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Toronto FC at Real Salt Lake: Your Running Commentary

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Good evening folks. Toronto FC will take it’s league-worst road record to Rice-Eccles Stadium to face a Real Salt Lake squad that is unbeaten at home this year (5-0-5).

Chad Barrett won’t be in uniform for tonight’s match so Toronto FC will have to count on usual suspects Amado Guevara and Rohan Ricketts to try and spark an offense that has been awful in recent weeks. It won’t be easy against an RSL defense that is second in the league in goals allowed.

If you will be watching the match tonight please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match.

Comments

  1. Hincha:

    “I don’t know what it looked like on TV but from the stands, RSL really dominated the midfield and possession.”

    yeah, that’s pretty much the way it looked on TV. Actually, it might have looked worse than that. Our road record speaks for itself, doesn’t it. 😉

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  2. I thought it was a great game. However, some RSL fans were asking each other whether they should boo the Canadian Anthem. I told them no. And I HATE TFC.

    Case closed, lets not beat a dead horse.

    Good win, but hope the break does not hurt RSL.

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  3. bangersetc.

    Thanks for your perspective, having been at the all-star game. You had three fans at the RSL game last night, although they were from Honduras and were chearing for Guevera specifically and not TFC. TFC looked pretty anemic last night. Robert was particularly disappointing. I thought he looked pretty impressive against RSL in the teams’ first game this year, but he sucked last night for you guys. Your midfield really did not hold up their end, and I think that was the difference. I don’t know what it looked like on TV but from the stands, RSL really dominated the midfield and possession.

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  4. Hincha Tim: I know I’m flogging a dead horse here, but I was at the all-star game and the “noise” was not for the American National anthem (note: I stood and removed my hat as did those around me). People were jeering because it looked like the Canadian flag (which wasn’t on the field) and the Canadian National anthem (which wasn’t mentioned in the list of anthems we were going to sing) were left out of the ceremony. Had the game been in the US and the crowd felt that the Star Spangled Banner had been left of the program, there would have been a reaction.

    Yes, individual meat heads may have had a different agenda, but I guarantee you that most of the noise you heard about was because the crowd was offended. It wasn’t that long ago that the US Marines marched onto the field before a World Series game with our flag hung upside down. When we found out that we were wrong and that the Canadian flag and Canadian national anthem were a part of the ceremony I can tell you that every person around me expressed embarrassment, confusion, and a sense of regret. It was a communication problem, not a concerted effort to denigrate the American national anthem or the Americans in attendance.

    As for the single instance where an American Crowd denigrated another country’s national anthem… Raptors/Pistons, in Detroit, 2002. Having said that, I don’t disagree with your point about American being a respectful bunch.

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  5. Tim – there is a very clear and understandable reason for what happened at the All Star game. If you choose to no believe it, that’s your problem. I’ve been to every home TFC game this season and I know other will confirm we do not boo the US anthem. And lets be real – it’s not like we hung your flag upside down.

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  6. AndyinSeattle,

    Name an instance where an American crowd as a whole (not some jerk individual fans) disrespected another country. You’re wrong. Americans, when it comes to sporting events, are some of the most respectful in all the world. And don’t give me the cultural relativism. In every culture it is rude to disrespect your guests. That is what Toronto fans did at the all-star game.

    As far as the game goes, RSL will need to step it up for their last 11 games. RSL is badly in need of a reinforcement at the offensive midfielder position, and need their forwards to start stepping up. However, pulling out games like this one shows the team is continuing to progress from last year. By the way, in their last 30 games (basically an MLS season) RSL is 11-10-9.

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  7. As a TFC fan the most disappointing part of this game is the fact that we reverted to the tried and true formula on the road that has served us so very poorly since the inception of the franchise. When we score (and it is rare on the road) we seem to lose defensive cohesion and succumb to a quick counterattack goal. It happened in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and it happened again last night.

    We play station to station soccer looking for a cross and header, and let home teams play a possession style of play against us. This always leads to a higher number of chances for the opposing teams and unfortunately more goals for the home sides.

    What infuriates me the most about last night were three simple things:

    1) Marco Velez – I really believe after that display last night that he is out of his depth in MLS. Anybody in Toronto who sings that crappy Velez song on Sunday needs to up his or her dosage, as they are certainly insane. He should be at this point our absolutely last player on our defense depth chart, not a starter.

    2) Predictable style of play – Carver needs to realize that MLS is a possession style of league and the old 1990’s newcastle United style of hoofing the ball in from wide hoping for a header goal is not the way to play in MLS, especially on the road.

    3) Mo Johnston – Again he let us down by not giving his team and his coach the resources they need in a timely fashion in order to compete. Ibrahim should not be placed in such a vulnerable situation as he is in right now. It runs the risk of damaging his development into what might be a dominant player in MLS by placing so much pressure on him at so young an age.

    To me Guevara’s goal is a goal of the week candidate and a definite candidate for TFC goal of the season, and Sutton (rebounds aside) played strong. Ricketts looked knackered as he definitely left his heart on the pitch.

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  8. great game!! More proof that the quality of play in this league is very close.

    Enough with the ‘classless Toronto booing US Anthem’ talk. If you’re looking for tasteful nationalism, you’re looking in the wrong continent, because we don’t have it in Mexico, US, or Canada. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying we shouldn’t kid ourselves.

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  9. Kets- RES has field turf not astro turf. It is the same stuff as at BMO except for football the field has a crown and it is stretched tighter. The stretch gives a trampoline effect to players and especially the ball. Slow rolling balls are affected by the crown.

    It is pretty sad to see everyone blame the turf for losing or not playing well. I thought it was refs fault, right Jason?

    Let’s hope 18 days off does not kill RSL’s momentum.

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  10. You can just about stop your incessant complaining about RSL’s turf since they only have two more games to play on it. I think it’s more of a disgrace that Toronto is going to be playing on it for the foreseeable future in their new stadium. At least the RSL fans had enough class to stand respectfully and even cheer when the Canadian national anthem was played unlike the jerks in Toronto.

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  11. Olave is a beast. Sloppy defending to give up the free kick that lead to Guevara’s goal but he and Borchers have been solid on the backline this year for RSL.

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  12. Hoyanick, depends on the team you want to watch. I think most, if not all, of TFC’s games are shown at cbcsports.ca. But if you’re more interested in Real Salt Lake, well, then I have no clue.

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  13. ericR – i’ll admit, that no turf replaces grass … that being said, there’s a big difference between the latest generation of fieldturf (bmo field) and the astoturf that RSL plays on.

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  14. No matter what I do, MLSNET.TV broadcasts never work on my computer. I’ve followed all the instructions provided by MLS. Suggestions?

    Reply

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