Aside from giving up the first goal early, everything but everything went Toronto FC’s way on Saturday.
The Reds finished off their home-stand heavy first few weeks with a 3-1 win over New England. It vaulted them temporarily back into first place in the MLS East, until D.C. United pulled alongside them with a 0-0 draw against Seagull City SC.
And yes, this was a banged-up, under-manned and exhausted Revolution. But games like that happen all the time in MLS. TFC has certainly lost such matches in the past.
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And no, the Reds weren’t clearly two goals better than the visitors. This was more a case of the stuff Toronto did ended up producing two more net-jobs than the stuff New England did.
A very important result, on two clear counts:
- Ever since Chris Cummins took over as TFC coach, the Reds have been creating goal chances by the bushel, but had not scored more than one goal in any home game.
- With half the home season in the books and five months of football yet to come, it was crucial to cap the homestand with a victory.
What a match for Danny Dichio! Cummins sent the veteran hold-up man out with a clear brief to be the linkage between attacking midfielders Dwayne DeRosario and Amado Guevara. And with two inch-perfect passes – one short, one long – Dichio laid on goals for each of them.
It was the third goal, though, that put a perfect bow on the opening third of the Toronto FC campaign. Guevara lollipopped a looping free kick into the New England area – and every player there forgot to touch it. It fell to earth untouched and bounced half-heartedly. Finding no goaltender there to curtail it, the ball settled lazily and happily into the Revs’ net.
An easy, sassy, somewhat lucky goal. Where have those been all season?
Most fans I talked to thought Dichio had actually got a head to Guevara’s kick. In fact, in space travel terms, Dichio’s face orbited the ball, but did not actually make a landing.
Have you noticed, by the way, that the one and only thing Dichio has done – all season – is create good scoring chances? No one on the roster has been as consistently dangerous. The man is having a fabulous campaign.
Aside from including Dichio, Cummins made one other key strategic change. He shuffled responsibilities up front, relieving the still-struggling Chad Barrett of the responsibility of being the red-shirted guy who needs to do all the running on through balls from the midfield.
Cummins handed that burden to DeRo, advising Barrett to be the follow-up man – second into the attack zone instead of first. It’s a change that suits them both, I think. DeRosario always seems to find options, and Barrett is freer – and better – on late-arriving clean-up duty.
Just the simple fact we’re even talking about strategy underscores – again! – how much better deployed Toronto is under Cummins than it ever was under the entertaining yet infuriating John Carver.
Cummins has made endless adjustments, but you can clearly see what and why just watching the new alignment deploy. Carver, on the other hand, seemed fortunate to find an effective starting eleven. Team-strengthening mid-game adjustments were out of the question.
TFC find themselves in a breakaway group of four teams at the top of the division. If they can hold that, they’ll be in the playoffs for sure. Another month of this, and Reds fans might even dream of a home playoff match.
For now, they’ve scored a thumping win against a dangerous team in what was – in truth – a very even match. It’s the kind of result you have to get sometimes, if you’re ever going to compete in a league as artificially equal as MLS.
Twin goals for June? Hold their position in the table – and finally bring home the Voyageurs Cup. With many, many road games ahead, Toronto FC’s real season starts … now.
Onward!