Ryan Johnston

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

Neglectful in my Toronto FC duties, I am back after what seems like six months away to begin covering Season 4 in earnest.

I will say that being away from the city provides a unique perspective as much of the Reds-related news received over the past two months arrived via text message or ESPN's Bottom Line ticker.

Exalting "Hey! Marvell Wynne got traded!" upon reading the ticker draws very little discussion in Central Florida, which leaves oneself to determine on their own that yes, it was a good trade. Where to deploy the marauding defender is now the Rapids' problem. Not sure centre back is the answer, either.

Staying with the topic of ESPN, the alpha male of sports networks does a admirable job of promoting the league as I was able to watch a fair portion of First Kick weekend and beyond, including the inspired start to the season in New York and the agonizing virtuoso performance from cast-off Edson Buddle against Chivas.

Anyhow, upon return to Toronto I was brought to full speed by my ever-ornery-yet-educated friend, former teammate and paid-in-full member of the RPB.

(As a quick aside, Pabst Blue Ribbon, or PBR for short, was the inexpensive drink of choice for discerning bloggers south of the border. I foresee an acronymic match made in heaven between America's cheapest brewery and one of the Reds thirstiest supporters' groups.)

However, an email thread full of 'arghs,' 'don't tell me thats' and 'I like England's chances in South Africa' later, I was able to confirm that the fourth season and the first season are being uttered in the same sentence. The similarities exist: an unsettled squad, lack of scoring, new coach, etc.

But the one difference may be that the team is now fully ensconced in the sporting landscape and the act of expanding Toronto FC as an institution appears to be more prevalent than securing Toronto FC as a playoff include. For the second straight summer the talk of the town is another European power playing on the new grass at BMO Field.

The past three seasons have begun with someone within the ranks at least predicting a playoff battle, but this year a gag order on success seems to be in place. The timing could not be worse, either. Hosting a MLS Cup final is fantastic, but couldn't it wait until the Reds were settled and ready to make it a home game?

Regardless, it is good to be back talking TFC.

Late breaking non-news

After 534 minutes and one goal, the Ali Gerba experiment is over in Toronto. As far as I can deduce, Gerba failed to take the offseason seriously and showed up to camp in sub-par shape. The stopwatch of Preki exposed it early and now Gerba is free to play elsewhere (read: unlikely).

With fitness guru Paul Winsper out of the picture, Preki has made it his responsibility to get the club in shape. Against Columbus, eight of the 10 out players completed the full 90 minutes. While the team may once again struggle to score, it seems that the late game collapses due to tired legs and lazy minds will be a thing of the past.