It was little more than a month ago when I asked John Carver the following question: “What have you learned in the last twelve months that will help you manage this team better?”
The response was typically rapid and forthright: “I’ve learned that the [MLS] is not as easy as everybody makes it out to be...” he began.
Prophetic? Perhaps. Honest? As the day is long – and in the end maybe a little too honest for his own good.
Improvement was the key word. Not the playoffs, nor the Supporters’ Shield nor the MLS Cup.
When snowstorms were raging and a huge bubble enveloped BMO Field like a giant mushroom back in February, Toronto FC’s newly appointed head coach was asked what he wanted to achieve after leaving his English comfort zone for pastures new in Canada.
Straight-talking Geordie John Carver made no rash promises or predictions, but did expect to see “improvement” within the team he inherited from Mo Johnston. At the same time, Carver readily accepted responsibility for preparing and selecting the team and understood from the outset his future employment in Toronto would hinge on its success or failure.
I don’t know a lot about baseball. I do know enough to sit and enjoy a game, and I know the Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in the early 90s.
I have also become familiar with the phrase “Playing meaningful baseball in September” – an expression which regularly does the rounds at this time of year, referring to the Jays hopeless quest for a place in the MLB playoffs.
Now take the above phrase – substitute the word “soccer” for “baseball” and you have an accurate analysis of the plight currently facing Toronto FC.
He had chances. He missed them. He was annoyed. I am happy.
Impossible as it appeared, and ultimately so it proved, Toronto FC could be three points closer to the Major League Soccer playoffs. Chad Barrett’s inability to convert two clear cut opportunities into goals was frustrating for the fans and the coach - but no one was more irritated than the player himself.
I like that. I like that a lot. Barrett’s self-criticism is refreshingly honest. His bright start as a Toronto FC player has already earned him a four-year contract - some would say too long and too soon for a youngster whose career goals-per-game ratio to date does not bare close scrutiny.
I earned a few extra air miles recently when I flew to Montreal for the Impact’s Champions League qualifier against Real Estelí of Nicaragua. According to my latest newsletter I’ve now got enough for a stylish wine chiller featuring 33 preset temperatures.
By my reckoning, Carlos Ruiz must have enough air miles to purchase not only the chiller, but also a well-stocked wine cellar and a chateau in France under which to house it. To say Toronto FC’s new striker is well traveled is the understatement of the season.
His recent itinerary, for example, has taken him from Los Angeles to Guatemala, on to Toronto, back to LA for his TFC debut and soon he’ll be in Trinidad & Tobago to captain his country once again in another World Cup Qualifier. The question is, will “El Pescadito” find the Canadian waters to his liking?
It was fun while it lasted - but it was never going to last.
Fifteen years from now you’ll be able to say you remember him when he was just a kid in Canada finding his feet as a professional. Now, having served his apprenticeship with Toronto FC, Maurice Edu is ready to launch his career in Europe.
His $5-million transfer to Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers will be a whole new learning curve for the articulate, young 22-year-old who exploded onto the Major League Soccer scene in 2007, walking away with Rookie of the Year honours.
On his arrival the label attached to his number 20 jersey might have read: “Danger – Short Fuse." Now we know what happens when the cannon goes off.
Amado Guevara is, without question, the most naturally gifted player on the current Toronto FC roster. His awareness, his touch and his Beckham-like ability to convert free-kicks into goals is second to none. Sadly all the talent in the world won’t help on Saturday in Colorado – Guevara will be suspended after the red mist descended during the home defeat by Dallas.
In some respects the comparisons are eerily similar.
They are both strikers, they both wear red jerseys, they were born in the same year, they’re the same height, and there’s more than a passing resemblance.
There, the similarities come to an abrupt halt.
One lives in an $8-million mansion in Cheshire, England; the other will soon be house hunting in Toronto. To the best of my knowledge they have never met, never mind played against one another but Toronto FC Coach John Carver is hoping Chad Barrett can, in his own way, do for TFC what Wayne Rooney has done for Manchester United.
Don’t get me wrong - I'm not for a minute suggesting Barrett is in the same class as Rooney. If he were he wouldn’t be coming to Toronto, he’d be heading for the richer playing fields of Europe whence his successor Brian McBride has just returned.
Beckham was there. So were Blanco, Angel and Donovan while Nash and Posh looked on as the All-Stars descended on Toronto. Yet the man they wanted to see most was the guy who plays there every week.
The broadcast booth is full of distractions while trying to focus on the game but the deafening chant which reverberated around the stadium on the 50 minute mark came through loud and clear: “We Want Brennan!” The fans’ demands were finally met ten minutes later and a huge ovation greeted the Toronto FC captain’s appearance along with compatriot Dwayne De Rosario.
I've just returned from my annual trip to the old country to visit family and play a little golf. Don't ask about the golf or the weather – neither has improved since last year. Indeed, the weather was considerably worse.
British 'summers' are something of a misnomer – no one takes much notice of the forecast since it is invariably inaccurate, but rain is rarely out of the equation. It's a constant puzzle to me why summer sports like cricket and tennis, which rely on dry weather, have survived for so many years in the UK.
With English soccer on its summer break, and teams busy re-tooling for the new season just a month away, there was time to focus on a classic Wimbledon tennis final and a stout rearguard action from South Africa's touring cricketers to salvage a draw against England.
Two very different sporting events sharing one vital ingredient – rivalry.
Nigel Reed lends his extensive experience, passion and knowledge of the game of soccer to his role as play-by-play announcer for CBC’s Major League Soccer broadcasts.
Reed has more than 20 years experience covering soccer, most notably a five-year stint from 1999 to 2004 where he was a host and producer for the English Premier League for BBC. He also covered English Premier League giants Liverpool and Everton for BBC Radio and provided analysis for both BBC TV and the BBC website.
More recently, Reed served as play-by-play announcer for CBC’s coverage of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He also hosts The Soccer Show for the Toronto sports radio station the Fan 590.
