6 January 2011 - Maybe They Should Have Taken A Little Bit Longer

On 6 January 2011, following a complete shake-up, Toronto FC introduced their new management team, including head coach Aron Winter. The new regime didn't last very long, however.

The previous November, following a disappointing season that saw them miss the MLS playoffs for the fourth straight year, Toronto hired former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Jürgen Klinsmann to re-evaluate the entire club, top to bottom, over a six-month period. His tasks included identifying a suitable playing style and recommending someone to fill the position of Director of Soccer.

Just over two months later, the club announced the results of that effort, introducing former Ajax assistant coach Winter as the team's new boss, with his colleague Bob de Klerk following him from the Dutch club to be Toronto's First Assistant Coach. Former Plymouth Argyle manager Paul Mariner completed the trio, stepping into the Director of Soccer role.

Despite the re-vamp, Toronto's 2011 season was another disappointment; with a record of 6 wins, 13 losses, and 15 draws, the club again failed to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs (though they did reach the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League). The 2012 season was just as poor, leading the club to sack Winter in June and replace him with Mariner, who was then sacked in January 2013.

7 April 2012 - A Canadian Derby Hits New Heights

On 7 April 2012, the Montreal Impact got their first MLS win, beating rivals Toronto 2-1.

Formed as an American Professional Soccer League team in 1992, Montreal had to wait fourteen years for their biggest rivals to arrive, as Toronto was established in 2006 as an expansion team for Major League Soccer. Although the two teams played in different leagues, they met every year in the Canadian Championship (which started as a round-robin tournament in 2008 with those two team and the Vancouver Whitecaps, then added Edmonton in 2011).

Montreal won the first Canadian Championship, but Toronto has won every one since, never losing to Montreal. So when Montreal joined MLS in 2012, they hoped the change in their league status would lead to a change in fortune.

Hosting Toronto at the Olympic Stadium, Montreal wasted little time in staking their claim, taking an 18th-minute lead with a goal from midfielder Siniša Ubiparipović. Still down 1-0 in the second half, Toronto tried to rally, but lost defender Logan Emory to a red card in the 65th minute for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Montreal's Andrew Wenger extended the lead in the 81st minute to provide some insurance that the hosts later needed when Toronto's Danny Koevermans scored a late consolation goal.

27 June 2006 - The Red Bulls Say No Mo' To Mo

On 27 June 2006, the New York Red Bulls sacked manager Mo Johnston after just over eight months in charge.

He had enjoyed a lengthy and successful career as a striker in Scotland and England, winning league titles with both Celtic and Rangers. In 1996, he arrived in the US to play for the Kansas City Wizards and propelled them to the MLS Cup title in 2000 before retiring the following year. Then, in 2003, he moved into management, joining the New York/New Jersey MetroStars as an assistant to new manager Bob Bradley.

Bradley's time in New York was brief; the club--rebranded as the New York Red Bulls--dismissed him on 4 October 2005 and named Johnston the interim head coach, removing the "interim" tag just over two weeks later. But Johnston's tenure proved even shorter, as he was undone by only two wins in their first twelve matches of the 2006 season.

Johnston resurfaced as manager of Toronto in 2007, but was reassigned after one season and became the club's Director of Soccer. That position ended in 2010 as Toronto sacked Johnston along with their manager, Preki.

10 July 1989 - No Word Yet On How The Nantes Supporters Reacted

On 10 July 1989, Scottish striker and former Celtic star Mo Johnston signed for Rangers, igniting a firestorm of controversy across both sides of the Old Firm.

Johnston had been born and raised in Glasgow. In 1984, after beginning his professional career with Partick Thistle (1981-84) and then Watford (1983-84), he signed for Celtic, the team he had supported as a child. He was an immediate success for the Hoops, scoring 52 goals in 140 league appearances and helping them to the Scottish Cup trophy in 1985 and the league title in 1986. In 1987, he transferred to Nantes, where he played for two seasons.

In 1989, near the end of his second season with Nantes, Johnston announced his intention to return to Scotland and play again for Celtic. But just days after reaffirming his commitment to Celtic at a press conference at Celtic Park, he signed with their bitter rivals, Rangers. The move shocked and angered Celtic supporters, many of whom felt betrayed by a player whom they had previously supported and who had himself grown up supporting Celtic. He reportedly received several death threats.

Celtic supporters weren't the only ones upset, however. Many Rangers supporters were incensed that the club had signed a former Celtic player, due in no small part to the fact that he was a Roman Catholic. The Old Firm has traditionally broken down along religious and political lines, with Catholics and supporters of Scots-Irish independence mostly favoring Celtic, while Protestants and British Unionists generally side with Rangers. When Johnston signed for Rangers, he became the first Catholic to do so since the end of World War I (and had the highest profile of any previous Catholic signing). Thus, many Rangers fans reacted to the news of Johnston's signing by burning their scarves and season tickets in protest.

Johnston played only two seasons for Rangers, scoring 46 goals in 100 appearances and winning two league titles. He subsequently played for Everton (1991-93), Hearts (1993-94), Falkirk (1994-96), and the Kansas City Wizards (1996-2001), before retiring as a player and moving into management. He is currently the manager/director of football for Toronto FC.

Johnston's last-minute switch went unexplained for years until 2001, when his former agent Bill McMurdo revealed that the decision was neither his nor Johnston's, but was instead made by the company that owned Johnston's contract. According to McMurdo, that company simply sold him to the highest bidder, who happened to be Rangers.