On a day where the UEFA Champion’s League final was played between global football giants Barcelona and Juventus in Berlin, everyone’s focus was on the RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, where Canadian side Toronto FC took on D.C. United. Well, not really. RFK Stadium probably lacked the talent and class of the final, but Sebastian Giovinco more than dazzled with fancy footwork and flirtatious football that made us all fall in love with him.
Giovinco has undressed MLS defenders like Sean Franklin, Alvas Powell, Victor Bernandez, and yesterday Kofi Opare was another casualty in the blooper highlight reel of Gio’s victims. Fact is, defenders are finding the diminutive Italian absolutely unplayable. Never has Toronto had a player who can orchestrate the attack on his own in a fashion such as this. With Giovinco on the roster, Toronto had their best game in franchise history in their match earlier this season against San Jose. It’s not necessarily hard to achieve that, since Toronto hasn’t made the playoffs since they joined the league eight years ago, but it’s still eight years.
The talk of central midfielder Benoit Cheyrou’s calm and composed distribution is not even a big deal anymore. Media members find themselves writing about the Frenchman’s tactical awareness and passing skills weekly. Whether it’s getting his team out of trouble with a pinpoint pass, or a 30-yard ball to create an attacking opportunity, Cheyrou has been an absolute revelation for Toronto. Against D.C. United, Cheyrou was given the armband in Michael Bradley’s absence, and he showed that not only he can pick a pass, but he can also throw some mean tackles. With a captain’s performance, Cheyrou is turning out to be one of TFC’s best signings of the season.
Michael Bradley has been a different animal since switching to an advanced midfield role. Early on, Bradley operated as more of a deep-lying holding midfielder as he does for the US men’s national team, but credit has to be given to head coach Greg Vanney for Bradley’s switch in roles for TFC. Vanney noticed the instability in midfield as Bradley looked out of place. With Bradley playing deeper, his ability to attack was not utilized.
Vanney had been criticized greatly since the start of the season for his lack of tactical eloquence. There were criticisms made when Toronto had a crisis at center-back earlier in the season and he elected to play Justin Morrow, a fullback, down the middle; instead of creating a new formation to play to the squad’s strengths. Vanney has definitely silenced his critics after employing the 4-3-1-2 formation. Adding extra insulation to the defense while allowing a mercurial talent in Bradley to be a threat at both ends of the field has uncovered another monster on a impressively growing Toronto team- the two-headed attacking monster of Bradley and Giovinco. These former Serie A competitors have formed a Batman & Robin type partnership in attack that is absolutely flawless on the pitch. The passing play between the two has been simply dynamic. Even though Sebastian Giovinco has been playing one-twos with his opponents recently, having Bradley to pass the ball to adds another dimension to the offence.
As has been mentioned many times, Toronto usually doesn’t get to have nice things, but luck has surprisingly been on their side as another refereeing decision went their way. D.C. United’s Opare was judged to have been offside and had his goal disallowed. Many thought he was onside and this would’ve killed any momentum Toronto had, as the score would’ve been 2-1 United. Also, you know its turning out to be a good year when the city’s whipping boy, Warren Creavalle, has been putting on solid defensive performances. He even scored the game winner against the San Jose Earthquakes. Creavalle’s confidence and impact over the game off his right wing can also be visible when analyzing how Toronto attacked three matches ago, versus now. Against the Timbers, 49% of Toronto’s attack went down the left wing, which consists of Giovinco and Morgan; indicating that Toronto might be turning into a one dimensional team. However, over the course of the next two matches, that percentage reduced to 38% and eventually 33%.
In addition to a little good fortune, it has been a while since a Toronto team has shown real character, and the game against D.C. was a huge testament to the spirit in the dressing room. Missing two star players in Bradley and Jozy Altidore from the start, Toronto FC ended the table-topping D.C. United’s 20-match unbeaten home streak. Vanney asserted that TFC are “real contenders” when asked if he believed Toronto can make a solid playoff run in the East. Everyone probably cried real tears and started praying to the soccer gods to not be jinxed, while the massage therapists of the team probably rigorously massaged Giovinco’s hamstring hoping for no tragedies.
Toronto seem to be a team to watch this season. They will take on New York City FC on June 20th at BMO Field next, welcoming David Villa and company.
Main Photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
