Because soccer isn't gay, but once in awhile it kinda is.
Toronto FC
Soccer Ally May: Toronto FC
05/04/12
What a first week of May it has been so far. We’ve looked to three teams for new Soccer Allies so far in May, and thirteen players have heard the call and signed on! Sporting Kansas City has gone from no players on the list to having the most players in the league represented.
Today we look at Toronto FC, also starting off the month with no players on the list, which John posted about earlier in the week. Since then we have heard from Toronto staffer Earl Cochrane who has joined the effort.
What players will join him? Help us Tweet at the players below and share the Allies pledge with them. Have them Tweet at @gay4soccer or use the #soccerally hash tag if they agree and we’ll keep this great month rolling!
A Call To Action: Moving Toronto FC towards Promoting Diversity
04/30/12
I can take the 0-and-6 start, and I can accept the injuries plaguing the team. I can accept a lot, and have learned to do so in the six years of supporting this team.
What I can’t accept is my calls for recognizing a little equality from TFC falling on deaf ears, with no end in sight.
I’m sure this is one PR crisis that the team doesn’t need, but I’m doing it anyway. I’ve talked about it, I’ve tweeted about it…but again, nothing is ever done. Toronto (and in a sense, with the rejection of the far-right Wildrose Party in Alberta in last week’s election) the rest of Canada is one of the most diverse, accepting and welcoming countries on Earth.
Section 8 has made a wonderful supportive tifo, while the Whitecaps have shown homophobia the red card. But what has TFC and its supporters’ groups done so far? Nothing. (Unless someone can show me something.)
For a team that plays in a city that claims to be one of the most diverse and tolerant, that does not sit well with me. You may say I’m rather steamed, even. We have no on-the-record allies, and no movement to recognize and celebrate diversity. All there is — is talk. And more talk. This is a record that I will no longer sit here and say nothing about. It changes. NOW…and I need your help.
Chivas USA: Unbeaten on the Road, and the Impressive and Magical Dan Kennedy
04/17/12
Chivas USA hit two records this weekend. First, with a 1-0 win against Toronto FC, the team went 3-0 in road matches, which equals their total road wins from the entire 2011 season.
Toronto FC v Chivas USA Highlights
A 31st minute header from Ecuadorian midfielder Oswaldo Minda was the difference, which is also striking considering their poor set piece performance last season. The team continued to press, and saw great chances from Ben Zemanski and Ryan Smith. One of the major players in this match for both sides was the wind: it seemed that whichever team played against the wind sat back more, and had very little control of the ball. Chivas USA controlled the game for the entire first half; yet they found themselves on the defensive for basically the entire second half.
The defense may not have always been composed, but they got the job done. From Heath Pearce’s stunning body block clearance on the line to Dan Kennedy’s repeated magical saves, they got another three points on the road. While the team is 3-0 on the road, they have yet to secure a win at home. They face the Philadelphia Union this weekend at the Home Depot Center, and hopefully, they can finally find their bearings and get three points. With this win, they sit at fifth in the Western conference.
A Cann of Frings to Treat What Ails Toronto FC?
04/11/12
by theverytc
in Toronto FC
With our options limited and a match against Chivas USA coming up, the news that Torsten Frings and Adrian Cann are about ready to return is probably the best news that any Toronto FC supporter could get right now. While most aren’t holding their breaths for this weekend, a return by these two crucial pieces of the Reds’ midfield will be most welcome.
If you were party to the Montreal match, let’s just say leaving the already tenuous backline to its own devices is a bad idea. Frings is the field marshal, while Cann is a stablizing force. Combine them together and you get an immediate presence in the backline that defenders can gather around.
Santos Laguna vs Toronto FC, Part 2: More Handbags Than the Real Housewives
04/04/12
After a heated affair in Toronto last Wednesday, we’re ready for round 2 of the CONCACAF Champions League semi-final between Santos Laguna and Toronto FC. Much has been made of the officiating by the Mexican side, with the word “gringo” being thrown around like it was beads at Mardi Gras including at the American referee Ricardo Salazar.
An Epic Event: gay4soccer Toronto Meets gay4soccer LA
03/14/12
Our Toronto writer John is in Los Angeles covering the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal for Waking the Red. He gathered together a panel of Los Angeles Galaxy writers, including his gay4soccer associate Tommy, at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles for a CCL match preview
CCL: Late LA Equalizer Costs Toronto
03/08/12
It only took 20 minutes for Toronto FC to put LA Galaxy in a position they had rarely experienced in their 2011 MLS Cup-winning campaign: On the wrong side of a two-goal differential.
Ryan Johnson and Luis Silva put away two confident strikes to give the hosts a commanding lead over the tournament favorites before a boisterous crowd of 47,568 at Rogers Centre last evening. The lead poised Toronto to head into next week’s away leg with firm control over their future.
But Los Angeles had other plans and would narrow the lead a little over ten minutes later from a Mike Magee finish. The visitors would equalize the score in the match’s dying minutes after Landon Donovan slotted home a loose ball left in the penalty area after a David Beckham corner kick.
Looking Back / Looking Forward with John
03/06/12
by gay4soccer
in Toronto FC
My favourite moment? It would have to be the 3-0 win in Dallas last year that secured passage into the CONCACAF Champions League knockout rounds. Never before have we reached such lofty heights in any competition — sure, the MLS Cup playoffs are nice, but besides a shiny trophy they get us nowhere fast. Having a one-in-eight shot of going to the Club World Cup to face big name teams from other continents? (With a few Mexican teams and a certain underwear-flaunting ex-English national teamer standing in the way…)
What am I looking forward to? Definitely the Toronto-Montreal rivalry. For the first time since the old NASL, Toronto and Montreal will be playing in the same top-level soccer league in North America…and what a way to restart the rivalry: we’ll be playing at least five games against one another: three league matches, and two matches in the Canadian Championship.
Sorry Vancouver, but you’ll always have Cascadia!
Two Days To Go (Or, Can You Smell The CONCACAF?)
03/05/12
It’s the day that most TFC supporters (like myself) have been waiting for — and it couldn’t have arrived at a better time. In two days, 45,000 will be packing the Skydome (or Rogers Centre, if you so prefer) for the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
While it’s going to be understandable that some in the audience (you know who you are) who will be looking at Beck’s assets instead of the match itself, TFC’s supporters’ groups are already promising an all-out display in the stands to help the Reds leave for LA with an advantage. While I won’t give anything away, all I can say is…whatever you’ve seen from the TV from BMO, was child’s play.
An Open Letter To Simon Borg
(This post was inspired by a short Twitter conversation with SBNation writer Kevin McCauley, and based on the recent furor over Simon Borg’s comments during the April 30th edition of the ExtraTime Radio podcast — also posted on Waking The Red. )
Dear Simon,
Hey, how are ya? It’s me, John.
You probably don’t know me yet (or you never will…either way), but I am a huge TFC supporter. I’ve been that way for about six years now. I live in Calgary, which means I have to travel to a lot of TFC matches. In six years, I’ve been to almost all the stadiums on the West Coast, and wear my TFC swag proudly around town.
Oh, but there’s something you probably should know about me: I do bat for the other team…yep, queerer than a three dollar bill. AND I’m seeing someone, too — who doesn’t happen to be a soccer fan. I know, shocking right? I’ll give you a few moments to recover from the shock.
Anyway, where were we? Oh right…me. As I was saying, I’m seeing someone right now, who is a huge science fiction fan. I don’t claim to be an expert on shows like Battlestar Galatica, but does that make him less appealing to me? Nope. The opposite is true; he knows I am a sports fan, and knows about my TFC supporting ways. Does he have a problem with me spending my time writing and covering the team for SBNation? Heck, if he did…he would’ve dumped me right after my trip to LA for the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final.
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