East Side Stand Up

Yes another scoreless ninety minutes for Toronto FC, in similar weather, with the majority of chances. It was a tough match to bear back in December and four months later, well not much changed. TFC's inaugural home opening opponent, Kansas City, returned but only managed one point this time in a 0-0 draw that saw Giovinco and Jonathan Osorio miss key chances to snag all three points. Instead the offence is sputtering early on in 2017 and the Reds will need to get into fifth gear coming into this weekend's match against Atlanta.

That's all TFC needed to get past their west coast Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps in a 2-0 win. Three points on the road were key heading into the home opener and the start of the season is now looking pretty good. Brek Shea's red card opened up the game for the Reds as substitutions of Victor Vasquez and Raheem Edwards were the right move to change the face of the game and lead to the win. Vasquez and Altidore both contributed on each goal and with a week's rest, TFC should be feeling confident going back to BMO Field.

The Reds manage to net two goals in Philadelphia, but could not keep a lead as the Union levelled the game that finished 2-2. It was a gritty affair in the opening forty-five, but oddly enough once Giovinco left with injury, TFC came alive in the second half and probably should have done better than a single point. It is back to back games where they might have done more, but it's early on in the campaign with bigger games ahead, most notably next weekend against Vancouver where three points would do well to lift the side ahead of the home opener at the end of March.

Yes a 0-0 draw saw a near-identical MLS-Cup Finals Reds side get their chances against Real Salt but could not come away with the big W. Thankfully, this match was the start of the season and in the big picture, likely will be forgotten. However, there were several chances for the three points and much to discuss as the eleventh campaign for TFC begins. Unfortunately, there is only so much on the pitch to go over as there is plenty in the news off the pitch and we run through the week that was in Toronto.

Ian Clarke and Aaron Neilsen discuss the 2016 Sigma Showcase prior to an interview with Sigma FC's Technical Director Bobby Smyrniotis. First is a discussion surrounding the Sigma showcase and thoughts on the event, then moving into player development and how the NCAA leads to the MLS Combine and SuperDraft. Then is the interview with Bobby Smyrniotis, who discusses what the showcase means for soccer in Southern Ontario, then looking at this year's class, the players heading into the 2017 SuperDraft and finally going over what the Canadian Premier League could mean for them and Canadian Soccer.

It's all ESSU as Paul Marhue and Ian Clarke look back on the year that was for TFC. A quick, as painless as possible review of the MLS Cup then circles back to the start of the campaign, through the dog days of summer and into the playoffs that noted huge wins of Philadelphia, New York City FC and the unforgettable conference semi-finals against Montreal. Then it's all about the "best of" or awards as we look at the best matches, signings, young players and name or player of the year before a quick discussion on what to expect for 2017.

Have we accepted this yet? Toronto FC lose the MLS Cup in penalties after the Sounders scraped through 120 minutes without a shot on goal. It's a tough pill to swallow for TFC supporters as the chances were few, and the one golden chance was turned away with cat-like karma reflexes by Stefan Frei. It's not the most positive ESSU, but we do our best to get through a difficult episode where we felt somewhat robbed with how it all went down.

Let's be honest, who would have thought we'd still be talking TFC in early December? Not me. But here we are and we are all in, still speechless after the Reds hoist the Eastern Conference title, but careful not to celebrate too much as there is still business to take care of. That is in an old expansion foe in the Seattle Sounders, who have gotten the better of TFC many times since 2009 and this could be the year where Toronto finally edges ahead of their west coast expansion rivals. It will be a tough one-off affair, but one with home-field advantages and a team peaking at the right time. We cannot wait to knock out one more post-game ESSU in a few days time.

The Reds make history and appear to be a team of destiny as they came back not once, but twice, to get past the Montreal Impact 7-5 on aggregate after extra time. It was one of those rare instances where there were no weak links as key and role players all contributed on an amazing result. From Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore to Justin Morrow and Nick Hagglund, it was a match and performance that will not be forgotten. Up next is the MLS Cup as the Reds host the Sounders and look to finish the job on what has been an incredible ride thus far.

TFC get out of Montreal with some respectability and critical away goals in a 3-2 loss to the Impact. The Reds managed to fight back from a 3-0 deficit and showed grit and determination rarely seen over the last decade. It has been the hallmark of the side for the last two months, one that has stayed in game and fought until the end. Goals from Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley give TFC supporters hope that the home leg of this round can end with a win and sending the club into the MLS Cup Final.