Two games, one MLS and one CONCACAF Champions Cup, and zero goals. The D.C. United attack was supposed to be an unstoppable force but the flow of goals has yet to come.
It may come today against a Toronto FC defense that is still looking for the right combination. Can Toronto really contain Luciano Emilio, Marcelo Gallardo and Fred? Probably not.
That aside, the Maurice Edu-Marcelo Gallardo match-up should be fun to watch, though I see Fred having a bigger impact in the DC attack today.
Will Toronto be able to produce a goal? Newly-signed midfielder Laurent Robert will make his debut tonight for TFC and will need to work some magic in a Toronto attack that has the pieces to put pressure on a D.C. defense that is still learning how to play together.
If you will be watching the match tonight (starting at 7:30 p.m.), please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action.
Sorry dude, you’re deluded. The header was nice, but he was absolutely crap in this game. Took off on meandering runs that went nowhere, couldn’t hold the ball up, couldn’t deliver a crisp pass, tripped over the ball twice. He was terrible.
You’ve gotta watch what the players do around him to realize why he does what he does. Countless times his forwards were beyond flat footed and in spots where a ball couldn’t even be played to them. His midfielders and supporting defender where agian, not mobile, and not giving him the lanes he needed to make the plays we saw him do for most of last year. He’s being hung out to dry by his teammates, which is painfully obvious.
Sorry but as a TFC fan Edu did nothing except for score that goal.
For someone who can be a standout, he looked lost and out of the play most of the time. He gave up possession too many times dribbling into multiple defenders and didn’t really stop the counter attach at all
Edu awful???? What game were you watching? Why was he lossing those balls might be the better question? He would work the ball into space and the rest of the team were in horrible positions to except a ball from him. He is constantly being forced to hold onto the ball (this year and last) longer than he should because his clueless strikers barely move an inch into space! If Dichio, Cunningham, Lombardo or Samuel want the ball, they’re gonna have to move and create their own space!!! Simply stating he lost the ball only tells half the story, hell a quarter of the story. Edu would get around his man, only to see Danny Dichio’s feet planted firmly into the ground, covered and not showing where he wanted the ball played, but I guess he’d have had to actually run a few steps around the man marking him to have done that, so…
Edu was awful tonight… ya he scored that header goal but before that he was losing balls consistently all night and not making effective passes.
Gee, too bad for you that DC won Ives, guess you’ll have to keep your Homer remarks on how great NJRB did instead.
The game could have gone quite differently if it weren’t for a) the first 5 minutes of TFC defensive weakness and b) Kevin Harmse taking TFC down to 10 men halfway through the first
All in all, good possession and good offensive pressure from DCU. Score at half time could have easily been 6-0 if it weren’t for Greg Sutton’s reflexive saves. Robert certainly shone for TFC on set pieces and creating opportunities, but the Reds still have a long way to go.
Hey, TFC fans, don’t worry too much. There’s still tons of cap space, plus a DP slot. And I’m still predicting a 5th or 6th place finish this year (over the Pink Cows or Crew). They will make a run late in the season. I just won’t be enough. They are in a conference with DC, New England, Chicago, and KC. And Columbus and New York would be in the top 4 in the West. So, the only immediate solution for TFC is to move to the Western Conference, which is just a pile of dogshit (yes, that includes Houston! Most overrated team in MLS besides the Massholes).
Biggest positive this season appears to be that they still have cap space. With that at least there is some hope for TFC. Maybe two or three impact players will raise the teams collective level to respectable.
He (robert) was encouraging. dangerous off of set pieces, had a few good runs. Him and sutton were the only bright spots for toronto today.
How did Laurent Robert look?
Wow, Toronto is beyond a weak side in their current state. Everyone complains about their lack of finish and quality service from the wings, but my God, their back four are just terrible two games in. Brennan should be playing midfield, not in the back. Velez should take those concrete boots off his feet and trade them in for ones made of leather, then maybe his feet will come off the ground and he won’t be completely flat footed on every attack coming his way. And maybe instead of looking at the linesman and lifting your hand to try and call an offside, how bout you play D and cover up!!!!!!!!!!! Have seen better D played at the Rep level. What’s with the keeper situation? The pre-season is where you experiment with who your true #1 is. Not the start of your season. Although he let in double the amount of goals, Greg Sutton should be starting every game (unless he’s injured) and let’s stop playing games Carver. Name a starter and #2 and get on with it. Laurent Robert looked ok. Had some quality chances that he himself had to work for, but not the magic Toronto fans were told he’d bring with him. Edu has been the lone bright spot this season. Just amszing in tight with the ball on his feet. Beauty header on the goal, TO’s only of the year BTW!!! He seems to be frustrated by others on the field though (maybe I’m reading too much into it, hopefully I’m reading too much into it cuz we’d be disgraceful without him). He’s definiately been a class above the rest of the 10 guys on the pitch with him. Cunningham has been strongly rumored to be on the move (AGAIN). But where? And what kind of striker can you even get in return for him??? His trade value is not high, especially for a striker for striker deal. Deal him for a 20 something steady defender and Mo, please my man, use that DP moola for a quality finisher. Cannot wait for Julius James to be 100% fit and with the way these games have tanked, why on earth have we not seen Pat Phelan?!?!? He can’t be any worse then what we’ve seen. Craig Forrest has got to take the TFC glasses off too. His coverage is sooooo one sided. After allowing two goals in the first five minutes, with the way Forrest was talking, you’d have thunk Toronto was up by a pair.
Well, it’s a good thing for Toronto FC that Toronto sports fans have no need for quality to keep coming back in droves.
ugh. well as a dc fan, i wish we could have ended on less of a sour note (say, a 5th goal?). but hey, i’ll take the result. i loved that 10 minute sequence from about the 65th to the 75th minute when united did not lose possesion ONCE! awesome game.
Surprise. Harmse issued a red card. the dude is a hack
dicey not divey
If you thought the Larentowicz red was divey the other night, just wait til you see the one Harmse just got.
If this is how they’re gonna call it and be consistent I’m fine with that. Too many thug tactics in this league.
Toronto is terrible btw.
The opening shot has been fired. EmilioGOOAAAAALLLL!!!!
ESPN is showing the LPGA tour and Figure Skating. What a joke..