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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
May 31, 2015 |
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Steve Bottjer
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@BottjerRNO
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After an impressive performance in a victory last weekend over the Portland Timbers, Sebastien Giovinco and Toronto FC were back in action on a rainy Saturday in Toronto for a home fixture against the San Jose Earthquakes.
While the Earthquakes struggled through a disappointing campaign last season, newly hired Head Coach Dominic Kinnear has San Jose off to decent start this season, with the Western Conference club entering Saturday’s match with a respectable record of 5-4-3.
TFC Head Coach Greg Vanney made one change to his starting eleven, with midfielder Warren Creavalle taking the place of the injured Collen Warner. In terms of tactics, Vanney and his squad likely enter this match with a strategy in place to shut down renowned “TFC killer” Chris Wondolowski.
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The Opening 45
Toronto continued their excellent form from last weekend with a fine first half display in which the moved the ball effectively while defending resolutely at their end of the pitch.
The Reds came within inches of opening the scoring in the 16th minute when some fleet footwork by Giovinco ended with the Italian beating San Jose keeper David Bingham but ultimately seeing his shot rattle off the crossbar.
TFC opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when some nice linkup play allowed Giovinco to deliver a dangerous cross, with Justin Morrow making a nice run and heading the ball into the back of the Earthquakes net.
The Reds were unable to hold the lead for long though, with an unlucky Ashtone Morgan called for a handball in the box on a play in which the TFC left back clearly had no intent. Earthquakes captain Chris Wondolowski then stepped up and made no mistake in putting the resulting penalty kick past Chris Konopka.
The Earthquakes had an excellent chance to take the lead in the 31st minute when Adam Jahn found himself in alone on Konopka, with his poor shot going wide of the net.
Toronto regained the lead in the 33rd minute on a lucky play in which Giovinco appeared to foul San Jose midfielder Nyassi. Referee Fotis Bazakos allowed play to continue, with Luke Moore dishing off to Warren Creavalle, who unleashed an impressive shot from just outside the box that beat Bingham to the delight of the BMO Field faithful.
The Second Half
Toronto continued to do yeoman’s work defensively for much of the second half, as neither side really threatened opposition net through the 70th minute.
The Reds extended their lead on the break in the 71st minute when Giovinco delivered a perfect past that Luke Moore got on the end of and prettily back heeled past Bingham into the back of the net.
Toronto came very close to adding a fourth goal in the 81st minute when Giovinco delivered another perfect pass to set up Jonathan Osorio in the heart of the Earthquakes box, with the Canadian International ultimately scuffing a shot that went wide.
With the Earthquakes never really causing any tremors down the stretch, Toronto closed this one in a professional manner.
Overall, this was a complete team performance, with Greg Vanney likely more than happy to see players other than Giovinco getting on the scoreboard. With a little more clinical finishing on several plays, Toronto could have easily turned this one into a rout. However, that minor negative aside, this was exactly the type of professional victory at home that previous iterations of TFC regularly churned out with any regularity.
Man of the Match
Giovinco
While he didn’t add to his team-leading goal tally, Giovinco was once again the best of a solid lot for TFC. Toronto FC were quality 1 through 11 in a performance that was a genuine team effort. That said, the crafty Italian was clearly the player that saw the Earthquakes back line getting their knickers in a not again and again. The Italian International delivered two fine passes to set up Justin Morrow and Luke Moore for their goals.
Warren Creavalle also had a fine game playing in the midfield in place of Collen Warner. With the game winning goal and a solid defensive performance to his credit, the Brooklyn, New York native once again highlighted that he can be an effective contributor when played in his primary position.
Toronto FC Line-up
1 Chris Konopka
38 Justin Morrow
24 Damien Perquis
15 Eriq Zavaleta
2 Ashtone Morgan
4 Michael Bradley
8 Benoit Cheyrou
3 Warren Creavalle
21 Jonathan Osorio
10 Sebastian Giovinco
27 Luke Moore
Substitutions: Jackson for Warren Creavalle (66); Jay Chapman for Luke Moore (83); Nick Hagglund for Jonathan Osorio (83).
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