Vocal Minority

Tag: Starting XI

  • THE STARTING 11: Unused Elements of the Cancelled TFC Championship Parade

    We were so close. Inches away really. What a letdown! Yeah the fancy trophy would have been nice and all – but I mean the parade! Thousands, if not millions, billions even, lining the streets of Toronto to fete MLS Cup Winners Toronto FC. But no, teams that take shots on goal aren’t so lucky…

  • THE STARTING 11: Other TFC Superstitions

    In a week of good vibes in TFC Land we don’t want to dwell on the somewhat negative effect the MLS Cup ticket situation had on many fans. It sucked for some and the league should know better. A funny aside of the episode however was TFC staff’s explanation that they didn’t want to discuss…

  • THE STARTING XI: Advantages To Playing In Montreal’s Olympic Stadium

    For good, bad or (really) ugly, the first leg of what is arguably Canada’s most important club fixture (for this week) is set for Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. The Impact decided to move indoors onto the turfy goodness and le cha-ching of 60,000 paying customers despite the general crumbliness of “The Big Owe”.  However, while it…

  • THE STARTING 11: Alternatives To The Name “401 Derby”

    You know what the best part of the “401 Derby” is? It’s just how “401”-nny it is. Also, that it is widely accepted as the name for the Montreal v Toronto fixtures everywhere in North America except for one place – Montreal. Tres LOLZ. However, we pride ourselves on our listening skills and so on…

  • THE STARTING 11: Oddities of playing at Yankee Stadium in November

    George Steinbrenner’s shivering ghost! “The House Next to the One Ruth Built Used To Be” was meant for dingers not fancy-pants Europeans faffing about in early winter! But alas, so it was that local foot and ball outfit Toronto FC and a few hundred hosers spent yesterday evening in the Bronx at the makeshift soccer-baseball…

  • THE STARTING 11: Other TFC Decision Day Decisions

    Did you decide? What did you decide?! Were you decisively decisive? Well it’s too late for regrets, MLS Decision Day – possibly their best work in the hyperbole field – has come and gone. While the religious holiday mostly pertains to playoff implications, there have been some other less prominent TFC decisions made over the…

  • THE STARTING 11: Best Parts of Living With The Argos

    CAW! No it’s not Bitchy Blanks time but that’s the sound of yours truly eating a little crow over the doom and gloom feelings I held about sharing BMO Field with The Argos. Like many out there, I fully expected the “soccer experience” to be akin to that of Gillette Stadium North this season. However,…

  • THE STARTING 11: Similarities Between Toronto FC and the Toronto Blue Jays

    You’ve got a diamond. You’ve got nine men. You’ve got a hat, and a bat, and that’s not all. We’ve got chip buttys and the Trillium Cup so… whatevs. For the second year on the trot, Toronto’s foot and ball team AND their rounders team are simultaneously in the post-season! This sudden kinship seemed unlikely…

  • THE STARTING 11: Thoughts Greg Vanney May Have While High

    This is a work of fiction. I realize that you come to The Starting XI every week for hard-hitting factual journalism, but this is a speculative piece. By no means are we implying Greg Vanney has ever been under the influence of any narcotics. He doesn’t even seem the type to take an extra large…

  • THE STARTING 11: Signs That Autumn Has Arrived At TFC

    Ah Autumn… Easily one of the planet’s Top 5 seasons. The soggy crotches of Summer have dried while the frozen crotches of Winter loom on the horizon. Over the last decade, Autumn has usually heralded the abrupt end of a TFC season but all that has changed don’t you know! TFC are now decent and…