Bradley was different class in his skill and intensity. Best game anyone ever played for this club. I did, I said that.
The defending was good enough if nerveracking at times. Nelson has a decent team defence going last year. Now upgraded in personnel and allied to some scoring with Giberto still to come.
Sweet sweet win. Make no mistake.
I admit, I was one of those. Just call it PTSD-syndrome for TFC fans, bearing in mind the injuries to Frings (on this same field) and Koevs. Now, maybe Defoe won't want to play on anything BUT turf!Originally Posted by mowe
RPB Membership Team
Cathal Kelly has an orgasm in print. http://www.thestar.com/sports/tfc/20...est_kelly.html
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
1. Clint Dempsey is a cnut.
2. Yeah, it wasn't a perfect game. But it was our first win ever in Seattle. And we looked to be a totally different team than what we saw in the preseason. Only our ever second win in a season opener. I for one, am totally stoked about our beginning to the season. Next up: DC United at home, a totally winnable game.
The fact that Chelsea won a CL altogether is an abomination. Oops, wrong thread...;-)
Have to agree.
Also: "the referee's a wanker!" everytime the call doesn't go our way at home is beyond retarded and not helping our cause at all.
If I had a wife I'd let him F*** (have his way with her) her.
Reminds me of that pic taken in KC in 2009 - that lone TFC fan in the middle of the Cauldron. Still think that was photoshopped.
Let's be serious. The vast majority of the Seattle "fanbase" care more about their lattes than soccer. For all Seattle is lauded for being one of the best fanbases in MLS, it really is a joke. With all that piped in sound and everything. I'll take Portland any day over those pretenders.
Last edited by tfcleeds; 03-15-2014 at 09:13 PM.
Just looking at the stats, TFC didn't have possession advantage in the first either.
To simplify all the stats from the game, which tend to favour Seattle, the difference may be that Seattle had 13 shots but only 2 were on target.
We had 8 and 4 were on target and converted 2 of those.
That is a big difference maker in the game.
That stat reminds me of Koevermans. The guy had a terrific ratio of shots to shots on target and as a result managed to bag a bunch. If Defoe can stay healthy and keep up that ratio while the backline actually blocks shots, this could be fun.
Health is the key.
Great effort by the boys in red. Team looked really good for the short time together we will get better.
My ratings for today's game.
Cesar 9
Bloom 8
Caldwell 9.5
Henry 9.5
Morrow 9
Bradley 10
osorio 9.5
Jackson 9
Rey 9
DeRo 8
Defoe 10
Subs:
Orr 7
Morgan -
Weidaman 8
Ryan Nelson 9
.......thoughts.........
A great win for TFC. I liked what Ryan had to say, "liked the play in the first half and liked the heart in the second half. However, we are not stupid we have a lot to improve"
I listened to the post game interview with Sigi. While he said TFC was a better team he was not impressed. Felt the two goals were soft, felt they should have peanlity kick, we fouled his team all game long, skipped over Dempsy's bag punch, and indicated that if TFC plays with such little possession in all their games they will not do well this year. Sounded a little like sour grapes to me. I hope we play them again at BMO field
I have watced Seattle for two games and they only have scored 2 goals in both games and the first one was a garbage goal in stoppage time. I am not impressed with Dempsey as a player. He is good player but not a great player and ceratinly not worth the money they paid for him. What I do not like about him is they way he reacts to some adversity on the field. He tends to complain and want to pick up his crayons and go home.
Last edited by SKB; 03-15-2014 at 09:01 PM.
Finally feels good to be a TFC fan. Can't wait for next week's game.
Cesar 6.5 - Wasn't forced to show too much. Made a save with his foot that I'd have liked to have seen dealt with more efficiently. Not too accurate with his kicks. Still good, though. Commanded the box well.
Bloom 6.5 - It occurs to me that I am too lazy to continue explaining the ratings for each player.
Caldwell 7.5
Henry 7.5
Morrow 6.5
Bradley 9
osorio 7.5
Jackson 6.5
Rey 7
DeRo 7
Defoe 9
Subs:
Orr 5.5
Morgan -
Weideman 5.5
Sigi is feeling a lot of pressure to get his team to perform. So I except Sigi to defend himself and come up with excuses when his team loses.
Nelsen in the other could breathe a little easier after this result.
How did Orr play? Sounds like Bloom was better?
"For the first seven years of Toronto FC’s existence, this is how I thought of them — as the people who stole my Saturday afternoons.
About 20 times a year I’d waste the good half of a weekend at BMO, watching TFC’s rent-a-weirdos hack at the ball like they were trying to split it in half. I’m not sure how all these players came to be paid by MLSE to play soccer as badly as you or I would. I’ve always assumed blackmail was part of the mix.
It wasn’t completely awful. I’ve always enjoyed the suffering of others. It makes me feel complete.
Also, there was a perverse pride in covering The Worst Team in the History of Professional Sports. It was a little like working the Hanging beat at Tombstone’s local paper.
Well, fun’s over. Now it’s back to — (sigh) — professionalism.
Based on their first outing in Seattle on Saturday, this is not just an improved Toronto FC team. It’s probably the best team in Major League Soccer."
slackjawed. I've been coming around on Cathal thanks to his Raps work. That was like the Nash, Finish Line quote of journalism. Good job by him
Couldn't agree more.
A healthy Koevs, would have re-written the last few years.
Hopefully a healthy Defoe can.
Fair comment...
"Is Dempsey in MLS a dud? All signs point to yes." - my favourite quote from me
Gotta wonder what Frei is thinking. Spends five years here losing, moves to a successful team and immediately loses to TFC. Heh.
Defoe was great and will get the headlines, but Michael Bradley is the story. He is the best player in MLS if he does that a couple more times.
Bradley was simply tremendous. He completely, singlehandedly, broke up Seattle's midfield transition game, which meant that, while they had lots of possession, Seattle didn't have that many truly dangerous chances.
Bradley created the space that Osorio used so well on the first goal, and caused the errant backpass that led to the second goal. Not minimizing Defoe, without his clinical finishing, who knows?
Without those two guys we get killed. With them we get the points (and we were a bit lucky, for a change).
(trane you 100% called it!)
Last edited by ensco; 03-15-2014 at 09:21 PM.
"There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring." - Johan Cruyff
I agree, while I loved Laba and I hate that we had to give him up (this year?) Bradley's game is at a different level and is a game changer.
I never quite got the whole "Dempsey is a scoring machine" thing that the Yanks think of him as. He has one really good year in 2011-12 with a goals per minute of around 195 in the EPL, which is superb. And that season, he had a good few rounds of CONCACAF qualifying.
But, apart from that season, when he was 28, he's a goal every 4 games guy. Not bad, but that translates to 9-10 goals a game, not 15-20.
That, and I think Seattle focuses too much on the wing play and crosses. Dempsey actually scores most of his goals with his feet. (29 out of 131 lifetime with his head). He's better at channel runs and mucking about in the middle...which is the same as Martins actually. But, Seattle doesn't have the midfielders to do that.
Classic case of buying players who don't match the way the team plays.
Which is why I like Defoe and Bradley because that is how Nelsen wants to play - midfield to wing onto channel runs with the odd cross as well.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 03-15-2014 at 09:34 PM.
Hyperbole in this article is a bit much.
Any large fan base is going to have their share of annoying people. Remember when we were pegged as a bunch of British wannabes?
Last edited by ag futbol; 03-15-2014 at 09:45 PM.
His range and athleticism compared to the average MLS player is just crazy. He really patrolls the midfield single handedly.
Well, this game exceeded my expectations. I would have been happy with a draw and zero injuries - so pleased to finish with all three points! Still lots to work on, but can't deny the heart.
Dempsey is a really piece of work. This game made me realize that I can't stand him.
Something is boiling in Dempsey's world. He needs to be a leader and set example, not pulling childish crap, fishing for fouls and hitting guys in the wieners.
Moderator
Bradley was a revelation, and so is having a striker that can calmly put in a decent scoring chance. Both guys just looked like they were on another level today.
We still have a lot of things to work on, but that was a hell of an opening performance for an almost all-new roster, playing against a mostly settled good team, in Seattle.
Chad Barrett wouldn't have potted either of those goals. A lot of guys would have tried to blast them in. Defoe just side-footed both into the net.
- Scott
“Heroism breaks its heart, and idealism its back, on the intransigence of the credulous and the mediocre, manipulated by the cynical and the corrupt.” ~Christopher Hitchens
Moderator
If we are going to call Seattle "latte drinkers", then it's equally fair to call TFC's fanbase "prawn eaters".
Point is, neither is really fair. Seattle have a good fanbase, granted they've not been truly "tested" by a run of horrible years yet.
- Scott
“Heroism breaks its heart, and idealism its back, on the intransigence of the credulous and the mediocre, manipulated by the cynical and the corrupt.” ~Christopher Hitchens
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