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The Good
Good when you do it, bad when you don’t!
Same Result, Different Feeling
It’s quite funny how the exact same scoreline can leave a crowd of 16,000 in a very different mood. Last week, Toronto FC conceded a late equalizer to the Los Angeles Galaxy, Jose Villarreal scoring on a bicycle kick that tied the game at 2-2. It felt like two points lost on the day. However, today’s come-from-behind draw feels very much like a victory to Toronto FC, a well-earned point gained. In any case, five points in five games is as good a result as can be expected, and for Toronto FC, results like these are brilliant for morale.
Sweet Redemption
While we’re on the topic of last week’s game, Darel Russell took the brunt of the criticism on Villarreal’s goal, but came up huge against FC Dallas with a rocket volley that left goalkeeper Raul Fernandez and co. stunned. Football is indeed a funny game, as Ryan Nelsen said after the game, and Russell will certainly be looking to turn this goal into a platform for impressive displays in the coming weeks.
Debut Delivery
So far, almost every single player has enjoyed a successful debut: Robert Earnshaw scored (twice) on his; Jonathan Osorio netted at BMO Field; Kyle Bekker, Danny Califf, John Bostock, and Hogan Ephraim have delivered strong performances, and the trend continued today, too. Justin Braun’s goal and Gale Agbossoumonde’s defensive display pile up on the positive introductions. Now, where’s Logan Emory with that hat trick?
The Bad
Plenty of work remaining for a team on the upswing
Surviving Set-Pieces
It’s business as usual for Toronto FC, when it comes to defending against set pieces. FC Dallas managed to find the back of the net off a free kick by David Ferreira. It’s something that Nelsen will work to improve in training sessions, but it’s also an aspect that needs to be fixed; otherwise, Toronto FC will continue to concede preventable goals.
Shot for Shot? Not!
The possession stat was relatively equal, as was the scoreline, but when it comes to attempts on goal FC Dallas outclassed Toronto FC by a mile. It took Toronto an hour before recording their first shot on goal, while Dallas already had eight attempts before half time. Toronto’s last five minutes may have been heavy on the chances, but Toronto needs to be more consistent throughout the 90 minutes and find those opportunities to pull the trigger.
Keep It In Your Pants, Ref
Seven yellow cards in total; two of them were probably deserved. The rest would not have been given at all. Though the game was tightly contested, FC Dallas and Toronto FC didn’t look like they needed that many yellow cards to keep things from boiling over, so flashing yellow seven times seemed slightly excessive: minor gripes, however, since no one was ejected.
The Ugly
When referee Ismael Elfath plays FIFA 13, it’s quite obvious he turns the options for hand balls and penalties off.
Twice, Toronto FC should have earned a penalty call; once, when Darren O’Dea was tugged to the ground quite deliberately, the other, a handball committed by a Dallas defender inside the box. Yet, the referee waved play on. Now, Toronto FC has won their fair share of penalties this season so far, so griping about the lack of calls may be a tad ungrateful, but a last-minute tie could have been a come-from-behind win, something that, unfortunately, didn’t happen.
It’s the only real talking point of the match, which brings us to our Quoteworthy moment!.
Quoteworthy
When asked how the referee did today, Ryan Nelsen paused, a small but noticeable smile painted on his face, and said:
“I thought the referee had a fine game.”
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