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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
September 13, 2015 |
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Steve Bottjer
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@BottjerRNO
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After falling last weekend in a road fixture in which neither of their big name starting strikers were available, Toronto FC were back in action on Sunday for a home fixture against Eastern Conference rivals the New England Revolution. With both Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore back and fit, TFC Head Coach Greg Vanney was able to field something resembling a first choice lineup for a major litmus test against a Revolution side that has often had their way with Toronto over the last couple of years while highlighting a more cohesive and organized approach to the game.
In addition to the Atomic Ant and Altidore returning up top, Vanney also unveiled a new back line configuration with Damien Perquis and Ahmed Kantari pairing in central defense with Justin Morrow and Josh Williams starting at left back and right back respectively.
With this game signifying the first match of three fixtures in a single week, limping central midfielder Benoit Cheyrou started this game on the bench, with Vanney once again electing to go a lineup missing the true holding midfielder.
Listen to ESSU:
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The Opening 45
The Reds came close to taking an early lead in only the 2nd minute courtesy of some Giovinco magic, with the Atomic Ant delivering a fine cross that Robbie Findley ultimately headed off the crossbar.
New England then took the early lead two minutes later when Jermaine Jones took advantage of acres of space in the midfield to set up Teal Bunbury down the flank, with the U.S. International then delivering a cross that Damien Perquis tapped into the back of his own net for an own goal.
Giovinco showed off some absolutely ridiculous moves in the 17th minute as he gave the Revolution defenders fits and came close to engineering an equalizer for Toronto.
In addition to the Atomic Ant, Toronto competed well in the first half against a formidable Revolution side, with Robbie Findley delivering his best half of football as a Toronto FC player.
The Revolution doubled their lead in the 39th minute when Toronto were too slow to close down both Lee Nguyen and Diego Fagundez, with the latter ultimately delivering a fine finish into the bottom left corner.
The Reds came within inches of getting on the scoreboard just before half-time when Marky Delgado delivered a fine cross that a sliding Findley just missed tapping into the back of the Revolution net.
The Second Half
Toronto came out of the half-time break with energy and purpose and started to dominate the Revolution.
The Reds were finally rewarded for their attacking intent in the 56th minute when Justin Morrow delivered a perfect cross that Robbie Findley headed past Bobby Shuttleworth into the Revolution net.
TFC came close to an equalizer in the 67th minute courtesy some more ridiculous Messieque by the Atomic Ant, with Giovinco dancing around two defenders and then delivering a chip shot just wide of the far post.
New England regained firm control of the match when Michael Bradley made a big mistake and coughed up the ball at the top of the TFC penalty area, allowing Kelyn Rowe to receive a gift and tap the ball past a helpless Chris Konopka.
Toronto continued to push forward in search of a path towards getting back into the match but were unable to breach the back line fully, as the Reds ultimately fell in a game in which their opponent had more goals than shots on target.
After recent wins against Orlando and Montreal, this match represented a major test for Toronto FC. Could the Reds defeat one of the better teams in the league? Toronto answered that question very clearly in this match. It has become obvious at this point that Toronto is a flawed team that can beat the weaker teams in the league due to their high powered offense lead by Giovinco. However, Toronto is also a team that will struggle against the better teams in the league due to their defensive shortcomings and naivete of Head Coach Greg Vanney. Will TFC make the playoffs? Yes, they are all but assured of that due to the additional playoff spot added for this year. That said, based on their performances to date against quality opposition, it is highly unlikely that TFC will do anything other than play a single playoff match.
Man of the Match
Sebastian Giovinco
While he didn’t get on the scoreboard in this one, it was nonetheless an exciting return to the lineup for Sebastian Giovinco. The Atomic Ant was Toronto’s best player once again and delivered several moments in which comparisons to Lionel Messi were not in any way a stretch.
Robbie Findley also delivered his best performance to date in a TFC kit. The former U.S. International scored Toronto’s only goal of the game and could have easily had a hat trick if he had been able to finish a few more clear cut chances. Findley brought excellent energy to this game and used his pace effectively.
Toronto FC Line-up
1 Chris Konopka
2 Justin Morrow
24 Damien Perquis
41 Ahmed Kantari
23 Josh Williams
4 Michael Bradley
18 Marky Delgado
21 Jonathan Osorio
55 Robbie Findley
17 Jozy Altidore
10 Sebastian Giovinco
Substitutions: Herculez Gomez for Damien Perquis (77’).
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