Try to make it real
You wake up in the night
With a fear so real
You spend your life waiting
For a moment that just don't come
Well don't waste your time waiting
- Bruce Springsteen
Rarely, nay never, do I start my blog post with quotes from old Springsteen classics, but the phrase "spend your life waiting for a moment that just don't come" seemed to sum up my feeling about TFC home games since losing to Montreal back during the CNE. They have been awful. They can show energy for stretches and hold onto the ball, but creating opportunities seems beyond them. Opposing teams seem to anticipate faster than TFC appear to know each other.
Two games left to play and the avalanche of offensive power and goals, goals, goals is just not going to happen now. If any MLS team is not drooling about meeting TFC in the playoffs, they have not been paying attention.
Tonight the starting midfield of Bradley, Osorio, Lovitz and Cooper represented a 2016 offensive output of 1 goal, 1 goal, 0 goals, 0 goals (a recent signing in Cooper). Defending against TFC means paying attention to Altidore. Shut him down or limit his goals to one and you have a chance with Toronto. Drew Moor and Justin Moor are more likely to score than anyone in the midfield.
I don't think that we are dealing with players who are squandering their talents, I see no reason to question the effort. TFC began the night with more energy than of late. It did not translate into the long awaited goal fest.
I blame the coaching. The midfielders all seem to lack any shooting abilities and awareness of each other. It takes guile, speed, skills and a fair bit of ego to get yourself and the ball into shooting opportunities.
Those qualities were once again absent or at least the ego is lacking.
Cooper had some moments of skill and surprise, although I am not sure of his position within the midfield. Did he have the green light to roam around? I must once again propose Michael Bradley pair with Drew Moor in the back and put Cheyrou at the base of the midfield again.
Endoh started the year as a promising rookie. He seems to have regressed. Lovitz started well last nigh, got lost as the game wore on. Osorio missed getting his foot to a scoring opportunity early on. I want Osorio to succeed as much as the next fan, but something is missing.
It is hard to come out to the stadium and be so frustrated. It becomes difficult to imagine this team turning it around and reaching the playoff stage of the season with any zest, style, confidence or winning ways.
The return of Giovinco might be a magic bullet, but this is a team that has not won in Toronto since August 6th. Remember TFC began the season with an eight game road trip and finishing the year with plenty of home games was supposed to be an advantage.
Advantage officially squandered with a recent home stretch record now of two losses and three ties.
p.s. I would establish a celebration rule for TFC players. You can go towards/into the south end and celebrate a goal IF it is in injury time and you have scored a goal that puts TFC ahead by two goals or more. To watch Jozy Altidore go into the crowd following his goal in the 35th minute and then have DC score within minutes was too much. Talk about counting your chickens before they have hatched. Talk about looking foolish. Talk about the cart before the horse. Talk about lack of pride and intensity.
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| Look away |
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