But, then, why are so many of us so despondent after getting a point in Central America on a field so choppy, it made pastures seem like Bundesliga-level playing surfaces? Is it because we assumed that El Salvador’s “B” team would be little better than a PDL side?

With 10 minutes left Saturday’s match between Atlanta and FC Edmonton, Silverback Junior Burgos came up with that moment of magic. He hammered a free kick from distance just inside the post to give Atlanta the 1-0 win.

Before you sow the crops, you must clear the land. In their first MLS draft, TFC’s brain trust of Aron Winter and Paul Mariner arrived with chainsaws in their hands. The trades of the previous regimes had left the Reds with nothing better than a 26th-overall draft pick; they knew that by then, there would be no obvious gems — …