Toronto FC enter their busiest month of the Major League Soccer season sitting in a great position. With 20 points from their first 12 matches they are fourth in the Eastern Conference. They are within striking distance of the summit, with multiple games in hand on the teams above them as they head to the Windy City to face the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night, live on TSN and TSN Radio 1050. The Reds conceded a late goal to drop a couple of points in New York on Friday in their first game back from the World Cup break, but the 2-2 draw at Red Bull Arena extended their unbeaten run to five matches, their longest run without a defeat in almost two years. It is six years since the only other time Toronto FC managed to take 20 points from their first 12 matches. Last year it took until their 22nd match to reach that mark. So there is much to be positive about as the Reds look to climb the standings during a hectic month ahead. The Form: During their five match unbeaten run, Toronto FC have won three home games and drawn twice away from home. Both of their ties on the road came against teams that are expected to be challenging for the playoffs come the end of the season. First, they showed resilience to fight back late in the game despite being a man down at defending champions Sporting Kansas City, and then last Friday the late goal went against them as they drew 2-2 in New York. For far too many seasons in Major League Soccer, Toronto FC have traveled away and shown very little ability to collect points. But things have changed. Yes there have been a couple of dismal days this season like the defeat at Real Salt Lake, but there have also been wins at Seattle and Columbus as well as the recent draws. This is a team that now has the quality and belief to go anywhere in MLS and get a positive result. The Big Question: Will Jermain Defoe keep scoring? Defoe now has eight goals in nine MLS appearances and theres no reason to believe his goal-scoring touch will disappear anytime soon. Toronto FC paid mega bucks to sign him from Tottenham Hotspur in January, and so far Defoe has been worth every cent. His movement and instinct in-front of goal is as good as any other player in Major League Soccer. He took his goal superbly against New York Red Bulls and has now scored in each of his last three matches. He has five goals in his last five MLS games. With Defoe on the pitch, Toronto FC are in every game. The Lineup: With Gilberto struggling with a hip flexor injury, it could be an unchanged lineup for Ryan Nelsens men. The Brazilian seems to be the only injury concern for Nelsen right now, and until Michael Bradley returns from the World Cup, the eleven against New York is pretty much as strong as it gets for Toronto. Dominic Oduro made his first start for the club against the Red Bulls following his move from Columbus and is likely to start against his former team. Oduro looked lively for the Reds and set up Defoe for TFCs first goal. With Collen Warner, Jonathan Osorio and Jackson completing the midfield, there is plenty of MLS experience. The mid-season additions of Warner and Oduro have really strengthened the Reds midfield. With Gilberto expected to miss out, Defoe and Moore should once again start as the pairing up front. The Opposition: Under new head coach Frank Yallop, it has been a slow start to the season for Chicago Fire. The former Canadian international joined the Fire at the end of last season but his side has found it tough to win games in the opening quarter of the year. They havent lost many, but they head into Wednesdays game sitting bottom of the Eastern Conference. The Fire have secured 14 points from 14 matches, with just two wins, but they have drawn eight times. They lost their final match before the World Cup break 3-2 at home to Seattle Sounders, and will now be without defender Jon Kennedy Hurtado who was sent off in that match. Chicago are without a win in their last four matches since securing impressive victories at New York (5-4) and home to Sporting KC (2-1). Former Toronto FC forward Quincy Amarikwa is having a good season and is the Fires joint leading scorer along with rookie Harry Ship, who scored both goals in the loss to Seattle. Yallops team can also call upon Major League Soccers reigning MVP Mike Magee. The Odds: The history books are on Chicagos side. Toronto FC are without a win in their last eight matches against the Fire dating back to May 2010, and the Reds have never won in Chicago on their seven previous visits. In fact, in 16 all-time meetings, TFC have won just three times. But if there was ever a time for Toronto to put things right in Chicago, it is now. Torontos road form is much improved over past seasons and the Fire have been inconsistent so far this season. However, the wise money would be on a scoring draw. Where To Watch: Join me with Jason de Vos and Kara Lang for Chicago Fire against Toronto FC live on TSN on Wednesday at 8:30pm ET, 5:30pm PT. Teppo Numminen Jersey . -- Alex Anthopoulos spoke volumes with what he didnt say on right-hander Ervin Santana. Custom Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . Right-hander Ricky Nolasco and the Twins agreed to terms on a free-agent contract Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/. Lynn was tied for 16th entering the fourth round, six shots behind leader Paul Waring. He started with two birdies and added three more on his last five holes at the Oceanico Victoria course for an 18-under total of 266. Bobby Hull Jersey . Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and Anaheim used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Keith Tkachuk Jersey .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player.10. Vancouver Canucks trade Cam Neely & 1st Round Pick to Boston Bruins for Barry Pederson (1986)Few remember that Neely, the original power forward, spent the first three years of his career with the Canucks. Vancouver gave up on the local product after he put up 104 points in his first three years in the league in an attempt to add some more goal scoring and defensive responsibility to the lineup. Neely exploded on to the scene in Beantown with 72 points and 143 PIMs in his first season while Pederson struggled to regain his scoring touch on the left coast. The cherry on top? The first round pick that the Canucks added to the deal turned into Glen Wesley, who patrolled the Bruins blue line for seven solid seasons at the outset of his two decades in the league. 9. New York Islanders trade Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and a first-round draft choice to the Ottawa Senators for Alexei Yashin (2001)The Islanders have made a few deals over the years that have left their thriving fan base dumfounded, and this one belongs near the top of the list. After sitting out an entire season, Yashin was looking to get paid and the Islanders were willing to open the checkbook. This deal was seemingly reasonable at the time, as Yashin was one of the games better players at the time and Chara had yet to develop into a menace. But Yashin fell off the cliff on the Island, the pick turned into Jason Spezza and we all know what Chara is now. 8. Boston Bruins trade Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau & Brad Stuart (2005)In a bit revisionist history, imagine where the Bruins would be if they had never dealt Jumbo Joe. Would they have won the Cup? More than one? Despite failing to get anything resembling a top six player in return for a Hart Trophy winner, the Bruins saved themselves the money that Joe was asking for, and put together one of the model franchises of the league. Depth is often overlooked, as the players stuffing the box scores receive the credit while the sandpaper playing a dozen minutes a night is considered interchangeable and insignificant. The three players that the Bruins got back in this deal were these type of players, who while valuable were often forgotten. However, Joe scored seventy plus points in in seven straight seasons for the Sharks, so no amount of depth can make up for the impact that he has had in San Jose. 7. New York Islanders trade Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to the Florida Panthers for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha (2000)Mike Milbury strikes again. After taking Luongo 4th overall in 97, he decided to take Rick DiPietro 1st overall in 2000. So obviously he decided to ship Bobby Loo to the Sunshine State. Ironically Jokinen was taken one pick before Luongo in 97, and ended up playing for three different teams in his first three full seasons in the league. This quote from the 2000 draft will go down as one of the more misguided statements in recent history. "Were rolling the dice here a little bit," Milbury said, grinning as if to acknowledge his understatement. "Luongo is going to be an excellent goaltender in this league for a lot of years. But in our minds, we feel DiPietro possesses an element Roberto didnt have." You certainly cant knock Milbury for trying to be bold, and there was no way of knowing that DiPietro would suffer so many injuries that would derail his career, but this move will go down as the feather in Milburys cap. 6. Toronto Maple Leafs trade Tuukka Rask to the Boston Bruins for Andrew Raycroft (2006)The reign of John Ferguson Jr. at the helm of the Leafs was far from glorious, and his decision to trade Rask was especially ugly. The Leafs had both Justin Pogge and Rask coming up in the ranks, and an aging Eddie Belfour on the roster who was in need of some insulation. The decision to ship Rask out instead of Pogge is one that forever marred JFJs track record. Raycroft won the Calder with the Bruins in 03-04, and after playing in the Swedish Elite League during the lockout, made his way to Toronto where expectations were high for the Belleville, Ontario native. There was dreams of Raycroft and Pogge teaming up to form a formidable goaltending tandem for the Leafs, but neither player was able to find their way in the league. Raycroft had one solid season for the blue and white, but failed to find any consistency throughout his career. Rask was just a pup when he was dealt to the Bs, but after developing in Providence for a couple of seasons, the Fin has established himself as one of the best goalies in the game. One can only imagine where the Leafs would be if this deal had never materiialized 5.ddddddddddddMontreal Canadiens trade Patrick Roy and Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and Jocelyn Thibault (1995)We all remember the scene of Roy storming off the ice and whispering into Habs president Ronald Coreys ear. Several days later, he was dealt to the Avs in a move that Canadiens fans still shake their head at. Was it a panic move by the Habs? It sure looks like it in retrospect. The Canadiens thought that they were getting a goalie that would be able to develop into a capable replacement in Thibault, but he was never able a consistent game. All the while Roy won another two Cups in Colorado, and will go down as one of the best goalies of all time. Kovalenko and Rucinsky were capable players, but were never able to find enough success with the Habs to come close to justifying the deal. 4. Edmonton Oilers trade Mark Messier and Jeff Beukeboom to New York Rangers for Bernie Nicholls, David Shaw, Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk (1991)While many point to that fateful day in 88 as the one that defined The Boys on the Bus, it can be said that dealing the Moose was the one that officially ended the dynasty of the copper and blue. However, many forget that the circumstance surrounding the departure of Gretzky and Messier from Edmonton differ greatly. While The Great One was sold by owner Peter Pocklington, Messier and his agent (his father Doug) demanded a trade when contract demands werent met. It is often difficult to leverage adequate value when a player publicly demands a trade, but Oilers GM Glen Sather fell short of even getting players that could stay on the ice for the Oilers. Messier of course went on to lift Lord Stanley for the Rangers, while the Oilers havent won a ring since he left. 3. Florida Panthers trade Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round pick (Sergei Shirokov) to the Vancouver Canucks for Alex Auld, Bryan Allen and Todd Bertuzzi (2006)One player appearing on the same list twice? And by the time the week is done he could make it a trifecta. Apparently GMs around the league are eager to try to formulate deals to ship Luongo around the league, but he who deals him continues to get hosed on the return. Bertuzzi certainly had his time as a high-end player for Vancouver skating alongside Marcus Naslund, but getting a franchise goalie for the better part of a decade was worth more than him and some spare parts. 2. Philadelphia Flyers trade Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, Ron Hextall, Chris Simon, two first-round selections (Jocelyn Thibault and Nolan Baumgartner) and cash ($15 million) to Quebec for Eric Lindros (1992) Lindros was a man among boys coming out of junior, but he came along with some heavy baggage. He made it known that he didnt want to play for the Nords, and ended up sitting out his rookie season waiting for a deal. A year later the Nords shipped him to Philly and in return got a bounty that armchair GMs would have a tough time wrapping their heads around. While Lindros burst onto the scene and established himself as one of the best players in the game, the price that was paid for the man-child is still hard to justify. Forsberg established himself as one of the leagues most dynamic forwards, Hextall eventually found his way back to Philly - but he was an established tender that played another seven seasons after the deal. Add in a half dozen role players plus a cool $15 million, and it is hard to justify this deal despite the level of dominance that Lindros displayed during his time in the league. 1. Edmonton Oilers trade Wayne Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushenlnyski to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three 1st round picks and $15 million (1988) On so many levels, incomprehensible. Not only because of his status as the greatest player of all time, and not only because it was the end of one of the greatest dynasties the game had ever seen. Deals like this are quite simply not possible in todays league and therefore that much more difficult to wrap your head around. The economic condition that the league is flush with now makes it easy to forget the days when southern expansion was fresh and you could quite simply cut checks for players akin to European footy. It doesnt even matter that the Oilers could have ended up in decent shape had Jimmy Carson kept up his torrid scoring pace or that Glen Sather had next to no part in the negotiations of the best player of all time. The trade was hardly that, but more of a transfer of assets. It shocked the sporting world in a way that cannot be replicated. 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