Lost and Found in New England

LOST

Toronto FC's luggage.

The plan had been to fly to Boston Friday afternoon, make the 45-minute drive to Foxborough and practice on the grass field outside Gillette Stadium about 5 p.m. Friday.

Thunderstorms in Boston made sure the team's flight didn't land on time, and Air Canada made sure practice wouldn't happen when they misplaced luggage that included the team's practice uniforms and shoes.

After a while Air Canada located the gear and delivered it to the team at their hotel –
on Saturday morning.

A little late for a Friday practice, you think?

Yeah, it was cancelled.

If you're counting, that's two airline mishaps for TFC this season.

The day after they defeated L.A. their flight back to Toronto made an emergency landing in Omaha, Neb. when the pilot discovered a malfunction in the landing gear.

I would suggest that they take a train to their next road game, but VIA/Amtrak don't run
nonstop service between Toronto and Chicago anymore, so it looks like they'll have to roll the dice with commercial air travel yet again.

Either that or take the Greyhound.

FOUND

Kenny Mansally.

New England's teenage Gambian sensation left the team in late May to play in World Cup qualifying games, then left the Revs in suspense about when he would return.

Gambia's last game was June 20, so his team expected him back at practice by about last Wednesday.

Friday morning they hit the practice field still unsure exactly where he was.

On a plane, evidently, on his way back to Massachusetts at last.

Revolution head coach Steve Nicol blames Mansally's late arrival on the Gambian federation, and their failure to make adequate travel plans for the 19-year-old striker.

Mansally finally arrived Friday night and confirmed his coach's hunch in a pre-game chat with Frank Dell'Appa of the Boston Globe.

Apparently, the normal routine is to travel from Gambia to Dakar, Senegal, then fly to Newark, which is a short flight from Boston.

This time the Gambian federation booked Mansally on a flight from Dakar to Brussels, then from Brussels to Newark, adding a few days and a few thousand miles to his journey.

Nevertheless, Mansally arrived in time to dress for Saturday's game, logging 29 minutes. He even got fouled – pretty hard – by TFC's Tyrone Marshall.

A rough end to a rough week, but his team got the win.

And as far as I know he had all his luggage when he arrived.

– Morgan Campbell

Notes from New England

FOXBORO, MASS. -- So I'm in Boston with a headcold and a job to do. Every weather forecast I consulted before I came down called for a hazy, but not too hot, afternoon. Welcome news to me since this bug has my body temperature running a few degrees above normal.

Too bad those forecasts were wrong.

By the time the New England Revolution hit the practice field -- with Taylor Twellman but without Kenny Mansally -- the temperature had crept to about 31C. And that's without the humidity and my fever.

Ugh.

I felt a small urge to feel sorry for myself because summer colds really do suck, but then I realized there's nothing to hate about my life. It could be much worse. I could be working for a living but instead I'm in Boston on the company's dime, getting paid to write about a soccer game. I'd rather be sick doing this than be healthy doing a job I hate.

And besides, despite what many of you probably think, journalists don't get paid to complain. In actuality, we make money for keeping you guys informed, so here it goes.

PHELAN'S TENUOUS TORONTO CONNECTION

I chatted briefly with Pat Phelan after practice. If for some reason you don't remember him, Toronto selected him with the ninth pick in this year's MLS Superdraft, one slot after Julius James, then traded him to New England earlier this month.

Caught in a numbers game at central defence, Phelan, 23, rode the bench behind guys like James, Marco Velez and Olivier Tebily, and never saw game action in Toronto.

Since his move to New England, however, he has appeared in three games, starting twice.

When TFC and New England made the trade for Phelan a lot of folks talked about how the move brings him closer to his east coast roots. Phelan, 23, grew up in Enfield, Conn., about 90 minutes from Foxboro, and cheered for the Revolution as a kid.

But it also took him to returning to the Boston area to reveal a tenuous, but still pretty cool connection, to Toronto.

If you follow "American" football then you've probably seen a few hundred replays of the Boston College Hail Mary pass to beat the University of Miami in 1984.

Turns out Phelan was at that game -- sort of.

Students of NCAA football history know the guy hauling in that pass is Gerard Phelan.

Make the connection yet?

It's Pat's dad's cousin.

Dad was in the stands that night and he brought his wife, who was pregnant with Pat at the time.

So what's this got to do with Toronto?

Well if you're familiar with the clip then you know the guy launching that pass is Doug Flutie, who won the Heisman that year, then went on to a 21-year pro career that included a pair of Grey Cups with the Argos.

OH YEAH, THE GAME ... WHAT ABOUT TWELLMAN?

It's been a tough year for New England's high-scoring forward.

Soccer observers on both sides of the Atlantic know the man can score, and so does TFC, who watched him collect two goals the first time the two teams met last season.

In January, Twellman appeared set to move to Danny Dichio's old team, Preston North End, who offered to buy his contract for $2.5 million during the winter transfer period.

Problem was, the Revs weren't selling, so Twellman, disgruntled, remained stateside.

And so far this season Twellman hasn't had a chance to settle back into his starring role with the Revolution, with injuries limiting him to just one game.

Of course, the one time he did manage to play this season, May 11 against Chivas, Twellman scored, but an ankle injury has sidelined him since.

But according to New England coach Steve Nicol, Twellman will dress Saturday night against TFC.

Apparently Twellman's been running for a while but has only been practicing with a ball since Tuesday. You wouldn't have suspected it late in Friday's practice, when he sprinted into the six-yard box, stepped over a low line drive of a corner kick then knocked it into the net with his heel.

So the timing and touch are back, but Nicol says he's still not ready to play 90 minutes.

WHERE IS MANSALLY?

Good question. The 19-year-old has started 10 games for New England this year, but he wasn't at practice Friday. Apparently he's a few days late in returning from a World Cup Qualifying with Gambia's national team. I'll tell you more about it in tomorrow's paper, but for now you should know the Nicol's more than a little peeved -- and not with Mansally.

I'll update you soon.

-- Morgan Campbell

Transfers, All-Stars

A few of you had sent comments and emails asking me why the opening of the MLS summer transfer period seemed to have moved from June 15 to July 15, so I made a few phone calls and found your answer.

Turns out the league's pre-season literature contained a typo. Even though this year's official MLS Factbook says the transfer period starts in mid-June, opening day has always been July 15.

Last season FIFA mandated a 60-day summer transfer window, running from mid-June to mid-August. This year, according to my guy at the league, FIFA wanted a month-long transfer period, prompting the shift to July 15. Apparently this was all decided before the season, but not reflected in the Factbook.

So now we know.

ALL STARS I

TFC's head coach John Carver is still in the running to coach the MLS All-Stars against West Ham on July 24.

MLS awards the All-Star gig to the coach whose team has the highest points per game as of June 29 and right now TFC is one of four teams with a chance to top the league in that category. New England, Columbus and LA are the others.

So what will it take to put Carver in charge on July 24?

TFC would have to defeat New England at Gillette Stadium this weekend, Columbus would have to lose and the Galaxy would have to lose or tie.

The other possibilities are numerous, and the league outlined them in its weekly newsletter to the media. For clarity's sake, I'll paste them below.

* If the Revolution defeat Toronto FC, Steve Nicol is the All-Star Game coach.
* If the Revolution tie Toronto FC and Columbus loses or ties, then Steve Nicol is the ASG coach.
* If the Columbus Crew defeat the Colorado Rapids and New England ties or loses, then Sigi Schmid is the ASG coach.
* If Toronto FC defeat New England and the LA Galaxy win and Columbus loses there is a two-way tie with Carver and Gullit each having 1.714 points per game.
* If Toronto FC defeat New England and the LA Galaxy win, and Columbus ties there is a three-way tie with John Carver, Ruud Gullit and Sigi Schmid each having 1.714 points per game.

Tiebreakers work the same way they do in the playoffs. Head-to-head records first, then goal differential, then fewest goals against and so-on.

But somehow I don't think it'll come to that.

REUTERS PHOTO

TFC leading scorer and a good quote: Dichio is an all-round all-star.

ALL STARS II

All-Star voting closes July 2 and I'm literally in the middle of filling out my ballot. Here's my team so far:

GK -- Jon Busch, Chicago

D -- Marvell Wynne, TFC; Jimmy Conrad, K.C.; Adrian Serioux, Dallas

M -- Becks, L.A.; De Ro, Houston; Amado Guevara, TFC

F -- Landon Donovan, L.A.; Danny Dichio, TFC

You guys who hate Landon Donovan (and I know there are PLENTY of you in Toronto) probably find it ironic that I've got him paired with Danny Dichio, but TFC's leading scorer was actually my third choice at forward. I would have selected Edson Buddle but he's not on the ballot.

(Sidebar on Donovan: I know local fans can't stand him but from a media standpoint he's one of the best players in the league to deal with. Always makes time for the press, always forthright with his quotes. You've got to respect that, fans, even if you don't like him.)

Now, you may have noticed that I've only chosen nine guys, but as I said, my All-Star ballot is still evolving.

They asked me to choose up to five midfielders and I could easily add Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Guillermo Barros Schelotto to this list. Stats certainly say they deserve it. But as much as I hate playing coach, I had to think tactically for a second:

If I add Blanco and Schelotto to the midfield, who's going to play defence?

Answer: Nobody.

So I'm still seeking two defensive midfielders. I'm keeping my ballot open until early evening and listening to any and all suggestions.

** Just before I posted I added Shalrie Joseph to my ballot. It's nice to actually see the first-place team represented. Anyway, still seeking one defensive-minded midfielder....

-- Morgan Campbell

Post-game thoughts

In no particular order....

1. Where were they going?

About 80 minutes in I noticed people leaving the game.

A tie game.

Huh?

Granted, Saturday's game was just a little dull, especially early on. After the first half I turned to Mark Polishuk from MLSnet.com and told him I was having a Homer Simpson moment -- like that episode where he gave up drinking for a month and went to a baseball game sober.

"I never realized how boring this game is without beer...."

Now before people go complaining to my bosses that I'm getting tipsy in the press box, understand that I take my job kind of seriously, so I don't drink and write. And it's not about the beer anyway. My point is that until Amado Guevara came on (more on that later), the game was dull.

Still don't know if that justifies leaving early, especially when you've paid to be there.

If it's a 3-0 game and you've got to get home by 7 to catch the first pitch of the Blue Jays game, then leave early. The outcome is clear.

But if I spend money on tickets and the game's still undecided I'm sticking around. Even if it's boring.

MICHAEL STUPARYK/TORONTO STAR

John Carver points out the area of the field where streamers require double-coverage.

2. Streamers

Fans booed last week when the PA announcer gently reminded them not to throw streamers at players or officials, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed a steep decline in streamer use at BMO Field these last couple of weeks.

If I remember correctly, out of three first half corner kicks, KC's Claudio Lopez only had to stop once to disentangle himself from tissue paper.

Guess folks are getting the message.

3. Streamers II

Anybody else notice about 17 minutes in, when John Carver stepped out of the technical area to retrieve a stray streamer, then rolled it up and tossed it in the back of the dug
out?

I thought that was cool.

4. McBride

Because some people can never get enough...

He was NOT at the game Saturday and neither were any of the Chicago players reputed to be headed this way in exchange for him.

Nothing new has happened. I understand the rumours (trade complete and awaiting league approval) are seductive, and some of them may come true someday, but that's not what's happening right now.

I've spoken to people who should know about these things and they're all telling me that neither side has budged in the bargaining process.

Toronto still wants a LOT in return for McBride's rights, and Chicago still thinks Toronto is asking way too much.

Friday I spoke to McBride's agent, his brother Matthew McBride. He too had heard the rumours and said they were "news to us."

So I don't know what else to tell you guys right now. Can't report on progress until their actually is progress, and Mo Johnston, for one, says he's not speaking to the media about McBride until there's...progress.

Sigh.

In the meantime I think folks need to remember a few things about this situation:

* Chicago and Toronto don't ever have to reach an agreement. TFC can sit on McBride's rights and let him retire, or they can let some the next team in line assume McBride's rights and wait for the next big name American to come back from Europe. OR they can involve another team in the deal and try to swing a three-team trade.

* Transfer period begins July 15, so there's still a little time for something to happen.

*The league doesn't want to meddle in this, so it really is up to Mo Johnston and Frank Klopas and any other GMs with something to offer to settle things.

That's all I can think of right now. If any readers come across any elements of McBridegate that I've missed, feel free to post a comment.

-- Morgan Campbell

TFC Adds Speed

Record-setting Welsh midfielder Gary Speed worked out with TFC today, wearing jersey number 35.

Two years ago Speed became the first player to appear in 500 English Premier League games, and he ranks first all time in games played in the Premiership.

He's here on a fact-finding mission. As part of his UEFA coaching certification process, he had to connect with a club, spend a few days with them then return to Wales and make a presentation to the Welsh FA. Speed, who scored four goals while splitting last season between Bolton and Sheffield, chose to study Toronto FC.

So, no, this is not an Abdus Ibrahim/Olivier Tebily type situation, where a a guy shows up "unofficially," practices with TFC for a while, then eventually becomes part of the team. This is a few days of Speed's life designed to bring him a few steps closer to becoming a certified coach. He's still under contract to Sheffield United and I'm guessing he makes a bit more money there than he would in MLS.

SUTTON, BRENNAN, DEFINITE MAYBES

With goalkeeper Greg Sutton and defender Jim Brennan each scheduled to suit up for the national team's World Cup qualifier Friday night in Montreal, their presence for TFC's Saturday afternoon home game against Kansas City seems doubtful.

But head coach John Carver says the team is working hard to give the pair a chance to play Saturday at BMO Field. He said the team has lined up a Saturday morning flight that would get both men to Toronto in time for the game. If they don't play Friday against St. Vincent -- neither one saw the field during last week's 3-0 victory -- he'll add both to the lineup. If they play a lot then they'll sit out again.

But with the qualifier still more than a day away their status is still uncertain.

-- Morgan Campbell

A little More on McBride....

If you haven't heard much on the Brian McBride front. it's because the folks at BMO Field aren't talking about it. Yesterday Carver admitted he was out of the McBride loop and suggested I talk to Mo Johnston about it.

I tried that last week, and Johnston -- rarely a straight talker anyway -- was at his cryptic, circumlocuting best. Then afterward he joked with me about how I wasn't any further ahead after our conversation than I had been before.

Thanks.

Luckily for us, the folks in Chicago are talking.

I just found this story today, but a couple days back the Chicago Tribune's Luis Arroyave reported that the Fire is still interested in McBride but that Johnston is asking for more than the Fire want to give.

Last night on GolTV's "Extra Time" Johnston moved the story ahead just a little when he revealed that the two teams have basically stopped talking and thinks the folks in Chicago spoke to the media hoping to jumpstart negotiations.

Two things to remember:

1. Transfer period doesn't begin until July 15, so there's LOTS of time for something to happen.

2. TFC doesn't have to do anything. As Johnston said last night, they can let McBride retire if Chicago doesn't offer TFC the player they want. They can also let the next team in the allocation queue take over McBride's rights, leaving TFC first in line for the next American to return from overseas.

Stay tuned.

-- Morgan Campbell

Danny Dichio: A Groin Concern

AARON LYNETT/TORONTO STAR

If you're a fan of Danny Dichio, this one's for you.

If you're a Danny Dichio fan Saturday's game had to make you a little nervous.

I mean, you had to like how he opened the scoring, pouncing on Stephen Keel's attempted clearing and rocketing a volley into the top corner.

Dichio's funny. Some days after a goal he'll act like he's just a blue-collar grinder who scores goals more with luck and hustle than with skill. But sometimes I think even he doesn't quite buy that line of reasoning. After Saturday's game he matter-of-factly said that the moment Keel's header bounced his way he knew he would bury it.

Anyway, the scene that unfolded just before half time had to concern TFC fans: Dichio pivoting away from a defender, then hitting the ground and clutching at his groin muscle. Yes, the same sore muscle that kept him out of the team's last home game against Los Angeles and limited him to 36 minutes against Houston last week.

He rose and hobbled to the sideline, and eventually trotted back on to the field, and wound up logging 78 minutes.

Still, if you're a Danny Dichio fan you can't like seeing him on the ground, favouring a sore groin that looks like it's trying to make the transition from nagging to chronic.

Scenes like that have got to bring you back to last year, when various injuries (back, ankle, groin) sidelined Dichio for nine games.

But Dichio says last year was just that — last year.

After the game he said his groin felt a little tender late in the first half but felt fine later, and that a little more work with Strength coach Paul Winsper should keep him healthy.

Head coach John Carver says he's keeping an eye on Dichio's situation, and can't figure out how a guy who's not fully healthy is still so productive.

"It defies logic and sports medicine," Carver said. "He has this bad groin and he keeps scoring."

— Morgan Campbell

Abdus Ibrahim, A post script

Looks like my source from the league was right about Abdus Ibrahim.

TFC and FC Dallas were in fact working on a trade for the 16-year-old striker, only it went down today instead of Thursday.

Ibrahim, who has been working out with TFC for about two weeks officially becomes a member of the team, and Dallas receives a conditional draft pick in 2010.

-- Morgan Campbell

Abdus Ibrahim and Alphabet Soup

So Abdus Ibrahim is still training with Toronto, but we're no closer to knowing why, or for how long, or what TFC (or FCD or MLS) plans to do with him.

First, let's clarify who we're talking about.

Abdus Ibrahim is not Abbe Ibrahim, the Togolese striker who scored some preseason goals for TFC in 2007, but played very little in the regular season before the team released him.

For a minute, though, after Abbe left town and before I had actually seen Abdus, I thought they were the same guy. I would see the name "Abdus Ibrahim" on MLS player lists and figure "Abbe" was just a nickname, and that he signed with Dallas after leaving TFC.

But no, this Ibrahim is the second-youngest player ever selected in the MLS Superdraft, and at 16 is still the league's youngest player.

He first showed up at BMO about two weeks ago sporting jersey number seven, but as far as the league is concerned he's still a member of FC Dallas.

I asked about him shortly after he arrived but like Olivier Tebily when he first arrived, Ibrahim's here, but not here.

Insofar as he's on the field every day, taking part in drills and scrimmages then hitting the gym afterward, he's very much here. But because he's not officially a member of the team, he's not technincally here, so the team can't make him available to the media.

Of course, no top notch sports reporter would be satisfied knowing only that...and neither was I, so I started asking around.

Turns out nobody knows much, beyond the fact that he's got family in the GTA.

One source told me that TFC and Dallas were in the midst of making a trade that would bring him here officially, and said the teams could complete the deal as early as today (Thursday).

But this morning at practice the TFC folks told me nothing's happening with Ibrahim, and I haven't seen any press releases announcing his presence.

*Checks email.*

Still haven't.

So until further notice Ibrahim is still not here.

Except that he's here.

I see him at practice every day.

Carver Makes an Exception

Tuesday I wrote that TFC head coach John Carver is fed up with national teams everywhere, so he's not doing any more favours for national teams anywhere.

Outside of official FIFA match dates, he said, he's done lending players to national teams, no matter what player and no matter what country.

A sharp reader named JJ pointed out that FIFA rules don't require clubs to lend players to Olympic teams, and wondered if Carver's new stand against national teams meant he would hang on to Maurice Edu and Marvell Wynne in August.

No, it doesn't.

After today's practice Carver said he would never deprive a player of a chance to win an Olympic medal.

Edu and Wynne are going to Beijing.

The Olympics are kind of a big deal.

N.A.N -- No Acronym Needed

Rohan Ricketts took a stand against sports acronyms on Thursday.

Here in North America they bombard us: NFL, CFL, NCAA, CIS, NHL.

And don't even get me started on boxing.

It never ends.

During the Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee saga earlier this year sports journalists even tried to slap an acronym on steroids -- PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs).

Ugh.

During a brief media scrum Thursday Ricketts, a London native who has played a little at the top levels of English soccer, heard an acronym that cracked him up.

"EPL."

In North America it means "English Premier League," but evidently in England it doesn't mean a thing.

"EPL...NBA...Just call it the Premiership," Ricketts said, clearly amused by our alphabet soup approach to sports leagues. "You've changed up the name!"

Noted.

One less acronym to remember.

Works for me.

-- Morgan Campbell

Carving up the national team...again

It's Tuesday, which means John Carver's unhappy with the national team.

Any national team.

Just about every national team.

Last week Carver was miffed that Canada's head coach, Dale Mitchell, hadn't called him to discuss how the two teams would share players, even after TFC training staff helped treat national team standout Julian de Guzman.

This morning Carver complained that the U.S. national team keeps grabbing Maurice Edu for games in which they don't really need him.

Edu, the 2007 Rookie of the Year, will miss yet another MLS game this weekend because of U.S. World Cup qualifying.

Carver says there's nothing wrong with that.

He's more upset that this past Sunday Edu dressed for a U.S. squad that featured only six MLS players, playing about half an hour in an exhibition against Argentina, but missing Toronto's game in Houston.

Carver points out that Houston stars Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark have played for the national team in the past but weren't called up for Sunday's game, so they played against TFC. He thinks the U.S. national team should have done TFC the same favour with Edu.

But since they didn't, Carver came up with a new rule.

No national team games for anyone except for FIFA match dates.

Period.

Yes, Carver realizes that all MLS teams lose players for international games, but he suspects that the CSA and U.S soccer don't respect TFC the way they do more established clubs, leading them to borrow TFC players more liberally whether or not they plan to use them.

"I've got no interest in what happens outside of here," Carver said. "If it's not an international date, I don't care who it is. They're not going. This has hurt Toronto more than anyone else in the MLS."

Hemming and Hawing

Tyler Hemming has signed with TFC.

Again.

You probably remember that the team released him in late April, dropping him from the roster as it signed Oliver Tebily. Evidently Tebily's presence started a chain of events that ended with the team offering Hemming to the developmental roster, with the pay cut that goes with it. Hemming wasn't interested, so the team waived him on April 25.

Both the player and the team seemed to move on.

Less then a week after his release Hemming returned to BMO Field with the New York Red Bulls reserves, but didn't stick with the team.

He later flew to Sweden for a 10-day trial with Hammarby IF, where he says he played well but, couldn't win a job on a squad already stocked with midfielders.

Meanwhile TFC kept making deals, and Jarrod Smith's promotion to the senior squad opened up Hemming's old roster spot, and earlier this week the team phoned to ask if he wanted it back.

Of course he did.

If you're keeping track, Hemming has gone from opening day starter to the end of the bench, to Stockholm and back to BMO Field -- all since the end of March.

At 23 he'd like to settle in and start his career somewhere, but says he's made peace with the itinerant life of a young soccer pro.

"For two years I've been basically living out of a suitcase," he said. "But that's what I signed up for. I could have a 9-to-5 job, but I wanted to to this and I chose to do this."

-- Morgan Campbell