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Toronto FC 1 – 1 FC Dallas
Toronto FC continued their impressive form under Paul Mariner with another hard fought draw against Dallas. It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing performance that Toronto has delivered over the last couple of years, but it was impressive nonetheless, just based on the gutsiness, work ethic and desire that the Reds displayed.
TFC as a team are now clearly reflecting the passion and desire of their Head Coach and that seems to making all the difference the team. Realistically, it’s hard not to see the way Toronto has played over their last six games as one of the more successful midseason head coaching changes in recent memory.
The goal that Toronto conceded in the first five minutes was typical of the type of defensive breakdown that TFC supporters have come to expect from their team. However, this team also showed excellent character to bounce back and earn a point on the road while playing under excruciating heat. Toronto looks world’s away from Barcelona (as most clubs in the word do for obvious reasons), but they also now look like desired result of what was probable a much more realistic goal all along, given that they are now playing like a competitive no-nonsense MLS side.
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:
Milos Kocic – 6.5 MOTH
As is usual with any results for TFC, Kocic played a big role in securing a point. While Dallas did not test him often, he did come up big and sure handed during the stretches of the second half when this game felt like it was three points for whichever team was going to do just a little bit more to grab.
Jeremy Hall - 5.5
The former FC Dallas player struggled early on with the pace and attacking ability of Fabian Castillo, but adjusted well and generally delivered a solid performance against his former team.
Richard Eckersley – 6
Another excellent performance by Eckersley, who looks to have settled in at centre back. He made a number of key clearing plays that were vital to the point earned by Toronto FC.
Logan Emory – 6
Emory followed up a fine performance against the Red Bulls with one of similar quality against Houston. He did an excellent job of dealing with Brek Shea when tasked with defending the rising MLS star.
Ashtone Morgan – 5.5
Morgan was once again a force down the left flank and he delivered several quality crosses into the area. Outside of the goal that Dallas scored, when his man got inside of him, the young left back was also solid in the the defensive end.
Terry Dunfield - 6
Another inspired performance by Dunfield, who has looked like a different player playing under Paul Mariner. He defended well, sacrificed his head on a key clearance and got forward in an able fashion to support the offense.
Torsten Frings – 6
The veteran German midfielder almost always delivers a high quality two way game and he was again solid as a rock as TFC’s key distributor and leader in the middle of the pitch. In addition to his excellent positioning and doing all of the small things that winning teams require, Frings delivered a number of excellent crosses into the Dallas box.
Eric Avila - 5.5
Another energetic performance by Avila, whose recent play has to have made him one of first names that Paul Mariner writes in when his filling out his lineup sheet. The former FC Dallas midfielder delivered the cross that Koevermans scored on and he continued his recent propensity to track back and defend with dedication.
Reggie Lambe – 5.5
Lambe rewarded his Head Coach early on for giving him a second straight start, as the Bermuda International looked to be the most dangerous TFC attacker in the early going. His played tailed off in the second half of the game.
Ryan Johnson – 5
A bit of an off night for Johnson, who looked a little bit run by TFC’s heavy schedule and Texas heat. He looked like he could clearly have used a night off, but he still fought he way through this one and found ways to contribute.
Danny Koevermans – 6
Another game, another goal for the hottest striker in the MLS. Koevermans was again very active up top and over the course of Toronto’s five game unbeaten streak he has shown that he is capable of scoring in many different ways. His goal in this one was a textbook poacher’s goal, as he hung around the box and positioned himself in a perfect position to strike when the ball finally made its way toward him.
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