Toronto FC secured their solitary place in the MLS record books on Saturday, but for a distinction nobody would ever want.
TFC lost their eight straight match, an MLS record, as D.C. United went to BMO Field and posted a 2-0 victory. Chris Pontius and Hamdi Salihi delivered the goals for a D.C. side that maintained second place in the East with the win.
The match was scoreless until the 55th minute, when Pontius unleashed a left-footed blast to make it 1-0. Salihi scored in his second straight match with a skillful volley, coming on as a second-half sub and scoring just four minutes after coming on.
As if things couldn't get worse for TFC, they lost captain Torsten Frings to a shoulder injury that could keep him out of the decisive Canadian Championship second leg against Montreal on Wednesday. TFC and Montreal played to a scoreless draw in the first leg.
D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the season opener and reminded us why he's regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in the American system by making four saves, including some stellar stops, to preserve the shutout.
Here are the match highlights:
What did you think of the match? Impressed with D.C. United's performance? Think TFC is as bad as their 0-8 record? Is it time for Aron Winter to be fired?
Share your thoughts below.
Fine in theory. Now, take any MLS team and put it in a lower division (heck, TWO lower divisions) and see if attendance stays the same. And while we’re at it, let’s just magically relegate ManU or Arsenal or Citeh or Chelsea to the Championship League or lower and see if their attendance and popularity stays the same. We both know the answer to that.
And the way to make sure every game matters is to make it tougher to get into the playoffs. And that, may actually be more effective than promo/rel.
First, karma has nothing to do with it. Otherwise, KC would have won a 4-5 championships by this point (b/c for about 10 years, all they did was take abuse from the rest of us for having such poor fan support).
Second, pot, meet kettle. Almost every team has a few loud supporters who can be jerks at some point. Frankly, NYRB probably has more than their share given the team’s lack of success historically.
What I want is:
(a) for MLS to be successful
(b) teams that have great fan support to be rewarded
(c) MLS to develop skills and play an attractive style of soccer
It’s just icing if my team happens to win titles. I don’t root for any city to lose their team.
For MLS, a league that is not nearly as secure as leagues elsewhere, they need those trendy fans. While I personally would describe myself as a supporter I don’t expect everyone who watches DC United to be as passionate as I am. Until we’re in a position where relegation is feasible (I have no idea when that will be) we may as well accept that there will be terrible teams that get second chances. How is that such a bad thing?
I feel sorry for Toronto. I like to see clubs with good fan support do well. Toronto will have their day..
Real fans don’t jump ship when everything isnt perfect.. Losing a bunch of trendy fans is no sweat when every game matters
TFC are the cubs of mls.
Absolutely not–in fact TFC is probably example #1 for why promo/rel is such a terrible, stupid, nonsensical, inappropriate idea for MLS. Here’s why:
1. Year one, TFC sucked (and badly). Remember how they had that goalless streak? So they get relegated. So what happens to all those enthusiastic fans? Without the continued example (year-after-year) that despite cold weather and short summer seasons, Canadian fans will show up and support their TFC club (even when it loses), I bet we wouldn’t have franchises in Vancouver and Montreal now. What drove the Montreal expansion was a combination of big draws for champions cup games (outside of USL/A-League fare) and the opportunity to compete with TFC. But with relegation, you lose that.
2. Here’s the comparison to promotion and relegation for MLS: if you had relegation for Champions League. So if the Italian clubs all did poorly in CCC one year, the next year no-one from Italy competes in the Champions League. Or ditto with the Dutch teams. Or Scandanavia teams. You see, promo/relegation with England, if Fulham gets sent down, there are still 3 other clubs from London in the Premiership. But MLS covers a geographic area much like Europe. If, say, a Kansas City were to get sent down, who would fans in Kansas and Missouri go to watch? Or would they fly to one of the coasts or Texas?
But you know what? I recall posts from RSL and Chivas fans before their teams played a game about how they were competing for a champion in year one. Most new clubs have fans who are over-enthusiastic. So I cut some of the more “over the top” red patch boys some slack.
On the whole, the TFC fans have showed up in force, they’ve brought energy and volume, they’ve gone on the road–the MLS would benefit immensely if every team had just half the support and energy that the TFC fans had been bringing for years.
Nevermind that Vancouver just beat San Jose and Montreal beat Sporting in Kansas City. Yes, because one team in Toronto is having a god awful season, I also hereby declare the aforementioned 4 team tournament…”a joke.” In fact, why even have any teams from Central America?! I mean, they’re never going to do anything in CCL… And don’t get me started on American MLS teams in CCL. I mean, wow! Talk about a lack of success. So, I agree with you, yellow submarine. We should only allow teams from Mexico into CCL since everyone else is a complete joke and has no chance of winning it. I’m glad someone had the balls to say it!
LOL
Since no one’s mentioned it, I will. Doesn’t Toronto’s situation just scream for promotion/relegation? Like them or not, then Toronto’s fans could eventually root for a team that would be competitive and maybe even successful.
Except that there were about 10 other GOTW worthy strikes this week. I don’t know if I love it or hate it when this happens…
So, no, I’m not a fan of England and Toronto fans are still haughty.
I root for three teams:
USMNT
Red Bulls
Ajax
I only use “we” for the first two.
But thanks for speculating.
How you came to those conclusions is bewildering.
you are hardcore, you must be one of those yank fans who rip on England every chance you get, but in the same sentence tell everyone what a hardcore Arsenal, Chelsea, MUFC etc. fan you are. You use terms like “WE need a new centreback” when talking about that English team you love so much yet have probably never set foot in the country…
your comment was lame the first 34 times you said it, and its still lame now…
I think what I said is pretty clear: the 4 team tournament is a joke for a Champions League birth.
TFC is an example of how much of a joke it truly is.
America deserves to have Canadian teams in their own league.
I laughed myself sick. It was like Joey Bishop at the Copa in 1966. Outstanding.
The come from the North
And talk a good game
But everyone in the US
Knows Toronto is lame
Year after year
Excuse after excuse
They are the league’s weak sister
For which I have no use
Their fans are haughty
And eat fish & chips with vinegar
They play their games in the cold
Perhaps I;m mean or a bit naughty
But I can’t see this team going too far
And the excuses are gtting old
(You wanted creative, you got it. In plain English, Toronto FC stinks)
All I want to hear is some Toronto fans say,”Yes, we were arrogant jerks when we came in the league and what we are enduring now is pure karma. It is deserved punishment for being haughty. We apologize to the world for being idiots.”
Yeah, that would cover it.
As the say “Whats good for the goose is good for the gander”… if TFC fails and fans stop showing up, the team could end up folding… and that’s great for the league, right? Pretty funny, huh?
you post this exact same comment every time there’s a TFC story, can’t you come up with something a bit more imaginative.
Another headline could be “DC United back in win column with 2 spectacular goals.”
Or, “Makeshift DC United back line shuts town Toronto attack in 2-0 win.”
2 sides to every story. United deserves some credit for the clean sheet, and both goals were “Goal of the Week” material.
give it up bro, Toronto’s a joke
Canada deserves its own league
You do understand this prolonged losing streak only proves their argument, right? They still support their team in all the ways you attempt to mock despite being 0-8 and never making the playoffs?
So if they were to pack the tournament with bad semi-professional teams that would make it more legit to you?
Canada deserves a birth, continental championships always have some births that are easier than others, you don’t see anybody in England complaining that Newcastle won’t get a spot but Molde will.
Seriously. They had a season ticket waiting list of over 10,000 as recently as last year. They sold out despite horrid performances and terrible player decisions for years. They DID bring a true footie culture or whatever you anectdotally are referencing one guy said-they were Seattle before Seattle. They have owners who are willing to spend money, hopefully that money will be better spent. Oh and to the guy who said its because of Fringes? Nice selective karma memory you have, must have forgotten the handling call that went our way against Mexico the game before….
This is idiotic. I don’t root for TFC, but I root for the MLS, and having the potential of TFC not fulfilled is not funny and not good for the league.
Also, they have had some horrible luck. If things had swung the other way for them, they very well could be 2-4-2. Not great, but not as ominous as 0-8.
D.C. United!
Yeah, it’s so very hilarious.
Yes, yes I did laugh.
I prefer to think that it’s bad karma from bringing Torsten Frings to within shouting distance of the USA…
Nah, it’s not hilarious. TFC has had a very loud and proud fan base–just fantastic support and something that was a model to every MLS franchise when they came in to the league. Those fans deserve better. And no, I’m not a TFC fan.
Steve Nicol is still available, would be interesting to see what he can do with the nearly 9 million pay roll they got up over there. They have made alot of questionable trades there, no wonder why they are a mess. SMFH
Did anyone else laugh during the ESPN broadcast last night when they showed that Toronto had the third highest payroll? So sad
Maybe today seems cloudy and grey, so full of sorrow and tomorrow seems so far away, but it gets better, it gets better. And I know the world keeps throwing your strife, but keep on strutting down this yellow road called life, ’cause it gets better, it gets better.
HANG IN THERE TFC!!!
0-34 would be awesome!
PROPER FOOTY CULTURE INDEED!
Ah, remember when Torobto joined the league & they & their fans were gonna show us what “proper footy culture” was all about? They play “football,” not soccer! They eat “chips” not fries & “crisps” not chips! They’re really footy! Not corporate footy.
Ha Ha. Take your lumps now!
Keep it going, Toronto. Let’s see how far we can stretch this record!
It’s hilarious to think their little 4 team tournament could award a birth to the Champions League for a club like this.
What a joke.
Remembering Kansas City(SKC) and their start before there new stadium. Implementing a new system is tough and you have to stay the course.DCU has had some bad years recently and as a fan it is the most frustrating time, you want to fire the coach, buy new players anything to get back to winning. But consider this; with all the sloppy play and there record, this weekend they had 18K+ fans show up (BTW much better than DC home games this year) SKC and DCU are 1st and 2nd in the MLS East.
For the fans of Toronto, hang in there and keep supporting your team, the players and coached don’t want this record anymore than you do…they need your support more than ever.
Haters, if you can’t say something good, say nothing at all.
It’s so heartbreaking going to the games these days… The atmosphere is just so negative and nowhere near what it once was. Been there since day one and didn’t renew two of my four tickets this year… They gouge us to death for a product that is simply not enjoyable.
Terrible.
The fans did their job. They’ve been victimized by a both indifferent and incompetent FO. I feel sorry for them, and it makes me appreciate what a good job my Sounder’s FO has done.
But Toronto fans deserve better than this horrible mess of a team.
Why do people feel the need to cherry pick comments from a few obnoxious fans and then criticize an entire team. They show up at games despite having a horrible team since joining the league. That’s more than I can say about a lot of fans that have been blessed with successful teams to watch.
Fire Aron Winter
Should have given the expansion slot to another franchise. I would feel sorry for them if it wasnt for their fans declaring they would be the jewel of MLS and show proper “footy culture”
They are a complete mess of an team it’s hilarious.