Rolling on with the countdown, here's a little ditty for all those Canucks out there...


Number 5: Can TFC Make the Playoffs For the First Time?

2009 is year three for the boys from up north, and their rabid supporters have dreams of the playoffs dancing in their heads. Toronto made several splashy acquisitions over the off-season, the most notable of which brought local boy Dwayne De Rosario home to roost at BMO Field. Although soon to be thirty-one, he has yet to hit the proverbial thrity-plus wall, and now has a chance to play for his hometown team. How the Canadian star gels with former MLS MVP Amado Guevara bears watching; what looks to be a dynamic tandem on paper could just as easily turn into a disaster if Guevara and De Rosario can't come to a strategic understanding. Toronto's back line, however, as with seemingly every other team in the league, is still a bit of a concern. Bringing in another Canadian international, Adrian Serioux, should help, though the other center back position remains unsettled. On paper, Toronto is a certain playoff-contender; it remains to be seen if John Carver can bring it all together and push Major League Soccer's lone Canadian club into the post-season.

Love them or hate them, TFC's fans stand out in a league generally wanting for passion on a large-scale. Toronto will need to take advantage of their significant home-field advantage with great form at BMO Field, sprinkle in a bit of magic when playing on the road, and hope that the sum of their considerable parts equals a first time appearance in the MLS Cup playoffs.