At Least it was Exciting

I have come up with a new moto for Toronto FC.  It is that if you can't be good you should at least be exciting.  They lived up to that moto against DC United in what had to be one of the most exciting games in recent memory.  The game was a 3-3 draw in the end but along the way to that final scoreline there were talking points left right and centre. 

The game kicked off with DC United's keeper being sent off in the 7th minute thanks to a nasty two legged tackle that sent Avila flipping through the air.  After chatting with his assistant the ref decided that the right move was to send Hamid for a very early shower, if he even needed one after only 7 minutes played, and I think it was the correct move.  Watching the game I knew that things were only going to get more lively from there.  The stage was set for TFC to go on and get their first road win of the season but we all knew it was never going to be straight forward like that.  TFC found a way to commit three major mistakes, one by Frei and two by Iro that allowed Dwayne De Rosario to net one of the easiest hat tricks you will ever see.  TFC answered back with goals from Marosevic, Koevermans, and even one from Julian De Guzman.

If you want a nice summary of the match then you came to the wrong place.  Instead I want to focus on the emotional roller coaster that TFC took me on last night.  Coming in to the game I just had that feeling that DeRo was going to put in a performance and i guess he did just that last night even though one of his goals was a penalty, one was misplayed by the keeper, and the other was basically gifted to him by Iro.  I will give credit where credit is due and say that DeRo did well to take advantage of the gifts that were being given to him by his former side.  I do not agree with the sentiment that I am coming across today that this game shows why TFC should have paid up and kept DeRo.  Instead I still think that letting him leave was the right move for a club that is looking to rebuild.  He is a very good MLS player and a proven goal scorer but Toronto needed to take that one step backwards so that they might one day to able to move a lot further forward.  The fact that DeRo scored a hattrick left me with a bad taste in my mouth but the one positive that I can take from it would be the fact that if DeRo is on form come the fall it will be a massive boost for the CMNT.  So I guess we can thank Andy Iro and the rest of TFC for giving him a confidence boost.

At the exact other end of the emotional roller coaster that was this match was watching Julian DeGuzman score a screamer of a long range goal.  The only thing wrong with his first goal for TFC was the fact that the ref should have never allowed it to happen since DCU were in the midst of making a change when JDG decided to take a quick freekick.  Again if you look at this from a Canadian perspective it is great news.  JDG will be a key member of the team and if he discovers any sort of his form from before he joined TFC then Canada will be in much better shape.  The end result of JDG's goal was DCU coach Ben Olsen being dismissed from the sidelines having just flipped his lid in reaction to the goal being allowed to stand.

The last part of the game that I want to cover is how I felt about Iro and his performance.  He was complete shit but I do not give him the entire blame for that.  TFC played much of the second half with basically only 2 actual defenders on the field and Iro was not getting much help at all.  He is a decent MLS defender but he needs to have a stronger partner in centre back.  He is not strong enough or confident enough to control the middle of the pitch without somewhere better there to help him.  He needs to play better then he did last night as the second goal was all his fault with him failing to clear the ball but the penalty he conceded was a real team effort.  He was not the only one in the box that was failing to clear the ball, just happened to be the one who got caught bringing the man down.  So blame him for one goal if you will but blame the entire team for the lack of defending that was going on in this game.

So like I said if you can't be good at least you should be exciting and at the moment TFC seem to have that covered.  I like the fact that they are scoring more goals, I have been impressed by some of the new additions to the side, not just Frings and Koevermans either and I think that even if the results are not coming in yet the team is going to be better once things settle down.  Games like this are giving me lots of reasons to be excited for 2012 and the chances of the team being in a position to be more competitive but before that I am just pleased that TFC are going to be a more entertaining team to watch down the stretch even if the playoffs are quickly fading from reach.

Another Day, Another Deal

So this afternoon Toronto FC made yet another players move.  This time it was a trade with FC Dallas that saw TFC swapped Maicon Santos for Eric Avila.  At first look many might wonder why TFC have moved Santos as he has basically been the teams top scorer all season but that fact of the matter is that for the most part Santos has failed to live up to his price tag.  He was one of Toronto's top paid players and as such the club should have expected an even better return from him than 10 goals in his 32 matches for the club.  Avila on the other hand represents another move towards youth and potential for Toronto but he is also capable of jumping right in to the starting lineup.

So let me now introduce you to Eric Avila.  He was drafted in the second round of the 2008 MLS Super draft having come out of UC Santa Barbara a year early.  He ended up with FC Dallas where he was in his fourth season and made 58 appearances.  As an attacking midfielder he scored only 3 goals for the club but what he has to offer goes beyond the stat sheet and his goal tally.  Avila is a dynamic player who has the ability to create space in the center of the field as well as being able to create chances for those around him.  At only 23 years of age Avila still has some time to mature and develop his game so he may yet reach his scoring potential.  Avila showed that potential when he was in college where as a junior he was nominated for the Hermann trophy.  While at UC Santa Barbara he played in 66 games scoring 15 goals and collecting 18 assists. That is an impressive scoring record for a midfielder at the college level and it is just that kind of potential that TFC will be hoping he begins to show in the MLS.

Avila is an American born player who comes from California.  He played for the US national team at both the U-17 and U-20 levels a total of 30 times.  He was also a part of the US residency program that was set up in Bradenton, Florida which he joined in 2003.  Avila is very much one of the players who shows the fruits of the US national teams efforts to develop young talent and TFC will now be hoping that he continues to develop and reaches the level where he can play at the senior level. 

So Toronto have gotten younger and a bit more potential which is the point of a rebuild.  For that reason I think that this is a great deal for them.  It continues to develop the team in the way that Winter has said he wants to since Avila is a creative player who is capable of playing something similar to Total Football.  The other good part of this deal from a TFC point of view is that they are saving money on salaries as well as adding another international roster spot.  All in all it was a good move for TFC and hopefully it sets the stage for a good result tonight.

Interesting facts:
1. The addition of Avila brings TFC within one player of breaking the MLS record of 36 players used in a single season.

2. Aside from home grown players only 5 players are left on TFC from the 2010 squad and two of them are keepers (thanks to Luke Wileman for that one)