The Near Midnight MLS Meanderings Over A Microwave Meal Part 1: Toronto Football Club vs New York City Football Club

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I like Major League Soccer from North America. It has things that irritates. I don't like the lack of promotion and relegation. Neither do I like the television coverage can be just too American sometimes.

(One example I was watching this game when suddenly the commentator said "This corner is brought to you by Visa". No No No No and NO!!!! The corner was brought to you by the guy who kicked it. No one else!)

But, especially in a year where there's no World Cups or Euros, it does give you competitive games during the summer months. So I do appreciate it. That was until a few years back when it suddenly went to what was the Rupert Murdoch's SKY and that was that.

It's now back though and on the free to air Freesports channel as well. So like the movies I watch after coming home late at night and expertly pinging a microwave meal I'm going to include MLS matches in this as well. And when I chat about them they'll be weeks after the event as well. Mad? Well yes. But I hope a bit of meandering fun in an uncertain world.

The first match then. Toronto FC vs New York City Football Club. The latter part of the Kuwaiti financed Manchester City football empire. I would have thought that they would have been the favourites for this game but apparently not. Especially as the commentator said that they'd lost their previous three matches. Something was not right with the colony then.

Apparently the idea is to develop the younger players through a competitive league before bringing them back to "Mother Manchester". Or something like that anyway. But not sure how you can develop a team through regular defeats.

Throughout the game the commentators (the analyst was Scottish - I think Steve Nicholl) kept on talking about the teams in acronyms. Why? Why can't you say "Toronto" often or "New York City"? People aren't fools they know what you mean. Even in America I don't hear people describing the Boston Red Sox as "BRS" or the New York Giants as "NYG" so why do it here?

And another thing. The (I assume) English commentator called Chile (pronounced in England as in "Chilly") "Chilay". What? It's as if he was ordering at some Latin American themed restaurant and was trying to impress a girl. I'd leave the North American pronunciation to North Americans if I was him.

Most of the first half seemed a quiet affair. I was, I won't lie tempted to fast forward the action (I resisted, honest) but it was clear that Toronto was the better team. Twice they'd put the ball in the back of the net only for it to have been deemed offside.

Always amazes me that when drinks ads are banned from Football shirts and hoardings for any influence on children Americans don't seem to have any problems in doing so. Hence I now know what Toronto's number one selling vodka is. However there was also a hoarding which was saying "Budweiser. This Bud's for you". Now surely that means that Budweiser are giving that bud for the customer free? That's how I read it anyway

Then towards the end of the first half at last a goal. Alejandro Pozuelo, Toronto's "designated player" dances along the left wing avoiding lame New York City defending and crosses to Jozy Altidore in the box who, after discovering that he has so much space he could start a farm slots it into the box.

1-0 Toronto then. Indeed in the first half I could only one New York City chance. A shot so wide satellites would be sent to track it down. Still as the half finished 1-0 was still the score and New York knew they had a chance to get back come the second half.

The second half though was more of the same. First there was a penalty when Altidore's shirt was pulled in the box. Pozuelo chipped it over the keeper. 2-0.

But Pozuelo had more chips than a cheating poker player when on open play he chipped the keeper again. 3-0.

And to add insult to injury when Pozuelo was substituted to a standing ovation in the last minutes of the game Toronto still added another goal to the tally. 4-0.

In the second half New York City had one chance that hit the post. That really was it. They really don't have the aura Mother Manchester has. And I bet she wasn't pleased at the final score.

Wonder what the empire will do to sort it out.

Until the next time.