2016 Red Team Playoff Clinching Watch (aka Toronto FC 2016 MLS season thread)

[Complete Homer]

1 hour ago, Dub Narcotic said:

He was like that last year as well, but he was scoring a lot more so it wasn't as obvious. 

See, I'm not sure that's totally it. He's, still scoring, but he also got a ton of assists last year, and I was always impressed with his playmaking. Last year I remember a lot of potshots from distance that were optimistic, but this year it's been ignoring obvious passes for wide angle shots, shots clearly being blocked, etc.

[shermanator]

Sooooo Bradley and Johnson are both out 6 weeks....injuries piling up for TFC!

 

[Gian-Luca]

Bradley always seems to get injured at the  tail end of some tourney the US plays in during the season. This is the worst though, to get injured in a meaningless 3rd place game. At least Johnson got injured doing something positive for the team. Team is going to be pretty thin in midfield until mid - August

[Bison44]

Let Osorio play the tip of the diamond (he's been playing better lately), sign Edwards to a senior contract (let him run rampant on the wings) fill out the midfield with Delgado/Chapman/Endoh, Lovitz when he gets healthy and even Morgan can play some wing and Cheryou in the DM.  Thin, but at least some of the younger guys will get a chance to earn their way into starting roles.

 I am more worried that Gio will look around and just decide he is not passing the ball at all until Bradley, Johnson, Alitidore are back in the lineup.  

[fil]

OUT: F - Jozy Altidore (hamstring injury 5/14, out 6-8 weeks)

OUT: M - Daniel Lovitz (knee injury)

OUT: D - Ashtone Morgan (foot injury)

OUT: GK - Clint Irwin (quad injury 6/25, out 6 weeks)

OUT: M - Michael Bradley (knee sprain 6/25, out 6 weeks)

OUT: M - Will Johnson (tibial plateau fracture 6/29, out 6 weeks)

 

TFC need reinforcements 

[Ruffian]

You could add Beitashour and Perquis to that list also.

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

I would love for Edwards to get a contract.  

[Dub Narcotic]

Brutal. Well, it's time to see if their Canadian guys have what it takes.

[BearcatSA]

Getting Beitashour back would help in the back line because it allows Hagglund to be cover for Moor and Zavaleta with Williams suspended (?).

[Trillium]

2015 Major League Soccer season

Standings

 

1. Eastern Conference
2. Western Conference

#	Team	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
6	Toronto FC	34	15	4	15	58	58	0	49

 

It would seem today's game versus Seattle is critical to Toronto making the playoffs, game 16 of the 2016 season, and Toronto is not on track to achieve 49 end of season points.. currently Toronto has 19 points, a loss today would put them going to game 17 with only 19 points a win getting them to 22 points..doubled up is 44 points a full five points behind the 2015 season.

 

Tough days ahead with Irwin out along with other injuries hard to think TFC can run a series of wins before the big guns come back on the pitch.

 

 

[shermanator]

Sounds like the pitch was in good shape yesterday.

 

[BearcatSA]

43 minutes ago, shermanator said:

Sounds like the pitch was in good shape yesterday.

 

Not sure what the weather has been like in the TO area of late but I am curious to see how things go with a big time rain storm immediately prior to and/or during a football game and if a soccer match is scheduled very shortly thereafter.  

[Havoc88]

Yeah since the Argos have been playing there we've had pretty much perfect weather, so IMO the jury is still out. Sept/Oct will be a real test.

[fil]

He looks frustrated!

 

[shermanator]

Perquis is gone. That will help free up some salary to sign everyone's favourite Ricketts (if I understand MLS rules correctly, which I may not)

http://www.torontofc.ca/post/2016/07/12/tfc-and-damien-perquis-mutually-agree-part-ways

[BearcatSA]

16 minutes ago, shermanator said:

Perquis is gone. That will help free up some salary to sign everyone's favourite Ricketts (if I understand MLS rules correctly, which I may not)

http://www.torontofc.ca/post/2016/07/12/tfc-and-damien-perquis-mutually-agree-part-ways

The writing seemed to be on the wall for quite awhile.  I guess they couldn't find any takers in a transfer for his current deal so going back to France or elsewhere as a free agent will give him a better chance of getting a gig for the coming season.  All the best! 

[Gian-Luca]

Not a huge shock but sorry to see him go. Watch Drew Moor get injured now and TFC suddenly become fairly green at centre back.

 

[Gian-Luca]

Anyone know if the MLS Homegrown game has an age limit for the players? Suprised to see them pick Chapman over Babouli, particularly with Chapman having already been picked last year. I think Mo is one year older though so maybe there's an age cut-off at 22?

[BearcatSA]

12 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Not a huge shock but sorry to see him go. Watch Drew Moor get injured now and TFC suddenly become fairly green at centre back.

According to a Molinari tweet, it sounds like he wasn't happy with his place on the depth chart so maybe the club felt it might become a distraction so it would be better if they parted ways sooner than later.  

[Blackdude]

2 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Anyone know if the MLS Homegrown game has an age limit for the players? Suprised to see them pick Chapman over Babouli, particularly with Chapman having already been picked last year. I think Mo is one year older though so maybe there's an age cut-off at 22?

I don't think there's an age limit. There are a bunch of 93's (like Babouli), so it's possible that they just didn't rate Babouli. 

[Yohan]

15 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Anyone know if the MLS Homegrown game has an age limit for the players? Suprised to see them pick Chapman over Babouli, particularly with Chapman having already been picked last year. I think Mo is one year older though so maybe there's an age cut-off at 22?

IIRC it's 23 or younger.

[Free kick]

Babouli might not be considered a home grown player.  I am not 100% but wasn't he brought in to the team late in his career?  And it does say on their website that the players have to be  Homgrown Academy players.  The other two we know were on the youth squads for a while. 

Also, based on recent form, i am Ok with these selections of Hamilton and Chapman over Babouli.

http://www.torontofc.ca/post/2016/07/12/chapman-and-hamilton-named-2016-chipotle-mls-homegrown-team

the rest of the team:

http://chipotlehomegrown.com/#game

 

 

[Blackdude]

MLS doesn't have him as a homegrown in the rosters (on his page it says that he signed a homegrown contract with TFC II this year). It's possible that he didn't make the team because of that technicality, and not because of him not being "homegrown" enough. 

[Bison44]

Nice to see the youngsters (youngish??) get as chance to shine.  Maybe Chapman/Osorio/Hamilton/Babouli can create a little chemistry without Gio trying to do it all by himself.  I wonder what he was thinking..lying on a soft leather couch surrounded by bags of cash and seeing some nice link up play, nice runs and good finishing without him in the lineup??  What am I thinking, he was probably watching his own highlight reel, over and over.  As much as I hate to see Bono get the chance over Q, he is playing pretty well, but he is still spilling too many balls...hes going to get burned on a rebound sooner rather than later.  

I wonder if Altidore gets his starting job back now? Thats a lot of salary to sit on the bench, but how can you sit a guy that is finishing regularly like Hamilton??  I think that would kill any confidence the guy has been building up the last month.  

[Gian-Luca]

17 hours ago, Bison44 said:

 

I wonder if Altidore gets his starting job back now? Thats a lot of salary to sit on the bench, but how can you sit a guy that is finishing regularly like Hamilton??  I think that would kill any confidence the guy has been building up the last month.  

Because of his hamstring history I'm sure he will be eased back in regardless of whether Hamilton was lighting it up or not. Eventually though, he will definitely be handed the starter role and I would bet that all (including Hamilton) would be aware that its because of his DP status and I'm not sure that will kill his confidence since I think he would be aware of Altidore's status.

A bigger controversy might be if Cheyrou gets benched when Bradley comes back. Arguably he's been the team MVP the last couple of months. The solution might be to re-deploy Bradley or play them both in the middle in a changed formation.