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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
May 2, 2015 |
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Steve Bottjer
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@BottjerRNO
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After snapping a four game losing streak last weekend against Orlando City, Toronto FC were back in action on Saturday and looking to end their seven game road trip to start the season with a win over a reeling Philadelphia Union side.
After much consternation among the TFC faithful in recent weeks and even some rumours that TFC Head Coach Greg Vanney’s head might be on the chopping block, Toronto actually went into this match in a decent position to come out of their season-opening seven game road trip with a very a respectable 9 points. With the Union both struggling to score and struggling mightily to keep the ball out of their own net, Toronto went into this one with a great chance to catch Jim Curtin’s side at the right time.
With starting keeper Joe Bendik unavailable due to injury, Vanney made only one change to his starting eleven, with backup keeper Chris Konopka getting the start in place of Bendik.
The Opening 45
Toronto picked up right where they left off from their last game in Orlando, playing an organized first half in which the Reds were defensively solid and offensively dangerous.
TFC came close to opening the scoring in the 10th minute when Ashtone Morgan delivered a fine cross that Jackson was unable to tap past Union keeper John McCarthy. Giovinco was in perfect position for the rebound but saw his effort stopped by McCarthy as well.
The Reds came close again in the 23rd minute when McCarthy made another big stop from in close on Robbie Findley, who really should have done better.
Philadelphia engineered their first chance of the match in the 27th minute when Designated Player Fernando Aristeguieta received a cross in the box and headed it just over the crossbar.
Toronto ultimately opened scoring in the 34th minute when Giovinco unleashed a brilliant free kick from distance that beat McCarthy just inside the post.
The Reds were cruising along until first half injury time when TFC were caught napping and watched Cristian Maidana rattle a shot off the crossbar and out.
The Second Half
Toronto almost doubled their lead in the 51st minute when Giovinco came close to a second when he attempted to catch McCarthy off his line with a chip shot from distance.
Overall, the Union looked much more dangerous in the second half, with Konopka having some shaky moments in the 53rd minute with Philly pressing for an equalizer.
The Reds came close to doubling their lead in the 67th minute when Giovinco dazzled again with a fine ball to send in Bradley for a chance, with McCarthy ultimately quick off his line to snuff out the danger.
With the Union pushing more players forward in search of a goal, TFC Gaffer Greg Vanney made two effective substitutions that generally ended up working out well with respect to shoring up the defense and putting numbers behind the ball, with Warren Creavalle and Collen Warner coming on in place of Jackson and Robbie Findley respectively.
The game took something of a controversial turn in the 79th minute when it appeared that Aristeguieta looked to have scored an equalizer but with the Venezuelan forward ultimately called offside. While TFC have seen a number of calls go against them already this year, the replay showed that Aristeguieta appeared to be onside on the play, so the Reds ultimately dodged a big time bullet and ended up earning all three points instead of a draw.
The Reds held on through the remainder of regulation and six minutes of extra time to seal the victory.
Overall, Reds supporters will take the three points. That said, Toronto really didn’t look all that great against a weakened Union side. TFC have now won two in a row against dubious opposition, so it will be interesting to see how Toronto does against better competition in the coming weeks.
Man of the Match
Giovinco
Once again the Atomic Ant was the best player on the pitch for TFC and the straw that stirred the drink in terms of the Reds offense. A dazzling performance by the Italian International was punctuated by a breathtaking world class free kick from distance that ultimately earned Toronto all three points. However, regardless of all the deserved plaudits for the TFC superstar, his fine game was marred somewhat by an ugly and blatant dive in the Union penalty area. Giovinco is too talented compared to the other players in the league to reduce his game to diving of that nature.
Aside from the crafty Italian attacker, Ashtone Morgan had another very good two-way game for Toronto and Damien Perquis marshalled the back line effectively in central defense. Benoit Cheyrou also had a solid game in central midfield paired alongside Michael Bradley, with the TFC captain winning his share of battles as well.
While many will point to his less than dazzling distribution in the match, Chris Konopka got the job done and showed sure hands when the Union were throwing everything at the Reds in the final minutes of the match. Konopka’s lack of match action showed at times, but overall he got the job done in place of Joe Bendik.
Toronto FC Line-up
1 Chris Konopka
38 Justin Morrow
24 Damien Perquis
6 Nick Hagglund
2 Ashtone Morgan
4 Michael Bradley
8 Benoit Cheyrou
55 Robbie Findley
11 Jackson
10 Sebastian Giovinco
17 Jozy Altidore
Substitutions: Warren Creavalle for Jackson (71); Collen Warner for Robbie Findley (66); Eriq Zavaleta for Sebastian Giovinco (89).
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