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2015 TFC Season


Ruffian

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The attacking players had superb movement today. Giovinco drifting to the left overloaded Powell and let to all sorts of problems. Osorio had a good balance of moving wide as well as playing more centrally. Today's set-up should work for the next while. Cheyrou was solid in front of the backline. 

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Toronto were the better team on the afternoon, but were very fortunate not to get whistled for one, and possibly two, penalties. One was a stone cold penalty where Konopka failed even to come close to making contact with the ball, bringing down Urruti in the process. The other was a wrestling-style takedown in the box, much like the penalty whistled against Vancouver for fouling Jonke on Wednesday, that might have been harsh, but not surprising, if it was given.

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I caught the second half and thought there should have been 3 PKs called (2 against TFC and 1 against Portland) but none were. Oh well you get the benefit of shitty officiating and we don't this weekend. Nice to see all 3 Canadian clubs above the line on a points per game basis.

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This was a very complete looking win for us. We certainly could have won by 2 or 3 goals in this one.  Cheyrou & Bradley are finally playing well together and combined they really dominate the center of the field. 

 

Giovinco was his normal dominant player.  Teams in MLS really don't have a great way to deal with his speed and skill.

 

Osorio is clearly getting more comfortable every week at the left mid position.  He's really locking down that spot.

 

I like the play of Zaveleta much better than with Hagglund. 

 

I also liked Crevelle at midfield on the right.  He's much better in that role and was fairly menacing all game up and down the field.

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Based solely on tonight's game against Man City, you'd be hard pressed to argue that Jordan Hamilton shouldn't start over both Moore & Dike. He was more dangerous than the two of them combined and you could tell that the British/American commentators were more impressed with him than his two fellow strikers.

 

Granted, you can't judge based on one match alone (for example after Crevalle looked good on the weekend, he looked like a bag of shit tonight against Man City) but Hamilton always seems to do well against EPL opposition, so that's got to be a good sign. I thought all of the Canadians played well, though Chapman did look much more comfortable when played centrally than on the flank. Aparicio came closest to scoring and took his chance well - unlucky not to score on that volley. And interesting that TFC's best chances came with Hamilton up front and Osorio, Chapman and Aparicio in the midfield (true the game had opened up at that point, but I think it also helped that Lovitz had been relegated to left back at that point and Chapman was moved into the middle, with Hamilton making those runs). Manella was impressive with his versatility, which could be a real asset for him in the future.

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I've always rated Hamilton highly. I continue to believe that he is the best Canadian finisher I have ever seen play. Better than Larin, despite what the 2015 stats sheet says.

 

I'd be surprised if Hamilton gets a single run out during the clubs injury woes up front. Not because Hamilton isn't good enough, but because Vanney doesn't seem to want to give him a chance with the big club.

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Totally agree on Hamilton. Saying that, Larin is proving me wrong. I didn't think he was that good, but he is doing well. I frankly think it is a crime that he isn't getting playing time yet.

 

Hamilton could be doing the same thing for TFC but nobody wants Canadians to succeed at this club.  I'm not shocked at all that Hamilton had another good match against Man City.  Guaranteed this match has done NOTHING to sway Vanney's opinions, he has a set hierarchy in his eyes and he will stick to it.  

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Hamilton could be doing the same thing for TFC but nobody wants Canadians to succeed at this club.  I'm not shocked at all that Hamilton had another good match against Man City.  Guaranteed this match has done NOTHING to sway Vanney's opinions, he has a set hierarchy in his eyes and he will stick to it.  

 

When you say 'another good match', what other matches are you referring to? He hasn't been that impressive at TFC2 (which follows his poor showing in Portugal). Without looking it I would guess his USL strike rate is worse than Larin's MLS strike rate. Having said that, surely he will get some minutes with Altidore out and the options so limited. That will be a big test of his qualities at this point in his career.

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If Hamilton was ready to play with the first team at TFC he'd be doing so. These claims that Vanny or the club don't want Canadians to shine is farfetched at best and based on zero facts.

I like Hamilton and he had a good match by all accounts but to say he's the best finisher you've ever seen, or even to say he's better than Larin at this stage is ridiculous. Hamilton has accomplished nothing thus far while Larin already has four leage goals. That's more goals than Hamilton has TFC apperances.

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Yup Larin did nothing at the U20's - that's right. Are you actually putting more stock into the CONCACAF U-20 Championship than Major League Soccer?

 

Again - where is this "Hamilton deserves a chance" thing coming from? One good performance in a friendly? Surely it can't be based on his USL performances....

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Yup Larin did nothing at the U20's - that's right. Are you actually putting more stock into the CONCACAF U-20 Championship than Major League Soccer?

 

Again - where is this "Hamilton deserves a chance" thing coming from? One good performance in a friendly? Surely it can't be based on his USL performances....

u

My point is that these are young players and circumstances change quickly. Larin scored 9 goals in college, did nothing at the U20's and now has 4 goals in MLS. Hamilton had a good scoring rate in Wilmington last year and showed with the U20's he can finish. Last night he looked more dangerous than either Moore or Dike, so yes he should get a chance.

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When you say 'another good match', what other matches are you referring to? He hasn't been that impressive at TFC2 (which follows his poor showing in Portugal). Without looking it I would guess his USL strike rate is worse than Larin's MLS strike rate. Having said that, surely he will get some minutes with Altidore out and the options so limited. That will be a big test of his qualities at this point in his career.

 

The EPL friendly last season, sorry.

 

I don't think it's ridiculous for people to want to see Hamilton given a chance.  No one is saying he should be our #9 just yet.  His track record speaks for itself and there are players inferior to him around the league who have gotten their chance.  

 

Larin has been able to come in and contribute right away because he is simply a freak of an athlete.  Hamilton is big and athletic too but will need to refine his game before he's starting in MLS.

 

It's too bad TFC has a log jam up top when they really should be prioritizing the backline.  

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u

My point is that these are young players and circumstances change quickly. Larin scored 9 goals in college, did nothing at the U20's and now has 4 goals in MLS. Hamilton had a good scoring rate in Wilmington last year and showed with the U20's he can finish. Last night he looked more dangerous than either Moore or Dike, so yes he should get a chance.

 

Spot on.  Pointing to him not scoring in USL is pretty silly when he had a great season last year and it's so early... by that logic if we send Moore to play a few games with TFC II and he doesn't score we shouldn't ever give him another first team appearance?  

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I stand by my Hamilton hype.

 

As I've said in other threads, I've only followed for a few years, but after viewing Hamilton's finishing ability with the U-17s and U-20s and in Toronto's friendlies, it has me convinced that he can finish better than any other striker I've watched. The list isn't prolific (Jackson, Ricketts, Haber, Clarke, and yes Larin)

 

The difference between Larin and Hamilton's MLS careers to date is that Larin has actually had a chance to see the pitch due to injury. Hamilton has not despite significant injuries up front. I mean, in the Voyageurs Cup Vanney put on HAGGLUND as an offensive sub over Hamilton for fuck sakes. I hope Hamilton can at least get in a few subs in the next few weeks as quite frankly Moore has not looked well at all this year.

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Yup Larin did nothing at the U20's - that's right. Are you actually putting more stock into the CONCACAF U-20 Championship than Major League Soccer?

 

Again - where is this "Hamilton deserves a chance" thing coming from? One good performance in a friendly? Surely it can't be based on his USL performances....

 

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Yeah, I would describe Toronto's striking situation as anything but deep right now. Realistically, Hamilton is, what, 19? Getting some sub appearances this year, and now is an opportune time, is the best thing for his development, not being thrown into a role where he is expected to shoulder a major load.

 

This is a paradox around the '2' clubs right now: they are surely a great thing for the future of Canadian soccer but it's actually hurt players like Hamilton this year, who were much better served coming in and playing a role on an already established team like Wilmington rather than being expected to be the veteran leaders on a brand new and struggling team. For example, what happened to Mark-Anthony Kaye? He looked like a world beater last year and I don't think he has a point so far this campaign.

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