Tag: New York City FC

NYCFC 1, TFC 0: SUMMARY AND QUOTES

NEW YORK CITY FC (1) – TORONTO FC (0) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

NYCFC – Jesus Medina 51’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

TFC – Justin Morrow 3’ (caution)

NYCFC – Alexander Callens 45’ +1 (caution)

NYCFC – Valentin Castellanos 75’ (caution)

NYCFC – Jesus Medina 90’+2 (caution)

RECORDS

TORONTO FC:                         12-4-5   41 PTS.

NEW YORK CITY FC:               10-8-3   33 PTS.

LINE-UPS

TORONTO FC – Quentin Westberg; Richie Laryea, Omar Gonzalez, Laurent Ciman, Tony Gallacher; Michael Bradley (C), Liam Fraser (Ralph Priso 76’), Justin Morrow (Jacob Shaffelburg 59’), Alejandro Pozuelo, Nick DeLeon (Jayden Nelson 82’); Patrick Mullins (Tsubasa Endoh 59’)

Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Silva, Chris Mavinga, Eriq Zavaleta, Erickson Gallardo, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty

NEW YORK CITY FC – Sean Johnson; Anton Tinnerholm, Maxime Chanot, Alexander Callens, Ronald Matarrita; Keaton Parks (Nicolas Acevedo 82’), Alexander Ring, Maximilian Moralez, Jesus Medina, Gary Mackay-Steven (Gudmundur Thorarinsson 72’); Valentin Castellanos (Sebastien Ibeagha 88’)

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Stuver, Luis Barraza, Joe Scally, Tony Rocha, Juan Torres, Justin Haak

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

Can you assess the performance?

“It was going to be a challenging night, obviously. I’m not going to make anything about players who weren’t there, but we felt like we needed to come out tonight and try to manufacture some chances. I thought right at the start, Michael plays a ball forward to Pozuelo. We’ve got to turn to get a shot off there. I thought Justin had a couple chances in the first half. They had their chances. But I would say half to three quarters of their chances were actually delayed offside calls they either called or didn’t call, which changes the emotion of the game. Because they don’t actually blow the whistle sometimes, but the linesman’s lifting up the flag after the whole thing happens. So, it feels like you give away chances when some of those weren’t actually going to be chances anyways. But having said that, the first half the game was definitely wide open with them getting most of the ball. We were trying to get some pressure on the ball. When that part of the game was over, we needed to just find our shape and defend a little bit more connected. But we’re still trying to get pressure to the ball and getting pulled apart a little bit. We dealt with a lot of that stuff and got through the half. We reorganized a bit just in terms of our set defending. In general, I thought we found our way into the game as the game continued. We had fewer chances in the second half, but we started to gain a little bit more control of the game and start to play in possession a little bit more. But we were fighting against trying to have a good response from the last game, in which we didn’t get out and compete. I thought tonight we competed. I thought guys worked really hard, some of it effective, some of it not as effective as we’d like. But we created some chances we knew we would have to manufacture. We gave up some chances too, but we’ve got to execute on the one or two that we thought we were going to get. Tough opponent, tough situation, but I’m proud of at least the effort the guys put in and then the shift that they put in to try to get something out of the game.”

Is the Supporters Shield still something you guys are discussing?

“It is what it is. We are trying to gain points every single game. Guys who are having to step into spots are trying to step in and make the most of their opportunity. And we’re trying to win games against good teams. So, at least tonight … you know the other night, I thought just the speed of it, we never really got onto it. But tonight, I felt like we did. Points are always a product of being able to execute over the course of the game.  So right now, we’re pretty thin, in terms of the guys who played the majority of the minutes for us over the course of the season. And now we’re in the tail stretch. The five in 15 took a toll on us for sure and, at this point it’s Do you continue to risk guys and lose guys? For the short term …  anybody you lose at this point you’re probably going to lose for the playoffs. So, there’s always that as a Catch 22. We’re trying to work with our doctors. We are trying to work with everybody that’s involved to try to make the best decisions for our guys. So that is where we’re at. And so, the key for us is to try to take as many points as we can but also to try to get our team whole. Because when all the guys are together, we have seen that we’re capable of being the best team in the league. On any given day that’s been proven. So, the question is how do we get our team healthy without losing more guys in this last stretch. And if we can win the Supporters Shield in that process, then that’s what we’re going to try to do. We’re not giving up on it, but we are what we are right now is as a group. And we have what we have. All I’m asking from these guys right now is that they give everything they have to each one of these games. And we work hard to try to get the result we can get.”

Can you talk about the young players, Shaffelburg, Nelson and Priso, who came into the game?

“I’d love to. These are big games. With a lot riding on them. So just for their development and their experiences that they’re putting under their belt. Normally this time of year they probably wouldn’t be the second, third, fourth guys off the bench. But given the circumstances they are. And they came on and they were brave. They went after the game and tried to stay aggressive both with the ball and tried to help us defensively to recover the ball. Each one of these experiences is huge for them. These aren’t meaningless games. These are important games for their learning and they’re showing that they’re willing to get out there and compete and do a nice job for us. And they did. So that bodes well for their learning and their development and their future with the club.”

JAYDEN NELSON – MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

What was is like getting more minutes tonight

“Well obviously it’s a tough loss. I just wanted to get out there and try to make a difference and get a goal or something, but it didn’t happen, we worked hard the entire game, we didn’t really get in our rhythm but it was a tough loss.”

It’s easy to get down on yourselves when results don’t go your way and when the year’s been as crazy as it’s been, but what’s the mood like?

“We’re a resilient group and we work hard in training every day. We’re defiantly going to bounce back from this, we’re not going to dwell on this loss, we still have two more games to go so that’s our main focus right now, we put this behind us and we’re ready for Miami and New York.”

It looks like you’re more comfortable out there after a few appearances…

“When I first started, I just wanted to gain more trust with the coach and I feel like I am and I just wanted to show more of my abilities and see what I can do for the team and show that to everyone, so I guess that’s what you’re seeing.”

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-

TORONTO FC 1, NEW YORK CITY FC 0: SUMMARY AND QUOTES

TORONTO FC (1) – NEW YORK CITY FC (0) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

TFC – Alejandro Pozuelo 90’ (PK)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

NYCFC – Alexander Callens 23’ (caution)

TFC – Pablo Piatti 25’ (caution)

NYCFC – Valentin Castellanos 36’ (caution)

TFC – Nick DeLeon 40’ (caution)

TFC – Jozy Altidore 56’ (caution)

TFC – Jayden Nelson 64’ (caution)

NYCFC – James Sands 72’ (caution)

NYCFC – Nicolas Acevedo 89’ (caution)

RECORDS

TORONTO FC:             7-2-4   25 PTS.

NEW YORK CITY FC:   5-6-2   17 PTS.

MEDIA NOTES

  • Chris Mavinga made his 100th appearance for Toronto FC tonight (all competitions), he becomes the 12th player in club history to make 100 appearances for TFC
  • Jozy Altidore made his 150th appearance for Toronto FC tonight (all competitions), he ranks 6th on the club’s all-time appearance list
  • With the clean sheet tonight, Alex Bono ties a club record with 28 clean sheets (all competitions)
  • Tony Gallacher made his Toronto FC and MLS debut in tonight’s match

LINE-UPS

TORONTO FC – Alex Bono; Richie Laryea, Omar Gonzalez, Chris Mavinga, Tony Gallacher (Justin Morrow 61’); Jonathan Osorio (C), Nick DeLeon (Erickson Gallardo HT’), Pablo Piatti, Alejandro Pozuelo; Ayo Akinola (Patrick Mullins 87’), Jozy Altidore (Jayden Nelson 61’)

Substitutes Not Used: Quentin Westberg, Eriq Zavaleta, Laurent Ciman, Jacob Shaffelburg, Tsubasa Endoh

NEW YORK CITY FC – Sean Johnson; Anton Tinnerholm, Maxime Chanot, Alexander Callens, Gudmundur Thorarinsson (Ronald Matarrita 70’); James Sands, Keaton Parks, Jesus Medina (Alexandru Mitrita 70’), Valentin Castellanos (Heber 57’) (Nicolas Acevedo 88’), Alexander Ring (C); Gary Mackay-Steven (Ismael Tajouri-Shradi 70’)

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Stuver, Sebastien Ibeagha, Joe Scally, Tony Rocha

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

Was this a case of a good team winning on a night when it didn’t play its best?

“Yeah very much so. We had a bit of a makeshift group, a makeshift midfield. We tried something a little bit at first just to get … because we just don’t have many midfielders, to get a couple forwards on the field. The game just worked out that way. We just didn’t have much possession and because of that it wasn’t a good shape for us to defend in. So, we had to make some adjustments. Credit to the guys, because guys are playing roles that they don’t usually play. They are doing things defensively that they don’t necessarily always do. The guys, they just gutted it out, they grinded it and they did whatever they had to do. Bones made some big saves, and we had a few chances through the course of the game as well. Even though the game wasn’t perfect, for me, wins like tonight are sometimes more valuable than the wins you get when you play teams off the field. Just for our group, we know we have a group that can play good soccer and tonight is just a character win. I think the guys feel more proud of this win than sometimes, you know, the other wins when we play well. So, I’m really proud of that, just the effort and just a couple of adjustments which slowed them down on the attack in the second half, which gave us a little bit of a chance to recover from a first half that was quite wide open.

Did you have a hunch that Alex was the right man to play against NYCFC tonight? Was it his turn?

“I don’t know if it was his turn. It was something that we had kind of mapped out. We’re just getting these guys opportunities. We’ve got to get everybody games. This season has to be something where everybody is able to move forward. Bones been outstanding in training. He was very good in the game against New England when he played earlier in the year. So, you know he’s showing why he’s capable of playing. So, we’re going to keep getting him games in order to keep both of them ready to go at all times. And we’ve got to continue to build in our depth, so tonight we saw a few more guys that haven’t played in a little while. But they came on and helped contribute towards an important win. So, we’ve got to do that with the goalkeeper position. We’ve got to do that with other positions. We have to turn around in four days and we emptied the tank tonight for sure. And we’re going to turn around and do it again against another good team. So that’s just the nature of where we’re at right now and the way the league is setting up.”

How important was it, after the way the game ended the other night, for the group to get the late result today, and get the win? And then talk a little bit about Jayden’s performance…

“Yeah, it was big. You know there’s obviously been games this year where we’ve had leads and we didn’t close out. We’ve talked about that this week ad nauseum. Just closing out games. But I also think it was just the character of the whole game, just hanging in there. Again, problem solving throughout the course of the game, figuring out better ways to deal with situations. Again, we’re a bit of a makeshift midfield, guys in different positions, and everybody just had to put in the work. So, huge win as far as that.  As far as Jayden, I thought he came in and he kind of grew into the game. At first, it’s a tough game to come into. Because we don’t necessarily have control the ball and control of the midfield. So, he came into the game with a lot of defensive work. I think he learned, even as the game was going, he was learning a little bit positionally. He met the competitive level of the game. He made some good solid plays down the stretch. So, I think these experiences are important. This is where these guys are going to learn. Tonight, was a big game and a big win and he was a contributor. I’m proud of him and he’s going to keep earning his chances.”

What does it say about Alex, being that was just his second start since May 2019?

“Alex has been extremely focused all season. You know, in fairness to him, he trains hard every day.  His mentality has been great just. He’s just buying his time for his opportunity. And the two opportunities gotten so far this year, in what’s obviously been a stop-start season, he’s been fantastic. So, I think a lot of that is a tribute to just where his mind has been during the season. He just works every day. He is working to get better and he’s been a top team guy. And so, when he’s got his opportunity, he’s answered the bell and shown his quality. So, I’m proud of this guy because he’s hanging in there and he’s really doing the work, and tonight he was huge. He really made some huge saves for us.”

ALEX BONO – GOALKEEPER, TORONTO FC

Impressive performance tonight, what’s been the key for you to stay sharp and focused

“I feel like I’m training as well as I ever have and that’s the honest opinion that I feel. I feel really good about my game right now, I feel really confident about where I’m at. Everything seems to be coming together for me. That helps with confidence and obviously everyone knows confidence is a big part of goalkeeping. That’s something that I lacked a lot of in the last few years but from the middle of last year on I felt really good about the way I’ve been playing and really good about my shape, feel like I’m in shape, feel like I’m in form right now I’m grateful to get a game here and happy we were able to get all three points.”

Is that the type of gutsy win that you can build off of?

“Yeah. The game by no means went the way we wanted it to. We adjusted and at a certain point we realized that it wasn’t going to be a game where we could play through them and play out of the back a lot. I told the guys early, we got caught in the back last game, let’s play up early, let’s let the big guys eat, let Jozy and Ayo eat and give them a chance to play us into the game because first 10-15 minutes we were just kind of launching it and letting those two fight and scrap and trying to pick up second balls and that kind of set the tone for our physicality and our fight going into the game. That was the plan from the start by no means was it an awesome performance from us but we found a way and that’s what this is going to be about for the rest of the season it’s extraordinary circumstances and for us to be able to fight and scrap and get three points on the road and not having been in Toronto for a while, that’s what it’s going to be about.”

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-