BMO Field finally turned into a fortress in 2009. (Getty Images)

2009 was expected to the be year that Toronto FC turned the corner and really made a splash in Major League Soccer. The moves were made to get local star Dwayne De Rosario at the start of the season and things looked promising early on but midway through the first full month of action manager John Carver stepped down and if you ask me the club never really rebounded from that change.

Chris Cummins took over as interim manager for the rest of the season and even with the moves that brought in guys like Ali Gerba and the club’s first designated player Julian De Guzman, Cummins never really took control of the locker room and the club. Guys like Danny Dichio never really got their full run under Cummins.

The club never got real consistent with their play under Cummins. One week they’d play so well many including myself figured they would be a lock for the post season. Then they’d do what they do best and suck up the place like they did on the final day of the season when they got spanked 5-0 by the lowly New York Red Bulls.

What Went Right In 2009?
To be honest few things really went right for this club this season. But pinpointing a few items would certainly start with their 6-1 beating of Montreal in the Canadian Cup to secure their bid in the play-in round of the CONCACAF Champions League this year. TFC needed a handfull of goals to advance and some how on a night that saw them on the road in Montreal, the Reds pulled out all the stops and stole a trophy away from a Vancouver club that was looking on from the stands. Another would certainly be the play of Dwayne De Rosario. The club wouldn’t have nearly been as good as they were had it not been for DeRo. Lastly their home play this season was finally something to brag about as they turned BMO Field into the fortress that we all knew it could be. Eight of their 10 wins on the year came from the friendly confines at Exhibition Place.

What Went Wrong In 2009?
Consistency was a killer and so was their defense. Mo Johnston made a bold move to get veteran defender Nick Garcia from San Jose and it was a move that never panned out for them. Even though they had a solid group of rookies like keeper Stefan Frei, the defense would constantly let him down. Offensively they never seemed to find a go-to scorer other than DeRo. Chad Barrett and Pablo Vitti constantly let folks down in front of the net.

What’s Next?
For this club finding a manager that will pull the right strings with this bunch will be key. With so much talent in the midfield they need to find a way to keep the pressure off their defense and find ways to score. Finding a classy finisher around the net will go a long way for this club and finding a true central defender will really help out. This club is so close but yet so far away.

Now back to the task at hand for the evening dose of links and thoughts. I will first start with a letter that was posted over at 3rd Degree, the wonderful FC Dallas new source. This letter was penned by the man who has been dubbed the “first fan” of the FC Dallas/Dallas Burn.

This guy is a true fan, and even these last couple years has been driving over a 1000 miles to see the club. Yes a 1000! Dustin Christmann is that man that all MLS clubs need.

But that ends next year. This super-fan will no longer as he puts it enable “an incompetent organization in which performance is clearly optional.” Christmann went on to list a bunch of problems by the organization under the Hunts since their takeover of the club.

I can side a bit with Christmann in how the club treats the real soccer fans in Dallas. What’s really weird is I’ve heard the Hunts want to sell Columbus and not Dallas when it is all said and done. That just shows you how silly they really are.

If you read on in the comments you will notice some good suggestions by some folks of what the club should do. It’s nice to see people write letters like this but it really helps when people take it a step further and give the owners something to actually go on with to correct their issues.

Writing the club’s decision makers and letting them know what they can do is a good start if you ask me. Furthermore the club needs to get their brand out there more in the area. Its sad when I can find a DC United soccer ball at a local target and not a FC Dallas ball. Same goes at the airport when I cannot find even a keychain of the club’s logo.

What’s really sad is people working at this club don’t even realize the problems that surround the club in the area.

I don’t want to sound like I am ragging on my local side here but when you see it up close year after year you really start to see the little things that matter. Right now this club just doesn’t take care of the little things that clubs like Seattle, DC, Houston, etc. do. And by the way, Dallas isn’t the only one in this boat that sucks at the little things. I can think of at least three more that come in behind the Red Stripes.

Ode To Dichio

Link

I love the passion up in Toronto about their players. You can hear it in the fans and even in those that cover the club. Sometimes I feel I don’t have the same passion as those out there that are much more connected to their clubs like those in Toronto. This is an interesting read about the crap that Danny Dichio is having to put up with in Toronto. Definitely worth a read if you’ve ever even cared about Dichio as a player. He’s been one of my favorites since Toronto joined the league a couple years back.

Sounders Going Retro?

Link

This is one thing I’ve been wanting to see for a year or so now. The league has been around long enough and some clubs have roots that go further back than 1996. Seattle is hoping to do just that with a retro style jersey. Some fans in Seattle are petitioning an old-school style kit and even have a mock-up of what it will look like.

Who wouldn’t want to see this look take the field?

Season Near An End For RSL?

Link

Some of my favorite writers covering this league are in Salt Lake. Its good to see some of them like Michael Lewis see the light surrounding RSL right now and their tiny playoff hopes. There’s a lot going on with this club right now that isn’t getting a lot of talk. Most of that surrounds Yura Movsisyan’s move to Europe. Its breaking this team up and Jason Kreis is having a tough time fixing it. If it doesn’t get it fixed soon he could very well be out of a playoff contention for real and even out of a job.

Youngsters Getting Time In Europe

Link

Two names I think we will hear more from in the coming years, striker Joseph-Claude Gyau and midfielder Charles Renken. Both are signed with German side 1899 Hoffenheim.

Yes, two kids from our country who aren’t even 18 are going to Europe.

For the next year the duo will split time between Hoffenheim and the Vancouver Whitecaps’ residency school to prepare for Germany. Which is kind of cool to hear that Vancouver has some links to clubs in Europe for when they enter the league in 2011.

Renken is a name most of us have already heard of by now. He’s been courted by big name clubs for the past couple years. Unlike past teenage players from the US, I hope these two pan out into big time stars.

A decent amount of goals this week. I’ve once again put together the usual list of my favorites. I may have missed a couple others though but these are the ones I thought were the better goals out there scored this weekend. Lots of goals scored off set pieces this weekend or just sloppy goalkeeping.

Order of goals: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus), Marco Pappa (Chicago), Christian Gomez (DC), Danny Dichio (Toronto), Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle), Richard Mulrooney (Houston), Cam Weaver (Houston), and Stuart Holden (Houston).

Claudio Lopez and Kansas City hope to change their luck this weekend. (Brian Stevens, WVH Photo Correspondent)

Sometimes the number 13 can mean unlucky and sometimes people use that number to try and make it into luck. What does that mean for our MLS clubs this week? Well week 13 could mean staying in playoff contention or falling out.

So far we’ve already had one game under our belts this week with the game in Houston on Wednesday. I didn’t talk too much about that game but after looking back on some of the tape and highlights Houston deserved to win the game. For the most part the play was very even and I believe I read a quote out there from a few Dynamo players saying Chivas was the best squad they’ve faced this season. Let’s hope that these two meet again in the western conference finals this season. Home field advantage will go a long way between those clubs I can tell you that much.

Chivas does return to the pitch this weekend, as do most fo the clubs except for Colorado who has another week off here. Mostly we have conference battles this weekend with one exception in Columbus when Chivas squares off against the Crew.

As always feel free to leave your game predictions below.

Saturday:

Chicago Fire – at – DC United:

Some how Chicago is the best road side in the league and DC is actually one of the better homesides in the league. So something will have to give right? Honestly the Fire haven’t been playing that great these last couple of weeks, most of that can be due to international call ups hurting their starting XI. Some of the heat in this game is already out though with Luciano Emilio and Bakery Soumare out on suspension. Even without Blanco in the middle for the Fire I still believe they have enough to get on the board at least once. But their defense will let DC back in late. United is always good for a goal in the final 15 minutes of the game.

WVH Prediction: DC 1, Chicago 1

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New York Red Bulls – at – Toronto FC:

One has to wonder if this could be the last game for Juan Carlos Osorio if his club is to lose another game on the road. Not to mention this is game number 15 on the year and if you are this much out of it halfway through, who is to say that your second half of the season performance will get better enough to reach the post season. This isn’t the MLS of old where you can stumble your way into the playoffs.

Thankfully for the Red Bulls the club they face isn’t doing too well these days either. Though Mo Johnston is trying to make sure there is a turnaround here with bringing in Nick Garcia to help the defense out. With the way New York plays on the road (0-6-1, 0 goals for and 12 against) I think Toronto should win this one. Look for Chad Barrett or Danny Dichio to be there to score for the Reds in this one.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 2, New York 1

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Houston Dynamo – at – FC Dallas:

Another I hope to be at but even so it should be a good game considering the rivalry built here between these two sides. Houston is on a crazy run of nine straight unbeaten games, with four wins in a row here. I just don’t see that trend ending after the way I saw Dallas play this past Sunday against San Jose. Sure the Red Stripes got a late draw but Houston has a quality defense that just pressures the heck out of you. Dallas doesn’t have the midfield to keep up with Houston’s and defensively FCD is just not on the same level. I think Stuart Holden is on impressive form and that will continue tomorrow in Frisco. Dallas just doesn’t have an answer for him.

WVH Prediction: Houston 2, Dallas 0

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New England Revolution – at – Kansas City Wizards:

The Wizards are one of those clubs that needs a break right now and not an unlucky kind of week. One could say they have already caught that break with Taylor Twellman missing the game and trip for the Revs. It is easy to say that the Revs are a completely different club with him in the lineup. Without him they will have to go back to just making it work with guys like Shalrie Joseph up top. Kansas City will need to rely a lot on Josh Wolff and Claudio Lopez here for their offense. I think the Wizards will catch a break this week in the end and get some much needed points. However it will only be a single point as New England will sneak out with a draw.

WVH Prediction: Kansas City 1, New England 1

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – Seattle Sounders FC:

Seattle is another club that needs to catch a break here and with San Jose coming into town that may just been good enough. The Quakes traded one of their better defenders this week to Toronto so one has to wonder what exactly they will do to fix their defense that is still letting in a bunch of goals each week. Sure Seattle won’t have Nate Jaqua or Jhon Kennedy Hurtado to suspensions but I think a weak defense and a struggling midfield may just be what Fredy Montero and company need to get back on track here. Look for Sigi Schmid’s group to control this game from the start.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, San Jose 1

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Real Salt Lake – at – LA Galaxy:

Hard to believe the Galaxy are unbeaten in ten games but they are. And after last week’s game in Toronto one has to think this club may actually be ok without Landon Donovan for a few weeks. It surely doesn’t hurt when you get one of the worst road clubs to come visit you either. RSL really needs a break here but I just don’t see it happening with their recent play and with the loss of Robbie Russell (suspension) in the back and the potential of no Robbie Findley (ankle). Donovan Ricketts should come up big when needed tomorrow night and somehow the Gals will squeeze out another three points.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, RSL 1

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Sunday:

Chivas USA – at – Columbus Crew:

The league leading Goats may not be leading the league for that much longer if they don’t break out of a slight funk here. It’s a typical midseason funk for those who race out quickly like Chivas did this season. Just ask the Crew, they did the same last season and hit the wall a bit in June as well. Aside from the breif history lesson these clubs square off in Columbus on Sunday. They may have a bit of a break with the Crew missing Chad Marshall to suspension and Brian Carroll to injury. Those two losses for the Crew are big time down the middle of the defense. Chivas is good enough to figure out how to pressure the Crew. Thing is I am worried they are running out of steam here right now. Guillermo Barros Schelotto will probably make sure the Crew stay in this one with another goal. A draw sounds likely here with the players missing for each side.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 1, Chivas 1

2008 record and finish: 9-13-8, 35 pts., last in east, failed to reach playoffs

Offseason Player Movement:

Incoming:
Dwayne De Rosario (via trade – Houston Dynamo)
Sam Cronin (SuperDraft)
Stefan Frei (SuperDraft)
O’Brian White (SuperDraft)
Pablo Vitti (via loan from Independiente – Argentina)
Adrian Serioux (trade with Dallas)
Emmanuel Gomez (signing from Samger FC – Gambia)
Amadou Sanyang (signing from Real de Banjul FC – Gambia)

Outgoing:
Hunter Freeman (IK Start – Norway)
Tim Regan (Retired)
Julius James (trade with Houston Dynamo)
Jarrod Smith (Seattle Sounders FC – Expansion Draft)
Carlos Ruiz (waived)
Joey Melo (waived)
Todd Dunivant (trade with LA Galaxy)
Tyrone Marshall (trade with Seattle)
Kilian Elkinson (waived)
Derek Gaudet (waived)
Joey Melo (waived)

Questions going into 2009:

1. How much better will the offense be in 2009?

Add De Rosario and Vitti along with Chad Barrett, Amado Guevara, Rohan Ricketts and others and this club could very well be very offensively sound. The thing is and it is a big if for most people including me, just how well will DeRo and Guevara be together?

Thing is I believe these two will work out fine. Guevara looked to have matured a lot last year and throw in a successful guy like DeRo and this could be a great match in the midfield.

With the creative duties going through DeRo instead of Guevara we may see a more relaxed Guevara this season on the wings.

But if Guevara doesn’t handle sharing the spotlight don’t be shocked to see him get traded before the All-Star break.

2. Will the defense be any better with the young Africans and the addition of Adrian Serioux?

If you had asked me this a month ago I would have said that Toronto looked worse on defense then compaired to how they were in 2008. Fast forward to the addition of the two young Africans and Serioux and I think the defense is really coming together nicely.

However we don’t know exactly how good those kiddies from Gambia will be. Until they get their feet wet enough in MLS I would imagine Serioux to be paired up with Kevin Harmes. A pairing that won’t strike fear in the eyes of the rest of the league.

3. Breakout player to watch in 2009.

For those who still don’t know of Sam Cronin, by the end of this year you will understand why he was the number two pick in this year’s draft. He is a rookie of the year candidate already in my book and I fully expect him to contend for a starting role this season with TFC.

I see Cronin as a great partner to Carl Robinson too. He could also be a replacement for him if he falls into injury or international callups this year.

Look at the 2009 Schedule:

Fairly balanced overall but that could change if they actually play well in this year’s Nutrilite Canadian Championship. May is full of MLS madness and Canadian craziness. Luckily they are home most of that month for both league play and NCC.

Summer months will lighten up but if they advance to the CCL it will get a little bit more packed.

After the All-Star break their schedule gets a bit rough with seven road games in the final three months of the year. That means only five home games in friendly BMO Field.

Overall this could be a very tough schedule if the club doesn’t remain healthy throughout the year. Plus international callups will hurt them if they aren’t careful again.

2009 Season Outlook:

I want to say Toronto is going to be a contender in 2009. I want to but based on history and some uncertainty surrounding this club I just don’t know if I can put them there just yet. Yes they are improved, no doubt about it and yes I believe they had a great winter. But none of that will mean a thing if it doesn’t translate into success on the field this year.

A lot rests in the hands of the defense but unlike before this club actually has a playmaker in DeRo to actually keep the attack going. Before the club failed to maintain possession in the attacking third of the field due to the lack of a quality playmaker. This time around things should be different. Not to mention I think the defensive side of the midfield has gotten better too.

A lot of pressure will be on Vitti and Barrett to be a go-to scorer. If neither one of them fail to do so by the summer you could see this club act out of desperation for a striker. Which means they will likely use that DP slot to get a scorer. I think Vitti will surprise people in a good way this year and be a solid scorer in the league.

How will they end up? I think being a contender for the playoffs isn’t out of the question. Depth is an issue, just as it is for most clubs. Thing is Toronto seems to have some solid youth on their side that could make a big difference.

Should be a good game tonight though for those who want to get their soccer fix early this week. You get one of the best home clubs (I’m sure Toronto fans would say they have the best home team) against one of the worst road clubs. Could it sound like draw city? Maybe, we’ve had a bunch of them lately (12 of 21 games in July have been draws) so let’s hope not.

Toronto will be without a few too many key players (Edu, Wynne and Dichio all out for Olympics or injuries) and RSL is as solid as it comes on the turf at Rice-Eccles. The thing that worries me for RSL is Toronto is not like most clubs in this league, they know how to handle the turf and how to win on it. They proved it last year in Salt Lake city with their first ever road win there.

RSL has to get on the board early with guys like Javier Morales leading the charge and Kyle Beckerman finding gaps in the defense. Should those two have a good game you can bet RSL will walk with three points tonight. If they are stopped by Toronto, I wouldn’t expect more than a draw then.

So what will happen tonight? I think it will be similar to their last meeting in Toronto. It was a tight game that saw Toronto escape with a 1-0 win. RSL had some decent chances that day at BMO Field but it was their lack of attack in the first half that really did them in. I sort of see that kind of thing happening tonight. Defensively these two can shut one another down. Its just a matter of who makes that mental error in the final third.

I think RSL will win tonight though, Toronto has just been unimpressive lately and that should carry over tonight. RSL has done well enough in recent games to get themselves in position to win the west this season. It may not be pretty but whatever Jason Kreis is doing is working.

It will be another close one though, RSL sneaks by and moves up the standings in the process.

WVH Prediction: RSL 1, Toronto 0

Not a lot of changes at the top of the overall voting list.In fact that top three remain:

1. David Beckham
2. Landon Donovan
3. Cuauhtemoc Blanco

Once you get by the top three the positions break down pretty easily. You can also tell which fan groups are voting like crazy here for this game. Mostly the home fans in Toronto wanting their own in the line up as the All-Stars take on West Ham United. Its also interesting to see Toronto’s main rival Columbus have a few players on this list. The Crew are having a solid season so far and their players deserve the nod in my book.

Goalkeepers:

• Greg Sutton
• Jon Busch
• Matt Reis

Defenders:

• Frankie Hejduk
• Marvell Wynne
• Jim Brennan
• Jimmy Conrad

Midfielders:

• David Beckham
• Cuauhtemoc Blanco
• Amado Guevara
• Dwayne De Rosario
• Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Forwards:

• Landon Donovan
• Danny Dichio
• Juan Pablo Angel
• Jeff Cunningham
• Alejandro Moreno

Am I surprised by any of this news? Not really. The one shocker to me may be Juan Pablo Angel getting the votes. He was the MVP in last year’s game but he has been hampered by injuries and clearly isn’t as effective as last year because of those injuries.

Other than that I’m not totally surprised by it. I would like to see Kenny Cooper or Edson Buddle get some votes.

Some are still asking for my line-up, that will come later on once voting is complete on July 2. Remember, the online fan voting will comprise one quarter of the All-Star First XI selections, with coaches and general managers (25 percent), players (25 percent) and media (25 percent) all getting a say in who is named to the First XI, which will consist of one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards.