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The Good
A dominant display with plenty of positives
Four-in-Four
In this, the fourth regular season MLS game for Toronto FC, the number four is the recurring theme, one that is good to the club. Robert Earnshaw scored his fourth goal of the season, giving Toronto FC their fourth point in four games. Not bad at all!
Osorio the Opportunist
It’s always special when a young player scores his first professional goal; it’s even more special when he scores it in his hometown in front of 18,500+ fellow Torontonians! That’s exactly what happened for Jonathan Osorio, whose first goal is something Disney movies are made of – congratulations on the first, and may many more follow.
Looking the Part
Possession? Even. Chances? About the same. Discipline? Just the one yellow card. It may be a tad early, but Toronto FC has changed; the club no longer plays a reactive game; the initiative is theirs, especially at home. It’s a visible improvement in work-rate and hustle that’s keeping the club afloat in a tough league during a rebuilding year.
The Bad
Déjà vu? Have we seen this before?
Déjà vu?
Have we seen this before? Toronto FC, holding onto a 2-1 lead in the dying embers of the match, only for the Galaxy to come back with a late equalizer? Memories of the Rogers Centre may be ever-so-sweet as of late, with a win over Kansas the latest boasting point, but this time last season, Toronto FC’s first late collapse of 2012 gave the Galaxy an advantage in the CONCACAF Champions League – which they lost, so there’s that.
Russell Struggling
Ryan Nelsen may have thought Russell had a decent game, but the one weak-point in the backline came from the right-hand side. Russell has strengths in passing and movement, but his ability to keep the ball was tested against Los Angeles, and his positioning and defensive decision making on the last goal wasn’t up to scratch.
Painful Beauty
The problem with Jose Villarreal’s equalizing effort is that the goal itself was a strike of pure and utter beauty. The cross came it at just the right angle, his body position was perfect, and the subsequent bicycle kick couldn’t have been hit any more accurately. The ball slid right through Bendik’s covered half, leaving Toronto FC stunned. It hurt, but, from an objective standpoint, it was the goal of the game.
The Ugly
Look, a last-minute collapse may be ugly, but we’ll leave that in the bad column for today.
No, today’s ugly was this, well, interesting effort on goal:
Shake it off, Landycakes.
Quoteworthy
“For 65 minutes of the game, I thought the guys were fantastic. The guys have shown that they’re taking steps forward from the first game against Vancouver to now. I have to look at the bigger picture and the bigger picture for me is extremely positive.” – Ryan Nelsen
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