Great job to Bob Bradley for the proper management of the Bernardeschi situation and the coaching tonight along with the great performance by the players to get the win tonight...no player is above the team
Great job to Bob Bradley for the proper management of the Bernardeschi situation and the coaching tonight along with the great performance by the players to get the win tonight...no player is above the team
I really really hope this is where the season turns around. I thought the same after the NYCFC game.. but maybe this time..
I mean, it's interesting, because Kerr's speed and defensive pressures were major, major factors tonight. That and they finally just used some basics in attack, attacking both posts, having a trailer.
Must have been a hell of a week on the practice pitch.
He scored a lot of goals as a striker Fiorentina. I wouldn't be averse to having him up top, when we're able to keep the ball mostly on the ground like tonight. He's also a decent hole player. He doesn't have to be on the right.
Or maybe the petulance is a bigger issue than just being the "whistblower" this week.
I do wonder, however, based on Bradley's comments about them now seeing eye to eye, if they didn't reach some kind of detente. It may be "we'll work on the attack and numbers if you keep shit in house and behave" or just "we'll move you if you want, but we need to work this shit out as a team."
I'm not sure it matters how he did it, he got them to pull together and fight this week. And he was vocal, screaming, motivating, all through the game. I wonder if they made it clear to him they needed it or if he just decided they need more direction during the game. But when one of them lost their focus tonight, others were stepping in and calling them out.
It was just more accountable across the board, coach and players.
I will say though, that was quite the gamble BB/staff went with and clearly there's still fight and will within the team/kids to support him, fair play to him. Bold play to park a player and send a message that he thinks the team can compete and win without one of the biggest names [and they did]
But yeah just my thoughts are similar to others - I'll need to see this mentality game in and game out. Don't need to be world beaters every week, but attacking in waves and those overloads and above all else - I need to see that they can adjust week in and out if they keep this up and teams start playing safer and in lower blocks against us. We should have buried that win... DC played quite open and gave us time to get forward fast from what I saw. But the real test will be when teams compress and whether we adapt to that. The wins nice - but doesn't mean i'm on the #benchberna wagon, nor the #bobssaved wagon lol.
Small other observation... JMR was a nice pacey touch in the midfield. At times was able to drive forward in a traditionally slow midfield for us, and added another way to get the ball forward we haven't seen too much from the mids.
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/MichaelSingh94/status/1662647630285897728
So our resident TFC internet troll, the one with the rotating Twitter handle most of us block on sight, was in 114 tonight giving the finger to Insigne both before and after the game - if you see a picture of Insigne flipping the bird, that's the context.
Looks like he was having fun!
"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
I watched on TV tonight and they were showing Insigne in the centre circle when everyone booed Bradley at the start and Insigne was clapping and then did the heart sign with his hands to the crowd. Was that just bad timing or meaning something? Seems to me like he was saying to the crowd he was with those that booed. Just saying. The win was good but by no means fixes anything. Will see what happens next I guess.
Insigne twisting the knife life that, wow. How long can it be before Seba gets involved somehow, just to make it clear that HE is still the Italian King of Toronto
I said it the night it happened, Fede should not have done what he did, no good can come of it.
"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
Grateful for the win.
3 wins in 23 games!
If we had Bono in goal, no way in hell that this one is a TFC win!
Somewhat disagree. I was in the West Stands- Southern Half, when he got announced/introduced and he was strongly booed, even with a few #BradleyOut shouts, by many there and from my perspective the entire stadium. From where I was sitting it was difficult to make out the 114's chant at first; over the noise/drums? Some at the early occasions joined/claps; but not many/enough. My feeling was the West-Side was there like many to give support and love to the squad. Was impressed that at some point a TFC chant seemed to emerge from the East Stands- Northern Half. Fans showed up; just not sure it was the 27,065 attendance they announced.
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/MichaelSingh94/status/1662604846564818945
Last edited by Mr. Inbetween; 05-28-2023 at 05:43 AM.
That commentary by those 2 ladies all along this match was beyond words cringe.
Even Wheeler is miles better.
And sorry, I am not against women in any domain of activity, or anything like that, but why the hell you put 2 women by themselves to comment a professional men's footy match?
Why?? I would have not said anything, if the commentary booth's population was formed from a trio of 2 ladies and a man.
Last edited by PizzaEatingYeti; 05-28-2023 at 04:00 AM.
Agree. SJ made some really good saves. IIRC, even the goal against happened with a strong succession third attempt. I won't fault him on that; seemed to have had his finger tips on it, just not his hands around it; unlucky. Kobi Franklin had a(nother) solid match; that slide to recover a giveaway. Lots of heart and potential. Richie played well; fantastic since I think he played hurt. Hedges was stalwart. Mabika who I really like, and MAK were alright but had their gasp moments. Hope Servania is alright; injury not serious.
SJ an on par master of the dark arts with Richie? His slow roll to his goal kicks may become legendary!
Last edited by Mr. Inbetween; 05-28-2023 at 05:42 AM. Reason: Grammar
I saw about 79 mins. Ritchie and Kerr looked promising maybe use Bernie at Striker and keep those two together for a few matches.
We still need a striker maybe it’s Bernie.
The starting 11 was okay, I mean they looked okay on paper even with 7 or 8 missing. I maintain that we have a good roster overall.
We’ve done well against lackadaisical teams this year that don’t press us. This was another one of those matches. Let’s see what happens when we face a team that’s playing a lot better than DC was.
Yes. But also, we need to win the matches we are 'supposed' to win. This is, would have been, one of them.
I suppose it’s possible that when Fede said what he did that some of his team mates took it as a shot at them as well, that was as motivated a team as I’ve seen them in a while. SJ had a massive hug with BB on field after the whistle. Nothing about last night tells me the players want Bob out.
I’m glad for the win, for 2 hours last night TFC was what i need them to be, a team that put in effort and entertained but now what happens next. This is already being spun now that Fede is the problem but without his comments we probably don’t get this performance. And it was against D.C. They could do the same against Chicago and Minny, I wil buy this only if they produce the same effort against Nashville and Cincinnati.
“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
Soccer is beautiful. All that drama, and look what happens. “The kids” are the story, and get it done. That was the best game the kids have ever played for us.
Not sure Franklin is getting the serious love he deserves. He never puts a foot wrong. He has learned a ton from Richie, same kind of game. He is the starter. Herdman is going to call him soon, you watch.
Mabika might be the starter too. He does put a foot wrong, occasionally, which is scary in a CB, but he has an instinct about stepping up that makes me think he could be an allstar someday. I also think he is going to score soon. Lorenzo on dead balls came very close to finding him twice.
JMR had a couple of great sequences that ended badly because he couldn’t find the last touch. I want him to keep getting minutes, he might break loose soon. He also was the one guy who tried to shoot over the GK (man that DC keeper was playing with fire) and I think he would have scored there but for a great lunge to deflect the shot by a DC player.
We should have been overrun in midfield, on paper, on form, but weren’t. That's Thompson, JMR (and Kaye) playing a lot better. That was a big part of the story.
Beyond the goal, Kerr is starting to time his runs better, and he has the wheels. He deserves some real PT at the 9. I think that spot is Sapong and Kerr in rotation.
The Bradley out chant was 114 only (I suspect mostly because nobody else could understand the chant because of ambient noise) but the booing when Bob was announced was stadium wide. Lorenzo, who has a shit ton of experience with angry supporters, was not particularly supporting BB in that moment imho - he was just asking the fans to stop, and replace the booing with love and positive energy generally. It worked.
Lorenzo played great, but a lot of that was just that his teammates playing better. He still is trying to find shots when they aren’t there, DC were doubling him down low. I hope he sees that the key to getting the space he needs to score comes from the threat of assists.
I thought we were going to get thumped. It was a beautiful night.
Also, thank you, finally, weather gods.
Last edited by ensco; 05-28-2023 at 06:49 AM.
"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
^Agreed on the broadcast and framing it better, judge it on merit but still far better than Caldwell.
Bernie was right tactics did change for this game. We connected passes, took some shots and hit the net….keeper bailed us out as well. LI, Hedges and SJ showed leadership with their play.
Seriously, either DCU is shyte (which is still a possibility), but Bob absolutely changed tactics. Hard miles put in by Sapong. Pace kills, JMR, Franklin and Kerr ran hard and we finally attacked.
It was Kerr’s best game creating havoc just running with pace down the right side, we looked completely different and then worse with Ayo in that role (he needs to find his Mojo badly). Why I miss Shaff.
EDIT: If the disconnect in play (tactics) is solely because of your DPs and their style of play, then you may have chosen one or both wrong. BB still needs accountability as Sporting Director or BM takes accountability for getting the wrong player. Maybe we have a BB mutiny on BM and he goes up and we get a new coach….LOL. BM can take the Argos
Last edited by Bushmancan; 05-28-2023 at 07:29 AM.