Toronto FC knocked FC Dallas out of the CONCACAF Champions League; and, in doing so, the Reds may have provided New York Red Bulls coach Hans Backe a blueprint on how his team can knock the Hoops out of the MLS playoffs, as well.

The Chicago Fire aren’t heading to the MLS playoffs, but the team did provide the league with its final Player of the Week for the 2011 regular season.Rookie defender Jalil Anibaba got the nod after the votes from the membership of the North American Soccer Reporters was counted. Anibaba scored twice in Chicago’s season-ending 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew.

Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Colorado guaranteed the Whitecaps would finish tied for the worst record in MLS with the New England Revolution. But, if you want to be picky, the tiebreaker in MLS is head-to-head record, and New England drew and beat the Whitecaps this season. So, by the MLS book, you can say that the Whitecaps finished with the worst record in the league.

Toronto FC's last game of the 2011 season could've almost served as a microcosm of the club's entire year. Some defensive breakdowns that led to opposing goals, Danny Koevermans bailing the Reds out and, in the end, a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution that left the BMO Field fans satisfied, if not overjoyed, with how their club performed.

It’s a move that surprised absolutely no one. The Montreal Impact announced Friday that standout goalkeeper Evan Bush has become the third player to sign with the club for its inaugural MLS season.

The union representing stadium workers, which had put B.C. Place under strike threat for the coming weekend, issued a statement Thursday that it will not interfere in the season finale, which sees the Whitecaps face the MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids.

Each current team can protect 11 players from its roster. Generation Adidas players don’t need to be protected, nor are Homegrown Players on the team’s off-budget roster. And, according to the rulebook, “Designated Players do not have to be protected unless the player has a no-trade clause in his contract.”

It’s a nice problem to have — but Toronto FC’s success in the CONCACAF Champions League is already throwing a wrench into the planning of next season’s Nutrilite Canadian Championship.Why? This past year, the NCC began in the last week of April. But, the CCL final’s second leg is set for April 24-26, which would put it in direct conflict with a similar NCC start date in 2012.

On a night when TFC shone brighter than ever before, it was a five-foot-two Ecuadorean who was the power source. Joao Plata set up Danny Koevermans first-half opener, then buried FCD with two wonderful second-half strikes.

Throw away the fan turnout, the hoopla surrounding the game. The truth is that Keller made seven saves in the game, many of them from point-blank range. He bailed out a Seattle team that in no way deserved three points from its match with San Jose. And that’s why he got the vote — and most of the other votes, too.