Missing 5 starters to begin with and ending the match with 4 teenagers on the pitch and a fifth young player making his MLS debut… a point on the distant road and a clean sheet looks great.
Not especially happy with which kids we let go before the season began but I’m glad Kerr stuck around. He showed a lot of promise last season (when we played well enough for anyone to show promise, that is). Also, good for JMR to get a match and play well.
Coello was amazing, passing was crisp, no bs, looks to be a smart player. Give this guy more chances.
Looks like I picked a good game to miss.
So nice to have a defence where you don't expect a brain fart - Rosted & Hedges are so solid
Watching the second half - we were the better team for the first 22 - our finishing wasn't as good as it usually is.
I also thought JMR looked pretty good, I really hope for him. Another player that I noticed was Franklin, I thought he looked pretty composed. Such a strange feeling that our back line and keeper is our strength, when have we been able to say that? If I had a wish besides Insigne healthy is a striker that can put a head on a ball and chip in those chippy loose balls into the goal.
I just get a generally optimistic sense after that game. It really looks like they're all starting to understand and buy into the system. JMR was solid, Franklin was solid, Coello was a revelation.
Our defense has two-straight shutouts(!). I mean, Toronto with two shutouts in a row. Has Hell frozen over?
Our defense looks genuinely competent -- good, even -- for the first time in years. Petretta had trouble with Alvarez in the first half and looked like he was going to lose his shit for fouls a few times. I wonder if that's why he was taken off.
Vazquez did fine but his movement limitations were in full view. With him staying high and Bernie rarely tracking back we basically defended with 8-9 outfielders much of the time.
The forward stuff was weird. They had him as a free role, I suspect, but we generally had very little linkup in that end. I think with no speed on the left, no Oso and no Richie on the overlap, for the most part, we did about as well as could be expected.
We got lucky a couple of times, but overall, it was a solid defensive effort on the road with a shorthanded lineup. JMR looked fantastic.
I thought something was off also. It seems he may have suffered a knock/got injured. According to TFC Post Game Interview with BB @ circa 5:40secs... 'felt something on a sprint'...Originally Posted by jloome
https://www.torontofc.ca/video/postg...-march-25-2023
Most notably San Jose plays wide, which would have caused problems earlier in the season, but their positioning and play, while not perfect was generally solid. It's been a while since TFC'S defence has been this organized.
From TFC's piece today:
Coello Camarero joined TFC II in the build-up to the 2022 season. Born in Madrid, Spain, he came through the youth systems of Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano before coming to North America to play at Florida Atlantic University.
So... that explains that. He's only a few years out of a La Liga youth program.
Joined the Atletico youth program at 6. At 17 he was playing for the Rayo Vallecano youth “A” team. “A gem in the Rayo quarry” according to a club article.
Was to play with Portland’s under 23s in 2020 but the season was cancelled due to covid. Seems he was taking lower league gigs while working his way through a college degree.
Last edited by los sonadores; 03-27-2023 at 03:40 PM.
Man, they were astute on him. What a crisp midfielder. He sort of has a lumbering pace -- or maybe was a little leggy from lack of game time -- but he finds space beautifully and knows where he's going with the ball before it gets there.
Didn’t see enough of the match to judge his pace but at least he’s of a certain size, 6’ 1”, 6’ 2”.
Yes, Camarero was certainly the biggest surprise of the game – slots right into the midfield, plays the full 90, no muss, no fuss. But it was only one game. Remember how we were all so high in Luke Singh after his first game, and then he got signed to a first team contract ... and now look. I don't even know where he is.
But ... if we allow ourselves a little bit of wistful optimism ... could Camarero and Servania, actually be ... the future? Imagine those two along with Oso. Seems tempting.
Too early to tell with Alonso Coello but he’s got serious pedigree, and seems to have been something of a midfield lynchpin wherever he’s played.
He must be an extremely hard worker to have done college in three years while captaining his college team and at the same time taking up US2 loans.
Hopefully, Bob signs him in a timely fashion (whenever that might be) and gives him a real shot to stay.
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