Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012 (R)

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Three at the back , with Harden there , terrible. Ecks isn't a mid, neither is Morgan. I hope Winter plays a back four, Caceido has to be better than Harden. The midfield will benefit from Jdg's return.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

The bad thing for us was that Buddle, Keane and Donovan were the guys who were in the best shape and they all happened to be attackers. Of them, Buddle should've scored had he not tripped over the ball, Keane had a few chances if he would've stayed onside and Donovan...I have nothing nice to say so I won't say anything at all.

Yeah the reffing was poor but they saved our asses on some questionable offside calls.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Only with CONCACAF refs can you handle the ball outside of the box whilst also going studs up into an opponents thigh and then have your opponent get the yellow card.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I come in peace! You guys surprised us last night, and it was a very entertaining game. Kudos as well to keeping this thread in general classy.

One note: You guys are bagging on the refs a bit. These are the same refs who gave you your first goal. That was a goal kick, not a corner. Showed on the replays last night that the ball went off the sliding player's thigh - not LD. So I wouldn't complain too hard. Not trying to be a jerk or anything, just something to call out.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I think, in general, fans/supporters in Toronto are no different than those in other cities....that is we will remember every call that goes against us and forget everyone that goes our way. Your right, of course, that was a goal kick and not a corner...but (as we probably would too) you have gone the extra mile to say the goal was given to TFC....the corner still had to be taken, and the resultant play had to be made.

In any match there will be calls that go each way and, likely, both sets of fans will, at some point, feel agrieved........that was one of them, sure, but the ref did not "give" TFC the goal...he gave TFC a corner in error (well to be fair, he got absolutely no help from his assistant on the play).

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

perhaps then you can agree that the reffing was just plain terrible. Making bad calls for both teams doesn't make it fair, it takes the game out of the hands of the players which defeats the point of playing the game.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I thought the reffing was "meh." I've seen worse - notably when LA played Morelia in Mexico last year (Robbie Keane's disallowed goal).

Totally agree on the impact of bad reffing, just thought it ended up not impacting the game for either team that much.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Even though he "gave" TFC a goal?

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I understand your point, but the play would not have resulted in a goal had the corner kick not been erroneously given in the first place.

With that said, I didn't feel it impacted the game because you guys deserved those two goals. You came out roaring, and it took us the first part of that half to get settled and get over our "WTF!" reaction.

I'm hoping though that we'll be more settled on 3/14 - you saw flashes of it last night. You'll see a more organized LA Galaxy that day - with a starting XI that has had more than two practice sessions together. I also hope that Bruce rests the team against RSL. You guys should be thankful you don't have a game this weekend like we do. LA fans are hoping Bruce plays the scrubs. Although RSL are rivals, that game is far less important right now.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Yeah, I'm hoping to see an even more exciting game next week. I'm also pretty optimistic that we can play better than yesterday. We get Julian De Guzman back from suspension and if you divide any number by zero you get the number of times better he is than Dunfield. So expect our midfield to be more threatening than it was last night.
Also we all know how most LA fans would want Bruce Arena to approach this game (rest the stars this weekend, and go for a big win in our game), but I'm wondering how you think he'll most likely play this game. do you think he will rest the starters in the season opener? also how do you think he'll approach the game itself, does he play a defensive game since you have the two away goals, or is he likely to go all out?

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Based on Bruce's surprising offensive subs last night (3-4-3 formation with Stephens and Barrett), CCL is priority #1. LA wants to win. All he has talked about in the offseason is CCL. AEG outfitted LA during their Southeast Asia tour with CCL shirts.

So I expect to see a somewhat scrubby line-up on Saturday. Beckham doesn't dress, Sarvas in his place - like we saw in pre-season. Juninho plays to keep him ticking, but gets replaced by Michael Stephens at some point in the second half (minute 60?). Buddle plays to keep him ticking - also gets subbed early and replaced by Noonan.

Keane either hits the bench or doesn't dress. Barrett starts with Buddle.

Backline + Saunders plays - they need the time to get organized. However, Meyer may see time here to test out another CB option for Wednesday.

The one question mark is LD. He may need time to get up to speed after being ill for three weeks. So he may start, but again, get yanked early. So the three subs: Juninho, LD and Buddle. So if I had to guess:

Buddle/Noonan Barrett
Magee Sarvas Juninho/Stephens LD/Cardozo
Dunivant Meyer AJ Franklin
Saunders

As for Wednesday - we play the way you saw in the second half. We just needed to come out more ready. And the grass and wide pitch of the HDC will enable that. I expect a ton of possession for LA, and you guys trying to score on the counter. Line-up will be the same, with the possible exception of Meyer for Boyens pending his performance on Saturday.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I'll agree that Frei needs to take better control of the box and was partially at fault for the first goal, but I have to give 90% of the responsibility for the first goal to Eckersley. If you watch the replay he just stood there ball watching and left Magee wide open. He only moved to cover Magee once it was too late.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

watch again. Eckersley was where the ball was going before Frei tipped and redirected it to Magee. If Frei hadn't touched it it would've fallen right to Eckersley

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Or better yet, we and eck (and wee eck for fans of The Broons) have every right to expect him to catch the ball rather than swat at it like, frankly, an amateur.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Or punch it firmly over the bar for a corner. That would also have been an acceptable move if the keeper realizes he might not be able to catch it. It needs to either be caught or put out of play.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I had to stop watching replays of that play.....the ball just looks easier and easier to catch every time I see it. He is a big, athletic keeper, the ball was at a height where he did not even have to jump that high, it came from a distance that gave him time and at a pace that was neither a lob nor a "driven ball" it was a "hard(ish) chip" and at the end of a move that developed........I am sure that Eck had him catching it....I know I did.

Frei is an ok keeper....and I am not blaming him for TFC not winning the match....I just don't get why sometimes (in our sport and hockey) people are sometimes a bit shy to say ...."man, the keeper blew that one"....he, like any player, can and does make mistakes...that was a bad one.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

It's Frei's major weakness. He simply doesn't deal well with crosses. Being a fan of another team (Werder Bremen) with such a keeper, it's certainly frustrating. Like Bremen's keeper Tim Wiese, Frei has excellent reflexes and seems to handle 1-on-1s pretty well, but can be counted on to flub a cross once every few games.

From the stands, it didn't look like an easy catch by any means, but I was expecting a big punch out of the box at least. When he gave that tiny swat, my first thought was "Are you ********ing kidding me?" even before the ball fell to Magee.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Kind of late, but I come in peace (with cookies).

Amazing atmosphere! Am-az-ing! Couldn't have been better! I have to admit that I laughed at David Beckham being covered in streamers...the first few times it happened anyway. I thought he was being fairly patient about the streamers initially, but by the 88th minute he had pretty much had it.

TFC did their fans proud. I think TFC is going to be a team to be reckoned with this year based on their performance. What a way to come out of the gate for the first game of the season.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I had two reactions to the streamers.....

1. First reaction was "what, I thought we were past that"
2. Then I thought that, wow, this is a pretty positive sign about any lingering pent up demand to see TFC play. They myth of sold out every game for the past few seasons has probably kept some people who wanted to come to games from doing so (on the belief that they could not get tickets) and the game being at SkyDome probably made a lot of those people "grab their once chance" to get out...and of course, not having been over the past couple of years, they would know that streamers are "very 2008" in MLS terms.

Totally agree...beer cans and water bottles are just an embarresment and i think a tip of the hat should go to Mr. Beckham for his post match remarks...recognizing that it was a few isolated yahoos and not making a huge deal out of it.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I thought the streamers helped a lot, actually, it was clear they were frustrating Beckham in the "god, that's annoying, and it's ruining my concentration" sort of way. The beer can, one the other hand, seemed to frustrate him in an "oh, f*** this, I want to destroy this corner" sort of way, which wasn't exactly ideal in the 89th minute...

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

Not ideal to provoke him (in addition to the stupidity of throwing a beer can at anyone at any time).

That said, this whole "LA scored because Beckham was pissed about the can" thing is silly. That was a garbage goal where the ball pinballed off three or four people on its way into the net. It had nothing in particular to do with how Beckham delivered the ball from the corner.

 

Re: Pre-Match / Match / Post-Match Thread - CCL - Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - March 7, 2012

I still maintain it had more to do with making a substitution on a corner so there was a guy in there not sure what to do....even that can't be blamed entirely for the goal but moreso than Beckham's delivery.....it just makes a good headline for the paper "Donovan from Beckham in last minutes!"