Chicago Fire as the Sting
A little humid, but with a cool breeze. Damp, but it rained lightly. Feels like it’s gonna be a nice night for a football match.
I don’t need to update you on a preview because you did your homework reading Kristin’s write up. Chicago is terrible with a bunch of unknown players, and Toronto is misfiring.
Bold Predictions :
- Toronto wins
- Toronto clean sheet
- Fight between teammates (why not, it is bold)
On to the Match :
9’ – GOAL – Seba puts a beautiful through a ball and though a few robins converged but Morrow slots it past the keeper
ROBINS 1, HOT MESS 0
40’ – High ball into the area is punched away by Smith-Smith, lands to the feet of Endoh, fires and beats Smith-Smith but Beauregard clears the line.
Half Time Mood : excited. It was fun. Chicago is so bad, this is how other teams must’ve felt from seasons 1-4 and 7 & 8 when Toronto showed up. #schadenfreude.
53’ – Giovinco has a curling attempt that doesn’t quite break enough to get into the net.
62’ – Bono comes up with a big punch away from a high bullet fired in from Grosso Frangelico.
71’ – Osorio receives a wonderful ball rolled back to him and instead of shooting, he settled it and lost his opportunity from 15 yards out.
77’ – Seba angry. Tiny hulk rip shirt in frustration.
82’ – SUB – Chapman comes on for Endoh and not Osorio. Huh.
83’ – Osorio has an opportunity after Giovinco tried to do it all himself, ball finds him and he has to beat a defender, then settle the ball, then lose it.
84’ – SUB – Babouli in for Hamilton and not Osorio. OK then.
89’ – Chicago with a solid attempt as Kokoboyanga crosses the ball in to find the diving head of Thorirsonnn and right into Bono’s arms.
90’ – SUB – Hagglund on for Osorio. Now?
A minimum of 3 mins of extra time
Full Time : Toronto 1, Chicago 0
Man of the Match : Morrow, why not.
Goat of the Game : no one really bad, but Osorio confused me often and Hamilton was largely invisible.
Ref Rating : 4 out of 5. No issues here.
I Am Not The Gaffer, But… : I would have taken off Osorio sooner, around the 60th.
In Case You PVR’d It : watch it all, it’s amusing.
Kilt Spotting : Neighbour and annual “Father of the Year” candidate @jonarthur sporting a kilt and sporran.
Bold Predictions Results :
- Nailed it. Toronto wins and I’m a genius.
- Nailed it. Toronto keeps clean sheet. Really stuck my neck out on that one.
- Nailed it. Seba fought his shirt and won. That’s right stupid shirt.
Osorio had a good game aside from a lack of killer instinct. He was everywhere you needed him to be, available for passes, ran at attackers, but he had two or three attempts in prime positions and over-thought it each time. He has to settle it. He needs it to be right for a shot. If you took Osorio’s chances and converted every third one, he’d have about 7 or 8 goals this season. Now that hit rate is pretty high, but for the tactical awareness and ability to read the game to put himself 12 yards in front of goal with the ball about to come to his feet… woulda, coulda, shoulda.
Dear Toronto FC, why are all the seats wet if there’s a canopy? Why have one at all? Hoping to sell rooftop advertisements so the planes at Toronto Island can see them when they fly by like at Griffin Park?… Chicago was bad. The first half was a calamitous shit-show. Like clearing-the-ball-into-the-back-of-a-defender-4-feet-in-front-of-you bad. When they come to your town, anticipate a gift of points just for showing up… Seba had fewer DIY moments in this game, but they were still there with the same outcome. This time, I was OK with it because there were moments when he would pass, or hold up and wait for support… The first half felt like it was only a matter of time before Toronto scored its 3rd and 4th, but somehow couldn’t grab a 2nd… Does anyone else think Seba’s ripped shirt should be in a museum somewhere? Or at least up for bit at a charity auction?… Special thanks to @MalarkeyFC for remembering all of the new players on Chicago. He was a massive resource on the podcast this week and at the match.
Player Ratings : Bono 6.5, Beitashour 6.5, Zavaleta 6, Moor 6, Morrow 7, Cheyrou 6.5, Delgado 6, Osorio 5.5, Endoh 6, Giovinco 6, Hamilton 5.5
July 10, 2016
Caught the second half through one eye. So it seems safe to come out and Gio-zilla is not tearing through the GTA knocking down buildings and tearing up highways. The more Seba presses the lower the score for TFC, right now.
We got V-Cup Bono with diving saves and nicking the ball over the wood-work.
That sweater could have been a two piece museum artifact, with at least one part in the MLS Hall of Fame at Yankee Stadium. Maybe Adidas should roll out a commemorative Gio-zilla TFC sweater, complete with a replica tear in it. Or, Seba can now just tear up supporters’ sweaters instead of autographing them.