Post Game: TFC 2 : CHV 1

[Batman]

have at it.
nice 3 pts.

[Dub Narcotic]

Good game, TFC tired at the end. Cann/Attakora look more human without two defensive central midfielders shielding them, but I think it's the right look for TFC.

[The Oz]

Garcia, from what I saw another good game. Well done. Seriously lowering my hate for you.

[madcow]

http://www.google.ca/images?q=tbn:re-8t7WMa1TOgM::img1.tvloop.com/img/showpics/b9/e7/l33d684b90000_1_30012.jpg&t=1&h=196&w=176&usg=__A7sOw8efci92XfeEO6fRg3HnOlc= (http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://img1.tvloop.com/img/showpics/b9/e7/l33d684b90000_1_30012.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tvloop.com/entourage/show/photos/top10/johnny-chase-70/1&h=556&w=500&sz=31&tbnid=re-8t7WMa1TOgM:&tbnh=237&tbnw=213&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djohnny%2Bdrama%2Bvictory&usg=__I1s_yHYjWphtU2OsxuIcwmCj9Bo=&sa=X&ei=49ddTKPqEsP6lwenw4CZCA&ved=0CCAQ9QEwAg)
3 points well earned off of 2 excellent goals.

[Shakes McQueen]

Cann got kind of hosed on the penalty call. Maicon is going to be a fan favourite. Three points is good.

On to the next one.

- Scott

[Canary Canuck]

Some great creativity from Mista. Seemed like something magical happened every time he got the ball

[billyfly]

Maicon is hurt?

[Yohan]

The Good
-3 points!
-Nana's header
-Barrett's left foot
-Maicon Santos's overall play
-Stefan Frei's monster saves
-Overall confident play of first half. Why can't they play like this every game?
-De Guzman first half

The Bad
-Getting exposed with terrible marking and overlapping runs by Chivas. Need better positional awareness and reading of plays.
-Mista's non existent pace
-Chad Barrett's right foot
-De Guzman 2nd half

The Ugly
-Maicon Santos's knee injury
-Adrian Cann's handball call

Ratings
Frei: 9.5
Gargan: 7
Attakora: 7.5
Cann: 6.5
Garcia: 6.5
Peterson: 5.5
De Guzman: 6
Nane: 6
Barrett: 7
Maicon Santos: 8
Mista: 6.5
LaBrocca: 6
Ibrahim: 5.5

[dantdot]

Maicon is hurt?

Left knee sprain

[GeorgeBest]

Let's hope the injury to Santos is not serious. They said a knee strain on the telecast.

He played great in the first half. He's doing alot of the things Dichio used to do. Holding the ball up, flicking on nice passes and hitting decent strikes when the opportunity arises. Plus he's younger and more mobile than DD. It's a shame if he is out now.

[Auzzy]

Yohan, how about DeRo? ;)

[dantdot]

I'd put Mista's passing in the good column, yeah he's slow as shit but delivered some quality balls.

[LesH]

Man, I really can't understand this, is TFC cursed to never have a clear, worry free victory?

Even when for a long period of time we are playing good in the offensive end, we end up by our ass being saved by Frei? With an average keeper by MLS standards this would have been a clear 2-2, or even worst for TFC.

Frei - again Swiss national team quality game.

Santos > Mista (at least 2 times in the effect on the team when he's on the pitch!).

JDG - still is making ridiculous money for what he is offering on the field. Will this ever change? At this point I doubt it.

Garcia - same old, same old... He'll go down in the TFC history like the worst player ever who played the most minutes while at TFC.

Brown from Chivas - excellent!

------------------------------

A very much needed result from TFC, without all the 3 points playoff chances would have decreased A LOT.

[billyfly]

3 points the team needed for sure and with the progression in the CL earlier in the week, good news this week in TFC land.

[carefree_cfc]

I think Peterson had his best match in a TFC shirt. a solid 7 rating from me. His deliveries were dangerous.

[ForestGlade]

Man, I really can't understand this, is TFC cursed to never have a clear, worry free victory?

Even when for a long period of time we are playing good in the offensive end, we end up by our ass being saved by Frei? With an average keeper by MLS standards this would have been a clear 2-2, or even worst for TFC.

Frei - again Swiss national team quality game.

Santos > Mista (at least 2 times in the effect on the team when he's on the pitch!).

JDG - still is making ridiculous money for what he is offering on the field. Will this ever change? At this point I doubt it.

Garcia - same old, same old... He'll go down in the TFC history like the worst player ever who played the most minutes while at TFC.

Brown from Chivas - excellent!

------------------------------

A very much needed result from TFC, without all the 3 points playoff chances would have decreased A LOT.

+1**

[gracos]

On long stretches of games, its almost expected that someone will get hurt. Its unfortunate that it was Santos. Any ideas on how long he may be out or is it just day to day??

[Auzzy]

Chivas players were complaining about the Barrett goal. But it was not offside. The officials screwed us a couple of times today, but at least they got that one right. At the moment of the Santos deflection:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4869557077_09850de52f.jpg

[ManUtd4ever]

Excellent overall effort from TFC considering the fatigue factor and terrible officiating. Hopefully Santos didn't suffer a serious knee injury as he will be relied on heavily if TFC is to make a push for the playoffs. The only disappointment today was the play of JDG who looked very uncomfortable on the left wing. Otherwise, a very deserving victory for the boys today. Well done!

[TFC USA]

Big win for us today. Definitely love Maicon Santos but let's see how healthy he is. Mista's vision and passing impressed me.

[TFC USA]

I just want everyone to know that in the late stages of the game Nick Garcia made a good defensive play.

Christmas has come early.

[LesH]

Big win for us today. Definitely love Maicon Santos but let's see how healthy he is. Mista's vision and passing impressed me.

That's true, but the guy lacks speed big time.

If his speed can't improve with conditioning, than no way he should have a higher salary than DeRo. And at that salary I doubt he'll stay with TFC...

Talking about salaries, if JDG continues to do what he's doing, normally the FO should cut a healthy million from his salary for 2011. Even then he would be overpaid at $800,000.

[Alex_82]

Chivas players were complaining about the Barrett goal. But it was not offside. The officials screwed us a couple of times today, but at least they got that one right. At the moment of the Santos deflection:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4869557077_09850de52f.jpg

Wow that has to be the best view ever....Some add the offside line to make it official. Still it was a great effort form TFC.

[Dub Narcotic]

It's Braun, not Brown, and yes, he was good. I wonder if Sanyang is being missed more than it seems, as it seems there are a lot more free runners in attacking areas than there were prior to his injury.

[Auzzy]

Wow that has to be the best view ever....Some add the offside line to make it official. Still it was a great effort form TFC.

It took me a while, but I finally got the right moment on a screen grab from TFC TV. I don't have the technology to add the offside line, don't think I can do that in MS Paint. ;) Edge of the box acts as a good offside guide here, since Chad is obviously closer to the edge of the box than the Chivas defender.

[Wagner]

Yohan...
Mista had some great passes....better than the C you gave him.
De Ro was awesome...
Frei - how did he not get a 10...he made some sick saves...and you can't expect a keeper to stop a pentaly kick.

I thought everyone filled their role well today.

Pretty awesome...get the point in Motagua...then a big win at home...

Lastly...the Red Bulls are Shite.

[Redcoe15]

Great first half, shaky second half. If not for Frei, our side might have blown it with a loss. A win is a win, I know. But they can't play like this against better sides and get away with it. It'll be interesting to see how they do against New York and Thierry Henry.

[Brooker]

my limbs, my voice, everything is fucking spent.

great day.

[flatpicker]

Good first half.
Second was very uninspiring.
Bad passes all around.
Why do they always insist on falling back once they are on a roll?

[Pookie]

JDG - still is making ridiculous money for what he is offering on the field. Will this ever change? At this point I doubt it.

It's a funny thing with him isn't it?

Set money aside and he is probably the best midfielder we have. He deserves the minutes, has good vision, has the best skill set and plays his role as a DM very well.

Despite the opinions of the twat behind me today... JDG is worthy of the minutes he gets.

Put the money back into the equation and you have a debate as to whether he was (and is) the best use of that DP slot. There, I've got to go with the other side of the coin and say no, we could probably do better with that slot.

I can't hate the guy though for signing the contract. Mo offered it to him. Which one of us would turn it down?

JDG at Guevara's old salary of $300k and we aren't having this focus or debate.


Garcia - same old, same old... He'll go down in the TFC history like the worst player ever who played the most minutes while at TFC.

Disagree. Garcia had a decent game and made some solid plays to break up scoring chances.

[Oldtimer]

JDG at Guevara's old salary of $300k and we aren't having this focus or debate.


This game, I spent about 50% of the time just looking at JDG -- I wanted to fairly evaluate him.

His positioning was exceptional. He (and Mista came close) easily had the best sense of where to be at what time.

Often he won the ball, and was looking for a player to be open to pass it to. If this was an SPL team, he would have had 3 open guys to pass it to. Being MLS, he sometimes had to wait and hold the ball until someone realized that they should get open, and then usually he only had one passing option.

He made a couple of great passes into space that our players didn't clue into in time.

He gave up the ball cheaply a few times. However, he actually did that less often than DeRo did. Its just that due to his positioning in a more defensive role, it was much more noticeable.

He was all over the field, he covered an amazing amount of ground from the left to the right and up and down. In the second half, he was wearing out from having to cover so much ground, and his play noticeably deteriorated. In a better squad, he wouldn't have had to do that.

His work effort makes him a "Preki player," but he has a touch of quality that few on this team have. Hopefully, when Mista is fit we'll see some more of that quality.

[DichioTFC]

Man, I really can't understand this, is TFC cursed to never have a clear, worry free victory?

Even when for a long period of time we are playing good in the offensive end, we end up by our ass being saved by Frei?


Garcia - same old, same old... He'll go down in the TFC history like the worst player ever who played the most minutes while at TFC.


Really? You're surprised that soccer games are close and competitive with last minute heroics? Have you seen soccer before?

And I am officially, as of right now, FUCKING TIRED of Garcia haters. Didn't have a glaring error for yet another game, held the left side of the defense well and deserves to be a starter. If he was screwing up, fine. But he isn't. And hasn't.

Give. It. A. Fucking. Rest.


my limbs, my voice, everything is fucking spent.

great day.

Likewise. I've never been that tired from a TFC game. Top of 110 brought it today, even with very small children right beside the drum in the supporters section. Thanks to Flush for joining us to make it loud.

[DichioTFC]

Btw, did anyone else catch the late train home and hear the drunks from the BeerFest go nuts? They tore apart the car I was in, and set off the alarm right before it pulled into Clarkson. Shenanigans.

[Azerban]

garcia hasn't directly lost us points through his actions for two league games in a row now! he's sure earning that 200k! wow holy shit my life got flipped turned upside down!

[rocker]

Really? You're surprised that soccer games are close and competitive with last minute heroics? Have you seen soccer before?

yeah, and this is MLS.. the parity league. Don't expect easy wins... ever.

It's always going to be a battle out there, and the sooner TFC fans recognize that, the sooner they'll calm down and enjoy a solid win.

Sometimes I think people expect TFC to shutdown other MLS teams completely and totally for 90 minutes. Nobody in MLS does that, though. Every MLS team will have its runs in a game.

[Shakes McQueen]

This game, I spent about 50% of the time just looking at JDG -- I wanted to fairly evaluate him.

His positioning was exceptional. He (and Mista came close) easily had the best sense of where to be at what time.

Often he won the ball, and was looking for a player to be open to pass it to. If this was an SPL team, he would have had 3 open guys to pass it to. Being MLS, he sometimes had to wait and hold the ball until someone realized that they should get open, and then usually he only had one passing option.

He made a couple of great passes into space that our players didn't clue into in time.

He gave up the ball cheaply a few times. However, he actually did that less often than DeRo did. Its just that due to his positioning in a more defensive role, it was much more noticeable.

He was all over the field, he covered an amazing amount of ground from the left to the right and up and down. In the second half, he was wearing out from having to cover so much ground, and his play noticeably deteriorated. In a better squad, he wouldn't have had to do that.

His work effort makes him a "Preki player," but he has a touch of quality that few on this team have. Hopefully, when Mista is fit we'll see some more of that quality.

So glad to see someone post this, and glad it was you Oldtimer.

JDG's errant passes are much more noticeable because they usually aren't in an attacking context, whereas the myriad giveaways by players like DeRo are less noticeable because they almost never happen in threatening areas of the pitch, and because he provides the team with offense.

I think JDG is getting into some "mental trouble", so to speak, in that I don't think he trusts his teammates' positioning enough to put good passes into space or attempt to anticipate their movement, so instead he tries to fire passes directly to people a lot of the time.

This is why I'm so encouraged by the sparks I'm seeing with Mista and Maicon. If JDG can develop a solid rapport with these guys on the pitch, it could really help unleash the potential we all know JDG has.

JDG does make mistakes - he occasionally gives the ball away very cheaply, when he has been presented with a shooting opportunity they have been wildly off-target much of the time, etc. But I do think he's been better than popular opinion suggests - his contributions are just far more transparent, and his mistakes far more noticeable, because of the role he plays.

- Scott

[Shakes McQueen]

garcia hasn't directly lost us points through his actions for two league games in a row now! he's sure earning that 200k! wow holy shit my life got flipped turned upside down!

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall reading on here that San Jose are eating the majority of Garcia's salary and cap hit, no?

- Scott

[canadian_bhoy]

We sucked in the first 10 mins.
Barrett proves once again that if he only touches the ball 2 or less times, he will score (3+ touches makes him think = disaster).
DeRo owns this team - no one even close to being as good on the pitch as him.
DeGuz really really really really needs to stop giving the ball away. How many times does he lose it to a backtracking player???
Mista's looking classy, flashes of brilliance
Maicon - looked great. Great passing, and movement.
Frei = game saver
Preki's style = Shit.

We deserved the win, but were lucky not to get burned.

[rocker]

Mista is slow, but you can see his class in his passing and ball control.

[James17930]

Well, if Maicon is out for a few games, Mista is simply going to have to step up with more quality minutes.

I think it's good that Preki's been easing him in (remember, Maicon knows the league, he's more comfortable here -- Mista's still getting adjusted), but if push comes to shove he'll have to shoulder more of the load.

[ag futbol]

Maicon continues to impress, I wonder if he can keep this up. Dero and himself seem to have some sort of instant chemistry. Definitely the first forward we've had this season to look dangerous on a consistent basis.

Nobody's performance was bad enough today to be worth getting called out, but I'd really like to see us get some better wingers. It would just create a lot more space for everyone.

[Whoop]

Mista is slow, but you can see his class in his passing and ball control.

Isn't that what they used to say about Dichio?

[stucatz]

Finally a great game and day! Weather was great, fans were loud and TFC ( for the most part) played with confidence...Frei was awesome...Mista who has not impressed me at all has shown some spark with his passes so we shall see...Santos was amazing and he can run believe me...Dero is best TFC player ever and shows up every game.....great day especially with plenty of this..Cheers!! :drinking:

[ilikemusic]

Toronto bossed the first half, but as often happens, couldnt pick up the momentum after the break.

Thankfully they held on; And were it not for one of the worst penalty calls I have ever seen, Stefan Frei would have gotten the clean sheet he deserved.

[Inklink]

Frei's amazingness is amazingness.

Maicon is a tank! Hopefully he's OK soon.

[Pachuco]

It's never JDG's fault, it's everyone elses. This team sucks ass, JDG should be the only player on the field. We need 11 JDGs

[Pachuco]

Good game today, but fuck we have a serious problem putting games away under Preki. Worst team in the league today, probably the worst midfield I have seen in the MLS this year. We won 2-1, pretty much expected.

Big big problems if Maicon is hurt. He really changes the dynamics of our offense completely. Makes everyone better around him.

[Oldtimer]

I think JDG is getting into some "mental trouble", so to speak, in that I don't think he trusts his teammates' positioning enough to put good passes into space or attempt to anticipate their movement, so instead he tries to fire passes directly to people a lot of the time.


Good point that you mentioned there, Scott! I've been noticing that he has been changing his play to "play down" to the lower technical skill of our players. That is a necessary thing (adjusting to MLS, and TFC in particular), but also means that we are only seeing a portion of what he is capable of.

Early on with TFC, he did many passes into space. He now only tries that a couple of times per game.

There was a worry of some of the Voyageurs, that his play would deteriorate playing for TFC, and it may have. On the other hand, if he can mentally adjust when he is playing with CMNT players, he'll be all right.

[Whoop]

From a CMNT standpoint, JDG made a mistake coming to the MLS.

But in my opinion, I'm more in line with Shakes' thinking in relation to JDG.

[Oldtimer]

He gave up the ball cheaply a few times. However, he actually did that less often than DeRo did. Its just that due to his positioning in a more defensive role, it was much more noticeable.




JDG does make mistakes - he occasionally gives the ball away very cheaply, when he has been presented with a shooting opportunity they have been wildly off-target much of the time, etc. But I do think he's been better than popular opinion suggests - his contributions are just far more transparent, and his mistakes far more noticeable, because of the role he plays.

- Scott


It's never JDG's fault, it's everyone elses. This team sucks ass, JDG should be the only player on the field. We need 11 JDGs

I don't know who you are saying thinks he's perfect (OK, you're being sarcastic). What we're saying is that you notice his mistakes much more than other players, even though he makes less of them than many on our team, because of his position.

[Waggy]

It's so bizarre how this board is MORE negative and more insufferable after a win then a loss. Don't like a player, fine. They don't need to be called out on in EVERY thread. We all know your opinions. It's always the same people talking about the same players. But thanks for reminding me to always log in before I open threads. It's way better to not have to see the constant bitching and moaning due to the $ someones being paid or the time on the pitch they get. Players dont determine their contracts, managers do. Players don't determine their playing time, managers do. You can't blame the players for showing up and doing what they're supposed to do. Calm the **** down

[DaBandit]

Mista is slow, but you can see his class in his passing and ball control.

Totally agree, he has class....

[FluSH]

Can someone tell me what kind of intervention Barrett has received?!!? It's like a totally different guy... I'm loving it!!! His confidence is definately there!!!

[habstfc]

Geez Waggy, I couldn't have said that better myself.

[DichioTFC]

It's so bizarre how this board is MORE negative and more insufferable after a win then a loss. Don't like a player, fine. They don't need to be called out on in EVERY thread. We all know your opinions. It's always the same people talking about the same players. But thanks for reminding me to always log in before I open threads. It's way better to not have to see the constant bitching and moaning due to the $ someones being paid or the time on the pitch they get. Players dont determine their contracts, managers do. Players don't determine their playing time, managers do. You can't blame the players for showing up and doing what they're supposed to do. Calm the **** down

I really like the direction Waggy's going in. Seriously guys, we know Garcia has made mistakes, JDG gets paid a lot, Mista is not the quickest, Barrett misses on occasion, Preki plays a defensive system that is not as visually appealing as other teams, etc. But after saying the same opinion over and over again for months, is it any wonder why so many of these repeated opinions are met with criticism, debate and are routinely ignored?

If it's something new, fine. If it's something insightful, great! If its a regurgitation of what you've already said in previous posts or what everyone else has been saying for months, your comments are not providing the boards with any extraordinary value.

Contribute your opinions, but please, FFS, dont keep rehashing the same points over and over again.

/rant

[backbeat]

JDG commanded the mid front today - i sometimes wonder if the masses actually see what he is doing - i say this all the time, sure he miss passes at times but that happens with everyone - what he offers to the unit is sooooo much more.

anyway the 1st half was simply brilliant today 2nd half they sat back although Mista looked great - ball placement was brilliant - just imagine when he's in shape with Maicon, JDG, Dero and Barrett - a massive front 1/3'd!! - simply MASSIVE.

good game by Garcia - Nana and Adrian were solid as was Garbutt

Barrett was all over the pitch, nane not bad, learning, really wish LaBrocca was on over peterson

TFC should have been up 3 or 4 or 5 in the 1st half.....

[Shakes McQueen]

It's never JDG's fault, it's everyone elses. This team sucks ass, JDG should be the only player on the field. We need 11 JDGs

You know, if you're going to openly mock the opinions and perspectives of other users, at least accurately represent their views. This pile of drippingly sarcastic provocation is pretty humorous, in light of you chiding me earlier this week for looking to start an argument (by sarcastically laughing at someone).

As you might have noticed, and as Oldtimer just finished pointing out, we didn't say that JDG was perfect, or that "it's never his fault". I pretty plainly pointed out that JDG makes mistakes, theorized why he might be making mistakes, and summarized by stating I simply think JDG has been better for us than popular opinion suggests.

Unfortunately that kind of nuance isn't as easy to mock with pithy sarcasm, I guess.

- Scott

[Shakes McQueen]

It's so bizarre how this board is MORE negative and more insufferable after a win then a loss. Don't like a player, fine. They don't need to be called out on in EVERY thread. We all know your opinions. It's always the same people talking about the same players. But thanks for reminding me to always log in before I open threads. It's way better to not have to see the constant bitching and moaning due to the $ someones being paid or the time on the pitch they get. Players dont determine their contracts, managers do. Players don't determine their playing time, managers do. You can't blame the players for showing up and doing what they're supposed to do. Calm the **** down

I think (one) part of the problem is that some folks are determined to be perceived as "realists". If you don't, you risk the usual insults about "drinking the koolaid", or having the "typical Leafs fan mentality".

That said, I disagree that this place is more negative after a win. This forum is downright insufferable after a loss - particularly if it's an uninspired performance. I often won't even bother coming here for a day or two after losses, until the angry emotions settle and people start to regain some perspective.

- Scott

[DangerRed]

A few things from where I was sitting -- awesome match, great win, bad refereeing (Chivas had a hand ball that never got called). Individually, Peterson was SHIT (more than a few times), JDG played well, then poorly, then well again, and (I can't believe I'm saying this) Nick Garcia played very well for the majority of the game.

If we play like this on a consistent basis, this is a playoff team at the very least. The next two are going to be tough (Henry & Marquez) but I'm more positive now than ever before this season.

Last thing -- Mista's IQ is outstanding. There was one pass he gave to De Ro that completely blew my mind. Fitness, however, is another thing. He's way too slow for this league.

All in all, great time, awesome game, and more of the same please.

[morgank1986]

This game, I spent about 50% of the time just looking at JDG -- I wanted to fairly evaluate him.

His positioning was exceptional. He (and Mista came close) easily had the best sense of where to be at what time.

Often he won the ball, and was looking for a player to be open to pass it to. If this was an SPL team, he would have had 3 open guys to pass it to. Being MLS, he sometimes had to wait and hold the ball until someone realized that they should get open, and then usually he only had one passing option.

He made a couple of great passes into space that our players didn't clue into in time.

He gave up the ball cheaply a few times. However, he actually did that less often than DeRo did. Its just that due to his positioning in a more defensive role, it was much more noticeable.

He was all over the field, he covered an amazing amount of ground from the left to the right and up and down. In the second half, he was wearing out from having to cover so much ground, and his play noticeably deteriorated. In a better squad, he wouldn't have had to do that.

His work effort makes him a "Preki player," but he has a touch of quality that few on this team have. Hopefully, when Mista is fit we'll see some more of that quality.

This.

[Waggy]

I think (one) part of the problem is that some folks are determined to be perceived as "realists". If you don't, you risk the usual insults about "drinking the koolaid", or having the "typical Leafs fan mentality".

That said, I disagree that this place is more negative after a win. This forum is downright insufferable after a loss - particularly if it's an uninspired performance. I often won't even bother coming here for a day or two after losses, until the angry emotions settle and people start to regain some perspective.

- Scott

I should have probably phrased that differently. I find it more frustrating after a win than a loss. I understand people being angry and frustrated and bitching after a loss. Particularly after a bad performance. But after a win, when the team generally played well I find it INCREDIBLY frustrating to see a blanket statement like 'player x sucks'. Especially when basically every post made by the poster somehow winds its way back to that same player sucking. Enjoy the win for a freaking minute! If you can't enjoy the good times of being a fan, then why the hell are you even a fan?

It's a 90 minute game, the best players in the world make mistakes. Show me evidence that they suck, or people can just keep that opinion to themselves like Dichio said. Add a new opinion, or something of value or simply don't post. Particularly if their opinion opinion on a player has been shared numerous times. I barely frequent this board compared to some here, yet I could easily name several people who HATE Garcia and HATE JDG, regardless of how they performed in that game or in recent games. They just despise them. The ironic thing is THAT is the Leafs fan mentality: randomly loving or hating players for reasons OTHER than performance on the field/rink. We're in a post-game thread, stick to comments regarding the game. Garcia didn't have a bad game today. I thought JDG played well today, but I'm not everyone. You think he had a bad game thats fine, simply say "JDG messed up here and here and here" like a human being. There's no need for anyone here to act as a borderline troll in our own board, and that's what it seems like is happening. If that's out of line, mods I apologize, but thats how I read this stuff.

[Shakes McQueen]

Once many people have a perception of a player as being terrible, they will unconsciously reinforce that opinion. So, for example, they will start to pick out every single mistake a player like JDG or Garcia makes, and dwell on it, because it reinforces their worldview.

It's difficult for many people to revise their views, or allow for shades of grey in how they see things.

If you've spent the last 18 months talking about how Nick Garcia is the worst defender on the planet, then it's hard to even grudgingly recognize and accept when he has a decent stretch of games.

- Scott

[Darlofletch]

a very enjoyable first half. second half less so, but still, a well earned win, their goalie made as many good saves as Frei did.

I though the defence in general had a good game, garcia was solid. peterson put in one or two good crosses but was generally useless.

very happy for barrett to get another, and good performances from maicon, hopefully he's not hurt too badly. Mista, did great on that chance he created for de ro, which was all started from barrett's effort forcing the turnover from their goalie, but overall I thought he didn't really do much at all. I feel Barrett going off was quite the turning point, we were never able to hold on to the ball up front for any length of time after that.

anyway, three points, it's all good.

[TFCRegina]

WORST PENALTY CALL EVER...Barrett was onside. Great win. Yellow on Gargan was weak.

Conclusion: Reffing sucked, TFC did not. Team managed to carry possession for large tracts of the game and overall looked decent.

[DichioTFC]

Individually, Peterson was SHIT (more than a few times)

Yeah, I really thought we got the best out of the Marvel Wynne trade, but Peterson just hasn't contributed as much as I would have liked. Is the injury he faced still bothering him?

Also, Ty Harden, OBW, Hscanovics, Saric have all pretty much disappeared from the starting lineups (Usanov as well, to a lesser extent). I was assuming we would see some change in the starters considering how tired they were, but Preki held firm and looks like these guys are permanent subs pretty much.

[Darlofletch]

rewatching the game now, and wow, barrett's hair is awful.

[morgank1986]

Yeah, I really thought we got the best out of the Marvel Wynne trade, but Peterson just hasn't contributed as much as I would have liked. Is the injury he faced still bothering him?

Also, Ty Harden, OBW, Hscanovics, Saric have all pretty much disappeared from the starting lineups (Usanov as well, to a lesser extent). I was assuming we would see some change in the starters considering how tired they were, but Preki held firm and looks like these guys are permanent subs pretty much.

The Wynne trade was for Labrocca if memory serves.

I think we'll see Ty Harden, OBW, Hscanovics, Saric and Usanov more during the champions league games. Though it might be risky to play our more "physical" bench players in Mexico and Panama.

[sampace]

OBW has been disappointing this season, last year he was coming off of surgery so you cut him some slack, but so far he has not lived up to billing, although he is young, but as Danny Dichio once said your either a goal scorer or your not!!! Not sure he is a forward of the MLS level.

[DichioTFC]

The Wynne trade was for Labrocca if memory serves.

I think we'll see Ty Harden, OBW, Hscanovics, Saric and Usanov more during the champions league games. Though it might be risky to play our more "physical" bench players in Mexico and Panama.

You're right. We got Peterson for allocation money.

I'm hoping we can get Hscanovics and Saric to make their heavy tackles throughout the CL. The other teams will probably be gunning for DeRo and JDG.

[DangerRed]

Yeah, I really thought we got the best out of the Marvel Wynne trade, but Peterson just hasn't contributed as much as I would have liked. Is the injury he faced still bothering him?

Also, Ty Harden, OBW, Hscanovics, Saric have all pretty much disappeared from the starting lineups (Usanov as well, to a lesser extent). I was assuming we would see some change in the starters considering how tired they were, but Preki held firm and looks like these guys are permanent subs pretty much.

So that tells you something, right? These guys are supposed to be rested now and they're still not getting minutes. That means they're poor in training. Nane and Ibby are getting time over these FC Skonto and Eastern European dudes (Usanov, Hxcvcxvasdsvasdvasdvic and Saric). They're not even being given sub time. And Haxasdfasxovic is making $100K a year while we're paying Nana a max of $80 K (and that's salary plus bonus).

Shows how mismanaged payroll is, beyond the headliners. I don't know whose choice it was to bring those guys on -- between Preki and Mo -- but I challenge you all to point to one contribution these guys have made on a consistent basis. To me, the three are interexchangeable: a bunch of card machines and not much else.

[DichioTFC]

^ Not sure if the salary element is relevant, but your point is valid.

Still, I would prefer to think that the starters are accomplishing more rather than the subs are sucking. Gargan owns the RB, Garcia has proven effective at LB, and the Mista / M.Santos / Barrett element leaves the younger OBW out.

[Blizzard]

This game, I spent about 50% of the time just looking at JDG -- I wanted to fairly evaluate him.

His positioning was exceptional. He (and Mista came close) easily had the best sense of where to be at what time.

Often he won the ball, and was looking for a player to be open to pass it to. If this was an SPL team, he would have had 3 open guys to pass it to. Being MLS, he sometimes had to wait and hold the ball until someone realized that they should get open, and then usually he only had one passing option.

He made a couple of great passes into space that our players didn't clue into in time.

He gave up the ball cheaply a few times. However, he actually did that less often than DeRo did. Its just that due to his positioning in a more defensive role, it was much more noticeable.

He was all over the field, he covered an amazing amount of ground from the left to the right and up and down. In the second half, he was wearing out from having to cover so much ground, and his play noticeably deteriorated. In a better squad, he wouldn't have had to do that.

His work effort makes him a "Preki player," but he has a touch of quality that few on this team have. Hopefully, when Mista is fit we'll see some more of that quality.

I think we saw Mista's class this afternoon and when he does hook up with JDG, we usually see something kinda cool happening.

It's about time that somebody broke down JDG's play as you did today. He vastly under appreciate by many here when often he is clearly the best player on the field for either team.

With Mista, Maicon, JDG, Chad and DeRo hopefully soon rounding into a top notch attacking unit, I can't help but feel that the future is bright.

[Blizzard]

Yeah, I really thought we got the best out of the Marvel Wynne trade, but Peterson just hasn't contributed as much as I would have liked. Is the injury he faced still bothering him?

Also, Ty Harden, OBW, Hscanovics, Saric have all pretty much disappeared from the starting lineups (Usanov as well, to a lesser extent). I was assuming we would see some change in the starters considering how tired they were, but Preki held firm and looks like these guys are permanent subs pretty much.

Saric is injured as is Harden.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

ill try and go deeper into this later but i think Mista and DeRo need to sort out each others rolls. At that point the ball will really be rolling.

[KiwiRedsFan]

great to log on after a hiatus and discover a win! brilliant stuff. woot woot!

[Oldtimer]

This match's result means that TFC are unbeaten at home for 10 this year, and 17 if you count the second part of last year.

[Brooker]

calling all Chad Barrett haters.... where have you gone?


great to log on after a hiatus and discover a win! brilliant stuff. woot woot!


how goes the Yellow Fever?

[Pookie]

I enjoyed the commentary behind me during the game.

One fellow was breaking it all down for his girlfriend.

"De Guzman is paid $4M a year... " and upon him touching the ball "Do Something, gawd..."

"Barrett never scores..."

"That Attakora guy is only 18 years old and we got him from Africa..."

"Everyone hates the coach, they want him fired..."

On the hand ball, "all free kicks are taken from right there ..."

[koryo]

I enjoyed the commentary behind me during the game.

One fellow was breaking it all down for his girlfriend.

"De Guzman is paid $4M a year... " and upon him touching the ball "Do Something, gawd..."

"Barrett never scores..."

"That Attakora guy is only 18 years old and we got him from Africa..."

"Everyone hates the coach, they want him fired..."

On the hand ball, "all free kicks are taken from right there ..."

So you were sat in front of Lou Macari then were you?

Yesterday was a game of two halves. In the first, our set pieces and route one play worked - and we did make more of an effort to play down the wing. In the second, same old same old: we let Chivas back in the game.

Still, warts and all, we badly needed that result.

[Inswingingwingman]

Frei was awesome. Saved the day. That said I HOPE there is a really good replacement in the wings because some European Team is going to start drooling over him soon. (In my humble opinion.)

I even left the feeding tube unplugged so I could go nuts during the game and chase the wife, but alas the 2nd half had me wearing shaded glasses and chewing my nails.

The goals were excellent. The give aways were really bad, lots of them looked like deliberate passes.

That said there needs to be faster movement of the ball to the wings inside the attacking half and more movement to support good crosses, and when not there there needs to be 1 or 2 passes available to take the ball up the middle.

The 'fight' with the opposition goalie during the end of the game should have resulted in a yellow at least to that dolt. He clearly was swinging elbows for effect. I know I was only a lowly linesman but I would have given him a yellow, dropped the ball on the touch line for the penalty and blown the whistle to end the game. Such BS should not be tolerated. The main point of the officiating crew is to create a sense of fair play and order on the field, and that ending was well short of the objective.

[Pookie]

Yesterday was a game of two halves. In the first, our set pieces and route one play worked - and we did make more of an effort to play down the wing. In the second, same old same old: we let Chivas back in the game.


I wouldn't say same old, same old. The game didn't end in a draw (or loss) with a goal conceeded in the final minutes

[koryo]

I wouldn't say same old, same old. The game didn't end in a draw (or loss) with a goal conceeded in the final minutes

Fair enough. I was really only referring to slipping into our usual bad habits (sitting back, not pressing the attack, losing our shape on the left side, sloppy give-aways...letting the other side back in) that creeped back in during the second half. Wasn't so much commenting on the result - which fortunately wasn't same old same old :D

[London]

is santos OK ??

[maninb]

Frei....brilliant
JDG....poor passing and lost almost every 50-50 ball...
Barrett and Santos great effort
Dero...has got to put away that breakawy pass from Mista, he just had to tap it past the keeper, instead he tries to blast it for 5 yards out...pathetic
Garcia...no glaring mistakes...
Crap call on the handball

[koryo]

is santos OK ??

Unsure. The papers this morning say he left the game with a knee-injury. Duh, we could see that for ourselves. As to the seriousness of said injury, they don't have a clue. The club might not yet know either.

But pulling up like he did, after running on it for a bit, is not a good sign. I'm expecting ligament damage.

[FluSH]

I enjoyed the commentary behind me during the game.

One fellow was breaking it all down for his girlfriend.

"De Guzman is paid $4M a year... " and upon him touching the ball "Do Something, gawd..."

"Barrett never scores..."

"That Attakora guy is only 18 years old and we got him from Africa..."

"Everyone hates the coach, they want him fired..."

On the hand ball, "all free kicks are taken from right there ..."

WOW

Spreading this kind of knowledge is dangerous...

[koryo]

WOW

Spreading this kind of knowledge is dangerous...

And let's not forget that the ball always drops to the ground because the world is flat. Teams switch sides at half-time to appease the gods of summer and winter. And, my favourite, the throw-in reminds us that the Earth is at the centre of the Universe.

[los sonadores]

This game, I spent about 50% of the time just looking at JDG -- I wanted to fairly evaluate him.

His positioning was exceptional. He (and Mista came close) easily had the best sense of where to be at what time.

Often he won the ball, and was looking for a player to be open to pass it to. If this was an SPL team, he would have had 3 open guys to pass it to. Being MLS, he sometimes had to wait and hold the ball until someone realized that they should get open, and then usually he only had one passing option.

He made a couple of great passes into space that our players didn't clue into in time.

He gave up the ball cheaply a few times. However, he actually did that less often than DeRo did. Its just that due to his positioning in a more defensive role, it was much more noticeable.

He was all over the field, he covered an amazing amount of ground from the left to the right and up and down. In the second half, he was wearing out from having to cover so much ground, and his play noticeably deteriorated. In a better squad, he wouldn't have had to do that.

His work effort makes him a "Preki player," but he has a touch of quality that few on this team have. Hopefully, when Mista is fit we'll see some more of that quality.

I agree.

Context in relation to skill set is important in evaluating any footballer.

[Azerban]

Contribute your opinions, but please, FFS, dont keep rehashing the same points over and over again.


ahaha you baby

"see, garcia is NOT SHIT"

"no actually he is, he's just managed to look like a professional soccer player for 3 whole games in a row"

"UGHHGHH STOP REHASHING THE SAME OLD SAME OLD"



also SJ is picking up garcia's salary, but it's not forever, and i'm not even sure they're still doing it now. if we bitched about robinson getting 300k, (and I know I did), there is no way that bumbling horse of a person deserves 200k from us

[Nuvinho]

the only thing I find with JDG, he falls alot. I don't know if its the grass or the cleat he is using, but he falls alot.

I hate Garcia, but I will admit that I don't mind him playing at LB. He hasn't caused us many headaches playing at wingback. My opinion may change, but for now, I cannot bash Garcia anymore.

[Darlofletch]

Fair enough. I was really only referring to slipping into our usual bad habits (sitting back, not pressing the attack, losing our shape on the left side, sloppy give-aways...letting the other side back in) that creeped back in during the second half. Wasn't so much commenting on the result - which fortunately wasn't same old same old :D

I think most of that had to do with Maicon and barrett going off. all of a sudden we had no real forwards out there, I'm not sure whether he's told to or not but Mista definitely likes to play deeper, and ibbe was almost completely a non-factor.

that enabled them to committ more going forward, which combined with their nothing to lose desperation, meant the play was a lot more in our half that it was in the first half.

[JuliquE]

Frei....brilliant
JDG....poor passing and lost almost every 50-50 ball...
Barrett and Santos great effort
Dero...has got to put away that breakawy pass from Mista, he just had to tap it past the keeper, instead he tries to blast it for 5 yards out...pathetic
Garcia...no glaring mistakes...
Crap call on the handball
Can't say we'd entirely agree on JDG's contributions.. but on the point of De Ro, I remember thinking the exact same; his strike seemed wildly telegraphed -- wouldn't call it pathetic, though.

Someone else mentioned about JDG falling a lot and this, for me, shows just what Shakes was pointing out; De Ro fell so often, throughout the match, that the commentators brought it up on multiple occasions.. yet, still, it's only JDG that's called out.

[Nodoubtguy]

The first half was one of the most enjoyable TFC games I've seen in a looooooong time. The second half, not so much.

Also, anyone else questioning why Ibby is still here?? I'm lost on that....is he still GA??

[Brooker]

Also, anyone else questioning why Ibby is still here?? I'm lost on that....is he still GA??


yup... he costs nothing against the cap. no reason to get rid of him.

[Super Cereal]

I enjoyed the commentary behind me during the game.

One fellow was breaking it all down for his girlfriend.

"De Guzman is paid $4M a year... " and upon him touching the ball "Do Something, gawd..."

"Barrett never scores..."

"That Attakora guy is only 18 years old and we got him from Africa..."

"Everyone hates the coach, they want him fired..."

On the hand ball, "all free kicks are taken from right there ..."
Wow, you sat in front of Azerban?

[DoubleUp]

Finally got to watch the game, which was very good Btw.

Tfc's overall focus should be nurturing the good linkup play they already have/teaching good linkup play to the whole squad and traning everybody on the conversion of chances from backs right to the forward line. If we could combine good link up play with Excellent finishing in a error laden league like Mls we would probably be the top team in the east, and one of the two in the league. We need to Really Identify our strengths and weaknesses and work to improve them every single training session especially striking , heading and link up passing in the attacking 3rd. In team defence we are fairly solid, so we should only review and tweak to reinforce what the team should already know. Anyways Iam done! GOOD WIN BOYS!:scarf::scarf::flare::drum::scarf:

[DavydMT]

-- LOST AND FOUND --

I lost my Dichio scarf in sec 112 between rows 9-12, please pm if you found one or have an extra one.
Thank you.

[TheKing7]

Does anyone know why Ibby is preffered over OBW????
I know Ibby can slot out wide, but Dero and Chad could do just the same with OBW down the middle.

[TFCRegina]

Does anyone know why Ibby is preffered over OBW????
I know Ibby can slot out wide, but Dero and Chad could do just the same with OBW down the middle.

OBW doesn't try. He's a lazy player with little in terms of talent.

Ibbe at least runs.

[JonO]

Does anyone know why Ibby is preffered over OBW????
I know Ibby can slot out wide, but Dero and Chad could do just the same with OBW down the middle.
It looked to me, as if Ibby was brought in more to fill dero's position with dero pushing up more - giving him a bit of a break...

[Yohan]

Chad Barrett has 6 goals in the league, plus whatever from NCC/CCL. I think this year, he'll finally break the 10 goal in the league mark.

DeGuzman got more effective as he made simpler passes to his teammates. He needs to figure out who he can make the simpler passes to, and once he can get more fancy with.

Garcia had one huge screw up late in first half (that led to Braun's diving header just missed), but he had an ok game. Seems he's learning to use his experience as more wily and crafty veteran defender. Still brings shit as fullback, and Mo needs to get a LB who can also contribute on offence. (I haven't given up on Hscanovic, but he's got about same amount of positioning sense as Marvell Wynne, and not as fast)

[Hooligan69]

Loved the first half. However, the second nearly left me with a migraine headache. At least we won and picked up three points. Mission accomplished.

[Carts]

I know it was nerve racking b/c it was against us - but I find the most exciting play in footy is watching the keeper sprint up the pitch, and throw themselves into the coming corner in the dying minutes...

Always great at getting up in the air, they always seem to impact the play and cause havoc when they jump in...

Carts...

[KiwiRedsFan]

calling all Chad Barrett haters.... where have you gone?




how goes the Yellow Fever?


The Phoenix season starts this Friday night at home against Gold Coast United. 2 kiwis play for them so will be a good contest. :) Just hope the weather doesn't put people off coming.

[Pookie]

It looked to me, as if Ibby was brought in more to fill dero's position with dero pushing up more - giving him a bit of a break...

When Ibrahim came in, De Guzman shifted to the right side in more of a defensive role. In the post game, Preki noted that was the reason he was brought in, to shift JDG and shore up the wings.

[Blowing Bubbles]

the good:
Getting 3 points!
Barrett continuing to put up numbers
Santos is a legit player
Supa' Frei

the bad:
Santos injury
Mista's lack of wheels
the team looked completely gassed the last 15 mins ..... schedule congestion might kill us later this year

I think we are seeing some of the possibilities of the new 3 DP system. A guy like Mista is great to take a 1/2 season flyer on - I definitely don't see us bringing him back on a multi-year contract. But for bringing him on in a role for a playoff push it's a win-win situation.

I think this is the last year Frei is with us.

[Bars92]

I saw Santos downtown Saturday night. Shook his hand, super nice guy. He was still limping around tho after that injury.

[spark]

I enjoyed the commentary behind me during the game.

One fellow was breaking it all down for his girlfriend.

"De Guzman is paid $4M a year... " and upon him touching the ball "Do Something, gawd..."

"Barrett never scores..."

"That Attakora guy is only 18 years old and we got him from Africa..."

"Everyone hates the coach, they want him fired..."

On the hand ball, "all free kicks are taken from right there ..."

After the Dallas game I had a guy behind me state with all authority that if he were the coach he'd get rid of De Ro asap. :facepalm:

[bgnewf]

http://viewfromthesouthstands.com/2010/08/chivas-post-game/

Toronto FC v Chivas Post Game Video Blog

Some post game thoughts from Toronto FC's victory this weekend at home against Chivas USA. In this episode I explain why Chad Barrett has arrived, that Stefan Frei is now definitely in the running for team MVP, and I tee up the TFC game away this week against the New York Red Bulls.

Comments always welcome

[__wowza]

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/07/3f/146f88f541228657d5f8a1c1d4cd.jpeg

[rocker]

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/07/3f/146f88f541228657d5f8a1c1d4cd.jpeg

"Come on Nicky, give me a little kiss... I always wanted to kiss an MLS Cup winner."

[phonzo]

Wow, you sat in front of Azerban?

ummm..really...that's what your going with?

I don't quite see a reason why you would take a jab at a member but whatever.

[Wull]

going to avoid the usual and say that I've never seen Peterson do as much tracking back and tackling as I did in the first half around our box. It doesn't make up for the lack of output up to now but it's a start that he's actually putting in a bit of work

[Oldtimer]

After the Dallas game I had a guy behind me state with all authority that if he were the coach he'd get rid of De Ro asap. :facepalm:

Yet another illustration of why the Sounders' management model of having fans vote for who's in charge would never work in Toronto. ;)

[WestStandGeoff]

Frei....brilliant
JDG....poor passing and lost almost every 50-50 ball...
Barrett and Santos great effort
Dero...has got to put away that breakawy pass from Mista, he just had to tap it past the keeper, instead he tries to blast it for 5 yards out...pathetic
Garcia...no glaring mistakes...
Crap call on the handball

Funny thing about the Dero miss from 5 yards... right after the shot, when the stadium was full of "ooh's and ahh's", I said to my fiancee that if Barrett had missed from that distance the crowd would be all over him. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Chad powers past 2 defenders and puts the ball wide to the right (good effort regardless), and the crowd erupts with the usual "Fucking Barrett", or "aw, come on Chad!".

[Azerban]

Wow, you sat in front of Azerban?

sad as fuck troll son, pull up your little trolling bootstraps and come back with a better one