Although TFC management have tried to calm the growing anger and apathy from TFC supporters by lowering season ticket prices and hiring Kevin Payne to take the helm of TFC's football and business operations, there is unfortunately, a toxic fan culture and a deep division between the supporters who stand by TFC management/MLSE, and the supporters who have recognized the faults of the club and are pressuring for change.

Taking into account everything that went on last season (and past seasons), and along with my own judgment, I have compiled a small list of general Toronto FC predictions for 2013. I'll be making some serious Toronto FC predictions, and some outlandish TFC predictions for the new year. I won't waste any more time, so here we go.

Serious Predictions:

Toronto FC will do better than last season (obviously) but they will once again miss the MLS playoffs in their 7th season of existence. After a string of bad results, Paul Mariner will be fired by TFC President Kevin Payne at around the middle of the season, much to the delight of the majority of TFC supporters. The next head coach that TFC brings in will perform noticeably better than Mariner, but he won't be able to get TFC into the playoffs. After watching the performance of the new head coach, TFC supporters will once again be optimistic for the 2014 MLS season.

In regards to the Voyageurs Cup, Toronto FC will beat the Montreal Impact in the semi-final, but they will not win their 5th straight Canadian Championship because they will lose to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the final. This will be one of the factors that will lead to Paul Mariner's sacking in the middle of the season.

Earl Cochrane will give a recommendation to Kevin Payne about a player that "impressed him" and that player will be signed by Toronto FC. That player turns out to be an unmitigated disaster. TFC supporters call for Cochrane to be fired, but he will still keep his position.

Outlandish Predictions (don't take these seriously):

- Eric Hassli will become the MLS top scorer for the 2013 season with 22 goals. He will be labeled a legend by TFC supporters, but not as much of a legend as Danny Dichio.

- An investment group from Abu Dhabi offers to buy Toronto FC from MLSE, with one of the promises to supporters being the installation of a roof on the BMO Field stands. MLSE refuses to sell.

- Bitchy the Hawk breaks loose from her tether and kills a seagull in the middle of the BMO Field pitch. The crowd erupts in jubilation, as the players run for cover from her wrath.

And there you have it, those are my serious and outlandish predictions for 2013. The 2013 MLS season will be interesting for Toronto FC, that's for sure.

Random Thoughts 10: "Well Good Day to You, Engine Light"

Hello again. Only two thoughts for today. On to the first...

A week ago while I was at school, my engine light decided to show itself from hiding. I'll give you some background. I drive a black Nissan Maxima, and it can be a gentle soul when it wants to be, but it can also be a bastard when it wants to be. Last week, it decided to be a bastard, and on came the engine light. The car has been idling quite rough, and after looking at the engine, I decided to wait until after I finished my exams and left school to get the problem checked out.

Fast forward a few days later, while driving around to do some errands, the rough idling stopped and the engine light magically came off. It was a bit weird how the problems corrected itself. Maybe my car was trying to tell me something, or maybe my car simply has multiple personalities. Who knows. Anyways, I haven't had problems with the car since (fingers crossed).

Also, my car passed the milestone of 150 000 kilometers. Here's to another 150 000 more.

On to my second, and most important thought.

At the time of me writing this post, I only have 1 semester left for my undergraduate degree. After I left my last exam and came home for the holidays, it started to hit me on how much I will miss going to university. More importantly, I am going to miss the great people I have met while I was going to university. When I came home, I wasn't really feeling myself. I will be finished university very soon, and although I should be excited that I will be finally finished, a bit of uneasiness has set in, because all the great people that I have met will all go their separate ways. There is something else that is bothering me, but it is slightly personal, and may be a blog post in the future.

The important thing I should probably take from these feelings in to try to keep in contact with those who have made a positive impact on my time in university. Hopefully this will lessen my fears about leaving university, and leaving those who have had those positive impacts on my university career.

News of the Day - Toronto FC + Stephen Hart

If you all haven't heard the news this morning about Toronto FC and their ticket prices today, then let me sum it up for you. Tom Anselmi has announced that season ticket prices for the 2013 season is being rolled back to 2007 prices for all existing season ticket holders. Also, any newcomers looking to buy season tickets will also experience drastic reductions.

First off, I'll say this. This is an incredible gesture of goodwill from MLSE to the season seat holders. I was at a loss for words when I heard the announcement, because MLSE is a sports organization known for gouging its customers with high ticket prices and overall incompetence in managing their sports teams. But when I heard that announcement, I got the feeling that MLSE  was at least aware of the supporter unrest at Toronto FC, and felt pressure from those who expressed their concern about high ticket prices.

An issue I had with ticket prices is that (according to the media) 2013 Single Game tickets will still be at 2012 levels. I still think single game tickets are a bit too high and it could have done with a slight reduction at the very least. I think Tom Anselmi and MLSE missed an opportunity to address the supporters who don't have the time or money to go to all the Toronto FC matches. They also missed an opportunity to address the casual crowd who are now apathetic on going to Toronto FC matches, because even though the die-hard supporters will always be there for the club, it is the casual crowd who can help market the club to new fans. If you can reduce the prices for them, some may come back.

While the ticket price reductions have been very good news for the club, MLSE's work is not done. For many supporters, season ticket prices isn't the issue as to why they won't be coming back to BMO Field. These supporters would like to see a new direction for the club, and I would as well. MLSE needs to remove those in the front office and they MUST hire a new club president with relevant experience in North American soccer. Whether MLSE will actually do that can only be decided by time.

With the failure to reduce single game tickets, and the potential lack of addressing the actual direction of Toronto FC, I fear that there will be a continuation of empty seats on match-days at BMO Field and general supporter apathy.

I'll end on a positive note. MLSE are on the right track to winning over the supporters again, but they have a lot more work to do.

Quick Thoughts: Stephen Hart has resigned as Canadian Men's National Team Head Coach. I respect him for all he has done for the men's program, but Hart made the right decision by resigning, which I applaud him for. I can only imagine how he felt after the 8-1 loss to Honduras, and I can only imagine how he feels now. I wish him all the best on his future endeavors.