Waking The Red - All Posts

Toronto FC waive John Bostock

2013-05-24T20:32:29Z

Well, we hardly knew you John Bostock. The Toronto FC winger has had his loan from Tottenham Hotspur brought to a premature end as the Reds have placed Bostock on waivers. Having joined the Toronto club on loan in March the English winger failed to impress and has now been shown the door.

It is disappointing to see a player who once showed enough promise to make him the youngest player ever at both Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur being shown the door by Toronto FC but based on his performances for the club it is a move that very few will question.

Bostock failed to make any real impact during his time in MLS as he failed to find his name on the score sheet in 7 league and 2 cup appearances. The lack of scoring from the winger would have been okay had he been providing quality service to the other attackers but outside of a few flashes of quality his delivery on crosses was poor and he spent more time running into defenders than he did trying to beat them with his technical ability.

He had clearly fallen out of favor with Head Coach Ryan Nelsen in recent weeks as his last league start was all the way back on April 6th against FC Dallas. Since that game he has been left on the bench three times and made an appearance as a substitute on three occasions (two for less than 5 minutes).

With Bostock's loan set to end at the end of June it seemed his days with the club were numbered at best as he had done little to prove he was worth keeping around on a new contract come the summer when his deal with Tottenham expires. By releasing Bostock now the Reds will be free to look for options to replace him in the roster and the player will be able to begin looking for his next club.

For a player who was once regarded as one of England's top youth players it seems that Bostock has now just about hit rock bottom in his career. It will be interesting to see where he ends up next as it is unlikely that clubs will be lining up for his signature.

The one thing that Bostock did have on his side when he came to Toronto was his age. At 21 years old it would be foolish to write him off but his lack of progress since the time he was 16 should be concerning to any club that is interested in bringing him in this summer. It was clear that his stop at Toronto was not getting him back on track which is a shame but it is good to see the club realized it was not working out and are able to move on without being tied to any sort of long term deal.

By releasing Bostock TFC have opened up the international roster slot that they need to add Danny Koevermans to the active roster. His departure will also give them addition cap space to work with in the summer transfer window which is already shaping up to be a busy time for the club.

Are you smarter than Aron Winter? Round 14

2013-05-24T20:00:03Z

This isn't fun anymore is it. Last week saw an uptick in optimism, though few seemed to be able to explain why. It went thoroughly unrewarded, of course. Now TFC head once again to New England. Boston crushed Toronto's heart once already, in that iced hockey malarkey, can another Boston (ish) team stick it to us again? Who knows?

Why you do of course, so predict the score in the comments section, or @wakingthered on twitter, 2 points for the ~~New England Win~~ correct result, 1 for the correct amount of New Englanmd goals and 1 for the correct amount of TFC goals. Current standings below, thanks for playing.

Guillame Tremblay 31
Prizby 28
Varry Galk 28
stoppage_time 27
Duncan Fletcher 25
Ghost of TFC Future 24
Michelle 23
Steph Gunther 22
c.beaulieu 21
James M Casey 21
sulfur_chesh 21
Bruce Harding 21
Sairax 20
The Yorkies 20
pkelamis 20
C to the D 19
lesean25 18
Footy Wolverine Go Blue 18
Randy Narine 19
sweep6 18
DKolish3 18
john leung 17
PSoNumber9 17
N3WT 17
SaskTFCFan 17
Kristin Knowles 17
susanjm 17
B_Like_Fonz 17
dcherk 16
Allan Thornton 16
james grossi 16
mathphys 15
hansdampf 15
wilcov 15
Red Wine Roz 15
Wright Anomaly 14
notmirokliment 14
rthos 13
dave saad 12
the sporting pacifist 12
AMS1984 12
nsmith02 12
izaac.kamrad 11
Berktopia 11
ColMustard 10
walms 10
Dave Rowaan 10
Angus Chung 10
bg77 10
Toronto Tony 9
Mr Tuktoyaktuk 9
sn0wmanCA 9
barticusz 8
cwell 8
j_real 7
Lars Lowther 6
blindfolded tank driver 5
Duane Rollins 5
Boba_fett11 5
mike mcguire 5
Grayson Th. D. 4
TFCLeafnation 4
mikeysouthend 3
GreenApes 3
skinn 3
Armen Bedakian 3
alonsopena 3
mikep2 3
tobias vaughan 3
craig moretto 2
brian coulter 2
Wheatsheaf 2
darth pingu 2
shortofbrilliant 2
jc_plante 2
henryforpm 2
enrico s 2
kilowatt44 1
hitchorado 1
prof frink 1
dannymac83 1
ian clarke 1
nelsen's sweater vest 1

Toronto FC vs New England Revolution: This Isn't The Revolution We Were Hoping For

2013-05-24T18:30:08Z

If this were a different TFC - you know one with a healthy roster, an ability (or willingness) to compete for a full 90 and be more clinical at finishing - fans of the Revs (or the Reds) might be shouting "the Reds are coming, the Reds are coming!". But no modern day Paul Revere is required for this game as Toronto comes limping into town instead of leading the charge.

Let's forget for a minute the recent form of our Reds - yes, I realize that's difficult but try - and look at the list of players that won't be travelling due to injury, illness or fear of the plastic pitch: Richard Eckersley, Bobby Convey, Darel Russell, Justin Braun, Logan Emory, Danny Califf, Stephen Frei, Terry Dunfield and Danny Koevermans. If a couple other Reds twist their ankles in training we can field an entire team of injured players! Whee!

Seriously though it's a daunting list of players that aren't available - although apparently Koef would have travelled/potentially played had Toronto not been headed to the plastic scene of his demise last season. Either way, as depth isn't exactly a strong point for TFC yet this season, having 9 players out has to hurt.

On the flip side of that massive list of unavailable players is that it should make picking the starting XI for coach Nelsen that much easier. Right? The back four is still likely a bit of a mystery - will captain Darren O'Dea resume his place in the middle or is Ashtone Morgan forever nailed to the bench and the O'Dea at LB experiment continues?

This is my guess (I won't go so far as to say educated) for the XI: Bendik, Richter, Boss, Caldwell, O'Dea, Hall, Laba, Lambe, Silva, Brockie and Earnshaw. The growing partnership of Laba and Hall will again be key in keeping the play organized and getting the ball to the attacking players. The big unknown is how well Brockie and Earnshaw will have gelled during training this week as the goals will have to come from them unless Silva rediscovers some of his form from last season. And as New England has been a very difficult team to score on this season making every chance count (every chance Earnshaw - are you listening?) cannot be stressed enough.

The main concern with this projected (although very likely) lineup is dealing with the speed of the Revs attack; most notably from the recently traded Juan Agudelo (making his home debut; great) and youngster Diego Fagundez who's bagged three of the Revs last six goals. Delightful. Add to that the duo of Lee Nguyen and Kelvin Rowe and their strong passing game - and who doesn't love watching our Reds haplessly run around while the other team toys with them in the midfield? - and it has the makings for another tough outing for Toronto.

While Nelsen and many of the players continue to state how close they are to competing for a playoff spot, and that they're only a mistake free game away from turning this listing ship around, we're all still waiting for 90 minutes of play. I'd rather that they show up and actually try for the full game and lose than continue to give us partial efforts and 'come close' or you know, lose. Seriously - I won't like a loss tomorrow but I'd accept it if the Reds looked like a team with some vision and ability.

If there aren't some positive signs out on the pitch tomorrow expect next week's game against the Union to be hyped to the rafters as the return of the saviour, AKA Koef. This is not a team that has responded well to this kind of pressure and expectation - they need to start something now if there is to be any sign of growth for the future - not playoffs (seriously that is not happening) but the future; as in next season. Don't mean to be a downer kids but regardless of hopeful interview soundbites and talk of transfer window upgrades, any dividends won't pay off this season. Which in the long run is fine; no matter how exhausting it is right now.

After all of that how about a little old school Paul Revere instead?

Know Your Enemy: New England Revolution -- Part Two – Game Film Review: Tactics, Exploitation, and Points of Interest

2013-05-24T16:10:07Z

Part One, an in-depth look at their lineup and form, came out yesterday.

Tactics

When it comes to shutting down the Revolution, it is hard to look past Diego Fagundez, who has scored half (three) of their last six goals.

Still just eighteen, the Uruguay-born homegrown striker, has flourished after being moved out to the wing by coach, Jay Heaps. Fagundez is not a physical specimen, as such he was at risk of being crowded out of the hectic central areas of the pitch, especially as one gets closer towards the box.

By moving out to the right flank, he has more space, to utilize both his pace and trickery in the calmer surroundings, often only having a single defender to beat or drifting in of the wing without drawing too much attention.

His goal, the opener against Houston, is a worthy example of this freedom. Beginning on the left – their wide players will swap periodically, as most do – he curls over to get involved, then circles back to begin the movement.

This freedom to roam makes marking him that much more difficult.

Yes, the Houston defending was pathetic, but a flair player being given license to roam and attempt slicing runs can be problematic to even the most switched on defences.

That goal also bears witness to another of the minor revolutions Heaps has brought to his club. Under the Steve Nicol-Paul Mariner brain-trust New England was a direct team, some may say vertical (up-down the pitch) but they have brought in a number of tricky, good on the ball midfielders, who prefer to work the ball around a bit more – even, Clyde Simms got in on the act in the above goal.

That tidy passing has marked New England most successful moments this season.

Using a little bit of horizontal motion, New England is able to open up gaps in the Philadelphia defense - playing out wide, then back in, then up and back towards the outside before squaring to Fagundez for a good finish.

Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe are the primary assets in this ploy, with Fagundez and the now in place Juan Agudelo adding to the possibilities.

That passing can be hypnotic at times, lulling defenders into switching off and making the tracking of marks difficult.

Nguyen’s goal later in that same match against Philly shows one of the other risks they pose. When not pressured in the midfield he surges towards goal and slips in a pass for Sair Sene, consistent with their passing style. But it’s what he does after that is of note – he continues his run.

None of the Union defenders track his movement and when Sene’s attempt is saved, he is the only person in the box moving, pounces on the rebound and scores far too easily.

It’s not all on the ground for the Revolution. Sene, Agudelo, Dimitry Imbongo, and Jerry Bengtson – as well as several defenders - are sizeable threats in the air, from set-pieces or open play. Chris Tierney has a mean left-foot, while Nguyen and Rowe are both pretty good in service.

Their game-winner over Chicago way back at the start of the season came from such a lovely chipped ball for Bengtson to head in at the back-post.

Exploitation

New England’s defense has been fantastic this season, but if there is one glaring weakness it is a lack of pace.

First-overall draft pick, right-back Andrew Farrell, has some wheels, but if he is caught up-field, neither Stephen McCarthy, AJ Soares, nor Jose Goncalves are particularly fleet of foot.

This was made patently obvious against the counterattack of New York in their 4-1 win over the Revolution – their only multi-goal loss of the season.

Three of the four goals came from stretching New England with a quick break, perhaps most dramatic was Thierry Henry blowing past Farrell, but Fabian Espindola’s after a long ball from Marcus Holgersson, and Jonny Steele finishing off another quick break are equally solid examples.

Farrell was made to look every bit a rookie with Henry blowing past him; while impressive, the young defender has occasionally looked raw – holding on to the ball too long, trying to play the short pass into traffic when an old-fashioned clearance would be a better solution.

Another area of some concern has been their man-marking on set-pieces.

Their sloppiness at the end of the match against Salt Lake – at home, in which they took the lead, only to lose 1-2 – saw some very poor defending and all marking is simply a shared responsibility, contributing to a whole effort.

Both Salt Lake goals came from poor threat awareness – look at how open Kyle Beckerman is atop the box from the corner kick and how Olmes Garcia is first to the rebound after a fine save from Bobby Shuttleworth.

Again, Philadelphia’s Jack McInerney, not only wins the first ball, but the second as well; surely he, of all people, should have been marked tighter on a corner.

And then there is Blas Perez’s game-winner for Dallas, New England, slow to pressure the ball-carrier lets their most dangerous attacker, David Ferreira, lift his head and Perez ghost off the back; unacceptable.

Points of Interest

Emotional season in New England, within a week there was Kevin Alston’s leukemia diagnosis and then the Marathon bombings where both Matt Reis’ Father-in-law and Chris Tierney’s girlfriend where participants

New England has one of the more active affiliations - with Rochester Rhinos of the USL PRO – Bilal Duckett, on loan to Rochester, was called up in an emergency and fared very well, maintaining a clean-sheet against Portland in a make-shift back-line.

This is the first of three meetings in 2013; they meet again twice in August on the 4th in New England and the 30th in Toronto.

The two have met thirteen times previously, with New England having a slight advantage – four wins to three – with six draws.

Toronto won the season series last year with a win at Gillette Stadium – their first ever – and a draw at BMO Field.

TFC is unbeaten in six against New England, their last win coming at the start of 2010 – a 4-1 drubbing on a hat-trick from Zach Schilawski and a Sainey Nyassi strike after Dwayne De Rosario had put the Reds in front.

Revolution.net’s audio wing, The Far Post Podcast, is surprising entertaining and edgy, given how skim milk the Revolution have been over the past few seasons.

Torsten Frings eyeing comeback, not with Toronto FC

2013-05-23T20:04:38Z

Could Torsten Frings be returning to the playing field this summer? Well, it seems that he might be on the comeback trail in Germany having retired from his professional playing career this February. His retirement came as a result of a series of injury that limited his playing time during the 2012 season and knocked him out after just one game of the 2013 preseason.

At the time of his retirement there was some question of whether it was completely his decision or if the club had decided to pay-out the remainder of his contract to free up the cap space and designated player slot which forced him out sooner than he would have liked. The 36 year old Frings was unlikely to have a lot of miles left in him but he did work hard to come back from off-season surgery and would not have done that if he was ready to retire.

Those suspicions might be true or Frings might just be having a hard time adjusting to retired life as he is now being linked to a comeback. Multiple German outlets reported on Thursday that the former German International is in talks with Alemannia Aachen about playing for the club once again.

Alemannia Aachen is where Frings began his professional playing career all the way back in 1994 having joined their youth setup back in 1990. He played for them until 1997 making over 50 appearances before eventually catching the eye of one of Germany's top clubs. In 1997 Frings moved on to Werder Bremen where he made a name for himself and eventually found his way into the German National Team.

Since Frings left Alemannia Aachen the club has faced a fair few struggles including a series of relegation. They did reach a German Cup final and reached the Bundesliga for the 2006-2007 season but they finished 17th and were relegated. After a good run of stability in the 2. Bundesliga the club faced financial hardships and were relegated to the third division following the 2011-2012 season and filed for bankruptcy in 2012. Things got worse for them this past year though as the club were recently relegated from the 3. Bundesliga and will play in the Regionalliga West next year which is Germany's fourth division.

With the club having fallen so far since their Bundesliga season with Frings it looks like they might be turning to the commanding midfielder for help once again. The reports suggest that the club has contacted Frings about potentially playing for them next season while helping the player work on his coaching education. The deal would allow Frings to attend courses four days a week while once again playing in Alemannia.

The reports also indicated that Frings feels that he is fit enough to help the club having overcome the nagging injuries to his hip that were cited as the reason for his retirement back in February. None of the articles quote Frings on the matter at this point in time but it seems that he has at the very least engaged in talks about making a comeback.

It was clear that Toronto FC needed to look elsewhere for younger players to help in the long run but it would be a shame to know that he still had games left in him when he left Toronto FC.

Would Frings suiting up for club in Germany's fourth division do anything to change your feelings about his retirement and the circumstances that surrounded it?

Canada names squad for Costa Rica Friendly

2013-05-23T19:02:01Z

Colin Miller, once again Canada's interim head coach has named his squad for the upcoming friendly against Costa Rica. The list includes a good mixture of players from Canadian clubs along with a lot of European players as Miller seems to have avoided calling in players who are busy with their MLS schedule and instead relied of players who just wrapped up their seasons in Europe to make up the bulk of the squad.

With the exception of the likes of Milan Borjan, Andre Hainault, Julian de Guzman, and Tosaint Ricketts it is a squad that consists of players who are on the fringes of the National Team and would be hoping to earn themselves a place in the Gold Cup squad or future World Cup qualifiers. The 18-man roster only includes one completely new face and that is Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio who could earn his first cap against Costa Rica.

Osorio is just one part of a strong TFC contingent in the squad though as he will be joined in the team by Ashtone Morgan, Doneil Henry, and Kyle Bekker. Despite the club's struggles in recent weeks it will be good to see four of TFC's young players getting the chance to represent Canada once again and hopefully it will give the likes of Morgan a needed boost of confidence to bring back to the club.

The good news for Toronto is that with the match taking place on the 28th the players will be able to leave for camp following this weekend's match against the New England Revolution and be back in time for the following match which takes place on June 1st against the Philadelphia Union. Playing three games in the span of one week would probably be too much when combined with all the travel but none of the four players joining the Canadian squad have been regulars in Ryan Nelsen's lineup of late so that should not be a problem.

One interesting name on the list is that of Haidar Al-Shaïbani who could get the chance to earn his second cap for Canada. His first cap came back in 2010 when he played the final 20 minutes of a friendly against Venuzula. With Lars Hirscheld aging and Milan Borjan being the only proven option in goal it seems that the coaching staff and Technical Directory Tony Fonseca are looking to increase the pool of options in goal by giving looks to the likes of Al-Shaïbani and Simon Thomas in these camps.

With the game taking place in Edmonton it will come with extra meaning for two players on the squad as it will be a home coming for them. For both Tosaint Ricketts and Randi Edwini-Bonsu the game on the 28th will be their first chance for play for the National team in their home city. The game also marks the first time that the Men's National Team has played in Alberta since 2008 during World Cup Qualifying.

The team will only be together for the one match this time around as they continue to get ready for the Gold Cup. Canada's campaign gets underway on July 7th against Martinique down in Pasadena, CA.

Know Your Enemy: New England Revolution -- Part One – The Lineup and the Form

2013-05-23T17:47:03Z

If April is the cruelest month, May is not far behind; but with June on the horizon, perhaps it is time for Toronto FC to get off the mat and show some of that fighting spirit the front office is always on about.

For their last match of the third month of the season, TFC head to New England, a less-than-kind locale, for a meeting with the Revolution.

Some may recall that Danny Koevermans suffered his knee injury in a 0-1 win on Gillette Stadium’s atrocious green-concrete turf last July, virtually ending the club’s season. However, the big Dutchman is back and raring to go – by all accounts; could it be that Toronto finally has the dual-pronged threat at the front that is necessitated by their study defensive structure?

In any rebuild the first task is to lock down the back, granted the definition of locked in this case is a little vague, but scoring has been the true cause of their troubles, with only four goals through their last six games.

New England will be no easy foe.

Stingy at the back, crafty through the middle, and with a raft of strikers of all shapes and sizes; coach Jay Heaps can throw a number of different looks at an opponent.

A closer look at the Revolution is in order.

The Lineup

Heaps has tinkered with his lineup a fair bit through the early season, with injury playing its role, but what has emerged is a balanced attack that has seen them pick up points in four of their last five matches after struggling for goals through their first six.

After settling for a 4-1-4-1 formation, the turning point came with the decision to move their outside midfielders – Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe - into the middle of the park.

Their projected lineup is as follows: Bobby Shuttleworth in goal; from right to left – Andrew Farrell, Stephen McCarthy, Jose Goncalves, and Chris Tierney across the back; Clyde Simms holding at the base with Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen, and Ryan Guy across the midfielder; and Juan Agudelo up top.

Matt Reis is back in training having admirably seen through the near-tragic circumstances involving his father-in-law and the Marathon Bombings, but has yet to return to the pitch with Shuttleworth filling in admirably.

Defender AJ Soares – he who injured Koevermans, in conjunction with the turf – should be fit from hamstring concern, but there is no reason to disrupt a successful back-line.

Tierney, an attack-minded left-back, should return to the starting lineup from the bench, replacing Darius Barnes, who Heaps seems to favour as more of a stay at home defender on the road.

Simms, who returned from concussion-symptoms, took over the defensive midfield role from Kalifa Cisse, who himself could return, but again, there is little need to change a successful midfield.

Juan Toja deputized for Rowe last week, with the latter nursing some calf tightness, but, for now, the Colombian seems more a bench player – along with Andy Dorman, returned from a spell in Scotland – than a first-choice starter.

Guy was forced off early in their last match, which could see either Toja or Dorman in the starting lineup, but there is no word as of yet on whether it will affect his availability.

Up top any number of strikers could take that lone spot.

Sair Sene is fit after a knee ligament injury ended his season, but he has struggled to show the explosive form that marked him out as a threat – he could also feature on the left of midfield to add some more attacking verve, if less defensive work, than the industrious Guy.

Dimitry Imbongo will be unavailable, having picked up a red card against Houston for his tussle with Bobby Boswell.

Then, there is the big Honduran, Jerry Bengtson, who has yet to really find his feet in MLS, struggling for goals as a lone striker and finally, Chad Barrett, Toronto’s old friend, whose minutes have been few and far between.

Agudelo only recently joined the side from Chivas in the latest of a series of bizarre trades from the Ameri-Goats, but his strong showing from the bench in Houston and the Revolution’s need for goals and interplay from the front-man make him the strongest candidate – and it would be his home debut.

The Form

As mentioned goal-scoring – or the lack thereof – has defined their season to date; two goals through their first six matches led to five points (two scoreless draws and a one-goal win over Chicago), while six through their last five matches have led to eight points (another scoreless draw and wins over Philadelphia and Houston).

Their stingy defense – only nine goals allowed through eleven matches – means they are always in matches, having only once lost by more than a single goal – a 4-1 match in New York on April 20th, their first after the bombings, a match in which the score-line was not indicative of the play with New York grabbing a late pair in the final ten minutes after scoring twice and conceding an own goal in the first ten.

That match, an attempt at playing two strikers in 4-4-2, was the one that precipitated their new formation with Fagundez moving out right and Rowe and Nguyen into the middle for the 2-0 win over Philadelphia that followed. Their first goal was a product of the two midfielders passing to create for Fagundez, while the second came from a Nguyen pass to Sene and a late run from the midfielder to finish the rebound.

A stoic score-less draw in Portland against the red-hot Timbers with the help of several brilliant saves from Shuttleworth was not as one-sided as some may have thought – and the stats seem to indicate – with more than a few chances falling the way of the Revolution.

They followed that with a 1-2 loss at home against Salt Lake that had the air of a TFC match, with New England going ahead on a lovely volley at the top of the box from Guy, only to crumble to a pair of scrappy goals in the final quarter of an hour and then missing a 92nd minute penalty kick – after the takers quarreled over who should have it - to add insult to injury.

They rebounded with a 1-1 draw against New York, but were again undone by a moment of weakness when Lloyd Sam leveled less than a minute after Fagundez had broken the deadlock.

It was Fagundez again who opened the scoring in Houston – his third in their last five matches, all since moving out wide – but this time they held firm and added a second when Agudelo linked up with Nguyen and Tierney, then directed the second-chance towards goal where Ricardo Clark turned it into his own net.

The second part of the series can now be found right here, going through game film looking at the goals scored in their matches and highlighting some points of interest.

TFC: Has The Fun Been Sucked Out of BMO?

2013-05-23T16:58:24Z

To that end we strongly suggest you read the latest piece from our friends The Yorkies. As every game brings more distractions in the form of contests, zones and pre-game rituals and less in the way of enjoyable football the most oft repeated phrase is how tired everyone is after games. Not angry, not hopeful for the next game; just tired. Click right here for their bang-on take of the current situation.