https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...;v=QBoCKAO_mWo
*******
Onwards
Have at It People
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...;v=QBoCKAO_mWo
*******
Onwards
Have at It People
This game is CRYING OUT for effin' Jozy Altidore.
Can’t say I’m surprised, Atlanta was always the biggest threat in the East, and LAFC, Seattle and “Zlatan” (maybe not his team), the biggest threats out West - frankly we will be a solid underdog against every team left...time for Jozy and Omar to get on the pitch and for TFC to put on their “big boy pants”, and grind out a result....
Really happy to play them. Gotta beat the champs to become the champs.
The Atlanta stadium and crowd is amazing. Martinez's goal was sick, but they can be
weak at the back. We got this.
I have a lot of time for Atlanta fans - but like LAFC, they have no clue about their opponents. The journalists who cover that team are not better. To most of MLS punditry, we are underdogs in this match but at least will be discussed in terms of what we bring to the game. To Atlanta fans & journos, we are a character development plot device in this week's soccer procedural TV show.
The closest thing Atlanta has faced to us in the playoffs was NYRB - and Armas botched that up by deciding that was the week he was going to go against team dynamics & make a drastic change to NYRB's philosophy (NYRB has never recovered)
Expect to hear a lot about "well the Campeones cup showed we can play against a determined squad".
They are a very good team - I expect us to lose simply because their attack style is exactly what we can not handle well - fast counter over the top followed up by quick passing towards a shot.
But, GAWD, the narrative surrounding them is self-centred without any self-awareness.
^They have won a lot of playoff games but they have not yet faced someone with our pedigree.
Ignore the predictions. Sports is full of teams that are more dangerous than their regular season records in knockout series. It was obvious that NYCFC not actually a big favourite. You heard Torrent postgame. He didn’t really have the horses, and he knew it all along.
Atlanta has gone long stretches, all season and in both playoff games, where they have been listless and/or really weak at the back. Now they have no Parkhurst.
This is one is a tossup if Jozy can go. Without him Atlanta is a slight favourite.
I would have Philly but Atlanta does not scare me. Atlanta under De Boer is not the same Atlanta that was under Tata. They have had and are prone too falling flat. Hopefully Jozy is fit and ready to go. If he is I really like our chances. If Atlanta starts Pogba, Laryea will absolutrly torch him on the wings. Our only other trip to the Benz this year was a 2-0 loss BUT we were the much better team in the first half and should have been up 2 or 3 - 1. The 2 goals we gave up was a Zavleta brain cramp special and horrible man marking. Regardless of how the game finishes, they have surpassed what I expected them to do mid summer. It's the conference finals and we are the underdogs. I like it!! After all we have a Fuckin good team :stogey:
Come on you beautiful Reds. I love being the underdog. Nobody would have picked us to be 2 wins away from MLS Cup Champions.
Fuck the world! Let's be having yaaaaa!
Not scared either. Should be a great game. At least it's a full week break; fingers crossed The Beast is back. I remember that glorious game in Atlanta with Jozy and Seba, where Seba ended up (pretending to) drink from the tossed beer cup. On occasion, TFC has shown that they can replace Seba by committee.
One worry for me though if Jozy can go: that it leads to Vanney sticking Pozuelo back on left wing. Pozuelo has stated that he'll do what the coach wants, but that it doesn't work well for him to play there. I gotta agree. I don't mind them switching back and forth during the game, and Poz being on either side for a bit especially to get a break from man marking. But if he is positioned there for longer, he doesn't have the speed to beat people down the wing. Instead he ends up with far less touches than in the middle, and less chances to create. We have better options for either wing.
Something I just noticed - the final four are the Supporters Shield winners plus the last 3 MLS Cup champs. Stacked
I'd like to see a poll on the playoff format - old vs. new. I wonder if they will stick with this format.
This team was lying in the weeds all season, completely under the radar and they knew when to turn it on.
Do we know what the away section is? Flights booked already!
I agree Poz needs to be in the middle.
Too late to go there for next week but why haven't we tried a 4-4-1-1 with an attacking bent. Any thoughts?
Think we could go to our traditional 3 in the back for Atlanta with the Wingbacks going crazy. Poz and Jozy upfront, with Marky, Osorio and Bradley in the middle. Hard not to play Endo & Benezet though (glad we have options)
:scarf:
COYRs
Buffery writing today in the Sun that both Jozy and Omar are expected to go v Atlanta.
I'm very confident, but win or lose, I am so very proud of this team and staff the way they gutted out the last 2 months.
Well done lads...fuckin' good team!
As much as I would love to see TFC win, I feel like there isn't too much pressure to win. Regardless LAFC will be almost impossible to beat (the league wants them to win) so there isn't much pressure and we have already had a memorable season.
I truly believe we win MLS Cup next year no matter what... Bradley will sign as a TAM to replace let's say Gallardo and we will sign another incredible DP and have a very similar team as this year but have a full 34 matches with them (no Gold Cup, no Champions League)
I liked how the 2 game aggregate allowed more time to build animosity between teams and drama for fans. But the one and done rewards higher ranked teams with home advantage. So I'd lean more in favour of any format that gives more importance to each regular season game.
I love being the underdog.
From "worst team in the world" to "Fooking great team".
My new signature.
Fun things happen when Toronto plays in Atlanta in the playoffs (I'll leave the Jays highlights for someone else!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f46J22PkMK4
(We won that game and that series btw. As underdogs.)
You don't understand because it made no sense. :lol: Whoops.
I don't know how I got it in my head Seattle would be hosting... so yes, I definitely agree, they're very likely to park it as the away team. LAFC has so much quality though and Seattle isn't the defensive rock they used to be.
I can't see LAFC not taking it, but either way we have a juicy match up in the finals if we can make it. It's either a tiebreaker against Seattle in their barn or we defend 2017 TFC's place as the best MLS team of all time.
Current odds to win MLS Cup:
Oddschecker
LAFC 11/18 Atlanta 4/1 Seattle 7/1 Toronto 7/1
Odds Portal:
LAFC 1.61-1 Atlanta 4.5-1 Seattle 8-1 Toronto 8-1
My Bookie:
LAFC -105 Atlanta +350 Seattle +700 Toronto +700
I have been wanting to post here for a while so it's good to be back! There has been so many positives from TFC the last two matches that i'm excited to take a swing at Atlanta. They look shaky at the back. To the poster above who said the league wants LA to win I disagree they are trying to make Atlanta the new Galaxy I find Atlanta a very very unlikeable team that dives around a lot we will have to keep our composure. I'm interested at Atlanta at home when they are up a goal it seems from an outsiders perspective they allow so few goals against at home. We will have to generate scoring chances from wing play and force them to play defence which is something they hate, I expect a lot of rolling around and faking and bad sportsmanship. If they feel threatened they will be rolling around any chance they get. The team that made the finals in Mexico a lot of those guys are still here and played in many big matches before. The hostility won't get to our guys or shake us. I was watching the end of them vs Philly and the ref waved away a stonewall penalty for Philly and refused to Book Atlanta for several dirty challenges. I feel like a bunch of fouls won't be called and we will be hacked repeatedly without cards and in the box. Score first and play on the front foot as much as possible you can't back up against Atlanta they have too much offensive firepower if we go into it looking to counter the whole match we lose 3-0. I'm excited both the TFC and Raptors championship have done a lot for my Toronto sports confidence and our guys will come in fired up. Endoh is one of my favourites so I want to give him a start he will step up and cause Atlanta problems and Altidore is always good for a big goal and I think he might have another in him. Sorry for the long post excited to be back on here!
TFC - Atlanta Game:
Atlanta Draw Toronto
1.72 4.1 4.2
Pozuelo played really, really well in NY.
I'm just a little worried he plays less well with Jozy on the field.
Poz plays well with fast moving parts running all around him. When we play Jozy there are less players crashing the net. Without Jozy we seemed to have attacks with 3 or more players.
On the other hand, we also played really well at LAFC when they were both on the field.
Thoughts?
I was such a dummy for not betting on Atlanta in the Atlanta vs Philadelphia game. As if this league is going to throw away 4M USD by having the game in Philly vs Atlanta.
Philadelphia was really good against NYRB
They didn't show up for the Atlanta game
As tfc fans we better pray lafc wins
Haha you used my thread title idea from the last game thread. Thanks Og