It's not hard to tell TFC's in a slump right now.
Two games, two losses.
The first one is understandable, going down 2-1 on the road against New England, the top team in Major League Soccer and perennial contender for the MLS Cup.
But if you're a TFC player/coach/supporter this latest one is a little tougher to explain away.
Sure, TFC dominated play in the second half and probably should have scored on at least one of those tantalizing chances, but the fact remains they didn't.
So playing at BMO Field (AKA "The Fortess"), against a team from a lower league, they lost.
If your a glass-half-empty type you'll note that TFC is winless in their last three.
I think English people call that a "dip in form."
But if you're a glass-half-full type you have also noticed that in each of their last three games TFC has received a huge boost from its second-half subs, most recently Jeff Cunningham, Jarrod Smith and Julius James.
Now you could point to that fact as evidence of TFC's depth, but what does depth mean if you're not winning?
I'm more inclined to think it means Carver's going to shuffle the starting lineup between now and the next league game July 12 in Chicago. That was my hunch as the game ended, confirmed at the post-game news conference when Carver said a new starting XI was "a no brainer."
So we know changes are coming, but I'm not yet comfortable guessing what the starting lineup in Chicago will look like because....
DARREN HUCKERBY AND PAUL DICKOV WERE AT THE GAME
I didn't see them but confirmed it with more than one person who did.
Folks a lot closer to the situation than I am said they were just checking things out and not on the verge of signing, but their mere presence is pretty significant.
Think for a minute about the sheer number of players who have been connected with TFC via rumours, innuendo, and "news reports" since the club was founded.
It's more than I can count.
Now think about how many of them have showed up at BMO to watch TFC play.
Very short list.
Savo Milosevic appeared late last season, but besides him, it's just these two...unless I'm missing someone.
Anyway, it's not my job to speculate on what their presence at Tuesday's game might mean, but remember that Carver said earlier this spring that TFC was in fact interested in Huckerby.
Looks like we've got a bona fide story line to follow for the next few days and I'll do my best to keep you informed.
ON GUEVARA
Can't remember who it was who asked me if Amado Guevar planned to play for the Honduran Olympic team, but the answer is no.
Honduras has a World Cup qualifier against Mexico on August 20 and he says the Honduran federation has told him that game takes precedence, so no trip to Beijing for Guevara.
Hope that helps.
-- Morgan Campbell
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