“I was surprised by the MLS because there are all very good facilities, new pitches and very nice stadiums. “On a physical level it is very demanding because you run so much. It’s a good league and I hope it grows more and more to approach the prestige of the European leagues.”
that's my kinda jam - seeing MLS praised
insigne pulled from all star skills comp...
this doesnt include a one match ban, does it?
I'd like to think at the club's request. Nothing positive for TFC out of it; if he has a horror show, it's disheartening and embarrassing; if he wins, it's expected as the most expensive player. And he risks another muscle injury for nothing.
Seems like a good call.
Plus, fuck MLS, after fining him for booting a ball away and then leaving him off goal of the week.
Also, we don't lose his training time with the team.
I suspect he clicked late in that game that tactical/positional discipline is taken way less seriously in this league than any in Europe, and that he can take advantage of poor marking to shoot all day long.
Shades of Seba on that first goal. The fact that he did it short side when keepers are always expecting him to go top far corner will have them all nervous.
so apparently insigne missing the all star skills challenge due to a medical emergency that requires him to be in toronto.
hope everything's ok, but it can't be that bad as he was at training today.
The post said "situation" rather than emergency. Let's just hope that maybe his wife is due in the next couple of weeks and Insigne didn't want to be stuck out of the country in case his wife went into labour.
They want him focused on Saturday.
The verbiage here is presumably to avoid getting fined for not attending the All Star festivities. I am sure all is well.
Insigne's coffee intake must have been low. He needed to get some authentic Italian coffee pumped into his veins. That's why he has to missthe AllStar Game
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TLNTV/status/1555966963200950272
In the power rankings this week MLSsoccer had us up to 18, up five.
Still, in Nashville’s two-spot decline they put its performance down to “conservative” decisions.
You know boys, I’ve been watching football for a very long time now, or it seems it to me, about 47 years, give or take. I have a feeling Nashville wasn’t being Conservative at all. They just had a hard time getting us off the ball.
I think our first team’s potential right now is well above where it was when we won the title. It’s probably just arrogant fanhood, but I could see us scoring three or four goals in most of our games the rest of they way IF everyone stays healthy, which is always a big if.
Who’s going to shut down a midfield of Insigne—Osorio—Bradley—Kaye—Bernadeschi in this league? Philly are defensively a powerhouse but they do it through unit work, holding shape and denying space. They don’t do it against the relative skill on the ball we have right now (and we already beat them once with the kids, so expectations…)
Really, past Seattle and LAFC, who have pretty exceptional pieces (despite Seattle tanking in the league this year) we shouldn’t be losing to anyone in MLS at this point.
Don’t get me wrong, the mentality has to be there, they can’t give an inch. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we won convincingly this weekend and got a little roll going.
THe one real outlier in comparisons is whether the refs protect Insigne from MLS thuggery. Portland has pretty terrible discipline and a tendency to, um… “get stuck In”, as the euphemism used to suggest.
Looked like that was Nashville's plan with the consistent early fouling on Insigne but luckily the ref was good and called them out on it. Not all refs will do that even though they should. MLS teams used that tactic on Giovinco back in the day as well and I remember his frustration game after game with it.
I generally agree, there is high potential here. My perhaps liberal take on Gary Smith’s post game comments about “exceptional individuals” is that’s basically him saying “they have star power and big money players, we can’t keep up”.
But I’m skeptical we can get to the top of them mountain until we address at least some of the following
Starting CB
Starting GK
Bradley replacement
Striker (if JJ can’t become more consistent)
all desirable for sure
but I think one of the most telling things about that match was that two of their goals were clearly down to bad calls. Sapong clearly is over Bono the n kicks off him -- nashvilles announcers even conceded it -- and then Bunbury is clearly offside.
so really it's 4-1 and that place is usually a fortress for them.
I agree, not a great look from the officials on either call. But I think we can say we gave them opportunities to be in those positions rather cheaply.
Being hit on the counter. Poor marking on corners. Bono leaving himself in a position to be punished (arguably). That’s definitely stuff I can see happening again.
This is where TFC/MLSE must get their 'Italian on'.
Nothing as extreme as contacting Refs/PRO in any direct manner... nightmares of SerieA 'match-fixing' linger...
Yet I expect nothing less from Tananbaum than he needs to get on the phone with Garber and have 'a conversation'.
That in a firm and unequivocal manner he states...
'Within reason, elite/star players are an investment and intangible asset to our organization and to MLS that need to be protected!
Figure it out!
If not, I have talked with my President and my Head Coach & Sporting Director.
I am prepared to support a decision to walk off the pitch or not back on after the half should the situation warrant and they deem it necessary.
To forfeit a game and deal with any consequences!
Are you?
Is MLS prepared for such a public spectacle and forefront media discussion?
I am.'
If some sort of version of this hasn't been considered and already actioned after the first half of Nashville...
Then TFC/MLSE will be an author of it's own misfortune.
Said this a little earlier in the year... as soon as opposing defences learn that we can and will score from anywhere, we become hard to defend. I am hoping Jesus figures this out, (btw the way no one picked up that he made a great play in the dining minutes tracking back, so thought i would) but in all honesty Osorio's 2nd goal should have been our striker making that run. I give him the benefit because Oso know Richie so well. But there now should be room in the box for him and we need some production against Portland.
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano