Just 10 quick things about Sunday’s 3-2 win over John (Did I say my job was on the line?) Carver and the Reds.

1. First, mock kudos to TFC’s trio of Dorothy Gales:  Adrian Serioux, Dwayne DeRo, and the winger formerly known as Abdus “Ibby” Ibrahim.  Yes, I’m feeling you:   there is no place like home (or your uncle’s house).  And furthermore, I  understand:  with Canada’s vaunted public healthcare system, it might make sense for two rapidly aging, (slightly) thuggy players to want to play in Canuckistan.  It just doesn’t make up for the fact that you wanted out of Texas just because you were homesick.  It’s lame.  Gimme your burning national pride (okay, on second thought — don’t).  Gimme your fondness for Tim Bits and poutine.  Tell me  that you’re one of the 6 people who can actually understand Chretien’s English.  But homesick?  Meh.   What, the Facebook doesn’t work in the Great White North?
2. Second, more kudos to Drew Moor’s occipital and parietal lobes. He had more (intentional) side- and back-headers in the first 35 minutes of play than I’ve seen in 3 years of FCD home games.  It culminated in two things:  (1) a slick goal off of a beautiful set piece (more on that in a sec) and (2) a run by FCD players on who could pull off the most ridonkulous flick-on / side-header out there.  My top five crazy headers from the day?
   1. Drew’s Goal
   2. Dax’s wicked, no-look redirect to the foot of El Matador.
   3. Kenny Cooper whiffing on trying to flick on a 50-50 ball when matched up with TFC’s Brennan.  (He completely missed it.  He went up, ball went down, he looked bad.)
   4. KC whiffing on another flick-on, unguarded, and in space.
   5. The header David Ferreira got when Adrian Serioux picked him up, and threw him in front of an oncoming vdb cross.  (Okay, this one didn’t happen, but it brings us to #3.)
3. Memo to Messrs. Hyndman, Ellinger, Ferruzzi, and Keeshan:  Adrian Serioux is one of the biggest, strongest, baddest, pushiest, filthymcnastiest players in the league.  David Ferreira is one of the smallest, especially now that Gallardo went and drop-shipped himself back to South America in one of those handy-dandy FedEx tubes.  Sure, David’s probably the gutsiest player this side of the 2007 ghost of Juan Toja, but who thought that match-up was a good idea (at least in theory)?  At some point in the first half, we were treated to the wicked-est sounding collision (Serioux to Ferreira, just solid shoulder-meeting chest/head) since Alex Yi took a shot at point-blank range to the noggin.
4. Second Memo to Hyndman/Ellinger et al.:  Kudos to whomever dreamt up the scheme of putting David on Serioux.  Old Adrian (oops, did I go there?) looked positively flustered most of the night when matched up with his Matador-ness.  And did I mention pushy?  Not overly so, but he spent the first half trying to figure out why he couldn’t outmuscle DF off the ball.  This frustration led directly to the free kick which led to the first goal, as a likely-beaten Serioux had to drop Ferreira by the corner flag.  After a talking-to by the ref after a later collision (see #3) — and TFC’s move to a 3-5-2 –  Serioux ended up letting DF maneuver a little more.  This led to the second goal, where Ferreira used the space to find Cooper and his right foot.
5. While we’re on the subject:  David Ferreria plays hard.  Really hard.  He also has changed his game significantly in just the past couple of weeks.  Maybe it’s the move to a more attacking role, but he’s got the feel for the MLS game down.   He still is a beautiful passer, but he’s not afraid to mix it up.
6. Hand of God watch:  I swear someone batted the ball down with his hand in the box on the first Toronto goal.  Gotta go to the replay.  And just to prove that I’m bitter about any goal scored on Ray Burse, Jr.:  Barnett was offside.  Way offside.
7. Yo, Kenny.  You’re not Cristiano Ronaldo.  You’re the best big target striker that the U.S. has.   And you’ve got more hair than Conor Casey.  We get it:  you’ve got good feet.  And you’ve got incredible soccer instincts.  But when you’re camped out by the left touch line, who’s vdb going to cross it to?  Daxter?  Matador? Andre Rocha’s locked in my basement, so don’t count on him (although he showed signs of life — and a nasty shot from 30 yds out that was saved well by Frei).  This team’s all about attacking from that center channel — we’re built super-vertically these days, if you hadn’t noticed.  I’m not der Bus Coach, but it seems that it’d be great to have someone big, physically dominating, and with a nice finishing touch in the middle to capitalize on what’s becoming some very nice flank play.  Know anyone who fits that bill?  Oh, and while we’re at it.  Is it too much to ask for you to push someone off the ball (erm, Serioux) when you’re running down a loose ball?  Too often, I was channelling Vizzinni: YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THIS COLOSSUS, YOU WERE THIS GREAT LEGENDARY THING, AND YET HE GAINS!  I DO NOT ACCEPT EXCUSES! I’M JUST GOING TO HAVE TO FIND MYSELF A NEW GIANT, THAT’S ALL.
8. Big props to Blake Wagner, who did his best Arturo Alvarez impression in the first half, getting forward with pace, good touch, and good decision making.  Yes, Bake is still a work in progress.   He’s a master of what my old coach used to refer to as 80  percenters:  where you get 4 out of 5 things absolutely right, and the 5th, well — it’s crap.  But he had some terrific overlapping runs with vdb, and looked comfortable leading the attack from the back.  (Oh, and he must be studying from the vdb school of picture perfect crosses to a teammate 20+ yds away, because his deliveries were beautimous.  Another pupil?  Pablo Ricchetti, who until he tired half-way into the second half, was the maestro of good passing.  After he tired?  A little more Brett Favre, but no big whoop.)
9. This was a game with a real shift.  In the first 30 minutes, Dallas looked as good as I’ve ever seen them play.  Real good counter-attacks.  Nice possession.  Even some great looks at goal.  (More on that in a second.)  Something happened aboug the 35 minute mark — which caused us to lose possession, for KC Jr. to become Ronaldo, for Dax to be taken out of the run of play, for David to end up occasionally as the last man in the back, and for Rocha to go back into the basement.  What was it?  Oh, nothing we haven’t seen before:  Carver switched back to the 3-5-2.  The width that the 3-5-2 game them continued to give Dallas fits, and even Amado Guevara and even old Dorothy Ibrahim a couple of star turns leading the TFC attack.
10. Quick hits to round out the top 10:

• Whoa, do we need to be less selfless, or what?  KC almost pulled a hammy trying to get Cunningham the ball on the flat in the box — when he had a clean look (1 v 1) at goal.  Ferreira passed up a sitter for a pass to Dax, who passed it to Pablo (who shot it from 40, for good measure, into the backside of some TFC defender).  Looking for Schellas to impose a Norman Dale-style rule for anyone not named Marcelo Saragosa:  3 shots, or you sit.
• George John John. Welcome.  Although you have the same haircut as my sister did in 8th grade, you looked great.  Trash-talking DeRo was a nice touch.  As was the mock apology when he complained to the ref.
• KC Jr. was wearing Steve (”I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”) Purdy’s boots in the first half.
• Ray Burse (JUNIOR!) is a beast.   Although he plays keeper like I do on FIFA 09:  run at the oncoming guy with the ball as much as posisble.
• RB for Dallas seems to be the equivalent of the Defense Against the Dark Arts job at Hogwarts.  This week’s victim?  The newly-rebuilt Marcelo Saragosa, who was serviceable, but didn’t have the wheels to track back when he got burnt.  He’s a good defensive stopper and tough, but still lacks pace (don’t we all?) and doesn’t make the best decisions with what to do with the ball when he gets it.  In honor of Marcelo — and Torres’s late sub — I’ll close with what I hope won’t be a recurring feature:  the Los Toros Defender Readiness Rankings (as of 4/20):

1. Drew Moor
2. Blake Wagner
3. George John (Yikes, but who would you put in this spot?)
4. Marcelo Saragosa
5. Danny Torres
6. Michael Dello-Russo (made the bench)
7. Steve Purdy (didn’t)
8. Anthony Wallace (didn’t)