Neues » stretch that saw them

It was a classic "Dont ask how, but how many" kind of night for Toronto FC. Darius Slayton Giants Jersey . TFC was second best for long stretches in the second leg of their Amway Canadian Championship tie against the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. Good, however, was good enough in a 2-1-regulation loss, making the home and away tie 3-3 on aggregate. The scoreline was sufficient to send the game to extra time and, after 30 minutes solved nothing, for the first time in Toronto FCs history, a match would be decided in penalties. All five Toronto FC penalty-takers scored and goalkeeper Joe Bendik saved Kekuta Manneh, good for a 5-3 win on penalties sending TFC to the two-legged final against the Montreal Impact. It was full value for entertainment in Vancouver and a great night for Canadian soccer. It was end-to-end stuff for much of the match from two teams featuring far-from-full-strength starting XIs. The crowd of 18,470 was electric and the energy on the field matched the enthusiasm. It had a cup final feel about it despite first choice talent watching from the sidelines. Whitecaps manager Carl Robinson elected to go with a similar young team that lost 2-1 at BMO Field a week ago, making eight changes from his team that won 1-0 at Columbus on Saturday. Robinson brought on more accomplished regulars late in the match as he searched for a winner. You have to wonder if hes asking himself "What if?" Toronto FC was ripe for the picking. Perhaps a more established starting XI could have found the goals needed to advance, but his young, inexperienced side came oh-so-close, and was deserving of a better fate. They were the better team. Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen made five changes from his team a week ago, including three along the backline. Regulars Jermain Defoe, Steven Caldwell, Julio Cesar, Justin Morrow, Jackson and Alvaro Rey were all either unavailable and/or didnt play. Nelsen will be happy with his teams spirit and ability to remain mostly composed against a team heaping on the pressure. The same questions remain of whether or not Toronto FC can be something more than a team reliant on the counter attack. Is it the players, the tactics or unfamiliarity that are holding Toronto FC back from dictating a positive pace in a match? TFC has yet to meet expectations and will now be tasked to move closer to that bar without their best player, Michael Bradley, who leaves for World Cup duty. While it may not go down as a vintage Toronto FC performance (out-chanced and out-passed by over 100), advancing in the competition is an all-important step in making the club competitive on all fronts. As the team continues to build into a club with true ambition and the framework/ability to do-so, qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League and silverware of any kind are stepping stones. Here are five thoughts from Toronto FCs Canadian Championship second-leg in Vancouver. 1) Controversial Goal – Whitecaps supporters will claim Toronto FC should never have had the away goal that ultimately sent the tie to extra time. Doniel Henrys 4th-minute goal was highly disputed, but not truly without the assistance of video replay. Bradleys free kick sailed into the Whitecaps 18-yard box and defender Nick Hagglund beat goalkeeper Marco Carducci to the ball in the air. The referee allowed the play to continue, despite Hagglund looking to impede the goalkeeper with a forearm to the face. The ball went off the crossbar to Henry who tapped the ball home. Although it wasnt noticed at the time, Henry should also have been called offside. It looked as though Henry was fair game to make a play on the ball with a Whitecaps defender covering on the goal line. However, FIFAs offside rule, law 11, states a player is offside if hes nearer to his opponents goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent. Because Carducci had come so far out to challenge the ball and, thus, became the second last defender, it left Henry in an offside position. The linesman was in no position to make the call, playing the defender, rather than Carducci, as the ‘last man or second last defender. Confusing, but completely understandable, why offside wasnt given. It will go down as a missed call by the letter of the law. That being said, it was the missed call on the Hagglund foul where the play should have been blown dead and that was the bigger injustice for me. 2) Oh Henry, again – Sloppy challenges by Henry continue to provide ample ammunition for his detractors. The Canadian international has all the physical attributes and intangibles hinting at sky-high potential. The 21-year-olds night wont be remembered for his goal, but instead a series of questionable tackles, playing his team into trouble. Henry simply needs to learn to stay on his feet in vulnerable areas. The timing, placement and manner of his challenges were front and centre on three separate occasions. Henry was fortunate not to be called for a penalty on a tight challenge on Manneh early in the first half. Early in the second half, he was cautioned for a diving challenge from behind, dangerously close to being inside the box. Henrys third mistake came in the 85th-minute, diving in from behind once again against Erik Hurtado, making for an easy penalty decision, leading to Vancouvers 2-1 goal. There was no arguing the decision and it was the third penalty Henry has conceded on the year. Far better is required, but Nelsen will continue to live and die with his young centre-back. He has far too much promise to sit on the bench. Nelsen, a former defender himself, needs to continue to preach patience and positioning with his young player. Maturity in these kinds of decisions will become more critical as the season wears on. 3) Midfield Meltdown – If youre a regular in this space, it will come as no surprise seeing criticism on Toronto FCs ability to hold on to the ball and build sustained attacking play. Toronto FCs midfield was overrun again this match with the Whitecaps having more than 55 per cent of possession. Its troubling how cheaply TFC gives the ball away, making it difficult for the midfield four, consistently falling too deep and not in position to support the forwards. The problem was further complicated Wednesday with more natural wing-players Rey and Jackson not in the team. It must be said that the team had better stretches late in the game with Daniel Lovitz, making his TFC debut, looking comfortable on the ball. Systematically, Nelsen may need to add an attacking midfielder, resorting to a 4-5-1, to provide more support and a player to link the attack. 4) Questioning Nelsen – It is remarkable how many TFC supporters are openly questioning the manager this early in the season. For a club with a history of being a conveyor belt for managers, youd think common sense would prevail in having some patience and seeing this process out before jumping to conclusions. Some are not convinced in Nelsens tactical approach. While its true the team isnt playing the free-flowing football many desire, it must be acknowledged a team with so many new players and a squad that has dealt with a number of early season injuries will take time develop said cohesiveness. Nelsens reluctance to move away from a preferred 4-4-2 has been decried by many, but that, too, is a work in progress. This is only Nelsens second season as a manager. Last years team was too short on talent to make any reasonable conclusion of Nelsens managerial abilities. What we do know is this team will fight and play for him. Nelsen is a players manager and is well liked within and around the room. His decision-making and adjustments certainly need work. It was peculiar that Hagglund started at right back when he is a preferred centre back and Bradley Orr started at centre back when he is a preferred right back. That being said, he has pulled the right strings earlier this season, namely in Columbus and Seattle, and continues to discover what he has and doesnt have. Time is required and a better evaluation will come months from now, not in May. This is a marathon, not a sprint. 5) Not-so Average Joe – Goalkeeper Joe Bendik was not overly impressed losing his starting job to Julio Cesar this season. With Cesar set to go on his World Cup adventure, Bendik was handed another start, in back-to-back games, and he didnt disappoint. Bendik came up big as the game opened up in the second half, coming off of his line multiple times, diving at the feet of an attacker and taking away goal-scoring opportunities. He kept them in the game when needed most, not to mention his penalty save. Goalkeeping is and will continue to be a position of strength for Toronto FC. The team has confidence in Bendik and will be comfortable with their "number two" while Cesar is on international duty. Its reassuring that Bendik has taken this short term setback in stride and looks to prove himself worthy as a starting goalkeeper in Major League Soccer. Toronto FC (3-0-4) welcomes the New York Red Bulls (3-5-3) to BMO Field Saturday at 430pm (TSN, TSN 1050 Radio). Harry Carson Jersey .Carla Fontes hadnt cut her hair since intermediate school, but her coach at Waiakea High School, Stan Haraguchi, thought the locks flowing below her waist were interfering with the sport. Dalvin Tomlinson Jersey .ca. In addition to the game being aired in its entirety on CTV Two Vancouver Island and TSN.ca, TSN2 will also have coverage of Whitecaps FC immediately following NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400. http://www.authenticnygiantspro.com/Oshane-ximines-giants-jersey/ . The 40-year-old midfielder was put in charge on Tuesday when David Moyes reign ended after 10 months with the defending champions in seventh place in the English Premier League.TORONTO -- Jermain Defoes anguish at being snubbed by England is still keenly felt. It doesnt help that reporters keep asking him about it, each question ripping off another part of the scab. "Every day I wake up, its still frustrating and its still baffling (as) to why I wasnt selected," he said Saturday. "But youve got to move on." The 31-year-old striker wrapped up a week that started with his relegation to Englands World Cup taxi squad with a rocket of a goal to help Toronto FC to a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls before 22,591 on a sunny afternoon at BMO Field. In truth, Defoe could have had even more on the day. But his 12th-minute blast into the top of the Red Bulls goal spoke volumes. "Thats exactly how I thought he would react," said Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen, "A brilliant goal, wasnt it? "Thats Jermain Defoe. And thats why England will miss him dearly, I think, come World Cup time." Red Bulls star Thierry Henry was also full of praise. "Jermain Defoe has been doing this since he was 14 years old and as long as he plays he will do that," said the French forward. Defoe downplayed the significance of his strike, "because Ive been doing that for my whole career. And people know that." "Thats what Ive done since Ive been over here," added Defoe, who now has four goals in five MLS games. "Its not my first goal Ive just continued to do what I do. Work hard and stay positive and get my goals." But prompted again, Defoe acknowledged the goal was a littler sweet. "Its only normal, when you get disappointment, to try and prove people wrong. And just to remind people that, at the end of the day, this is what Im doing. And I think I did that today." Defoe, who has 19 goals and 55 caps for his country, could still be called up to the 23-man main England squad in event of injury. Defoe didnt even see his goal go in. He hit it and went flying as a defender clattered into him. "It was funny because I was on the floor," he said. "I looked at the crowd and everyone was celebrating it so I thought OK, it went in." Englands loss is clearly Torontos gain. "Hes a massive part of whats going on here. Our talisman, so to speak. He gets the goals that win us games," midfielder Bradley Orr said of Defoe. Luke Moore scored late in stoppage-time as Toronto snapped its three-game losing streak. On a day where Arsenal won the FA Cup at Wembley, former Gunners star Henry -- while showing flashes of his brilliance -- was relegated to a supporting role as the Red Bulls saw their 10-game unbeaten streak against Toronto snapped. Both Defoe and Henry made their names scoring goals for north London clubs in the English Premier League. Defoe collected 153 goals for Tottenham while the 36-year-old Henry potted 228 for Arsenal. The New York attack also featured English forward Bradley Wright-Phillips, who came into the game leading MLS with nine goals this season. Toronto (4-4-0) had lost four out of its last five games after opening the MLS campaign with two consecutive wins. New York (3-4-5) was coming off an ugly 5-4 loss to the previously winless Chicago Fire, which snapped its four-game undefeated streak. And the Red Bulls looked slopppy Saturday, turning the ball over in the early going. Phil Simms Giants Jersey. A poor pass from fullback Kosuke Kimura led to Torontos first goal when Orr beat Dax McCarty to the ball in midfield and drove forward. He spotted Defoe and slotted a perfect pass, with the striker hammering a right-footed rocket into the top of the net in the 12th minute. Orr, a defender, moved into midfield to help fill the void left by Michael Bradley (with the U.S. World Cup team), Brazilian winger Jackson (concussion) and newly acquired Collen Warner (suspended). He gave all the credit to Defoe on the goal, saying he made the move that created the opening for the pass. "He makes your mind up. His movements that good. World-class. He makes your mind up," said Orr, who had a fine game. Moore, in his home debut, scored his first goal for Toronto with a tap-in after a defensive miscommunication. A long goal kick by Torontos Joe Bendik turned into disaster for New York when goalie Luis Robles collided with defender Chris Duval, leaving Moore to dribble the ball in. Still it was far from a complete performance from an undermanned Toronto squad. At times, the Red Bulls sliced through the home side but could not finish. Toronto wobbled early in the second half and New York missed a glorious opportunity to tie it in the 62nd minute when Wright-Phillips, facing an empty goal, shockingly skied the ball after Bendik palmed away a dangerous cross. Both teams have lost stars to the World Cup: fullback Roy Miller (Costa Rica) and midfielder Tim Cahill (Australia) for New York and Bradley (U.S.) for Toronto. Goalie Julio Cesar, who had been slated to play for Toronto on Saturday before joining Brazil, was out with the flu. The game may cost Toronto. Midfielder Jonathan Osorio played the whole game despite having his hand stepped on in the opening minutes. He was due for an X-ray later, amid fears of a fracture. Toronto started rookie Nick Hagglund at centre back, shifting Doneil Henry to the bench. In his last three games, the 21-year-old Canadian international has given up two penalties and a giveaway that led to a goal. Nelsen offered a different explanation, saying Henry had played 120 minutes during the midweek Amway Canadian Championship semifinal in Vancouver and had a sore quad and head knock. "I just felt like he needed a rest and Nick had kind of deserved his chance," Nelsen said. Faced with one of the games greats in Henry, Hagglund acquitted himself well on the day. Henry introduced himself to Hagglund by racing past the rookie and then felling him with a late tackle that earned a yellow card in the sixth minute. On the plus side, Hagglund got to shake hands with a repentant Henry. A laughing Hagglund said his thought at the time was "Foul me again, Ill shake your hand again." The Red Bulls had not lost to Toronto since June 24, 2009, a 7-0-3 stretch that saw them outscore TFC 25-5. "Obviously, the first half we werent good enough," said New York coach Mike Petke, who took solace in an improved second-half showing. "The pitch was a bit bobbly but that was no excuse for how bad on the ball we were. We had too many giveaways, too many loose passes and too many instances where we gave them the ball back too easily." ' ' '