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The Official TFC/Soccer thread

Dafoe not going anywhere...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/tfc-mls-major-league-soccer-mls-jermain-defoe-ryan-nelsen-tm-bezbatchenko/

 
Looks like Nelson had to go...

A better, more experienced manager would have extracted more out of this group of players?much more. There?s no reason why this team, with the talent it has, should be fighting for a playoff spot at this point in the campaign.

Give Nelsen credit?the man had an extensive rolodex. It?s fair to say that Jermain Defoe, Julio Cesar and others wouldn?t have come to TFC if not for Nelsen. He was THAT connected. Building a roster was Nelsen?s greatest strength. But turning that roster into a team that could win with consistency? That proved to be a bridge too far for him.

Nelsen will tell you, as he so often did, that injuries, poor calls from the refs and plain bad luck were often at fault when things went sour on the pitch. He rarely held his hand up, and preferred to shift blame elsewhere.

Also, his lack of experience at that level:

Considering the state of the club at the time, the situation called for someone who had turned around a troubled franchise before or who, at the very least, had coaching experience.

Nelsen didn?t fit that profile. He had no coaching experience. None. ...admitted he?d never taken a coaching course or earned any kind of coaching license like a lot of pros do who are thinking about a managerial career once their playing days are over.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/tfc-toronto-fc-ryan-nelsen-tim-bezbatchenko-mls-major-league-soccer-jermain-defoe-michael-bradley/


 
The revolving door to the manager's office just keeps spinning. Vanney has been with the academy and working as the Assistant GM with TFC. His previous experience has been with the academies of Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA. He was also an assistant to Robin Fraser at Chivas and holds an A license from the USSF. A little bit better experience wise than Nelsen, but we'll see if it means better tactics on the pitch.
 
Lieweke comments on Dafoe, TFC in general:

?The only two guys in our locker-room that are looking around and going we ain?t going down unless we go down fighting are Michael Bradley and (new manager) Greg Vanney. We have work to do there. We?re not done by any means.?

?I pray that we make it to the playoffs this year,? he added, ?because you all deserve it. But I think we still have some hard decisions and hard work to do.?

Click here for more:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/mlse-boss-says-he-does-not-expect-jermain-defoe-to-come-back-to-toronto-fc/

 
The Toronto FC's Bradley & Dafoe, second and third highest paid players in the league:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/mls-toronto-fc-tfc-player-salaries-jermain-defoe-michael-bradley/
 
Gilberto and Bradley lead the Toronto FC to victory, a 3-O whitewash of Chivas USA.  The win brings the TFC to within 3 points of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/toronto-fc-shuts-out-chivas-usa-to-snap-winless-skid-1.2773564
 
On the comeback trail!  Talk about the winning way!

Three goals in just under 27 minutes, all in the second half, propelled the TFC to a come-from-behind victory over the Portland Timbers, Saturday at BMO Field.

The TFC not only have a very modest three-game winning streak going, they also earned a franchise record 11th win of
the season, it also got them into 5th place in the Eastern
Conference, albeit temporarly..


Coach Greg Vanney called it "a remarkable comeback."

"When I look in the guys? eyes after, they?re believing," he said. "They?re very much believing in what they have to accomplish this season."

The game marked the second time in club history that Toronto FC has overcome a two-goal deficit to win in MLS league play

It also was the 15th consecutive sellout at BMO Field, helping set a league record as the 113th soldout match across all teams this season.[color]

For more:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/tfc-score-three-second-half-goals-to-win-3-2/
 
Found an interesting article about Dafoe and the influence of his mom:

Link

It will be interesting if we ever find out how much of it is true - we will hear what is said after the final game this weekend.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
It's almost funny how many of Leiweke's "victories" blew up in his face.
Click to expand...

With the struggles of both TFC and the Leafs, Leiweke leaving his post in the very near future, his hiring looks like a joke.
 
Benvenuto a Toronto, Sebastian!

Sebastian Govinco, the five foot five forward nicknamed "The Atomic Ant" for his blazingly fast speed and dribbling skills, was signed by the TFC with a 4 yr/$7M deal.

Govinco, 28,  played for Juventus (and Parma) in the Italian Series A league and brings the dynamics of versatility to the TFC attack.

Toronto general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said Giovinco was being pursued by many top clubs from around the world, and called the signing of the Italian as ?an important moment in the growth of Major League Soccer.?

?At the end of last season we made a commitment to our fans that we would not be afraid to continue reaching for the stars. I think today speaks volumes about that commitment,? Bezbatchenko proclaimed.

The TFC also acquired Jozy Altidore from Sunderland of the English Premier League for Germain Dafoe.

All in all, magnifico!


More:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/sebastian-giovinco-toronto-fc-tfc-mls-major-league-soccer-serie-a-italy-tim-bezbatchenko/
 
Season opening road game for the TFC against the Vancouver Whitecaps.  Toronto wins 3-1 on Jozy Altidore's 2 goals plus some fancy footwork from acclaimed Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco.

The Whitecaps used their speed to take advantage of a slow TFC defence in the first half, but thereafter the TFC got going in the second half to nab the win.

The highlight of the game besides Giovinco outwitting the Whitecaps' Mattias Laba, (considered one of the best defenders in the league), was Altidore's "cucchiaio" or a "chipped penalty kick shot" that caught Vancouver's 'keeper totally off guard.  Well done, Jozy!

For more on this season opener, click here:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/altidore-scores-brace-tfc-defeat-whitecaps/

 
Toronto FC brought back down to earth by Columbus.

Also David Gantar shone prominently in his return match against TFC.  He gave a red card to Morrow despite a clean tackle.    Ganter raised the ire of Toronto last year when he called a phantom call to negate a last minute Toronto win.  Michael Bradley went on a rampage after the game outright calling him a joke who had no business being in the sport.  So good on him for continuing to show how useless he is.
 
MLS's Montreal Impact have become the first Canadian-based team to reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/impact-advance-to-historic-champions-league-final-1.3024358
 
The TFC, unbeaten in it's last three road games, tied the New England Revolution 1-1 on Michael Bradley's brilliant solo effort, cutting through down the middle past all defenders before kicking the ball past New England keeper Chris Konopka.

TFC forward Jozey Altidore seemed to have suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury and left the game.  The TFC do not know the extent of the injury as Altidore will need to be evaluated.


http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/tfc-toronto-fc-mls-major-league-soccer-jopzy-altidore-michael-bradley-hamstring-injury-new-england-revolution/
 
Forza Giovinco!

The scoreboard might as well have read, Giovinco 4  Orlando City SC 1, as the Toronto FC's Sebastian Giovinco scored all of the TFC's four goals, thus sending the Orlando City SC out of soccer orbit.

Giovinco, also known by the nickname "The Atomic Ant" (or, "La Formica Atomica" in Italian) is quite notably TFC's best forward this season, accounting for 16 goals and 10 assists, in total, 72% of the TFC offensive output.  An incredible accomplishment no doubt!

Giovinco has had a hand in 26 of the Reds? 36 goals this season, with 16 goals and 10 assists?or 72 per cent of the offence. Seventy-two percent!

Thanks to the Atomic Ant?s scoring prowess, a Toronto side that has also leaked 35 goals this season is tied for third place in the Eastern Conference and is in the thick of the playoff race. Quite simply, TFC would be at the bottom of the table if not for Giovinco.

?I was sitting with some officials from Orlando during the game and they turned to me and said that Giovinco is the best player this league has ever seen. I think they?re right. He?s the best, and he?s ours,? Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports, told this correspondent and another reporter in the locker-room after the game.

TFC are currently third in the Eastern Conference, well into a playoff spot, and flying high.

Way to go Sebastian!  GO TFC GO!!


http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/giovinco-sets-tfc-record-in-win-over-orlando/


 
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