When the Kansas City Wizards finally get their new stadium in place for the start of the 2011 season it will be a good thing. And the moment Major League Soccer officials start clamping down on the play-acting in the latter stages of games it will also signal a positive move forward for the otherwise improving league.
Craig Forrest from Rogers Sportsnet could not have been more accurate and cutting in his assessment of some Kansas City players who delayed time through feigning injury towards the end of TFC's 1-0 loss at Community America Ballpark in Kansas City.
"Leave them there," is certainly the solution, although of course the risk of an official making a mistake for a legitimate injury will be the MLS's rebuttal to such a suggestion. But surely there has to be a better balance of punitive consequences for such nightmarish tactics.
As for the stadium, well, the sooner they can move into an area where the size of the playing field is bigger than a postage stamp the better. The condensed field dimensions made Saturday night's game a rather queasy spectacle. It was inevitable that either a mistake or a moment of magic would decide the outcome. Considering the lacklustre display it was rather fitting that it would be the former.
Preki, in reverting back to a 4-4-2 formation with the inclusion of Mista and Maicon Santos as the starting forwards, was almost the architect of another important win. Keeping tight defensively and limiting the already limited space has developed into a forte for the current TFC squad and so the signs looked positive as the game developed.
Had Mista finished off his one clear-cut chance towards the end of the first half then all three points would likely have come TFC's way. But, as they say, it was not meant to be.
Not even the inclusion of legitimate star Dwayne De Rosario - who was surprisingly left out for so long - could conjure up a moment of brilliance to get TFC back into the game. Instead, the worrying recurring of defensive mix-ups - at least in league play - allowed Kansas City to effectively steal all three points.
Player Ratings
Stefan Frei (5)
Not one of his better performances. And the signs were there early in the game after a somewhat clumsy clearance. The unfortunate goal was the final straw for an awkward game. Not that it was a blatant error - that was Cann's remit for the night - but he should have done better with clearing up the mess.
Nana Attakora (6)
A good performance under the circumstances in his first game back from injury. Found himself in a real battle with Teal Bunbury and unfortunately he got caught on the goal. Tough to lay full blame on Nana but if we are to be meticulous on positioning then he was on the wrong side of Bunbury from the inadvertent flick-on.
Nick Garcia (5)
An okay performance but there are a few signs that he is beginning to teeter defensively. He was fortunate not to have been called for a grabbing foul on Kamara in the penalty area. Then when TFC were chasing the game he looked vulnerable in one-on-one situations. Late on he displayed his lack of pace and agility when Josh Wolff left him standing.
Adrian Cann (5)
Getting out of his rough patch of performances is proving to be not so easy. When you make an error on what is normally a strength then you know something is up. And with Cann it is now a lack of confidence which he needs to bulldoze through in the coming weeks. The mistimed error which lead to the Bunbury goal was unfortunate but in many ways it was predictable as the directness of Kansas City put the TFC back four under tremendous pressure.
Dan Gargan (6)
Looked vulnerable early on as Kansas City attacked down the left hand side. Eventually settled down and provided a solid performance. The environment of course suited Gargan's style of play.
Joseph Nane (6)
Another good performance from the defensive midfielder. His size and strength give him a presence in the midfield that has been missing. On the ball he is proving to be reliable although at times he takes risks in areas that he shouldn't. Is looking a better option than Sanyang.
Julian de Guzman (6)
A reasonable performance under difficult circumstances. Nothing worse for a player of Julian's ilk to play on a tight field in an overly physical environment. But he coped well although unfortunately again he was not spectacular.
Jacob Peterson (5)
Like Gargan he looked vulnerable defensively early on. Tried to create by being mobile but again the environment was not conducive to his style or strengths.
Nick LaBrocca (6)
Doesn't matter where he plays or what the environment is like, he is a reliable performer. Not spectacular but good defensively and efficient with his passing.
Mista (5)
The jury is still out on Mista. He had the chance to be a hero if he had finished his one opportunity to score. To be fair to him the goalkeeper made a great save after he had to dig out the strike on net. Forrest's observations on his lack of work rate look to be correct. For the time being we can leverage his fitness which is not 100 per cent. If it turns out he has an aversion to working hard then Mista will find out quickly that the MLS is the wrong place to be playing.
Maicon Santos (6)
A great pass set up the chance for Mista. His tactical awareness and technique is generally very good. The cultural shift of playing in North America can hinder even the top imported players. Under the circumstances of the difficult environment he performed well.
Substitutions
Chad Barrett (6)
Looked fresh and hungry when he came on but he could not bulldoze his way through a strong and resilient Kansas City backline.
Dwayne De Rosario (6)
Not enough time or space for Dwayne to be effective. The role he is now playing is a good one and how Preki made the substitutions to get him there (turning the 4-4-2 into 4-3-3) was notable. Easy to say now but really he should have started.