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View Full Version : Official Kansas City vs. Toronto FC Post-Game Thread



Shakes McQueen
03-21-2009, 09:32 PM
Well, discuss!

1-0-0 baby!

- Scott

James17930
03-21-2009, 09:33 PM
FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

Now I can have a happy day :D

Although it was pretty tense at the end there. Oh well, a W is a W.

Shakes McQueen
03-21-2009, 09:33 PM
Aside from DeRo's penalty miss, I think we looked great tonight. We kept them pretty subdued for scoring chances, to the point where their only two goals were blistering ranged shots (which we need to work on, don't get me wrong).

Our offense is absolutely to die for this season. Amazing.

- Scott

Sab0tage
03-21-2009, 09:34 PM
TFC! TFC!

Next week vs. Columbus let's go!

Batman
03-21-2009, 09:35 PM
Nice win. We look a world better than last year. Not without issues, but certainly a dramatic improvement.

Terry
03-21-2009, 09:35 PM
Great start to the season I would say. Very happy!

Oh, and hi, sab0tage. :D

dag
03-21-2009, 09:35 PM
A well deserved win. DeRo is a HUGE contribution to the club.

James17930
03-21-2009, 09:35 PM
Aside from DeRo's penalty miss, I think we looked great tonight. We kept them pretty subdued for scoring chances, to the point where their only two goals were blistering ranged shots (which we need to work on, don't get me wrong).

Our offense is absolutely to die for this season. Amazing.

- Scott

Yeah -- they can't let guys tee up from there like that.

But yeah -- every time De Ro gets the ball and gets downfield you feel he could score or create a goal -- we've never had a guy like that before.

And full credit to Guevara for being in the right spots to capitalize. He played great tonight too.

Oldtimer
03-21-2009, 09:36 PM
Toronto looks very dangerous on the attack.

DeRo and Guevara work very well together (people were questioning this).
Serioux is actually quite a good player (when he is not red-carded).
Defense is a little dodgy, but better than I feared. Adding a good CB would make TFC cup contenders.

Carver's strategy in this match was very good.

Good team. Nice to see the win. The RPB in Kansas represented very well.

Canadian Blue
03-21-2009, 09:36 PM
5 goals in total......4 of which were very solid.

Good game overall for a season opener......but when will we get a season opener at BMO?

dag
03-21-2009, 09:36 PM
Come on, ML$E, update the website. We won!

rocker
03-21-2009, 09:36 PM
-- tfc dominated first 25 minutes, bad finishing
-- then KC came back for 5-8 minutes, got some chances
-- Jimmy scores a beauty
-- then KC comes back with couple good chances
-- but then barrett gets great chance with Guevara's and Rohan's help
-- Kc comes back with some chances
-- TFC clears again and again to kill the half off

second half

-- KC changes formation, comes out very strongly
-- TFC just knocking clearances downfield for first 5 min of second half
-- Guevera scores against the run of play
-- KC can't get shots on goal, keeps knocking balls over
-- KC gets a goal...amazing shot... and look like maybe another,
-- then Guevara comes back with a second for him!
-- Arnaud again with a world class goal for KC
-- lots of good play from Robinson to preserve things
-- still scrambly at the end, but guys like Cronin helped us from breaking

PHEW!

very entertaining match with quite a lot of quality. MLS doesn't suck, ok?

tfctillidie
03-21-2009, 09:37 PM
3-2..yeaaa...if Barret capitalized those 2 great chances, and DeRo scored that PK...we would've scored 6 on our first game on the road..haha..but awesome win!!

tfctillidie
03-21-2009, 09:38 PM
hahaha he is still talkin and the camera is running....there is no one left on the field for either team haha so they jus focused on our lads in Kansas chanting their ass off

http://atdhe.net/live-tv-5353.html

Antoshka
03-21-2009, 09:39 PM
anyone watching the channelsurfing feed? they dont go offline lol, its kinda creepy to see what theyre doing! they gave a shutout to the travelling toronto fans offline too haha

oldmanken
03-21-2009, 09:39 PM
Near the end Cronin was the difference, though he was anonymous prior to that.

Nuvinho
03-21-2009, 09:40 PM
If KC didn't have Arnaud....our defense would of looked great!!!

Frei did well and so did Cronin.

dantdot
03-21-2009, 09:40 PM
hahaha he is still talkin and the camera is running....there is no one left on the field for either team haha so they jus focused on our lads in Kansas chanting their ass off

http://atdhe.net/live-tv-5353.html

LOL one of the commentators is talking shit about people hes worked with.

tfctillidie
03-21-2009, 09:40 PM
anyone watching the channelsurfing feed? they dont go offline lol, its kinda creepy to see what theyre doing! they gave a shutout to the travelling toronto fans offline too haha

haha u still watching it...they talk shit offline! lol

Super Cereal
03-21-2009, 09:41 PM
I wanted Vitti to play. :(

But we won!!!

Antoshka
03-21-2009, 09:41 PM
haha u still watching it...they talk shit offline! lol

LOL! "no its not live" LOL

shwade
03-21-2009, 09:41 PM
no it's not live is it..i don't think these mics are open...LOLLL

dag
03-21-2009, 09:41 PM
Kudos to the lads, and a big round of applause to the supporters who represented us in KC and were so kindly remarked upon by the local announcers.

rocker
03-21-2009, 09:42 PM
Cronin had this great long high pass to De RO near the end that was pretty.

Nuvinho
03-21-2009, 09:42 PM
I already am looking forward to next week......This team is going to be entertaining and definately put 110% out on the field.

tfctillidie
03-21-2009, 09:42 PM
LOL! "no its not live" LOL

haha they are so live lol

Cannon
03-21-2009, 09:43 PM
LOL of course its not live!!

dantdot
03-21-2009, 09:43 PM
If you're gonna make a post-game thread, gotta lock the main one.

Sonny Cheeba
03-21-2009, 09:44 PM
well the game showed that the refs haven't improved much at all..... which disappointed me despite the win.

Shakes McQueen
03-21-2009, 09:44 PM
If you're gonna make a post-game thread, gotta lock the main one.

Not a forum moderator, or I would. I'm sure it will get locked soon. :D

- Scott

devioustrevor
03-21-2009, 09:45 PM
I thought Frei looked quite good tonight. There is no way Sutton saves either of those Arnaud goals and I'm not certain one of those hard, low shots they sent in on Frei doesn't beat Sutton. He also looked to have much better command of his area than Sutton. From what I seen, he only needs to work on better weighting his kicks.

Inklink
03-21-2009, 09:45 PM
Nice win :)

LMAO I watched all of their supposedly "not live" stuff. It's pretty hilarious actually :D . It's like you're spying.

I want to see Vitti next game :D .

Those 2 goals conceded were laser beams. No one stops those. On the 2nd one it was a defensive gaff, players backed up way too much.

"Goodnight Seattle" :D

Kevin
03-21-2009, 09:45 PM
LOL! "no its not live" LOL


serious? lol.

TFC RealDeal RPB
03-21-2009, 09:45 PM
Got to love it, what a way to start. TFC TFC TFC

devioustrevor
03-21-2009, 09:46 PM
I also wonder why Guevara didn't take the PK sitting on a hattrick.

jloome
03-21-2009, 09:46 PM
Holy solid performance. Guevara and DeRo were both in a different class, and by the last 30 minutes or so, so was Cronin -- holy shit, the kid's gonna be a real player! That long, wide ball he played crossfield to DeRo in the second half was truly impressive.

Surprised they let Arnaud blow that second one by Frei. But all in all the defensive positioning was superb. Serioux and Harmse both did really well. Serioux was monstrous in the air, and Nuvinho's point about Harmse being anonymously efficient is well made.

Would've liked to see Vitti come in for Barrett after 65 or so, but they probably wanted to see if he could go the distance. Dichio did the job coming in.

Kansas had nothing outside Arnaud, who frequently seems to be their sparkplug.

Biggest difference tonight from past road games: we closed them down constantly, and allowed them very little time to move the ball, which showed in the final possessions stats.

That was a really, really encouraging start to the season. Bring on the KKKrew

Redcoe15
03-21-2009, 09:48 PM
Dero, Guevara, Serioux, Brennan, Robbo, great game.

Ricketts not so much. JC should have subbed him in the second half.

All in all, a HUGE difference from the last two openers. This team looks like big things will happen this season. Can't wait to take it to KKKolumbus next week. Then, THE HOME OPENER!

As Benny Knight would say, Onward!

tfctillidie
03-21-2009, 09:48 PM
Nice win :)

LMAO I watched all of their supposedly "not live" stuff. It's pretty hilarious actually :D . It's like you're spying.

I want to see Vitti next game :D .

Those 2 goals conceded were laser beams. No one stops those. On the 2nd one it was a defensive gaff, players backed up way too much.

"Goodnight Seattle" :D

haha i watched the entire thing too...their on the pitch guy reminded me of gerry dee he looked funny coz he couldnt find anyone to interview lol

Shakes McQueen
03-21-2009, 09:48 PM
C'mon everyone!

WE ALL LAUGH AT THE YELLOW SOCCER TEAM...

- Scott

rocker
03-21-2009, 09:48 PM
also good to see that the ref didn't decide the game (only a few questionable guys in my eyes).

devioustrevor
03-21-2009, 09:49 PM
One thing I saw that I didn't like from TFC is that in the 2nd half when KC was pressing before the 2nd goal Toronto seemed too content to play Dale Mitchell-ball and just boot the ball downfield instead of taking advantage of our huge talent advantage in Midfield.

GhostPK
03-21-2009, 09:50 PM
Man, how do I get in on those "All you can eat seats"!! Wow... never cried so hard laughing in my life. Almost as good as the Fun for Four seats....

Nuvinho
03-21-2009, 09:50 PM
I was hoping that JC would make a sub around the 75th minute to somewhat slow the game down. I was also a little worried that the ref may of been Ricketts a 2nd yellow (Ricko played physical.....never would of thought I'd say that...hahaha!!!)

loconet
03-21-2009, 09:51 PM
One thing I saw that I didn't like from TFC is that in the 2nd half when KC was pressing before the 2nd goal Toronto seemed too content to play Dale Mitchell-ball and just boot the ball downfield instead of taking advantage of our huge talent advantage in Midfield.

My dad and I were yelling at me TV for the exact same reason.

WHY THE F MUST YOU KICK IT UP WHEN THERE IS TIME AND SPACE TO COME OUT PLAYING!! KEEP POSSESSION!

TFC07
03-21-2009, 09:53 PM
One thing I saw that I didn't like from TFC is that in the 2nd half when KC was pressing before the 2nd goal Toronto seemed too content to play Dale Mitchell-ball and just boot the ball downfield instead of taking advantage of our huge talent advantage in Midfield.

True, but however, KC's field is small! It would be hard to play possession football with little space.

mlsintoronto
03-21-2009, 09:55 PM
Come on, ML$E, update the website. We won!

thats Luke's job. and he still is on the air! ;)

ginkster88
03-21-2009, 09:55 PM
I think we would have seen Vitti if Dero scored his PK, or we didn't let Arnaud get that second shot off. As it was I'm happy to have Dichio in there to get his head on the ball on those corners.

[NBF]
03-21-2009, 09:58 PM
Thats got to be the worst stadium in the MLS!

The sign in the background for $19.85 phone calls all around the world was almost as big as 1/4 of the entire pitch, and quite easily fit inside the goalkeepers box.

Horrendous! I wish the winds of shit would ravish it to pieces.
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0enG6gb4xVdHE/340x.jpg

I hate it with a passion!

TFC: 4-1-3-1-1?

----------------Frei---------------
Wynne---Serioux---Harmse---Brennan
--------------Robinson-------------
Cronin--------Guevara------Ricketts
--------------De Rosario------------
--------------Barrett----------------

* Correct me if im wrong or if the station i watched 40 minutes of the game was wrong:noidea:


:canada:

TERSIGNI
03-21-2009, 09:58 PM
Suprised Carver knowing that Chad still cramps up late in game, did not anticipate and put in Dicchio earlier

Jamaicanadian
03-21-2009, 10:01 PM
Score 3 to win on the road...Great start!!

Corcai
03-21-2009, 10:02 PM
I am happy, we got a great result.

Thank God for that. Here is ONE cause of our boys, I have full confidence they will keep it going.

Looks like another sellout season at BMO field. Here is hoping I can snag a few tickets on this website.

Does anyone else feel the plain, utter, relief that TFC football is back?

It was a long fucking winter.

Redcoe15
03-21-2009, 10:03 PM
JC was thrilled. :D

Redcoe15
03-21-2009, 10:04 PM
Does anyone else feel the plain, utter, relief that TFC football is back?

It was a long fucking winter.
A win on the road makes it sweeter! :D

rocker
03-21-2009, 10:05 PM
you guys see Mayor David Miller's twitter?

http://twitter.com/mayormiller

Fushida
03-21-2009, 10:13 PM
couldn't hear any commentary at the bar i was watching the game in. what was up with vitti? injury or just didn't play?

de ro was huge... every touch he made seemed dangerous. he and guevara were the only two who could control a ball from the midfield and lay it off for something to happen. de ro has some crazy chest control though :canada:

bad misses by barrett in the beginning but at least it seems like he didn't lose much confidence... which is good. guevara looked like he was gonna kill someone, but at least he didn't eve get a card, haha.

Corcai
03-21-2009, 10:14 PM
I agree. Our boys got the win, but since the refs haven't improved, as they are not perfect in every match beside the MLS, I must display my disappointment as the refs in the Juventus/Palermo/Catania matches are obviously fixed.

If only Sonny Cheeba could find a perfect fix for all that is wrong referreeing football matches in Italy, Spain, and England, then we could all watch pure football at it's finest according to Sonny living in his mother's Woodbridge basement.

nimamalek
03-21-2009, 10:15 PM
Frei - 6 (should have had the second goal)
Brennan - 8
Harmse - 8
Adrian - 7
Wynne - 7
Ricketts - 7
Robinson - 6 (both goals were his fault)
Amado - 10
Cronin - 7
Barrett - 6
Dero - 9 (missed the penatly, but setup 2 goals)

S_D
03-21-2009, 10:18 PM
Man, how do I get in on those "All you can eat seats"!! Wow... never cried so hard laughing in my life. Almost as good as the Fun for Four seats....

It made me hungry when they announced it so I had to make some hot dogs. I could do some serious damage to their profit margins :D

Fushida
03-21-2009, 10:19 PM
I agree. Our boys got the win, but since the refs haven't improved, as they are not perfect in every match beside the MLS, I must display my disappointment as the refs in the Juventus/Palermo/Catania matches are obviously fixed.

If only Sonny Cheeba could find a perfect fix for all that is wrong referreeing football matches in Italy, Spain, and England, then we could all watch pure football at it's finest according to Sonny living in his mother's Woodbridge basement.

I actually thought the ref tonight did a good job, not too card happy and kept things relatively controlled.

Sonny Cheeba
03-21-2009, 10:20 PM
I agree. Our boys got the win, but since the refs haven't improved, as they are not perfect in every match beside the MLS, I must display my disappointment as the refs in the Juventus/Palermo/Catania matches are obviously fixed.

If only Sonny Cheeba could find a perfect fix for all that is wrong referreeing football matches in Italy, Spain, and England, then we could all watch pure football at it's finest according to Sonny living in his mother's Woodbridge basement.

pardon me?

what the fuck is this. i'm just disappointed at the refereeing. big deal, lots of people are. i agree that there are no perfect refs out there, i just find that officiating in MLS is particularly poor and that it could be better. so what? i feel the same way about refs in the SPL. could be better. wish that they were.

found that a rather personal attack. do i know you?

olegunnar
03-21-2009, 10:25 PM
So the RPBs top two choices for top scorer this year.
1. showed why Chicago didnt' want him
2. didn't see the field.

We won. We scored 3....THREE on the road...so it's a happy day...just thought it was funny that barrett was barrett and Vitti was benched.

S_D
03-21-2009, 10:28 PM
well if things keep up the way they are going maybe we won't need any forwards :)

ginkster88
03-21-2009, 10:31 PM
Sonny I'm with you on this one, that remark was right out of left field. Incidentally, the refereeing tonight was as bad as I've ever seen in MLS, and simply inexcusable for a "major" league. I love the game we have on this continent but something has to be done about the officials. The commentator said it best when he said "you can never tell what MLS refs are going to do in these situations," or something to that effect. My main complaint is the inconsistency with their calls. You could never tell what the ref would do, and he missed some glaring fouls against both sides and made some terrible calls against both sides. It goes both ways, but is still difficult to watch.

troy1982
03-21-2009, 10:33 PM
Not to get this thread off topic but did anyone see Kenny Coopers 60 yard goal for Dallas. I think it was the best mid-field goal I have seen and mostly likely goal of the year. The game highlights are on MLSnet. The almost seems like he gets knocked out on the goal aswell.

Nuvinho
03-21-2009, 10:35 PM
Not to get this thread off topic but did anyone see Kenny Coopers 60 yard goal for Dallas. I think it was the best mid-field goal I have seen and mostly likely goal of the year. The game highlights are on MLSnet.

oh my.

rocker
03-21-2009, 10:37 PM
Not to get this thread off topic but did anyone see Kenny Coopers 60 yard goal for Dallas. I think it was the best mid-field goal I have seen and mostly likely goal of the year. The game highlights are on MLSnet.

we've seen some pretty goals in this opening MLS week, starting in the Seattle game and into tonight. high quality

olegunnar
03-21-2009, 10:38 PM
anyone remember last september when we had to win at KC.....and this happened...
Shots (on Goal) Wizards13(4) Toronto 3(0)

Today....
Same teams, same venue

Toronto FC 12(8) Kansas City Wizards 11(4)

Pachuco
03-21-2009, 10:39 PM
Great game, congrats to TFC. Here is my assessment in no particular order:

Serioux - Was a beast tonight.
Guevara - Awesome today. The very same thing people bitched about when he played against Canada is the only thing that killed KC's momemtum. As good as last year except he netted two of them (Devos really annoyed me with the comments that Guevara was bad last year).
Dero - Had incredible impact on the field, he is all we needed last year to be a cup contender. Would've been player of the match until he missed the penalty.
Cronin - Invisible in the first half, great second half.
Harmse - Made me fucking nervous everytime he touched the ball.
Brennan - decent defending today and a hell of a goal.
Ricketts - sorry to say, week link in the midfield today, shoud've been subbed off at the half. He's lucky he didn't get a red at some point.
Frei - Don't think we saw enough to judge. Sutton may have had the second goal simply because he's bigger. Distribution was much improved over Sutton though.
Robbo - Did what he does best.
Wynne - Really solid tonight. He even looked good with the ball at his feet.
Dichio - Played a very short time but incredibly effective.
Barrett - Worked hard, but man, he needs to learn how to finish consistently. His inconsistent finish is the difference between him winning the goal scoring title this year and being just alright.

Carver - For fucks sakes he almost cost us the game. Ricketts should've been gone at the half. He was on a yellow and was consistently fouling guys because he seemed behind the play today. Dichio's substiution was good, but WAY too late. He has no idea how to recognize when the momentum has changed and when to make a substitution. 5 people in my house watching this game, and all 5 are yelling (begging) in the 65-70th minute for him to make a sub.

ginkster88
03-21-2009, 10:42 PM
Serioux plus the incoming DC are going to be awesome. :) I'm getting ahead of myself but tonight is wonderful!

billyfly
03-21-2009, 10:43 PM
Just got home from watching the match at buddy's house. That 2nd glaring Barrett miss was the most unbelievable thing I've EVER seen.

DeRo was man of the match if he hadn't missed the PK. he created 2 goals. What a diff from last year. Here's hoping TFC can keep it up.

P.S. - YIPPEEEEE. THEY WON!!!

Sonny Cheeba
03-21-2009, 10:44 PM
Sonny I'm with you on this one, that remark was right out of left field. Incidentally, the refereeing tonight was as bad as I've ever seen in MLS, and simply inexcusable for a "major" league. I love the game we have on this continent but something has to be done about the officials. The commentator said it best when he said "you can never tell what MLS refs are going to do in these situations," or something to that effect. My main complaint is the inconsistency with their calls. You could never tell what the ref would do, and he missed some glaring fouls against both sides and made some terrible calls against both sides. It goes both ways, but is still difficult to watch.

thank you, and i agree. inconsistency is too frequently an issue in officiating.

nevertheless we won, and we played well. great to see.

rocker
03-21-2009, 10:45 PM
Frei - Don't think we saw enough to judge. Sutton may have had the second goal simply because he's bigger. Distribution was much improved over Sutton though.


I agree... I still want to see more of Frei's shotstopping ability before I get too giddy about him. KC had such poor shooting at times (lots of balls over the net), and then when he did get shots on him, they were unstoppable goals... I like his distribution.. both he and Edwards are much better at distribution than Sutton. There was one long ball that Frei knocked almost 3/4's down the field right on to Barrett's chest.

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
03-21-2009, 10:47 PM
Great game, congrats to TFC. Here is my assessment in no particular order:

Serioux - Was a beast tonight.
Guevara - Awesome today. The very same thing people bitched about when he played against Canada is the only thing that killed KC's momemtum. As good as last year except he netted two of them (Devos really annoyed me with the comments that Guevara was bad last year).
Dero - Had incredible impact on the field, he is all we needed last year to be a cup contender. Would've been player of the match until he missed the penalty.
Cronin - Invisible in the first half, great second half.
Harmse - Made me fucking nervous everytime he touched the ball.
Brennan - decent defending today and a hell of a goal.
Ricketts - sorry to say, week link in the midfield today, shoud've been subbed off at the half. He's lucky he didn't get a red at some point.
Frei - Don't think we saw enough to judge. Sutton may have had the second goal simply because he's bigger. Distribution was much improved over Sutton though.
Robbo - Did what he does best.
Wynne - Really solid tonight. He even looked good with the ball at his feet.
Dichio - Played a very short time but incredibly effective.
Barrett - Worked hard, but man, he needs to learn how to finish consistently. His inconsistent finish is the difference between him winning the goal scoring title this year and being just alright.

Carver - For fucks sakes he almost cost us the game. Ricketts should've been gone at the half. He was on a yellow and was consistently fouling guys because he seemed behind the play today. Dichio's substiution was good, but WAY too late. He has no idea how to recognize when the momentum has changed and when to make a substitution. 5 people in my house watching this game, and all 5 are yelling (begging) in the 65-70th minute for him to make a sub.


Thanks for the update...missed the game.....

it could of been 4-0....and im sure....you would of HACKED away at JC!

bring on Columbus!

Fushida
03-21-2009, 10:47 PM
I agree on carver... don't understand why ricketts was still on after about the 65th minute... always a danger in getting a red. same with barrett.. he clearly ran out of steam by about the 70th minute... i believe he touched the ball probably less than 5 times in the last 10 minutes he was on.

billyfly
03-21-2009, 10:48 PM
Frei brought a different dimension to the game that I haven't seen Sutton bring to the table - mainly the long balls.

The 2 goals were not his fault.

billyfly
03-21-2009, 10:49 PM
I was screaming for a sub as well. Barrett (again) with the cramping.

Pachuco
03-21-2009, 10:50 PM
Frei brought a different dimension to the game that I haven't seen Sutton bring to the table - mainly the long balls.

The 2 goals were not his fault.

I completely agree, they weren't his fault. They could both be up for goal of the week. Distribution is great. Unfortunately, he didn't really get to make any saves so as Rocker said, just waiting to see his shot stopping ability.

Pachuco
03-21-2009, 10:51 PM
I was screaming for a sub as well. Barrett (again) with the cramping.

The funny thing is, if Barrett doesn't cramp then we probably never see Dichio, which was the right move, just way too late in the game.

wzhxvy
03-21-2009, 10:52 PM
Bunch of you made the point on Barret...good point...the guy basically asked to be removed after cramping yet again. Carver has to be on top of that...what the hell was he waiting for. I think Ricketts knows he needs to step up this year...happy to see him get involved and physical. Guevara was very engaged...and Harmse well, it was not exactly clinical clearance...punting the ball everytime. And agree on the passed out...with a great midfield, the backs have to make that outlet pass...cmon guys ! All in all though..great game..Dero carried the team and was a monster. Dont know what to make of Frei, Cronin looked like a good solid player...good job boys and Carver please wake up.

kodiakTFC
03-21-2009, 10:54 PM
Barrett's finish was terrible but the guy won a ton of balls. He has potential if he can finish on the great plays he finds himself in.

ginkster88
03-21-2009, 10:54 PM
I loved seeing those giant kicks dropping onto TFC chests tonight. A couple of nice low stops, and if he stopped that first goal I would make him the starter and never look back; a couple inches higher or to the right and that ball was hitting a post or crossbar. The second one was equally well-struck, but as de Vos said, I would like to see another angle on that one just to see where the ball went.

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
03-21-2009, 10:54 PM
I did'nt see the game... but im not one bit suprised on a so so preformance from Rohan RIcketts....

But this was his game all last year.....I wouldnt be surprised if he comes out and scores apair in columbus.....:)

Then shits the bed again vs Seattle....;)

dantdot
03-21-2009, 10:55 PM
They just uploaded the game in 6 min on TFC TV in really terrible quality, someone better re-encode that.

billyfly
03-21-2009, 10:56 PM
You could definitely hear the "away team" over anything the KC crowd could muster.

Take that Seattle!

Pachuco
03-21-2009, 10:56 PM
Great game, congrats to TFC. Here is my assessment in no particular order:

Serioux - Was a beast tonight.
Guevara - Awesome today. The very same thing people bitched about when he played against Canada is the only thing that killed KC's momemtum. As good as last year except he netted two of them (Devos really annoyed me with the comments that Guevara was bad last year).
Dero - Had incredible impact on the field, he is all we needed last year to be a cup contender. Would've been player of the match until he missed the penalty.
Cronin - Invisible in the first half, great second half.
Harmse - Made me fucking nervous everytime he touched the ball.
Brennan - decent defending today and a hell of a goal.
Ricketts - sorry to say, week link in the midfield today, shoud've been subbed off at the half. He's lucky he didn't get a red at some point.
Frei - Don't think we saw enough to judge. Sutton may have had the second goal simply because he's bigger. Distribution was much improved over Sutton though.
Robbo - Did what he does best.
Wynne - Really solid tonight. He even looked good with the ball at his feet.
Dichio - Played a very short time but incredibly effective.
Barrett - Worked hard, but man, he needs to learn how to finish consistently. His inconsistent finish is the difference between him winning the goal scoring title this year and being just alright.

Carver - For fucks sakes he almost cost us the game. Ricketts should've been gone at the half. He was on a yellow and was consistently fouling guys because he seemed behind the play today. Dichio's substiution was good, but WAY too late. He has no idea how to recognize when the momentum has changed and when to make a substitution. 5 people in my house watching this game, and all 5 are yelling (begging) in the 65-70th minute for him to make a sub.


Thanks for the update...missed the game.....

it could of been 4-0....and im sure....you would of HACKED away at JC!

bring on Columbus!

If you really didn't see the game, then you may want to reserve judgement until you do. I don't give a shit if you think I'm biased, but I'm not the only one on this thread that agrees that Carver need to make a sub much sooner then he did. An oh, you're very wrong in what you say. Carver takes off Ricketts at the half, we win 3-2 and I don't mention Carver in my thread. That's the last I am saying about Carver because this shouldn't be a bashing Carver thread. This should be a celebration for the great game the players on the field played today. Unless someone tempts me of course :)

Sonny Cheeba
03-21-2009, 10:57 PM
it would be nice to see Frei against Sutton in a practice, or that free practice scrimmage they had last year. maybe they can do that earlier.

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
03-21-2009, 10:58 PM
[quote=RPB_RED_NATION_RPB;427805]

If you really didn't see the game, then you may want to reserve judgement until you do. I don't give a shit if you think I'm biased, but I'm not the only one on this thread that agrees that Carver need to make a sub much sooner then he did. An oh, you're very wrong in what you say. Carver takes off Ricketts at the half, we win 3-2 and I don't mention Carver in my thread. That's the last I am saying about Carver because this shouldn't be a bashing Carver thread. This should be a celebration for the great game the players on the field played today. Unless someone tempts me of course :)

Exactly:drinking:

Bring on COLUMBUS!

ginkster88
03-21-2009, 10:59 PM
I would have liked to see something like Vitti/Dichio in, Dero to left wing, and Ricketts come off at around 60 mins. That would have been a good move, I was sure Ricketts was getting a sending off at around 70-80, when he made another hard challenge.

Kickit09
03-21-2009, 11:01 PM
im happy to get the win tonight but boy was it ever tense at the end. looks like we're in for a lot of high scoring games this year, and i mean both ways.

and chad 'mario gomez' barrett was brutal tonight, especially on the 2 on 0 where he just passed it to the keeper. i had high hopes for him this season, hope this was just a one off.

Pachuco
03-21-2009, 11:01 PM
I would have liked to see something like Vitti/Dichio in, Dero to left wing, and Ricketts come off at around 60 mins. That would have been a good move, I was sure Ricketts was getting a sending off at around 70-80, when he made another hard challenge.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that. In fact, there is actually a FIFA rule where a ref can give a yellow foul for too many consecutive fouls, if you ask me, Ricketts was hanging on the string. None of his fouls were that harmfull, but combined all together, he could easily have seen his second yellow.

olegunnar
03-21-2009, 11:02 PM
They made it sound like Vitti was getting a message....work harder/be better then you can play.
Dichio is NOT the guy to play counter against 3 in the back.
Why people are saying Dichio should have been put in sooner, I have no idea.

billyfly
03-21-2009, 11:03 PM
I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that. In fact, there is actually a FIFA rule where a ref can give a yellow foul for too many consecutive fouls, if you ask me, Ricketts was hanging on the string. None of his fouls were that harmfull, but combined all together, he could easily have seen his second yellow.

That's exactly what my buddy said.

Sonny Cheeba
03-21-2009, 11:05 PM
They made it sound like Vitti was getting a message....work harder/be better then you can play.
Dichio is NOT the guy to play counter against 3 in the back.
Why people are saying Dichio should have been put in sooner, I have no idea.

people are saying it because of Chad Barrett's cramp issues.

Pachuco
03-21-2009, 11:05 PM
They made it sound like Vitti was getting a message....work harder/be better then you can play.
Dichio is NOT the guy to play counter against 3 in the back.
Why people are saying Dichio should have been put in sooner, I have no idea.

I'll explain why. Barrett was doing nothing at that point. Dichio is great at holding up the ball. He's also great at defending on free kicks. At that moment in time, we need to kill their momentum. With Frei's incredible goal kicks, Dichio would've been the target man to just hold up the ball. Did you forget we have Dero to help with counter attacks?

dantdot
03-21-2009, 11:38 PM
Highlights

XeWZqzKFI-I

S_D
03-21-2009, 11:39 PM
For me it wasn't bring Dichio in, I just wanted Barrett off. I had seen enough after the 2 field goals and pass to the keeper.

ginkster88
03-21-2009, 11:44 PM
I get the feeling that Barrett is a nightmare for a coach: just close to good enough that he earns a starting spot, but then has a few ghastly plays that warrant removal from the game, except pulling him after those misses would kill his confidence for good. Just a feeling I get, but I'd hate to be in Carver's shoes when it comes to Barrett.

Lucky Strike
03-21-2009, 11:51 PM
My player ratings:

Frei, 7 - Did what he had to do when called upon. One nervous moment and beaten twice by amazing shots. Can't really be held at fault for either though the second goal was within reach. He seemed to be screened though.
Brennan, 7 - Never seriously threatened defensively, did the job and chipped in a good goal.
Harmse, 6 - Never saw much of him which is a good thing. Acts more like a sweeper in that he ships everything that comes in contact with his feet by FedEx Air Express. It worked though.
Serioux, 8 - Massive in the air today, won nearly everything. Lucky not to get called for a handball in the box.
Wynne, 7 - Not too solicited and seemed more positionally responsible.
Ricketts, 5 - Had some good touches but that was it. Really should have been subbed earlier as he was liable to get sent off at any moment. Booked.
Guevara, 9 - Two excellent goals including the game winner. Excellent play in the midfield. A hat trick would have given him a 10.
Robinson, 7 - Solid as usual. Can't complain.
Cronin, 7 - A bit invisible in the first half but solid and impressive for a rookie in the second half. Good defensive plays and one wicked 70 yard ball.
DeRosario, 8 - Monster in the middle with Guevara. Picked up an assist and basically set up another goal by virtue of his shot on target. The missed penalty bumps him down from a rating of 9.
Barrett, 5 - Excellent work rate as usual but brutal finishing today. The forward backpass to Hartman really sticks out and overshadows much of what he did today. Subbed.
Dichio, NR - On too late to really judge but provided height defensively to secure the win.
Carver, 7 - Made the right choice in starting Cronin and Frei. Should have subbed out Ricketts around the 65th minute.

Referee, 7 - Missed (fortunately) a Serioux handball in the first half and should have booked the KC guy who rumbled over DeRosario late in the first as well. Managed the game and the players very well otherwise and I'm pleased with him.

MOTM - Guevara.
Most impressed by KC's: Davy Arnaud. Two huge crackers that will no doubt make the goals of the week. He also had a similar goal last year.

ensco
03-22-2009, 12:04 AM
Some general points that haven't been mentioned yet:

- the wind was a huge factor (crossfield 20 mile an hour breeze). TFC did a very good job as the road team in not making a critical error with respect to judging the wind.

- Agree with those who say Barrett and Ricketts needed to come off. This was very obvious. Dichio was the right sub given his ability to defend with his head (note he cleared the final corner in extra time)

- Guevara drove the KC players, bench and crowd crazy. Partly because of his play, partly because of his diving. He was really mixing it up with their veterans (Harrington, Arnaud etc) - they hate the guy. The whole KC bench spent the second half going nuts about him. He is a very disruptive influence on a game, this can be both a positive or a negative. Today it was a real positive.

- DeRo looked like Didier Drogba out there. Struck absolute fear into the KC defenders, who consequently gave him a huge amount of space. He was visibly shattered by the miss, though. In case they didn't show it, it looked like Guevara was fighting him to take the PK, and only backed off at the last second (I'm not 100% sure about this, but that's what it looked like)

- that's a nice little stadium. Not a soccer stadium of course, but not as bad as it looks on TV. Nice grass. Many good sight lines (but not where the TFC fans were - there's a light pole that interferes with the sightlines).

- the Cauldron make a lot of noise and were a significant factor until we took them out of the game.

- chant of the night: "you're blue, you're white, you're absolutely shite"

Jack
03-22-2009, 12:09 AM
The second goal was deflected. No chance for Frei.

He definitely impressed me tonight.

rocker
03-22-2009, 12:19 AM
so in 2007 we had 1 win in 15 road games, with 8 goals scored on the road.
in 2009 we already have 1 win in 1 road game, with 3 goals scored on the road.

the road shouldn't be as scary and intimidating from this point on. we can win on the road.

Laurignano
03-22-2009, 12:24 AM
I had one problem with the game today, only one. Caver should have made some subs in the dying minutes of the game to kill some more time, we had two extra subs sitting on the bench that could have come on! Other than that I think it was overall pretty decent, but I wish we had kept a clean sheet!

Torcida
03-22-2009, 12:26 AM
We won, great. But why do we have a player who misses 110% chances as our lone striker playing 88 minutes when he is only fit to play 65 at best?

Laurignano
03-22-2009, 12:31 AM
I agree with you Torcida to an extent...maybe by him playing 88 minutes today it will help his fitness and he should have NEVER screwed up that shot like that lol

Torcida
03-22-2009, 12:34 AM
I agree with you Torcida to an extent...maybe by him playing 88 minutes today it will help his fitness and he should have NEVER screwed up that shot like that lol
It's not the first time and it certaintly won't be the last...

MUFC_Niagara
03-22-2009, 12:39 AM
God, Hartman is fat.

Jeffro
03-22-2009, 12:43 AM
For me, Ricketts was our weak link today,I was not too impressed with him start to finish.


I was however VERY happy to see Robbo AND Cronin start. For me Robbo and Cronin as holding mids fully allow Brennan and Wynne to push forward on the wings while Robbo and Cronin give support to our Cb's. This allows Guevara, DeRo and Ricketts a bit of a free role as attacking mids to act as and feed the sole striker, allowing for more possession and domination.

4-2-3-1!!! Especially on the road... Keep the possession boys, and we can dominate the opposition!! No morelong balls fromdefence to attack!!

Torcida
03-22-2009, 12:44 AM
My player ratings:

Frei, 6.5 - 10x better than Greg (imho.
Brennan, 7 - Not too shabby, nice goal
Harmse, 7 - Solid!
Serioux, 7.5 - Pleasantly surprised.
Wynne, 6 - Will have better games.
Ricketts, 5 - No vision...
Guevara, 8 - Great stuff, Classic Amado, DeRo is bringing out the best in him got to love it.
Robinson, 5.5 - Needs to be more consistent.
Cronin, 6 - Not sold on him yet..
DeRosario, 7.5 - Great! Too bad he Baggio'd his PK.
Barrett, 4 - I'll give him some credit, his movement off the ball is good, once the ball is at his feet....I just hope he passes it right away.
Dichio, NR - He's got no hair, but we don't care...

Best part of the game: De Vos saying Arnaud will not score another goal like that this season than does 20 minutes later.

Jeffro
03-22-2009, 12:46 AM
We won, great. But why do we have a player who misses 110% chances as our lone striker playing 88 minutes when he is only fit to play 65 at best?


Sorry, but I disagree. Chad maybe missed one chance today, early on that should have been a goal....otherwise did his job as a lone striker quite well

Torcida
03-22-2009, 12:47 AM
^ Here's the thing that wasn't a "chance".

Jeffro
03-22-2009, 12:48 AM
Also Serioux was MOM for me for sure. He was incredibly vocal in directing our makeshift back line for that match. I hope to see more of that.

Jeffro
03-22-2009, 12:50 AM
^ Here's the thing that wasn't a "chance".

:noidea: there'll always be haters

MUFC_Niagara
03-22-2009, 12:50 AM
The thing that impressed me was how fit our boys were....they just kept running. Job done Mr.Winsper.

nfitz
03-22-2009, 12:57 AM
One things that was nice to see, that even with 2 or 3 missed goal opportunities, we still had 3 goals - away none the less! We seem to have the goal scoring problem beat ... and that alone would have gotten us into both the play-offs and the Champions League last year.

At the same time our defence held up.

Should be a promising season!

scut farkus
03-22-2009, 12:58 AM
Defense was better than I thought...just need to tighten up the distance attempts. Offense and mid was solid...just need to tight up some of the confidence (aka Barrett's first two attempts). All in all, I'm happy. A little bit to build one, but a SOLID foundation!

Big Bruva
03-22-2009, 01:03 AM
The thing that impressed me was how fit our boys were....they just kept running. Job done Mr.Winsper.

Exactly, this is a team that has been crap away and they had to dig deep and answer the gut check.

Ricketts ran up and down and i thought he was tired around the 65th min but kept running (was him that headed the ball out in his own area when no teammate was close)

Cronin ran like crazy but mainly on the defensive side and made it hard for Lopez to beat him (tracked back very well)

Carver was right in his thinking as he knew Cronin and RR would give 110% and make it hard for them to attack. Chad came off for DD and RR could of came off around the 65th-70th min but replace him with who Johann?
When ya on the road in ya first match and know how ya team has been in the previous season you pick a player that is gonna grind it out and Johann defensively is not there yet.

devioustrevor
03-22-2009, 01:10 AM
About not subbing Ricketts off, JC may have run into a numbers problem. Johann Smith was the only Midfielder on the bench and you sort of want to save him in case of a late injury. So JC either would've had to drop DeRo into a true Midfield role and go 4-4-2 or have Harmse move up to midfield and trust either Velez or Gomes late in a 1-goal game.

Jeffro
03-22-2009, 01:10 AM
Defense was better than I thought...just need to tighten up the distance attempts. Offense and mid was solid...just need to tight up some of the confidence (aka Barrett's first two attempts). All in all, I'm happy. A little bit to build one, but a SOLID foundation!


Two holding mids make our backline look alright and allow Jimmy B and Marvell to do more business going forward with less liability on the defensive end... Crucial.

Keystone FC
03-22-2009, 01:11 AM
This is something I saw, and I don't know if anyone brought it up, but I do think it tells a story for how this year may be different than last:

Jim Brennan (http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/players/1598/;_ylt=AihqvSt4DiMDfqIc0xuWIe_20rkF) also scored in Toronto’s first win against the Wizards, which came despite two thundering goals by Kansas City’s Davy Arnaud (http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/players/895/;_ylt=AtEiUw_9alIJTPva8m.7Z2720rkF). Toronto, an expansion team in 2007, had scored only once in the teams’ six previous matches.
That goal came in a 1-1 draw on Sept. 1, 2007; last season, Kansas City went 2-0-1 against Toronto, outscoring the Reds 4-0 over three matches.

So, tonight was a historic win for the Reds. Not only did we beat them for the 1st time but this was a playoff team last year as well. I think things will be a bit better this year.

Jeffro
03-22-2009, 01:16 AM
^^ Didn't we beat KC 2-0 last year??

Markham_RPB
03-22-2009, 01:24 AM
^^ Didn't we beat KC 2-0 last year??


Yep
April 26th

Guevara with both as well !

Jeffro
03-22-2009, 01:28 AM
Yep
April 26th

Guevara with both as well !


Awesome, I'm not as drunk as I thought!!

Mojo
03-22-2009, 01:35 AM
Just watched the DVR.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! Here we go :)

Does anyone think they should reconsider expansion? They should just force the sale of KC to an owner from a city that'll have a good fan base. Not selling out your 10000 seat baseball stadium for your home opener? Pathetic.

I was hoping a goal celebration involved someone getting on the mound, pitching an invisible ball to one of our players, and them miming a home run shot... followed by a full lap of the bases.

James17930
03-22-2009, 01:45 AM
Just watched the DVR.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! Here we go :)

Does anyone think they should reconsider expansion? They should just force the sale of KC to an owner from a city that'll have a good fan base. Not selling out your 10000 seat baseball stadium for your home opener? Pathetic.

I was hoping a goal celebration involved someone getting on the mound, pitching an invisible ball to one of our players, and them miming a home run shot... followed by a full lap of the bases.

It was sold out.

And they'll have their new stadium next year.

And St. Loo will come in 2012 and they'll have a derby and all will be well in K-Shitty.

Jeffro
03-22-2009, 01:49 AM
I can't see sleep happening for me any time soon.... :willy_nilly:

troy1982
03-22-2009, 01:51 AM
Just watched the DVR.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! Here we go :)

Does anyone think they should reconsider expansion? They should just force the sale of KC to an owner from a city that'll have a good fan base. Not selling out your 10000 seat baseball stadium for your home opener? Pathetic.

I was hoping a goal celebration involved someone getting on the mound, pitching an invisible ball to one of our players, and them miming a home run shot... followed by a full lap of the bases.

They are building a stadium (the site is currently under demolition) and it will be ready in 2011, and as has been mentioned the game sold out (~10,300). There were some empty seats but the grass side was full.

dupont
03-22-2009, 02:06 AM
great way to start the season! I love the fact that we got 3 goals.. however we arent always going to get 3 so i hope we can be more careful in the the future games..

either way its a great way to start the season and i hope this is just the start of what TFC can do on the road.

twistedchinaman
03-22-2009, 02:27 AM
The boys seem to have gotten my birthday wishlist:

- A win on First Kick [DONE]
- Beating the shit out of Craplumbus
- Playoffs
- Champions League
- MLS Cup

Happy birthday to all!!! :D

lazlo_80
03-22-2009, 05:07 AM
just thought the travelling supporters deserved a shout out, it was awesome hearing the Dichio chant during the 24th minute drowning out the KC fans.

Shakes McQueen
03-22-2009, 06:53 AM
My assessment of the game:

Serioux - Better than I was expecting. He provided the kind of veteran leadership our backline needed, and had a lot of great clearances out of the box. Seemed to win every header that came his way.
Guevara - Glad to see him get involved with the attack. I was worried about him and DeRo co-existing this season, since they both essentially play the same position natively, but they were in-sync all night. This could be a career year for Amado.
Dero - This guy was the cog through which our entire gameplan worked. He was all over the pitch, and you legitimately felt like the team could score every time he had the ball.
Cronin - Didn't see much of him until the second half of the second half, but he made a lot of kep defensive plays towards the end, and didn't look out of place on the pitch. I'm excited to see what he can do for us.
Harmse - Not a stand-out game, but not bad either. He was mostly invisible, and wasn't responsible for either goal. Just did a job, and did it competently. Glad he got the start over Velez.
Brennan - Some good defending, but also got caught too far upfield on a few occasions. His goal was amazing.
Ricketts - Played his part decently in the neutral third, but didn't do anything to spark the attack. Needed to come off around the 75th minute, as he seemed on the verge of a second yellow.
Frei - I was impressed by the kid. Seemed comfortable in goal, and was vocal and confident in organizing the defense. Had a few bad kicks, but otherwise his distribution was fantastic. Nothing he could do about either goal. Just a solid job all around, despite not being tested much otherwise.
Robbo - Had a few key slide tackles to win the ball from KC towards the end of the match. Did his job well, as always.
Wynne - Actually played great defense, and made a few great runs. Was guilty of hoofing the ball upfield on a few occasions, when it would have been smarter to play the ball to a teammate, but looked good with the ball at his feet.
Dichio - Didn't do much, but won a huge header from the second last KC corner of the match.

And...

Barrett - Despite the one terrible, terrible miss, where he essentially toe poked the ball to the keeper, I actually thought he looked alright. Clearly he has confidence issues when it comes to finishing (as evidenced by his hesitation on that chance - he didn't know whether to shoot or put in a centering pass).

There's more to being a great striker than simply finishing chances though. Barrett's work rate is fantastic, and he has a good football IQ. Just needs to make better decisions when faced with the opportunity to score. I still have faith that he can be a top scorer in this league. He had a great shot on goal through traffic, that the keeper had to sprawl out to grab. There are flashes of brilliance with Chad's cannon of a leg. Just needs more intense coaching - but the tools are all there.

I still believe Chicago will regret letting him go. He's young, and is miles better than when he first arrived in Toronto.

Coach Carver - I suspect he was trying to reward the boys for playing hard, by letting them all stay on until the end (save for Barrett and his cramp). I generally like and support Carver, but he really needed to take Ricketts off towards the end of that match. RR was taking a lot of fouls in the final 20 minutes despite already being cautioned, and was definitely on the verge of being sent off for repeated fouls. Perhaps JC thought it would hurt RR's confidence if he was taken off - but preserving the win is more important. Furthermore, a sub would have been great for killing the momentum KC had at the end.

Referee - Good first half. Let DeRo get decked without so much as a whistle, let alone a card. Generally let the guys play the game, without a lot of needless whistles and cards. A few blown calls, but I expect that, at this point.

- Scott

Oldtimer
03-22-2009, 07:12 AM
My assessment of the game:

Coach Carver - I suspect he was trying to reward the boys for playing hard, by letting them all stay on until the end (save for Barrett and his cramp). I generally like and support Carver, but he really needed to take Ricketts off towards the end of that match. RR was taking a lot of fouls in the final 20 minutes despite already being cautioned, and was definitely on the verge of being sent off for repeated fouls. Perhaps JC thought it would hurt RR's confidence if he was taken off - but preserving the win is more important. Furthermore, a sub would have been great for killing the momentum KC had at the end.
- Scott

I agree that RR looked like a candidate to be taken off, but thinking about the season as a whole, maybe it was best to keep him on (Man-management is a Carver strong-point, so I'll concede that).

I think that overall Carver had a very good strategy this match:

First, he had a narrow formation with 1 lone striker to accommodate the narrow pitch. Secondly, he had the players play through the middle, rather than the traditional English/N. American run up the wings, again something that worked very well with the narrow pitch.

Playing Dero as a withrawn striker and Guevara as a classic #10 worked extremely well, TFC was always threatening, even in a game where Barrett didn't do so well and Vitti wasn't even playing.

Barrett had managed some complete games in pre-season, so it was up to Barrett to signal that he wasn't able to complete the match.

I was watching the MLSNET/Direct Kick feed that had Shawn Wheelock commentating (a rare American commentator who really knows the game), He thought that Carver would put on Velez, and beef up the back, and play DeRo as a lone striker up front. However, rather than do that (which Montreal had done so disasterously in Mexico), putting on DD to disrupt their defenses ended up keeping them from building momentum from behind, kept TFC threatening, and was absolutely the right strategy.

Brooker
03-22-2009, 07:33 AM
just thought the travelling supporters deserved a shout out, it was awesome hearing the Dichio chant during the 24th minute drowning out the KC fans.

for sure. they were audible most of the night.

dannyd
03-22-2009, 07:44 AM
Haven't read through this whole thread yet, but I thought Cronin was outstanding. He was the player I was most suprised by last night. Defensively, I thought Cronin and Robinson were incredible. Serioux was also fantastic. Harmse looked clumsy and suprised whenever the ball reached him, but whatever.
Offensively, what can I say, I've never seen TFC offer so much attacking threat throughout an entire 90 minute period. DeRO is THE MAN and you can see how his hustle and total commitment inspires his teamates. Never have I seen a player in a TFC shirt chase so many lost-causes (and actually win some).
My only concern with last night's performance is Barrett. Honestly, if he's better than Vitti, then it looks like all our goals wil come from DeRo, Amado and our defenders.

KdotOdot
03-22-2009, 07:51 AM
Serioux is a monster!!

WOW!! I was more impressed with him than DeRo. Our defense was pretty rock solid tonight, KC had to put in 2 miracles they didn't get any chances to set up plays.

Glorious. Fucking glorious

Ron Manager
03-22-2009, 07:53 AM
Overall a superb game. Our attack needs no further comment....superb.
Defensively, I have seen quite a few people question the fact that our D hoofed the ball up the field a fair few times. Let's remeber that this is the same D who, last year, played around with the ball too much in our own end, leading to turnovers and late goals which cost us alot of points. Carver even spoke about this in the week leading up to the game. I would far rather see the def put thier foot through the ball and get rid of it than to try and make some slick but risky passing play, especially late in the game or when under pressure.
I hope you guys weren't too dissappointed there, cause I think we will see strong clearances all season, thank God.
On the other hand, I felt we did build up well from the back when the chances were there.
Robbo worked very hard to be in positions to receive from Serioux and the others and provided the pivot between def and attack. He also, on several occasions, steered the Kansas counter attack out wide, slowed things down and ruined their chances sometimes without touching the ball. Showed why a good DM is always an unsung hero. He played great, and with Guevara and DeRo having such superb games, Robbo was rarely without a target to pass to. Ricketts was alittle sub par last night and Barrett should have scored, but both worked very hard and criticizing them harshly just seems a bit picky. If they were our biggest problems last night, we have little to complain about.
As for the 2 we conceded...what are the odds of one guy hitting 2 shots like that in one game? Really, 2 superb strikes from Arnaud. I was very impressed that we largely limited KC to shooting from range. It shows how difficult our guys were making it for them to get into the box. Solid def. And if a guy can beat you from that distance, well, fair play to him.
Cronin was superb defensively and worked his ass off late in the game. I also have every confidence he would of buried that third goal if Amado had not also been right there. A great debut from the lad. Showed why he can be the next Robbo.
Frei was also solid back there. Our def looked comfortable with him and that is a good indicator of a good keeper. His distribution is excellent and I think we will see him get better and better as he feels comfortable in the league.

Great first game lads. Bring on Columbus!

Shakes McQueen
03-22-2009, 08:00 AM
Overall a superb game. Our attack needs no further comment....superb.
Defensively, I have seen quite a few people question the fact that our D hoofed the ball up the field a fair few times. Let's remeber that this is the same D who, last year, played around with the ball too much in our own end, leading to turnovers and late goals which cost us alot of points. Carver even spoke about this in the week leading up to the game. I would far rather see the def put thier foot through the ball and get rid of it than to try and make some slick but risky passing play, especially late in the game or when under pressure.
I hope you guys weren't too dissappointed there, cause I think we will see strong clearances all season, thank God.
On the other hand, I felt we did build up well from the back when the chances were there.
Robbo worked very hard to be in positions to receive from Serioux and the others and provided the pivot between def and attack. He also, on several occasions, steered the Kansas counter attack out wide, slowed things down and ruined their chances sometimes without touching the ball. Showed why a good DM is always an unsung hero. He played great, and with Guevara and DeRo having such superb games, Robbo was rarely without a target to pass to. Ricketts was alittle sub par last night and Barrett should have scored, but both worked very hard and criticizing them harshly just seems a bit picky. If they were our biggest problems last night, we have little to complain about.
As for the 2 we conceded...what are the odds of one guy hitting 2 shots like that in one game? Really, 2 superb strikes from Arnaud. I was very impressed that we largely limited KC to shooting from range. It shows how difficult our guys were making it for them to get into the box. Solid def. And if a guy can beat you from that distance, well, fair play to him.
Cronin was superb defensively and worked his ass off late in the game. I also have every confidence he would of buried that third goal if Amado had not also been right there. A great debut from the lad. Showed why he can be the next Robbo.
Frei was also solid back there. Our def looked comfortable with him and that is a good indicator of a good keeper. His distribution is excellent and I think we will see him get better and better as he feels comfortable in the league.

Great first game lads. Bring on Columbus!

I liked that our defense was just clearing the ball out of the box, instead of making cute little passes in a vain attempt to keep possession.

My issue just lies with the few times when we have the ball outside out 12yd box, and guys were still trying to play long-ball. Compeltely unnecessary.

These times were few and far between though. We look far better this season.

- Scott

Nuvinho
03-22-2009, 08:01 AM
I keep watching the highlights over and over again.....haha!!

Technorgasm
03-22-2009, 08:04 AM
MOTM: GUEVARA

With a mid field partner like DERO, he really gets to show his strengths.
rather than constantly clean up messes and misses
He now can keep his focus on goal.


After last nights performance, Im getting his # on my kit.
(he is a flopping cry baby though)

Blazer
03-22-2009, 08:08 AM
I agree that RR looked like a candidate to be taken off, but thinking about the season as a whole, maybe it was best to keep him on (Man-management is a Carver strong-point, so I'll concede that).

I think that overall Carver had a very good strategy this match:

First, he had a narrow formation with 1 lone striker to accommodate the narrow pitch. Secondly, he had the players play through the middle, rather than the traditional English/N. American run up the wings, again something that worked very well with the narrow pitch.

Playing Dero as a withrawn striker and Guevara as a classic #10 worked extremely well, TFC was always threatening, even in a game where Barrett didn't do so well and Vitti wasn't even playing.

Barrett had managed some complete games in pre-season, so it was up to Barrett to signal that he wasn't able to complete the match.

I was watching the MLSNET/Direct Kick feed that had Shawn Wheelock commentating (a rare American commentator who really knows the game), He thought that Carver would put on Velez, and beef up the back, and play DeRo as a lone striker up front. However, rather than do that (which Montreal had done so disasterously in Mexico), putting on DD to disrupt their defenses ended up keeping them from building momentum from behind, kept TFC threatening, and was absolutely the right strategy.


I don’t disagree with anything you’ve added to Shakes’ assessment, just curious to know if you think it was truly DD or just the fact of adding a fresh offensively minded player out there to bung up the plan of KC mounting a comeback?!

Technorgasm
03-22-2009, 08:13 AM
The boys seem to have gotten my birthday wishlist:

- A win on First Kick [DONE]
- Beating the shit out of Craplumbus
- Playoffs
- Champions League
- MLS Cup

Happy birthday to all!!! :D


Mine:

- Offensive creation and creativity [looks good]
- Win first game [done]
- Beat Columbus
- Voyageurs cup champions (double over MTL)
- Play Offs

Ron Manager
03-22-2009, 08:13 AM
I don’t disagree with anything you’ve added to Shakes’ assessment, just curious to know if you think it was truly DD or just the fact of adding a fresh offensively minded player out there to bung up the plan of KC mounting a comeback?!


It was Danny. If you notice, he did little in the offensive end. He was brought on to hold up the ball if he got the chance but also to provide defensive help in the air on set plays. He had 2 or 3 good headed clearances for us and helped preserve the win.
For the record, I thought Serioux looked pretty good in the air all night, and on the ground for that matter.

Ron Manager
03-22-2009, 08:15 AM
I liked that our defense was just clearing the ball out of the box, instead of making cute little passes in a vain attempt to keep possession.

My issue just lies with the few times when we have the ball outside out 12yd box, and guys were still trying to play long-ball. Compeltely unnecessary.

These times were few and far between though. We look far better this season.

- Scott


Agreed. That did happen. I suppose better safe than sorry though.

dannyd
03-22-2009, 08:26 AM
Sorry, but I disagree. Chad maybe missed one chance today, early on that should have been a goal....otherwise did his job as a lone striker quite well

I'm sorry to humiliate you... but I nominate this as the stupidest post of the season.

rocker
03-22-2009, 08:37 AM
Serioux played much better than he did during the Charleston matches. During last night's performance, I could tell the difference -- in Charleston he was still getting going, and he knew it was spring training so he took liberties. Once the real game began, Serioux was much more composed. His aerial dominance is very welcome. It seemed like he got to every single ball in the air.

Fushida
03-22-2009, 09:47 AM
I'm sorry to humiliate you... but I nominate this as the stupidest post of the season.

I nominate this as the most ignorant post of the season. Barrett missed a sitter, but if you've been watching the game, its good that he didn't let it get to him and made some good chances after. Get a clue before you insult someone.

Jack
03-22-2009, 09:57 AM
Serioux played much better than he did during the Charleston matches. During last night's performance, I could tell the difference -- in Charleston he was still getting going, and he knew it was spring training so he took liberties. Once the real game began, Serioux was much more composed. His aerial dominance is very welcome. It seemed like he got to every single ball in the air.
I completely agree.

It's like he decided to just get down to business.

Did he even commit any fouls? I'm sure he did, but I don't remember any standing out.

Northern Soul
03-22-2009, 10:01 AM
My assessment of the game:

Serioux - Better than I was expecting. He provided the kind of veteran leadership our backline needed, and had a lot of great clearances out of the box. Seemed to win every header that came his way.
Guevara - Glad to see him get involved with the attack. I was worried about him and DeRo co-existing this season, since they both essentially play the same position natively, but they were in-sync all night. This could be a career year for Amado.
Dero - This guy was the cog through which our entire gameplan worked. He was all over the pitch, and you legitimately felt like the team could score every time he had the ball.
Cronin - Didn't see much of him until the second half of the second half, but he made a lot of kep defensive plays towards the end, and didn't look out of place on the pitch. I'm excited to see what he can do for us.
Harmse - Not a stand-out game, but not bad either. He was mostly invisible, and wasn't responsible for either goal. Just did a job, and did it competently. Glad he got the start over Velez.
Brennan - Some good defending, but also got caught too far upfield on a few occasions. His goal was amazing.
Ricketts - Played his part decently in the neutral third, but didn't do anything to spark the attack. Needed to come off around the 75th minute, as he seemed on the verge of a second yellow.
Frei - I was impressed by the kid. Seemed comfortable in goal, and was vocal and confident in organizing the defense. Had a few bad kicks, but otherwise his distribution was fantastic. Nothing he could do about either goal. Just a solid job all around, despite not being tested much otherwise.
Robbo - Had a few key slide tackles to win the ball from KC towards the end of the match. Did his job well, as always.
Wynne - Actually played great defense, and made a few great runs. Was guilty of hoofing the ball upfield on a few occasions, when it would have been smarter to play the ball to a teammate, but looked good with the ball at his feet.
Dichio - Didn't do much, but won a huge header from the second last KC corner of the match.

And...

Barrett - Despite the one terrible, terrible miss, where he essentially toe poked the ball to the keeper, I actually thought he looked alright. Clearly he has confidence issues when it comes to finishing (as evidenced by his hesitation on that chance - he didn't know whether to shoot or put in a centering pass).

There's more to being a great striker than simply finishing chances though. Barrett's work rate is fantastic, and he has a good football IQ. Just needs to make better decisions when faced with the opportunity to score. I still have faith that he can be a top scorer in this league. He had a great shot on goal through traffic, that the keeper had to sprawl out to grab. There are flashes of brilliance with Chad's cannon of a leg. Just needs more intense coaching - but the tools are all there.

I still believe Chicago will regret letting him go. He's young, and is miles better than when he first arrived in Toronto.

Coach Carver - I suspect he was trying to reward the boys for playing hard, by letting them all stay on until the end (save for Barrett and his cramp). I generally like and support Carver, but he really needed to take Ricketts off towards the end of that match. RR was taking a lot of fouls in the final 20 minutes despite already being cautioned, and was definitely on the verge of being sent off for repeated fouls. Perhaps JC thought it would hurt RR's confidence if he was taken off - but preserving the win is more important. Furthermore, a sub would have been great for killing the momentum KC had at the end.

Referee - Good first half. Let DeRo get decked without so much as a whistle, let alone a card. Generally let the guys play the game, without a lot of needless whistles and cards. A few blown calls, but I expect that, at this point.

- Scott

This assessment is spot on. I really have nothing more to add. Well written, well done!

LondonToffee
03-22-2009, 10:05 AM
I've watched four matches already this weekend and the TFC was by far the best so far. Our team looks the business this year.

billyfly
03-22-2009, 10:10 AM
I wonder if anyone has added that Barrett pass to the KC goalie to his YouTube files of his glaring misses? The one that the Shitcago fans sent us when we traded for him.

TorCanSoc
03-22-2009, 10:13 AM
Awesome win.

Barrett, wow what a flub up. But yes, it did not mentally check him out of the game. Barrett's game is a turn and shoot and catch the keeper off gaurd. He does it as good as anyone in this league. But man that botched play is tough to watch. One on one with the keeper, a man coming in fast to support him, and it looked like he passed it to Hartman. I still like Barrett, he's a poaching goal scorer, not a DeRo goal scorer.

Lucky Strike
03-22-2009, 10:15 AM
I completely agree.

It's like he decided to just get down to business.

Did he even commit any fouls? I'm sure he did, but I don't remember any standing out.

None actually. He suffered one foul but caused none.

http://web.mlsnet.com/t280/stats/index.jsp?club=t280

rockxlee
03-22-2009, 10:30 AM
5 goals in total......4 of which were very solid.

Good game overall for a season opener......but when will we get a season opener at BMO?

When Global Warming makes March warm in Toronto.

Pachuco
03-22-2009, 11:37 AM
Not sure why people keep saying Barrett missed one chance? HE MISSED TWO chances. He had TWO breakaways, the first one he shot over the net by a mile, second one he passed it to the goalie.

Having said that, I still like Barrett as the starting striker. He works his ass off and he will score this year. But let's be fair, the two chances he missed would've crucified Cunty.

jloome
03-22-2009, 11:42 AM
I wonder if anyone has added that Barrett pass to the KC goalie to his YouTube files of his glaring misses? The one that the Shitcago fans sent us when we traded for him.

Barrett's still young, and the only reason he gets four or five chances a game is that he creates them with his movement and pace -- which instantly makes him a better striker for us than either Cunningham or Samuel were.

On top of that, he was in the league's top 10 for points last season, which makes him a bargain. Missing sitters we wouldn't have even had a chance at still makes him an improvement over our past efforts, especially if he actually buries 1-in-4 or 1-in-5 and ends up with nine or 10 goals.

THe ball wasn't going his way, so he probably should've come off earlier for Vitti. But we were leading and it was a chance for Carver to test his staying power, so what the hell.

We won. 3-2. Pretty nonsensical worrying about whether Ricketts should've been pulled earlier to avoid his "inevitable" sending off...when he wasn't sent off (although it appeared damn close to me, too. I think he benefits from that slight physique with the ref.)

Pretty nonsensical worrying about Barrett's two misses when we scored three.

Can't really fault coaching calls when the team's winning. It's a speculative waste of time. I'm sure we'd all like to think we're John Carver's tactical and accumen match, but that would be speculative horseshit, too.

I'd also disagree with assesments of Ricketts as subpar. He played a two-way/holding role today, same as Cronin. So he looked muted and a bit overwhelmed going forward becuase he was tentative in that respect, looking to dish more than go forward. But defensively, he was excellent, clearing at least two deep balls out of our box, including a real sitter in the second half that Frei should've taken.

rocker
03-22-2009, 11:48 AM
it was a chance for Carver to test his staying power, so what the hell.

While I too was thinking about more subs, particularly a sub for Barrett, I think Carver is just trying to play the same starting 11 as long as possible. He did it in Charleston, and he did it last night. I think it'll pay dividends later on, as the guys will become more comfortable with each other. And already next weekend we lose 2 key players, so there will be opportunities for the guys on the bench.

Shakes McQueen
03-22-2009, 12:06 PM
Barrett's still young, and the only reason he gets four or five chances a game is that he creates them with his movement and pace -- which instantly makes him a better striker for us than either Cunningham or Samuel were.

DING DING DING

Folks get on Barrett's back for missing chances like the one he had last night, but they talk as though those chances were handed to him. He is instrumental in creating his chances.

The guy has pace, and a good eye for open lanes and space. He just needs the confidence to finish once he's at the doorstep.

Pulling him last night, would have shattered what confidence he has. Especially when you're in a situation where you're winning anyway, it's smarter to just keep him out there, and hope he pulls out of his funk.

The only way he will get better, is with experience.

And for the record, he's also pretty good at sending other guys into the box with good passes.

- Scott

anto7
03-22-2009, 12:11 PM
Barrett's still young, and the only reason he gets four or five chances a game is that he creates them with his movement and pace -- which instantly makes him a better striker for us than either Cunningham or Samuel were.

On top of that, he was in the league's top 10 for points last season, which makes him a bargain. Missing sitters we wouldn't have even had a chance at still makes him an improvement over our past efforts, especially if he actually buries 1-in-4 or 1-in-5 and ends up with nine or 10 goals.

THe ball wasn't going his way, so he probably should've come off earlier for Vitti. But we were leading and it was a chance for Carver to test his staying power, so what the hell.

We won. 3-2. Pretty nonsensical worrying about whether Ricketts should've been pulled earlier to avoid his "inevitable" sending off...when he wasn't sent off (although it appeared damn close to me, too. I think he benefits from that slight physique with the ref.)

Pretty nonsensical worrying about Barrett's two misses when we scored three.

Can't really fault coaching calls when the team's winning. It's a speculative waste of time. I'm sure we'd all like to think we're John Carver's tactical and accumen match, but that would be speculative horseshit, too.

I'd also disagree with assesments of Ricketts as subpar. He played a two-way/holding role today, same as Cronin. So he looked muted and a bit overwhelmed going forward becuase he was tentative in that respect, looking to dish more than go forward. But defensively, he was excellent, clearing at least two deep balls out of our box, including a real sitter in the second half that Frei should've taken.
Totally agree with your assessment JLoome.
After all the grief that we have had to suffer the first 2 seasons on the road you would think that people would be happy to savour the victory instead of continually looking for the negatives.

Pachuco
03-22-2009, 12:45 PM
Totally agree with your assessment JLoome.
After all the grief that we have had to suffer the first 2 seasons on the road you would think that people would be happy to savour the victory instead of continually looking for the negatives.

Well let's see....Jloome took people's assessments and decided to only talk about the negatives. Under yours and Jloome's theory then our assessment of the game can only be all positives. Ridicolous. Why don't you guys start by talking about the positives alot of people on here posted if you don't want to talk about the negatives.

Nobody is continously looking for negatives, we were giving our assessment of the game as a whole.

Shakes McQueen
03-22-2009, 12:56 PM
Well let's see....Jloome took people's assessments and decided to only talk about the negatives. Under yours and Jloome's theory then our assessment of the game can only be all positives. Ridicolous. Why don't you guys start by talking about the positives alot of people on here posted if you don't want to talk about the negatives.

Nobody is continously looking for negatives, we were giving our assessment of the game as a whole.

In fairness, jloome never said the feedback was all negative - only anto7 did. Jloome just chose to address some of the common criticisms.

It's certainly more interesting to civilly debate that stuff, than it is to simply say "I agree!" to one another, over and over. :D

- Scott

Four 4 Two
03-22-2009, 01:04 PM
These threads always start off all "Ohh...we all love our TFC....All for One man we're one big happy family, what a great team! They're fantastic, You guys are fantastic, I'm fantastic.....EVERYTHING IS FANTASTIC!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!"
THen you jump to "Last" and it's all " You shut-up. no you shut-up, no my dick's bigger than yours" Just funny that's all! I've been part of it before. It's almost any thread with momre than 3 or 4 pages to it!
Keep it up though, it's entertaining.

We're gunna win the league
We're gunna win the league
You're never gunna believe us
You're never gunna believe us
You're never gunna believe uuuussssss....
We're gunna win the league!!!!

Pachuco
03-22-2009, 01:07 PM
In fairness, jloome never said the feedback was all negative - only anto7 did. Jloome just chose to address some of the common criticisms.

It's certainly more interesting to civilly debate that stuff, than it is to simply say "I agree!" to one another, over and over. :D

- Scott

Yeah I was referring to Jloome's previous post where he says, we scored 3 goals so it's nonesensical to worry about Barrett missing 2. Also, ricketts didn't get the red so it's nonesensical to say Carver made the wrong choice in keeping Ricketts in there. Just because the outcome was good, doesn't mean everything was rosie. Most of it was positive, but we still have a few negatives which we should improve on. Specially when playing the defending champs next week.

anto7
03-22-2009, 01:43 PM
In fairness, jloome never said the feedback was all negative - only anto7 did. Jloome just chose to address some of the common criticisms.

It's certainly more interesting to civilly debate that stuff, than it is to simply say "I agree!" to one another, over and over. :D

- Scott
In fairness I did not say in my post that all the feedback was negative, I said that "people might want to savour the victory instead of continually looking for the negatives". Perhaps I should have said "some people".
I was certainly not trying to imply that it was nothing but positives from the game.
It was just nice to be able to watch such an improved all round performance and to get off to a winning start. I for one was happy to bask in the glow of victory for a little while after 2 years of mostly inept away performances.

themodelcitizen
03-22-2009, 02:10 PM
Game wrap and player ratings up at ASN:

http://tfc.american-soccer-news.com

t-bag
03-22-2009, 03:56 PM
DING DING DING

Folks get on Barrett's back for missing chances like the one he had last night, but they talk as though those chances were handed to him. He is instrumental in creating his chances.

The guy has pace, and a good eye for open lanes and space. He just needs the confidence to finish once he's at the doorstep.

Pulling him last night, would have shattered what confidence he has. Especially when you're in a situation where you're winning anyway, it's smarter to just keep him out there, and hope he pulls out of his funk.

The only way he will get better, is with experience.

And for the record, he's also pretty good at sending other guys into the box with good passes.

- Scott

I was about to come on here and start talking about how Barrett was absolute gash last night, but youve made some good points. He was probably one of the hardest workers on the pitch last, and was instrumental in producing his own opportunities.

What a difference dero made though. Just that additional bit of class going forward seemed to make all the difference in opening up the KC back line. If I remember correctly, we seemed to dominate for long spells in the game, which is something we were unable to do for much of the last two seasons. Even more important is they capitalised on the possession by scoring goals.

Very excited about the new season.

jloome
03-22-2009, 04:23 PM
I was about to come on here and start talking about how Barrett was absolute gash last night, but youve made some good points. He was probably one of the hardest workers on the pitch last, and was instrumental in producing his own opportunities.

What a difference dero made though. Just that additional bit of class going forward seemed to make all the difference in opening up the KC back line. If I remember correctly, we seemed to dominate for long spells in the game, which is something we were unable to do for much of the last two seasons. Even more important is they capitalised on the possession by scoring goals.

Very excited about the new season.

He really does step us up to a different level. Even when Arnaud scored those two crackers, I genuinely didn't get that sense of forboding that existed in past seasons. Even after Dero missed the penalty. They didn't look shaky. Pretty much across the board.

There was one play about halfway through the second half when Harmse let one drop that he should have cleared on the half volley. A montero or an angell or a cooper might've made us pay for that one. Or Lopez, a few years ago.

Other than that, we were just very solid. Can't say enough about Cronin. Smart player.

ccopela
03-22-2009, 05:28 PM
Sorry if I missed something here. But I was just taking a closer look at some pictures from the game on the Footy Blog and I noticed that the jerseys don't have the silhouetted maple leaf behind the BMO logo. Is this something new? or did they decide to drop the Maple Leaf a while ago? Not that I'm complaining I always though it looked dumb.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.thescore.com/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/footyblog/DeRo_2.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=00Q133DPMTCVGTD5ZXR2&Expires=1237771117&Signature=X78VDLSyiJjMGHDVow50QnM%2bS3k%3d

dannyd
03-22-2009, 05:38 PM
Not sure why people keep saying Barrett missed one chance? HE MISSED TWO chances. He had TWO breakaways, the first one he shot over the net by a mile, second one he passed it to the goalie.

Having said that, I still like Barrett as the starting striker. He works his ass off and he will score this year. But let's be fair, the two chances he missed would've crucified Cunty.

Haha, you know why, cos some people on here didn't actually watch the game. If you watch the highlights, they only show his one flub. So people like Jeffro don't watch the game, just watch the highlight reel and tell us their "expert" opinions on the players.

And I'm called the "ignorant" one. ROFL...

dantdot
03-22-2009, 05:47 PM
^ His first chance was terrible, would have been a tap-in if he got it across to Dero(?) instead of trying who knows what. I'm not willing to hang him yet though.

dannyd
03-22-2009, 06:21 PM
I nominate this as the most ignorant post of the season. Barrett missed a sitter, but if you've been watching the game, its good that he didn't let it get to him and made some good chances after. Get a clue before you insult someone.

I agree, it showed good mental maturity and it would have killed his confidence to bring him off. He tried hard and JC was right to play him into the ground.

My point was that Jeffro said Barrett "maybe missed one chance". That to me shows he didn't actually watch the game and is trying to come across as knowledgelable when all he did was watch the highlight reel.

I'm willing to bet he didn't even watch the whole game last night.

Jeffro
03-23-2009, 02:12 AM
I agree, it showed good mental maturity and it would have killed his confidence to bring him off. He tried hard and JC was right to play him into the ground.

My point was that Jeffro said Barrett "maybe missed one chance". That to me shows he didn't actually watch the game and is trying to come across as knowledgelable when all he did was watch the highlight reel.

I'm willing to bet he didn't even watch the whole game last night.

Lol, someone on the interwebs thinks I'm stupid and don't know shit about footy. How will I sleep. Was that four separate posts about me? That's kinda weird bro.

ps I was at shoeless with the big screen

NateDoGG
03-23-2009, 11:58 AM
great win, great match, this really is the sign of the new tfc, we could of scored 5 goals in that game. its goin to be an exciting season :D

Stryker
03-23-2009, 12:20 PM
Never threw in my 2 cents about the game so here goes:

Serioux was a beast! Practically any ball that went up in the air in our half, he seemed to get his head onto in nice fashion.

Harmse played well. If he got the ball he booted it downfield. Not gonna start an attack like that but Im fine with it coming from him. Played exactly as Carver told him I suspect.

For Cronin I was very impressed with his composure when he defended one on one with the attacker. Made a few nice runs to the box up to the right side.

Guevara was great. So very pleasing to see him play with fire. Chasing down balls and brilliant creativity.

Dero was Dero. Great as always, but disappointing with PK. All power little attempt to place the shot.

Ricketts was marginal.

Barrett played great and worked his ass off. Hope his confidence isn't fragile or those missed sitters are gonna do him in psychologically for the next couple games.

Frei played good in net. No chance on the 2 goals so not his fault.
Good command of his line and kicks downfield.

Brennen scored a nice goal and played well defensively but his big boots down to the other end are growing tiresome.

Robo played well, nice to see him attack the net the the opprotunities presented themselves.

Wynne played much better than recent weeks and seemed to choose his runs well.

Yohan
03-23-2009, 02:44 PM
My two pfennigs

Frei: 7
-Was overall pleased with his performance. Although wasn't too heavily tested except two Arnaud goals which I thought very few keepers could save. No spillage on couple of shots he did save and seemed comfortable collecting crosses and stray passes into the box. Distribution better than Sutton, though it was largely Barrett and DeRo's efforts that ensured something came out of those kicks. Was very vocal about organizing the defence. I thought he was going to put a dent on the goalposts because he was kicking them so hard trying to get the wall's attention.

Wynne: 7
-Overall better than Charleston showings. Basically sat back more probably due to potential of Lopez. Him and Cronin effectively took Lopez out of game. Made couple of nice runs, though his crosses were pretty shitty.

Serioux: 8.5
-Was a beast for us in the back. I think he won all the headers that came his way. Generally cleaned up a lot of stray KC crosses and passes. Positioning was decent and was not at all out of place.

Harmse: 7
-Good game for Harmse. Couple of times his clearances were bit awkward (like, going straight into air and such) but partnered Serioux well.

Brennan: 7.5
-Wasn't very flashy as a defender, but he took his goal very well. His run for the goal was perfectly timed.

Cronin: 6.5
-Was a bit iffy about seeing him at RW, but I think Carver put him there for his defensive skills to shut down Lopez which he did well in conjunction with Wynne. Didn't see him as much of an offensive threat, but had a decent game defensively.

Robinson: 8
-Probably one of best games I saw Robbo play. Directed a lot of our attack with good first pass. Defensively solid, KC midfield had hard time trying to put together anything because of Robbo. Could have had a goal of his own, that run he made in 2nd half that Hartmann saved.

Guevara: 8.5
-Probably the best game I saw from Guevara. Seemed everywhere, providing the vital link between Robbo and DeRo in the mid. Showed good awareness of the play, with being in the right spot to score his first goal off of KC turn over and getting that rebound goal for his 2nd.

Ricketts: 4
-Had a very off game. Thought he should have been subbed off around 65min mark. Got carded and fouled a lot esp late 2nd half which could have cost us very dearly. Was pretty much ineffective on the left wing.

De Rosario: 9
-Would have been rated higher if not for the missed PK. Hardest worker in the game. Fought hard for every ball that came his way. Instrumental in first Brennan goal and 3rd goal. Made KC rightback Leathers his personal bitch and absolutely dominated the left side of the attacking 3rd.

Barrett: 6
-Should have put away one of two clear opportunities he had. A bit of jitters and confidence issue possibly. Did work his ass off though, trying to get at the end of every ball in the air. Conrad and his partner had their hands full trying to contain him.

Dichio: NR
-Came in the game too late to see any substantial performance from him but did well on defensive end.

Carver: 7.5
-Overall good game plan from JC. Was a bit unsure about not starting Vitti and putting Cronin in RW as a starter, but his gamble payed off as the offensive machine clearly worked. Defence seemed a lot better organized in the game.
Thought Barrett and Ricketts should have been subbed off around 65min mark, but overall JC stuck to the game plan and saw it to the end for the 3 huge pts.

Overall: The team looked very good esp going forward. I wouldn't put too much faith just by looking at this result as I thought KC definitely played below their strength. KC attack went nowhere and defence was a bit shambles. If it wasn't for Arnaud's strikes (and those long range shots are a bit 50 percent luck and 50 percent skill), KC would have been out of the game by mid 2nd half.
Columbus should provide more of a challenge than KC.