Just when you thought things couldn't get worse...

The Globe and Mail is reporting Toronto FC Captain Jim Brennan is being checked out for the possibility of a broken rib and leading scorer Danny Dichio is slated for an MRI on his wonky back this afternoon.

At this rate, I wouldn't be shocked to see Mo Johnston put himself in the starting 11 this Sunday. Who else will he have left???

TFC's Promising First Season De-railed by Injuries

Already without the services of starting goalkeeper Greg Sutton, perhaps for the rest of the season as he plays the waiting game of Post-Concussion Syndrome, Toronto FC finds themselves short several key players at all positions. All-Star midfielder Ronnie O'brien re-injured his knee in the friendly against Aston Villa, speedy wingback Marvell Wynne pulled his hamstring in the same game and will require 3-4 weeks to recover, and finally, striker, and 2006 Golden Boot Award winner, Jeff Cunningham will be out at least a month as he takes the time to properly heal a lower-abdominal injury.

As a result, the depleted Toronto squad that took to the field Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Fire was trounced convincingly, coming up on the embarrassing end of a 3-0 loss. Manager Mo Johnston's adjustments were completely ineffective, and saw the likes of Colin Samuel, Andy Welsh, and Jim Brennan shuffling around the field as if they were playing musical chairs (or positions in this case). The sight of left-footed Andy Welsh taking the ball into the corner on his off-wing was an easy target for Chicago to mark, holding him to short passes and defending the off-foot cross. Even worse was the play of Colin Samuel on the wing, as he spent a good 20 minutes just wandering around in no-mans land, before being moved back up front to striker. Jim Brennan lacks the pace and ball handling skills to be effective as anything more than a ball distributer, but with Samuel's poor off-the-ball play and Dichio's lack of pace, he has no real options. Without strong play on the wing, TFC was doomed to a lack of quality scoring chances.

On the otherside of the ball, Marvell Wynne's pace was sorely missed, as Chicago exploited Toronto's defence with fast-paced attacks. If it were not for some strong saves by young goaltender David Monsalve, the score could very easily have been 5 or 6 to nil.

In short, if we put in an effort such as this against Beckham and the LA Galaxy it will be one hell of an embarrassing evening at BMO Field in front of the biggest audience TFC has ever seen.

Toronto FC falls to Aston Villa

It was a highly entertaining return to BMO Field for the TFC, but in the end it was the Villans that came out the victors in this friendly competition between the newest team in the MLS and one of the oldest teams in the EPL. Toronto FC was dominated in the first half, and trailed as a result, 2-0 after 45. However, the home side came out with much more jump in the second half, and tied the score on goals from Dunivant and Lombardo. More strong play followed, until Villa managed to score on a counter attack. They added one mark late in stoppage time for a 4-2 final.

Podcast: Episode 4 - Beckham Special

We weigh in on David Beckham's arrival in North America and MLS with our guest, English ex-pat and EPL expert, Tony Walsh. We also discuss Toronto FC's thus far successful road trip, the nagging injuries that are piling up for TFC, and more!

Click here to download TOTAL TFC Episode 4!

Click here to subscribe to TOTAL TFC in iTunes!

Toronto FC continue road success

After squandering an opportunity to pick up 3 points against Chicago, Toronto FC bravely fought for a single point against the defending champions Houston Dynamo on Sunday night. A brave fought scoreless tie saw TFC playing down to ten men after Maurice Edu was unfairly sent off for a late challenge at the 42" mark. The match also saw Jimmy Brennan playing his natural left-midfield position, but it was difficult to judge his effectiveness having to play as a defensive ten man unit. Striker Jeff Cunningham missed his second consecutive game as he nurses a groin injury, and winger Andy Welsh was conspicuously absent from the match.

I will go out on a limb here and say he must have picked up a knock against Chicago, as his speed down the wing was an element that was sorely missed. Especially after going down to ten men, I was expecting Brennan to move back to defense and Welsh to come in to use his speed to counterattack down the left side. Alas, we managed to get the point, much in part thanks to some brilliant goalkeeping by Srdjan Djekanovic .

TOTALTFC MotM: Srdjan Djekanovic

TOTAL TFC hits the road!

After a hard-partying Canada Day weekend (up north with no TV or internet - sorry for the lack of updates), and Toronto FC's nail-biting, first ever road victory in Salt Lake City, TOTAL TFC will be hitting the road with the Red Patch Boys to watch our TFC put out the Chicago Fire for a second time!

A hot topic in the minds of TFC fans is Samuel vs. Welsh: who should start on the left side? It's amazing how many people have finally come around on their thoughts on Welshy, and if you listen to the podcast, you'll know that I have always supported him. As far as Welsh being relegated to the bench in favour of Samuel, I believe it is a good move. Welsh wears down quickly due to his lack of size, and is much more effective in the early stages of the match, and fades quickly to the point where he is rarely effective during the second half. Putting him in after the 60th minute allows Welsh the opportunity to take on fatigued defenders, which helps to make up for his lack of physical strength, and makes his speed even more of a factor. Watch for big things out of our little number 7 off the bench! I think he'll be good for a goal in Chicago this week!