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Toronto FC 3, Colorado 1: A Supporter’s View

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Just call BMO Field The Fortress because visiting teams just can’t win there. Seven times opponents have gone to BMO Field hoping to knock off Toronto FC and seven times they have failed.

Colorado became the latest to fall short, dropping a 3-1 decision to a short-handed Toronto squad that was missing several starters but still didn’t miss a beat. Rohan Ricketts delivered two goals to help keep TFC unbeaten at home (5-0-2) and kept the Rapids struggling along.

SBI Correspondents Duane Rollins and Craig de Aragon watched the match and gave us their perspectives on the match:

Home Sweet Home for TFC

By DUANE ROLLINS

This is our house.

It’s the one chant that truly involves all 20,000 fans at BMO Field. From the rowdies in the south and north ends and moving all the way through Toronto’s small, but evident, prawn sandwich brigade in the middle sections.

This is our house.

When it gets going it seems like the sound might carry across Lake Ontario 70 miles to Buffalo. It must shake the windows of the lake-fronted condos that the prawn eaters live in.
This is our house.

It’s not the most creative chant, nor the favorite of the supporter’s groups, but it’s the most accessible. And, it’s become a calling card of TFC in its second season. One of the team’s TV carriers has worked an ad campaign around the four words—three Toronto players, with three different accents, mouth the words to a camera as scenes of crazy fans intersect.

It’s easy to understand why the chant has become so popular at BMO Field. Beyond its simplicity, it just rings true. In season one there were hints of the type of home field advantage TFC might one-day enjoy–a 4-0 win against FC Dallas, Landon Donovan expressing his belief that Toronto should "never drop points in there"—but the team’s inexperience and lack of depth would even things out for visiting teams.

But, in 2008 the words could not be truer. It is our house. Five wins and two draws. Not a single loss. Just two goals allowed, none during the run of play. Opposing teams play to survive at BMO, not to thrive.

Our house, indeed.

A person watching TFC a week ago in Texas would have been forgiven if they thought that they were watching a different team that the one that tore into a bewildered Colorado Saturday. Even with am improvised line-up due to international call-ups, Toronto plays like losing isn’t possible. It’s positive, attacking. They try things, attack. In short, they play to win.

In short, the exact opposite of the way it played in Houston. There, TFC was in full-on survival mode. Home pitch advantage is a reality the world over, but with Toronto it’s just a little more profound than with most. Maybe it’s the crowd, maybe it’s the FieldTurf, but whatever it is it’s real. And, it’s the reason why TFC sits solidly in a playoff position a little more than two months into the season.
Make no mistake, if Toronto is to ever take thew next step and become a true contender for the Supporter’s Shield or MLS Cup it’s going to have to do a little more away from the lumpy pitch at BMO. But, for the Toronto faithful the creation of a fortress has been a somewhat unexpected Godsend in 2008.

In retrospect, Colorado didn’t have a chance Saturday. No one does. That attitude has infected BMO Field—in the stands and, more importantly, on the pitch.

Taking points at BMO? No way. Not in our house you aren’t.

———–

Season becoming all too predictable for Rapids

By CRAIG de ARAGON

When I sat down to write this my mind was as blank as the Rapids score sheet was in Toronto for most of Saturday.  I couldn’t think of any more excuses to give these Rapids the benefit of the doubt for their faults, specifically on the road.  We’ve been through the referees, the injuries, the congestion of games, the call ups, the blue shorts, and everything else, and now, the only thing I’m left with it this; the hardest thing for a fan to do, admit that your team just isn’t that good.

Now I am not ready to completely abandon all hopes for this season; and a 3 or 4 game winning streak would certainly change my tune. However, the inconsistency from game to game just is completely frustrating.  The Rapids go from being smooth, fluid and making crisp passes with Christian Gomez tormenting the midfield. Or as Christopher Sullivan would say (like he does every FSC broadcast), “their collective movement is flawless.”  To a team that looks like they don’t have a clue, a team that just met each other on their way out to the pitch, a team that is as bad as the local broadcasters calling the game (Which if you live in Colorado, you know…they are horrible). 

What is the hardest part to get over is that the Rapids have the talent. They have enough pieces to be good on a consistent basis. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance from Omar Cummings and Tom McManus; we’ve seen consistent defending from Facundo Erpen and brilliant midfield play from Gomez. That’s what made me get my hopes up early this year when they played so well. They have talent and they have depth and are actually scoring goals this year (compared to last year).

That blinded me from seeing that this team is headed down the same road they have gone down every year under Fernando Clavijo. The pattern has reared its ugly head again. Come out of the gates fast, fade in the summer, and make a push for the playoffs late in the season. It’s sad that it’s predictable.  It’s sad that every year we Rapids faithful fall for it. But that’s what we fans do. It would just be nice if for once, what we believed would come true. 

Comments

  1. I was curious to read the TFC supporter’s view of the game to see if he had any insightful comments. Unfortunately not, and I’m guessing that a Canadian doesn’t recognize how ridiculous it sounds when he talks about teams “playing to survive at BMO” or that no team “stands a chance” in Toronto. Settle down, you silly Canadians. If there’s one thing Toronto (or Canada) is not, it’s intimidating. Congrats on the sterling home record, TFC, but if you want to talk some game, be sure to have a real field, not that ugly turf that’s out of some American high school football stadium. Anyway, I agree with Craig that the Rapids’ inconsistencies are infuriating. It sucks making Dichio look good, because that guy is a mongoloid caveman.

    Reply
  2. The 1-4-0 away record is misleading because TFC didn’t have Guevara, Ricketts, or Robert for their first two away games and their last one against Houston featured a pretty depleted roster.

    I think the crowd does more to build up TFC than turf does to affect the opposition. Having played on both the BMO field and regular grass pitches it definitely is different but not so much that I don’t think professionals that have played on the surface much more than me (not to mention being miles better) can adjust quickly.

    But the big thing is that whatever the home field advantage is TFC needs to improve on the road especially if they want to have any hope of qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League.

    Reply
  3. ok i stand corrected…. TFC is 1-4-0 away from BMO… while the team is still better then last season im leaning more on their 2 home field advantages:

    1) the crowd

    2) the turf

    the inc. in talent helps, but your track record away says otherwise….

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  4. Maple Leaf Red- while you can argue the Turf excuse is a cop-out, it does in fact hold water….

    obviously, TFC is a better team this season then last… you have a good playmaker and a forward (thats not injured) who has found his scoring foot… and you have solidified your defense…

    however, the Turf does in fact give you a tad more of an advantage… the ball bounces completely different then if it were on real grass… and while TFC is used to it, the rest of the teams who do not play on turf are left to figure out the bounces on the speed of play…. altho this isnt a good excuse for why TFC is doing well….

    the crowd add a different element to the game…. they encourage the team, and with a sell out crowd, its hard not to feel motivated to doing well….

    all three options (turf, team and fans) are the reason TFC is doing better this season, especially at home…

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  5. Other teams play on turf (RSL) and FieldTurf (NE) regularly or the players have had experience on it. Blaming it on the pitch is a cop-out.

    There really is a completely different sense of belief among the players at home and I love it. They’ve almost won as many games at home this year as they won during all of last season!

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  6. Well…. TFC is most definitely the best home team in MLS… the question is why?

    Could it be the fans? or could it be what i believe is the real reason… the turf.

    The turf gives Toronto a huge advantage over other opponents as they practice and play there regularly. Other teams coming in just dont have that familiarity with the turf that TFC does and I believe the turf is TFC’s best friend at home…not just the fans.

    Reply
  7. impressive home play by TFC makes their future promising…. if they can manage to win on the road they’re guarenteed a playoff birth…. but sooner rather then later, their home streak will come to an end…. and the question will be, “how will they react??” will they crumble at home after it or rally back against the next team??

    Reply
  8. We’ll lose eventually at BMO if the players are as cocky about it as the fans. But he’s right; it’s like they’re playing in a different league at home.

    It’s not just that they haven’t lost, it’s that all three goals against have come from set pieces — Toronto hasn’t given up a goal from the run of play at home all season. Other teams don’t, generally, even get much possession here. Ricketts and Robert play like they’re still rising stars in the premiership, and Danny Dichio plays like he should’ve been one.

    Wynne, in particular, is possessed at home. I pity people who take him on shoulder to shoulder and discover what a bruising influence he can be.

    But having said all of that, the first 15 minutes against Colorado, we were sloppy and could’ve gone down twice. That, to me, is a sign of overconfidence; and that can be just as much of a killer as intimidation.

    Reply
  9. Great article Craig! I totally agree with your view on the Rapids. It’s a very tough pill to swallow knowing the talent is there but the consistent performance isn’t.

    Like you, I’m not ready to give on the Rapids but at the same time I don’t know how much longer I can stand to watch this inconsistency.

    Thanks for your view and keep up the good work.

    Reply

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