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

[paul-collins]

Yes, that was a remarkably bad game for Delgado.  I'm not a fan but he's usually not that bad and occasionally very good in my eyes.

I assume the Chapman sub was to address a knock.  I much prefer Chapman to Delgado (or Osorio for that matter).

[Macksam]

I think it's time to start Raheem Edwards.

[Macksam]

He'd seem ideal for the wingback position.

[Gian-Luca]

Looks like I was wrong on two counts - Irwin is being loaned to TFC 2 to get into shape while Chapman is apparently questionable for Saturday due to the knock he received on Weds. Cheyrou is supposed to be back though

[Dub Narcotic]

Edwards gets the year in TFC2 and will compete in training camp next year. I wonder about Babouli's future. Hard to see where he fits going forward with Cooper, Chapman, Atidore, Giovinco and Hamilton all playing in his best roles. 

[shermanator]

Ashtone Morgan is out long term again.

 

[shamrock]

15 hours ago, Dub Narcotic said:

Edwards gets the year in TFC2 and will compete in training camp next year. I wonder about Babouli's future. Hard to see where he fits going forward with Cooper, Chapman, Atidore, Giovinco and Hamilton all playing in his best roles. 

I think he's out. It wouldn't make any sense for him to play for TFC2 next season. Time to move on and make a name for himself in Europe, or NASL or maybe one of the more ambitious USL-teams out there. He needs some more time but I doubt it is the last time we hear from this guy. 

[mpg_29]

16 hours ago, Dub Narcotic said:

Edwards gets the year in TFC2 and will compete in training camp next year. I wonder about Babouli's future. Hard to see where he fits going forward with Cooper, Chapman, Atidore, Giovinco and Hamilton all playing in his best roles. 

Babouli shows promise.  I mean he has above average dribbling/ball control by MLS standards.  But he also makes some poor decisions/runs all over the place.  I wouldn't be shocked if ended up trying out on another MLS team or eventually one of the Canadian NASL teams if he doesn't make it at TFC.

[shermanator]

I've never been a fan of Babouli. Never really understood why he received an MLS deal in the first place. Ricketts is a big time upgrade, even if his ball control is poorer than Babouli.

[Gian-Luca]

20 hours ago, Dub Narcotic said:

Edwards gets the year in TFC2 and will compete in training camp next year. I wonder about Babouli's future. Hard to see where he fits going forward with Cooper, Chapman, Atidore, Giovinco and Hamilton all playing in his best roles. 

Cooper and Chapman don't play the same position and Cooper is on loan and tends to have short spells at clubs. Altidore is not exactly an iron man when it comes to staying healthy and then there are international absences to consider for him and Giovinco. Plus they have Champions league games next year in addition to V-Cup matches so a more crowded schedule. He's shown promise and progress in his rookie season and is the top understudy to Giovinco on the team. He'd be nuts to go elsewhere and TFC would be insane to think they will get better value for his $51k salary which does exactly eat up the salary cap

[Free kick]

3 hours ago, mpg_29 said:

Babouli shows promise.  I mean he has above average dribbling/ball control by MLS standards.  But he also makes some poor decisions/runs all over the place.  I wouldn't be shocked if ended up trying out on another MLS team or eventually one of the Canadian NASL teams if he doesn't make it at TFC.

Yes. Also he needs to put the ball in net.  Which he didnt do.  His first run out the pitch when we first saw him this year, he caught my attention with his liveliness and guts to try shots from anywhere.  He looked very promising.   But it seems that over time, he would catch your attention less and less.   He got surpassed by Hamilton and Hamilton started getting more starts at Babouli's expense. 

Hamilton scored some goals.  You need score to play fwd.. In any league. 

[mpg_29]

20 minutes ago, Free kick said:

Yes. Also he needs to put the ball in net.  Which he didnt do.  His first run out the pitch when we first saw him this year, he caught my attention with his liveliness and guts to try shots from anywhere.  He looked very promising.   But it seems that over time, he would catch your attention less and less.   He got surpassed by Hamilton and Hamilton started getting more starts at Babouli's expense. 

Hamilton scored some goals.  You need score to play fwd.. In any league. 

True.  He had a couple of assists though didn't he?  Maybe he would be better in an attacking midfielder/winger type role.

[BearcatSA]

2 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

He'd be nuts to go elsewhere and TFC would be insane to think they will get better value for his $51k salary which does exactly eat up the salary cap

Those are definitely in his favour.  I like his direct play in taking guys on but he has notable gaps in his overall game and probably the reason why he's on the outside looking in at the moment.  The question is how much more ceiling does the club think he has in comparison to other younger attacking prospects in their system and whether or not he can improve his shortcomings.

[Gian-Luca]

54 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

Those are definitely in his favour.  I like his direct play in taking guys on but he has notable gaps in his overall game and probably the reason why he's on the outside looking in at the moment.  The question is how much more ceiling does the club think he has in comparison to other younger attacking prospects in their system and whether or he can improve his shortcomings.

I think the top striker prospect (Hundaal) prospect at TFC 2 turned 17 this year so unless they need the roster space somewhere else I think he will be safe on that account and the likes of Simonin and Manella more likely to be prospects they don't stick with if there is a roster spot need. If the article from yesterday claiming that Canadians will count as domestics for US teams next year, I could see him being leaving the club via the expansion draft (assuming he doesn't have homegrown exemption status). 

While he does have gaps I don't think his and Hamilton's recent lack of playing time is because of a dip in form but simply having Altidore and Ricketts in the line up. I would like to see what Mo could do playing alongside Altidore (who, like Giovinco, speaks highly of him) but Mo's biggest problem is that he has got the best player in the league starting ahead of him in the diminutive striker role.

 

[Dub Narcotic]

I don't think Babouli is a bad player but TFC has a glut of guys who all fit specific roles better than he does. For his type of game he needs to be able to make a De Rosario/Giovinco level of impact to justify giving him a lot of minutes and he's just not at that level.

[TRM]

Maybe next time TFC get a man advantage they should decline?

[Gian-Luca]

50 minutes ago, TRM said:

Maybe next time TFC get a man advantage they should decline?

Tell me about it. I didn't think it was a red and I wish it hadn't been. when it happened I was thinking that we would get a draw at best. Even worse is that Giovinco injury - although they catch a break with a bye next week. 

I am surprised they didn't try Cooper for a game like that - it seemed tailor made for him to make a creative difference

[jonovision]

17 minutes ago, Gian-Luca said:

Tell me about it. I didn't think it was a red and I wish it hadn't been. when it happened I was thinking that we would get a draw at best. Even worse is that Giovinco injury - although they catch a break with a bye next week. 

I am surprised they didn't try Cooper for a game like that - it seemed tailor made for him to make a creative difference

Instead, a team whose sole strategy to that point seemed to be aimless crosses from the right brought in Endoh, a player whose sole ability seems to be putting in inaccurate crosses from the right.

[Cheeta]

10 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Tell me about it. I didn't think it was a red and I wish it hadn't been. 

....

 

Bit harsh for a straight up red.  More than a bit harsh to my mind but not totally crazy.   Now Taylor on Barton on Friday, THAT"S a red.  Old School.

 

Will Johnson looked pretty fit to my eye.  A packed and lively BMO Field just as good.

 

[BearcatSA]

14 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

I am surprised they didn't try Cooper for a game like that - it seemed tailor made for him to make a creative difference

After that game, I'd very be surprised if they didn't start him in Chicago next match.  They have a lot of time to get a good look at him and get him in sync with the squad.

[Free kick]

15 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Tell me about it. I didn't think it was a red and I wish it hadn't been. when it happened I was thinking that we would get a draw at best.

I didnt think it was even a foul.  Looked like almost accidental contact.

As far as the bit about crosses from the right.  There was no room middle of the pitch.  Everything always end up in flanks.  What they needed to do was try a few from long range. 

[shorty]

I could be convinced that it wasn't a red, but accidental contact?  Not a chance.  For me, that was an intentional run at Beitashour because Mallace felt Beitashour was carrying on intentionally after the dead play.  That it was intentional was even more obvious (again, for me) from the outraged reactions of the TFC players.  Greg Sutton even revised his original comment about accidental contact when they reviewed the play after the half-time break.

[BearcatSA]

It was a bookable offence but not a red imo.

[aloyol]

It looks red to me. Look at the TFC player run and look at Mallaca. Mallace goes out of his way to hit Beitashour who has just release the ball.

Who cares if a player is carrying intentionally the play after the whistle? Unless the guy takes a shot at goal, let him run endlessly, uncalled for from Mallace.

[shorty]

It was unsporting behaviour and reckless (ie yellow), certainly.  (Although one could argue Beitashour continuing his run long after the play was dead and preventing the Impact from taking a quick free kick was unsporting as well).  Question is, did it constitute "excessive force" endangering Beitashour's safety (ie red)?  It looked that way in real-time to me, but less so in the replays.  No question Beitashour's run was provocational, but Mallace really steps into him hockey-style and could have really hurt him.  Similar to the Kudo head-on collision, but without the size differential and with a totally different context.  I think red is jusitified by the letter of the law, but in the context of managing a derby game a yellow would have been the right call.  Can't give nothing or TFC hits the roof and the ref's control suffers, but sending off puts the officiating at centre stage yet again.