TFC 2019 Season

[Chad_Impact]

TFC really are team America 

[Gian-Luca]

On 5/3/2019 at 7:02 AM, Chad_Impact said:

TFC really are team America 

Although they're on a current run of 5 goals in a row that have all been scored by Canadians (Hamilton 2, Osorio 2, Chapman 1).

Today's 2 goals were probably two of the finest back-to-back goals from a technical skill point of view that I've ever seen from two different Canadian players.

[Mikmacdo]

With Jozy back and Omar/Janson possibly on the way this team will become the best in the east and a good shot at the cup/shield. 

[Ivan]

How long before Chapman becomes a starter?  He has made in a difference!

[Bison44]

48 minutes ago, Ivan said:

How long before Chapman becomes a starter?  He has made in a difference!

Who will Vanney sit to make room? Deleon who just got a new contract or his fav Delgado??  For a CDN player 2 goals and 2 assists in 160min means a new signing will take your place in the next week.  I think he just needs to keep playing well and be ready to be the first guy off the bench.  He'll get some starts during the gold cup.  

[Ivan]

9 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

Who will Vanney sit to make room? Deleon who just got a new contract or his fav Delgado??  For a CDN player 2 goals and 2 assists in 160min means a new signing will take your place in the next week.  I think he just needs to keep playing well and be ready to be the first guy off the bench.  He'll get some starts during the gold cup.  

TFC have a heavy schedule in the next couple weeks so Vanney may decide to rotate his squad and give him a couple starts.  And he may very well be with Canada for the Gold Cup!

[Club Linesman]

2 hours ago, Ivan said:

How long before Chapman becomes a starter?  He has made in a difference!

As soon as Vanney realizes that he is a major upgrade over Delbado.

[gator]

10 hours ago, Club Linesman said:

As soon as Vanney realizes that he is a major upgrade over Delbado.

That may never happen!

[AvroArrow]

23 hours ago, gator said:

That may never happen!

Of course not!  Delgado runs and runs and runs.  Have you ever seen a successful player not be a competent runner?  I certainly haven't.  Running is important.

[Gian-Luca]

The MLS soccer.com staff have decided - and purely just to annoy you all - to name Delgado to the MLS Team of the Week Bench:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/05/06/team-week-presented-audi-barco-blazes-path-week-10

[Obinna]

56 minutes ago, Gian-Luca said:

The MLS soccer.com staff have decided - and purely just to annoy you all - to name Delgado to the MLS Team of the Week Bench:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/05/06/team-week-presented-audi-barco-blazes-path-week-10

I know, it's Blasphemous to say it, but Delgado actually had a good game. I dunno about TOTW bench, but he was solid from what I could tell.

I actually didn't notice him too much, which is a good thing. When he's at his best you forget he is out there. He becomes a reliable cog in the machine. I find you notice Delgado when he's turning over the ball in bunches and nothing is coming off for him.

Fortunately, it wasn't one of those days. Good for him.

[BearcatSA]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

I know, it's Blasphemous to say it, but Delgado actually had a good game. I dunno about TOTW bench, but he was solid from what I could tell.

I actually didn't notice him too much, which is a good thing. When he's at his best you forget he is out there. He becomes a reliable cog in the machine. I find you notice Delgado when he's turning over the ball in bunches and nothing is coming off for him.

Fortunately, it wasn't one of those days. Good for him.

Delgado struggles with maintaining possession, especially notable against higher calibre opposition, either with poor body position for shielding, heavy first touch, or inaccurate or rushed passes.  The best defence is keeping the ball and when you give it away too easily, that's a big red flag regardless of how he does in other areas of his game.  However, on Saturday, I thought he had a solid game in all areas.

The guy who to me has tailed off after an impressive start has been DeLeon.  There isn't much dynamic production happening of late and it's one of the reasons the attack seems limited more to, "What can Pozuelo produce?" and for the time being I wouldn't mind seeing Chapman getting some starts in his place.

 

[Mikmacdo]

3 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

Delgado struggles with maintaining possession, especially notable against higher calibre opposition, either with poor body position for shielding, heavy first touch, or inaccurate or rushed passes.  The best defence is keeping the ball and when you give it away too easily, that's a big red flag regardless of how he does in other areas of his game.  However, on Saturday, I thought he had a solid game in all areas.

The guy who to me has tailed off after an impressive start has been DeLeon.  There isn't much dynamic production happening of late and it's one of the reasons the attack seems limited more to, "What can Pozuelo produce?" and for the time being I wouldn't mind seeing Chapman getting some starts in his place.

 

DeLeon just isn't a winger. I wonder if you could put auro there. 

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, Mikmacdo said:

DeLeon just isn't a winger. I wonder if you could put auro there. 

I don't think Auro has the speed to play as a winger. He is even slower than Osorio. I do think Auro can play inside though, if needed.

However, if Chapman was to start, I do think he should replace DeLeon, rather than Delgado (as was proposed earlier in the thread).

DeLeon is useful, but I don't think you can expect much more from him than we are seeing. 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Obinna

[Mikmacdo]

7 hours ago, Obinna said:

I don't think Auro has the speed to play as a winger. He is even slower than Osorio. I do think Auro can play inside though, if needed.

However, if Chapman was to start, I do think he should replace DeLeon, rather than Delgado (as was proposed earlier in the thread).

DeLeon is useful, but I don't think you can expect much more from him than we are seeing. 

Auro seems faster and more skilled than Deleon. Chapman will start a game soon with 5 games in 14 days coming up. 

I am starting to wonder about Curtis, they brought up Janson and Omar Gonzalez’s names on TSN it sounded like it was close to a done deal but wont be happening this window. He gave Deleon an extension hopefully not for a ton of money he screams utility backup to me. 

[Obinna]

On 5/7/2019 at 5:31 AM, Mikmacdo said:

Auro seems faster and more skilled than Deleon. Chapman will start a game soon with 5 games in 14 days coming up. 

I am starting to wonder about Curtis, they brought up Janson and Omar Gonzalez’s names on TSN it sounded like it was close to a done deal but wont be happening this window. He gave Deleon an extension hopefully not for a ton of money he screams utility backup to me. 

Auro is absolutely oozing with skill. He has more of it than DeLeon or anyone else on the team, except for maybe Pozuelo and arguably Osorio.

What holds him back from being a top player though is the physical side. He is small and not very fast or strong. That is probably why he didn't stick around at Santos (Edit - Sao Paulo). Definitely he has the skill for a big club like that, but you need more than wizardry on the ball. 

His lack of speed and strength is probably why he earned 14 caps at the U-17 level, but could only muster up a single cap at U-20. That's when boys are turning into men - he probably couldn't keep up. You need to be skilled AND fast to play for Brazil at the higher levels.

Edited May 9, 2019 by Obinna

[Gian-Luca]

Article on TFC standing pat, indicating that more home grown signings are on the way (which is a bit of a surprise since I am not sure what they have in the woodwork that addressed their centre-back or winger need - they aren't playing Julian Dunn as it is):

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/05/08/ali-curtis-explains-why-toronto-fc-stood-pat-deadline-day

[Gian-Luca]

As for tonight's starting line up, Fraser gets his first start (and minutes!) of the season at last. Also starts for Morgan, Laryea and Chapman as there is unexpectedly some heavy squad rotation (Osorio is on the bench and Boyd is on the bench instead of Hamilton with Akinola starting  - Mavinga and Delgado also on the bench).

With Altidore & Hamilton not dressed and Osorio on the bench, that's a good percentage of the team's scoring not starting. Pozuelo is at least, as is Bradley and Chapman who have 2 goals each. De Leon also starts somewhat surprisingly as he looks due to be rotated out for a game).

Zavaleta & Ciman as the central CB pair against Josef Martinez..........😨

[Mikmacdo]

Awful lineup today, result was expected. 

They better win Saturday or it wasn’t worth resting 7 guys. 

Deleon has been terrible lately he should have had a goal and was late on a pass in the box. I dont think he can play the wing, he can backup Auro at RB. Maybe try Laryea on the wing at least he is fast ugh, should have kept Telfer. 

[Club Linesman]

The game was as expected with the line up and if one of the two early chances were taken, the complexion of the game would have changed and given us a fighting chance.  Atlanta getting up allowed them to suffocate us and without our current best squad proved to be too much.  And Atlanta appears to be coming around so we should remember that they were the Cup winners and have a very talented team that is starting to perform.  Chalk up the result to the circumstance and as Mikmacdo indicated above need 3 points against Phili this Saturday to justify the rotation.

[Ivan]

17 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Article on TFC standing pat, indicating that more home grown signings are on the way (which is a bit of a surprise since I am not sure what they have in the woodwork that addressed their centre-back or winger need - they aren't playing Julian Dunn as it is):

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/05/08/ali-curtis-explains-why-toronto-fc-stood-pat-deadline-day

Jayden Nelson?

[Gian-Luca]

14 hours ago, Mikmacdo said:

Awful lineup today, result was expected. 

They better win Saturday or it wasn’t worth resting 7 guys. 

Deleon has been terrible lately he should have had a goal and was late on a pass in the box. I dont think he can play the wing, he can backup Auro at RB. Maybe try Laryea on the wing at least he is fast ugh, should have kept Telfer. 

Thing is, I thought many of the replacements who started played well while some of the guys who didn’t get replaced struggled, like DeLeon as you mentioned. 

And then there is Boyd who hasn’t played well the whole year. Maybe if we get some wingers who can put the ball on his head in the box he will be of some use but as of now he has been useless. He was initially touted as being the 2nd striker behind Altidore but he is clearly #4 at the moment.

[Ivan]

I thought Ciman had a poor game as well.  Zavaletta was better and that in itself was telling.

[Obinna]

Only watched part of the first half, but Fraser looked pretty good out there next to Bradley. It looked like he was actually further up the field on occasion as well. I see no reason why he shouldn't start cutting into Delgado's minutes sooner or later. He basically serves the same purpose as Marky, but looks more able to win challenges, though perhaps slightly less mobile. Delgado, for all his faults, does really get around the park really well.

Jayden Nelsen is sounding more promising as time goes on. Like Tabla and Davies, he must first make a splash in the reserves, but I can see that happening sooner rather than later based on the hype forming around him.

Ironically, by the time he breaks into the first team, TFC may have already signed an impact winger or two. Let's see though, I would love for the lad to pull an Alphonso and start ripping up the USL as a 15 year old (he's 15 right, or is it 16?)

 

[Bison44]

21 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Article on TFC standing pat, indicating that more home grown signings are on the way (which is a bit of a surprise since I am not sure what they have in the woodwork that addressed their centre-back or winger need - they aren't playing Julian Dunn as it is):

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/05/08/ali-curtis-explains-why-toronto-fc-stood-pat-deadline-day

Maybe not signings per se, but bringing Dunn, Okello and Shaffleburg up for a look either in this busy patch or during the gold cup.  Or maybe Romeo when his loan is up later this summer.  

12 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Ironically, by the time he breaks into the first team, TFC may have already signed an impact winger or two. Let's see though, I would love for the lad to pull an Alphonso and start ripping up the USL as a 15 year old (he's 15 right, or is it 16?)

Nelsen is a 2002, 16 now, 17 in the fall.