Toronto FC was hit hard by international matches this weekend. None of the TFC players out of 18 on the senior squad were called into their national teams leaving John Carver's side with less than the requisite number of footballers for Saturday's clash with Chivas USA. The Reds appealed to MLS to postpone the game as is often done in Europe when call ups become too numerous for a squad to compete but MLS fearing a bad precedent would be set declined the request.

So with scout Tim Regan and two others signed just for one match, the patchwork Reds were crushed by Chivas USA almost at full strength 3-1. The most controversial aspect of this match is that Chivas USA's victory puts them in pole position to make the MLS Cup playoffs and surely the LA based outfits Western Conference rivals must be having a fit about this turn of events.

In partnership with: