Tag: toronto fc

So cold. So close.

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Despite badly outplaying Seattle (outshooting them 17-3) Toronto FC lost the MLS Cup final last night, falling in penalties on a freezing night at BMO Field. Toronto had a ton of great scoring chances; Seattle didn’t have a single shot on target through 120 minutes. But then it was penalties, and in penalties it comes down to luck. Shit way to lose the championship, in my opinion, but there you go.

I was still lucky enough to see it, with more than 35,000 on hand despite freezing temperatures. I survived the cold pretty well (except for my toes…didn’t plan that part properly) but then the walk home almost killed me. Streetcars weren’t running, the buses were overloaded, and every taxi was occupied. I finally got in one around Spadina and Richmond, and got home around midnight, after 4.5 hours outside. It took me an hour to warm up again.

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Next year, TFC. Qu’est-ce que vous chantez? Nous chantons les rouges allez.

Elemental

Dan Dickinson2 Comments

I have an emotional hangover. I sportsed too hard last night.

Plenty of ink has already been spilled about the Blue Jays game 5 win over Texas to advance to the American League Championship series. (Cathal Kelly’s story in the Globe was the best, I thought.) All I can say is that it was definitely one of the highlights of my sports-fan life…to go from so low to so high, to sprout a profuse belief in the sporting gods, all in the space of a single epic inning of baseball, was mildly profound. I can’t imagine actually being at the Rogers Centre Skydome for the game, as some of my friends were.

We’d had tickets for the Toronto FC game last night, but given how long the Jays game ran over we really didn’t think we’d make it over to BMO Field. But after Jose’s bat flip we figured we’d make a break for it: we assumed the Jays would win, and if they relinquished the lead, I didn’t want to watch it. So in the middle of the 8th we jumped in a cab and beat it west before the mayhem began. As it turned out, the mayhem began at the corner of Queens Quay and Bathurst, when every car around us at the traffic light began honking wildly.

Despite it being freezing cold, we’re glad we made it to the TFC game. They clinched the first playoff berth in team history last night, on a highlight-reel goal from the incomparable Giovinco, who’d gotten off a plane from Italy just a few hours before. For at least this one night the sports gods were on Toronto’s side.

All in all, a pretty good evening. Oh, and as I type this, the Canadiens are about to win their fifth straight game to start the NHL season, the first (!) time in their storied history that’s happened.

Sports!

"Oh yeah. Me and my friends are meeting at a gun store."

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Well, that was another low-key, yet enjoyable weekend. After Friday’s movie excursion we slept in a little, then got up and did a little bit of furniture shopping. Something must be done about our balcony. Then we skipped over to Liberty Village, off King West, to check out a furniture store. After locating a couch we wanted and probably identifying a new option for the den (day bed FTW!) we had lunch at the Brazen Head pub. Not the original, obviously, the slightly newer Toronto version. Damn if they didn’t have one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten. There were a few Toronto FC fans there when we arrived, but by the time it was swarming with red jerseys, a byproduct of it being the nearest decent pub to BMO Field.

On the way home we picked up a bottle of wine to bring with us to GB’s birthday party, got cleaned up (at which point I realized I’d been sunburned, no mean feat since I don’t remember actually spending much time in the sun), caught a little breather and then jumped on a streetcar. We arrived in time to find the beer chilling and meat ready to grill. Two burgers, some Applewood smoked cheddar, several beers later and excellent conversation — my controversial position on Jim Balsillie’s tactics and our various strategies in the event of a zombie attack being just two examples — later, we grabbed a cab home and crashed.

Today was a little more low-key: slept in (again woo!), watched Terminator, planned some balcony decorations, checked out a Contact exhibit at BCE place, enjoyed a little walk in the sun, picked up groceries, watched Terminator 2, grilled steaks and fixed a problem with the PVR. Sweet.

Maybe not quite as sweet as my brother’s weekend in Paris with an Armagnac drip, but still pretty good.

Get your finger off the comm button

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Big sports night tonight: the Habs close out the season against the Leafs. The Raptors try to reverse their recent slide. Toronto FC is hoping to score a goal. And the Final Four semifinals are played, giving me at least an indication of whether I’ll have a 50-50 shot at some pool money come Monday evening.

The NHL sprint into the playoffs is high drama; Washington’s playing just to get in (and I hope they do) while Montreal’s playing for top spot in the conference. Depending on how they do tonight and how Pittsburgh does tomorrow, Montreal will end up against either Philadelphia or Ottawa in the first round; obviously I’d prefer Philly; though the Canadians have throttled the Sens in their last two matchups, Ottawa seems like a more dangerous opponent.

Not that I’ll be able to pay a lot of attention tonight. I have a marketing assignment to write.

[UPDATE: the Habs beat the Leafs, finish first in the east and will play the Bruins in the first round, which is good, since Montreal was 8-0 against them this year. The Washington Capitals won and they’re in…in fact, they’re 3rd in the conference. Stupid southeast division. The Raptors continue to suck it hard. Ditto Toronto FC. Kansas won but UCLA lost, meaning I’m out of the money, but Nellie still has a shot at 2nd if Kansas wins.]

.:.

Battlestar Galactica started off pretty strong in last night’s season kickoff (I think Nellie was right when she said they blew their special effects budget in the first ten minutes) but drifted a little. I’m so very tired of Baltar.

[tags]nhl playoffs, montreal canadiens, toronto raptors, toronto fc, battlestar galactica[/tags]