Match Thread - Toronto FC at New York City FC - July 19, 2017 (R)

Normally I'd really be looking forward to this one. With what seems like half our team away on international duty or injured, however, it feels like a crap shoot. I guess we'll have the chance to see some less frequently used players get some playing time.

 

We're not missing Giovinco and NYC has terrible defending. So long as we can get him the ball, we should be good to score two or three. The game will be decided on how well-organized defensively TFC can play missing so many players. This has the potential to be a goalfest which makes it worth watching regardless of who wins.

 

I'm happy to have Edwards back for this game for two reasons.

First, as a TFC fan, I like him on the team. Maybe he can score his first goal for the team on Wednesday.

Second, as a Canada fan, I like that our team is now strong enough to send him back. Five years ago a player like Edwards would have been starting. Now he doesn't even get a chance to step on the pitch.

 

Here is the list of the missing:

887107737770971136 is not a valid tweet id

 

I would expect that they would line up in a 4-4-2 with something like:

Bono

Alseth - Moor - Zavaleta - Morgan

Delgado - Cheryou - Vasquez - Edwards

Giovinco - Hamilton

Bench: Spencer Endoh Chapman Hasler Hernandez Mavinga Irwin

That is a far cry from our normal quality.....but hard to argue that it is not a pretty decent MLS squad.

 

Realizing this isn't the official line up, it seems likely to be accurate. The team seems to have settled on Alseth as their back up defender of late. I'm a bit surprised we haven't seen more of Mitchell Taintor in that role. He did quite a credible job in his Canadian Championship game against Ottawa.

PS We could also make a fairly decent team out of the players who are away. We just need a goalie and some extra defence.

 

What we do not know, is what the team has in mind for Hasler.....reading what I could find on him, it appears he is a full back/midfielder....which might mean he has been brought in to be the back up (and mid term replacement) for Beitashour....there is a chance that the club lines up in its 3-5-2 formation with

Moor-Zav-Mavinga

Hasler-Delgado-Cheryou-Vasquez - Edwards

Giovinco - Hamilton

 

that is my 4-4-2 from above with Mavinga in for Morgan? I think Mavinga has made it clear the reason he is happy here is that the club is letting him play centrally and not trying to turn him into a wing back/fb.

 

this looks like a 3-5-2 to me

Back at it in the Bronx

Here’s tonight’s @BMO starting XI vs. @NYCFC#TFCLive | #NYCvTOR pic.twitter.com/EOSacVeuiX

— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) July 19, 2017

 

Just tuned in in time to see Villa score an equalizer just before HT 1-1 at the half......seems Morgan scored earlier

 

Toronto has the ball in the net via Chapman in the first minute of the second half. After a minute or so it is (correctly) deemed offside.....couple of minutes later City scrap one into the net and lead 2-1.

23 minutes left to salvage something from this.

P.S. Giovinco taken off injured before I tuned in

 

90th minute penalty earned by Hamilton.....slotted home by double V

2-2

4 minutes time added to play

 

FT 2-2

 

In regards to the disallowed goal, I actually thought that it was overturned by VAR because of the delay. I knew MLS was going to implement it at some point this year but forgot when.

It's a tough call for the assistant because it was bang bang but if he's not sure, he should not guess and that's what it looked like he did.

 

I'm not fussed....if he guessed, he guessed right.

 

Offside was my first reaction too.

 

I'll take it. Given the number of players missing, the fact that it's a tough place to play walking away with something says a lot about this team.