As the North American domestic season comes to a close, we see that not much joy has come from yet another difficult season for Toronto FC. As for the new Vancouver Whitecaps, a new beginning has left them at the bottom of the table. Here is a little review on the Canadian teams so far this year.

We start out west, and way back to the beginning of the season. In Vancouver, we saw the first game in the Whitecaps' MLS history, and the first all-Canadian matchup as well. Vancouver carved holes in Toronto's defence, and we saw a promising defensive-minded team in the Whitecaps. That was in March, and a lot has changed for Whitecaps fans since. In fact, a lot changed between then and the middle of June. The team went 14 consecutive games without winning. This led to head coach and fan favourite Teitur Thordarson's firing. The manager who had coached them from the minor leagues to the big time was suddenly dropped.

Meanwhile, Toronto FC was in another interesting phase of their history. TFC had appointed Aron Winter, a former Dutch international who had ties with the famed team Ajax, in the off season. The ownership was looking to adapt the Ajax model, develop good youth players and play a kind of soccer called Total Football. A win in the second week hinted at an exciting year ahead for the new look Reds. However, the team failed to gel in the first quarter of the season as defensive lapses and an inability to finish led to many mediocre results.

For Vancouver, the rest of the year was very tiresome. In the 29 matches this season, they have amassed only four wins. However, out of the four wins comes some optimism. Defender Jay DeMerit is great marshal in the defensive core for the Whitecaps, and has emerged as a fan favourite as well as a leader in the dressing room. Eric Hassli had plenty of critics after being signed on as Designated Player, but they have relatively been shut out. A large, poacher-style striker, Hassli has created many of his 10 goals from virtually nothing. A great example would be his fantastic goal against Seattle (just search Eric Hassli on YouTube) that earned his team the draw. Overall, even if this year has been poor, things are shaping up for the Whitecaps.

As for TFC, the season has been rather bumpy. After several results where the defence seemed to have held its own, the floodgates opened and Toronto lost six games and only won once in a seven-game stretch. However, with the addition of World Cup veteran Torsten Frings and striker Danny Koevermans, the team has found a productive stretch late in the season.

It was an exciting year for football fans in Canada, but next year will be even better. With the addition of the Montreal Impact to Major League Soccer, we'll have even more disappointment to talk about.