The plight of Toronto FC and the frustration of its fans are popular fodder around the North American soccer community these days. The moaning angst of Reds supporters can be heard down here in the States; for some, it's sweet music that evokes a classic Nelson "Ha ha!". The rest of us are either un-bothered or are watching with interest as the self-examination north of the border begins.

At least one Canadian writer believes that missing the playoffs is a good thing, in the same way that an alcoholic hitting rock bottom and realizing it's time for AA is a good thing. I'm never one to wish pain on a passionate fan base (aside from Mexican National team supporters), and I'm not familiar enough with the management of TFC to know if there's anything to the theory; but if people I respect believe that club (and specifically Mo Johnston) have mishandled things, then I suppose it's probably true.

As the Sounders have proved this year (and yes, I know about the domestic player issues for TFC), there's really no reason that a newer well-supported team with a significant home-field advantage can't make the playoffs. The off-season and year four could be very interesting in Toronto.

There's a press conference shortly with the first act in the drama; the guess here is that Cummins is out.

• FC Dallas defender George John wants to play in Greece one day. I'm guessing that John is Greek, because it seems an odd aspiration for an American player otherwise. It's not that Greece doesn't have a very good domestic league, it's just that most young players here hope to make the jump to England, Germany, Spain, and the like. I'm not sure if John particularly impressed this season (not saying he didn't, I'm just unaware), but maybe he'll improve enough to get his wish one day.

• While some in the US decry the snobbery of soccer fans even while they reject the game out of hand, the Australians seem even more conflicted. The Aussie World Cup bid is a big, big deal Down Under, but not everyone appears to be on board. The idea that both rugby league and Aussie rules football should shut down if the World Cup goes to the country strikes at least one writer as soccer "evangelism" gone awry. What is most interesting to me about this story is that certain portions of it could have easily been written by an American lamenting the behavior of the soccer community in the United States. Perhaps most interesting is the implication that Australia's soccer federation (the FFA) is coloring resistance from the country's other major sporting competitions as "sabotage". I wonder, if Major League Baseball (who I can't imagine would be asked to shut down during an American World Cup and didn't in 1994) threw up concerns about the World Cup here, how the general sports complex would react.

• A typical clueless American has played FIFA 10, and given his review. It's a good review for the game, even if he feels the need to take shots at the sport in general along the way. I haven't played FIFA 10 (though I'm desperate too), but being familiar with the franchise, I can assure you that his basic premise is terribly flawed; even those oblivious to soccer can have a blast playing the game, and it doesn't matter if you completely understand the rules or not. Besides, how hard are they to understand? Oh, and please stop with throwing Beckham into every story even remotely connected to soccer in the US.