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The Good
Signs of change with the return of Koevermans
Wing Play At Last!
Bobby Convey and Jonathan Osorio showed, for the first time, that Toronto FC’s wide players can produce crosses and passes into the box. This new style, surely brought about by the return of poacher Danny Koevermans, is a welcome change and one that Toronto FC need to focus on – supply like that, with such consistency, is something a forward like Koevermans loves and that was on full display against Real Salt Lake.
O’Dea the Leftback
Speaking of supply from out wide, Darren O’Dea’s ability to cross a ball from the left fullback spot is an absolute treat to watch. The argument is that O’Dea is too expensive to be a central defender in this league but at left fullback, he has shown a quality unmatched by most in his position throughout the league. He constantly delivered the right pass across the field to Osorio and was solid defensively as well.
Big Guy Up Top
I said it when Koevermans first signed for Toronto FC and I’ll say it again; the big Dutch striker is one of the most important players Toronto FC have on the field, and it shows; his ability to hold up the ball and pass it sideways is a much-needed asset and something that makes Toronto FC twice as dangerous. Earnshaw offers little in terms of height but he can utilize Koevermans’ physical presence to his advantage and pairing the two together looks like an exciting option for Ryan Nelsen.
The Bad
Points lost, goals conceded, business as usual.
Bulletproof, They Are Not
What can you do about a goal like Yordany Alvarez’s? As great a goal as Alvarez’s bullet was, Toronto FC were caught, once again, leaving players unmarked in the box. The pass that supplied Alvarez should have been cut off. Leaving Olmes Garcia unmarked in the box allowed him to slip the pass back to Alvarez and that was a mistake on Toronto FC’s part.
Blood Boiling
When the heat of the match gets to your head, it’s not easy to keep emotions in check, but Doneil Henry’s red card was entirely avoidable and something Nelsen chalked up to the natural instincts of a 20-year-old defender. It wasn’t pretty to see, especially since Henry has already picked up a red card this year, and had he kept his cool, Toronto would have played 11 vs 10 for the rest of the game.
Referee Madness? Hardly
Ryan Nelsen lamented after the game that the referees (once again) failed to perform at an acceptable standard. Nelsen cited a pair of penalties not given as a reason for his thinking, and offered that if those challenges were not penalties, then the Toronto FC players going down (in this case, Brockie) should be given a yellow card for diving. Sorry, but sometimes, players are brought down in the box for soft challenges and in this case it would have been a soft penalty to give. Nelsen should focus more on TFC performing and less on the refereeing – when you’re 3-0 up, a non-call isn’t an issue, and TFC is never 3-0 up.
The Ugly
We’re approaching the year mark.
It has been 348 days since the last league win at home in BMO Field. The last home win in Major League Soccer came against the Colorado Rapids, a 2-1 game Toronto FC won on July 18, 2012.
If BMO Field is a fortress, it’s not a very strong one.
Three weeks to go before it becomes a year-long streak. While Toronto FC has won at the Rogers Centre, or in the Amway Canadian Championship, a league win at home has been on a one year hiatus and if Toronto FC can’t pull off a victory over the Montreal Impact or the New York Red Bulls, it’ll be one more ugly record staining the club’s history.
The clock is ticking – surely, that must be motivation enough for a win?
Quoteworthy:
“I know it is a very tough job. I wouldn’t want to do it, but they get paid to do it, so they have to be under the microscope as well.” – Ryan Nelsen, on the officiating.
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