Toronto shows perpetual offense, defeats KC 2-0

There is something sweet brewing down by Lake Ontario. That once wonky home team is showing signs of coming together on a fast-track schedule that not even the crazy optimistic few were ever predicting. We fans spent the winter complaining about the lack of ingredients going into the stew-pot, but if this continues who cares about the slow cooking method that got us to this point ?
Toronto FC won their second home game today, defeating the Kansas City Wizards 2-0. Amado Guevara scored both goals and if the first one was just taking advantage of bad KC defending, the second was brilliant and inspired. He curled in a high free kick, over the wall and under the crossbar. The build-up to that goal was worth the price of admission. Robert and Guevara both over the ball and deliberating to the point that Robinson ran back with what seemed to be an offer to mediate. No need for intervention, it was just part of the drama.
TFC have yet to allow a goal in two home games and have created their very first three game winning streak. Greg Sutton in goal and the back four are working together smoothly. Although you were always aware of KC’s ability to counter-attack, even the eventual Marco Velez mistake was corrected and countered. It is unfair to mention the Velez scary moment, he has looked strong and steady at BMO Field to my eye.
Every midfielder made a complete contribution. I am willing to give a huge salute to Carl Robinson who may have played his best ever game in a TFC uniform that I have witnessed. He was everywhere, tracking and disrupting the KC attack and distributing the ball crisply and smartly when Toronto had the ball. He seemed to know the Wizard attacking strategy better than they did. Lauren Robert had a productive first half as Toronto did everything short of scoring. Robert does tire in the second half and I am hoping that his stamina can improve for the hot months to come. I was silently willing John Carver to sub Robert for at least 15 minutes before he did. But Carver's delay meant that Robert was there as a free kick threat/decoy on the spectacular second goal. There is no doubt that the burst of energy that Jarrod Smith brought to the left flank was startling and we should see more of him, possibly earlier.
Maurice Edu played well,, but he seems to be still adjusting to the new trio around him (Guevara, Robert and Ricketts). Speaking of adjustments, Ricketts and Wynne seem to be on different pages. The potential to be mined there is considerable. I liked that Carver switched his wingers, Ricketts and Robert, from time to time.
Danny Dichio continues to work hard, but looks surrounded by defenders most of the time in this new alignment. Guevera seems to play a fluid role, but I think he is more connected to the midfield than he is to Dichio. Danny Dichio is still a big part of this team, but if the rumours of a summer Designated Player striker signing have any truth to them, his days as a starter may be numbered.
PS- I have to share my bleat on the release of Tyler Hemmings. You have to hope that it is a situation where he goes somewhere to get playing time and a bigger paycheque. The TFC record on developing Canadian talent is crappy and needs some attention.

Canada, the Faroe Islands of CONCACAF......

U23 qualifying semifinals for the Olympics took place in Nashville tonight. The final score was USA 3 Canada 0. TFC players involved were Maurice Edu and Marvell Wynne for the USA and Tyler Hemmings for Canada. Andrea Lombardo came on as a substitute in the second half and Josh Wagenner who recently had a trial with TFC was the Canadian keeper. Ok, I have had time to think about it. Faroe Islands have never finished third in any Uefa tourney. So it was a harsh reaction to just how hopeless things looked against USA.

I have to take back my comments regarding TFC's play in South Carolina. Seeing Edu and Wynne in action tonight was an electric reminder of how much talent those two have and judging the quality of Toronto's play without them is a fool's game. So that makes me the fool. Yes, Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore are the flashy strike force of the US attack, but Edu was always on the ball in behind them. He shows such poise directing traffic and feeding balls up to the front runners. Edu's great leap forward could be the key to TFC's success this year.
Marvell Wynne played a dazzling game. In the first half he was pressing forward from the back and he was the dominant player on USA's right flank. He played more defensively in the second half although I noted at least one run up to the inside of Freddy Adu that almost paid off.
On the Canadian side Tyler Hemmings played well. He was more of a factor in the second half, but it is so hard to attribute his play to anything other than the US playing well back and giving Hemming room to search in vain for a hole in their armour.

I am sure that I am not the only Toronto fan who let out an audible sigh when Andrea Lombardo was added to the Canadian attack. Tonight I officially fell off the Lombardo's " young and therefore could develop" wagon. Not that I was buckled in mind you. I will always be willing to be proven wrong on this as it will benefit TFC and Canada, but I don't see any creative vision or finishing talent there. When trying to run onto the ball he always seems to veer off in the direction the ball is never going to follow him to. His passes suffer the same fate and the less said about his shooting skills, the better.
So come Olympic time this summer TFC will lose two stars for a good stretch of time. Then again it would be a thrill to welcome them back to BMO with gold medals around their necks .....

Houston Dynamo 0 TFC 0

Whew, yeah, whew, a tie on the road and a little bit of justice for TFC against a team that is supposed to be top quality (although I remain unconvinced based on their play against TFC, now both home and away).
OK I am a fan and a blogger, not a neutral observer. The quality of this game was looking shaky to begin with. TFC often struggles on the road and the Houston Dynamo is going for the record of MLS minutes without allowing a goal. So fans were not expecting a goal fest.
Houston did have the upper hand at the start, a hit post and a handful of near misses seemed to be a hint that they would start scoring, but it never happened.
Edu getting a red card in the first half turned the game into a bog. The Dynamo were throwing what fire power they had and TFC was holding their positions, marking their men and allowing Serge to make some solid saves. It was ugly, but it was efficient ugly.
Credit to Mo for some cagey substitutions. Poz for Dichio was a bit heartbreaking, but you could see the sense. Lombardo for Samuels was a wonderful move. Lombardo would keep the pressure on whenever given the chance (which was the role of Collin Samuels too, but the fresh legs helped). Lombardo's counter-attacks down the right with O"Brien and Wynne kept the flicker of hope for a goal well against the run of play alive.
Back to that red card moment. I thought the call was a bit harsh and seemed to be the result of a circus on the field. You got the feeling that TFC lost a debate. I think that Maurice Edu is a quality player, a solid rookie and a fair play sort of individual. It was a mistimed challenge and did not seem vicious or reckless.
One more road game to go and TFC now have 6 points from 5 games, which is decent and keeps them in the playoff picture. The game next weekend against Columbus Crew now looms very large as I think they hold the playoff spot that TFC covets.

PS- Houston did set the MLS record of longest streak of minutes with no goals allowed during the second half.

Chicago Fire 1 TFC 1

Visiting Toyota Park for the first time in the MLS, TFC was able to gather a point on the road in a strange game. Toronto was a mixture of misfiring and relentless. It was hard, sometimes, to decipher which was the home team. During the second half except for a call on Marshall in the box (which lead to pk Fire goal by Chad Barrett) and then a near-miss mess-up late in the game, you would have sensed that TFC was playing for the win and Chicago was settling for the tie. That statement might be misleading, the Fire were dangerous from time to time. However the growing number of missed chances from TFC held your attention overall.
The first half was a stalemate and ended scoreless. Carl Robinson and Ronnie O'Brien both looked off their top games. There was a constant parade of knocks and minor injuries that kept the game from creating a flow or energy. Edu and Andy Welsh were both slowed by collisions and contributed little. Dichio and Samuel were ok, but with little on offer from the midfield they did have to fend for themselves.
Jeff Cunningham did not start and did not see the pitch. Andrew Boyens also was not playing. Considering the revolving doors of trades, call-ups for U-20, Gold Cup and Copa, it should be no surprise that TFC's starting 11 was a new variation.
The parade of new faces was not as dramatic as would appear at first. Left back Todd Dunivant would have played with Marvell Wynne last year in New York and prior to that would have played some time with Marshall for the Galaxy. Collin Samuel was playing with Wynne for the first time, but with Samuel's spectacular lack of finish, Marvell could have easily thought he was still playing with Jeff Cunningham.
The TFC goal was a brilliant bolt out of the blue. Marvell Wynne sent the ball long from around the halfway line, Maurice Edu controlled the ball off of his chest and , while falling, fired the ball into the net. Wynne and Edu had strong second halfs and Ronnie O' Brien came along with force. Collin Samuel was active and maddening, he has the potential to score hat-tricks based on last night's performance. He has to finish.
So it was a turbulent ride tonight. Willing to settle for a tie, mad to see TFC fall behind, thrilled to watch them even it up on a brilliant goal, willing to settle for a tie and then at the final whistle convinced that a win was there for the taking but for some finishing, pretty well sums the game up.
A couple of Still Kicking observations
-Calen Carr of Chicago had an impressive headband. It looked so wide that it probably was bought with matching mittens.

-The TFC need for depth on the bench is still there. It would have been nice to see another substitute with goal scoring potential come on late in the game, but Cunningham is being saved to ensure recovery and who else was there ? Andrea Lombardo would have fit the bill.
Summary
Chicago - Chad Barrett (pk) 70
Toronto - Maurice Edu 78
Cards
Chicago- CJ Brown 31
Toronto - M. Edu 34
Toronto- Jim Brennan 69 (arguing the pk call)
Toronto - Chris Pozniak 76
cheers and maybe more in the morning
Next game - Houston on Sunday July 15th evening game