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After time abroad in Europe the first half of the year, I attended my first TFC game of 2014 on Wednesday. There have been some major changes at BMO over the past six months, but some things will (for better or worse) always be the same.
Positive Changes
Bradley and a True Midfield
We’ll start with one of the biggest of them all: Michael Bradley. He is the true box-to-box midfielder and leader that TFC has always wanted. He holds himself and everyone around him to a high standard, and leads by example. One play sums up perfectly what he brings: in the 21st minute, Bradley runs with Nigel Reo-Coker from half to the top of the box and strips him of the ball. It’s that sort of workhorse attitude paired with his actual skill with the ball that Toronto missed for the first seven seasons.
Tic-Tac-Toe
With the talent TFC have brought in over the past 6 months, I shouldn’t have been so shocked to see the team stringing together multiple passes, but I was. There’s much less of the defenders standing with the ball, waiting for a target, then haphazardly trying to force a long ball. In fact, I can’t think of more than one or two times that the Reds fell back into the Route 1 trap. This short, one-touch passing is not only more effective against opposition and entertaining to watch, but it doesn’t seem so hopeless when the ball is lost. Fans around me were applauding the effort of a cheeky pass rather than booing the large boot down the field.
Smoke’s Poutine Truck Right Outside 116
Possibly the greatest food addition since the chicken and chip butty. Having the truck there is perfect because 1) You can get poutine and 2) It makes the lines at the general concessions window much shorter.
Bendik’s Distribution
Joe must have had his notebook out when training with Júlio César, as the keeper’s ball movement has become much quicker. Bendik still has the tendency to hesitate before knocking a short pass, trapping himself into having to boot a long ball, but he seems to be much more aware of where his teammates are, even as the ball is approaching him.
Henry’s Zen Approach
Near the end of Wednesday’s first half, Henry picked up the ball in his own box as two Vancouver players rushed at him. Instead of looking for an outlet, Henry smoothly sidestepped the first, then second Whitecap with some silky dangles. Just a year ago that would have made me faint from nervousness, but he looked so calm that I had full confidence in him. Overall, Henry is taking his time on the ball, weighing his options and not just hitting the first pass he thinks he sees. He’s slowly becoming less of a bulky defender who’s good at challenging and booting the ball, to an anchor who can distribute through the midfield.
Traditions (For Better or Worse)
Casual Fans Are Still Taking Up “Supporters’ Sections”
The last time TFC were in third place in the Eastern Conference was when everyone was at zero games played. Yet many broken fans from the first seven years have yet to return. Section 116 is still being taken over by “sitters”. One man behind us asked if we stood the whole game. And when we said yes, he asked: “What’s the point?”
A Lack of Rivalries
Three friends stood in front of me joking about the Canadian “rivalry” in the MLS.
“I’ve been up since 6 a.m. getting excited for this derby!”
“Is this the Orchid Cup we’re playing for?”
“I heard Rob Ford bet the Vancouver mayor two pounds of crack for some weed!”
BMO has never really been a challenge for away teams to come and play at, and this is never clearer than when a fellow Canadian team — who could be bitter rivals — roll into town and are met with little hostility. Now this could be good or bad, depending on what you’re looking for at a game, but that little bit of hatred can make everything much more exciting.
Number 31 (Russell Teibert) was hated on
Nearing the end of the first half he ran the ball out of bounds: “Well he can’t blame his hair for being in his eyes.”
Later on he was called for a foul on Oduro: “The call wasn’t even for the foul, that’s for having far too high of a bun.”
DeRo is Still the Butt of Jokes
In the washroom at half time, we see a guy with a De Rosario jersey leaning against the wall at a urinal. His body language made him look depressed and frustrated. Almost immediately, someone in lines shouts: “Geez, look how low DeRo’s sunk, can’t even get in the dressing room!”
Comments From the Stands are One of the Best Parts of the Game
After a brutal call on Orr in the 28th minute:
“God damn it Howard Webb!”
After Vancouver’s Johnny Leverón pulls down Defoe but doesn’t get called on it, he’s chirping Defoe as they walk back up the field:
“Hey 16, that guy makes 800 times more than you! Nobody is buying your shirt!”
Whole crowd: “Looooooooseeeeeerr! Looooooosseeeeerr!”
As Gilberto comes on in the 77th minute:
“It’s not Gilberto, but Gilbert O.,” one friend explains to another. “Like Gilbert O’Brian. He just spent some time in Brazil after college to find himself. I think he taught English there.”
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