Jeff Cunningham Named Player Of The Week

Real Salt Lake's Jeff Cunningham has been named MLS Player of the Week for Week 1. He scored both of his team's goals in a two-all tie against FC Dallas.

Cunningham has been named Player of the Week nine times in his career, tied for the most-ever with the L.A. Galaxy's Cobi Jones. He was also the Golden Boot for last season, when he scored 16 goals over the course of the year, most in the league.

TJ's take: I didn't get to see any of the FCD-RSL game, but my player of the week would be Sacha Kljestan. The kid had a beautiful goal (his first goal ever) and an assist in Chivas USA's impressive defeat of Toronto FC.

Cancela Shipped To Colorado

Toronto FC has sent midfielder Jose Cancela to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for a Youth Development roster spot secured until 2009. Cancela spent last year with the New England Revolution, but was chosen by Toronto through the expansion draft.

From the press release: "A composed playmaker, Cancela combines great technique with superior field vision and precise touch, all qualities that have become his trademark during his career."

Ronnie O'Brien To Miss Season's First Month

Toronto FC midfielder Ronnie O'Brien, obtained from FC Dallas in the offseason, will miss no less than the first month of the season after partially tearing a ligament in his right knee. O'Brien had perhaps his team's best performance during last week's Carolina Challenge Cup and had emerged as the squad's top midfielder before his injury.

In his absense, new signing Carl Robinson will have an increased role in TFC's midfield. Robinson broke off his contract with English club Norwich City two years early to join Toronto, and has been getting rave reviews in the pre-season. Head coach Mo Johnston says other coaches have already crowned Robinson the best midfielder in the league and calls him "a tremendous player." Says Robinson, "I'm quite happy to play under pressure because it brings out the best in me."

Toronto will open their first season this Saturday on the road against Chivas USA.

FSC To Debut New Soccer Tools

Fox Soccer Channel's telecasts of "MLS Saturday on FSC" will be featuring some new tools for U.S. viewers. Thanks to TrackVision's play analysis and revolutionary virtual tracking capabilities, soccer fans "will be able to gauge ball velocity and see dynamic virtual offside lines on their screen for controversial plays. In addition, Fox Scocer Channel's coverage will spotlight the 10-yard circule between the ball and the defensive wall during free kicks, as well as measure the distance of the ball from the goal. In total, 'MLS Saturday on FSC' will be shot using a combination of 13 cameras for on-site coverage."

The first edition of "MLS Saturday on FSC" will feature the Chivas USA vs. Toronto FC game this Saturday, airing at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.

John Kennedy Denied Move To Toronto

Toronto FC head coach Mo Johnston has revealed that the club's bid for Celtic defender John Kennedy was unsuccessful, with the primary reason being that TFC's pitch is made of artificial turf, which could increase the chance of Kennedy's knee woes recurring. The Scottish international reportedly had agreed to join the MLS side to continue his rehab at a high level, before his team decided the risk of injury was too great. "They took advice from the specialist and the word then came back that he could not be risked on that surface at this stage of his career," Johnston told the Toronto Sun.

Kennedy has not played for Celtic since March of 2004 after destroying his knee in his Scotland debut against Romania.

2007 Preview - Toronto FC

2006 record: N/A ('07 is first year in league)

Key additions: Edson Buddle (Red Bull New York), Ronnie O'Brien (FC Dallas), Conor Casey (FSV Mainz), Alecko Eskandarian (D.C. United), Andy Welsh (Sunderland)

Key losses: - none -


For an expansion team, Toronto FC looks very strong on paper. Head coach Mo Johnston has assembled some talented young players to build the first Canadian-based MLS team around. Their home turf, BMO Field, will become the sixth soccer-specific-stadium in the league. Already, interest is high in the club - all 14,000 season seats made available have been sold out for weeks now, making them the most successful club in MLS history on that front.

With an offensive core of Edson Buddle, Ronnie O'Brien, Conor Casey and Alecko Eskandarian, Toronto FC appears to be an offensive-minded team at the outset. Add to that mix Abbe Ibrahim and draft pick Maurice Edu (when he returns from a cracked pelvis), and TFC could be hanging three or four goals on their opposition in any game.

TFC's defense looks less certain, with USL standout Greg Sutton being called upon for 'keeping duties. The mostly Canadian back line has little MLS experience, and could be a weak spot this season.

Still, I see the lads from up north finishing the season strong and securing a playoff position in their first year. They will trail D.C. and New York but will still make a decent showing.
TJ's project finish: 3rd in the Eastern Conference, 7th overall.

Toronto FC Sells Out Season Tickets

Major League Soccer's newest team has done something that no other league side has accomplished: Toronto FC has completely sold out of season tickets. A cap was placed at 14,000 and just five months after tickets went on sale, they are all gone. BMO Field will hold roughly 20,000, which leaves 6,000 tickets available for walk-up buyers or through various ticket plans."We've had phenomenal momentum since launching Toronto FC last May and the response we've got with respect to season seat sales tells us that soccer fans across the GTA are excited about their new team," said Tom Anselmi, executive VP and COO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Ltd.

Toronto will play its first game at BMO Field on April 28th and David Beckham is scheduled to visit town with his new Galaxy teammates on Sunday, August 5th.

Galaxy Update

- The Los Angeles Galaxy have sold over 12,000 season tickets for the upcoming season. Though well ahead of last year, they are still behind expansion team Toronto FC who have reportedly sold 14,000 season seats for their first season. The Galaxy recently announced a July 21st game against Chelsea that is expected to futher increase the number of season tickets sold.

- The G's & star midfielder Cobi Jones have called a press conference for Monday, March 19th. The reason for the gathering was not announced, but it is widely expected that Cobi will be announcing 2007 to be his final season as a player.

- Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop announced recently that the squad will be switching from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3, with Alan Gordon, Landon Donovan and Nate Jaqua up top. When David Beckham arrives this summer, he is expected to be slotted into the center of midfield. "For me it's a good system for players to express themselves and not be static and have to stay in certain areas," said Yallop.

Toronto FC Adds Casey, Busch

After a brief wait, Conor Casey has been officially signed by Toronto FC. Casey, 25, had been training with the team while waiting for the deal to go through. He has spent several seasons in Germany and has also been capped on the U.S. National Team, though the last time he was called up was in 2005. About Casey, coach Mo Johnston said, "He's a striker that adds a different flavor. We are strong up front and Conor is a good blend with our other guys."

Toronto also snatched up keeper Jon Busch in Monday's MLS waiver draft. Busch, 30, joins TFC after being cut by the Columbus Crew, rather unceremoniously. Columbus coach Sigi Schmid chose Will Hesmer and Bill Gaudette, both injured, over Busch, who is coming back from a knee injury suffered last year. "Being waived or cut is part of sports and I'm okay with that, Busch told the Columbus Dispatch. "But I'm not okay with the way it happened - I was, in essence, waived for two injured guys who did not have to earn the spot."

Toronto FC Season Tickets Going Fast

Expansion team Toronto FC is selling season tickets like they're going out of style. The club has already sold 13,500 season tickets for its inaugural season, plus all of its corporate suites at BMO Field, which has a capacity of 20,000. Expect all of those seats to be filled on August 5th when Los Angeles comes to town - it's likely to be David Beckham's first regular season game with the Galaxy.
In other TFC news, coach Mo Johnston says the team is in good shape a month into pre-season training and another two or three players with international or MLS experience should be added before the start of the season. "We just brought in Andy Welsh, who played for Sunderland. He has been very impressive so far," Johnston said.

Johnston went on to say that he is still searching for another experience keeper to join the team: "We are talking to one overseas keeper right now," he said. "Hopefully something positive can come of that."

Bornstein Injured

Upcoming U.S. National team and Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein has suffered a partial tear of his left MCL and is expected to miss six weeks. That means he won't be a part of the USMNT's games against Ecuador and Guatemala next month and his status is in question for the Chivas season opener against Toronto FC, scheduled for April 7th. His injury occurred during practice on Thursday.

Bornstein, 22, was the MLS Gatorade Rookie of the Year last year, registering 6 goals and 4 assists. He made his debut for the USMNT last month vs. Denmark, scoring the second goal in a 3-1 U.S. victory. He also played all 90 minutes of the U.S. win over Mexico earlier this month.

2007 Schedule Released

As reported several days ago, MLS has put the final touches on the 2007 schedule and has finally released it to the public. For Galaxy fans, they received confirmation that most of their team's fixtures after David Beckham arrives will indeed be played outside Los Angeles. They will also be subject to a brutal eight, yes EIGHT, games in September alone. They will also play five of six August games away from the Home Depot Center. The first derby vs. Chivas will be on April 28th, a home game for the Galaxy. After the All-Star Break, the team will travel north of the border to face expansion team Toronto FC for the first time on August 5th, which might just be the first game that a certain Englishman is in the squad.

ABC will once again televise the season opener, D.C. United @ Colorado on April 7th. Each of the leagues 195 games will be broadcast at least regionally - a league first, and 113 will be televised nationally - most in league history. The 2007 MLS Cup, to be held at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., will air on Sunday, November 18th.

Expansion in '08? MLS Knows The Way To San Jose

Major League Soccer appears set to expand to 14 teams for the 2008 season. After adding Toronto FC as team #13 for this year, next year appears promising for the San Jose Earthquakes. People familiar with the subject knew it was only a matter of time before Lew Wolff got a team back in the Bay Area, but now a potential deal with San Jose State to build a 23,000-seat stadium is coming to light. The deal isn't completed yet, but an announcement could be only a couple of weeks out.

The Earthquakes were uprooted at the end of the 2005 season and shipped to Houston - where they were re-branded as the 1836 and then, ultimately, the Dynamo. You might know them better as winners of the 2006 MLS Cup.

While never leading the way in attendance, San Jose had a very devoted core of fans. Nearly 200 Earthquake fans made the trip down the coast to the Home Depot Center last year when the Galaxy hosted the Dynamo, and they made themselves heard. They were among the most passionate fans I have encountered in the league, and they deserve to have their team back. Congrats, Earthquake fans... and prepare to be annihilated by the G's in '08, and '09, and '10...