Toronto FC 2-1 Tigres: The good, the bad and the ugly (CCL Edition)

Good

The tension of the match. It was totally befitting a “clash of champions”… Michael Bradley and Drew Moor: the only players with bare arms and hands. Are they going to wear tank tops in Monterrey?... Jonathan Osorio’s play throughout the game. He was everywhere – even covering for Bradley on occasion… TFC’s overall defensive performance. Limited the Mexican champions to a mere five shots. Giovinco, alone, had more shots for the Reds… speaking of Seba, he was awesome. In the absence of VV, he was the engine that drove the offence… Gignac playing the entire second half. Always want to beat the opposition when they are at full strength. No excuses… VDW had a much better outing relative to Saturday… Tigres’ goal: the good. It was just the kick in the shorts that the Reds needed… Mavinga’s game-saving tackle at the end of the match… Tigres’ coach (Ricardo Ferretti) all wrapped-up on the sidelines. Reminded me of Kenny from South Park. “Oh my gawd. You killed the kittens. You b@st@rds!”… Delgado’s one-touch pass to Altidore on TFC’s first goal… Delgado’s play, in general… Bradley’s pass to Jozy in the second half… Tigres’ offside trap on Bradley’s free kick. Looked like a Broadway musical… the weather. By the 65th minute, you could see that it had taken its toll on the opposition… all three MLS teams beat their Mexican opponents in the first leg of their respective quarterfinals (still a ways to go, though)… Seba and Eduardo Vargas’ bromance.

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Bad

Tigres’ goal: the bad. That was a completely avoidable lapse reminiscent of Columbus’ second goal on Saturday… Did anyone else catch Justin Morrow’s vanishing act in the second half?... Bono’s habit of playing too far to his left on those central-right breakthroughs. Happened several times last year. This year’s prime exhibits: Zardes, Vargas, and Gignac… Eric Zavaleta’s early giveaways – repeatedly… TFC’s cheap giveaways, in general… the play-acting, especially by Tigres. They looked like graffiti-bananas rolling around on the pitch… Jozy’s heavy first touches. He needs to bury chances like the gift that was Bradley’s pass… Jozy’s claim for a penalty… Mavinga wandering. I am not talking about the goal. In the second half he was out of position far too many times. Maybe because Morrow was hurt/tired and wanted to stay back? Not sure. Chris needs to be on a much shorter leash in Leg 2.

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Ugly

The pitch is finished. By the end of the game, it looked like the moon… Tigres’ dominance of the possession during the first ten minutes. I thought that it was going to be a longggg night… the passing exchange between Mavinga and Bono during the first half. On bumpy turf, with hungry tigers lurking all around. As Steven Caldwell said, my “heart was in my mouth”… Bono’s goal kick to no one in red, leading to Tigres’ goal… did anyone else notice that the CCL logos on the jerseys are just stickers? Like the ones they give to kids at Gate 1. Pretty chintzy. Altidore didn’t even have his on in the first half… those goalie-scarves. Next time: ascots.