Well that was a bit of a letdown last week. Thought Toronto had them, but alas, like an elbow to the back of the neck, they went down.
Now we’re playing the pathetically abysmal Montreal Impa… whuh? 17 pts you say? 5-5-2? SINCE F’ING WHEN?!!?!
Full disclosure : I don’t care about Montreal win-or-lose, I think Piatti is fun and lethal, I think their defense is atrocious and I am cheering on that loveable triumvirate of Jack, Mack and Ernie to get their crap together and resume the service that won them Rookie(s) of the Year not so long ago. I hate Sporting KC more than anyone else and it will take some underhanded gamesmanship in a crucial match to make me change opinions.
Toronto is coming off of a loss that would’ve made a fantastic candidate to institute a multiple referee policy, but one official for 22 infants players somehow still makes sense. Surely that’s a hiccup.
On to the match :
19′ – GOAL – Piatti cuts down the wing and Oyongo Bitolo takes a half volley and goes low and left, beating Konopka
ROBINS 0, FROMAGE 1
23′ – Creavalle has a run down the right, cuts in and a deflected ball finds Morrow who has a go but fires just wide.
24′ – Perquis beautiful long pass through to Giovinco who puts a ball across the face of goal and can’t get to Altidore. Fancy stuff.
27′ – GOAL – Giovinco gets another one down the right side, cuts in, pokes a pass to Bradley and buries it past Bush. See what happens when you stop thinking about it…
ROBINS 1, FROMAGE 1
35′ – Jack, Mack & Ernie all got on the end of a cross but couldn’t collectively redirect it past Konopka
57′ – GOAL – Bradley spot on long pass to Altidore takes it off his chest, one bounce and slots it low and far like a pro. Damn.
ROBINS 2, FROMAGE 1
59′ – beautiful counter finds Bradley dinks a pretty ball through to Giovinco who hits the post. Tragedy.
63′ – SUB – Findley comes on for Altidore
78′ – SUB – Delgado comes off for Chapman
81′ – PENALTY – Giovinco gets hauled down on the right side of the box
82′ – GOAL – Bush guesses the right way but can’t get to Giovinco’s rocket
ROBINS 3, FROMAGE 1
88′ – SUB – Jackson comes on for Giovinco, who rightly receives a standing ovation
3 mins of extra time
90+1′ – Jackson dances into the box, beats his defender and gets it to Osorio who can’t put his foot on it.
Full Time : Toronto 3, Montreal 1
Man of the Match : As much as I’ve been largely unimpressed with him, this was an amazing performance from Michael Bradley. Some brilliant passes and a quality goal. And Giovinco was almost in God-mode again.
Goat of the Game : Jonathan Osorio. It pains me, and it wasn’t that he was bad, but looked like he had the wrong idea every time.
Ref Rating : 3 out of 5. Started out with some questionable calls, but calmed the game down after that.
Kit Spotting : I’m going to give it to myself for the smashing Hamilton Academical kit I had made (I’d have bought it, but no one responded to my emails). Saw a Spartak Moscow one and the kids from Mississauga Croatia had some sweet sweet kits too.
I Am Not The Gaffer But… : I would’ve considered removing Delgado earlier. Not that he was bad, but invisible for most of the first half.
Incase You PVR’d It : Watch it all. Good drama all around and (spoiler alert!) the home team wins
The curious case of Jon Osorio is very puzzling. As a part-time student of the game (via correspondence from a TV advertisement only seen at 3:30am, naturally), Osorio has gone from prodigal son returning home with an entire arsenal of new weapons and using them correctly, to spending large portions of time wondering where he’s supposed to be. He’s like the replacement bassist in your Metallica cover band – sure he’s got the chops, but sometimes he’s getting a little too funky during the bridge in Unforgiven and it’s just wrong.
I do believe in him and his talents. I do believe that he can be a stalwart for Canada for the years to come. I do believe that he should be one of the better midfielders in MLS without question, but no matter how you try to turn him, he never seems to fit into the current version of Toronto FC.
Because I want better for him, for his development, for his confidence and for the rest of the league to see what I believe, I feel that he needs to play elsewhere. It could be Montreal. It could be Cerezo Osaka. I believe he can flourish anywhere but here, as the current system stands. I may be alone on that belief, but watching him be frustrated for 90 minutes can’t be good for anyone’s development or standing as a pro and he had at least half a dozen meaningful opportunities in the middle of the park and in front of goal tonight.
But I am certainly not the gaffer.
Player Rating : Konopka 6, Morrow 6.5, Zavaleta 6, Perquis 7.5, Creavalle 6.5, Warner 6, Osorio 6, Delgado 6.5 (Chapman N/A), Bradley 9, Altidore 7 (Findley N/A), Giovinco 8 (Jackson N/A)
Leave a Reply to Mark HSV Cancel reply