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Report: Gilberto ruled out for TFC match vs. Sounders

GilbertoPortuguesa1-Santos (FotoArena)

By DAN KARELL

At least one Designated Player has been ruled out of Saturday’s highly anticipated match between Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders.

According to reports in Toronto, TFC will be without Brazilian forward Gilberto as he continues to recover from a hip flexor injury suffered in preseason. Gilberto reportedly didn’t even make the trip with the team to the Pacific Northwest.

It’s unknown yet whether Gilberto will be fit in time for TFC’s home opener against D.C. United on March 22.

While Gilberto will miss out, Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley are both in full training and are expected to be in the squad at CenturyLink Field. Earlier in the week, TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen raised doubts about bringing his stars to Seattle due to the FieldTurf surface.

Gilberto signed with TFC in December as the first of three Designated Player signings this offseason for the Canadian club. Last season, while on loan at Portuguesa from SC Internacional in Brazil, the 24-year-old forward scored 14 goals in 24 league games.

Sounders Designated Players Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins, and Osvaldo Alonso are all available for Saturday.

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What do you think of this news? Disappointed that Gilberto won’t be playing? Are you excited to see Bradley and Defoe go up against Dempsey, Martins, and Alonso?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I like that TFC won’t bring their DPs. I think the players should be more vocal about the danger of playing on the turf and make a real issue to force a change. All the teams should be playing on grass.

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  2. Let’s see

    Toronto FC
    Montreal Impact
    Chicago Fire
    Colorado Rapids
    Sporting KC
    Real Salt Lake
    New England Revolution
    New York Red Bulls
    Philadelphia Union
    Columbus Crew
    D.C. United
    Portland Timbers
    Seattle Sounders
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    FC Dallas
    Houston Dynamo
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Chivas USA
    Los Angeles Galaxy

    Or something like that is the order in which teams should play on the road in March if weather is the primary concern. Houston, Dallas, DC and the LA teams should be playing on the road in the summer. (The weather is not reliably good in Chicago, Columbus DC, Philly, or NY, except perhaps May and Sept. so really not that many nice home games for them.)

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  3. As a TFC fan and resident of Toronto I’d prefer to start our first 2-3 games on the road every season. March weather in Toronto is not pleasant to stand still in. It’s better to have a summer-heavy home schedule for us.

    ….Lousy smarch weather! 😛

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    • It is interesting that both Seattle’s location and turf leaves teams considering not bringing their DP’s.

      I know T. Henry generally hates the travel and the turf too. Two years ago (?) he was kicked out of a game in Portland and I think the main reason was so he would have to fly back to NYC and then fly back to Seattle the next week.

      They already have great crowd support in Seattle. If true, this only add to that home field advantage.

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    • Disgraceful? Have you ever played a competitive match or are you a gym class hero who plays in a men’s D league and has shinguards that cover up your ankles? I bet you wouldn’t know the difference between a good surface and a bad one if your face planted into one while you were trying to get back on defense after losing the ball. Take your troll comments somewhere else, your portland is showing.

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      • Seattle has designated players. Seattle’s designated players play at Century link. It’s not an advantage. By your logic, it would be less advantageous for the Sounders because at the end of the season their whole team would be injured.

  4. I think its a little unfair.how seattle gets to open with 2 home games and makes 6 points, while skc has champions and tfc has to trave across, and tfc could.play at rogers.

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    • How is it unfair at all? Its how scheduling works, sometimes you get a couple home games in a row and sometimes you play a couple away games in a row.

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      • Actually the league champion from the previous season usually opens at home. In the US especially, it is a way to raise a banner, connecting the excitement of the previous season to the new one.

      • Im well aware of how it normally goes, not sure why it didn’t happen like that this year but it happens like that sometimes.

      • I was the thinking the same thing. Don’t know why SKC wasn’t home last weekend. But hey they’ll get on with it. But for the future, MLS should have the champs open at home. I don’t care if its early march and the champs are a team in Nome Alaska (expansion 2018….. lol jk) you should open at home. Might be thinking like the NFL (its how they do it, unless the Orioles and MLB decide they wont alter their schedule to accomadate) but its fair. Unless they just do a random scheduling. But I think they get their hands in there.

    • Scheduling games in Toronto in early to mid march is a bit dicey, so makes sense to me that warmer places like Seattle get a few home games to start

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    • Seattle has to earn 6 points. It’s not like they’re handed wins simply because they’re at home. Every team plays the same number of road games.

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    • Stop paying Attention to seattle and that trend will shift. Face it .. Mls loves the money that sounders deliver. All seattle pundits raise these concers yearly

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    • Portland opened with 2 home games too. While SKC on the road is a bit odd, Seattle isn’t the only one with the chance to get 6 at home in the first two weeks

      Reply
  5. Considering i’ve never seen the guy play I dont know what I am missing. Woudl have been better to have him there obviously, but still quite a matchup with the players available.

    Reply

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