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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
October 11, 2014 |
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Steve Bottjer
On Twitter:
@BottjerRNO
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After losing midweek against the Houston Dynamo, Toronto faced another must win match in New Jersey against the Red Bulls on Saturday evening. While the Red Bull were missing Tim Cahill due to International duty and Péguy Luyindula due to suspension, the home side still cut an imposing figure with the one-two punch of all-time great Thierry Henry and MLS leading scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips.
TFC Head Coach Greg Vanney made only one change to his starting eleven, with Warren Creavalle taking the place of Mark Bloom at right back.
The Opening 45
Toronto FC actually started this match quite brightly, looking very much like a team with the determination and character necessary to earn a much needed road win.
However, TFC’s evening came undone when the Red Bulls opened the scoring in the 26th minute when fullback Kosuke Kimura delivered a perfect cross that Bradley Wright-Phillips redirected by a helpless Joe Bendik.
The Reds essentially self-destructed after that goal, with poor defending leading to the Red Bulls scoring two more goals before the half-time whistle.
In the 35th minute, Thierry Henry delivered a dangerous ball into the TFC box that Bendik misplayed, with New York midfielder Ruben Bover picking up the loose ball and slotting it into the net.
The Red Bulls scored a third just before the half-time whistle when an errant shot from Wright-Phillips was tapped into the back of the TFC net by a wide open Dax McCarty.
The Second Half
Vanney tried to kickstart his team’s offense by bringing on Gilberto and Dominic Oduro to start the second half.
Those moves paid something of dividend when the Reds pulled one goal back when Jonathan Osorio tapped in a cross from forward Luke Moore.
With Toronto pushing large numbers forward in search of goals, Wright-Phillips had an excellent chance to adding to league-leading tally but was stoned 1v1 by Bendik in the 65th minute.
The Reds showed character to dominate the possession down the stretch, but poor finishing and poor decision-making in the final third prevented them from adding to Osorio’s goal.
Toronto ultimately had the wind taken out of their sail in the 87th minute when yet another poor decision by an MLS referee saw Nick Hagglund sent off on a straight red for a challenge that did not look all that bad of mean-spirited.
With the loss and with the Columbus Crew earning a comeback victory over the Philadelphia Union, Toronto have essentially been eliminated from postseason contention. While this defeat did not sink to the same pathetic level as Toronto’s season ending loss to the Red Bulls in 2009, it was still another performance that was very, very far from good enough. Woeful team defending and an ineffectual offense combined to put the final nail in Toronto’s 2014 campaign.
Man of the Match
Michael Bradley
The General played his heart out in this one and delivered a great ball to set up Toronto’s lone goal in the game. As Toronto’s playoff hopes have dwindled to nothing, Bradley has been one of the few players who has delivered something resembling a winning character. Ultimately, as good as the U.S. International is, his work ethic could not overcome what has now been exposed as a flawed squad. While some will point to the yellow card that Bradley drew late in the game for a dissent as a negative, it showed how much cares. You also can’t fault his anger given that he is not wrong in his ongoing criticism of MLS referees.
Honourable mention
Dwayne De Rosario looked effective while delivering some smart play when he came on late in the game. While the Canadian International has lost a step, he has always brought something positive in the few instances he has been called up on this year. It is inexplicable why he played so little on a team that often lacked intelligence and the ability to deliver top class quality in the final third of the pitch.
Toronto FC Line-up
12 Joe Bendik
3 Warren Creavalle
17 Nick Hagglund
13 Steven Caldwell
2 Justin Morrow
8 Kyle Bekker
21 Jonathan Osorio
4 Michael Bradley
11 Jackson
27 Luke Moore
18 Jermain Defoe
Substitutions: Dominic Oduro for Kyle Bekker (46); Gilberto for Jackson (46); Dwayne De Rosario for Warren Creavalle (83).
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