Finally. Pre-season games on choppy streams are ok I suppose, watching away games on the TV is nice, but it's so much better to be able to see a game in person. Having a drink or two, then wandering over to the ground, taking in the atmosphere and watching the game live, there's nothing like it, here's my impressions of the day.
Starting with the peripheral issues, and yep, as advertised it was cold, especially in the second half when the wind seemed to really pick up, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. The attendance was also better than I expected, there were definitely empty spots here and there, with the North Stand in particular looking very sparse, but there was probably about 17-18,000 there, with an announced crowd of over 20,000. We also got confirmation of which way management are going to go to try and fix their attendance issues. It's not going back to the basics of what made TFC so popular back in the day, cheaper tickets and a supporter led "authentic football experience", nope it's going to be extra pizzazz and emotional manipulation, Leafs style. Thus we had Mounties, the academy kids and Danny Dichio all brought out for the anthem, followed by some fireworks let off after the anthem, and at half time, a live performance from Kardinal Offishall. I'd like to hope that's just a one off thing what with the home opener coinciding with the Junos in Toronto, but I don't really have much confidence in that theory. While I'm in grumpy old man mode, I really don't like the new electronic ad boards either.
Anyway, the game, well it wasn't all that pretty, but a win's a win and I was very encouraged by the appearance of something that I wasn't sure we were going to see much of this year - pragmatism. So far Aron Winter's given the impression that he's thinking long term, and that he's got one way of wanting his team to play, and that he's going to stubbornly stick with that until it works, and we'll just all have to be patient until that happens, even if it's not until next year. This impression was strengthened in the game against Vancouver when he didn't make positional changes even when it became obvious that they were desperately needed, and the ball was repeatedly turned over by defenders trying to keep possession. Against the Timbers though, the emphasis on possession and playing it carefully out of defence was a lot less pronounced, with a lot more long kicks from Frei, and no-nonsense clearances from the defence when the situation called for it. This may well have been due to the windy and icy conditions, as mentioned post game by Stefan Frei, rather than a permanent change in philosophy, and maybe it was the players taking things into their own hands and making those decisions, but it was a welcome display of pragmatism trumping idealism and gives me hope that Winter will be able to make the changes and compromises that will be required here and there in MLS.
Though this meant we didn't have as much possession as last week, it also dramatically reduced the giveaways in dangerous positions that occured so often against the Whitecaps, and was a huge factor in the defence looking a lot more solid and managing to keep a clean sheet. Two other big reasons for that though is that Portland looked a very poor team, and that Adrian Cann was back in the middle of defence. He looked a lot more comfortable at Centre Back, and had a good game, as Portland and Kenny Cooper were kept very quiet. An injury to Nana Attakora meant Ty Harden kept his place beside Cann, and he and Dan Gargan at Right Back did the basic defensive stuff just well enough, though Gargan's passing was terrible and his Right Back position is probably the one most in need of an upgrade at this point.
The biggest benefit of Cann moving back to Centre Back, is that we actually had a proper Left Back in Mikael Yourassowsky, and he had a great game, especially going forward, making several strong runs and working very well with Dwayne De Rosario at Left Wing, though his crossing definitely needs improvement. His day was marred by getting a second yellow card for taking too long to leave the pitch as he was substituted, which is the first time I've ever seen that happen.
Up front Alan Gordon made his debut as the centre forward, with De Ro on the left wing, Javier Martina on the right, with Maicon Santos playing further back, as an attacking midfielder, with Jacob Peterson and Nathan Sturgis completing the midfield. Sturgis was subbed off at half time, replaced by Alen Stevanovic, who looked a bit awkward and unfamiliar with his new teammates, but displayed enough flashes of quality to suggest he could be a very good player once he gets settled in and actually has some time to practice with the team.
Once again, TFC weren't great, there's definitely room for improvement and we look like we'll struggle against better teams than Portland. Fortunately our easy schedule continues with Chivas USA coming to town next week, so hopefully that's another game we can get points from as we continue our development. Like last week though, there was some good stuff mixed in with the bad, positive signs that however slowly, we are on the right track, and in different ways both goals provided evidence of that.
Javier Martina scored both goals, and it's his second that will get most attention and quite rightly, a very well taken first time lob over the goalie after a brilliantly accurate long ball from Stefan Frei after he caught a corner, that is quite possibly the best goal ever scored at BMO Field.
It's his first goal though that showed the benefits of what the team's learning under Winter, and gives me more hope for the season. Martina and Gargan forced a turnover just inside Toronto's half, on the right wing, Gargan quickly got the ball to Peterson, who showed great control and poise to hold on to the ball despite pressure from two Timbers midfielders before managing to get a pass off to Santos. Santos played a great ball through the defence to De Rosario, who unselfishly held it up before playing a perfect pass for Martina to run on to and slip the ball past the Portland Keeper. Much like the two goals against Vancouver, defence turned quickly into attack through short controlled passes and good off the ball running, suggesting a dangerous counter atttack is something we'll be able to count on throughout the season.
All in all, it's very much still a work in progress, there's still clear upgrades needed in a few positions and it'll be interesting to see what happens when we finally get to play against the better teams in MLS, but three points are always welcome, and will take some of the pressure off. My expectations for this season are fairly low, I'm not really thinking playoffs, but I'd consider it successful if we do well enough so that supporters and management don't panic and end up getting rid of Winter, avoiding the potential back to back defeats against expansion teams will really help with that goal. For a week at least, we can all relax.
One final note. After the game, De Rosario took a black banner from the fans, and it turns out that the banner was to honour a supporter who had recently passed away, he took it into the dressing room for all the players to sign before taking it back out to be given to the supporter's family. De Ro gets a lot of shit at times for his off-field antics, including here in this blog, so it's only right to acknowledge what was a really classy moment. RIP Rodrigo Novoa.
Showing posts with label Javier Martina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Javier Martina. Show all posts
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Pre game: Toronto FC at Vancouver Whitecaps. We're going to lose aren't we?
So here we are finally, at the end of camp, new faces have come and gone, big cheques have been offered and then ripped up, baby has been put in the corner (no, wait, nevermind, that's just wee Joao Plata, bless him) and there was just time for one more dramatic performance from the star of the show. They had the time of their lives, but now it's back to real life with the start of the new season. 2011 MLS First Kick is finally upon TFC.
A flurry of activity in the last week or so means Toronto can actually field a full starting eleven and substitution bench, and it's nice to be finally able to say that. After the signing of Gianluca Zavarise, the return of Adrian Cann and the trade for Alan Gordon, the new additions were all young, draft pick Demetrious Omphroy, and academy graduates Ashtone Morgan, Oscar Cordon, Matt Stinson and Keith Makubuya bringing the average age of TFC's squad down to an alarmingly low level, and generally increasing the "pre-season 2012" feel of things.
(edit: Late Friday, Belgian defender Mikael Yourassowsky and draft pick Matt Gold were also officially signed up as well.)
So it is that TFC's rebuilding project, hoping for good things but really preparing for 2012 and beyond arrives in Vancouver for the game this saturday. How are the Whitecaps, actually an expansion team, looking? Well, ok I suppose. To me, a not always paying attention observer from Toronto, Vancouver seem like the anti-TFC. They've been running along competently for a long time as a USL team, and since confirming their ascension to MLS, they've methodically and dull-ly gone about building a strong behind the scenes team, with a wealth of football knowledge. No drama or rash decisions here, they kept Bob Lenarduzzi in the picture, kept Teitur Thordarsen as coach, rewarding him for a job well done at USL level and maintaining a sense of continuity the like of which TFC haven't been able to come close to even dreaming about yet.
They then built a team in a similar fashion, steadily adding pieces, some from their USL team, some from the expansion draft, and also adding players from overseas such as USMNT defender and new captain Jay De Merit. They topped it off with a bunch of late signings of draft picks or homegrown players. Even their DP signing was on the dull side, striker Eric Hassli, probably a good signing, but with no marketing pizzazz at all.
Though they've definitely had their issues with ticketing and supporter relations, the important on the pitch stuff has been, if unspectacular, competent and professionally put together. That's as good a description of any as the team itself, they look like they'll be solid at the back, but could have worries with scoring goals, Thordarson is a decent coach who'll have them well organised, but they're unlikely to be all that adventurous. Expect a lot of 0-0 games for them this year, they'll be a bit on the boring side, but probably they'll be getting results and success, if not this year, then probably quite quickly, as I said, the anti TFC whose reactionary incompetence over their first 4 years was entertaining and distressing in equal measures. I'd like to think it's a bright new era for TFC, with new attitudes and winning mentalities, but this off season has shown we've still got a long way to go in that regard.
So what does it all mean for this game? Well what probably seemed like a good idea at the time, a big Canadian match-up, combined with a winnable game against an expansion team, could well become, if not their worst nightmare, a very bad dream for TFC. For a supporter base soured by the first 4 years but very ready to give Aron Winter a chance, looking forward to some more attractive football, and still tentatively hoping for good things despite an unimpressive pre-season, losing to an expansion team, a Canadian expansion team at that, in their first ever MLS game would not be a good way to kick things off, but that's more than likely what will happen.
While there's a few obvious and definite starters, Stefan Frei, Adrian Cann, Nana Attakora, Dwayne De Rosario and Maicon Santos, the rest of the team should be very interesting. Up front, Alan Gordon only met up with the team in Vancouver, so probably won't be thrown into action right away, so we're more than likely looking at Santos with Jacob Peterson and Javier Martina out wide. In midfield and at the full back positions, well it depends on just how pragmatic Winter wants to be, how much he wants to chase points in this particular game. Does he go with experienced MLS players like Dan Gargan, Ty Harden or Nathan Sturgis, or does he go with the chance to let some youngsters get valuable experience and play Omphroy, Morgan, Stinson or Cordon.
It'll probably be a bit of both, but either way, I don't really see it working well for Toronto. Vancouver will be able to sit back, keep their defensive shape and organisation and watch TFC pass it around and hope to hit them on the break, and if TFC's pre-season is anything to go by, more than likely that strategy will work well. With home field advantage, and taking advantage of the emotion of their first MLS game and all that, Vancouver will do well, and as well as stifling TFC, will probably create plenty of chances. TFC will be reliant on Frei keeping the Whitecaps out and De Ro creating something out of nothing to be able to get something out of the game. I'd love to say otherwise, but I'll predict a 1-0 win for Vancouver.
A flurry of activity in the last week or so means Toronto can actually field a full starting eleven and substitution bench, and it's nice to be finally able to say that. After the signing of Gianluca Zavarise, the return of Adrian Cann and the trade for Alan Gordon, the new additions were all young, draft pick Demetrious Omphroy, and academy graduates Ashtone Morgan, Oscar Cordon, Matt Stinson and Keith Makubuya bringing the average age of TFC's squad down to an alarmingly low level, and generally increasing the "pre-season 2012" feel of things.
(edit: Late Friday, Belgian defender Mikael Yourassowsky and draft pick Matt Gold were also officially signed up as well.)
So it is that TFC's rebuilding project, hoping for good things but really preparing for 2012 and beyond arrives in Vancouver for the game this saturday. How are the Whitecaps, actually an expansion team, looking? Well, ok I suppose. To me, a not always paying attention observer from Toronto, Vancouver seem like the anti-TFC. They've been running along competently for a long time as a USL team, and since confirming their ascension to MLS, they've methodically and dull-ly gone about building a strong behind the scenes team, with a wealth of football knowledge. No drama or rash decisions here, they kept Bob Lenarduzzi in the picture, kept Teitur Thordarsen as coach, rewarding him for a job well done at USL level and maintaining a sense of continuity the like of which TFC haven't been able to come close to even dreaming about yet.
They then built a team in a similar fashion, steadily adding pieces, some from their USL team, some from the expansion draft, and also adding players from overseas such as USMNT defender and new captain Jay De Merit. They topped it off with a bunch of late signings of draft picks or homegrown players. Even their DP signing was on the dull side, striker Eric Hassli, probably a good signing, but with no marketing pizzazz at all.
Though they've definitely had their issues with ticketing and supporter relations, the important on the pitch stuff has been, if unspectacular, competent and professionally put together. That's as good a description of any as the team itself, they look like they'll be solid at the back, but could have worries with scoring goals, Thordarson is a decent coach who'll have them well organised, but they're unlikely to be all that adventurous. Expect a lot of 0-0 games for them this year, they'll be a bit on the boring side, but probably they'll be getting results and success, if not this year, then probably quite quickly, as I said, the anti TFC whose reactionary incompetence over their first 4 years was entertaining and distressing in equal measures. I'd like to think it's a bright new era for TFC, with new attitudes and winning mentalities, but this off season has shown we've still got a long way to go in that regard.
So what does it all mean for this game? Well what probably seemed like a good idea at the time, a big Canadian match-up, combined with a winnable game against an expansion team, could well become, if not their worst nightmare, a very bad dream for TFC. For a supporter base soured by the first 4 years but very ready to give Aron Winter a chance, looking forward to some more attractive football, and still tentatively hoping for good things despite an unimpressive pre-season, losing to an expansion team, a Canadian expansion team at that, in their first ever MLS game would not be a good way to kick things off, but that's more than likely what will happen.
While there's a few obvious and definite starters, Stefan Frei, Adrian Cann, Nana Attakora, Dwayne De Rosario and Maicon Santos, the rest of the team should be very interesting. Up front, Alan Gordon only met up with the team in Vancouver, so probably won't be thrown into action right away, so we're more than likely looking at Santos with Jacob Peterson and Javier Martina out wide. In midfield and at the full back positions, well it depends on just how pragmatic Winter wants to be, how much he wants to chase points in this particular game. Does he go with experienced MLS players like Dan Gargan, Ty Harden or Nathan Sturgis, or does he go with the chance to let some youngsters get valuable experience and play Omphroy, Morgan, Stinson or Cordon.
It'll probably be a bit of both, but either way, I don't really see it working well for Toronto. Vancouver will be able to sit back, keep their defensive shape and organisation and watch TFC pass it around and hope to hit them on the break, and if TFC's pre-season is anything to go by, more than likely that strategy will work well. With home field advantage, and taking advantage of the emotion of their first MLS game and all that, Vancouver will do well, and as well as stifling TFC, will probably create plenty of chances. TFC will be reliant on Frei keeping the Whitecaps out and De Ro creating something out of nothing to be able to get something out of the game. I'd love to say otherwise, but I'll predict a 1-0 win for Vancouver.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Blackbaud, cry.
New TFC trialist (Billy) D. Williams knows what TFC fans are in need of.
Tonight was the second game of this year's Carolina Challenge Cup for Toronto FC, as they took on hosts Charleston Battery at the Blackbaud Stadium. Charleston, of the 3rd tier USL Professional Division, haven't won a game in this competition since 2008 when they beat Toronto FC, and well, I think you know where that sentence is going.
It was another poor performance from another experimental line-up, with Julian De Guzman, a few weeks away from starting apparently, joined off the pitch by Dwayne De Rosario and Maicon Santos, meaning the 3-3 in TFC`s 4-3-3 was Nathan Sturgis, Nick Labrocca, Oscar Cordon, and now officially signed up Javier Martina, Jacob Peterson, and Keith Makabuya. Defensively, Ty Harden was at Right Back, Mikael Yourassowsky at Left Back and Nana Attakora was joined in the middle by TFC`s latest trialist Dicoy Williams, a Jamaican international Centre back.
In the first half TFC played OK, once again keeping possession well, though spending way too much time passing it around between the defenders and Stefan Frei in goal, and without looking quick or incisive enough to cause Charleston any serious worries. We did actually score a goal, Sturgis converting a penalty after a handball in the box, but chances were few and far between, and once again the opposition was able to defend comfortably. Charleston equalised late in the first half with a goal very similar to Chicago`s goal on Saturday, a defensive breakdown on the left, a low cross only partially cleared, and no-one picking up the opposition man at the top of the box who was able to knock home the rebound.
The main positive for me in the first half was the play of Nana Attakora, who much like the last game against Chicago showed an encouraging willingness and aptitude for bringing the ball forward from the back. That will be a big boost for the Reds if he can continue that in the regular season, leaving the midfielders to provide him with options further forward, rather than one of them having to drop deep to pick up the ball from the defence as De Guzman had to do so often last year.
The second half saw the usual flood of substitutions and though my stream was too choppy to make any reliable observations, it didn't look pretty, and Charleston scored a winner with a rebound from a penalty that was saved by Frei.
All in all, I liked some parts of it, where you can see what they're trying to do, but the line-up out there tonight wasn't good enough to do it successfully, there just isn't yet the speed of thought and quickness of movement and quality first touch required to make it work. Obviously it wasn't our first choice line-up, it's just pre-season and all that, but the time to improve that squad is rapidly running out. De Guzman, De Rosario and Santos will make a difference, but more quality is needed throughout the squad if we're going to be able to compete in any sense this season.
The other big news of the day was the confirmation of the signing of the three Dutch players that Aron Winter informed everyone of a few weeks back. Elbekay Bouchiba hasn't really played much at all due to injury, so I haven't really been able to form any opinion on him, Javier Martina has played a fair bit, and has confirmed my initial opinion that he's going to excite and frustrate the crap out of me in equal measures, he often looks good, very tricky and skillful, but there's rarely much productive end product. Nick Soolsma, well he's looked unimpressive so far, but again, to judge on the little I've seen would be unfair. Those extra 3 players take us up to 15 players, not including Nicholas Lindsay and Adrian Cann, so not quite enough for a starting eleven and a full bench yet. Not to worry though, plenty of time.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
2012 pre-season looking good.
Toronto FC continued it's preparations for the 2012 season with the first game of the Carolina Challenge Cup in Charleston on Saturday against the Chicago Fire.
With some of the very few officially signed players missing through injury (Julian De Guzman still, and now also Dwayne De Rosario with what was described as a tweak) or through contract disputes (Adrian Cann), the game provided plenty of opportuntities for those looking to impress enough to nail down a position in the squad or the starting line up just over 12 months from now.
Mikael Yourassowsky joined Nana Attakora in central defence, with Dan Gargan at right back and academy player Ashtone Morgan at left back. Another academy kid Oscar Cordon joined Jacob Peterson and Nick Labrocca in midfield with Joao Plata and Javier Martina playing upfront with Maicon Santos. Plenty of substitutions meant appearances for a few other new signees, trialists and academy players, including Andrew Ornoch, previously rejected but back for a second try, and Nathan Sturgis, trying to work his way out of the coach's doghouse after not impressing in Turkey.
So how did it all look, well not great frankly, but that's ok, we've got over a year to be working on things. Sloppy defending led to Chicago scoring after 6 minutes, but aside from that Yourassowsky looked alright in the middle, making a couple of really good tackles in the second half. Attakora looked comfortable bringing the ball out of defence, and in general, the team was passing the ball about and keeping possession nicely, though they definitely lacked a cutting edge.
Chicago allowed that to happen really, happily letting Toronto pass it around in their own half while blocking things up in midfield in front of their defence. That tendency was increased after Chicago had a player sent off after 35 minutes, but even then, TFC, curiously still playing in practice jerseys rather than the official new kit, created very few chances against the ten men. It's obviously very early, and though we didn't look great, there were a few moments here and there yesterday where you could see the potential of what Aron Winter's trying to do and what it could all become with an improved squad, even adding De Guzman and De Rosario back into the line-up should make a big difference.
Fortunately there's plenty of time to give the current trialists a fair go and see which of them has what it takes to make the starting lineup for First Kick a year or so from now. Those who don't make the grade can be replaced between now and then, maybe in July when the European transfer window opens. Also the 40 odd practice games we'll have in 2011 will give plenty of opportunities to blood the youngsters from the academy, giving them valuable experience for when it counts. All in all, pre-season's off to a good start and the future is certainly bright.
What's that? How's the squad looking for the 2011 season? Oh, believe me, you really don't want to ask that question.
With some of the very few officially signed players missing through injury (Julian De Guzman still, and now also Dwayne De Rosario with what was described as a tweak) or through contract disputes (Adrian Cann), the game provided plenty of opportuntities for those looking to impress enough to nail down a position in the squad or the starting line up just over 12 months from now.
Mikael Yourassowsky joined Nana Attakora in central defence, with Dan Gargan at right back and academy player Ashtone Morgan at left back. Another academy kid Oscar Cordon joined Jacob Peterson and Nick Labrocca in midfield with Joao Plata and Javier Martina playing upfront with Maicon Santos. Plenty of substitutions meant appearances for a few other new signees, trialists and academy players, including Andrew Ornoch, previously rejected but back for a second try, and Nathan Sturgis, trying to work his way out of the coach's doghouse after not impressing in Turkey.
So how did it all look, well not great frankly, but that's ok, we've got over a year to be working on things. Sloppy defending led to Chicago scoring after 6 minutes, but aside from that Yourassowsky looked alright in the middle, making a couple of really good tackles in the second half. Attakora looked comfortable bringing the ball out of defence, and in general, the team was passing the ball about and keeping possession nicely, though they definitely lacked a cutting edge.
Chicago allowed that to happen really, happily letting Toronto pass it around in their own half while blocking things up in midfield in front of their defence. That tendency was increased after Chicago had a player sent off after 35 minutes, but even then, TFC, curiously still playing in practice jerseys rather than the official new kit, created very few chances against the ten men. It's obviously very early, and though we didn't look great, there were a few moments here and there yesterday where you could see the potential of what Aron Winter's trying to do and what it could all become with an improved squad, even adding De Guzman and De Rosario back into the line-up should make a big difference.
Fortunately there's plenty of time to give the current trialists a fair go and see which of them has what it takes to make the starting lineup for First Kick a year or so from now. Those who don't make the grade can be replaced between now and then, maybe in July when the European transfer window opens. Also the 40 odd practice games we'll have in 2011 will give plenty of opportunities to blood the youngsters from the academy, giving them valuable experience for when it counts. All in all, pre-season's off to a good start and the future is certainly bright.
What's that? How's the squad looking for the 2011 season? Oh, believe me, you really don't want to ask that question.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
All we need is just a little patience.
So that's the Mickey Mouse cup over and done with, as well as the first two games we've been able to watch and see how things are going with the new regime, so what have we learnt so far, aside from the fact that it's still way too early in preseason to be able to draw any kind of conclusions.
Game 1, a 3-2 defeat against Houston on Thursday night was definitely a mixed bag. Defensively we looked a little unorganised at times, Houston's first goal in particular saw some bad positional play from triallist Mikael Yourassowsky, though given it was his first game after just joining the club, that's forgiveable. Dan Gargan didn't look great on Houston's 3rd either which is a bit more worrying for our chances this season. Gargan seems like a great player to have around in the dressing room, and his versatility means he'll be a valuable part of the squad, and a very useful player to have on the bench in any game, but if he's part of the starting line up when March 19th comes around, that'll be a sad indictment of our squad's depth.
The new possession based 4-3-3 system worked ok here and there, very much still a work in progress, and the defenders often had problems working the ball through to the midfielders, especially when Houston started pressuring more after the first few minutes. Obviously having three players upfront means fewer players back close to the defenders so they're really going to have to work on movement, tracking back and making themselves available for the pass if the defence is going to be able to avoid losing the ball or just hoofing it long. Julian de Guzman's return should really help with that, he's going to be crucial to TFC's chances this year.
When it worked though, it worked really well, TFC's first goal came after a long period of possession, patiently moving the ball from one side to the other before Nick Labrocca played a longer ball through to Jacob Peterson who had made a sudden incisive run and was then able to round the goalie and score.
The second goal came from a penalty after triallist Jamal Gay was pulled down inside/on the edge of the box while running onto a great through ball from Javier Martina. While the tricks that were shown in highlights from Turkey suggested Martina certainly has talent, his play to set up that penalty gives me much more hope that he can be an effective player. I'll take the composure and vision he showed to hold on to the ball, drift inside then play a simple but lethal defence splitting pass, over any number of fancy dribbles.
Jamal Gay looked alright as the main striker up front, but most of the other triallists or draft picks didn't really show much and were outshone by academy players Matt Stinson and Oscar Cordone who both looked impressive in the second half.
Losing on Thursday meant the second game was against Orlando City on Saturday night, and it was another struggle, ending in a 1-0 defeat and an ignomious 4th place finish. Orlando had definitely learnt from Houston and were very aggressive in pressuring TFC's defenders as they tried to get the ball forward. It worked very well for them, as all game TFC struggled to get anything going, and the result was well deserved, with the goal coming from some more crapppy defending, Orlando player/coach Ian Fuller managing to fight off 3 defenders and round Milos Kocic.
Oh well, TFC move on and hopefully things will get better with a bit more time to get used to the system and new players. There's signs of promise, you can tell that what they're trying to do will look good if it all comes together, so it's time to move on and wait for more evidence next week in Charleston.
What's that whistling noise? Why, it's Axl Rose.
Game 1, a 3-2 defeat against Houston on Thursday night was definitely a mixed bag. Defensively we looked a little unorganised at times, Houston's first goal in particular saw some bad positional play from triallist Mikael Yourassowsky, though given it was his first game after just joining the club, that's forgiveable. Dan Gargan didn't look great on Houston's 3rd either which is a bit more worrying for our chances this season. Gargan seems like a great player to have around in the dressing room, and his versatility means he'll be a valuable part of the squad, and a very useful player to have on the bench in any game, but if he's part of the starting line up when March 19th comes around, that'll be a sad indictment of our squad's depth.
The new possession based 4-3-3 system worked ok here and there, very much still a work in progress, and the defenders often had problems working the ball through to the midfielders, especially when Houston started pressuring more after the first few minutes. Obviously having three players upfront means fewer players back close to the defenders so they're really going to have to work on movement, tracking back and making themselves available for the pass if the defence is going to be able to avoid losing the ball or just hoofing it long. Julian de Guzman's return should really help with that, he's going to be crucial to TFC's chances this year.
When it worked though, it worked really well, TFC's first goal came after a long period of possession, patiently moving the ball from one side to the other before Nick Labrocca played a longer ball through to Jacob Peterson who had made a sudden incisive run and was then able to round the goalie and score.
The second goal came from a penalty after triallist Jamal Gay was pulled down inside/on the edge of the box while running onto a great through ball from Javier Martina. While the tricks that were shown in highlights from Turkey suggested Martina certainly has talent, his play to set up that penalty gives me much more hope that he can be an effective player. I'll take the composure and vision he showed to hold on to the ball, drift inside then play a simple but lethal defence splitting pass, over any number of fancy dribbles.
Jamal Gay looked alright as the main striker up front, but most of the other triallists or draft picks didn't really show much and were outshone by academy players Matt Stinson and Oscar Cordone who both looked impressive in the second half.
Losing on Thursday meant the second game was against Orlando City on Saturday night, and it was another struggle, ending in a 1-0 defeat and an ignomious 4th place finish. Orlando had definitely learnt from Houston and were very aggressive in pressuring TFC's defenders as they tried to get the ball forward. It worked very well for them, as all game TFC struggled to get anything going, and the result was well deserved, with the goal coming from some more crapppy defending, Orlando player/coach Ian Fuller managing to fight off 3 defenders and round Milos Kocic.
Oh well, TFC move on and hopefully things will get better with a bit more time to get used to the system and new players. There's signs of promise, you can tell that what they're trying to do will look good if it all comes together, so it's time to move on and wait for more evidence next week in Charleston.
What's that whistling noise? Why, it's Axl Rose.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Ya gotta have faith, faith, faith.
TfC flew down to Orlando today, for the next step of their pre-season, with another training camp and games in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic, referred to from here on in for reasons of laziness and disney related disdain on my behalf, if not originality, the Mickey Mouse tournament. They'll be playing against Houston Dynamo this Thursday, before playing the winner/loser of the other semi final, either FC Dallas or Orlando City on Sunday.
The good thing is that all games are due to be streamed online so we'll finally have a chance to see how the much ballyhooed new system and style are looking after the first few weeks under Aron Winter and Bob de Klerk. We'll also get to see how the new players look outside of a few brief highlights, does Javier Martina have more to him that just a few fancy tricks? Will Nick Soolsma and Elbekay Bouchiba show that they were playing at too low of a level in their recent spells in the Dutch amateur leagues and Qatar respectively.
There should also be new triallists as well, with Winter previously suggesting that this would be the time to evaluate talent from South and Central America. Much like what happened in Europe though, it seems fans shouldn't get their hopes too high for some new exotic foreign signings just yet. The two names rumoured to be joining TFC so far are Joevin Jones and Shadhon Winchester, and while both are Trinidad and Tobago internationals, they also both recently trialled with Colorado Rapids and were released, so it's not exactly thrilling news yet.
The next few days should see other names announced, and then we'll finally get to see everyone play, so hopefully there'll be something a bit more encouraging at that stage. So far all we've got to go on is faith that Winter, De Klerk, Mariner and co are going to be an improvement on previous years, but I've never been one for religion-esque blind faith, hopefully we'll soon get some solid evidence that they're on the right track.
The good thing is that all games are due to be streamed online so we'll finally have a chance to see how the much ballyhooed new system and style are looking after the first few weeks under Aron Winter and Bob de Klerk. We'll also get to see how the new players look outside of a few brief highlights, does Javier Martina have more to him that just a few fancy tricks? Will Nick Soolsma and Elbekay Bouchiba show that they were playing at too low of a level in their recent spells in the Dutch amateur leagues and Qatar respectively.
There should also be new triallists as well, with Winter previously suggesting that this would be the time to evaluate talent from South and Central America. Much like what happened in Europe though, it seems fans shouldn't get their hopes too high for some new exotic foreign signings just yet. The two names rumoured to be joining TFC so far are Joevin Jones and Shadhon Winchester, and while both are Trinidad and Tobago internationals, they also both recently trialled with Colorado Rapids and were released, so it's not exactly thrilling news yet.
The next few days should see other names announced, and then we'll finally get to see everyone play, so hopefully there'll be something a bit more encouraging at that stage. So far all we've got to go on is faith that Winter, De Klerk, Mariner and co are going to be an improvement on previous years, but I've never been one for religion-esque blind faith, hopefully we'll soon get some solid evidence that they're on the right track.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Double Dutch. What? There's 3 of them? Bah!
After coming back from Turkey over the weekend, Toronto FC returned to their more familiar, more artificial turfy and slightly less exotic Oakville training base, where the media eagerly awaited on Tuesday for interviews and updates.
Dwayne de Rosario's pre-season media training must be paying off, having clearly shaken off the off-season rust that saw his media day press conference range from moody to hostile and end in vague threats of a strike. Today, he mixed well worn cliches with compliments about the new style of play Aron Winter's introducing, and when asked about his never ending contract dispute said that "We're still progressing and things definitely look brighter, so I'm very pleased about that, and I think we all want to get it behind us and focus on the football". Nicely done Dwayne, professional to the point of being dull, that's mid season form right there.
Aron Winter was a lot less cagey in his interview, confirming a report in a Dutch newspaper that TFC have signed three of the triallists from Turkey, Dutch players Javier Martina, Nick Soolsma and Elbekay Bouchiba.
This seems to be becoming a bit of a trend with TFC, letting news just slip out without any kind of big announcement, the new kits have been available online for a while, and are now also available at Real Sports, without any of the promotional hoopla that previous versions have received.
Anyway, back to the new signings, Bouchiba is a defensive midfielder who had a journeyman career in Holland's first division, making 127 appearances over the years, before spending the last 2 years in Qatar. Soolsma is a forward who played in all 3 of our games in Turkey and going by the twitter updates seemed useful, it sounded like he linked up well with Maicon Santos. Martina was probably the player who made the best impression on TFC supporters during those three games, the brief highlights contained plenty of exciting moments from him that suggest he's a very tricky winger who could cause the average MLS full back serious trouble. A lot more detailed info can be found out about these three here at Red Nation Online.
Obviously twitter updates and a few brief highlights aren't the best way to judge any players, especially without salary details, so I'll not get too excited or disappointed yet. At the very least though, they should be comfortable with the Dutch style that Winter wants to play which will be helpful as the squad gets adjusted to that style early on.
Hopefully there will be further signings announced soon, not only to help shake the nagging feeling I'm getting that Winter's big book of international contacts is about as big and diverse as Mo Johnston's was, just with a shiny Orange cover instead of the Union Jack style that Mo rocked, but also, less cynically and more importantly, we've been gifted an easy start to the season, so let's get that squad built soon so we can hit the ground running for a change.
Dwayne de Rosario's pre-season media training must be paying off, having clearly shaken off the off-season rust that saw his media day press conference range from moody to hostile and end in vague threats of a strike. Today, he mixed well worn cliches with compliments about the new style of play Aron Winter's introducing, and when asked about his never ending contract dispute said that "We're still progressing and things definitely look brighter, so I'm very pleased about that, and I think we all want to get it behind us and focus on the football". Nicely done Dwayne, professional to the point of being dull, that's mid season form right there.
Aron Winter was a lot less cagey in his interview, confirming a report in a Dutch newspaper that TFC have signed three of the triallists from Turkey, Dutch players Javier Martina, Nick Soolsma and Elbekay Bouchiba.
This seems to be becoming a bit of a trend with TFC, letting news just slip out without any kind of big announcement, the new kits have been available online for a while, and are now also available at Real Sports, without any of the promotional hoopla that previous versions have received.
Anyway, back to the new signings, Bouchiba is a defensive midfielder who had a journeyman career in Holland's first division, making 127 appearances over the years, before spending the last 2 years in Qatar. Soolsma is a forward who played in all 3 of our games in Turkey and going by the twitter updates seemed useful, it sounded like he linked up well with Maicon Santos. Martina was probably the player who made the best impression on TFC supporters during those three games, the brief highlights contained plenty of exciting moments from him that suggest he's a very tricky winger who could cause the average MLS full back serious trouble. A lot more detailed info can be found out about these three here at Red Nation Online.
Obviously twitter updates and a few brief highlights aren't the best way to judge any players, especially without salary details, so I'll not get too excited or disappointed yet. At the very least though, they should be comfortable with the Dutch style that Winter wants to play which will be helpful as the squad gets adjusted to that style early on.
Hopefully there will be further signings announced soon, not only to help shake the nagging feeling I'm getting that Winter's big book of international contacts is about as big and diverse as Mo Johnston's was, just with a shiny Orange cover instead of the Union Jack style that Mo rocked, but also, less cynically and more importantly, we've been gifted an easy start to the season, so let's get that squad built soon so we can hit the ground running for a change.
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