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Posted by
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April, 7, 2013 |
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Ian Clarke
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Toronto FC 2 – 2 FC Dallas
They say without pain, we would never know joy. There is no doubt that those who watched Toronto FC on Saturday experienced that through 85 minutes of lackluster football, only to reach the ecstasy of coming back from the dead in a 2-2 draw with FC Dallas. It was agonizing to see the Reds ineffectively maintain possession or create anything in the final third, but if there was one characteristic to take from this game it is that Ryan Nelsen has cultivated a side unwilling to roll over or pack it in as long as there is still time on the clock.
Ryan Nelsen made it known during the week how far below the requisite standards the team was when he came on board, and the first task at hand is to be defensively responsible and tough to beat. The lack of creativity up top will be addressed, hopefully with the return of Luis Silva and pending arrival of Maximiliano Urruti, but in the meantime Toronto look to be struggling to control the game through the midfield and attack.
Without Terry Dunfield and Danny Califf, TFC were without needed experience and it showed against a more stable and coherent FC Dallas. Toronto clearly are still trying to get in sync and find chemistry as the attack had little to no ideas, and this was demonstrated via several runs by Robert Earnshaw and Hogan Ephraim missed by the midfield, with the likes of Reggie Lambe and John Bostock offering little outside of carrying the ball towards the touchline.
Despite all of the above, once again Ryan Nelsen gets his substitutions right, most notably Justin Braun who could handle the long ball much better than Robert Earnshaw and his arrival delivered the opening goal and sent the cross over to Darel Russell for the tying goal. While TFC is not yet pretty to watch over ninety minutes, they have at least established themselves as Nelsen is preaching, and that is tough to beat. They will need to continue this throughout the month as they will be up against the likes of Philadelphia, Houston and New York.
The key to the ratings, as seems to be the logic on a scale of 1-10, is not to view it as a “grade”, as in a 6 would be a 60 or a C. The formula is that each player begins the game with a 5 and is the equilibrium from which their performance either improves or degrades moving in increments of .5.
Here is the breakdown of the starting XI:
Joe Bendik – 5
Tough game for Bendik, who didn’t get much action but when he did Dallas made it count. Couldn’t be really faulted for Jacobson’s goal, or Perez’s and aside from those two chances, the Hoops didn’t put much else dangerous on goal. Despite two conceded, Bendik still has looked good the first five games in place of the original number one Stefan Frei.
Your rating:
MOTM Richard Eckersley – 6.5
A very solid outing for Eckersley whose strengths matched up well with this opponent. He was on his game, which was most obvious by making Kenny Cooper nearly invisible in open play the entire afternoon. But aside from that, he was his usual gritty self tackling and bossing the flank, and was a menace overlapping and carrying the ball into the Dallas end. Add into that, again he’s playing out of position on the left side and that put into perspective the performances we’ve seen from him over the last two weekends.
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Darren O’Dea – 6
Another steady performance for the captain, who marshaled the backline well and was a huge asset down the stretch causing problems in and around the Dallas goal. Having nearly drawn a penalty, then almost scoring, O’Dea has been an integral part of TFC’s newfound fighting spirit and giving it everything until the final whistle.
Your rating:
Gale Agbossemonde – 6
Perhaps the most talked about display on the afternoon as some preseason performances demonstrated his inexperience, and for his first start, FC Dallas could have posed real problems. However, Agbossemonde lived up to his potential from the USMNT U20 set up and was composed, both defending and with the ball on his feet, and looked like a very good option is Ryan Nelsen needs to rotate any of his center backs.
Your rating:
Darel Russell – 6
Coming back from a much maligned game last weekend, Russell showed his professionalism by staying steady at the back and simply putting the LA match behind him and getting on with it. His strike, and the quality of it, for the tying goal showed his mental toughness and confidence in himself to be an asset for TFC and hats off to Ryan Nelsen for having faith in his player to give him another outing to show what he can do for the team.
Your rating:
Jeremy Hall – 5.5
While Hall did not stand out necessarily and the linking player between the front and back, this still can be considered a good thing as he limited his turnovers, and have none of the same cheap giveaways that were seen last weekend against Los Angeles. The only real important note is that without Dunfield, it would have been an opportunity for him to step up and be a bit more of a difference-maker.
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Jonathan Osorio – 4.5
A tough one for Osorio who has been a positive addition to the team as seen through the preseason and limited time so far in the regular season. With Dunfield injured, rightly was given the chance based on last weekend to show his stuff. However, Osorio came up short, but really it can be looked at as inexperience and something he will need to work through via minutes played. One of Dunfield’s strengths this year has been consistent movement and always getting into areas to show for the ball – Osorio will need to pick up on this to become a more influential player in the midfield.
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Luis Silva – 5
Luis Silva didn’t quite bring the same impact as he did against the Galaxy, but once again when he’s on the field, Toronto are able to score from something other than a penalty or turnover. Although he did not have a direct hand in either goal, Silva’s presence definitely brings something different to the TFC attack as he is easily their best creative player up top.
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Reggie Lambe – 5
It was a bit better game than the last, but Lambe still has not delivered or proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the side. Has nice runs and bursts of possession, but it has rarely lead to anything worthwhile.
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Hogan Ephraim – 5.5
Perhaps it is his positioning, as Ephraim looks more the part when pushed out wide, but has not done well complimenting Earnshaw up top to deliver the goods. It was when he was out left though that he crossed in the ball that lead to the first TFC goal and if he can continue to stay confident and fight through ninety minutes, could become an asset. Nelsen might want to consider where Ephraim is deployed as Silva might look to be a better option centrally and Ephraim out on either wing.
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John Bostock – 4
It was surprisingly a bright start for Bostock who was getting plenty of touches on the ball and looking like his dribbling was going to be a real problem Jair Benitez. However, Bostock was arguably in on both goals – the first leaving Jacobson alone in the box after tracking him, then overplaying the ball in the middle of the park to create the turnover that lead to Blas Perez’s goal. Like several of the TFC players right now, clearly still needs minutes to get some consistency and if he can round out his game with his footwork can still be a part of the side moving forward.
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Robert Earnshaw – 5
Well there were no high pressure turnovers or penalties on this day, but Earnshaw still brought it the entire game. The long ball approach to delivering the ball to the 5’8 striker is bizarre to say the least and there was little sustained possession through the middle to spring the Welshman in on goal. With Silva returning to fitness, that relationship could be built, but in the meantime as the defence gets sorted, the next issue should be finding more practical ways, and chances, for Earnshaw to influence the attack.
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