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Toronto FC vs. Red Bulls: Match Day Commentary

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The New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC renew their Eastern Conference rival today at BMO Field (1pm, MSG) as TFC looks to close the gap in the East standings on the second-place Red Bulls.

The Red Bulls are a week and a half removed from a hard-fought 1-0 win against TFC at Red Bull Arena, but Toronto comes into today's afternoon match riding a wave of confidence after an impressive CONCACAF Champions League victory against Cruz Azul on Wednesday.

I will be providing commentary throughout the night so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Commentary is after the jump):

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FINAL– That's all for me today. Thanks for following along and please feel free to share your post-game thoughts in the comments section below. 

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FINAL– Red Bulls 4, Toronto FC 1. New York becomes the first MLS team to win a game at BMO Field. Rafa Marquez scores his first MLS goal, Tony Tchani plays a great game and the Red Bulls move closer to the playoffs. 

Toronto FC falls into the danger zone in the playoff race. Can TFC really focus on both the MLS playoff race and the CONCACAF Champions League? Preki may be forced to choose or risk wearing his team out.

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91st Minute– Two minutes of stoppage time. Will the ref play it out?

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90th Minute– Tchani almost curls a great shot into the far corner, but Frei stretches out for a great save.

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87th Minute– This win increases New York's cushion on Toronto FC to eight points, drawing the Red Bulls that much closer to an automatic playoff berth. The Red Bulls also move closer to Columbus, which hasn't quite yet locked up the top spot in the East.

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86th Minute– SAVE FREI, stops a Lindpere shot.

Coundoul with his own great save. Still 4-1.

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81st Minute– Lindpere has made a pretty smooth transition to the left wing, but people forget that's his more natural position. He looks more comfortable there despite playing at an all-star level centrally through the first half of the season.

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78th Minute- GOAL RED BULLS!! And it's Carl Robinson with a header finish, great goal off a nice ball from Dane Richards. He doesn't celebrate it, classy move by him. Red Bulls 4, TFC 1.

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76th Minute– Color me still perplexed at why New York kept Salou Ibrahim but let John Wolyniec go. Just don't see much from Ibrahim. Never have.

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74th Minute– Ibrahim drawing offside calls left and right.

Here comes Robinson, for Marquez. A great round of applause from Toronto FC fans as Robinson came on. Gotta love hearing and seeing that.

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72nd Minute– Carl Robinson is ready to come into this match. I bet Toronto fans give him a warm greeting, he was a fan favorite in Toronto.

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71st Minute– Barrett is back on the field, toughing it out.

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69th Minute– Barrett just went down to no contact, may have strained his groin. He just came back from an injury and literally just came into this match. Now he's probably going to have to come out.

The field has been awful today. Lots of slipping by players today.

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68th Minute– Salou Ibrahim comes in for Henry. No, Henry isn't fit yet, and this is a good spot to bring him out. Ibrahim can also hold the ball pretty well.

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67th Minute– One player having a very good game today is Tony Tchani. He's been very composed on the ball and covering a lot of ground. Definitely winning the battle over Nane today.

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65th Minute– This game is far from over. New York can't afford to let down, which happens at times in these kind of situations for the Red Bulls.

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63rd Minute– Chad Barrett is coming in for O'Brian White.

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62nd Minute– Completely legit penalty and red card call. Attakora inexplicably raised his arm over his head to block a cross bound for a wide-open Henry. It was still funny seeing Jair Marrufo's face when Henry asked for a red card for Attakora. Gave him a "Child Please, you're one to talk" look.

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61st Minute- GOAL RED BULLS!! ANd it's Angel with the conversion of the PK, blasts it down the middle. Red Bulls 1, Toronto FC 1.

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60th Minute– PK, It's against Toronto for a blatant handball by Attakora. A red card for Attakora. Funny seeing Henry demand a red card there.

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59th Minute– SAVE COUNDOUL!! . Wow, great save.

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56th Minute– Wow, what a miss by Henry, collects a nice ball from Lindpere, races at goal with a clear look from 25 but sends his shot high. That looked like a perfect chance for his first goal, but he scuffed it.

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55th Minute– Tchani fouls DeRosario, avoids the yellow. Funny to see Garcia gesture that Tchani chopped DeRosario down considering Garcia is among the MLS career leaders in chopping people down.

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54th Minute– Surprised to see things open up so much for Toronto now. New York's defense needs to stay compact. Looks a bit loose right now, particularly on the counter.

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49th Minute- GOAL TFC!! And it's DeRosario, who beats Mendes and Coundoul. DeRosario puts a tight-angled shot through the legs of Coundoul. Red Bulls 2, TFC 1. What a big goal for Toronto early on.

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47th  Minute– TFC corner.

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46th Minute– Jacob Peterson comes in for Mista. DeRosario should push up to the forward line. 

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HALFTIME– Nice shot of the Red Bulls fans at BMO Field today. Nice job by them to make the trip. 

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HALFTIME– Just saw the Red Bulls commercial with Jeremy Hall in it.  You wonder if they'll make a new version of that commercial if they trade Hall. "There are two paths away from Red Bull Arena."

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HALFTIME– For New York, there are really no changes to make. The group is playing well and if Henry gets going, this one could get ugly, particularly if Toronto throws more numbers into the attack.

What's interesting is that the scoreline is a bit unfair to the Toronto FC back-line considering one goal came from 30 yards out and the other was a fluky own goal off a free kick.

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HALFTIME– What does Toronto need to do in order to turn things around? Preki needs to inject some energy into the lineup. Fuad Ibrahim and Jacob Peterson could help, especially on the wings, where TFC is getting nothing offensively.

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HALFTIME– Red Bulls 2, Toronto FC 0. A thoroughly impressive first half, well, an impressive final 15-20 minutes for New York. Toronto FC looks to have come out flat after that great win against Cruz Azul. 

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45th Minute– Henry toasts the Toronto defense, but Angel's shot hits Frei in the chest. Angel finds Marquez with the rebound, but Marquez can't put his shot on frame. Lot of money flying at Toronto's defense there.

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44th Minute– Toronto FC looks a bit stunned right now.

If you are following along with the commentary, please let me know in the comments section (and let me know where you're following from).

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41st Minute- GOAL RED BULLS!! ANd it's an own goal by Toronto FC's Joseph Nane. A Marquez free kick hits off his leg on the back-post. Red Bulls 2, TFC 0. WOW.

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40th Minute– Can the Red Bulls become the first team to win at BMO this season? Lot of soccer to play.

Richards draws a free kick deep on the right flank. Not sure about that call.

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38th Minute– Marquez draws a yellow card for a foul from behind on Gargan.

I wonder how many people expected Marquez to get a red card before a goal in MLS play.

Still waiting for Henry's first MLS goal.

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37th Minute– Tchani laid it off to Marquez and the Mexican captain blasted it past Frei. In NY and NJ, there are a bunch of Red Bulls fans cheering for a player the probably wished death on in the past.

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36th Minute- GOAL RED BULLS!! And it's Marquez with a blast from 30 yards out. WOW.

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34th Minute– Toronto COMES CLOSE TWICE, but Mendes and Ream come up with two big blocks.

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32nd Minute– Toronto is putting some pressure on with set pieces, but can't break through. Still waiting for either team to string some passes together.

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31st Minute– SAVE COUNDOUL, stops a LaBrocca shot after LaBrocca beat Miller on the wing. Red Bulls get lucky there.

Henry with a look but misses it badly.

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29th Minute– Great chance for Toronto, but Saric's cross flies across the NY goal mouth and White can't get to it.

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26th Minute– Henry gets flattened as he tries to dribble at a defender. No call on the shoulder charge. He's been quiet so far today.

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25th Minute– Henry and Angel combine as Henry forces a corner with his shot.

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20th Minute– Right now you wonder when Henry and Angel will really get going in this match. Toronto is doing well to halt service, but at some point they need to impose themselves.

Richards looks very lively today and may be the Red Bulls best bet for a goal today.

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17th Minute– Albright fouls Saric, avoids a yellow despite protests from Toronto players.

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16th Minute– LaBrocca OFF THE POST, dangerous sequence for TFC, but Coundoul makes a clutch save to follow up the woodwork rattling.

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14th Minute– Nice work by Attakora to stay with Henry and keep him from getting a shot off.

Down the other end and White forces a yellow card on Mendes. Strong young striker gives TFC a free kick above the left corner of the area.

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11th Minute– Coundoul saves a Mista shot. Nice run by the Spanish striker. Looking better and better.

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8th Minute– Will we see Miller and Albright get into the attack more with TFC fielding a diamond without true wingers in its midfield?

DeRosario should have more of an impact today than in their last meeting. Last time, he played as a second striker and struggled for service. Today he should see plenty of the ball.

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6th Minute– Still waiting for Toronto's offense to get going. The combo of Mista and White up top will be interesting to watch. White's a strong player while Mista could find some space off him.

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4th Minute– Dane Richards is going to cause problems for TFC, though Gargan is better equipped to deal with him than Garcia, who will struggle with Lindpere today.

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2nd Minute-  Lindpere has shown good attacking flashes when playing on the left wing, and today he's already found a chance.

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1st Minute– We're underway and Lindpere looks to be taken down in the penalty area, but no foul called. 

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PRE-GAME– Those asking about the Kandji "paperwork" situation should note that his refugee status makes it tough for him to travel outside the United States. It's not a new issue for him. He's had similar issues in the past that have prevented him from traveling with the team outside the USA.

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PRE-GAME– No DeGuzman or Barrett in the lineup for Toronto, while New York is without Mac Kandji, who stayed home due tot travel paperwork issues.

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PRE-GAME– Here is Toronto FC's lineup:

——————Mista———White—————–

————————DeRosario———————-

————–LaBrocca———–Saric—————-

————————Nane——————————

Gargan——Cann———-Attakora———–Garcia

———————–Frei———————————

BENCH-Conway, Ibrahim, Barrett, Harden, Peterson, Usanov, Hscanovics

Here is New York's lineup:

—————-Angel————–Henry——————

Lindpere—————–Tchani—————Richards

————————-Marquez—————————

Miller——-Ream—————Mendes——-Albright

————————–Coundoul————————-

BENCH– Sutton, Robinson, Borman, Petke, Ibrahim, Ubiparipovic, Stammler

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PRE-GAME– Good afternoon folks. We've got a special 1pm kickoff today. I'll post lineups shortly.

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Comments

  1. Red Bulls put on a clinic against Toronto, I had a feeling they were going to end their undefeated homefield record. As this team gels they’re going to become even more lethal. What a strike from Rafa!

    Reply
  2. What a game! Bravo Red Bulls! Now that is what I call a whooping! Game could have easily been 7-0!

    Here are my player ratings:

    Bouna 7 He was definitely at fault on the De Ro goal but he made 3-4 terrific saves so I decided to give him a 7 because he kept the Bulls in the game early and late!
    Albright 5 Did a good job neutralizing Barrett when he came in but his distribution was
    rarely on the mark when he went forward…
    Mendes 8 He was the MOTM #1 for me… He did a great job marking De Ro, Mista and White (the De Ro goal was Bouna’s fault) and he threw his body around blocking tough shots in the 18 box…
    Ream 7.5 Just a notch lower than Carlos but Timmie is this year’s MLS Rookie of the Year for sure…To hell with Danny Mwanga!
    Miller 6 Held down the left side fairly well and linked up OK with Lindpere… He does make me nervous when he goes forward but he was fairly reliable.
    Richards 7.5 Another good game for Dane… he dusted Gargan quite a few times and made much better crosses to Angel and Titi then usual… He still does drive me a bit crazy because when he should pass he shoots and when he should shoot he passes!
    Marquez 8 A fine rebound game from our 3rd DP… That goalazo should be goal of the week!
    Tchani 8 MOTM #2 He is really coming into form and he could also be a Rookie of the year candidate… Richie Williams should get a raise for pointing out Ream and Tchani to Backe and Soler!
    Lindpere 7 Had a fairly quiet game but had a few forays into the attacking third that were very dangerous…
    Henry 7 The goals will come from Titi… We are so much better with him on the field
    Angel 7 Angel gets his 12th goal of the season with 9 games to go…yes it was a PK… but he has now scored at least 12 goals in each of his 4 years as a Red Bull!

    Subs:

    Salou 4 I still think we should have kept Woly…he would have nailed at least one of those point blank shots Salou had

    Robinson 7 Had only 15 minutes but did quite a bit in that short time including a brilliant goal off one of his own corners

    All in all this was a great game for the Bulls… It keeps us in 2nd place and closing in on Columbus. I am hoping Colorado upset Columbus tonight….

    Reply
  3. Agreed. Only wrong move seems to be keeping Ibrahim over Woly, and since Neilsen’s been hurt, the jury is out on him though he showed flashes in the few games he played. Pretty much every other move has paid dividends. Albright was a steal, Robinson’s been hurt but has played well, Ream and Tchani have been studs, and Chinn, Garcia and Aguedelo all have played pretty well in limited duties. Miller has been solid. Lindpere is an all star. Da Luz hasn’t seen much time, but I’d like to think he’ll do well in the future. And add to that they are always looking for more guys, just a completely different attitude than last year. Henry and Marquez should be decent…

    Reply
  4. Yeah, what happened to those guys? Garcia looked great in the minutes he played. Agudelo has all the tools to succeed, but I think he’s more a prospect for next year. I still like Da Luz’s skills – hopefully he can step forward next year (too late to integrate him this year I think).

    Reply
  5. I agree, I rather see Juan Agudelo in there instead of that fool??

    Or someone like Irvin Garcia or Austin Da Luz someone said earlier that they are both healthy now, might as well give one of them the PT?

    Ives, Is Juan Agudelo elgible for MLS play this year?

    Reply
  6. Really impressive win for RBNY. What a difference a year makes. Last year they couldn’t buy a win on the road, now they come in and play very well against a team that’s enjoyed a huge homefield advantage. Can’t really say enough about the coach and the front office for whipping the team into shape and adding some great players to give this franchise a pulse. I’ve drank the Red Bull Koolaid (or maybe it’s just drinking the Red Bull), but I believe…

    Reply
  7. Well yeah but that is hoping that there is future demand for it as the team’s fan grow each season, Toronto’s fan base has been selling out since what 2007 and therefore it stopped being potential the minute they had thousands of people waiting for season tickets, don’t get me wrong I love TFC but they need to get that place expanded at least 10K ASAP, I want them to do good I would love to see who gets more fans? Seattle who is on their way to 40K (If they get a DP that puts more people in the seats they can) or Toronto with a beautiful SSS with GRASS! Sorry Seattle or who knows maybe the Galaxy will get jealous and expand HDC & lower ticket prices, they should ever since Beckham came it’s been stupid expensive!

    Reply
  8. Ibrahim is terrible. I think they just kept him because they’re paying him a lot and are trying to get something out of him. No doubt that Wolyniec is the superior player. Must be tough for John to watch this hack on the pitch.

    Reply
  9. Yeah, Tchani seems to improve every game and playing with the class of players on Red Bull is great for him, the education will improve the learning curve, I think. He can really boss the midfield at times.

    Reply
  10. Ives, it seems like your loving that Henry still hasn’t scored?

    (SBI-How do you figure that one? I projected him for 10 goals so it’s not exactly making me look good. I think he’s a great player who isn’t fully fit/sharp yet.)

    Reply
  11. Sorry, my surprise wasn’t a knock on you but more shocked in the ineptitude of their management since I thought you were saying they were still in the red given their support. I get what you’re saying and that makes perfect sense.

    Reply

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