Ryan Johnston

Follow TFC and the Champions League with Twitter. I will update from training, on match day and whenever news breaks.

More celebrating from Ali Gerba is needed -- for both the national team and Toronto FC.

Deprived of viewing yet another Canadian men's national team match due to the inadequacies of television, the best way to assess the 1-0 loss to Jamaica is to pluck passages from the game recaps and comment accordingly.

Here goes.

"Canada entered the match light at the midfield position after both Will Johnson and the returning Dwayne De Rosario were forced to pull out due to injury, and things became more complicated for Hart after Antonio Ribeiro hobbled off on 42 minutes." -- Canadasoccer.com, January 31, 2010

Stephan Hart was handcuffed ahead of the friendly as the majority of his team selections are playing out of season. While the injury of De Rosario robbed the game of acting as a true barometer of how good the team is under Hart, more concerning is the fact that the durable De Rosario picked up an injury in his first real action since October. At 31, De Rosario is entering that phase of life where the mind still thinks it can tell the body to do what it has all along. Quite often, the body thinks otherwise.

"Another of their key players, midfielder Julian De Guzman, was seen with an ice pack strapped to his right knee, but he dismissed any thought about him not being fully fit. The 28-year-old player, whose mother is Jamaican, explained that his knee was a bit sore from training on the relatively hard surfaces here, since they arrived on Friday." -- The Gleaner, January 31, 2010

The above simply reiterates how important the installation of the natural surface at BMO Field is for the future of Toronto FC. There has been no formal announcement (that I am aware of) concerning where the MLS team will train in 2010, but for the well-being of the two players cited above it is paramount that grass be found.

"I thought David Monsalve read the game quite well, he has excellent feet, and he came up with a save that kept us in the game, all credit to him, the young man did well." -- Canadasoccer.com, January 31, 2010

I was recently critical of the goalkeeper gap in this country. Now, one good game does not make a goalkeeper be, but recognition in the form of praise builds confidence. It appears the No. 1 job is Monsalve's to lose; let's hope he decides to keep it.

"After Canada starting the second half slowly, Julian de Guzman fired a speculative effort over the bar from 25 yards out in the 52nd minute. Gerba was the next to go close for Canada after a slide rule pass from de Guzman created space for the big striker but he could only blast over the bar when well positioned in the Jamaican box." -- Canadasoccer.com, January 31, 2010

"Canada's best opportunity came late in the game when unmarked forward Ali Gerba missed from eight yards." -- sportsnet.ca, January 31, 2010

Aargh! A fourth season of wasted opportunities for projected Toronto FC goal scorers is not going to sit well.

"I was also very impressed with Ali Gerba's second half, he ran, he created gaps, he got behind the defence, and he pressured the defence, those things please me a lot." -- Canadasoccer.com, January 31, 2010

OK Gerba, you are momentarily forgiven. But as soon as coach Preki starts to rue missed chances and dropped points, the spotlight will return.

Speaking of spotlights, the Reds have been out of it this winter with only a new coach and a few anonymous draft picks to boast of. It was during February of last year that Pablo Vitti and Adrian Serioux were signing documents and the ink on De Rosario's had yet to dry.

Flying under the expectation radar is a good thing. Personally, I am hoping Preki places a gag order on the team in regards to playoff predictions.

I am off to the Olympics for a month, but be sure to follow Soccercentral on Twitter for updates on TFC, the CSA and whatever else the weekly show has in store ahead of the 2010 season.