Photo by Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports
By AARON CRANFORD
Two of the Eastern Conference’s best met at BMO Field on a rainy and windy Saturday, and while Toronto FC gave D.C. United fits all evening, neither could find the breakthrough in a scoreless draw.
Toronto was on the offensive a majority of the first and second half, as D.C. United was content with absorbing the pressure being made by Toronto’s dynamic trio of stars.
The Reds were unable to make a move up the table to catch D.C. United, who currently leads the Eastern Conference, and with the 2015 Gold Cup starting, TFC may rue its missed opportunities even more, as important pieces like Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Jonathan Osorio are set to leave the club to compete at the international stage.
The first real chance came in the 28th minute when Sebastian Giovinco kept the ball in near the end line, cut in toward goal and picked out Altidore in the middle of the box, but the U.S. Men’s National Team forward couldn’t put his header on frame.
Against the run of play in the 33rd minute, Luis Silva blasted a shot from just outside the top of the penalty area, and Toronto goalkeeper Chris Konopka quickly dove to his right to save D.C.’s first chance on the day.
In the 38th minute, Osorio had a wonderful chance to give the hosts the lead, but his rolling effort went just wide of the post, much to the delight of Bill Hamid, who couldn’t reach the shot attempt.
TFC kept the pressure on in the second half, and in the 63rd minute, Giovinco came close to breaking the deadlock after working his way inside the box, but his blast sailed over the bar. In the 67th minute, it was he, again, who attempted a strike, this time from the right, but Hamid dove to his right to save the low shot.
Giovinco didn’t stop trying, and he attacked from the right once more in the 76th minute, but the shots just weren’t hitting the back of the net for the Italy international.
And D.C. United remained strong until the final whistle blew.
Toronto FC will head on the road next Saturday, as it plays the Los Angeles Galaxy. Meanwhile, D.C. United meets Philadelphia at PPL Park on Tuesday.
When 100% healthy, Seattle is probably the best team.
DC United is the best team in MLS. The Supporters Shield is theirs, especially thanks to Klinsmann not picking any of the DC players for the Gold Cup. DC United should target not losing another game for the rest of the season.
When the game is on the line and you need your best players on the field, ALTIDORE gets replaced for ROBBIE FINLEY in the 70th min!!!!! Wow….. We are in big trouble if Jozy is leading our attack in the Gold Cup.
Bradley was a beast as usual
Birnbaum and Boswell were solid in the DC defense (repelled Giovinco, Bradley and of course Altidore).
re: Jozy, so you’re complaint is that a striker was subbed off after 70′?? and that somehow means that he’s not a good player? I think a little perspective might help: Jozy started the first 10 games going the full 90 in all (5 goals, 2 assists), he started and was injured in the 11th game, he missed 2 games due to said injury, he then subbed in for 2 games and then started the last 2 games-going 65′-70′ in each(also these last 2 were DGWs) with 1 goal and 1 assist in those 2 games. Sounds like he’s “been on the field” when it made sense. the only logical conclusion is that they’re easing him back from a hamstring injury while probably keeping in mind that he’s about to go to the Gold Cup, so they’d rather not push him too hard in a DGW.
and before you start with “Jozy apologists… etc” I would have said the same thing about any player with this pattern. he went a full 90 in all of his games pre-injury, missed 2, subbed in 3 and played 65+ in each game of a DGW…
hyperbole kills
pardon me, he didn’t have that last assist as i thought, but still a goal in his first two starts back from injury and helped team to 4 points from 2.
” the only logical conclusion is that they’re easing him back from a hamstring injury”…..this is so far from being logical. If you watched the game in Montreal he was a step off all game and just happened to get an over the head pass from Bradley which he got again in the DC game too but just couldn’t put it away. We cant rely on a striker that complains all game. He didn’t even go straight to Bradley after he scored because he wanted that pass from Giovinco. He just turned around and started walking away. Bradley has started to combine well with Giovinco who has been single-handedly orchestrating the TFC attack. If you are playing the number one team in the Eastern Conference with the score at 0 – 0 you need your best in the game, on the field at all times, and you get subbed off for ROBBIE FINLEY in the 70th minute then they “are easing him” because he’s not delivering…….that says a lot about the play from our starting striker.
http://www.wearewearside.com/post/2015/01/16/jozy-altidore-one-of-the-worst-but-money-well-spent.aspx
Preaching to the choir here. I have NEVER been impressed with Jozy and do not think the reality matched the hype. JK seems to be the only coach hes had that hasn’t given up on him.
Remember, we beat Holland and Germany without Jozy and Dempsey and we scored a lot of goals doing it. Put Jozy into the lineup in the Gold CUp and we will struggle against strong teams. I really hope JK has a plan B for the GC
+1
thank you….. no Jozy no Demsey and we scored goals!!! I sure hope Klinsmann has a plan
Does Jozy score much with his head?
So, fouling Giovinco again n again is going to be the only way to stop him. He needs to be fouled a few times in the box, maybe then teams will lay off his ankles.