Postmatch Toronto
- Thread starter NYCFC_Dan
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Wish he would have asked our when I got a headache,i.e., when I saw him the lineup.
PV lost the game tonight. Plain and simple.
I can't reconcile such a defensive setup with the fact that away goals are critical in these two-legged ties. 1-1 is a better result, if you're away, than 0-0, which is the entire point; the away-goals tiebreaker was created to induce away teams into being more attacking to improve the entertainment value of the fixture. It's not like Vieria is unfamiliar with two-legged ties, so I can't understand why he chose to go more defensive in the away leg. Look to Guardiola, upstream of you, who is happy to play a front 5 (okay, not that we have the squad for it...).
If Pirlo is out, start Lampard and not Lopez. Simple. Lampard is our king of garbage goals and we needed garbage goals.
If Pirlo is out, start Lampard and not Lopez. Simple. Lampard is our king of garbage goals and we needed garbage goals.
So, I'm sitting in the hotel bar after the match and Silvan Petrescu and th while crew from tonight's match just walked in. Pretty funny.
Nope. Talked to one of the linesmen for a few minutes. Nice guy. Agreed with me that the second goal was a likely killer. Had a brief convo about how playoff matches are brutal to ref. Then I decided to let them enjoy their evening.
PV created a team to go out and score goals and then threw his whole philosophy in the toilet to try to bunker out a 0-0. Yes, he brought on Lamps and Shelton. Losing this game 2-1 or 3-2 is much better then just trying to hold 0-0.
Toronto played the EXACT same lineup as Wednesday and were still playing without using subs way into the second half. Bunkering helps them out by letting them control rhythm and conserve energy. I guarantee if those tired players are on the back foot they will make mistakes which lead to goals. And road goals count.
Season is over, folks. NYCFC will bounce back and most likely win on Sunday, but because they will give up a goal to Toronto, they need to beat Toronto by 3 goals. Not happening. Toronto has only lost by 3 once in the regular season (to the RBNJ where they got stomped on early and then TOR got red carded).
Imagine this - even if NYCFC is stomping TOR and winning by 3 goals, TOR is just one goal away from advancing. TOR is not Columbus or Chicago. They will not get blown out.
Toronto played the EXACT same lineup as Wednesday and were still playing without using subs way into the second half. Bunkering helps them out by letting them control rhythm and conserve energy. I guarantee if those tired players are on the back foot they will make mistakes which lead to goals. And road goals count.
Season is over, folks. NYCFC will bounce back and most likely win on Sunday, but because they will give up a goal to Toronto, they need to beat Toronto by 3 goals. Not happening. Toronto has only lost by 3 once in the regular season (to the RBNJ where they got stomped on early and then TOR got red carded).
Imagine this - even if NYCFC is stomping TOR and winning by 3 goals, TOR is just one goal away from advancing. TOR is not Columbus or Chicago. They will not get blown out.
Lopez can be taken off all he wants. Why was he starting? Lopez, like Bravo, is in the squad to kick people, take yellows, and break up attacks. In the away leg of a tie, you have to ATTACK.
The headache happened exactly at 60min. It was a planned sub and that was the excuse to let him sit down in the middle of the field.
If that happens, I'm content. Seriously. Did anyone really expect this team to be in this spot? Sure, we should have made the playoffs this year, but the second seed in the East? I want to see the team show up next week, I want them to make Toronto sweat. But if that's all we get next weekend, it's been a great year. Hopefully they improve some of the team's weak spots and come back strong next year.
They were five games away from a championship. With the parity in MLS, all you need to do is get a top seed, play a few good games and win a championship. No guarantees that "we'll get them next year".
Ask Columbus or Portland how they feel. Remember how good New England looked 2 years ago? Out of the playoffs and in shambles now.
Plus, with the older players like Lampard and Pirlo, they get older every year. Heck, even Villa will start to decline, maybe even as early as next year. When you get a chance, you need to win it.
I agree with you, but to be in this spot two years into the franchise, after last year, is pretty remarkable. We were (arguably) the underdog going into this series anyway, since the only reason Toronto fell out of the top 2 was Giovinco's injury.
Listen, I want them to win this thing. I want them to go all the way. But sometimes you have to be realistic with your expectations. They're not a top-4 team in this league, not with their defense the way it is. This is a good team, but this realistically isn't the kind of team that deserves to win a title this year. I hope they continue to work on improving the backline -- if they do that, then I'll believe they're a team capable of winning a trophy.
Also, why are you speaking in the past tense? We're behind the 8-ball, but this thing is far from over.
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