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

Comments

[Paul]

TFC displayed better effort, but still showed no ability to control a ball or the game. I guess it takes more than a goup of outstanding individuals to have a functioning football team. Revs looked very confident with the posession, made TFC players ran around defending. TFC have to rely on heroics of individuals, rather then on solid teamwork. Not having any middlefielders open, defenders lift the ball targeting a single forward, loosing possession right away in most cases. I hope they will eventually learn how to maintain posession from established quality 'teams' like NE.