East Side Stand Up

Because this seven game winless streak is no fun at all. Toronto FC put in one of the most hapless first halves of football seen at BMO Field as even with a last surge at the end, were unable to climb back in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire. Ashtone Morgan and Eric Hassli looked the part, but the midfield was overmatched and in the final third, Chicago were able to finish their chances while TFC could barely muster up any kind of resistance. With Philadelphia coming to town on Saturday, that represents one of the last chances for a win for the Reds this season.

Team Canada takes out Panama 1-0 to move atop of Group C. It was a critical result for the team who in a must-win were mentally prepared and tough against a tricky opponent. Kevin McKenna and Atiba Hutchinson stood apart as the class of the team and their presence was paramount in the result as McKenna dominated Blas Perez in the 18-yard box and Hutchinson imposed himself in the midfield. With the win, Canada are in a position where they just need to get a point in the away fixture to put them one step closer to advancing to the Hex. Stephen Hart will need to get the right approach in a hostile environment Tuesday night for that to happen.

That's right, TFC all but have bowed out of the Champions League and would need an epic result in Mexico to continue on into the next stage. A 3-1 loss that was achieved through two goals in the dying minutes once again showed TFC's inability to lock down results and soak up pressure. Santos Laguna were just the better side and now there is little to nothing to play for at BMO for the remaining two months - EXCEPT when Canada plays there! Bring on Panama!

With Krispy Kreme burgers and bacon wrapped EVERYTHING at the nearby CNE, not even bacon can make losing to the top side in the Eastern Conference easy to swallow. TFC looked to frustrate Kansas City defensively as Darren O'Dea looks the part from first impressions, but offensively the Reds are predictable and less than dynamic. There are a slew of games ahead against top sides that if TFC continue playing like this, will find themselves back to square one, as in back where they started at the beginning of 2012. It's tough to look ahead without the harsh reality that aside from the team struggling the most in the league, there are few teams they can realistically beat at this point.

The rest of the year, especially by the end of October, being in the basement is the last place you want to be. Toronto FC draw the Portland Timbers 2-2, and remain in the illustrious 19th position in the MLS standings - AKA - dead last. Alot of work in the second half, a goal and assist from Eric Hassli, was undone by static defending as Portland carved their way past a tired TFC and stole two points from the home side. Against the worst road team in the league, that is bad enough, but now Kansas City are coming to town for Saturday and the Reds will need to come up with something big if they are to fend off one of the top sides in the league.

You read that right - 5,000. The Reds smash through their opening competition to the 2012 Champions League, C.D. Aguila 5-1 in front of a sparse crowd at BMO Field. A brace from Reggie Lambe and assists from Luis Silva were enough to see Toronto comfortably through to their next fixture at the end of the month when they host Santos Laguna. In between they must bounce back from a poor loss against Houston and it will yet to be seen if the performance tonight is any barometer on where they will stand against MLS competition.

We hope you enjoyed it. Toronto FC are downed at home by the Houston Dynamo 2-0. It was not an impressive performance by the Reds who showed little outside of set pieces in terms of offensive capability. The long ball yielded little in terms of results and the midfield struggled to provide the link between the defence and attack. It is a new set of tough fixtures ahead in August and TFC will need to shake this off and earn results on the road, no easy task for a team lacking quality depth.

Toronto FC notch another away victory as they bag all three points at Gillette Stadium in a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution. Their first ever win visiting the Revs, the victory has the dark cloud of a potential injury to Danny Koevermans looming over it. Luis Silva notched a goal in his second game in a row, however, it is Koeverman's return to form that has been integral in the team's turnaround. After the match, we are also talking Julian De Guzman and his time at TFC and what is to come.

Toronto FC! That's right, the Reds cannot be beaten by their supposed superior national opposition, as a late Terry Dunfield winner secures only the second home win of the season, but an important one in the dying seconds. So much character shown on another impressive weekday performance that saw the team come back from the opening goal, take the lead, surrender the tying goal and then steal all three points. A refreshing change of fortunes for the club and supporters on hand at BMO Field.

Terry Dunfield propels himself five feet off the ground to block a David Ferreira attempt and preserve yet another away draw for Toronto FC. Yet again TFC concede an early goal through sloppy marking, but Danny Koevermans can do no wrong and continues to keep the team competitive. Even though the score was locked down in the first half, it was an entertaining match where the Reds could have stolen all three points had they dug deep enough. In the midst of a tough grind, a point is still a good result when looking at it one match at a time. Still sitting at the bottom of MLS, Toronto will now look ahead to Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon to get out of the basement.