I don't see any post-game interviews. Kind of pathetic.
I don't see any post-game interviews. Kind of pathetic.
Yikes is all I have to say to waking up and seeing this score. This looks bad on a lot of people, Vanney most.
That game tonight was a complete joke. I think Vanney is on borrowed time. His line up selections are baffling now. I understood last year will all the patch needed due to injuries, but that line up tonight... why was there no Deleon, Hamilton, Telfor, Endoh, Chapman? Auro spent the majority of the game looking unsure of where he should be. Morgan was brutal. I am hard pressed to find a stand out from that game and by stand out I mean someone that had an alright game. Manning needs to be held accountable for allowing this team to go from Treble winning powerhouse, to a team that looked like it couldn't be bothered to compete against a much weaker team from Panama.
I don't blame Auro at all for that game, you could see that he was completely unfamiliar with how he was expected to play.
I rate Bono but the more he has games like these the less I rate him.
This result is the equivalent of a team from Malta making the Champions League and hosting Barcelona and then thrashing them 4-0 after Barcelona just a month or so before the season started had just sold say Iniesta and Messi and also had their general manager leave. Think about that, Barcelona going into Malta and getting pounded 4-0 by a Maltese club team. You go into the season and lose two of your best players plus a general manager who turned this organization around and your now back to the Mo and Anselmi show again. That didn’t take long to once again becoming the worst team in the world.
I thought the tactical discussion KJ showed on the half time show was apt. Auro was working well & knew where to be, from what I saw. But - Can't play a 4-3-3 with inverted FBs without a dynamic CB pairing & some speed on the wings who can cross into a forward who plays on the ball.
The tactics fits our current FBs & mids & Jozy/Akinola. But without the CB pairing, the FBs have to adjust back. And we have absolutely NO speed on this team. The quickest players are quick only in short bursts.
In many ways, this team has been warped to play to Giovinco's strengths. Passes are made to feet, to spaces where he can show his technical skill. The team has to unlearn after 4 years of being told to pass in one way.
I think Boyd was left on an island last night by a team unused to crossing to a player's head. A decent AM would teach the rest of the team to adjust. He's in the team as a late game sub. If he has to start, this team HAS to learn to play to that strength.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 02-20-2019 at 07:42 AM.
Both Bradley & Vanney were interviewed after the game. Clips up on the team site.
Vanney's points - we were outcompeted in every part of the game, team too slow, didn't compete at a high enough level, didn't take advantage of the situations
Bradley - "we wern't up for any part of it" "wouldn't be fair to make excuses" "wasn't good enough"
I didn't hear excuses there. Honest appraisal - team not good enough on the day.
A recurring theme last year with Vanney was him saying "Its too slow". I think he wants to play at pace, & he's talked about a higher press. But when on the ball, this team plays to Bradley & Seba & Jozy's pace. If they can't make the quick transition ball in 2 steps, they go then go to the slow deliberate pass through the lines - baring that, they got nothing. The 4-3-3 is more about 4 balls into the area at pace coupled with a press. There were glimmers of that last night. But Morrow & a 19 year old rookie & a traditional banging target man are not the way to end these moves.
Worse than Paul Mariner era, roster is absolute trash.
Wouldn’t it be prudent to keep playing this way, considering how effective it was, and how it mirrors the tactics of professional football worldwide? If you watch Bradley at Roma, he played the same way, as did poor DeGuzman, who failed miserably trying to bring this to MLS. And, it was a prime reason Osorio improvd dramatically (but mediocre players like Delgado never got it...one touch football mesmerized him).
This one is 100% on Vanney. He talked all week in the run up to this game that CAI were a team that thrives on the counter. He then goes and plays with inverted fullbacks, which leaves our CB’s exposed in repeated 2v2’s and 3v2’s.
Also if you know that the “field” is covered in divots and the opposition is going to try to hit you on the break, why are you playing square balls and back passes between your defensive midfield and center backs?? Absolutely shambolic gameplanning.
I agree with those who fear that Alex Bono continues his downward slide in confidence and tactics. TFC needs a keeper who owns his area.
I agree that Auro looked woeful in Panama last night.
CAI's second goal had me yelling at my tv set. I have been saying it for too long, TFC midfielders lack the creativity, the awareness and the audacity to create space and shoot from any distance. Last night was one of those games that an early defensive lapse creates, where you are going to have to go into shootout mode. TFC really only went that route in 2018 in Minnesota. Bradley contributes no shots, Delgado and Osorio want to either walk the ball into the goal or are feeding impossible short, slow passes to overwhelmed strikers.
I have real fears for Osorio 2019, without Giovinco and Altidore on the pitch, can Osorio contribute? I have been so hesitant to downgrade Delgado, game after game he made VV's attack mode work because it was Delgado backtracking and linking that was the secret ingredient to VV's dazzle. With VV gone (and a AM still on the wishlist) can Delgado contribute?
Hell, never mind replacing VV, Gio, GvdW, has TFC replaced Benoit Cheyrou?
And speaking of Cheyrou's all-around skills and dedication, am I the only one who felt that TFC was missing the spirit of a Nick Hagglund in Panama?
My gut feeling this morning is that keeper can be tweaked, somebody can be added there, a back four can be tweaked, a striker partner to Altidore can be tweaked.
But my gut says that the pursuit of Alejandro Pozuelo is trying to put a BIG EXPENSIVE band aid on a wounded midfield. If Vanney/Curtis do not overhaul the midfield, the next guys in those roles will...
I grew up in Toronto, but it's kind of hard for me to join anything you guys do when now I live in Ottawa. I would help if I could, honest, but the best I can do is make the annual jaunt to Montreal and provide away support at the cheese factory.
I guess I should apologize for my tone. Last night really rubbed me raw and the derisive comments from the rest of the internet aren't helping my mood.
And the stats from last night that support my concerns - CAI keeper made 0 saves and TFC took 0 shots on target.
The biggest error last night was Vanney's. You CAN"T play a 4-3-3 without dominant wingers ... not just "wingers" but DOMINANT CREATIVE wingers. DP Level or high end TAM Wingers is what I'm referring to. Morrow and Dorsey aren't even close to being good enough to play those positions in a 4-3-3. I can accept that we didn't have the offensive horses to score a lot of goals last night (unlike if Jozy, Vasquez and Giovinco might have been) and if you're a professional coach / manager you should know that. If that's the case you need to play to your strengths and that formation didn't do that. We should have played a familiar formation to the majority of players that were here last year. Not sure how injured Moor or Zavaletta were but if either of them were well enough to play we should have went with three at the back and if they weren't good to go slide Morrow in there and go with Morgan further up the left. We should have parked Bradley in front of them and played Morrow and Auro as wingbacks. Delgado and Osorio in front of Bradley with Delgado dropping if we needed to plug up the midfield. That leaves two spots up front for our weakest spot on the field ... forward. Based on performances last night Dorsey wouldn't have started if I were calling the shots. I understand Boyd being chosen as he'd work as a target man in a pinch (which is the spot we were in last night ... a pinch up front) ... and I'd have played Shaffelburg off of him (as he was lively when he came on). I understand it's not an ideal plan but I think it was the best we could have come up with under the circumstances. We might not have scored but at least we wouldn't have given up four and we'd have bought time to see if anything shows up by next week.
As for the 4-3-3 ... with our player pool ... that scares me. Vanney's going to have to rethink his formation or if we don't get some serious upgrades he won't be around too long ...
I guess to the people who like to shit on the team... enjoy your moment.
FFS the team was atrocious, but if Boyd hits the pk I think the results different. IMO with a few tweaks ie 3 signings we can contend in the MLS. The problem is they over relied on VV, Seba and Jozy to bail them out last year and the year before As much this on Vanney and the players. I lay a lot of this on Bez he left the team with 0 depth. All of his moves craped out last year Auro included, as he couldn’t defend if his life depended on it
I expected Ciman and Mavinga to play better together. They just never seemed to be mesh well. On the first goal Auro was sitting way in front of Ciman. This gave so much space for the attacker waltz in. Vanney has to rethink his positioning. I hope he can admit it doesn't work with who's on the field.
What was Griffindor doing on the pitch (He will forever be called that by my daughter)? He should have been eased into games not starting. He had a few brief moments during the game where he looked good but it was short lived.
Oso played well but he needs someone to play with. Young Shaffleburg has potiential and tried some quick passes with Oso but it was too little too late.
Bradley and Delgado's passing was horrible. Maybe the slow pitch contributed to this. Is it fair to give them an excuse - probably not.
When we were given the penalty kick, I immediately started trying to figure out who would take it. Not Bradley, not Oso, not Justin, not Delgado. Then Boyd steps up and I'm like, oh ya forgot he was on the pitch. Time to prove himself. Nope time to put him on the bench.
I feel like Justin is done. He just hasn't been the same since his injury last year.
Time for management to put some difference makers on the field. My only fear is that they will panic now and bring in the wrong players. Should say one of many fears.
No one taking shots from outside the box or anywhere for that matter has been the biggest burr up my ass, and that is all on Vanney, that is a tactical blunder that has plagued TFC for years, no one takes the shot or the initiative to shoot, no wonder we can't win a shoot out let alone a game, TFC players are afraid too shoot, because they are instructed that the only way to score is from close range, absolutely stupid tactic.
Who says it’s going to be 9 years of shit? These are yours and others on this sites assumptions.
Everybody needs to relax, let’s wait and see who comes in and what happens before everyone writes off this team. Due to the way the MLS is structured you can go from the bottom to the top with a few good acquisitions
Everything since they lost in PKs in last years CCL final has been a train wreck with this team. The off-season was a complete mess and now losing to a bunch of amateurs but not just losing but getting clobbered embarrassing for the fans and the MLS. Of course people are going to let them have it. Sure maybe things could change pretty quickly with some changes but right now it does not look good at all.