Toronto FC’s 0-0 draw in Colorado feels like a win 23 May 2011 Toronto FC didn’t win. It wasn’t a game that would remind anyone of Hungary of the early ‘50s or Brazil of 1970. But a 0-0 draw in the Colorado altitude, with three midfield regulars out of the lineup? Well, TFC coach Aron Winter will take it.
The super-duper MLS season preview 14 Mar 2011 It’s become obligatory for every sports journalist to provide season previews for the league he or she covers. It’s automatic, and a great space killer! In that vein, The 11 presents its “waited until the last possible second before the regular season” season preview! Why the wait? Because it’s hard to figure out the East. The West? Wow, a lot of power and depth there. As for the East? Last season, New York and Columbus and six other mediocre to bad to awful clubs were in the conference. New York and Columbus left them all in the dust.
MLS Cup champs beat Whitecaps in final preseason game 13 Mar 2011 There’s something about Canada that brings out the best in Jamie Smith. The Colorado Rapids’ midfielder scored the only goal as the MLS Cup champs beat the Whitecaps 1-0 in Vancouver Saturday in the teams’ final tuneup before the season kicks off.
Rapids bully FC Dallas, win MLS Cup 22 Nov 2010 As the Colorado Rapids gathered on a platform placed at the centre of BMO Field, jumping up and down, surrounded by sky-blue confetti, holding the MLS Cup aloft, FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty stood on the field, staring at the celebration. The rest of his FC Dallas teammates, losers of a 2-1 decision after extra time in Toronto, had left the field. But McCarty stood and stared at the Rapids’ celebration. Wondering what could have been. Wondering what would have happened if a ball off the foot of Colorado sub Macoumba Kandji hadn’t taken a strange deflection off defender FC Dallas George John in the 108th minute and looped past the goal line. What could have happened in penalty kicks had John’s last-gasp effort at redemption, from point blank range, not been stopped by the outstretched hand of Rapids’ keeper Matt Pickens.
Ihemelu “not sure” where things stand with Canada 20 Nov 2010 PHOTO: FC Dallas defender Ugo Ihemelu (3) trains with his team Saturday at Toronto’s BMO Field ahead of MLS Cup When it comes to national allegiances, Ugo Ihemelu is playing it cool. The FC Dallas defender has been to the U.S. national-team camp, played in a couple of friendlies, but he’s still hasn’t been capped in an official game that …
FC Dallas coach admits BMO Field gives Rapids an edge 15 Nov 2010 FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman admitted that the weather is an advantage for the Colorado Rapids, who played in freezing temperatures in Saturday's Eastern Conference Final triumph over San Jose. "I don't really think you can prepare for anything like that [cold temperatures] unless you go two or three weeks early... with the weather, Colorado has a little bit of an advantage."
Lots of familiar faces return to Toronto for MLS Cup 15 Nov 2010 For Toronto FC fans, who the team and league hope will fill BMO Field for next Sunday’s FC Dallas-Colorado final, the game will feature a heck of a lot of familiar faces.
San Jose coach shrugs off RSL comparison 9 Nov 2010 Is San Jose, heading into the Eastern Conference Final this weekend in the Denver suburbs, drawing inspiration from the Real Salt Lake of 2009? No.