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Posted by
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April, 29, 2013 |
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Ian Clarke
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Toronto FC 1 – 2 New York Red Bulls
What have you done for me lately? Well, last minute goals conceded again and again are tough to overlook and TFC were at it again Saturday as Tim Cahill climbed over Ashtone Morgan to head in the winning goal as the Reds were dispatched 2-1 at BMO Field. It was not a pretty affair as without Justin Braun, TFC did not appear to have many ideas in the attack, and surprisingly without Dax McCarty or Juninho in the midfield for New York, Toronto hardly attempted to boss this area of the park.
It was a game where there appeared to be no “Plan B”. With Justin Braun going down, it was imperative that Toronto try and build up the play through the midfield. Without Dax McCarty or Juninho this should not have been a monumental task, but time and time again the majority of deliveries to Robert Earnshaw came over the top, and when TFC tried to unlock New York along the ground they would succumb to bad deliveries.
Ryan Richter, for all his positives in physicality and determination cannot deliver a ball like Richard Eckersley, and considering his defending is one of his clear strengths it was confusing to see Toronto not attempt more plays from the left side to get both Hogan Ephraim and Ashtone Morgan involved, both of whom have shown an ability to swing in a nice cross. John Bostock has the skills, but his commitment to the team approach ahead of himself can be questioned, and his first game on the left wing did not produce the effective partnership with Morgan that one might have expected.
Ryan Nelsen’s mandate of being tough to beat is an important first step in building up Toronto FC. However, there have been games this year where the Reds didn’t have to be tough to beat, but rather confident that they can go out and win the game. Right now this looks like a side who are willing to grind it out to earn a point or hang in there, but still lack the confidence to believe they deserve anything better than the late game collapses that are happening week after week.
There is no doubt a plan in place for this side, so two months in it is premature to be overly concerned about the last month of dropped points. With Matias Laba coming in this past weekend, Toronto will now have another important defensive piece to their puzzle. And now with Tim Lieweke taking the top reigns at MLSE, it would be almost a lock there will be another signing on the horizon to bolster the side and improve their chances of turning these dropped points into solid results.
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
A tough day for Bendik who didn’t see a lot of action but when it came his way, New York made it count. Only had one save to his credit and can’t really be faulted for either goal as he didn’t get much help directly in front of him on the opening and winning goals.
Your rating:
Ryan Richter – 5.5
Another good game for Richter who has slotted in nicely covering for Eckersley the past two weeks. Has many of the same characteristics in terms of work ethic and determination, as well as ability to link up on the overlap. However, his passing seems to fail him at some key moments, and on the afternoon his crossing, especially in the first half, left much to be desired. He done well proving he’ll provide solid depth, but the side is missing the extra tools Eckersley brings to this position.
Your rating:
Darren O’Dea – 6
A good game for O’Dea who for the most part kept a tricky group of attackers in check. Did well in open field not getting caught too far out to be exposed for pace, as seen in the second half when he was able to just close in enough on Espindola to disrupt his chance on goal.
Your rating:
Gale Agbossemonde – 5.5
Agbossemonde continues to grow each week, earning valuable experience and minutes. New York was a good challenge and he did well enough to not be exposed by a veteran group of forwards. Was pulled from his position at times, but overall did what was needed in the middle of defence clearing the ball out well and distributing it forward.
Your rating:
Ashtone Morgan – 4
Another rough one for Morgan who unfortunately has yet to find his rhythm this season. While he was on hand working down the wing, his link ups with Ephraim were non-existent, then not very effective with Bostock. Defensively, there is not much else to say what hasn’t already been said. Has yet to prove himself as a defensive asset and the winning goal had two really poor moments of a terrible clearance then being completely manhandled climbing up for the ball to head in the goal.
Your rating:
Jeremy Hall – 6
A busy afternoon for Hall who really looks to be taking ownership of his role as a key midfielder in Nelsen’s system. There will always be a few moments of fairly easy passes that are errant that make you groan, but Hall has begun to show some confidence in increasing his output not just in simple passes, but more mid-ranges deliveries and having good success with them.
Your rating:
Reggie Lambe - 5
While this might not be one of the other five games from the notorious “1 in 6” comment, one cannot help but notice a drop off between this game and last weekend. Without McCarty or Juninho on the field, this was a real opportunity for Lambe to put his skillset back on display, and while he was very responsible defensively, in the middle of the park and in the final third, wasn’t the asset we know he can be.
Your rating:
Luis Silva – 5.5
It will be a theme for all the midfielders for this Saturday, as the three attacking mids could have been the difference maker, but just couldn’t take it to the next level. Silva continued his form of being an important attacking presence, but needs to look at his 20-year old counterpart who came in and confidently finished his chance. Silva had chances of his own but his touch on goal is coming up short, despite him still having very good vision setting up his teammates.
Your rating:
Hogan Ephraim – 5
Not much to say for Ephraim on this day as he was all but invisible in his 45 minutes, but it will not do much for building the argument he needs to be in the starting line-up each week. Partially not his fault as there was little to nothing coming down the left side in the first half, but if he can’t make the most of his chances, then it’s tough to see him as an option for the likes of Hall or Silva to key in on.
Your rating:
Justin Braun – N/A Andrew Wiedeman 5
Perhaps the biggest loss on the day was Braun going down as he is so important in having a real target to fight for the balls sent over the top. Wiedeman was scrappy as usual, but against a quality side in New York, never looked dangerous.
Your rating:
Robert Earnshaw – 5.5
Had some good chances on goal, despite not getting the usual clear cut ones we’ve become accustomed to in the first two months. His two shots towards goal further demonstrated he just has a knack to find the net, but both were a stretch in terms of getting onto the target and with the only service coming via the long-ball, it was unlikely Earnshaw was going to bag one unless New York committed a mistake.
Your rating:
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