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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
March 29, 2015 |
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Steve Bottjer
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@BottjerRNO
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That said, Toronto FC were again their own worst enemy in this game, as they gave up a late goal yet again to snatch a loss from the jaws of a draw – something that has sadly become a hallmark of the franchise. The coaches and players change, but the late game breakdowns continue to haunt this club and its supporters in a very cruel fashion.
After a bye week last weekend, a shorthanded Toronto FC squad was back in action on Sunday evening away to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The Reds went into this one facing plenty of questions due to the absences of Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore due to International duty and Steven Caldwell and Justin Morrow due to injury and suspension respectively.
Would Luke Moore and Collen Warner be able to adequately replace the qualities that TFC’s two missing Designated Players bring to the squad? Would a very young and inexperienced back line featuring a central defense pairing of Nick Hagglund and Clement Simonin be able to hold up under the pressure that was sure to be delivered by one of the most experienced teams in the league? Would Giovinco be able to carry the load and deliver the goods against Kyle Beckerman, one of the top defensive midfielders in the league?
The Opening 45
The opening half ultimately ended up being a tale of one way traffic, with Real Salt Lake enjoying most of the possession and spending the majority of the time in TFC’s half of the pitch.
However, to their credit, Toronto’s makeshift back line did well defensively, with Ashtone Morgan in particular looking very solid at left back.
In many ways, with so many key players missing from both teams, at times this one had the feel of a preseason match, at least early on.
Toronto’s best scoring chance of the half came in the 34th minute when Morgan delivered a fine cross that Luke Moore was ultimately unable to get a foot on to test Salt Lake keeper Jeff Attinella.
Real Salt Lake then took the lead in the 38th minute when Argentine maestro Javier Morales delivered a cross that midfielder Luke Mulholland headed in at the back post.
The Second Half
Toronto struggled to mount much of an attack for much of the second half.
However, TFC Head Coach Greg Vanney utilized his bench well and saw second half subs Jackson, Daniel Lovitz and Bright Dike come on and inject some much needed energy into the Toronto offense.
In the 64th minute, Giovinco was sent in alone in Attinella but ultimately saw his shot parried away by the Salt Lake keeper.
It wouldn’t be a TFC game without a missed call by an MLS referee. This game’s instance came when Giovinco delivered a perfect corner kick that Nick Hagglund headed past Attinella into the back of the Real Salt Lake net, with the referee ultimately waiving off the goal due to foul by Hagglund. Replays showed that the goal should not have been called off and that if any player got fouled, it was the second year Reds central defender.
Italian International Giovinco came close again in the 71st minute when he delivered a top class free kick that a diving Attinella made a fine save on.
Toronto broke through and scored what looked to be a goal that would earn them a point in the 88th minute when a nice layoff from Dike to Jackson saw the erratic Brazilian poke the ball past Attinella into the back of the Real Salt Lake.
However, TFC yet again found a way to concede a late goal and give away a result. In the 90th minute, the Reds back line fell apart and saw a completely unmarked Jordan Allen score his first MLS goal in the 90th minute.
Looking at this game in its entirety, there were plenty of positives for the Reds, especially given the way they managed the game while missing so many key players. They were also royally screwed by a PRO referee once again. With his missed call on Nick Hagglund, Referee Hilario Grajeda actually did the impossible and made Dave Gantar look like Markus Merk by comparison.
Man of the Match
Sebastian Giovinco
On a night when Toronto looked like they just didn’t have the pieces to generate any significant offense, Sebastian Giovinco delivered a fine performance and almost engineered a road result for the Reds. His free kicks and corner kicks were world class and were just what the doctor ordered in this type of game.
Outside of the Atomic Ant, Ashtone Morgan delivered a fine two-way performance in place of the suspended Justin Morrow and Clement Simonin looked steady and assured in his MLS debut. Bright Dike also looked more effective in 13 minutes of play than Luke Moore did in 77 minutes on the pitch.
Toronto FC Line-up
12 Joe Bendik
3 Warren Creavalle
6 Nick Hagglund
38 Clement Simonin
5 Ashtone Morgan
8 Benoit Cheyrou
21 Jonathan Osorio
26 Collen Warner
55 Robbie Findley
10 Sebastian Giovinco
17 Luke Moore
Substitutions: Jackson for Warren Creavalle (67); Daniel Lovitz for Ashtone Morgan (77); Bright Dike for Luke Moore (77).
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