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Toronto FC vs. Santos Laguna: Your Running Commentary

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Toronto FC kicks off their quest to become the second straight MLS team to reach the CONCACAF Champions League finals tonight when the Reds welcome Mexican power Santos Laguna to BMO Field for the first leg of their semifinal tie (8 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel/Telefutura).

TFC reached the semifinals by springing a surprise on the favored Los Angeles Galaxy, and based on the last couple of results without the injured Torsten Frings, it's going to take a top-notch effort from TFC to get by Santos Laguna, which routed the Seattle Sounders in the second leg of their quarterfinal tie and boast an impressive strikeforce that includes in-form American striker Herculez Gomez.

Toronto's much-maligned defense could receive a bit of a boost with the return of Canadian centerback Adrian Cann, who is available off the bench to see what would be his first action since tearing his ACL last May, if called upon. Luis Silva and Joao Plata are other options that are on the bench for coach Aron Winter, while Danny Koevermans, Ryan Johnson and Nick Soolsma spearhead a front line that will look to give TFC an attacking boost and an edge heading into the return leg in Mexico.

If you will be watching tonight's match, please feel free to share any thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. Enjoy the action.

Comments

  1. Go ahead you can call me stupid so you can feel good about making idiotic or stupid remarks.

    Santos didnt provide a violent environment, they are not the police, cartel or government. If you cant understand this then you are stupid in real life and not just in soccer blogs.

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  2. If it was called the “Santos vs Monarcas” shooting, and Santos and Monarcas are teams, why does it have nothing to do with the teams?

    I think the point is, Santos has consistently provided an environment for violence, whether it is done by Santos, by their fans, by other fans, or by people just trying to take advantage of Santos.

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  3. Dude, he wasnt a localist ref, we’re from Canada, hes from the US. Welcome to our world, concacaaf has been pooing on us for years. BTW yer goal was way off side. You can thank the ref for that.

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  4. Probably more to do with the run-up to the game. They only had two weeks to sell tickets to this game, compared to months for the previous series.

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  5. haha ikr.

    yeah unfortunately i think tfc is going to get stomped in mexico. santos doesn’t need the refs or unsporting behavior to beat them. hope i’m wrong.

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  6. This is very typical of a team from Mexico, everyone knows it nothing new. Lots of cheap shots and dirty play! It can come from mls teams as well but not nearly to the same degree!!

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  7. It’s good to hear an opinion from over there. I can see where it felt like the decisions were one-sided in favor of Toronto, but I don’t think the tackling was nearly as bad or one-sided as you’re saying. You’re just lucky Toronto can’t finish! Should have been 3-1.

    The brawl, I think, was pretty much a one-man thing. Quintero’s a young guy, he’s a little guy who got pushed around, he was outplayed much of the game by Morgan, he got angry at the ref. Overall, he just got frustrated and lost his cool in a completely immature way.

    Everything outside of Quintero was handbags, as they call it in England, though a little more vigorous than usual. I don’t think anybody did anything outrageous other than Quintero.

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  8. This is not over! Upon further review (actually watching the game, most of it on fast-forward), I am going to rescind the decision to rescind the decision to support Santos. At this stage, I don’t really care who wins.

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  9. Are you an idiot or you just play one on the internet?

    The santos vs Monarcas shooting? Really? The teams had nothing to do with the shooting.

    It was a shooting between the police and some cartel.

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  10. LOL Man if you are going to post some proof at least get the right one.

    I know that TFC is going to get the COncacaf ref treatment when they play in Mexico. I just hope that they dont get raped like the Sounders.

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  11. mares isn’t a starter Baloy, galindo, estrada, and ibanez are Santos starters at D, Quintero wasn’t starting anyways he was luduenas sub

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  12. True. That game was in the US. Its atrocious officiating in Mexico’s favor regardless.

    If I was a Santos/Mexican fan I wouldn’t come on a US board whining about the refs after that classless display by Santos.

    That’s the biggest problem with Mexico’s soccer culture. I understand getting heated on the pitch and lashing out, okay. But afterwards their fans, and even some Mexican coaches/players b**** and moan about it, blame everyone but themselves, and take no responsibility for their classless actions. Has Oswaldo Sanchez ever explained what the heck he was doing on that ridiculous play?

    As intense as the rivalry can get Mexico’s a very good team, they’ve got a very good soccer league, and great players, I just wish their fans and some of their players would respect the game and themselves a bit more.

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  13. This isn’t about MLS refs being bad. Salazaar has tons of experience. The reds were deserved.

    Santos has a precedent for violence. There was the Copa Libertadores brawl in 2011, the Santos vs Monarcas shooting in 2011, and now this. This has to stop.

    Even if you feel you have been wronged in the worst way, as a representative for your club, your fans, your city and potentially your country, you must not sink to the level that we saw from Santos tonight. There’s no room for it in any sport. Violence is not an answer – it’s only the shortcut you take when you’re too dumb to think of a solution.

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  14. Link please!

    Most soccer fans like to feel like victims. When their teams are favored they ignore it but when the ref makes an error against them its a conspiracy. So my advice to everyone, is just enjoy soccer and don’t let it help you show your stupidity.

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  15. Headline from mediotiempo.com: Santos played against 12 and ended with 9
    MLS referees do not belong in international competitions

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  16. I couldn’t help but notice that as soon as the fight broke out, Morgan jumped up and started running around like he was perfectly fine…

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