It was a pretty low key day at BMO, and there were only a handful of reporters. Most are still asleep from partying so hard at Umbro's Epic Hipster Kit release last night. Or maybe they were greatly affected by the not fully cooked mini bison burger, and as a result now believe they have a subtle case of food poisoning (that was me).

More importantly, Toronto FC announced that they have released 4 players from their pre season roster. All 4 were MLS Supplemental draft picks, Arthur Ivo,Michael Mazzullo, Nickardo Blake and Mykell Bates. Head coach Aron Winter said they just weren't good enough to compete at this level. This doesn't come as a shock to many, and at least they got a whole week with a pro team. Some guys only get a day on a reserve squad match, and then they're told to go on their way.

The roster is slowly slimming out, and it's becoming more clear that there will be some good competition to fill the 30 spots. Winter also commented on academy signings by saying he expects 1 or 2 guys to sign.

Below the jump is audio from and some pictures of Reggie Lambe, Aaron Maund, and Aron Winter.

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He was just waiting all alone for his turn to get his photos taken. No one was bombarding one of TFC's newest defenders. So I got to chat one on one with Jeremy about everything from Hipster Tuesdays with Eric Avila to Orlando City SC at the Walt Disney Classic. This guy is super pumped to play for TFC, and it really showed in his answers. He's gone from playing at Jeld Wen Field in Portland(which in my opinion is the best venue in MLS), to Pizza Hut Park( easily one of the worst atmospheres in North American Pro sports), to Toronto. So listen and enjoy.


Jeremy Hall Interview

Here are the last of several interviews from Toronto FC's Media Day. There was a large amount of members of the media at the Air Canada Centre today, and I left the ACC feeling quite refreshed after many discouraging and stressful preseasons. This team finally has a central goal understood by the front office staff all the way down to the trainers and Academy coaches.

The other great thing was the amount of bodies in TFC jerseys today. This squad is close to being finalized and it will give them ample time to get situated with each other ahead of the epic battle of Becks vs Ecks on March the 7th. It's easy to get caught up in the hype that the team tries to sell to you on media days such as today, but quite frankly I'm starting to really believe this team can make the playoffs. And we all know that with the MLS,after making the playoffs anything can happen.

The Academy/ training facility is almost complete, we're pumping out great numbers of homegrown players to the first team, we're dealing with the lack of depth in defense, and we've almost sold out the most important game in the club's short history. Things are bright in TFCLand..... for now. After the jump, interviews with Luis Silva, Terry Dunfield and Torsten Frings.

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Matt Gold only spent a single season at Toronto FC, he barely managed to make it on the field with the first team, but somehow he managed to find a way to endear himself to many fans. A part of that might have had to do with the fact that he was very willing to interact with Toronto fans on his twitter account (@mattgoald) and the fact that he always came across as being totally down to earth.

Matt just recently returned from a mission trip where he spent time sharing his Christian faith and his love for soccer with kids down in Haiti. To me that trip just typifies the kind of person that Matt seems to be, always trying to make the world a better place for the people around him and having a positive outlook. That positive view of life was very evident when Matt announced that he was released from TFC after only one season as he made it clear to stress that it was just the end of one chapter in his life and it would not be getting him down.

I am sure that I am not the only one who will be keeping an interested eye on where Matt's career and life take him for next season but for me he will always be remembered as one of the reddest of the Reds!

Keep reading after the jump for our exclusive Q and A with Matt Gold!

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In November, I profiled TFC's Oscar Cordon for Soccer 360 Magazine. As many of you know, Oscar was one of a few signings from TFC's academy and has quickly become an example for other young Canadian kids. As a treat to our readers, I thought I would post the profile of Oscar from Soccer 360 Magazine's November issue on Waking the Red. Soccer 360 doesn't have an online portion for the magazine, so many of you are missing out on this fine, fine piece.

It's the off season, so I thought this would be an ideal time for a feature type post. We don't get to do many once the season starts. Click below the jump to read the piece. I encourage comments, questions, or even remarks on why I didn't profile your 15 year old cousin who's tearing up the Vaughan Indoor scene. Don't worry, he's next.

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My latest piece is up on sportsnet.ca and at the risk of sounding vain, I will say it is a must read for any TFC fan. I had the pleasure of chatting with Matt Stinson about all kinds of things last week but the focus of the interview was Toronto FC's academy and trying to make the case that all of the money that the club has invested in that area is more than worth it. The article was actually made even more timely by the departure of Stuart Neely since it was to him that Stinson gives a lot of credit for the academy being so well run.

So why do I think that this article is so important? Well, there is a number of different reasons. The first is that I have been and always will be a strong proponent of the fact that the academy is the best way for TFC to develop a strong side since the home grown player rule can provide much needed relief from the hard cap in the MLS. The second reason is that I am also a fan of Canada so the better the talent that TFC is developing, the better the talent pool becomes for Canada, and that is something we can all get excited about. The third reason, and really the most important one of the bunch, is that there needs to be a change in youth soccer in Canada if we want to close in on the game's elite countries. The kind of major investment that TFC is making in their academy is an essential step in improving overall development in this country but even with TFC leading the way talented young players may still slip through the cracks so it is an essential that other clubs follow this lead.

Stinson and Ashtone Morgan have both shown kids across this country that you can stay in Canada and follow a similar development path to theirs to reach the professional level as well as play for the National Team. By calling up Stinson and Morgan, Canadian coach Stephen Hart showed everyone paying attention that doing what they did is an option, and a good one at that. The idea that young Canadians have to make the difficult choice to head over to Europe if they want to develop their game and eventually become pros is a thing of the past now. Instead there is the option to join an academy and maybe go pro, and if that does not work at least they will help you get a scholarship and go play at the university level.

So for all those reasons I hope you read the article and after you do that you can read the full interview after the jump!

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