When will TFC be competitive ?

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by TFC07

TFC has all resources in the world to be competitive in MLS and CCL next year. (No offense to Impact fans, but you guys are awful to watch...only reason why you guys are winning in CCL because the teams you're playing against either are awful or aren't in midseason form like you guys are right now...it would be interesting to see in Quarterfinals how Impact play against teams who are in midseason form)

Well I agree and disagree. Yes, I have noted in past years, while following Concacaf club play on FSWC, a huge discrepancy in form between the US sides and central american sides depending on whether the games are played in late Fall versus February and March. No doubt, it has everything to do with mid/late season form versus early season rust.

But I disagree with the suggestion that they have been boring to watch. The Impact games in the CCL that I have seen have been pleasantly entertaining to watch. To me, they played like they belong there and you can tell that they gain confidence as the tournament wore on. The knock ( in the past) on USL sides has been the over reliance on simple plays. But I saw a decent amount of sustained posession from the Impact and with purpose. I noted many games whereby their oposition was far more guilty of lazy and carelesss giveaways.

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by tmcmurph

Being a Caps fan I'm amused by this TFC bashing of the Impact.

It's one dude.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Getting back to the original topic, which would probably have been better titled, "When will TFC make the playoffs?", I suspect all it would have taken this year would have been a coach with a less confrontational approach where his star strikers are concerned and some concept of what tactics to use in a hot and humid climate plus a couple more defenders who are capable of putting their foot on the ball and maintaining possession at the back.

[ag futbol]

^ well said. I think if alan shearer gets his job we might be lucky enough to see Leo follow him over there.

[Guest speedmonk42]

quote:Originally posted by BringBackTheBlizzard

Getting back to the original topic, which would probably have been better titled, "When will TFC make the playoffs?", I suspect all it would have taken this year would have been a coach with a less confrontational approach where his star strikers are concerned and some concept of what tactics to use in a hot and humid climate plus a couple more defenders who are capable of putting their foot on the ball and maintaining possession at the back.

Or two less 92nd minute Penalties.

[Keegan]

quote:Originally posted by speedmonk42

Or two less 92nd minute Penalties.

Ive never seen more 90 minute collapses then this team. Some were particularly shocking especially Dallas at the end of the season.

[TFC07]

You guys make me laugh. All non-Canadians I have talk to agree with me about Montreal. You guys just being bias because they’re a CDN team.

Montreal has no "flair" to their game. It's all about counter attack for them, which is boring to watch.

Yeah, TFC have been awful to watch at times, but when their midfield is healthy and are at full strength (not gone due to international call ups), they’re fun to watch. (Good example of this beginning of season when Guevara and Robert join the team)

Heck, just watch TFC play in Canadian Championship tournament. Their midfield was playing good football. The only reason why TFC didn’t win CDN tournament because they couldn’t finish. (Our strikers were awful)

[Guest Ed]

quote:Originally posted by TFC07

You guys make me laugh. All non-Canadians I have talk to agree with me about Montreal. You guys just being bias because they’re a CDN team.

Montreal has no "flair" to their game. It's all about counter attack for them, which is boring to watch.

Yeah, TFC have been awful to watch at times, but when their midfield is healthy and are at full strength (not gone due to international call ups), they’re fun to watch. (Good example of this beginning of season when Guevara and Robert join the team)

Heck, just watch TFC play in Canadian Championship tournament. Their midfield was playing good football. The only reason why TFC didn’t win CDN tournament because they couldn’t finish. (Our strikers were awful)

You are talking out of your ass again. Some of us Canadians take a shining to the following aspects of the game (novelty to most of you TFC fans, based on the on-field product):

- great goalkeeping,

- strong team defending,

- centre backs with a clue,

- varied attack (not just a long ball to a balding Englishmen, or hit and pray balls to wingers).

Thanks for your input but I'm not buying.

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by TFC07

Montreal has no "flair" to their game. It's all about counter attack for them, which is boring to watch.

I dont think that you have been watching the CCL games. Yes, like the Whitecaps, the Impact sat back, played very cautious and countered in the V-Cups games. But that certainly wasn't the case in CCL. even against the Honduran and mexican sides.

[VPjr]

quote:Originally posted by TFC07

You guys make me laugh. All non-Canadians I have talk to agree with me about Montreal. You guys just being bias because they’re a CDN team.

Montreal has no "flair" to their game. It's all about counter attack for them, which is boring to watch.

Yeah, TFC have been awful to watch at times, but when their midfield is healthy and are at full strength (not gone due to international call ups), they’re fun to watch. (Good example of this beginning of season when Guevara and Robert join the team)

Heck, just watch TFC play in Canadian Championship tournament. Their midfield was playing good football. The only reason why TFC didn’t win CDN tournament because they couldn’t finish. (Our strikers were awful)

sorry man...could not disagree with you more.

TFC were not once "entertaining" to watch based on my definition of entertaining soccer. They can't string passes together, can't hold the ball and are basically no better than a mid table English League One side. I really and truly do not know what TFC team you were watching because to say TFC played well through the midfield this season was watching a different channel than I was tuned into. Guevara was useful at times but the team was not built to make use of his talents so most of the time, his abilities went to waste.

Impact played a very sound tactical style (very Italian). Maybe because I like that style of soccer that I find them an intriguing team to watch. They played the counter almost exclusively against their Mexican opponent but against their weaker opponents like Joe Public and the Honduran side, they had a lot of possession and were very strong in the back and through the midfield. If they had more talented strikers, Impact would be a VERY dangerous team....I think the move to get Sebrango will give them a pure finisher who will know better what to do with the service provided by Placentino, Grande and Di Lorenzo. I just hope the long layoff doesn't hurt Impact when the CCL resumes in february.

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by VPjr

TFC were not once "entertaining" to watch based on my definition of entertaining soccer.

Dude, come on.

I know you're answering hyperbole with hyperbole, but saying they were "not once" entertaining is swinging the pendulum completely the other way.

There were a handful of games where Toronto's midfield played like they should have the entire season. They played with flair and confidence, and it was a joy to watch. Towards the end of the season, the team as a whole showed fleeting glimpses of that flair again.

I'll agree that for the most part TFC played awful, ugly soccer. But credit where it's due, please.

[VPjr]

quote:Originally posted by Rudi

Dude, come on.

I know you're answering hyperbole with hyperbole, but saying they were "not once" entertaining is swinging the pendulum completely the other way.

There were a handful of games where Toronto's midfield played like they should have the entire season. They played with flair and confidence, and it was a joy to watch. Towards the end of the season, the team as a whole showed fleeting glimpses of that flair again.

I'll agree that for the most part TFC played awful, ugly soccer. But credit where it's due, please.

Ok...let me clarify and be as accurate as i can be:

a) I can honestly say I was entertained early in the season during the TFC vs. Colorado game. Ricketts scored 2 nice goals and the team was clicking that day.

I did not attend the last game of the season vs. Chicago because I was in China and I watched it on a choppy bootleg stream...it was pretty entertaining although it was a tough one to watch because my stream was so bad.

c) I had fun at the game in Montreal but that was not an entertaining game. It was just a fun night.

d) the friendly vs. Pachuca was another fun night and I enjoyed watching so many young guys get to play but the soccer wasn't great.

Beyond that...???? It was a bore and mostly unwatchable. Lord knows I tried to like what I was seeing but couldn't. I find the TFC style of play terrible to watch.

So, maybe my intial post was a tiny bit over the top but in general, it really reflects the way I feel about this team. Right now, I truly hate the makeup of this team (although I truly do want to love it and hope that Mo Johnston is not the idiot I believe him to be so that our 2009 edition will be a team with some potential to challenge for a playoff spot at the very least)

[Johnnie Monster]

Short answer right here:

Love, Vancouver.

[Trident]

quote:Originally posted by Johnnie Monster

Short answer right here:

Love, Vancouver.

Yep.

OK; Vancouver and Montreal boys, time to leave this thread, all has been said.

[8D]

[Michael Crampton]

quote:Originally posted by Johnnie Monster

Short answer right here:

Nice scarf! Where can I get one of those?

And, in general, I gotta agree more with VPjr than Rudi: TFC weren't terribly entertaining throughout most of the season. A myth seems to have developed amongst some TFC fans (not you in particular Rudi) that we were playing great attacking soccer back in the spring. That just doesn't match with my recollection. We were playing well organized soccer (at home) and grinding out results with scrappy goals and goals from set-plays. As mentioned, other than the game against the Rapids (and maybe LA away though that had more to do with the Galaxy's commitment to attack and inability to defend) there weren't many games that really qualified as good games to watch as a TFC leaning neutral. We were getting consistent results though - finally! - so this was largely uncommented on. Put another way: TFC weren't bad to watch during that stretch but they weren't particularly good to watch either.

What I don't get is why it's not possible to think that TFC AND the Impact aren't particularly exciting to watch? I didn't see enough of the Impact to make a 100% judgement but my limited impression, from the Voyaguers Cup and snippets of USL and CCL games, didn't make me think that they're all that attacking. Again, well organized and capable of taking advantage of what chances come their way but not what I'd call "entertaining" in a conventional sense. As VPjr said the Impact seem very "Italian" so unless you're a fan of that style or had a cheering interest in watching them I doubt they'd be many neutral's first choice.

Back to the original question: really, my honest opinion is that there's no reason TFC shouldn't have been competitive this year; two year-old team or not. MLS's rules make it a league where it's harder to be bad than average. The real diffuculty in MLS is being consistenly good especially season over season.