It was hard to gather any positives from this matchup in Columbus today. Toronto went into this game trailing the Columbus Crew by three points in the standings and needed a victory to eliminate this gap. Toronto looked flat and disconnected throughout the game. There was some individual effort, but TFC did not look like a cohesive unit. The defending needed help as the Crew was able to get in behind them a couple of times in the first half. It didn't get better in the second . The attack seldom threatened or was able to sustain pressure until late in the game when Columbus was happy to sit back and defend.
Perhaps it was due to the personal toll of watching two U20 games in the lakeside sunshine today (U20 report to follow tomorrow) but this was a dull contest. It didn't help that the Crew's Argentinian veteran (Guillermo Barros Schelotto) provided both goals. I was tired of seeing Argentinians score, I guess.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
If only....Argentina vs Chile
A few observations on the U20 semi between Argentina and Chile.
This is not the first time during this tournament that I looked forward to an Argentina game and was let down. The previous game against Mexico was as dull as dishwater.
Didn't it seem that Chile's shutout streak was the talisman that they were hanging their hats on and once that was broken, they shattered ?
And since I am using my 20/20 hindsight..if only the ref had yellow carded the Chilean player who kicked out and red carded the Argentinian player for rolling around clutching his head in the area of his eye when there had been no contact.....we might have had a contest.
Now both teams are playing on Sunday (one in the third place game and the other in the final). Should be an interesting afternoon.
This is not the first time during this tournament that I looked forward to an Argentina game and was let down. The previous game against Mexico was as dull as dishwater.
Didn't it seem that Chile's shutout streak was the talisman that they were hanging their hats on and once that was broken, they shattered ?
And since I am using my 20/20 hindsight..if only the ref had yellow carded the Chilean player who kicked out and red carded the Argentinian player for rolling around clutching his head in the area of his eye when there had been no contact.....we might have had a contest.
Now both teams are playing on Sunday (one in the third place game and the other in the final). Should be an interesting afternoon.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Becks arrives in LA
Let me share a few things to help you understand my take on the Beckham LA arrival.
I love LA. I am a child of the sixties and California was the pinnacle in my growing, but frozen Canadian mind. Beach Boys and Disney, Hollywood and Johnny Carson, it was the glamour capital of my little world. My uncle and my grandfather moved there in 1959 (it was the job loss due to the cancelling of the Avro Arrow, the Canadian fighter jet that never made it, that sparked the decision to go south). I visited LA twice as a kid and have made sure that my own kids have been there many times. In recent years I tend to visit annually, my next trip down is August. Prior to TFC, the MLS games I have attended have been Galaxy games.
I am also a huge fan of David Beckham. Most of those LA trips have been to be with my uncle as we cheer on England . The land of my ancestors and relatives has broken our hearts at World Cups and Euros for decades now. Yet every new cup means new faith. Every fan has known that certain teams have an individual who has meant everything in recent Cups. Portugal success = Figo success, France success = Zidane success and England success = Beckham success. Beckham is a special talent. No matter how many birthdays he racks up, I would pay money to watch him play
Now I have never been a fan of Manchester United. However I was unable to cheer against them in the Beckham years.
So this arrival seems close to perfect for me. Superstar soccer player from England decides to play for Los Angeles. So throw away your swipes at his glamour and his wife. Forget whether you think he will make a difference to the profile of the game in North America. I am just plain thrilled that he is here and can't wait for the Galaxy game in Toronto.
I love LA. I am a child of the sixties and California was the pinnacle in my growing, but frozen Canadian mind. Beach Boys and Disney, Hollywood and Johnny Carson, it was the glamour capital of my little world. My uncle and my grandfather moved there in 1959 (it was the job loss due to the cancelling of the Avro Arrow, the Canadian fighter jet that never made it, that sparked the decision to go south). I visited LA twice as a kid and have made sure that my own kids have been there many times. In recent years I tend to visit annually, my next trip down is August. Prior to TFC, the MLS games I have attended have been Galaxy games.
I am also a huge fan of David Beckham. Most of those LA trips have been to be with my uncle as we cheer on England . The land of my ancestors and relatives has broken our hearts at World Cups and Euros for decades now. Yet every new cup means new faith. Every fan has known that certain teams have an individual who has meant everything in recent Cups. Portugal success = Figo success, France success = Zidane success and England success = Beckham success. Beckham is a special talent. No matter how many birthdays he racks up, I would pay money to watch him play
Now I have never been a fan of Manchester United. However I was unable to cheer against them in the Beckham years.
So this arrival seems close to perfect for me. Superstar soccer player from England decides to play for Los Angeles. So throw away your swipes at his glamour and his wife. Forget whether you think he will make a difference to the profile of the game in North America. I am just plain thrilled that he is here and can't wait for the Galaxy game in Toronto.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
RSL 1 TFC 2 ROAD VICTORY !!
What you see on television has such an impact on your opinion of the game. Seeing that turf (astro turf ??) takes me back to a very terrible time. Long ago the Toronto Blizzard played at Exhibition Stadium, the old mistake by the lake, and the ball used to skid and slide all over the place. This RSL-TFC game had a little of that off-kilter, "ball runs too fast for humans to keep up with" style of those old NASL nights at the EX. It was hard for me to cope with the flashbacks and keep a focus on the present. Salt Lake City is such a beautiful part of the world, it is a shame that their playing surface looks so awful and plays wild and bouncy.
First half gave us the two players involved in the trade between the two teams providing the goals.
Jeff Cunningham 19th minute
Alecko Eskandarian 44th minute (penalty kick)
It was great to see Cunningham finish one of his breakaways. Seeing Esky go down (with the help of Posniak's clumsy tangle) and then score, eliminated any former TFC loyalty that remained in this corner. Nothing against Esky really, it just sealed the deal.
The second half began with Cunningham getting a knock/twist/twinge on a challenge on the RSL keeper. It then seemed that the camera was going to stay on the injured Cunningham until an intimate moment was broadcast. As my dad used to say upon hearing of a player's groin injury " that will hurt his performance both on and off the field".
Collin Samuel shifted to striker and Andy Welsh came into the game for Cunningham.
TFC always seemed to be the team in control, if not dominant, through the second half. RSL had some speedy counter-attacks, but did not have prolonged pressure or control.
I'm not convinced that the challenge on Samuel in the box was truly a foul, but the penalty kick was awarded and he made no mistake on his shot. Certainly TFC was more than overdue to have a borderline call go their way.
Andy Welsh made sure that the fans back home had one final heart attack as his pass back almost gave RSL something they did not deserve.
The injuries did pile up- Welsh getting a turf rash to the face, Cunningham with his pull, Sam Reynolds had to be replaced with 5 minutes to go. Mo will have some worries ahead.
But allow me to end with a Swirsky.....
TFC win, TFC win, TFC win !
First half gave us the two players involved in the trade between the two teams providing the goals.
Jeff Cunningham 19th minute
Alecko Eskandarian 44th minute (penalty kick)
It was great to see Cunningham finish one of his breakaways. Seeing Esky go down (with the help of Posniak's clumsy tangle) and then score, eliminated any former TFC loyalty that remained in this corner. Nothing against Esky really, it just sealed the deal.
The second half began with Cunningham getting a knock/twist/twinge on a challenge on the RSL keeper. It then seemed that the camera was going to stay on the injured Cunningham until an intimate moment was broadcast. As my dad used to say upon hearing of a player's groin injury " that will hurt his performance both on and off the field".
Collin Samuel shifted to striker and Andy Welsh came into the game for Cunningham.
TFC always seemed to be the team in control, if not dominant, through the second half. RSL had some speedy counter-attacks, but did not have prolonged pressure or control.
I'm not convinced that the challenge on Samuel in the box was truly a foul, but the penalty kick was awarded and he made no mistake on his shot. Certainly TFC was more than overdue to have a borderline call go their way.
Andy Welsh made sure that the fans back home had one final heart attack as his pass back almost gave RSL something they did not deserve.
The injuries did pile up- Welsh getting a turf rash to the face, Cunningham with his pull, Sam Reynolds had to be replaced with 5 minutes to go. Mo will have some worries ahead.
But allow me to end with a Swirsky.....
TFC win, TFC win, TFC win !
Monday, July 2, 2007
KC Wizards 1 Toronto FC 1
TFC landed in Kansas City on Canada Day looking for rare points on the road and a sense of recovery from the blasting they suffered in New England last weekend.
Mo Johnston, no doubt trying to find a new road game success formula, made four changes to his starting eleven. Sam Reynolds was new in net, Chris Pozniak played right back in place of Marvell Wynne (off to the Copa), Collin Samuel started on the left side of midfield in place of Andy Welsh and Todd Dunivant played left back in place of Kevin Goldthwaite, the man who was traded for him. For a team with so many new faces, the TFC held up very well in the first half, with the exception of a few seconds and that was all KC needed. TFC had the majority of possession and a strong advantage in scoring chances in the first 45, but it was Kansas City who had the only goal on a quick counter attack and an accurate shot from Michael Harrington.
Reynolds might have been a shade out of alignment on the goal, but his troubles really began with a scrambling defense trying to get back from a corner kick down the other end seconds earlier.
Cunningham. O’Brien and Dichio all had chances to score throughout the first half and at halftime it was possible to have a touch of optimism about TFC’s chances.
The second half started brilliantly for TFC. Some smart ball movement sprung an attack down the left side and then the ball was swung out to the right finding Ronnie O’Brien. He was able to send a great cross into the box and Danny Dichio headed in the equalizer. Dichio was able to elude the two central KC defenders with the simplest of moves, one step forward, then two steps back. Allow Dichio to be loose in front of the net like that and it will cost you.
The game was pretty much in balance for a while until Andrew Boyens picked up his second yellow card of the night and TFC was down to 10 players. Dichio dropped back into a central midfield role for only a few minutes before being substituted for Marco Reda to shore up the defence. Andy Welsh came in for Collin Samuel to add fresh legs (and perhaps to show Mo’s continuing faith in him- is he the super-sub off the bench that has been lacking ?).
Kansas City kept up the pressure with their advantage for the remainder of the game. Sam Reynolds made some excellent saves, a couple of them from close enough that the Wizard shooter was breathing on him. I think that Reynolds has played his way onto the squad tonight (was he the reserve keeper we borrowed from Chivas USA or what ?)
Andy Welsh was able to both help out defensively and provide some counter-attack speed right to the end. He had a last second shot at net that looked like the real deal. Jeff Cunningham was able to keep the KC defenders threatened from time to time and that was a useful safety valve to help the Toronto defending pack. TFC held the tie and got the point.
I have harped on this before, but here it goes again. I am driven crazy by the extreme homer announcers in Kansas City. The play-by-play guy’s voice goes haywire with excitement when KC is developing an attack. He stated late in the game that it was an “absolute joy” to commentate the games of this team since they never play for a tie. The analyst is worse. In the middle of the second half on a wide shot taken (I think) by Movsisyan, the fellow giving the analysis of the game said “ That’s ok. That’s alright, just keep going”. Buddy, that is not analysis, that is cheerleading. I know to go easy on The Score, the commentary and the fuzzy picture quality are not their fault and without them I would be watching this game on my computer screen, but it was a dreadful product. I expect the KC crew to know little of the visiting TFC. That is forgivable, but their cheering drives me batty .
Mo Johnston, no doubt trying to find a new road game success formula, made four changes to his starting eleven. Sam Reynolds was new in net, Chris Pozniak played right back in place of Marvell Wynne (off to the Copa), Collin Samuel started on the left side of midfield in place of Andy Welsh and Todd Dunivant played left back in place of Kevin Goldthwaite, the man who was traded for him. For a team with so many new faces, the TFC held up very well in the first half, with the exception of a few seconds and that was all KC needed. TFC had the majority of possession and a strong advantage in scoring chances in the first 45, but it was Kansas City who had the only goal on a quick counter attack and an accurate shot from Michael Harrington.
Reynolds might have been a shade out of alignment on the goal, but his troubles really began with a scrambling defense trying to get back from a corner kick down the other end seconds earlier.
Cunningham. O’Brien and Dichio all had chances to score throughout the first half and at halftime it was possible to have a touch of optimism about TFC’s chances.
The second half started brilliantly for TFC. Some smart ball movement sprung an attack down the left side and then the ball was swung out to the right finding Ronnie O’Brien. He was able to send a great cross into the box and Danny Dichio headed in the equalizer. Dichio was able to elude the two central KC defenders with the simplest of moves, one step forward, then two steps back. Allow Dichio to be loose in front of the net like that and it will cost you.
The game was pretty much in balance for a while until Andrew Boyens picked up his second yellow card of the night and TFC was down to 10 players. Dichio dropped back into a central midfield role for only a few minutes before being substituted for Marco Reda to shore up the defence. Andy Welsh came in for Collin Samuel to add fresh legs (and perhaps to show Mo’s continuing faith in him- is he the super-sub off the bench that has been lacking ?).
Kansas City kept up the pressure with their advantage for the remainder of the game. Sam Reynolds made some excellent saves, a couple of them from close enough that the Wizard shooter was breathing on him. I think that Reynolds has played his way onto the squad tonight (was he the reserve keeper we borrowed from Chivas USA or what ?)
Andy Welsh was able to both help out defensively and provide some counter-attack speed right to the end. He had a last second shot at net that looked like the real deal. Jeff Cunningham was able to keep the KC defenders threatened from time to time and that was a useful safety valve to help the Toronto defending pack. TFC held the tie and got the point.
I have harped on this before, but here it goes again. I am driven crazy by the extreme homer announcers in Kansas City. The play-by-play guy’s voice goes haywire with excitement when KC is developing an attack. He stated late in the game that it was an “absolute joy” to commentate the games of this team since they never play for a tie. The analyst is worse. In the middle of the second half on a wide shot taken (I think) by Movsisyan, the fellow giving the analysis of the game said “ That’s ok. That’s alright, just keep going”. Buddy, that is not analysis, that is cheerleading. I know to go easy on The Score, the commentary and the fuzzy picture quality are not their fault and without them I would be watching this game on my computer screen, but it was a dreadful product. I expect the KC crew to know little of the visiting TFC. That is forgivable, but their cheering drives me batty .
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