Last week was the week that was with Toronto FC, starting with a loss at Colorado, continued with Stefan Frei winning the MLS save of the week accolade, and culminating with the retirement of TFC hero Danny Dichio and signing of Julian De Guzman, the first designated player in franchise history.

Colorado Loss!
After their great performance against Seattle, Toronto FC continued their lack consistency and had a disappointing game in Colorado. TFC will need to put the game behind them in order to be able to perform at home when they face them once again.

The starting line up was left unchanged with the exception of Amado Guevera’s absence and Pablo Vitti taking over the position.
Keeper: Stefan Frei.
Defenders: Nana Attakora, Emmanuel Gomez, Nick Garcia,  Jim Brennan.
Midfielders: Sam Cronin, Amado Sanyang, Pablo Vitti, Marvel Wynne.
Forwards: Dwayne De Rosario, Chad Barrett.

The game was very dull and lacking entertainment, the first half ended with the scores even at 0-0. TFC gave away a penalty in that half but were lucky to see it bounce off the cross-bar.  The second half continued with the same tone, but a defensive error saw Conor Casey score the game winning goal for Colorado with a beautiful header. Frustration and clumsy play saw two TFC players ejected from the match, those being Amadou Sanyang and Adrian Serioux.

The explanation on Toronto’s disappointing performance can not be found as the players and the coaching staff were left speechless after the game.

TFC head home for the following  match to face off against Colorado once again before they get back on the road  to face off against LA Galaxy.

Ratings for players from 1 (low) to 10 (high), ranked by position:

Toronto FC
Stefan Frei: 7
He did great to keep the clean sheet for as long as possible, making great saves throughout.

Nana Attakora: 7.5
His consistency stands out and may be rewarded as he is up for the TFC player of the month award.

Nick Garcia: 6
A good game by him but took a knock that saw him be taken off at half time.

Emmanuel Gomez: 6
Stayed solid, had fewer mistakes than usual but gave the penalty in the first half with his hand ball. He will be glad to have seen the penalty missed.

Jim Brennan: 6
Did well to contribute defensively for the team and a little offensively as well

Marvel Wynne: 6
Did well in his new position as a midfielder, he contributed both defensively and offensively.

Amadou Sanyang: 5
Did well defensively, but his aggression may have been unnecessary at times which earned him both yellows and the ejection.

Pablo Vitti: 5
Did well but his spark was not visible.

Sam Cronin: 5
Did well but was not notable for any errors or contribution.

Dwayne De Rosario: 6
Had a decent game but was not able to break the Colorado defense.

Chad Barrett: 5
The opportunities were not there for him this game.

Subs Used:
Adrian Serioux: 5
Came on  Nick Garcia, could be the one to blame for the goal, and a very unnecessary red card to see him ejected.

Ali Gerba: 5
Came on for Gomez, but did little to impact in the game.

Danny Dicho: 5
Came on for Vitti but was unable to make an impact

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Dichio Retirement!

Following discussions with TFC and his agent in Colorado, Danny Dichio announced his retirement Wednesday. Apparently discussions began two weeks ago, as Dichio was not getting much playing time and knew his career was coming to an end sooner than expected. He will be happy to continue his involvement with TFC as the club’s ambassador and youth academy coach.

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Stefan Frei wins save of the week; again!
Stefan Frei’s great save against Colarodo has been voted Week 25′s MLS Save of the Week. This is his third win this season and fourth for TFC. The rookie has proven to be a talented keeper with the many great saves he has made throughout this season.

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TFC sign a designated player!
On Friday,TFC announced the signing of Julian de Guzman as their designated player. It is believed that he will play till the end of the 2012 MLS season. He will wear the number 6 jersey that briefly belonged to Nick Garcia. Garcia will now take over the number 4 shirt. Julian de Guzman will be available for selection for TFC’s home game against Colorado.

Toronto FC acquired Canadian international defender Adrian Serioux on Tuesday for the club’s 2010 natural first round draft pick and allocation money, bringing the versatile hardman to BMO Field for the second time after he was first acquired by the club in the 2007 expansion draft.

After initially joining the club ahead of their expansion season, Serioux had been traded to FC Dallas for Ronnie O’Brien, allowing then-coach Mo Johnston to address a more pressing need at right midfield. One season and only 13 games later, O’Brien has since left for San Jose.

Serioux is a regular at central defense for the Canadian national team but can play anywhere in midfield or defense. At former club Milwall in England, Serioux was renowned for his long throws, a strategy that Stoke City have used to famous effect with Rory Delap in the English Premier League this season.

Toronto FC have been criticized for a lack of commitment to Canadian soccer, but 2009 has so far looked bright for fans of both TFC and the Red and White. The Canadian Championship will go ahead for another year, with TFC desperate to take home the Voyageurs Cup and emulate rivals Montreal Impact in challenging the continent’s elite at the CONCACAF Champions League.

Toronto FC’s Academy is in full swing for their second CSL season, while Serioux represents another Canadian addition to Carver’s roster. It’s a far cry from the scene of several Canadians leaving the club at the end of 2007, arguably not good enough for the rigours of MLS.

Serioux joins fellow Scarborough native and former Houston Dynamo teammate Dwayne De Rosario in signing for his hometown club ahead of the 2009 campaign. Several Canadians remain scattered throughout MLS.

Will Johnson scored the 2008 MLS Goal of the Year for Real Salt Lake, while leftback Ante Jazic joined Chivas USA from LA Galaxy this offseason. 41-year-old goalkeeper Pat Onstad remains the lone Canadian at Houston.

In other transfer news, defender Tyrone Marshall joined expansion side Seattle Sounders for allocation money this month, while Argentine forward Pablo Vitti has joined TFC on loan from Ukrainian club Chornomorets Odessa.

Serioux will get his chance to impress when Toronto kick off theircampaign in Kansas City on March 21st. A large continent of travelling fans are likely to land in Columbus on March 28th for the second match of the season, while April 4th will see TFC welcome Seattle for the Canadian side’s home opener.

Toronto FC announced the arrival of Dwayne De Rosario Friday, with defender Julius James joining Houston Dynamo as part of the trade. De Rosario, who hails from Toronto suburb Scarborough and played for Toronto Lynx at USL level previously in his career, spent three seasons in Houston after that side’s move from San Jose ahead of the 2006 season.

“Dwayne is a player we’ve admired for quite some time,” Toronto FC sporting director Mo Johnston told the media. “When the chance came to work with Houston to get this deal, we were obviously very happy.”

It has been over a decade since De Rosario last played professionally in Toronto before embarking on a career that took him to Germany and Major League Soccer. At San Jose and Houston, where DeRo won two MLS Cups in each city, he has earned a reputation as one of the league’s best with his performances, including two MLS Goal of the Year awards in 2004 and 2005 and a decent shout for a third in 2006. DeRo was MLS Cup MVP twice, in 2001 with San Jose and 2007 with Houston, scoring the winner in both finals.

De Rosario has been a fan favourite at both clubs during his in MLS, and since Toronto FC’s inaugural season in 2007, it was seen as a natural fit for the local boy to play at BMO Field one day. Two straight MLS Cups at Houston in 2006 and 2007, though, combined with a big new contract seemingly designed to scare off Mo Johnston’s prying eyes, meant that Houston had nothing to gain from losing their prized asset.

DeRo turned 30 this year, and a fantastic reception at BMO Field during the 2008 AllStar game may have brought Toronto to the front of his mind again. Events in Houston in recent weeks made that transfer all the more realistic.

Reports are indicating that Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear had told De Rosario that next season’s Dynamo side would place greater emphasis on the pace of youngsters like Stuart Holden and James Cameron, with the Canadian forward restricted to a cameo role. DeRo requested a move to Toronto, with Johnston and TFC boss John Carver willing to part with James and allocation money to bring him home.

De Rosario will be looking to add to his 51-goal tally in the league and can suit up anywhere in the front four of Carver’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. His contract runs through 2010 and is at the league maximum without being considered a designated player.

Toronto FC announced that they have waived midfielder Laurent Robert. The 33 year old Robert joined the club April 2, 2008 signing as a free agent. He started in 16 of 17 games logging 1,364 minutes, scoring one goal and adding three assists.

The news comes amid a report on Soccer By Ives that TFC had traded for Carlos Ruiz. Neither TFC or the Los Angeles Galaxy, Ruiz’ current club, have made any announcements about Ruiz.

Jeff Cunningham has been traded to FC Dallas in exchange for a third round pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. The pick was originally Chivas USA’s,

Cunningham is the fourth leading goal-scorer in league history with 99 career regular season goals. He began his professional career in 1998 with the Columbus Crew, where he became the co-leader in goals scored for the club (62) and earned his first MLS Best XI honor (2002).

After seven seasons, he was traded to the Colorado Rapids in 2005 and finished third in MLS with 12 goals scored. He then led the league with 16 goals in 2006 as a member of Real Salt Lake, earning a place on the MLS Best XI team and becoming one of three finalists for the MLS Most Valuable Player award. Cunningham has also made 10 appearances with the U.S. Men’s National team.

D.C. United has signed Liberian goalkeeper Louis Crayton from Switzerland’s FC Basel, according to reports in the Swiss press.
The soon-to-be 31 year-old Crayton, who also has a Swiss passport, has been capped 35 times by the Liberian national team. He has played in Switzerland for over 10 years, though mostly as a substitute. No word on whether Tom Soehn plans to start Crayton ahead of Zach Wells.

As reported on this website last week, Toronto FC defender Olivier Tébily has left the club by mutual consent.

The French defender, who can play at right back and centerback, has been waived. Fansites were awash with rumours last week that the former Birmingham player was keen to return to France after his family had difficulty settling in Toronto.

“Olivier has decided that he wanted to be closer to his family in France,” TFC general manager Mo Johnston was quoted as saying on the matter. “We wish him all the best.”

The departure of the versatile squad player leaves TFC thin on the ground with Marvell Wynne playing in the Olympics this month. Kevin Harmse is still injured, while Julius James’ performance on the right side of defence in Salt Lake on Monday will hardly have inspired confidence from head coach John Carver, leaving Marco Vélez and youngster Nana Attakora-Gyan the natural options to deputize at right back.

Tébily played 234 minutes in the three months he spent with Toronto, starting three matches and coming on as a substitute in another.

The long-running negotiations between Toronto FC, Chicago Fire and MLS officially came to an end on Wednesday with Brian McBride joining his home state club Chicago in return for young striker Chad Barrett and a first round draft pick in 2009.

Toronto were first in the allocation rankings, a position that gave them bargaining power when former U.S. international McBride announced his desire to rejoin the league following the 2007-2008 season with English club Fulham. Toronto used that slot to acquire the former Columbus Crew forward before trading him to the Fire for Barrett and a draft pick, a consideration that TFC general manager Mo Johnston had insisted on.

Originally, rumours had indicated that only Fire starlet Justin Mapp or  Chris Rolfe would suffice for Johnston, but Barrett and the draft pick could yet prove a fine piece of business for the Canadian club.

Barrett’s arrival may mean the end of Jeff Cunningham’s career in Toronto. The 99-goal man has been overlooked lately with 16-year-old Abdus Ibrahim and Jarrod Smith getting the nod up front in recent matches.

Toronto FC acquired FC Dallas forward Abdus Ibrahim today in exchange for a conditional selection in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.

Dallas will get TFC’s natural first round selection in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft if: Ibrahim plays in 10 or more 2009 MLS regular season games, or, if he is sold or loaned, or, if he is traded to another MLS team before the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. If none of the conditions above are met, Dallas will receive Toronto’s natural second round selection in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. In addition, Dallas will receive 50 percent of any transfer fee if Ibrahim is transferred from an MLS club to one overseas.

The 16-year old Ibrahim was selected by FC Dallas in the 2nd Round (14th overall) of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. The selection had been acquired from Toronto in September 2006 along with Adrian Serioux in exchange for midfielder Ronnie O’Brien.

Ibrahim was ineligible to be on FCD’s 28-man roster during the 2007 season, as he remained with the U.S. Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida to finish school and be part of the U.S. U-17 National team that participated in the 2007 U-17 FIFA World Cup in South Korea.

Over the past two seasons, Ibrahim has appeared in four Reserve Division games, scoring one goal.

The New England Revolution today announced that it has acquired first-year defender Pat Phelan from Toronto FC in exchange for the rights to one of New England’s eight international roster spots through the 2010 season.

Phelan, 23, was originally selected by Toronto in the first round (10th overall) of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft out of Wake Forest University. He did not make a first-team appearance with Toronto this season, but did start three MLS reserve-division matches with TFC.

The Enfield, Conn., product and Wilbraham and Monson Academy (Wilbraham, Mass.) graduate was a 2007 NSCAA First-Team All-American at Wake Forest and helped the Demon Deacons win the 2007 NCAA College Cup. In 2003, Phelan was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year and NSCAA Massachusetts Player of the Year.

Phelan has played with the U.S. Under-17, Under-18 and Under-20 teams, and helped the U20s secure a berth in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in Holland. He also was called into the U.S. Under-23 camp in January 2008.