It's a beautiful day today. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the weather situation, it's been extended cold with no relief, but this weekend, it's practically shorts weather.
On one hand, Colorado is about as much of a grey mouse club as they come in MLS, with minimal star power or excitement. They're littered with a few ex-TFC players (Wynne, Buddle, Labrocca to name a few) and they've eeked out most of their wins this year.
On the other hand, Toronto's injury list could probably qualify for the play-offs right now. TFC are missing Defoe, Bradley, Osorio, Rey and Henry from the starting XI as they are all on the mend.
We shouldn't miss our top talents too much against a team that's been coasting on luck, should we?
We'll see.
On to the match!
5' - Hall blows possession just a few feet from the penalty area, but Colorado's best long range attempt sails well over the bar
17' - YELLOW - Caldwell booked for a seemingly deliberate handball just outside of the box. That looked close.
29' - Two chances back to back, Issey lets forth a rocket that nails a defender, but the ensuing rebound is a cutesy lob that beat everyone but the keeper. Solid attempt.
39' - Edson Buddle (remember him?) tortures the back four, but Julio Cesar bails them out with a solid save.
Quote of the Match
He got hit in the little cesars
~ @Hitchorado with a bit of accuracy
43' - Brilliant long cross finds the diving header from Gilberto, but the ball curls around the post.
44' - Bekker is either scared or disoriented as his every touch of the ball results in a pass backwards. Seriously, have some confidence and go forward.
Half-time Mood : Underwhelming. Game still stuck in second gear it appears.
57' - OK, we're awake now. Just a flurry of action in the box, many attempts, solid blocks, nice passes. About f'ing time.
58' - Bekker takes a corner that's a little on the brutal side and skips low, but the clearance isn't much better. Bekker picks up the clearance and floats one into the box finding Caldwell's head but that just goes over the bar.
62' - DeRo gets on the end of a cross and instead of taking the shot (like he should), he lays the ball off for Jackson, who wasn't ready for it and can't get to it before it trickles over the goal line.
67' - SUB - De Rosario comes off injured for *gulp* Weideman. #ooooohboy
76' - Bekker free kick from 20+ years out curls one around the wall, beats the keeper but not the post.
77' - GOAL - Well, that was nuts. From what we could tell, the ball kept being passed, desperately, amongst the Rapids and SOMEHOW they keep finding one another and SOMEHOW it ends up with Edson Buddle 5 yds out with Julio Cesar left to fend for himself who is beaten easily.
ROBINS 0, COLO COLO COLORADO 1
86' - Toronto counter attack with some nice ball movement, cross sent to the left side Gilberto who's half-volley end up right at the keeper. Ugh.
89' - SUB - Hamilton comes on for Bloom
90+2' - All hands on deck as Bekker sets up for a free kick 20 yds out dead centre but his attempt flies over the bar.
FULL TIME : TORONTO 0, COLORADO 1
Man of the Match : Jackson had hustle and caused some problems. Jackson earns it. Jackson.
Goat of the Game : Hall was probably the least effective player out there. He wasn't truly goat-worthy, but he was the most superfluous.
Ref Rating : Equally inconsistent for both sides. 3 out of 5
Kit Spotting : What was with all of the Croatia kits today? I spotted 4 different ones...
I Am Not the Gaffer But : I likely would've made a change earlier than when started, and it only started after DeRo took a knock.
Bekker was one goal away from silencing critics and nearly had it... What is with the turf? It looks all spongy and fragile. Perhaps the break will allow the grass to finally root... The lack of Bradley must have meant instituting a 'no-play-through-the-centre-of-the-park' policy. A little disturbing resorting to the wings when attacking from the back... Where the hell did the sun go?... After the home opener buzz, it was back to square one as many supporters opted not to make it for the kick-off... I'm still not sure about Gilberto. He probably is the goods, but I just haven't seen conclusive evidence. I want him to deliver... Secretly hoped for DeRo to bag one. He kinda needs one. Or at least set one up.
Player Ratings : Julio Cesar 6.5, Bloom 7 [Hamilton N/A], Orr 6.5, Caldwell 7, Morrow 7, Jackson 7.5, Bekker 6.5, Hall 5.5, Issey 6.5, Gilberto 6.5, De Rosario 6 [Weideman 6]
@ignirtoq can't figure out where the time has gone. He knows this is late, but he was working on the Vocal Minority podcast, which is also up now. He will probably take a nap or two today.
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