With the Toronto FC season very much underway, there is a general sense of optimism amongst the team and its fans. Four points from the opening two games, all on the road, is a very good return.
However, there are some causes for concern for this team. Goose Gossage will not be pleased with the nerd writing this article, but taking a close look at the numbers and tactics helps tell the story.
- Toronto FC had more of the ball versus City, but didn’t use it properly
The Reds were content with not keeping the ball at all and catching the opposition on the counter in the game against the New York Red Bulls. The game-plan worked perfectly. Against City, Toronto had more of the ball.
Speaking quantitatively, Toronto FC had more than 50% of possession against the Red Bulls for just five minutes the entire game. Against New York City, Toronto had more possession for 20 minutes. The problem? Toronto did not do a lot of good with the ball and numbers suggest that.
Toronto players attempted to dribble past New York City players on 19 occasions, succeeding just six times and giving up possession 13 times. In their season opener, Toronto attempted just eight take-ons, succeeding in four.
Even though Toronto FC had the bulk of the possession for 15 more minutes than their last game, they still managed the same amount of chances (7). All in all, Toronto FC were not economic with the ball this game and will need to manage possession better going forward.
- How New York City gained the early lead?
Greg Vanney revealed that he was surprised by the change in formation to 3-4-3 by New York City coach Patrick Viera. What looked like a midfield four ended up being a packed ‘box’ type central midfield. City deployed the midfield in packs of two, with Andrea Pirlo and Federico Bravo playing behind Thomas McNamara and Khiry Shelton. Mix Diskerud and Tony Taylor played slightly in front of the midfield and behind David Villa, playing mostly central roles. This resulted in New York outnumbering Toronto’s midfield.
Patrick Viera is new to North America, but he’s showing he can fit into the culture through his footballing tactics. Specifically, NFL tactics. The packed midfield was created to protect Pirlo’s lack of mobility and insulate him since the Italian isn’t really a fan of defending. He was kind of like a quarterback in the pocket behind his offensive linemen.
The City midfield did a fantastic job out battling the Toronto midfield. City won 18 tackles while Toronto won 11. The Reds were also out dueled 61-49 by City. A few of those battles were lost on David Villa’s second goal to make the game 2-0. The Reds won just nine aerial duels out of 27 attempts. How different is that? Against the Red Bulls, Toronto FC out tackled their opposition 17-12, and out dueled them 61-59. A drastic change is present with aerial duels, where the Reds won 22 aerial duels out of 46 attempts. That’s 13 more aerial duels won than their game against City, and Toronto also got into more battles against the Red Bulls.
New York City were able to dominate the early part of the game and get the early lead by throwing more tackles (40 to Toronto’s 29 attempts) and winning most of the battles with the Toronto FC midfield.
- Greg Vanney continuing to silence his critics
The fans have sacked Head coach Greg Vanney at least twice in the last year alone. Many have noted Vanney’s fault in lacking tactical knowledge and not addressing the defense that lacked ability last year. However, through two games this season, the coach has done a fine job to display his flexibility and knowledge to gain an advantage in a game.
With Toronto down 2-0, Vanney could have panicked and put on another striker to get the goals back, or he could’ve done nothing. Doing nothing would’ve resulted in City continuing to outnumber the Toronto midfield and running over the team. What Vanney did do, was to change the formation into a 4-5-1, with attacking wingers Tsubasa Endoh and Jonathan Osorio going deeper to help the midfield battle.
This move paid instant dividends as Toronto started to control the game and get to City’s architect, Pirlo. As Toronto started to neutralize City’s midfield, they tightened their grip on the game and eventually got their goals. Vanney made another effective move when he brought Benoit Cheyrou into the game. With Toronto starting to lack stability in midfield, Cheyrou brought a calm presence to the game.
It will take a lot for Vanney’s critics to fully be silenced, but thus far this season, he’s done well.
- Youngsters had a rough day
With rookie Tsubasa Endoh getting a lot of positive reviews for his performance in the season opener, and Marky Delgado scoring the go-ahead goal, the youngsters were heralded as the stars of the day. However, the New York City game was a humbling reminder to them and fans that these players are still young and will struggle at times. Osorio, Endoh, and Delgado had tough days at the office. Of course, Delgado was the culprit when giving away a cheap penalty to City, but he was also manhandled in midfield. He was just 25% in his aerial duels, 33% in tackles and had some heavy touches for much of the game. Tsubasa Endoh had a team worst 53% passing accuracy, was 20% in his tackles, and 20% in aerial duels. Osorio’s passing was accurate, but he was 0% in his tackles (throwing just one attempt), and 0% in aerial duels.
Michael Bradley, Will Johnson, Justin Morrow, and Steven Beitashour combined for 50% tackles won, 60% aerial duels won, 18 interceptions and 13 clearances. There is a huge difference when comparing those numbers to the three youngsters. Osorio, Delgado, and Endoh combined for 22% tackles won, 14% aerial duels won, five interceptions, and one clearance. Yes, that is a comparison of four players versus three, but the difference is still drastic. The numbers display the youngsters’ struggle to get into the game, win their battles, and be influential presences for their team.
Main Photo: Mike Stobe, Getty Images
