Road wins do not have to be pretty. (TFC proved last Wednesday night that home wins can be ugly too!) Saturday night, it seemed like ugly was all TFC had to offer, but there were many moments when they had hope and charm mixed in. We foolhardy fans started believing at half time that the Reds could clampdown on DC’s sputtering offense for a half and steal a road win. Dichio’s effort in the first half, two goals, had a sense of magic to it.
Although DC United displayed improved attacking power and pace tonight , I think it is clear that Toronto gave this one away. Where did the midfield go in the second half ?? On Wednesday night there was confidence and attention to position when TFC was defending a lead. Did losing Tyrone Marshall throw TFC off kilter ? Somehow I doubt it as Olivier Tebily slid in smoothly and looked strong .
That penalty call on Wynne, which lead to the tying goal on Moreno’s pk ,was a borderline blunder, although I am willing to admit that the blunder belonged to both Wynne and the ref. No touch from Marvell = no call from the ref. That was when you felt that the air was going out of the tires.
Then the winning goal was just Sutton giving out a juicy rebound when TFC could least afford it. I guess that was just the karma payback for the Dichio goal back in Toronto. I feel bad pointing out the Sutton goof, he has been such a wall of late.
A cruel collapse, but signs of improvement on the road were there. Twice holding a lead in DC was more than one once dared to hope for.
Players who contributed little tonight were the usual suspects of late, Rohan Ricketts, Maurice Edu, Jeff Cunningham. Will Ricketts lose his starting spot to Jarrod Smith ? I am betting on it.
Can Maurice Edu show some confidence and move forward with the ball, creating space for others and showing some willingness to take his shot ?
Whether it is Guevara or Robinson, there is either an element in the TFC squad that is hampering Edu or he is falling into a deep slump. Maybe the trip to Wembley will shake him out of it.
Cunningham was brought on when there was only a slim hope and a long prayer that Toronto could tie it. The indications that a striker is being sought ...well I have been predicting a good-bye to Cunningham since last October....
I missed the foul that resulted in Lauren Robert being sent off so late in the game. Does this mean that he misses the Montreal game or the LA game ?
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