But, the fact is, no one was buying the old CCL format. The rows and rows of empty seats at CCL games was a testament to apathy. Mexican sides and MLS sides had a hard time drawing flies. When the Montreal Impact packed the house for its quarter-final match with Santos Laguna in 2009, it was an exception rather than the rule.

Both of the players Toronto FC originally acquired in exchange for later-to-become MVP Dwayne De Rosario are no longer Reds. Danleigh Borman was selected by the New England Revolution in phase one of the MLS Re-Entry Draft process. Borman was the only player TFC made available for the draft.

And, Chivas USA put Canadian defender Ante Jazic on the list. Yes, Jazic is in his mid-30s, but he’d be a significant upgrade for many teams in the fullback slot. He has become a regular starter for the Canadian national side. And, while his age is an issue, it’s hard to believe that a national-team starter can’t be of some value to someone.

The Vancouver Whitecaps have lost Tanzanian midfielder Nizar Khalfan to the Philadelphia Union.

Brian Ching, scorer of 77 career regular-season goals, made it public that he would rather retire than be plucked off Houston’s roster and go to the Impact. What did Marsch do? He made Ching the first pick of expansion draft.

The scene: The 2009 MLS Superdraft. With the second pick, Toronto FC chose midfielder Sam Cronin, passing up on University of Maryland defender Omar Gonzalez, who the Los Angeles Galaxy took with the third pick. On Wednesday, Gonzalez became the youngest player, at 23, to ever be named MLS Defender of the Year.

Hainault, who was not invited to the Canadian national team camp for next week’s two upcoming World Cup qualifiers against St. Kitts and Nevis, scored the opening goal as the Dynamo beat Sporting Kansas City 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Final.

But, we need to look at the Galaxy in a truly North American sports context — after all, MLS is a North American league — where regular-season success means very little compared to playoff excellence. The Galaxy, until it wins MLS Cup, has to be compared to the likes of the San Jose Sharks or San Diego Chargers, talented teams who consistently lose when it counts.

Matt Stinson has the chance to make his debut for the Canadian men’s national team. The Toronto FC youngster is one of just two changes national team coach Stephen Hart has made to his roster ahead of World Cup qualifiers Nov. 11 and 15 against St. Kitts and Nevis.

Canadian midfielder Will Johnson will play in the MLS Western Conference Final; but his Real Salt Lake had to survive a furious charge from the Seattle Sounders.