CBC-Sports

One week changes TFC fortunes

October 18, 2009 06:51 PM | Posted by   Jason de Vos  

A week is a long time in soccer.

It is a saying that I used often as a player when trying to lift the spirits of my teammates, after they had been dropped from the starting line-up or suffered an injury.

Things can change very quickly from one moment to the next, and it pays to keep a level head no matter the circumstances. Never get too high when things are going well, and never get too low when things look desperate.

Last week, Toronto FC looked dead and buried. Conceding yet another late goal in their 1-1 draw with San Jose looked like it cost the Reds a place in the playoffs.

Their lack of solidity at the back late on in games has cost them dearly this season, and last week’s result was another case in point.

This week, however, there was no late game collapse as TFC defeated Real Salt Lake.

Sure, there were some nervy moments. Like myself, everyone in attendance on Saturday at BMO Field feared the worst when Salt Lake pushed forward late in the game as Toronto collapsed into a defensive shell.

But Brian Edwards, who had a stellar game, produced a string of fine saves to preserve the clean sheet. He and his teammates threw themselves in front of everything to give TFC a vital boost ahead of its final regular season game next week away to New York.

Credit where it is due

Two individuals who have come in for a great deal of criticism this season deserve some praise after Saturday’s game.

Chad Barrett is not a cultured goal scorer. He will never likely lead the team, let alone the league, in that department. He just doesn’t have the composure in front of goal to turn the numerous chances that come his way into tallies.

But I thought he was superb on Saturday. He was aggressive in his play, worked tirelessly until he was substituted, and he was positive going forward. More of that will go a long way towards winning over his many critics.

Head coach Chris Cummins deserves a great deal of credit as well.

He made the decision to go with a 3-5-2 formation, employing Adrian Serioux in favour of Nick Garcia in the all-important central defensive role.

Garcia’s signing has not brought the much-needed defensive stability that was expected, and it was a smart decision to leave him on the bench.

Cummins also made effective use of his substitutes during the game. Bringing off Chad Barrett and O’Brian White was smart, as both players had run themselves into the ground.

Their replacements, Amadou Sanyang and Ali Gerba, provided fresh legs when they were most needed.

I was a little concerned when Toronto switched its formation to a 4-4-2 in the last 15 minutes, though. Emmanuel Gomez is not a fullback, and some of his decision making right after the switch proved that.

The Reds were never punished for it, and looking at the players Cummins had available to him on the bench, there wasn’t a natural replacement for Gomez to be found.

The change in formation was done to counter the effectiveness of the three and sometimes four forwards that were pushing up for Real Salt Lake.

When they're without a natural leader at the back, the Reds tend to drop deeper and deeper into their own half to try to protect their lead.

The best way to counter the late-game push that inevitably comes when TFC leads is to keep possession of the ball higher up the field. It is a difficult thing to do as a defender, because your natural inclination is to drop back and protect your goal.

Cummins knows that he doesn’t have the players in his squad to maintain a high line at the end of the game. His decision to switch formations wasn’t my preferred option, but given the circumstances and the players he had on the field, it proved to be the right one.

Bad news for the Americans

The U.S. national team suffered two major setbacks this week with injuries to Oguchi Onyewu and Charlie Davies.

Onyewu ruptured his patellar tendon in the Americans’ 2-2 draw with Costa Rica. The central defender could be out of action anywhere from four to six months, which is not ideal preparation ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

But what was more concerning for U.S. coach Bob Bradley is the condition of Charlie Davies, who was a passenger in a fatal car crash last week.

Passenger Ashley J. Roberta, 22, was killed in the one-car accident.

Striker Davies suffered multiple injuries, including a broken tibia, femur and elbow. Davies was not driving the vehicle, and has to consider he's lucky to be alive.

Doctors have said that it could take anywhere from six to 12 months for Davies’ injuries to heal, and he must be considered a serious doubt to recover in time for the World Cup in 2010.

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