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Toronto FC 0 D.C. United 2
The Prelude to Battle
Toronto FC entered play on Saturday on the brink of going 0-8 and setting a new record for the worst start to an MLS season. If that context wasn’t enough to bring out a sense of urgency in the men in red, this fixture also marked the return of former TFC captain and reigning MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario to BMO Field. The game also marked the return of another former TFC captain in Maicon Santos and, thus, TFC Head Coach Aron Winter likely didn’t have to point out to his troops how much these two formers players were going to be motivated to score upon their return to BMO Field.
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As has been the case all season long, Winter adjusted his formation and lineup for this game. Likely with an eye towards Wednesday’s Canadian Championship second leg, Adrian Cann was rested and replaced by Doneil Henry in the starting eleven. Luis Silva also replaced Terry Dunfield, with the rookie attacking midfielder expected to give the Reds a little more offensive in place of the defensively-oriented Canadian International. Torsten Frings was also back in central defence in the middle of a three man back line after playing in the midfield against Montreal on Wednesday.
The Opening Forty-Five
The first half was a sloppy forty-five minutes of football in which neither side distinguished themselves. Both teams had trouble stringing their passes together and genuine scoring chances were few and far between.
In the 10th minute, Ashtone Morgan broke down the left side of the pitch and delivered a cross, but centre forward Ryan Johnson was well marked by the United defenders.
Johnson then delivered a dangerous cross of his own in the 18th minute, but once again the D.C. defenders were in the perfect position to make the clearance.
The Reds best chance of the half came in the 35th minute when Julian de Guzman released Morgan down the left side. The fleet footed Canadian International’s cross was blocked, but Johnson tested D.C. United keeper Bill Hamid with a follow up shot that required a strong save.
TFC earned a free kick in a dangerous spot just before the close of the half, but Miguel Aceval’s shot hit the D.C. United wall.
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Man, I picked a good year to move out of Toronto...what a sad, sad mess that team has become. #TFC
- @Simon_Bruyn |
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The Second Half
Aron Winter made one change to start the second half, with Joao Plata coming in for Luis Silva, likely with a hope of kickstarting an offense that struggled in the first half.
D.C. almost opened the scoring in the 54th minute on a contentious play in which Reggie Lambe cleared one off the line for the second game in a row, but this time appeared to use his arm to do so.
One minute later, Chris Pontius opened the scoring for D.C. United when he beat Milos Kocic in the top left corner of the TFC net.
D.C. United sealed the win in the 75th minute when Hamdi Salihi got a hold of a ball in the box and blasted it past a defenceless Kocic.
To injury to insult, Torsten Frings left this match with a shoulder injury and it remains to be seen how long he will be out of action.
The Final Word: Will TFC ever win another game?
This was another ugly loss and at this point TFC supporters are likely asking themselves if their team is ever going to win again. The answer to that question is that they certainly will. But, at the same time, it does not look like that win is going to come any time soon.
If Toronto looked unlucky and snake bitten in previous matches during the current losing streak, they simply looked completely without confidence and utterly toothless in this one. Whether the team was physically worn down by the pressure they have been under or psychologically battered from the events of the last couple of months, Toronto FC did not show much urgency for a team that was on the verge of taking sole possession of a new record for the worst start to an MLS campaign.
As was the case midweek in Montreal, the TFC offense was non-existent and never really threatened D.C. United keeper Bill Hamid. With both Dwayne De Rosario and Maicon Santos having quiet games for the visiting team, this was a game in which TFC’s opponent did not play particularly well, but went home with a very comfortable victory.
Outside of fairly decent performances – realistically, average performances that stood out when compared to the mediocrity of their teammates - by Miguel Aceval, Ashtone Morgan and Julian de Guzman, no player on TFC looked particularly good today. Certainly, no TFC player deserved to be qualified as a Man of the Match.
There are no easy answers for Toronto FC in terms of where the team goes now. Whether or not it is fair to put the full blame on TFC Head Coach Aron Winter, you have to wonder how much longer the TFC ownership group will be able to justify continuing with him at the helm of what is now far and away the worst team in the league. Certainly, the situation has moved beyond coaching mistakes and tactical issues and there is something rotten that is pervading the entire franchise from the technical staff to the players to the upper management. A single win would do so much to lessen the pressure on everyone involved. Aron Winter expressed confidence in himself, his vision and his players at the post-match press conference, but looked exasperated at the same time. Based on today’s performance, Toronto does not look like they are going to win any time soon, which is truly astonishing given how well this exact group of players finished the 2011 season in a genuinely impressive fashion. These are dark days at Toronto FC and while the situation should be disheartening for all Canadian soccer fans, it will be interesting to see what comes next.
TFC Line-up
30 Kocic
5 Morgan
3 Aceval
4 Henry
27 Eckersley
22 Frings
6 De Guzman
11 Silva
9 Johnson
8 Avila
19 Lambe
Substitutions:
(46) Plata in for Silva; (67) Hall in for Frings.
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