Toronto FC 2 LA Galaxy 1
A week ago, while many would have been feeling good about an epic display of support and outstanding beginning to TFC’s quarter finals run against the Galaxy, in the end disappointment prevailed as two away goals looked to have all but sealed their fate.
As the away leg approached though, more and more elements began to line up in Toronto's favour and it began to look as though the team that took it to the Galaxy in the early going the week prior, should they make the necessary adjustments, could possibly come out with the win.
What was most encouraging from this result is that we’re not talking about Torsten Frings, Joao Plata, Julian De Guzman or Stefan Frei. Some might have bemoaned Luis Silva being sat for Nick Soolsma, but all credit to the Dutch youngster who demonstrated on a big stage how far he’s come since last year.
A case could be made for Soolsma, Ryan Johnson or Milos Kocic as Man of the Match, as each player had a direct hand delivering clutch plays that influenced the final outcome.
Aron Winter as well was shrewd in his tactics and man management as saving Luis Silva for later on almost resulted in goal, as did bringing in Terry Dunfield for Plata, which allowed Julian De Guzman to push forward and have more influence in the attacking third. Rarely has locking it down paid off for TFC, but they were able to soak up the pressure in the final minutes and come away with a historic victory for Canadian soccer.c h.
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 - 7
Not many would have expected after the debacle in Mexico City that the same keeper would be lifting his team to victory towards the semi-finals of the Champions League. The debate will continue between who is number one, last week we flipped, this week we'll flop as Kocic matched and exceeded the display from Stefan Frei to make a strong case he can bring it when it matters most. His 1v1 prowess, especially against Robbie Keane at the end, and calm handling balls in the box were paramount to Toronto getting this result.
Richard Eckersley - 6
A solid outing for Ecks who fought tooth and nail right to the end, bloody nose and all. Got into card trouble in the early going and drew fouls down the stretch, but defensively was strong and moving forward did well linking up with Soolsma to have a hand in pressure into LA's 18 yard box.
Ty Harden - 4.5
Harden will be buying Ryan Johnson and Nick Soolsma drinks for the forseeable future as his own goal put the Reds in a dire position until they were able to slot home the winner. Both he and Miguel Aceval did not have a great showing, being exposed for pace numerous times and Harden had a tough night with the ball at his feet, for the most part only able to pass it to Kocic or loft it deep onto LA's back line.
Miguel Aceval - 5
Still encouraging to have a centre back who is able to confidently connect to the middle of the park with passing, but when caught out struggles to get back in a hurry. His technique is there to see but appears overconfident when pressured, and his one moment to redeem himself on a set piece came up very short.
Ashtone Morgan - 6
It wasn't surprising to see Morgan bombing down the wing, knocking in cross after cross, but it was seeing him posted up as a forward for the final stretch of the match. Up against the best in the league, can still keep improving defensively, but what he offers athletically and delivered on the left side linking up with Plata and Johnson was invaluable towards keeping LA honest on that side of the pitch.
Torsten Frings – 6.5
Raised his mark for simply giving referee Moreno a constant earful for ninety minutes. While he didn't quite have the exact same direct influence on the score as in the home leg, once again was the anchor for the Reds delivering much needed experience and leadership.
Julian De Guzman – 5.5
Didn't offer much in the first half as the team was spread thin from front to back, but when Dunfield came in, allowed De Guzman more freedom to push forward and participate in the attack, which almost resulted in a second goal for Johnson that was just wide left. Looks much better when he's able to play higher up and close the distance for passing in the final third.
MOTM Nick Soolsma - 7
Preseason gave hints of improvement but to come into a match of this caliber and deliver on this level shows the leap Soolsma looks to have made over the last six months. From sound dribbling 1v1 against Dunivant, creating space, delivering the perfect cross and clinically finishing his chance, he could not have asked for a better start to the season.
Ryan Johnson – 7
Back to back games where Johnson has been a force to be reckoned with, now in back to back games, for the full ninety minutes. His form in the Champions League has been stellar and it continues to improve as the competition increases. His header was ‘Silva-esque’ but it was his assist where he used his physical presence to hold up the ball, and fight his way to deliver the cross that would ultimately be the winner. Is living up to what is needed from him in the early going of this season and hopefully he can maintain his fine form.
Joao Plata – 5.5
Much like last week, could not break through consistently, which really hats off to Sean Franklin who was able to match Plata’s pace and overmatch him physically to essentially keep the youngster from getting off few threatening chances. As the likes of Johnson and Silva turn heads, Plata will get his chances to expose defenders as he did last year so there should be no worry that he was unable to make his mark in these early matches.
Danny Koevermans – 5.5
Didn’t quite get the service needed to deliver as he knows how to, but still did the work that was required of him to help his teammates get their chances. It’s early days and it took a few games for Koevermans to really find his rhythm in 2011 and this season might be no different.
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