Inspired by the World Cup, Toronto takes the field with the scoring punch of North Korea

TFC 0- LA 0

It was a soggy return to MLS play Saturday night at BMO. 

It was annoying to see the same puzzles remain exactly where they were.

I can see the reasoning behind having Saric and Sanyang on the roster, vet and youngster playing the defensive midfielder role. Yet it seems foolish to play them both at the same time. It means that there is no attack centrally to go along with the lack of attack on the wings.

More tomorrow...

Toronto 0 KC 0 - Playing outside the final third

As today's game was winding down I found myself grateful for the three week World Cup break which the MLS schedule is about to enter. Toronto FC needs the down time. It is not injury recovery time that they seem to require, but some offensive spark. Well maybe "spark" is being too kind, how about offensive firepower. TFC never looked in much danger of having KC take over the game, even when down to 10 men. They also never looked like they were going to turn being the better team into goal scoring opportunities. That is apart from the stunner in the waning minutes when Julian Deguzman sent a volley flying a mile over the crossbar when everyone in the place had expected him to bury the shot low now that he had the keeper at his mercy.

Now the wet, wimpy TFC performance could have been oddly connected to the weather today. It was the first Toronto game of the year played in hot temperatures and strong sunshine. A summer swoon as Toronto FC find ways to cool off is not what the team should be working on. They worked the ball around the field. They defended well against the counter-attack. Stephan Frei was up to every KC shot. The problem was that Frei was handling more action than Nielson, his KC counterpart. Toronto had the play, just not the shots. It was as if the KC goal area never existed in Toronto's plans for long.
I am happy to avoid finding scapegoats for any aspect of the team's performance. Yet I also am realistic. If I am noting a lack of firepower, the Toronto FC big cheeses have to be noticing this too. O'Brien White is a talent that needs tending, but he does not bring much attack with him of late. I think that a striker has been a Toronto FC need since day one (or at least since the departures of Conor Casey and Edson Buddle). Whether through trade or trial or big money player signing, Toronto has to become stronger up front. We will see.
Random thoughts
Ty Harden played the second half as left back and looked solid.
Nick Garcia's red was from a foul that I did not see, so how can I have an opinion?
Mr. Preki was livid from time to time and was unafraid to be up and about in his technical area.
Attakora and Cann continue to take care of business.
Labrocca played the whole game and Peterson just the first half. Neither have moved into the "plays well with others" category.
Gabe Gala looked like he was going to create something out of nothing a handful of times.

Who cares about being soggy when you hoist a cup??

pic by Trout

pic by Trout

The Voyageur's Cup game against Vancouver was not meant to be a contest. Everyone heading to BMO knew that the Cup had already been decided. It was a chance to brave  the elements, get uncomfortable, scout out some Academy youngsters and then partake in a celebration.
Although I enjoyed myself and felt that my attendance was a badge of dedicated fandom, I truly hope that we never have to see such a game again. The teams involved should sit down again and figure out a way to have future cups finish with a deciding cup final.
Since we are talking about the future, I was impressed with Doneil Henry's play in the back four. He looked strong and confident. He spent most of the night paired centrally with Ty Harden and the combo was efficient, seldom beaten and rarely out of place. I am also aware that Vancouver was down to 10 men and had little or nothing to play for, so the potential is hard to gauge.
I also mix my dim view of Nicholas Hunter and Allando Matheson with the fact that we are talking about incredibly young players. One turned 18 in February and the other will turn 18 in September. Therefore the fact that they did not look capable of flying off to the World Cup next week should not be held against them. Patience please, they have some promise.
It is the morning after and my feet have yet to dry. Toronto had the right balance of resting a few regulars, showcasing the very young and controlling play. Too bad the scoring touch eludes too many.
See you Saturday.

SJ 1 Toronto FC 3 Toronto now owns Buck Shaw Stadium

pic from Steve Rubio's Online Life

Here we sit on the brink of June and Toronto FC is on the rise. Saturday night's victory, their first win on the road in MLS play this year, puts them into second place in the East. Prior to the Los Angeles game two weeks ago, they were a team still in search of a point from their road games. Now they are undefeated in two places, north of the border and within the state of California. Suddenly my anticipation of the visit to LA to play Chivas (not until October 9th) has gone up a notch or two.


A lot of the elements of this team's play are coming together. Defending, attacking, midfield control and goalkeeping are all ahead of my expectations.  Hell, even coaching is looking good as the tactic of resting DeRo and JDG for the first half which was a bust against Real Salt Lake worked like a charm in San Jose. 
Before you accuse me of drinking the kool-aid, I still have concerns with O'Brien White's contributions up front. Other negatives were the Sanyang giveaways and the Saric low profile in the midfield and the vulnerability of Toronto's left side (Garcia and Labrocca) as San Jose made a rally in the late second half. For that matter the North American contribution to the team far outweighs the International component. The second half line-up had Amadou Sanyang as the sole International player on the field (Saric, Usanov, Hscanovics were on the bench). Perhaps the rumours of a DP signing or two come July are supported by the shape of the roster. Clearly, I have digressed.
My man of the match, although tempting to name either JDG or DeRo as they came on like forces of nature in the second half, would be Dan Gargan. He was patrolling his wing with crunch to his tackles and never seemed to misplay a ball all night. The continued strong play of Attakora and Cann was also notable, but Gargan seemed to be playing with something extra. The cameras at the end of the game showed him talking to folks in the crowd and it was mentioned that he is local to the San Jose area. 

Stephan Frei was his usual spectacular self in the net. The goal against was off of a corner kick, with a Quake player ending up unmarked in front. Other than that split-second Frei was never a cause for worry. 
Chad Barrett was a force up front and scored his goal on pure hustle. I am with Craig Forrest on the broadcast saying that it was a matter of "chasing lost causes".
We know that the Vancouver game this Wednesday will be a chance to play subs, academy players and hot dog vendors. The June MLS schedule has the utmost respect for the South Africa 2010 WC schedule, so TFC is home to KC on June 5th and then home again to LA June 26th. That is their entire schedule for June. 
So that means plenty of time to rest injuries (Harden and Gomez spring to mind) and prepare for the summer schedule.
Second place!!

Toronto 1 New England 0 - Chad, Chad, Chad!

I had to settle for watching the game on tv today. My  role as U14 coach took me to Port Elgin for a 11 am game which made the 1 pm Toronto FC start simply an impossible conflict. This might have been the first time I was 100% in agreement with Mr. Preki. A 7pm start would have suited me perfectly ( and driven the CBC insane)

My right hand man, Trout FC did attend, so I will give preference to the insights of the fan who was there.

-I thought Sanyang played really well, bumping heads with Shalrie Joseph throughout the whole match.  Sure, his passing still isn't good enough, but he really gave Joseph a run for his money.  Joseph didn't really put a mark on the game and I think that's all because of Sangyang.  He's a long way from being JDG, but I think opposition midfielders won't enjoy playing against him.

-Chad Barrett must have a lot of confidence, to try and chip the keeper at speed.  A lot of people down there were moaning and groaning about the miss, I think it shows us a new side of him.  When he puts that one in, we'll all celebrate.  He really drove the team.

-Really, though, the day belonged to the keepers.  Frei and Burpo were excellent.  Glad TFC came out on top.  Frei really seems to be

a) putting his stamp on the team, controlling his defenders and even bossing Garcia around and…

b) is gaining in confidence, just like Barrett.  There's no doubt in my mind he's confident of his own abilities, and is in charge back there.  The thought keeps coming to my mind 'how long will he be here?"

But, the really great thing today was the men's washrooms.  By the way, this would be a higher ranked highlight and butt of more jokes if TFC had lost today.  MLSE, in an effort to get beer drinkers to spend more time in the washroom has installed new mats in all the urinals.  Check out http://www.theweee.com/products/soccer-the-weee .  Something new and different, and it sure gave me a laugh!  The ball is suspended by a little string or wire, so it moves when you pee on it!  I kept thinking, it's not a goal unless the whole of the ball crosses the line.  Maybe Preki put one of these in Chad Barrett's personal washroom!  How else do you explain the change?

Thanks Trout. 

So the undefeated at home streak continues. We must give credit to TFC for  overcoming the lack of DeRo, JDG and Nana and grabbing a solid win.

When life bites, age offers no immunity

Yesterday Toronto FC announced the retirement, due to a serious heart problem, of their youngest player Zac Herold. He was Toronto's first draft choice this past January and is 17 years old.
This blog has never been much in the area of medical expertise, so I will skip the name of the condition and  any attempt to explain it. It must be serious when it prevents a young athlete from pursuing a playing career.
It is easy to envy the life of the pro athlete. Money, lifestyle, fame, talent and glory just seem to abound. Then something such as this medical affliction comes along to alter the life of a young athlete and the make-believe aspect of cheering for a team falls to the side.

LA 0 TFC 0 - a sweet road point both unexpected and promising

Toronto FC played the top team in the MLS, Los Angeles Galaxy, on their Carson, California home turf and came away with a tie. This gave TFC their first point on the road in 2010. 

Chad Barrett and Dwayne DeRosario have to be given a lot of credit for creating plenty of offensive pressure on LA in the first 60 minutes. This was done despite an ultra-defensive midfield of Labrocca, Saric, Sanyang and Cronin.  The threat of Toronto stealing a goal was something that prevented LA from getting off to a powerful start.

LA turned the pressure on for much of the last half hour. Toronto defended with tenacity and some intelligence, backed by solid keeping by Stefan Frei. It was the second game in a row for the back four of Garcia, Cann, Attakora and Usanov and the the defensive consistentcy is starting to show.

Amadou Sanyang, who was guilty of passing the ball away constantly in the first half, was able to play as a central disruptive force.  It was a relief to watch Saric draw LA fouls instead of recklessly throwing himself about. Usanov is still an adventure to watch as he loses his man in dangerous areas far too often.

You have to give points to the veteran Nick Garcia for a solid game at left back. Gabe Gala was the best of the subs, he provided relentless coverage and counter-attack down the left wing. Peterson was less impressive down the right.

Although you might suspect that Landon D. and Edson B. might have had their heads already on the plane to South Africa, Toronto will gladly take the point. Vancouver on Wednesday remains a very big game, but the Los Angeles game sure seems like a turning point for TFC 2010.