Match Day 2 - TFC @ Montreal Sat March 17 3pm - I want more, Impossible to Ignore

[azorean]

Sorry not an excuse for a team and a club that talks real big, if your good you find ways to get results no excuses sorry, time to start winning in the league no excuses.

Management has talked real big, YES, and I give them credit trying to follow through, backing it up to give us best possible chance, as in
travelling to have preseason in Mexico,etc...give them credit, they have ambition. Would We all have liked TFC to be 2-0 domestically instead of 0-2, of course we would, but that does not take away the good, very good, we have done thus far this season. We are one step away from the World Club Championship ! The MLS season is long, forgiving, and it can wait.

[James17930]

Didn't see the game but just watched the highlights. Absolutely sucks to lose, but it looks like we dominated them for the whole 2nd half (?) So I guess that's a positive to take away.

But fuck we gotta get on track in the league NOW or we're just gonna slip way too far behind.

[azorean]

This isn't bad timing.

This is the inability to deal with their midfield since last summer & no, the CCL does not cover up that inability.

If we do not fix that, we will not shelack them.

this was circumstance, if you cant see that, wait 'til next time we face them. They stink.

[nonc]

Two very weak league performances.

Last year possession wasn’t even key to TFC success, they were out-possessed many times. I don’t know why Vanney is worried about it. Now they aimlessly hold the ball and play slower, like they are trying to be methodical but failing. Giving up way too many chances while creating almost nothing because they are not playing with the intensity and concentration required. TFC dominated last year because teams could not keep up to our tempo.

[OgtheDim]

this was circumstance, if you cant see that, wait 'til next time we face them. They stink.

We played like this last summer & lost 5-3

We played like this in October & scraped out a 1-0 win but could easily have lost.


I'm not talking about just today.

I'm talking about a history that goes back a number of games now &...no....it will not be magically solved next time if we do not adjust.

Vanney said as much in the post game - we didn't play the ball fast enough.

[azorean]

We played like this last summer & lost 5-3

We played like this in October & scraped out a 1-0 win but could easily have lost.


I'm not talking about just today.

I'm talking about a history that goes back a number of games now &...no....it will not be magically solved next time if we do not adjust.

Vanney said as much in the post game - we didn't play the ball fast enough.

AND yet we won the supporters shield, and MLS Cup ! WTF is it with the panic, we are 2 games in, ok, so we didn't beat our rival, we will have another couple of chances this season to do so, What have they done in recent years ? I couldn't give a shit if we lose all our games to them ( not going to happen ) and we still finish on top, What is your hangup with Montreal ? we are in CCL semi finals, one step away from facing the likes of Bayern, R.madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Who gives a shit about an early season MLS game ?even if it is against the hated Impact. Come season ends we are still going to be on top, and most likely along the way have beaten them a couple of times. Overreaction.

[69Chevy396]

This game further demonstrates the importance of Mavinga, Vazquez, and Morrow.

[Carter]

AND yet we won the supporters shield, and MLS Cup ! WTF is it with the panic, we are 2 games in, ok, so we didn't beat our rival, we will have another couple of chances this season to do so, What have they done in recent years ? I couldn't give a shit if we lose all our games to them ( not going to happen ) and we still finish on top, What is your hangup with Montreal ? we are in CCL semi finals, one step away from facing the likes of Bayern, R.madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Who gives a shit about an early season MLS game ?even if it is against the hated Impact. Come season ends we are still going to be on top, and most likely along the way have beaten them a couple of times. Overreaction.

2 steps, semis and final, but who’s counting...

[ensco]

I don't mind that we lost. I don't like that we continue to mostly look disjointed. No goals from run of play in 4.5 of the last 5 games. But we are never the same without Vazquez going forward. Morrow and Mavinga aren’t minor absences either.

I liked Hasler in the forward role. Hasler has played there for Lichtenstein, and I wondered if Vanney might play him there against Seattle. Interesting response by Vanney to the problem, which is that teams are overloading us in midfield. I think that 4-3-3 (I think that's what that became) can work.

The most important point- No injuries on the plastic.

But still, godammit.

Best to forget the whole thing, I guess.

[MightyDM]

In the first half they were totally ignoring Morgan, who was wide open and would have spread the play. Instead. Gio was trying very creative but hard give and go’s and little flicks for Jozy.

Bradley was caught on the ball several times by Piette and looked mentally and physically tired.

Morgan did decently, but the jury is still out on Van der Weil and Aketxe. Neither impressed.

[Defoe]

The eyes are on Ager Aketxe a little more then they were for Vazquez in his two games. Ager hasn't looked good. VDW has been ok, just ok. Auro is fine. Good games and ok games. I think Auro will be really good. Zavaletta is not a starting level MLS player. I'm starting to become confused why he continually starts, but I guess we're thin back there. I look forward to our next signing being a CB.

I really hope Mavinga, Morrow and Vazquez are back soon.

I'm also not sure where Ager Aketxe fits in this team. He may be best used as a super sub, potentially even long term. It's way to early to start making some conclusions; just thinking out loud.

[ensco]

I was very impressed by Fanni. Didn’t really know him. He kind of owned Jozy.

He played with Cheyrou and Gignac for years at Marseille. As did Valbuena. Is that whole team in North America now?

[SirBobSaget]

I was very impressed by Fanni. Didn’t really know him. He kind of owned Jozy.

He played with Cheyrou and Gignac for years at Marseille. As did Valbuena. Is that whole team in North America now?

Well not Valbuena yet, but fingers crossed to TFC. He's on par with Giovinco except older, obviously.

[Fort York Redcoat]

This is the only regular season match up I care about. Disappointing.

I sure would take it vs getting knocked out of the CCL.

We now have advanced as far as we ever have and we're the only Canadian team to do it twice. Hope it doesn't end here.

[PizzaEatingYeti]

AND yet we won the supporters shield, and MLS Cup ! WTF is it with the panic, we are 2 games in, ok, so we didn't beat our rival, we will have another couple of chances this season to do so, What have they done in recent years ? I couldn't give a shit if we lose all our games to them ( not going to happen ) and we still finish on top, What is your hangup with Montreal ? we are in CCL semi finals, one step away from facing the likes of Bayern, R.madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Who gives a shit about an early season MLS game ?even if it is against the hated Impact. Come season ends we are still going to be on top, and most likely along the way have beaten them a couple of times. Overreaction.

Holy cow, really, one step away?
It will be incredibly more difficult to win the next two ties than the ones we had with Colorado and Tigres, and even if in the final we would meet the NYRB.

Plus absolutely nothing would make TFC better known in Europe than winning this CONCACAF Champs League, because you really think fans in Europe care to follow the CONCACAF Champs league, except (and just maybe...) the final?
If we would win this we care the most about the exposure of TFC before the Euro fans, right?

In Europe the Concacaf Champs league is seen far far after the UEFA Champs league, and Libertadores, after the Asian Champs league, on par with the African Champs league, and just the Oceania Champs league is seen as lower quality.

If anyone in doubt about the importance given to CONCACAF by football fans in Europe, please go to a site like http://oddsportal.com. There the vast majority of members are from Europe, and there you can see the numbers of picks given on different matches from all the footy competitions in the world. That is a very clear indicator of the interest the Concacaf Champs league and MLS gets in Europe compared to all other competitions.
(you need to make a free membership to be able to see these numbers, but it takes just 2 minutes.)

IMO only winning the CONCACAF is better than winning the MLS Cup, and in my eyes just 4 presences in the finals, but lost finals in the CONCACAF would equal a single MLS Cup.

[OgtheDim]

On this Club World Cup thing:

The CONCACAF teams goes first up against an Asian or African team. IF they win that, they play either the European or the South American champs.


Nobody in Europe really notices anything until the semis - if then.

Like, seriously, are people in Europe talking about Pachuca with knowing nods because they lost to Gremio?

[TFC1154ever]

7 points, in our first 6 games last year, and we didn’t have CCL games mid week. Dominated the game, just needed a bit of quality in front of goal or the final pass. I agree we should attack wide more. We beat RSL at the end of the month, we’re on pace to do the exact same thing as last year. Calm people.

[Fort York Redcoat]

CWC is amazing but its for the rest of the world, not Europe. Most teams that get to it from Europe (and their supporters) treat it as exotic at best and as an intrusion to the majority of European clubs and support.

That said, I don't really care about that. It doesn't change my high opinion of the opportunity of it. My interest in it is monumentally larger than winning the pussplops. And the only exciting win in MLS is v our only rivals in Montreal.

[SoccMan2]

On this Club World Cup thing:

The CONCACAF teams goes first up against an Asian or African team. IF they win that, they play either the European or the South American champs.


Nobody in Europe really notices anything until the semis - if then.

Like, seriously, are people in Europe talking about Pachuca with knowing nods because they lost to Gremio?

Yes that’s the thing even if TFC were to win the Champions League they are not guaranteed a game versus one of the European big teams, have to get through another Conferderation champion and beat them . However , it would be nice to see how they would do against another Confederation before going to play against a big European power .

[Defoe]

Right now MLS is in 3.0. When MLS is in 4.0 or 5.0; it could cost 100 million + to win a championship. Getting trophies now while they are affordable is important as well.

[PizzaEatingYeti]

CWC is amazing but its for the rest of the world, not Europe. Most teams that get to it from Europe (and their supporters) treat it as exotic at best and as an intrusion to the majority of European clubs and support.

Very true!
They only notice who won every year that CWC.
Any team from the first 5 Euro leagues would not care about winning the CWC, if they would have to choose between that and winning their domestic league for the year.

[DinamoTFC]

Who cares what Europe thinks of cwc. The cwc is important for every other confederation.
It's not so much the results in the tournament that matters, it's the fact we have the ability to make it. Similar to the world cup, usually only a handful of teams win it but doesn't change the fact that qualifying for it is one of the most important things for majority of nations.

[Yohan]

Boy that was frustrating. It felt like seeing a 2015 TFC game when it was hard to break down a well organized opposition bunker. Vasquez (when in form) ability to unlock a defence was sorely missed. Aketxe, while has talent, just don't sync well with other TFC players so far. That's fine for now. I didn't expect him to adapt to MLS so fast.

Fatigue caught up to this bunch, also preoccupation with CCL in their minds, examplified by Bradley having one of his brainfart games. Piette pestered the hell out of Bradley, and teams are starting to cue in that taking Bradley out of the game is the way to disrupt TFC midfield. TFC also had trouble marking Piatti and Vargas both seemed to play a false nine role and the CBs had difficulty tracking them. Things got better when Vanney switched to a 4-4-2, and I think another day, TFC at least gets a draw. Oh well.

Oh well. Rest, regroup and onwards to RSL game.

[ensco]

. Things got better when Vanney switched to a 4-4-2...

He tried something more radical to free Bradley and move bodies forward. It wasn't 4-4-2. I went back and looked at a couple of sequences last night.

Closest I can figure is that it was a 4-3-3 that occasionally turned into a 4-2-4, with Auro and Hasler both pushed forward.

Caldwell was right when he said Hasler was playing an old fashioned “inside left”.

[Canary10]

Every team involved in a CCL quarter final game lost their league game this weekend. From that perspective, I think we need to chill. Yeah, it's Montreal, but at the end of the day in a league where the top 6 teams make the playoffs, the need to win and compete every game isn't as important as in a single table championship.

[Initial B]

But... but... the QUAD...

[Fort York Redcoat]

Very true!
They only notice who won every year that CWC.
Any team from the first 5 Euro leagues would not care about winning the CWC, if they would have to choose between that and winning their domestic league for the year.

Who cares what Europe thinks of cwc. The cwc is important for every other confederation.
It's not so much the results in the tournament that matters, it's the fact we have the ability to make it. Similar to the world cup, usually only a handful of teams win it but doesn't change the fact that qualifying for it is one of the most important things for majority of nations.

My point exactly. We are not Europe. I may like what they do and how they are organized but that isn't even possible here. Not with how NA sports is run on the whole.

My appreciation of the tourney isn't relative how others rate it. Just like the Shield vs the MLS Cup.

Anyway, a loss vs a rival stings but it stings more because this is the time peeps who prioritize this time of year want to see all cylinders firing. Long week till we play a struggling Salt Lake. Not a great leadup but a good recovery match?

[azorean]

REMEMBER , we are very close here. Closer than we have ever been, maybe closer than we will ever get to be in the foreseeable future. One step may be technically wrong, BUT I'm pretty confident getting past club America and facing Red Bull/ Chivas would mean we are one step because I fully think we take those 2 teams out in a 2 leg final. All I'm saying is all the focus we have put into this CCL run is worth it, regardless if we go out to America. The MLS season is long, and forgiving. We know we have a side that can definitely compete in MLS, We are trying to find out if we can compete beyond MLS, and even if we don't take the Supporters shield , we will most definitely make the playoffs. It is all worth it for a shot at winning CCL imo right now. You say fans in Europe or wherever may not care, etc...The way to make them care or , at least for us to be recognized, is to be there. We have a shot here. A very good chance here. We beat Tigres. We are in with more than a punchers chance, It is almost like you have accepted defeat already in CCL? We have a chance ! and even if we miss out at this stage, still worth it imo as I know we will still be in there come MLS playoffs.

[BelfastBoy]

I would trade 0-5 in the league for a berth in the CCL final and a chance to go to the CWC. So much time left in the league. The only sacrifice is the Supporters Shield.

[Fort York Redcoat]

REMEMBER , we are very close here. Closer than we have ever been, maybe closer than we will ever get to be in the foreseeable future. One step may be technically wrong, BUT I'm pretty confident getting past club America and facing Red Bull/ Chivas would mean we are one step because I fully think we take those 2 teams out in a 2 leg final. All I'm saying is all the focus we have put into this CCL run is worth it, regardless if we go out to America. The MLS season is long, and forgiving. We know we have a side that can definitely compete in MLS, We are trying to find out if we can compete beyond MLS, and even if we don't take the Supporters shield , we will most definitely make the playoffs. It is all worth it for a shot at winning CCL imo right now. You say fans in Europe or wherever may not care, etc...The way to make them care or , at least for us to be recognized, is to be there. We have a shot here. A very good chance here. We beat Tigres. We are in with more than a punchers chance, It is almost like you have accepted defeat already in CCL? We have a chance ! and even if we miss out at this stage, still worth it imo as I know we will still be in there come MLS playoffs.

Who are you talking to? You should quote people if you are talking to someone specific. Clearly not all of us have accepted defeat or of one mind.

And we've made it this far before just not with as good a team.