I think missing Will Johnson is overdone. We're a team that's keeping clean sheets but having issues scoring goals. He's the luxury version of Delgado - great ball winner and bulldog in midfield but at this stange in MLS he doesn't offer a whole ton going forward. He is not the quickest to move the ball through midfield and against teams that are bunkering to keep us contained that doesn't help. Good player, not what we need at this stage.
The issue is Cooper, Osorio, and Vasquez need to step up and play better. They are here to chip in with attacking onus from midfield but that's been mostly absent.
There's a real opportunity for Chapman here is he can get off the bench. These guys should start feeling some heat for their spots.
Well all that sand underneath should soak up something I suppose.
Rain and slop has pretty much stopped. With proper drainage it should be Ok. It won't be a good pitch but it should be better then last week.
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Morrow available for selection. About as strong a squad as we can provide.
We should win this game - not handily but we should be winning this.
Regarding the rain: do they not tarp the field here on occasion?
This is the first real test of the field.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
They got that big tarp thing to cover the pitch. I imagine it's been in use most of the week.
For those thinking of going to Downsview for parking and then TTCing it down...go to Finch.
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TTChelps/status/850408171638317058
Yes they have pipes ("SubAir System") that suck water down through the sand and away for drainage; or they can pump in air from below to help with drying & aeration once the rain is done. Plus they have a subsurface glycol/water heating coils to help; and new this year they have the grow lights from above. Add in sunny & windy conditions most of today & all day tomorrow, 8 degrees, which will help as well..
The pitch itself is only a few months old, so there's always the question how well it holds up in the first while. But they have all the environmental conditions to help.
The biggest problems were in the first 1-2 years of grass, when they used the wrong substrate below the grass, so the water wouldn't drain despite all the technology. (Remember the pitchfork at the rain-delayed VC game vs Vancouver?) That's why they had to redo the grass & subsurface a 2nd time in the early years. Also brutal cold winters about 3 - 4 years ago were a problem, before they had the thick winter tarp, permission to use chemicals against mold & mildew, and grow lights. That's all changed.
BTW the new tarp shown above was specifically for the winter. Does anyone know if they ever bother tarping just for rain? I haven't seen any tarps recently on the "BMO Grounds Crew" Twitter feed...
I'm in Ottawa for work this weekend. Any TFC friendly bars in the area I could catch the game at?
Johnson had 2 Goals and 5 Assists & Cup winning goal...our most productive mid-fielder despite breaking his leg for one of the goals. Was pissed off at not getting his spot back when healthy & that pressure I'm sure was felt by the guys getting the starts. Cooper got his deal and doesn't have Johnson breathing down his neck - he has been anonymous so far this season. So has Vasquez - who we can be a bit more patient with. Osorio cost us the three points last week. This group really has to step up and get going.
I do have to let go of my bitterness about letting Will Johnson go - I just wish this club would treat our best Canadian players better.
I usually always want TFC to win but tonight I REALLY want them to win. Someone needs to knock the cockiness out of Atlanta fans. If they win tonight they will be declaring themselves MLS Cup shoe ins. They haven't got a "welcome to MLS" beating that every expeansion team usually gets. Hope it is tonight and would be good for TFC to get a win at home.
I don't think you can really discuss Johnson v Cooper until the salaries come out in May.
My fear is that Cooper makes a lot more than we think he does.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
agreed.
Not sure that I would agree that Vazquez has been anonymous. In Vancouver he scored a goal and sent in a beautiful pass that let Osorio make a great play to Altidore for the other goal. That has been our only win so far, and yes we scored those goals against 10 men, but, Canadian pride aside, I would take Vazquez over Will Johnson in a heartbeat. I think he is still working his way up to match fitness and getting used to the team, but I suspect we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg...
Jeebus give Vasquez some time. lol.
New city, culture, teammates/etc. Let him get a few proper warm weather games under his belt. He's just fine so far.
Our defence will have its first true test of the season tonight, IMO. ATL's crop of young south american's are a whole other beast.
Am I correct that Martinez is injured and won't play today? If so, that's a lucky break.
Also, it may sound weird to say this early in the season, but this seems like a must-win game. If we don't pick up maximum points we're going to stuck around the middle of the conference, and with Chicago, Columbus and Atlanta all being better than expected, we're already going to start falling a bit behind. Draws on the road are fine, but we've gotta start maxmizing on home games.
TFC lineup: https://twitter.com/torontofc/status/850838164893605888
Atlanta lineup: https://twitter.com/ATLUTD/status/850841410697908229
Even Atlanta is putting out a bit more of a defensive lineup than usual. It is too unappreciative/snobby of me to complain that now that we're actually good, all we're gonna see at home is teams parking the bus against us? Probably. I guess the solution is to prove we can hurt teams when they do it.
Guys, I will much appreciate if you post if you have good online streams, available from the US too.
Sometimes there are super quality streams are on Youtube, but those are never listed (probably because if listed, would be taken down fast), and are almost impossible to find.
The only stream I've tracked down so far
http://cricfree.sc/watch/live/toront...live-streaming
Youtube stream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ52...layer_embedded
seriously how hard is it for people to get to the game on time?
If anyone does something for ATL I expect Almiron.
The Youtube stream is good, but it's at least a min behind.
So beware of spoilers!