Today's News - MONDAY May 02
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\
So TFC's 3-0 win is nothing to be proud about.But Sunday night in the home opener of their existence in the new North American Soccer League, they had all 11 -- including four of them at the back in a train wreck -- and were down 3-0 by the 36th minute against a team which had scored only one goal in the previous 360 minutes.
A totally embarrassed Edmonton FC then lost its keeper to a red card with no substitutions left and had to play a midfielder in goal and lost this one 5-0 to a team in their own league.
Whats embarrassing is a sports writer who reports on a game and doesnt bother to mention who was playing.Originally Posted by Parkdale
Absolutely not.
The score may have looked convincing but TFC's play was nothing to be proud of against a team as bad as Edmonton is.
Bottom line is this team is just not good at all. I'm not in panic mode yet, but it's definitely brewing for me.
The one thing that I do notice about this team is there seems to be no hustle from players away from the ball, which is probably the most important part of this (I'm sick of hearing this word) system they are trying t play. It's very evident when you see a team like Seattle playing along side us, they are absolutely running circles around us out there.
Interesting comment under the Nigel Reed article:
There's more to why FCE played at Commonwealth. Just to clear their name in the "why on earth did they make that decision" department, the CSA has a set policy for the Voyageurs Cup that all matches must be played on fields lacking football lines, thus Foote was not even an option. Things didn't work out for them on gameday either, with the crappy weather and the ridiculously early kickoff that was forced on them by Sportsnet's unwillingness to use up two different time slots for the games.
Did FCE play a man down for most of the game against Montreal as well? If it was late in the game then our win looks even less impressive.
This year I will take any win and goals scored as a positive thing!!
It's almost like some TFC players have to stop and think about it before they engage in the play, should there not be a natural flow to the play?
nope, lost the keeper in the 84th minute or so....
What's embarrassing is the club is 2-0-2 in season play. They're doing better than TFC.
Ideally yes. It does seem like they're trying to do something new, that they're not really familiar with, and that's making them hesitant right now. Gargan talked about how it was a cerebral system and you really have to think. I imagine at this level, confidence and playing by instinct are hugely important, and thinking too much can be a killer.
That would be my guess as to why we always start slowly, start to get better then start slowly again in the second. winter's tactics put them out of their comfort zone, they eventually revert to what they know and so look a bit better playing their natural game, then at half time winter again tries to instill what he wants, thus they're hesitant again.
academy kids brought up this way will be able to play the system as it'll be what comes naturally to them, but the current first team, especially those those to whom it's a new thing are going to seem like they're fighting their own instincts which can't be a good thing.
exhibit a) tony tchani. really impressed me his first couple of games (before too much coaching) with his energy and physical presence. lately, aside from his goal, he's been hesitant and much less noticeable
hopefully winter's system becomes more instinctive to them all sooner rather than later.
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\
Actually, this system is designed to be played with interchangeable positions and movement, so it's really not a matter of thinking, but of learning. If they haven't learned, and have to think about it, they're going to be in trouble.
But it's also not that hard to grasp. As long as they can maintain morale and Winter and De Kleerk can get them to the point where their movement to their next responsibility is automatic, it'll be very smooth and effective eventually.
Having said that, there are times when it's not smart to build from the back, when getting the ball up to the midfielders quickly, at the very least, is sensible strategy. That's not longball, it's adapting to pressure.
Agree 100%
How are we supposed to vote if you don't even post a poll here?
Wedding anniversay vs TFC Academy.... hmmmm maybe I can tell her it is a surprise night out on the town... "fine dining (Joe's) followed by live entertainment".
Has anyone mentioned that "it's going to be a long season" yet?
I guess the realization that the earlier games against "easier" opposition really didn't give an accurate picture about this team. That said they played well against Columbus so let's have some hope for the next game. One game at a time I suppose.
Great news for Canada's attack
Also wanted to mention that this site has started to track MLS matches (live/result and upcoming) since this weekend, which I thought was a testament to the strides our league has made.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
