Match Day 10 - Orlando @ TFC Friday May 18 8pm - Lion Tamer or Chartered Accountancy?

Lets hope the guys are Lion tamers this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYqqla3HTyY

(FWIW, my brother is a CA)

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Have at It People

I think the question is who is actually available to play in this game?

Is it looking like no Seba, Jozy, Morrow, Moor, VDW, Hagglund, Zavaleta, and Hasler.

Orlando is quick but defensively lax. They tightened up on Sunday using a big press but their first half was poor. Key here is getting Bradley out of the back and into the midfield. After that, with Vasquez & Hamilton moving the ball quickly, we should be able to penetrate their defence. Getting shots past Bendik isn't easy but he's no Nik Romando.

Tweet from Molinaro says VDW, Hagglund, and Zaveleta in training.

Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/JohnMolinaro/status/996399883547373569?s=20

I think this game is winnable.

It's a bit annoying how opaque Vanney is about injuries. Reality is we don't have a good idea how hurt a lot of these guys are. Like Morrow. I didn't see anything that looked that bad, but here we are, what, two months later and no sign of him. I wish we knew what was really going on.

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Originally Posted by Canary10

It's a bit annoying how opaque Vanney is about injuries. Reality is we don't have a good idea how hurt a lot of these guys are. Like Morrow. I didn't see anything that looked that bad, but here we are, what, two months later and no sign of him. I wish we knew what was really going on.

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fishy isnt it.

Beats "upper body injury" in the NHL when everybody knows darn well a guy got his nose clocked in a fight.

I'm wondering how plain MLS are going to have to be with legal sports betting coming to all of the US soon.

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Originally Posted by stevep

fishy isnt it.

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It's not fishy, it's totally common for managers to be this way about injuries. But it's annoying for supporters, who want to know what's really going on. And it's hard at the moment to feel really optimistic about us getting back to where we should be near the top of the league when we have no idea when/if players are getting back.

Hamilton's break out game is upon us

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Originally Posted by C.Ronaldo

Hamilton's break out game is upon us

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That's my vibe also

I wonder if there's a chance Vanney decides not to field a striker and play Vazquez or Aketxe (because god knows he can't defend or pass in his own half) as a false nine. If we don't go that way I'd rather see Hamilton up top alone than Ricketts next to him.

I want Bradley back in the midfield no matter who is available.

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Originally Posted by C.Ronaldo

Hamilton's break out game is upon us

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Yes and I will win the lottery this Friday. Also Is Aketxe Mista in disguise?

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Originally Posted by portu

I wonder if there's a chance Vanney decides not to field a striker and play Vazquez or Aketxe (because god knows he can't defend or pass in his own half) as a false nine. If we don't go that way I'd rather see Hamilton up top alone than Ricketts next to him.

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I suspect Aketxe is done like dinner. he is this years Armando Copper.

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Originally Posted by SoccMan2

Yes and I will win the lottery this Friday. Also Is Aketxe Mista in disguise?

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Mista was much more comfortable on the ball, Ager more like a deer in headlights :D

Still hope he somehow recovers from his last performance.

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Originally Posted by stevep

I suspect Aketxe is done like dinner. he is this years Armando Copper.

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I think the FO is in love with him and especially given their investment in him they're going to play him until he's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's useless.

Man we got spoiled by last year. We forgot what it was like to work players in over months because we were winning all the time.

After the Phillly game, consensus in this forum and among journos was Aketxe was wonderful. He was defensively responsible and offensively useful. He's always been a long term project. Aketxe here now is about 2020. That's what it takes to build teams for the long term.

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Originally Posted by portu

I think the FO is in love with him and especially given their investment in him they're going to play him until he's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's useless.

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Aketxe is a Gilberto level bust. There, I said it.

We have a GM with an excellent track record, and I fully support him. However, any GM, no matter how bright is going to have a few busts.

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Originally Posted by paul-collins

That's my vibe also

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Not getting this vibe, but, I hope that you are right and I am wrong!

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Originally Posted by Oldtimer

Aketxe is a Gilberto level bust. There, I said it.

We have a GM with an excellent track record, and I fully support him. However, any GM, no matter how bright is going to have a few busts.

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Disagree!

Aketxe is only beginning to show what he can do.

I think that he is going to be a regular starter and serious contributor as he settles in.

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Originally Posted by notthesun

I want Bradley back in the midfield no matter who is available.

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Yep.

Hey gang won't be at tge game. I am recovering from prostate surgery. My daughter will be representing the clan. Come on TFC get back on stride.

Speaking about Aketxe, I feel like we are maybe overlooking the fact that he hasn't really had a chance to play a lot with our true first team starters since arriving. The first appearance was maybe the closest and he came on as a sub, and I thought looked great. Since then, he's literally been playing with mostly a TFC2/bench team, and not to mention a bunch of different TFC2/bench players as well, with a couple short exceptions.

He has not looked great, but for a player in his position coming into a new league, with new players around him all the time, and not even of an MLS quality(both games during CCL and a few since)...not sure what more we could expect. I would argue his defensive work rate could improve, which I feel it has(although still a bad giveaway last game).

When you consider where he came from, the type of quality games he's been in, and the amount of teams that apparently were after his services, I think the benefit of the doubt goes to Bez/Vanney on what we have with him, at least until its been a season.

I remember there were people writing off Mavinga, saying we had better in Zavaletta/Hagglund...and other posts regarding VDW being bad as well, I just don't get it. The guy has been huge for us, out of position, and playing with Bradley who has never played CB either. To deny VDW's quality, and what he has brought is unfair to him.

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Originally Posted by TMAN80

Speaking about Aketxe, I feel like we are maybe overlooking the fact that he hasn't really had a chance to play a lot with our true first team starters since arriving. The first appearance was maybe the closest and he came on as a sub, and I thought looked great. Since then, he's literally been playing with mostly a TFC2/bench team, and not to mention a bunch of different TFC2/bench players as well, with a couple short exceptions.

He has not looked great, but for a player in his position coming into a new league, with new players around him all the time, and not even of an MLS quality(both games during CCL and a few since)...not sure what more we could expect. I would argue his defensive work rate could improve, which I feel it has(although still a bad giveaway last game).

When you consider where he came from, the type of quality games he's been in, and the amount of teams that apparently were after his services, I think the benefit of the doubt goes to Bez/Vanney on what we have with him, at least until its been a season.

I remember there were people writing off Mavinga, saying we had better in Zavaletta/Hagglund...and other posts regarding VDW being bad as well, I just don't get it. The guy has been huge for us, out of position, and playing with Bradley who has never played CB either. To deny VDW's quality, and what he has brought is unfair to him.

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People were writing off Mavinga after his first game last year against Atlanta when he was responsible for both goals against us. I also believe some were posting bad reviews of VDW after just a couple of games. Let's just say that some TFC and Toronto fans are a fickle bunch. :)

Perhaps with Aketxe, the poor play has continued beyond a handful of games and coupled with the poor season, some are looking at reasons for our bad record.

On paper (other than his legal problems), and in training he looks like the real deal. His on field MLS stats have not lived up to his salary and potential. I hope that this is an acclimatization problem that can still be course corrected. Before anyone asks about my training comment, most who have seen him train think that he has some great skills/abilities that simply have not translated in real matches. The show is where it counts. We will have to see how much patience management has, I guess.

re. Aketxe vs Mavinga......

sure its true that Mavinga's first game was a nightmare last year, but a) in Vanney's post game interview that game, he basically admitted that Mavinga wasn't expecting that rough of a ride in MLS, and b) we saw a marked improvement in the very next game he played in and a constant upward trend after that.

Aketxe has yet to stand out in any game he's played in and we're taking what now, 5-6 starts and 10 appearances total?.....personally, I'm willing to give him only another game or 2 before writing him off....like I said in another thread, he might have skill, bit seems very lazy and that is something you just don't/can't change.....

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Originally Posted by TFC Tifoso

re. Aketxe vs Mavinga......

sure its true that Mavinga's first game was a nightmare last year, but a) in Vanney's post game interview that game, he basically admitted that Mavinga wasn't expecting that rough of a ride in MLS, and b) we saw a marked improvement in the very next game he played in and a constant upward trend after that.

Aketxe has yet to stand out in any game he's played in and we're taking what now, 5-6 starts and 10 appearances total?.....personally, I'm willing to give him only another game or 2 before writing him off....like I said in another thread, he might have skill, bit seems very lazy and that is something you just don't/can't change.....

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My only reservation about this debate is that Mavinga came in with Morrow, Moor, Zavaleta and Bradley around him for a good run of games in a set formation the whole team was comfortable with, with Hagglund pushing him in training.

Aketxe has come in with what is essentially a rotating wheel of players and formations while learning a new language, which isn't easy.

He may still end up being a bust, but for him to show his skill he needs a set formation with Bradley and our other good midfielders around him.

We have to stop the bleeding. Injuries have been a major issue, but we simply can't afford to fall behind any further in the standings.

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Originally Posted by ManUtd4ever

We have to stop the bleeding. Injuries have been a major issue, but we simply can't afford to fall behind any further in the standings.

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I haven't done the math myself but Kurt was saying in the Sun today we need a PPG average from here on out higher than every other team but us last year just to get over 50 points this year (which is about the playoff line). I'm not sure that other thread that shan't be named is far off the mark.

I am not saying that this will definitley happen league wide ... BUT, there is the possibility.

World Cup fatigue/hang-over.

Most of the teams in front of us will be having a few major pieces away for an extended period because of the world cup, that would be the great equalizer to us.
How many times have we been under-manned because of Jozy, Bradley et al. being call up for every tournament.
This is the time to take advantage when we have it.