Props to Vanney and co. Viera was out-coached this game. The strategy, formation and subs were thoughtful and well-suited to who they were playing.
The ref was poor, as expected.
"Good Bradley " showed up and was immense. I was so impressed how he managed to be in the right place at the right time and all over the place.
The semi-finals aren't won yet, but I can see TFC potentially pulling this one off.
U mean the leg sweep? That should be reviewed for a red, plus Villa
Cant believe you guys aren't mentioning Haglund. He is Mr air traffic control. He was everywhere.
Hagglund has been very impressive lately. Playing in the back 3 appears to suit him. He's taken a big leap this season with his distribution and all round game too.
I can honestly say I have never witnessed such outstanding display of football from the Reds..in all their history of existence. Much work to do still, but the fluid movement of the ball, the passing, the space and the standout defensive performances...UNREAL! Bradley had a huge game and Jozy was winning every ball sent forward from the back! Any idea if there is a bus scheduled to New York for the second leg?
"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
Amazing game. New York came in for the draw. They time wasted, dove, hacked in the midfield. It was a good strategy in my opinion and they almost got away with it. Even 1-0 would have been a good result for them. The second goal makes it substantially harder. They will play much more open the next game and more chances will come. Bradley was immense last night. He was intercepting everything, and was calmness in what was a bit of a frenzied game. Last night is the reason you get a guy like him and pay him the money.
120 per cent David Villa should be suspended the next match. This is a test of whether MLS has any integrity or if it's the WWE of soccer.
ref was poor last night, he was looking straight at Villa when he lashed out. Can he be retrospectively suspended for this?, seeing as the ref saw and deemed it not punishable. Something in my heads says they can only do this if the ref missed the actual incident, although I could be wide of the mark on this.
Talking about cards I was very worried that Jozy might have got a yellow for his little scuffle at the end of the game, and if I am correct he would have missed the return leg through accumulation of yellows.Happy that he didn't as we will need him big time in that game.
I took a little video after the game.
It was amazing, no one wanted to leave.
The whole stadium was one big party! \o/
Full marks to the south end, you guys were on point all night. The rest of the stadium was definitely more boisterous than usual, and that made for an amazing atmosphere. Best time ever @ BMO.
As for the match, Petrescu was poor, but he probably would have been criticized if he called everything as it would have slowed the game to a crawl. I think he got enough right that it was certainly not the worst refereeing performance we've seen. Couldn't understand 1 minute added in the first half given all the NYC players lying around on the pitch in the first half.
That second half was the best I've ever seen the team play. Constant pressure, constant attack. Amazing.
i hv hungover today and i didnt even drink.
I always question my reactions while at the game but it seemed to me that TFC was playing very well. My only beef at the half was about the team in yellow, who were poor but I expected some controversy from Petrescu. I thought Bradley had an outstanding performance, getting a lot of challenges in and generally showing a much higher level of crispness in his circulation. Also impressed by his esprit, which we also saw last game. It was a complete team effort though, trying to think of anyone who disappointed. Even though SG was kept off the scoresheet, he was constantly dangerous.
Certainly a top 10 home game, perhaps even top 5.
seriously?
That pic sums up what Petrescu allowed and invited and what TFC had to overcome.
Yankee Stadium game will see red cards and it is up to TFC to use extreme discipline to avoid yellows...
Altidore and Giovinco score two each in the first half and then you sub them at halftime to save 'em for the next round..
I spent the Go train journey home listening to some guy complain about Vanney and how he should have started with Ricketts and how useless Osorio is and that Vanney is a school level coach. I don't think the guy understood that the formation Vanney put out was exactly correct in how to control NYC as they just wanted to see out the game to a low score, and that bringing in Ricketts late was the perfect way to finish off the game when NYC were tiring in their containment tactic. It was the perfect game from Vanney in so many ways.
My son was beside himself with all of TFC's misses while watching the game last night. Almost as entertaining as the game itself. We both cheered the first goal, relaxed a little more with the second, then let out a collective sigh of relief when they kept the clean sheet. I wonder if this 3-5-2, despite it's flaws, is TFC's strongest formation that makes the best utilization of its players.