Photo by Dan Hamilton / USA Today Sports Images
By ADAM TROXTELL
A new-look BMO Field apparently hasn’t erased Toronto FC’s inability to consistently win home games.
Playing for the first time in its newly renovated stadium, TFC couldn’t deliver a win for the more than 30,000 fans inattendance. The Houston Dynamo spoiled TFC’s party with a 2-1 win. Boniek Garcia’s rebound from a penalty and a thumping finish by Will Bruin off a wonderful run and pass from Giles Barnes handed the Dynamo their first road win of 2015.
TFC posted a 7-7-3 home record in 2014, and it’s a habit the club will want to break with three of the next four matches coming within friendly confines.
An afternoon of counter-attacking also produced the Dynamo’s first win in four outings. They finished the game with 13 corners and lobbed five shots at Chris Konopka’s goal as the Bruin-Garcia-Giles Barnes triumvirate caused several problems for the TFC back line.
Jozy Altidore kept things interesting by heading in Jonathan Osorio’s cross to the far post with about 13 minutes left. The goal sparked TFC into action, but by then it was too late.
The Dynamo showed attacking intent from the very start, as evidenced by 10 first half corner kick. The visitors controlled much of the first half, and would have been ahead earlier if not for the efforts of Konopka.
The TFC goalkeeper was twice called upon in a six minute span. First, Barnes sped out of midfield with the ball and attempted to catch Konopka out from long range, but a big palm sent the strike up and over the bar.
Later, Nick Hagglund’s giveaway put Bruin in on goal, but Konopka stayed big to deny the striker. TFC was able to get forward a few times to get a shot on target, but a goal at the other end seemed inevitable.
Just before halftime, the pressure created a rough moment for Michael Bradley as he brought down DaMarcus Beasley in the box. Garcia stepped up to score, though Konopka had one final say when he deflected the ball out. It was headed in by Garcia on the rebound to hand the Dynamo some valuable second-half momentum.
That translated into goal number two. Again racing out of midfield, Barnes beat his man to the ball to play a pass over to Bruin who applied the one-time finish in the 53rd minute.
It seemed to suck the life out of the game until Osorio came off the bench to take up the left flank. The winger produced TFC’s first real piece of quality in the 77th minute, cutting inside to curl a cross to the back post where Altidore’s head did the rest. Suddenly, BMO Field leapt to life.
The ensuing 10 minutes or so of TFC charging forward produced nothing more. Konopka nearly had a glorious moment at the other end when he came forward for one final TFC corner kick. He was found wide open for a header, but it went straight into the ground and was easily controlled by Tyler Deric.
After some midweek Canadian Championship action, TFC returns to MLS action on Saturday against the New England Revolution. The Dynamo return home on the same day to face the Portland Timbers.
As a Dynamo fan, I can honestly say I don’t know where in the heck that performance came from yesterday. They actually found out where the goal is. Barnes is going to be special in the long term, and the rumor is he loves living in the States and Houston.
Ironically, Davis was benched. Maybe, he just doesn’t fit with what Coyle is trying to do. Trade to San Jose….
Why was he benched? I started watching the game a little late and figured he had a knock of some sort.
I am pretty sure he wasnt benched. I think he was injured (hamstring)
I know! Let’s get rid of that Laba guy and bring somebody as good for twenty times the money. Brilliant.
Good God Toronto has three very good players and eight awful ones.
Other than Giovinco, Bradley, and Altidore that TFC team is goshawful. How is it that the eight other guys on that roster cannot play – at all?
Their front office has done an absolutely crap-tastic job of finding and developing talent. Other than the DP’s they literally have…nothing. Complete opposite of Seattle or even LA.
They have SOME good players besides the big 3. Cheyrou is arguably 4th best on the team. findley is impressing me as a midfielder tho. jackson can have a decent day. but overall yea man, TFC has a lopsided team (mirroring the lopsided cap problem in MLS). Perquis is pretty bad, Haggulund is OK, morrow and morgan are replaceable at best, osorio is still developing.
further, they’re style of play is way too direct and one-dimensional. they lack the circular movements involving more than 2 players. every pass is obvious, simple and nonthreatening.
That is exactly the problem. Big three? Have you watched TFC last 3 – 4 games?
– Shut down Sebastian Giovinco you shut down the TFC attack
– Bradley and Altidore are not “BIG” in any way and are definitely not worth a 6 million price tag (Lee Nyugen is being paid $175,000!!!!!). There is barely any spark or brilliance in their game so far.
– Cheyrou, tho paid less than Bradley, is a better all round player than Bradley, comes right after Giovinco as an impact player for TFC.
Example of some BIG players on their teams (cant name all hahaha), in other words DP’s that play like DP’s (when they are on the field there is no mistake)
Clint Dempsey
Martins
Kaka
David Villa (tho he had a horrible game yesterday)
Mix Diskerud
Sasha Klesjan
Sam
Wright-Phillips
Robbie Keane
Octavio Rivero
Shaun Maloney
So far Bradely and Altidore, a midlfielder and Striker DUO for the USMNT have proved to be non threatening (the only goal yesterday came through the hard work of Jonathan Osorio) and ineffective that against Houston, RSL, Vancouver and Columbus Crew defenses (Giovinco and Benoit Cheyrou have been carrying the team). They are not currently playing like $6 million men……period
…and we always down Beckerman for his recovery speed – looks who gets beat on the flank, convincingly (and almost seems to give up on the play!), that lead to a goal. Is Barnes even a National team player?
http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-05-10-toronto-fc-vs-houston-dynamo/details/video/38423
So does this mean sounders can make their own 50,000 seat stadium now and other teams will follow tfc by remodeling their stadium.