Having escaped Richmond with a point for the first time in club history, Toronto FC II found further cause for muted celebration last Friday when they posted their first clean sheet for five games. The the 0-0 draw with Greenville Triumph was also the kids’ first goalless game of the season.

Their last bore-draw was last September, in that riveting anti-climax of a season finale against the erstwhile Harrisburg City Islanders . Incidentally, Jordan Perruzza had as much luck in front of goal then as two weeks ago, not that there’s any shame in being shut out by the Upstate Boys’ notoriously stingy defence.

Ironically, the local lines(wo)men were no help at all to the Young Reds. Previously reliable allies, the hosts were flagged offside as often as the visitors, including on a would-be injury-time winner by Mehdi Essoussi.

The clean sheet was especially encouraging in that it felt genuinely earned. Instead of their opponents simply not turning up, or not being able to finish to save their lives (Lansing Ignite have done both), this was a solid – if occasionally haphazard – defensive effort.

Eric Klenofsky redeemed himself for that clanger against Richmond, making some choice saves amid possible injuries to two centre-backs. After taking a ball to the chops late in the first half, Rocco Romeo was switched out for injury-list perennial Jelani Peters. The Trinidadian lasted all of fifteen minutes before making way for Noble Okello.

Greenville didn’t help themselves, insisting on directing almost all offensive traffic down TFC II’s left flank, running slap-bang into Terique Mohammed each time. The left-back ran some great interference in between his runs up the wing, taking a fair pummeling in the process.

Get this, folks: TeMo got a Triumph player booked and kept his own name out of the ref’s notebook.

TeMo and Klenofsky were both well worth their Team of the Week nods, so you can imagine one’s incredulity when only Klenofsky was named to the starting eleven for Sunday’s visit to Frisco. Filling in at left-back was academy kid Themi Antonoglou.

Apparently the latest victim of the coaching staff’s drive to convert wingers into fullbacks, the boy’s had an easier go of things so far than, say, long-lost draftee Trev Swartz. He did look a bit panicked whenever Black Satellite Richard Danso came into his orbit, but he did nothing to embarrass himself, which is just as well really.

Having replaced Themi at halftime, TeMo duly ended his one-game clean-streak with a booking that earned him his second accumulation suspension of the season. The pain of that may be ever so slightly on Friday by the long-awaited return of Dante Campbell.

Last seen in June, he was a 60th-minute substitute for the equally elusive Franco Ramos Mingo. Griff Dorsey may once again be able to attack without first having to run the length of the field.

Speaking of welcome returns, Matt Srbely – scourge of the USL1 podcasting fraternity – was back with a vengeance, proving to be the Young Reds’ most potent threat. His best chance, courtesy of a Tsubasa Endoh cross, ricocheted first off the crossbar and then the goal line.

Alas, even if both the Bramptonian’s chances had gone in, the best kids were leaving with was a draw. There was no protesting the penalty (despite Dante’s rather persistent efforts) and the fact the Texans didn’t score more was all down to Klenofsky. At the other end, Perruzza’s form eluded him.

It’s tempting to think the lad’s starting to take his pursuit of the golden boot quite seriously. It would certainly help explain why on a promising counterattack, rather than pass the ball to TeMo, he howitzered it from thirty yards out, then watched it travel skywards at a 45-degree angle.

Whether or not he’s daring to dream, the hosts’ second was a classic ‘salt in the wound’ moment. In keeping with the year’s trend of Haitians beating up on Canadians at soccer, Ronaldo Damus, the kid who put a hat-trick past TFC II back in June, extended his lead over Perruzza in the golden boot standings with an 83rd-minute strike.

Given how I’ve banged on about the importance of Dante Campbell to this team, I’d love to sound more optimistic about the prospect of this seven-game winless run ending, especially with back-to-back home games coming up. However, this could get worse before it gets better.

The kids have yet to play the Red Wolves in the post-Shaffelburg era, and the last time they did, it was Shaan Hundal bailing them out! Regardless of how Friday’s bout with Chattanooga goes, inaugural wooden spoon winners Orlando City B’s visit to the BTG a week later should be something to look forward to.

Then again, can you think of worse date than Friday the 13th to play a team with such feline-heavy branding? Thank God they don’t play in black.

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Gwyn Richards An Englishman with no worldly connection to Canada. Descended from a long line of Queens Park Rangers fans but whose own interest in European football was killed by Florentino Pérez's credit card. Was indoctrinated into Toronto FC fandom at the hands of some irresponsible podcasters. "Professional football is philanthropy on a grand scale." -David Dome, New Zealand soccer executive

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