Toronto FC 0-1 New York Red Bulls (agg. 2-2): The good, the bad & the ugly

The Good

The passion. The match played like a Toronto–Ottawa hockey playoff game. It was riveting and exciting… Alex Bono’s right leg. What a save! So far, he is TFC’s postseason MVP. Hands (and feet) down!… Drew Moor’s defensive prowess. He used every bit of his body to thwart Bradley Wright-Phillips on slick turf, with everything on the line… the well-timed international break. Greg Vanney now has more than two weeks to figure out a game plan for Columbus, with two designated players out and one on a yellow card… Ryan dos Santos and his cell phone in the Tunnel Club… BMO Field: looking sharp with stands in the north end and boxes in the south...Vanney’s post-game press conference. It was honest and sincere. No hiding from the fact that TFC “has to be better than that”. Now, they just need to do it!

The Bad

Chris Mavinga’s injury. Not sure of the extent, but hope it’s nothing serious. Again, this international break is well timed… the missed penalty that should have been called in favour of Seba (first half)… Victor Vazquez’s free-kick late in the game. Hear me out before you fire back. Vazquez did not violate any rules. But is this what we’ve come to? Are we so desperate for goals that we will exercise these tactics to score? We have “to be better than that”… TSN’s coverage (or lack thereof) of the half-time incidents in the Tunnel Club… Marky Delgado’s play. New York’s high press stymied him and, at times, he looked lost defensively... Justin Morrow’s disappearing act over the past two games. Is he even on the pitch?… once again, Jonathan Osorio has forgotten how to shoot. Looks like his target amnesia has made a vicious comeback… too many cutesy back-heels leading nowhere… Steven Caldwell’s relentless babble about being “surprised” by the incidents in the tunnel… Caldwell (part 2): flip-flopping. During this game, Steven stated that he did not agree with Giovinco’s yellow card in the first leg. Yet, during that first match, he applauded the referee for showing a yellow to Seba (see last week’s G, B & U). I’m confused. Which one is it?

Tagwa Moyo / Waking the Red

The Ugly

A loss at BMO. Especially on a goal like that...the petulant yellow cards. Passion is one thing, repeated ranting is another… throwing beer cans at the referee. He got some calls right, and some calls wrong. But the truth is that this game was a powder keg waiting to explode. His overall performance did not merit that abuse… Jozy’s dive. Again, don’t shoot me just yet. It was a dive, and a bad one to boot. If a Red Bull player had done that, we would be vilifying him… that being said, Sacha Klejstan’s imitation of Altidore was quite hideous. Even when he puffed out his chest, it still looked concave… TFC allowing the Red Bulls to get inside their heads. As the champions of the league, Toronto needs to rise above that. Otherwise, every team will follow the same template… I’m still looking for the offside on the first disallowed goal. The sideline official must have been using the Hubble telescope... Sacha’s ‘stache. No matter where it is - on the field or in the tunnel - it’s still heinous.