Goodbye old friend
MONTREAL VS. TORONTO
VOYAGEURS CUP SEMI-FINAL 2nd LEG
STADE SAPUTO
KICK OFF - In Toronto there is no sporting event bigger than this Amway Canadian Championship Semi-Final tonight. We heard rumours of some type of winter sport being scheduled but couldn't see anything on Wikipedia. Luge? L'anyhoo - the only thing left to find out is how hard Montreal Impact are about to play...
2' - Robert Earnshaw making a surprise start and almost puts the semi-final away but counter attack shot dings the goalpost. Si proche!
5' - Every time I hear Jeb Brovsky I picture a frat house fatty tapping a keg. Le bro.
10' - Stefan Frei slides his way out of a dangerous Andrew Wenger charge and clears. "The Goalblerone" putting the body on the line. Suisse.
12' - Great frenetic pace both ways early on. Neither club giving too many inches. Etroit.
14' - YELLOW CARD: Doneil Henry roadblocks the dangerous Wenger. Disque tacle.
17' - YELLOW CARD: Reggie Lambe for having a 1/6 in 6 game. Moutons.
22' - Both teams playing very high lines. Something has got to give soon on the counter attack. Erreurs.
24' - GOAL: Montreal - On cue. An unmarked Justin Mapp cleans up a mess in the area and slots past a sprawling Frei. Merde.
MONTREAL 1 - TORONTO 0 (1-2 AGGREGATE)
30' - L'Impact have got the provolone between the teeth since the goal. TFC on the ropes. Motivés.
33' - GOAL: Montreal - On cue: Part deux - Daniele Poponi goes around Ashtone Morgan like a training pylon. Awful. Très horrible.
MONTREAL 2 - TORONTO 0 (2-2 AGGREGATE)
37' - Just for shiggles Montreal subs in some flash in the pan named Marco Di Vaio or something.
40' - Kyle Bekker with a medium strength long-distance strike. TFC's first attempt in ages. Froid.
43' - GOAL: Montreal - Simple cross seems to pass through 19 different TFC players (yes,even the bench) and lands at the feet of... who else? Marco Di Vaio. Embarrassant.
MONTREAL 3 - TORONTO 0 (3-2 AGGREGATE)
45' - Could not have wished for a worse half. Cauchemar.
(3-2 AGGREGATE)
45' - SUBS: Jeremy Hall and Luis Silva on for Kyle Bekker and Andrew Wiedeman. Kind of like bringing on Marco Di Vaio. But not.
50' - TFC vainly attempting to muster some offence for the important away goal but lack the quality in attack to create real chances.
55' - Wow. Matias Laba better look like Diego Maradona Jr. if things are going to change going forward for TFC this year.
61' - GOAL: Montreal - Marco Di Vaio eats Toronto's "defence" alive before slotting a pinpoint pass to Andres Romero who scores with ease. Who knew you were allowed two good players up front in football? Huh.
MONTREAL 4 - TORONTO 0 (4-2 AGGREGATE)
68' - Montreal more than happy to pass this match into oblivion. TFC more than indifferent to let that happen.
73' - SUB: Ashton Bennett on for the spirited Jonathan Osorio
77' - Pigeon French and cheese references unsurprisingly of little comfort
84' - Bizarre turn of events as John Bostock only one showing any emotion on TFC.
90'+ - GOAL: Montreal - Di Vaio does what he does and turns match into a bigger farce.
MONTREAL 5 - TORONTO 0 (5-2 AGGREGATE)
90'+ - GOAL: Montreal - Farce to disgrace. Andrew Wenger powers home the 6th goal. That's one more in goal difference than the 6-1 win of TFC you're if you're counting.
MONTREAL 6 - TORONTO 0 (AGGREGATE 6-2)
AGGREGATE 6-2
Really? Jonathan Osorio. Why not?
So I guess TFC were resting the "A Squad" (if that's really a thing here) for that big match on Saturday against bitter rivals... the Colorado Rapids? Even if that were true, you will be hard-pressed to find a Toronto supporter tonight who is ok with that. You'd likely find less who will find any silver lining from a match where TFC showed such a lack of vision, skill and, most worryingly, spirit against their greatest rivals.
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Sadly agree with your take. When you wrote "but lack the quality in attack to create real chances" you sum it up. Yes, the back four had some horrible moments in the first half, but TFC lacks the ability to respond with goals.
ReplyDeleteThis game is going to hurt for a long, long time.
Who knew you were allowed two good players up front in football? Huh
ReplyDeletenovel idea... imagine having more than one skilled player on the field too. dare to dream.
so let me get this straight, montreal got their Argie on loan and Paponi on loan from Bologna and we payed 1.5 million for our Labia?
maybe we should stop hiring british soccer people...its the common thread since the start (neilsen is close enough ahving played there)... nowhere on the planet do you find british players or coaches in countries that werent once colonies.
seems the winter experiment scared back to the safeyty of the english speaking world.
The game was lost in the first half, sadly particularly in the centre of the pitch where the central midfield was bossed and lost its shape on too many occasions, exposing the backline far too much. Bekker looked particularly soft in the physical side of the game, either getting outjumped or outmuscled on challenges where he had a postional advantage. Playing in this formation he looked out of his depth today and definitely needed to be subbed at the half. Osorio is quicker and plays grittier but his overall contribution was limited. All four back line defenders were poor at crucial points, resulting in goals, and the lack of support for Earnshaw continues. And even the Welshman isn't absolved of responsibility: he needed to put away that huge chance early in the match.
ReplyDelete