So, Saturday’s road date in Seattle — one of the big boys in the West, and sure ro be inspired in its first game after losing midfielder Steve Zakuani thanks to a horror tackle from Colorado’s Brian Mullan — was arguably the first true exam of TFC’s credentials. And, it showed us the club has a long way to go. A long way. All of the pundits who have been placing TFC at the bottom of their MLS power rankings were proven right as the Reds stumbled to a 3-0 loss.

With one tackle, FC Edmonton’s slim chance of upsetting Toronto FC in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship evaporated.

Harry Sinkgraven and Aron Winter know each other well. They played against each other in the Dutch league. They were in classes together as they worked towards getting their coaching certificates. And, both are working to bring the Dutch 4-3-3 style to their respective teams. Winter’s Toronto FC and Sinkgraven’s FC Edmonton will face each other Wednesday in the first leg of their Nutrilite Canadian Championship semifinal at Commonwealth Stadium. But, once the first ball is kicked in anger, the friendship between the two will evaporate.

After 12 matches and still no wins against the Columbus Crew, Toronto FC's rivalry with it Trillium Cup foes is starting to resemble Wile E. Coyote's rivalry with the Roadrunner. Just when it seems the Reds might have a bit of an edge over the Crew, some unusual circumstance arises to cost TFC a victory. Case in point, the opening goal in Toronto's 1-1 draw with Columbus on Saturday. In the 41st minute, TFC midfielder Tony Tchani was the point man off a series of fine passes from Alan Gordon and Julian de Guzman, and Tchani made no mistake ,scoring his first goal of the season.

FC Edmonton’s final push to promote Wednesday’s Nutrilite Canadian Championship opener at Commonwealth Stadium begins on Monday. The club is hosting a meet-the-team event at Sports Central Bar and Grill (9221 34 Ave.) Monday at 6 p.m. Edmonton products Shaun Saiko and Chris Lemire, Trinidad and Tobago striker Conrad Smith and coach Harry Sinkgraven will be on hand to meet fans. FC Edmonton’s new all-white road jerseys will be available for sale for the first time at the event; here’s to hoping that the new home blue strip also is at the event. On Tuesday, Toronto FC coach Aron Winter and Sinkgraven will attend a press conference at Commonwealth Stadium. For the pair, it will be a reunion of sorts. The two took classes together to get their coaching certifications in the Netherlands.

Toronto FC unveiled its plans Monday for a new Academy and training facility to be constructed at Downsview Park in the northern part of the city. “Today is a great day,” announced Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, MLSE. “It’s about the future of our club and more importantly though, the future direction of soccer in Canada.”

“A few seasons ago it was last five to 10 minutes we were giving up goals and now right when the game starts,” said defender Nana Attakora. “First 10 to 15 minutes, that’s not acceptable. We should start off fired up. Even if you need to kick it out, do what you need to do to not give up a goal. I feel like we’re killing ourselves right now starting off slowly. Even against L.A. we got lucky. All the coaches pointed it out. It’s something we need to fix.”

Another match, another slow start for Toronto FC. The Reds found themselves down two goals after just 10 minutes on Saturday night against D.C. United, and the deficit proved to be too much for TFC to overcome in an eventual 3-0 loss. "It's not good to start that way," said defender Danleigh Borman. "It's really tough on a team and it's really tough to get back from that. I think the guys tried to fight back but unfortunately it didn't happen for us today."

The club will hold a press conference Monday where it will unveil plans on a new training facility for the club and TFC Academy. For the past four years, Toronto FC did most of its training at home on at the Opine Glen Soccer Centre in Oakville and at an artificial-turf field at Cherry Beach on Toronto’s east side. As well, Toronto FC announced a loan deal that will bring former Manchester United prospect Richard Eckersley to Canada from Burnley. The deal keeps Eckersley, who has made only three appearances with Burnley since signing with the club in 2003, with Toronto FC until January, 2012.

Five matches into the 2011 season and Toronto FC is still looking to find the right chemistry on the pitch. Perhaps that should not come as a complete surprise considering the club did trade away its captain and the face of the franchise after just the second match of the season. The constant changes to the lineup sure haven’t helped the cause in the short-term as management continues to preach patience to the fans and media who want the team to win now. The players can’t be feeling too secure, since coach Aron Winter has been public in his assertion that he is nowhere near finished making changes to his squad.