So, let’s focus on those two lovely goals Toronto FC scored in the first half Tuesday night, whilst knocking off Cruz Azul of Mexico in the opening match of group play in the CONCACAF Champions League.
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Third minute – right off the top! – and a long, high ball looks certain to go out of bounds over the Cruz Azul end line. It gets run down (and cannily controlled) by TFC fullback (!!) Maxim Usanov.
He knocks it goalward down the line to Dwayne de Rosario, who has no shot. So he plays it goalward down the line to Mista, who has no shot. He pops it head-high across the goalmouth, where a late-breaking Martin Saric forces the goalie to commit left, and heads it beautifully into the gaping right side of the goal.
This play was over, folks. If you’re waiting for your fullback to corral a stray loop-job off the opposing end line, you might as well just drop back and brace for the goal kick. But Usanov is a creative little cuss, and he has a lot of imagination to complement a pretty decent first touch on the ball. And any of DeRo, Mista or Saric could have dropped the pursuit – but they didn’t.
The fullback grabs a low-percentage ball snag, and three different teammates join him in creating a way for the ball to go into the enemy net. That ain’t the Toronto FC I’ve been accustomed to seeing.
44th minute – Backup fullback Raivis Hscanovics lays a lovely square ball into the path of Mista, who rips one low and right. The ‘keeper guesses right and gets hand to it, but the ball has just enough to squirt out and just … barely … roll … over … the … goal … line.
A fine play, and some pure, beautiful finish. Mista had already shown in his brief time with Toronto that he can take on defenders and pass beautifully. Now we get to see a worthy striker’s finish – one that ultimately sealed the contest. Again, this is a higher order of play than we’ve been seeing.
Okay, Cruz Azul really wasn’t all that interested. The two-time cup finalists know when to turn it on in group play, and away to Toronto on opening night apparently wasn’t it. Up and down the field, all throughout the night, Our Reds had more time on the ball than usual.
The wonderful news, though, is that they consistently made good decisions.
It must be admitted that back-up goalie John Conway – getting his first first-team action of the calendar year – bailed them out a couple of times. But you know what? Good! Back-up goalies can become starters in a heartbeat. I want ours to feel confident should the doom bell ring for starter Stefan Frei.
Toronto FC is, by no means, facing any kind of clear sailing in CONCACAF. They took full advantage of a golden chance, but that’s not the same thing as clinching anything. It’s also true that they’re still tied with San Jose for the final playoff spot, while the Earthquakes have a game in hand and don’t have to play a half dozen extra Champions League matches before the MLS regular season winds down.
Should TFC not get full points from this Saturdays home tiff against Jersey Joy Juice, fixture backlog and a rising injury list may force coach Preki to tighten his focus on either MLS or CONCACAF, and decide to let the other go.
Or – this team will simply dig down, and find a way to keep both campaigns going, against all odds and mathematical logic.
Either way, these are thrilling times at BMO Field. The games are grittier, and mean more. The team is clearly improving, and supporter enthusiasm in the grandstands is boiling up nicely.
How ‘bout it, fans? If TFC is forced to choose between pushing for the playoffs and trying to advance in the CCC – which would you choose?
Onward!