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


shermanator

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Making just a playoff push is not acceptable with this team, this disaster of a team TFC has been since they started in 2007 needs to start being a top team in this league starting now not next year or the year after!  They need to challenge for top spot in the league not just make that stupid away game playoff thing like they did last year. In 10 years of this team being in existence they have never had a home playoff game, which is sad very sad! However, saying all that I don't see it happening even this year. This team has no depth and with the potential of losing two of it's star players to international duty it's going to get ugly I think we will see the return of your classic TFC team of the last 9 years. Moreover, the Vancouver game was just a glimpse of things to come sadly.

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Players with matches coming up this week are not on that list, so Seba could still be called. If they lose Seba, Bradley and Altidore for 3 weeks they still have to deal with the lack of depth no matter how much their player budget is.

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Yes, that is a training camp for players with no remaining club fixtures. Gio is still a very real possibility. Personally I'd rather him get select and have a good tournament and put TFC and Canada on the map - even if it means dropping points in the meantime. It's a long season.

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On 5/15/2016 at 9:55 PM, Unnamed Trialist said:

first yellow was a joke the ref did not even see

I like Aird and I think he's the future at RB for Canada, but both of his yellows were well-deserved. He needs to get control of those niggling fouls or he'll get punished by CONCACAF refs, but overall I like the look of his game.

Aird's fouls are highlighted below (starting at 0:12). 

 

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28 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Yes, that is a training camp for players with no remaining club fixtures. Gio is still a very real possibility. Personally I'd rather him get select and have a good tournament and put TFC and Canada on the map - even if it means dropping points in the meantime. It's a long season.

If Giovinco gets selected, will he be in the Italian starting 11, a regular sub, or there to fill out the numbers and will only be used if an injury occurs?  If Giovinco gets selected and is an unused substitute for the vast majority of the games, then the only thing that would be accomplished is that TFC missed out on their best player for a number of games.  And a game in the middle of the season is worth just as many points as a game at the end.

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14 minutes ago, AvroArrow said:

If Giovinco gets selected, will he be in the Italian starting 11, a regular sub, or there to fill out the numbers and will only be used if an injury occurs?  If Giovinco gets selected and is an unused substitute for the vast majority of the games, then the only thing that would be accomplished is that TFC missed out on their best player for a number of games.  And a game in the middle of the season is worth just as many points as a game at the end.

It may keep him happy at Toronto FC and show other quality players that MLS can be an option for them to continue playing with their national team.

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3 hours ago, AvroArrow said:

If Giovinco gets selected, will he be in the Italian starting 11, a regular sub, or there to fill out the numbers and will only be used if an injury occurs?  If Giovinco gets selected and is an unused substitute for the vast majority of the games, then the only thing that would be accomplished is that TFC missed out on their best player for a number of games.  And a game in the middle of the season is worth just as many points as a game at the end.

My opinion FWIW is that if selected, he will be used as an attacking substitute. I don't believe for a second he'd be a starter, although anything is possible I guess. He could also get selected and simply not feature - that's the reality of squad players in big international tournaments. That's the risk. At any rate, both scenarios are certainly possible, or even plausible if you ask me. Italy is always a heavy weight and getting minutes deep in the tournament would have a tremendous effect on Giovinco or any player for that matter - even more so if he does well.

As a fan, I totally think it's worth the risk of dropping points in the league. All that is required is to make the playoffs, because anything is possible after that point, as Portland showed last season. I am confident Toronto can maintain a comfortable position, above the red line, as we lead up to the Euros. Then, riding out his absence at a time where all ships are low is not an impossible feat, although I am an optimist.

I like to focus on the other teams missing big players and take comfort in that. Keane and possibly Dos Santos will get selected - L.A. would be extremely lucky to keep both. Valdez is already gone from Seattle and it's rather likely they lose Dempsey and Morris also. That is a massive hit.  TFC would lose Gio for four games, two of which are against the Galaxy and Sounders. There is also a game in that lot versus the lowly Chicago Fire.

Edit: Copa will be done when TFC faces Seattle, but at least Bradley would be back and Altidore might be healthy by then as well.  

Anyways, I think all will be fine, i'm rooting for his selection :)

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Wow a TFC optimist good don't know how one does that with the joke that has been TFC the last 9 years, and yes last year was another joke, just because they made that one game knockout thing they call the playoffs before the real playoffs start,  where they got embarrassed by Montreal like only TFC manages to get embarrassed  does not mean last season was a success, they still had  like all the previous years one of the worst defenses in the league. This year they did well on the road, however I think the last game versus Vancouver has given us a glimpse of things to come sadly. This team has no depth, I've watched their bench players play a few times for their USL team TFC2 and the guys they have on the bench have struggled playing with TFC2 in the USL how the hell are they suppose to be counted on to come off the bench and perform in the MLS when they have struggled playing in the USL? It's going to be another long season unless these bench players can somehow step it up when called upon. 

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16 minutes ago, Floortom said:

Babouli was atrocious last match. He needs to show a lot more imnext match or Vanney will go in another direction pretty quickly IMO.

I wouldn't say atrocious. Toronto FC were able to score 3 goals with him paired with Giovinco as opposed to 0 goals when Giovinco was paired with Altidore. He also got into position to have two good goals scoring opportunities. I hope that he will start putting away those opportunities or I agree Vanney will go in another direction.

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18 minutes ago, Floortom said:

Babouli was atrocious last match. He needs to show a lot more imnext match or Vanney will go in another direction pretty quickly IMO.

Atrocious is a bit harsh IMHO, if Vanney went another direction for everyone who was poor last match Giovinco would have 10 new starters with him!

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19 minutes ago, Floortom said:

Babouli was atrocious last match.

?????

There were a lot of disappointing performances on the field for TFC last match  (of the starters that was true of everyone but Giovinco), but I wouldn't have put any of the subs (including the much maligned Lovitz) in that category.

As for Vanney, for the time being it will be difficult for him to go in any other direction with no other personnel to go to, particularly if Altidore & Giovinco are gone for some time. The GM for the team should be getting him more striker options to play with regardless of how well Babouli plays. Interestingly, Vanney said that Giovinco likes playing alongside Mo - perhaps because Mo has shown he can get him the ball more consistently than Endoh can. It strikes me though that Giovinco is more suited to playing alongside a target striker or on his own up top, and you may see that tonight with Babouli coming off the bench, since I'm not sure  any coach wants to have no strikers available on the bench and Hamilton still seems to be in Guyana.

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Big match tonight.  Was Vancouver a blip or is this going to be another year of leaking goals?  

If we can defend NYCFC is a team that we should beat at home.  Villa will be a handful and test our backline, if we can keep a clean sheet it'll be a statement.  

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43 minutes ago, Yohan said:

Babouli... MLS level technique, USL level decision making. If he can find consistency...

Looking forward to 3 Canadian starters for TFC vs NYCFC

Interestingly the TFC lineup predictor has 4 Canadians.  Babouli and Chapman both starting... would be a great test for them but I'm a little doubtful Vanney will do it, he'd rather go for a proven bum like Lovitz.  

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24 minutes ago, Keegan said:

Interestingly the TFC lineup predictor has 4 Canadians.  Babouli and Chapman both starting... would be a great test for them but I'm a little doubtful Vanney will do it, he'd rather go for a proven bum like Lovitz.  

Do you mean this one?

I am pretty sure Osorio is out for the game.

 

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Osorio is out according to this article:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/toronto-fc-tfc-mls-major-league-soccer-new-york-city-fc/

To be honest, I've never been impressed by Babouli so far. I thought he was vastly overrated at TFC II and I haven't seen much to like from what I've seen with the first team. Of course, I'd rather see a Canadian get the start over anyone else, but I wouldn't expect much from Babouli tonight unless he just passes it to Giovinco.

Altidore's game is as a strong player who can hold up the ball well and poach goals (when he's playing well of course). To me, I think Hamilton fits that role better than Babouli, as Hamilton's finishing is really his one strong suit right now. I know Hamilton is away with the U-23's but just thinking for when he comes back.

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On 17/5/2016 at 7:53 PM, RS said:

I like Aird and I think he's the future at RB for Canada, but both of his yellows were well-deserved. He needs to get control of those niggling fouls or he'll get punished by CONCACAF refs, but overall I like the look of his game.

Aird's fouls are highlighted below (starting at 0:12). 

 

You have to be totally hallucinating  if you think that first yellow was anywhere near legit. He did not touch him and Gio did a blatant dive, after the whistle. The MLS genius says he kicks out, which is a totally incorrect use of the term. If you want to see kick out, watch Beckham on Simeone.

But nice try, when you figure out the difference, give it another go.

Edit: "If it weren't this weekly summary, we would have absolutely no criteria at all."

Well you still don't.

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