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TFC vs Chivas [R]


puskas

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So far the score is 1-0 halftime for Chivas but TFC had some great chances. I have to question a little Mo's decision to play with only three defenders in the first ever game. Also the three players he picked have no experience playing in this league at all. Don't get me wrong, they have not been terrible but did appear to get cut out of position on the goal. Since TFC is an expansion team and this is the first game, I would have been more cautious. Not to say that TFC can't come back this game.

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Also we are playing a very individual game. Chivas may not be as talented but they play football like it is suppose to be. Obviously this is just the first game so it is to be expected. But hopefully every game the team will learn to play together more and more.

They gotta bring on Casey now.

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Yeah TFC looked very confused the whole second half about how to get a tying goal. I wanted Casey in but he looked very lazy. I don't know if it is a fitness thing or what but I did not enjoy his effort. Eskandarian (Pesch's lost brother) will be pretty amusing to watch all season but he must be frustrating for a coach to watch sometime. He does have talent though no question. Braz looked nervous and the lose of Reda was felt no doubt. Looking forward to seeing Pozniak. Poor second half.

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Well I hope you were not expecting a 3-0 Toronto FC game. Remember this is an expansion team. Even if they are more talented than past expansion teams, they never played a meaningful game together. Patience is required.

What I am concerned about is a lack of effort or fitness and their lack of ability to move the ball around. Forrest said TFC have the best midfielders in the league and I thought in that position we got beat bad.

There were some positives like the Canadians play especially. Brennan looked good despite playing an unusual position for him. Reda was very solid. Sutton looked very confident and was positionally exceptional. But the foreigners who everyone on this board thinks are so necessary instead of Canadian players, they did not pull their weight tonight. Disappointing because an expansion team is usually pumped up for their first game. Another chance next week.

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quote:Originally posted by puskas

Well I hope you were not expecting a 3-0 Toronto FC game. Remember this is an expansion team. Even if they are more talented than past expansion teams, they never played a meaningful game together. Patience is required.

What I am concerned about is a lack of effort or fitness and their lack of ability to move the ball around. Forrest said TFC have the best midfielders in the league and I thought in that position we got beat bad.

There were some positives like the Canadians play especially. Brennan looked good despite playing an unusual position for him. Reda was very solid. Sutton looked very confident and was positionally exceptional. But the foreigners who everyone on this board thinks are so necessary instead of Canadian players, they did not pull their weight tonight. Disappointing because an expansion team is usually pumped up for their first game. Another chance next week.

I think you've put together a very fair overview of the situation. Sutton was very good IMO. He was extremely solid and at times excellent. Reda was good before he pulled his hamstring.

There were a lot of disappointments but yes, this is their first real game as a team and it was obvious. The hesitations, the lack of flow, the general disorganization .... TFC has a long way to go but in all honesty, didn't we suspect that would be the case. There is a lot of promise here and they will get better.

db

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Not being serious, but just so I can be the first:

JOHNSTON OUT!

TAXI FOR MO!

NO MO!

MO GOTTA GO!

:D

Relax guys, its' just the first game. Chivas only won four games their first season, so I would be satisfied if TFC win ten. A 10-10-10 record for an expansion team would be very good, so a loss on the road for an inexperienced and already injury-plagued squad, has to be expected.

This game is why I am happy that they are starting off on a road trip - so they won't make these types of mistakes infront of the home crowd and will be more polished for their debut here. The quality on this team is very high, they just need more time togther to build up more chemistry. As fans of Canada's MNT, I'm sure we all understand how that works.

Its' just the start of a long season - stay positive guys.

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Yep.... a long season boys. Seriously, from my perspective (in section 133, row U), the boys looked like they gave as good as they got and made a good account of themselves, considering it was their first ever real match. They look like they need to keep working together to get some continuity, but it'll come in time.

Brennan looked like he was on a tight leash. I think if he'd been able to support Welsh more in the first half, they might've been able to create more. For my money, Buddle was the least effective.

On the very bright side, we look prety solid at the keeper position.

Home Depot Center is pretty sweet. Here I am in it:

450331578_c10af838e8.jpg?v=0

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Of the cuff after some initial thoughts and reading the stuff above. Well I went to that Duke joint and barely made it in time. The toilet seat was loose and the paper. Anyway I had an amazing time, never mind this dive.I counted about 250 if not more young guys all between the ages of 20 to 3o. What surprised me the most were the girls.There were lots of them and certainly not what you would see in Europe,which made me think, maybe we did a better job selling soccer to the girls in Canada than they did in Europe.

There were lots of Toronto F.C shirts and i was really amazing about their real commitment and care about our team. Never seen this before and it was even bigger than any leaf crowd .About the game it was one big blur and I thought Sutton was the man.Very composed steady and a leader.

It is most of the time all about luck and that we did not have. All I know is that judging from that crowd we have ourselves an enormous party in the making and I really believe that we have the potential to change the whole blase sporting scene in Canada,

Sorry guys I really did not have the desire to judge any of the players and I thought we were unlucky at times.

That crowd made me really think and I realized that soccer is for real.Finally.

Thanks Paul keep up the good job.

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quote:Originally posted by john tv

Of the cuff after some initial thoughts and reading the stuff above. Well I went to that Duke joint and barely made it in time. The toilet seat was loose and the paper. Anyway I had an amazing time, never mind this dive.I counted about 250 if not more young guys all between the ages of 20 to 3o. What surprised me the most were the girls.There were lots of them and certainly not what you would see in Europe,which made me think, maybe we did a better job selling soccer to the girls in Canada than they did in Europe.

There were lots of Toronto F.C shirts and i was really amazing about their real commitment and care about our team. Never seen this before and it was even bigger than any leaf crowd .About the game it was one big blur and I thought Sutton was the man.Very composed steady and a leader.

It is most of the time all about luck and that we did not have. All I know is that judging from that crowd we have ourselves an enormous party in the making and I really believe that we have the potential to change the whole blase sporting scene in Canada,

Sorry guys I really did not have the desire to judge any of the players and I thought we were unlucky at times.

That crowd made me really think and I realized that soccer is for real.Finally.

Thanks Paul keep up the good job.

We estimated about 250 at the Madison in the downstairs room. The place was standing room only and the chanting and singing was constant. Also a good mix of genders.

It was a rocking atmosphere and hopefully a preview of BMO Field on the 28th.

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I think the team underestimated the pace of the game. I suspect that will resolve itself.

There were some question marks. One, it seemed that TFC were less fit than Chivas and that points to preparation. Two, tactically, I don't mind the 3-5-2 formation; but, I am not convinced that TFC has the defenders to play that way. Three, not sure about Casey because he doesn't seem to fit.

The players that TFC has starting will likely be fine talentwise and over time. I suspect having O'Brien back will help too.

My question marks above reminded me of two other recent Toronto expansion teams and their initial coaches, Brendan Malone and Roy Hartsfield. Not saying that Mo fits in that category but the thought leads to another question mark. Time will answer no doubt.

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I liked Canizalez down the wing at times, however, he did not go wide enough IMO. Sutton - gold. Esky looks good. Welsh needs to recover from his groin injury to be effective. Reda was okay. Casey would have been better had he got any service. Brennan put in a professional performance. The rest - where were they?

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the laziest on was Buddle he was just standing around in the second half not pressuring the defenders.

he look like he was not interest in the game.

with him out there TFC was playing with ten men only.

Mo should have taken him out instead of Welsh.

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I was surprised about Canizales' play and his ability to go

forward. I also thought Reda, before his injury, was pretty

effective, as well as the Kiwi (Andrew Boyens).

I have a lot of concerns about the midfield (Nagamura) and its

inability to keep possession. Buddle, except for some flashes

of speed, was pretty much ineffective and seemed to run out of

gas. I honestly thought Andy Welsh played poorly and was unsure

of the pace of the game. He was supposed to take a run at some

of Chivas' inexperienced right backs, but was not successful at all.

I know it's only the first game, but many of the mistakes

were possession ones in the midfield and a lot of individual play.

It's disappointing that veteran players like Buddle, Robinson,

Nagamura, and Welsh appear not to be in form.

Bright spots: Eskandarian, Canizales, Reda, Sutton

Again it's only the first game, it's over, let's get on with the season ...

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Could sure tell it was the 1st match of the season. And to be fair, not Mo's 1st choice line-up because of injuries but boy, they've got a ways to go don't they.

MC2 looked alright out there didn't he? Pricked around a bit too much now and again but I think he was trying to build some respect down his line so you gotta do it I guess.

Nagamura better get a lot better. A lot better.

Yeah, Buddle was active in one directin only. Doesn't look the sort who's big on winning a ball but I'll bet he'll be sorely needed to finish off some movements so you've got to take the good with the bad.

Boyens is interesting. Got caught out on the 1st when Reda tried to spring the trap but that's the way she goes with the trap. You live by the sword and you die by the sword.

But man, as the season get's going and teams find their fitness and timing I worry about that defensive tactic with these players. They're going to get caught way too square way too often.

Don't like that 3-5-2. Isolates JB too much from any attacking role amongst other things. But I guess we'll see over time.

Hard to take too much out of that game just because it was the 1st match of the year but have to agree with Richard in that I expected better, at least on the fitness level. But that'll come along with the sharpness. This is going to be the worst perfomance of the year for most of the lads who were out there today.

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If you look back to all the expansion teams in all the other sports, almost always they play out of their mind in their first game entirely overachieving. The Ottawa Senators (a terrible team) played amazing in their first game against the Habs. Even the horrible Vancouver Grizzlies won their first two games. This is because they were really pumped up that it was their first game. I did not see that at all in TFC. They seem uninspired, usually teams don't get way for their first game when the motivation from the new season starting is high.

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To be fair to the central midfielders, they will always look the worst when a team is ill prepared because they have less space and need to make decisions more quickly.

I am not about to crucify (pardon the seasonal reference) Mo yet; but, I am not letting him off the hook either. I think the team could have been better prepared.

There is no excuse for lack of fitness at this level. I don't recall any Chivas players suffering from cramps and at least two TFC players were suffering at the end (Reda and Eskandarian). A rash of injuries can often suggest inadequate fitness training too.

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I play a lot of football manager, so I can say with authority that Mo's tactics were off. 4-4-2 has been employed since the dawn of man because it works. Boyens and Reda would have been great in the middle, with Braz and Poz at the fullbacks. Between Paulo, Mulrooney, and Robinson there were too many cooks in that kitchen. Mulrooney tracks back, Robinson goes forward, with Paulo on the bench. Brennan and Maycoll on the wings. Easy. How much does Mo get paid for that rubbish? :)

Buddle and Esky are the same striker. Casey looked good to me. He looked like a killer. He looked ready to put an elbow through someone's skull. He was good in the air, he held the ball up. Perfect target man. He should have started with Esky.

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