Like Roogsy, I was more pleasantly surprised than anything. YES, if we had won, I would have been so happy right now. It will be tough going into LA next week needing a win or a tie game of 2-2 or higher. But with Avila and De Guzman back in, I think we can do it. Plus, I am really looking forward to Cann coming back and hopefully some defensive improvements (at least in terms of bonding).
All in all, I think this season is looking good so far.
Nah man, looking at that one on the replay they can both share the blame. He was standing un-marked at the far post well before the second ball. Clearly lost his man...Originally Posted by maninb
Avila is cup tied, not suspended. He won't be available.
Just back from the game. Some things I didn't see in the last couple of pages (I haven't read the whole thread)
- We were overmatched. LA is a far more talented team. TFC did us proud. I wish we had held on, but I'm not left with the horrible empty feeling I've had after so many other late TFC breakdowns.
- Frings really is a stud. Reads the game beautifully. Never a foot wrong or an errant pass.
- Morgan has serious wheels and handled Donovan all night.
- Frei was 100% horrible on the first goal. He has to catch or punch the ball. What the hell was he doing?
- Silva's touch was terrific. His goal was elite quality. He is a great draft pick. Avila may never get his job back.
- As a serious Winter critic, I have to acknowledge that I was at least partly wrong. We looked like a team, and Winter deserves credit for that. I am not willing to give Winter bigtime chops yet, I thought LA was tactically superior (we never adjusted once they went 4-2-4 with Juninho and Beckham playing in the back a la Pirlo) but part of the inability of TFC to adjust is the talent level, so I'm not sure what to think.
- Really enjoyed that. Maybe the best TFC game for entertainment value I have ever seen.
Last edited by ensco; 03-07-2012 at 11:34 PM.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
There is nothing worse than teams that sit on leads for 70 minutes.
How many chances were TFC willing to give the Galaxy? It was that classic retreat defense, fending off wave after wave of attack. When TFC would get the ball it would be a counter attack that fizzled after 2 or 3 passes. What was that shit supposed to be?
A great night in general, but a completely wasted opportunity. I have faith in Winter, but those were some godawful tactics being implemented when we had the lead. Disgusting to watch call after call go L.A.'s way, and worse to see the effing morons who threw the beer cans (how'd you feel after when Beckham scored, you sad excuse for humanity).
This game can't be hung on Dunfield. Frei didn't play too well either. He mishandled the ball several times.
just got back from the game. not sure how anyone else saw it but that ref was a fucking disgrace. did LA even get a single foul called against them?!
that lambe-plata sub was baffling... did plata get a knock or something? no idea why we signed lambe but he has nothing going for him in both pre-season games and this one, not sure why he was even near the pitch based on those games in orlando.
felt like we could have used a few subs by around the 65th minute, koevs wasn't even moving by the 75th and johnson was visibly tired. by that time we had pretty much stopped letting koevs get the ball with his back to goal and laying it off - which seemed to work - and just started lobbing it forward to where koevs can't even reach.
otherwise the first 30 minutes were pretty impressive, second half was atrocious. 2-1 would have been fine, but 2 away goals is going to be tough to overcome in LA.
very impressed with silva, plata was a bit flat, not sure why johnson decided to go stepover heavy since he cost a few good opportunities there. frings is the defence right now... ecks had a few good runs but his movement is not good at all, so not sure why he insists on just standing so far upfield and just having to run back to cover defense because he doesn't give the player with the ball many options. morgan did amazing, especially by the end of the game. frei was shaky, especially in the first half, and that first goal shouldn't have happened... he got better in the 2nd though imo.
Last edited by Fushida; 03-07-2012 at 11:30 PM.
Seriously glad to see you are back!
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
I said it in my pre-match article and I'll say it again: Luis Silva is our X-Factor.
Now, I don't know if anyone has uploaded any pictures of the supporters groups, I'm not gonna look through 9 pages, so here it is!
Just back from the match- lucky to get a draw in the end- too many sub-par performances out there but what a first 20 minutes.
WTF was TRN doing so central? Ruined the first half with their total irrelevant drumming.
On a positive note: SO proud to be a TFC supporter tonight. Almost 48,000 there tonight for Toronto's football team. Anyone who has ever played, coached or supported a team should be very proud at how far we have brought the game in Toronto- we have all played our part and while disappointed we threw away the 2 goal lead and drew 2-2, it was a fantastic night. No voice- left it all out there.
PROUD.
I felt just like this after the Pumas game.
Early goal had me dreaming of the next round. But the eventual draw had me deflated, knowing we were on the road for the final game, needing a win.
I'm just trying to remember how wrong I was about how that game in Dallas unfolded.
Tonight was so special, early on. So special.
No question LAG were superior but really disappointed in the goals we gave up. Keeper on the first/shambolic marking on the second.
I had to laugh, right before the second LA goal my Dad says, "I've seen this movie before".
An opportunity missed but it was a fun nonetheless. A two goal lead…FFS.
Decent way to start the year.
“We changed the entire league’s opinion of the viability of soccer in North America. And then we blew it because we chickened out." —Tim Leiweke
Plata was gassed. Had a good game but he was done after 60 minutes.
Johnson, Morgan, Silva, Frings looked great tonight.
Harden's okay defensively but really scary with the ball at his feet.
Lambe is the anti-Martina. Works hard, does a good job tracking back on defense, but lacks confidence going forward.
Amazing game, could have held on to the lead but I'm not complaining. For the first time I've ever seen them, TFC looked like a real fucking football team. Stringing passes along, making good decisions, HOLDING POSSESSION (as someone who's been watching since the first season, that's a big thing). Well at least for the first 30 min or so anyways.
The rest of the play was of a team very complacent and unwanting to go for the kill when they could have. So many wasted balls, so many chances missed. Granted we aren't doing too bad going to LA with De Guzman back in the line up, but damn we could have done better.
As for the atmosphere at the game itself? Pretty fucking awesome. I wish the people handing out the streamers could have explained "We throw them at kickoff" but oh well, they should have known the second they decided to hand out streamers that Beckham was going to get showered with all the people going to the game for the first time. Also for me up in the 500s, there was at least a good chunk of people who wanted to do some chants (aside from me and my friends) and that was quite appreciated.
As for the beer can and random object tossing, that shit needs to get cut the fuck out. Kick them out, press charges, ban them from the stadium and BMO forever; whatever it takes to get that shit to stop. It looks bad on Toronto fans, supporter groups, and the city as a whole. I was cringing when Becks picked up the can just thinking to myself, "Fuck, I thought we got rid of all this shit in the first two years."
Overall, good game, great atmosphere, but we could have done better on both counts. Excited to see how the second half plays out.
Back from the game. Fucking epic. Pity about the result but there is some decent quality there that could make us a playoff team. Silva was great, Frings was everywhere. Final props goes to Morgan who marked Donovan out of the game.
My friend ended up inviting some friends, 1 of whom ended up being an LA fan. Had I known, I wouldn't have gotten them a ticket.
On another note, the beer tossing has got to stop. Idiot. As much as I can't stand Beckham, he got the last laugh. Streamers are ok though, but beer, really? Even though its CONCACAF and they are ok with piss bag tossing, we shouldn't stoop to their level.
Game itself was entertaining, but I prefer BMO. It's home. Still wish it had a roof though...
Paper airplanes were funny the 1st 3mins but after it just got old. I was expecting someone to trip on 1 and the ref carding JDG or something in absentia.
The ref... don't get me started...
There was a 30-40min lull and it seemed like it started to go downhill. Esp from a supporters perspective. I get that you can't expect 90mins non-stop but I can't recall anything like that happening at BMO.
Thanks to the idiot that tossed beer. You wasted time for TFC. You should be banned for LIFE.
Lastly, when can i get tix for Canada vs. the US?
Hilarious! I always seem to post right after you.
I realize we're all on the same side. We'd all love to get our hands on the guy who through the beer.
I'm okay with the result. We could have lost that game outright imo, so a draw is welcome. What a moment for Silva though, beauty goal in his pro debut.
Slightly disappointing finish to a scrappy TFC effort, but what a fun night!
Saw a couple stunning outside booted and accurate 50yd. passes by Beckham. Tough second leg coming up, but the team looks better than previous years.
We still have a lot of work to do.
If we were 50% last year, this is a 65% performance.
The defending still needs to be tuned, and Ty Harden cannot be starting
crowd wasn't as stupid as a jays home opener. paper airplanes alright, beer can at beckham, a bit ridiculous. but supporters put on a great show.
As for the game, we have to close those out. If this was the first game of the regular season, we'd say good show, we can build on this. But much more was at stake. who knows when we'll reach this stage of CCL again? Team still has some holes that need to be filled.
Yes. You don't ever want to se that. The karma violation makes me sick. We were on the verge of stealing that game....
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
replay on golTV right now. also 8am
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
On the Winter front, my opinion has not changed. He is a great teacher of the "system" but he continues to show lack of tactical awareness and gets owned by better coaches who adjust better than he does. And we will drop points this year because of that, like tonight.
So...
How'd De Ro do?
To be honest I just wanted to use this gif, saw it yesterday and I am convinced it is the greatest ever used.
And before you flame me, it's a joke.
Wish we would have pulled out the win. But LA's just that good. I was shocked TFC scored 2 before they scored 1.
Small victories.
For me, the biggest problem with the team is the movement off the ball when we are in possession. Everyone is so static. No one moves into a position to receive a pass. If we are going to attempt to play possession style football, the people without the ball have to work much harder. A team like Swansea shows that you don't have to be the most talented to make this system work.
Totally. It was like a trainwreck happening in slow motion. If ever anyone deserves a kick in the nuts, I'd have to say it's that person.
I may have been too harsh with my assessment of the tactics. LA is a really good team. I just really hate the retreat and long ball counter attack game. I'm a proponent of keeping with whatever got you the 2 goal lead.
Just got back from the game. Although TFC coughed up the heartbreaking late equalizer, I thought the team performed fairly well against a superior L.A. squad. TFC is still in a reasonable position to advance with a one goal victory or a high scoring draw in Los Angeles, and that is really all we could have asked for going into the second leg.
Overall, it was the best football experience I've ever had in Toronto, and one of the most memorable sporting events I've ever attended in general.
Last edited by ManUtd4ever; 03-08-2012 at 12:49 AM.
So... who's going to Carson?
I thought Toronto played well. My brother called me from Ottawa after the game and said from a TV view, we looked like an organized football club. 2-2 is not ideal, but we went toe to toe with the best team in North America, not bad.
nice round up....On Morgan can't believe his perfect crosses yet noone was at the far posts to retrieve them...the team were physically dead at the end, esp Keovermans.......before the game I felt LA would win by 1, but we would beat them in LA,...sooo maybe there's hope.
ALL HELL'S BROKEN LOOSEhttp://gfycat.com/SharpKindArrowana
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