A Few Points West, 8/18 (Tauro 1-2 TFC): 90 Minutes on the Panama Canal

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve come up with something, anything for this blog. Probably a bad combination of summer, laziness, writer's block and Sims Social on Facebook, but it has to end somewhere, somehow, right?

Anyway, I’m sure most of you readers out there have had a chance to take a look at the game (or at least the highlights, anyway) so without further ado, let’s get into the first Champions League edition of a Few Points West: (You’ll have to pardon the puns, that part is still in the shop)

343-0433 Aron: Is it just me, or is the new formation working out a lot better? For the second game Aron Winter has gone with that formation, and twice we’ve come out with the three points. Granted, there were still some shaky times with the backline (or you could chalk it up to suck on Real Salt Lake and Tauro’s parts), but give whoever the mench that came up with the idea of the 3-4-3 a gold star.

If only we had gone to that about five games ago, I wonder how struggling with 4-3-3 has done for us...? Oh well, maybe some questions are best left unanswered.

Do You Know The Way To A Proper Ref: How much ink has been spilled, how many keystrokes have been wasted over the shoddy quality of the refereeing in CONCACAF? I mean we’ve had our share of bad refs in MLS, but tonight’s referee made Baldomero Toledo look like a genius, and a Scrooge with the cards.

I don’t think there’s any point in me suggesting how to improve refereeing, since the chances someone in those offices will read it are slim. So I’ll just say this ref should probably be withdrawn from any further refereeing above the Under-8 level.

I Fell Into a Burning Frings of Fire: There was a reason why Torsten Frings was brought to Toronto, and for the past few games he’s played it’s become very obvious. He brings this zen-like state to the XI, something that few of us have ever seen in our time supporting the Reds.

Without him tonight, it seems we saw a bit of the bad old days coming back. The backline was disorganized, and we let Tauro walk around us when clearly they had no business being in this game whatsoever. The game should’ve been dead and buried by the 60th minute.

Dr. Julian, Mr. De Guzman: I think I’m as shocked as you are when you read this...but yes, Julian de Guzman actually scored a goal. Before you start planning for a hiding place for the impending apocalypse, though, hear this...this is likely not going to save his bacon here in Toronto. Even with the international transfer window now closed, there is still one in January that will open before the season starts.

I still fully expect that JDG will make good in his remaining time in Red, but after almost two years of being the highest paid player in the Toronto lineup with little or nothing to show for it, he won’t be in a Red shirt by the time the inevitable First Kick 2012 match against the Montreal Impact, or if fortune smiles on us, the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League knockout round rolls around.

Take Another Piece of My Heart (And My Shoulder): I’m not ready to call this game a Pyrrhic victory just yet, but the level of injuries suffered in this game is almost to the point of ridiculous. The pitch at the stadium was even worse than Real Esteli’s pitch (I didn’t know it was possible, but apparently it was), and the physical level of play we had to use and endure to grind out the three points could mean trouble down the road.

I’m waiting to see how this will all turn out, though: The Chicago Fire match on Sunday should probably determine where our chips should ultimately go. Then, it’s all about man-management.

You And I, Travel To The Beat of a Different Game: If tonight wasn’t an eyeopener for Aron Winter on the hazards of Central American football, then I don’t know what is. It was a bit shocking having to see the likes of Richard Eckersley and Andy Iro having to play even more cautious than they normally have to, and the blatant calls...well, we can go all night on this one.

MLS has to look at ways to counter the shoddy refereeing and the obvious dearth of quality. There must be a strategy that must be developed either by the league, or by each individual participating team, for dealing with the shenanigans. If an MLS team is to win the Champions League, we need to find a way to crack this code.

With that in mind, the Reds now travel to Chicago before heading home for a mid-week home match against Dallas in the second installment of the Champions League group stage. While we start with the three points, a wounded UNAM Pumas still looms large ahead along with dates with FC Dallas. It’s a hard road ahead, but starting positively can’t hurt...right?