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It's early days yet but the first fifth of the 2008 MLS season shows an alarming disparity between Eastern and Western Conferences. The clubs in the East are competitive and piling up early points that could prove instrumental in October when the final two wild card spots are doled out - in addition to the top three finishers in each conference - that will be poised for playoff rounds. Considering every team that is currently below Toronto FC in the Eastern standings made the playoffs last year, the need to keep the momentum going is paramount. It is likely that New England's prospects will brighten once marksman Taylor Twellman returns; New York has already shown us that they are tough to move; and DC United have too many good players to be where they are at the moment. Knowing this, Toronto will have to keep looking over its shoulders and build on its strong start. But what's happening out West? Two-time defending MLS Cup champions Houston Dynamo lost strikers Nate Jaqua and Joseph Ngwenya to clubs in Austria but that shouldn't have stopped the sun from rising over Southeast Texas. Every soccer analyst in North America is baffled as to how this powerhouse team is winless in its first six matches. ESPN's soccernet coldly described their goal scoring woes last week as follows: "Pele, who hasn't played in 30 years, has as many goals this year as Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario." That's mean. Funny, but mean! Another Western team that has been a puzzle is David Beckham's (MLS has threatened to sanction the Kick About for not meeting the name-drop quota) neighbour Chivas USA. This club won the Western Conference last year thanks largely to the play of Maykel Galindo. But instead of scoring goals this year, the former native of Cuba has chosen to accrue a collection of yellow cards (3 in 6 matches) and Chivas already sits five points behind a wildcard spot. One club that I can't help but follow out west is San Jose - but with some malice in mind. Having scored only 2 goals so far this season, if there is any club out there that can break Toronto's infamous 824-minute goal drought, it's San Jose. They are at approximately 210 minutes so far and with games against Columbus, New England and Houston in the coming weeks, that number could well approach 500 - giving Toronto fans a glimmer of hope to erase that mark of infamy. While we look to maintain and solidify our league position, Toronto fans are also getting understandably excited about the oncoming Champions League qualifiers against Montreal and Vancouver of the United Soccer Leagues. Pachuca Club de Fútbol of Mexico just wrapped up their second CONCACAF Champions Cup in successive seasons, walking over TFC conference rivals DC United in the process. Getting a chance to play clubs like Pachuca in the Champions League will be immense for Toronto's players and supporters but we must win the national battle first and that competition will prove tough and emotional. Although I believe our fans will support TFC through thick and thin, these are proud days to follow the club as a new wave of confidence has swept through BMO Field in recent weeks. Amado Guevara's dribbling and Laurent Robert's set pieces will keep Toronto supporters shouting while consuming copious amounts of Carlsberg to wash down a chip butty or two. But nobody should take any of our conference opponents for granted no matter where they are in the table today. The games will pile up at mid-summer and each club's depth will be severely tested. As I wrote above, it is early days but we are in a good place and hopefully this pace will continue in establishing a new norm for Toronto.
Last couple of weeks the supporters' group message boards greeted my modest weekly feature with a slight nod of approval. Defending our acronym (don't call us "FC") and the observations on some local media's inability (or unwillingness) to cover a great Canadian story that's taking place at BMO Field were well received. I thank the regulars for their kind words. But I am afraid this week they may not welcome my musings as openly as they previously had. However, my conviction is very strong on this subject and I welcome the ensuing debate. Although for the sake of civilized discourse I certainly hope that vulgarity will be kept to a minimum. A debate has recently brewed about the "right" to stand during matches in any section. In areas where patrons specifically expect to sit and enjoy the match, a few fans have decided that they ought to stand up and emulate the wonderful atmosphere of the Supporters' Section, albeit in small numbers, but throughout the entire match. The spirit of their decision is well intended and it is lovely to see that kind of passion. But in terms of courtesy and the well being of other TFC fans that are sitting behind them who are much larger in number, the actions of a few are proving to be highly inconsiderate. After all, the fans sitting behind them who are now unable to see the field made a trip to the grounds for football, not to watch people dancing in their line of sight. I consider myself a true football fan and more importantly a huge TFC supporter, having followed this club from its unveiling - not unlike many belonging to U-Sector and Red Patch Boys - Toronto's most prominent supporter organizations. Since I work for this club, I don't get to stay in one spot and watch our games, unlike our fans that I envy on match-day. I see the south-end bouncing up and down and have always thought that I belong there with the people who create our atmosphere. To that extent I own seats in Section 113 which I am forced to handover to friends and family for each match due to my game day operational commitments. Before I relay the tickets I let the recipients know that they should expect to stand during the entire match if they care to get a good view as is the nature of the south side. I've never had someone tell me they have a problem with this, some even feel privileged to be among Toronto's famous supporters. The south side expectation or its experience is not the case everywhere in the stadium nor was it ever meant to be. Section 127 (North End Elite) evolved in a similar manner where standing has become mandatory for a decent view but nothing else has been sanctioned and nor are there plans to move in that direction elsewhere. Most of the fans that prefer to sit in the more timid sections have been season ticket holders from the beginning. When they had a chance to choose from any section, they specifically chose their seats understanding the south-end isn't where they could enjoy a match from and, during relocation, they stayed away from section 127 for that very reason. The people who sit are much derided and sometimes denounced as not being "real" fans even though they love the game and they adore our club. But to some their shortcoming is that the "sitters" may not feel they can express these feelings in song while standing for the full 90 minutes. Well, many also don't like to say "I love you" to their significant other all the time, it's just understood. They wanted to be away from potentially obstructive areas when they purchased seats and they too have rights. Seeing their sections becoming a persistent standing area while helplessly losing their sightlines is not how any fan should experience BMO Field. Fans who are insensitive to this must understand that they are the offending party, not the fans that simply chose to sit. Personally I am a bit more partial toward those who don't abuse their "right" at a TFC match to inconvenience others. I like to think most practical people feel this way. During the U-20 World Cup and the Canada-Costa Rica friendly last year I realized that I actually like to sit during matches. I still got up frequently during important plays and moments of electricity that almost involuntarily forced me to my feet. Then the play moved on and I sat back down fully expecting to be back up again at the next great movement, an outrageous referee blunder, an awful dive or the sight of a beer vendor who would be my best friend up to the 65th minute service cutoff. In the time that I was sitting, at no point was I less enthusiastic than those around me. If I knew any of the wonderful Spanish songs, I would sing along; had Canadian supporters thought of anything to sing or chant during the Canada-Chile affair, I would boisterously join the chorus; I sincerely doubt anyone was a louder and more passionate spectator during the U.S.A.-Austria quarterfinal match in the rain than I was. I am certain that I am a real fan and I found that I could achieve this without persistent standing. The intention of this week's feature is not to take anything away from the fervent support that every coach, player and fan in the TFC family expects and loves about a Toronto game at BMO Field. John Carver loves it; Danny Dichio praises it; Marvell Wynne's mother was amazed by it. We would never think of muting the fanatical support at our grounds. But my appeal is to the sensitivity of our most zealous supporters along the 'All for One' motto that our club adopted from its inception. It no longer just applies to the various cultures in the city but also to the diverse ideology of our fans and what constitutes true support. Let's not debate any longer who "real" fans are but rather respectfully embrace the needs of all who enter BMO Field supporting our beloved football club. People will have to make compromises but nobody should be entitled to infringe on the match-day experience of another Reds supporter. It's an issue of basic respect and civility and I hope the best fans in North America will be leaders in this area.
... which most Canadians didn't get to see. Apart from the 20,000 in the stadium and possibly those watching live on television, that is. The singing of the Canadian national anthem at BMO Field is an event on its own. Never mind the always raucous and intense match that follows shortly thereafter, but the start of last Saturday's second inaugural homecoming was particularly special. As far as the eyes could see in every section, in every corner stood men, women and children with their red scarves held high while shouting, singing, humming or mouthing the words to the Canadian national anthem. It was a moment of unexpected Canadian patriotism even by the usually unwavering red and white BMO Field standards. The euphoric singing and assured pride in club and country left even the most indifferent onlookers gushing. The elation didn't just come from the always-ready Supporters' Sections that serve as the heartbeat, but also from the posh sideline tables, the midfield sections, and all areas in between. It was a true sense of cohesive support that encapsulated virtually every social and economic background in the city with its representation in our humble park. The players in the all-red kits saw it and their resolve to win strengthened even further. The ground grew more emotional and breathtaking with every note of Oh! Canada. While most members of the local media were present – there were as many cameras as ever – if you turned on the various mainstream sports highlight programs later that day, that night or even the next day, you wouldn't even realize Toronto FC was in town. That's unfortunate because the mainstream Toronto media is missing out on something momentous. But more importantly in the long run, they are fostering a sense of resentment and losing credibility with the city's most loyal sports fans – a new and confidently growing sports consumer community that never trusted the local media to cover this sport properly in the first place. It's interesting that a particular network that claims to cover "sports" and wraps itself in the Canadian flag whenever anything to do with ice is involved, fails to give Canadians even an ounce of respect in other sports venues – particularly when it comes to the world's game which incidentally more new Canadians are embracing than the ice game. If they really love Canada as much as they claim to, where were the highlights of overt patriotism from BMO Field in their broadcasts? Since when are Canadians only allowed to follow one sport, anyhow? This same network will be covering the real (summer) Olympic Games in 2012 and I wonder what they will have to talk about when Jeremy Roenick isn't running the 3,000m Steeplechase or Chris Pronger isn't participating in Javelin (although given the spear he threw into the hearts of Edmontonians, perhaps he could?) Other media partners decided that great local sports tradition, the Boston Bruins, deserved the Sunday morning headlines on its pages. Because nothing says Toronto sports like the city where the American Revolution started, right? And then there is Danica Patrick, whom I had to hear about insufferably all weekend as though she is Joan of Arc resurrected, leading an army or Firestone tires into battle against Goodyear, was of great importance to our local media on Sunday. Which is fine as it is a story of a local girl made good – if we were all in Wisconsin. This kind of selective information programming by mainstream broadcasters is not going unnoticed by our fans. People who attend matches at BMO Field are mostly young, sophisticated and well to do. They have found a niche community by the Lakeshore. Studies tell us that they are proud to be a part of something different than cheering when the JumboTron and dancing girls tell them it's ok to do so. It's actually possible, they tell us, to have fun at a sporting event without loud thumping music that serves as a distraction from the sport itself. People around the world have been doing it for centuries as it turns out. These free thinking sports fans will continue to form the nucleus of a growing market while the local media continues catering to a shrinking base that will in a few years get old and simply turn off their televisions to take longer naps. Our fans will still be at it. For TFC's part, supporters will notice that our web content is growing. The addition of TFC TV to our website and regularly updated team notes keeps our famished-for-info fans apprised of day-to-day activities of coaches, players and pseudo-celebrity stretcher-bearers. There are more new applications in the works that will further enhance interactive communication and information media. We know that our fans are demanding, our phones are always ringing and people are always looking for new ways to be a part of our club culture. We love every bit of it and we will embrace it to the full extent of our abilities. We will not abandon the people who live and breathe this club even though the mainstream media may view these potential consumers as unwanted annoyance. To us, the fans are family. A new edition of The Kick About will feature regularly every Tuesday - holidays and Guitar Hero showdowns among writing staff notwithstanding. |
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