Toronto FC – Page 4 – The view from left field

TFC 2, PHILADELPHIA UNION 1: SUMMARY AND QUOTES.

TORONTO FC (2) – PHILADELPHIA UNION (1) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

PHI – Sergio Santos 5’

TFC – Ayo Akinola 58’ (Tony Gallacher)

TFC – Alejandra Pozuelo 76’ (Pablo Piatti)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

PHI – Jose Martinez 83’ (caution)

RECORDS

TORONTO FC: 9-2-4 31 PTS.

PHILADELPHIA: 8-3-4 28 PTS.

LINE-UPS

TORONTO FC – Quentin Westberg; Richie Laryea, Omar Gonzalez, Chris Mavinga, Justin Morrow (Tony Gallacher 39’); Jonathan Osorio (C), Marky Delgado, Pablo Piatti (Tsubasa Endoh 86’), Alejandro Pozuelo; Ayo Akinola (Patrick Mullins 86’), Jozy Altidore (Nick DeLeon 53’)

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Bono, Laurent Ciman, Liam Fraser, Erickson Gallardo, Jayden Nelson

PHILADELPHIA – Andre Blake; Olivier Mbaizo, Jakob Glesnes, Mark McKenzie, Matt Real (Andrew Wooten 86’); Alejandro Bedoya (C), Jose Martinez, Jamiro Monteiro, Brenden Aaronson (Anthony Fontana 66’); Sergio Santos (Ilsinho 71’), Kacper Przybylko

Substitutes Not Used: Joe Bendik, Aurelien Collin, Jack Elliott, Matej Oravec, Michee Ngalina

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

Third win over a tough Eastern opponent. Do you applaud your team for finding ways to win or do you think, ‘we’ve got to stop giving up the first goal to put us in a tough situation?

“Both. We do need to stop conceding the first goal. We need to start better. That’s one. But I do think that, by and large, in the last couple of games specifically, not so much in the New York game, we’re starting to control games. We controlled the game, we played the majority of it in the attacking half. We’ve had good possession, we’ve pinned the opposition back. The first half we didn’t create as many chances as I’d like for the amount of the ball that we had. So, we tried to adjust a little bit of our movements for the second half, to try to open up some spaces. I thought we got a little bit better at doing that and creating chances. But with the way the schedule is, with the way everything’s going, and good opponents and teams that specifically defend well like Columbus and Philadelphia, you have got to attack really well and you’ve got to really execute, because you’re probably not going to get as many chances as you get in some other games. And we executed in some moments today. So that’s really good, so you have to applaud the guys for finding ways. But to answer the first part of the question, we do need to stop playing from behind and stop giving up early goals. And they’re not even great goals, that’s the problem. They’re goals that one hundred percent need to be cleaned up.”

You take pride in being able to win in a variety of different ways with this group. How would you characterize this win, because it looked like there were a few themes on the night?

“Yeah, I think that there was some patience involved. Like I said, I felt like in the first half we controlled a lot of the possession, we played a lot of the game in their half of the field, that’s how I felt. But having said that, we didn’t create a lot of chances, a lot of great clear chances. But we are in good areas on the field. We had to manage the transition a few times and crosses things like that, we had to deal with it. Obviously, Q had to make an important save. Part of that was just in the transition, us getting a little bit pulled apart and them having too much space. But every now and then you’re going to give up a shot from distance and Q made an incredible save. But I thought we stayed patient in the idea that the chances and the goals were going to come if we just did the right things and made some adjustments in terms of how we were moving. The opportunities that we were looking for would come. But we had to also be solid defensively. They have two big forwards who are mobile, who are a handful to defend. And for a lot of the game, Aaronson, who plays underneath them, who is quick and shifty. And I thought we did a nice job of making it really difficult for him to impact the game. But those two forwards are handful, especially on balls that are served into the box. Or balls that are played out. But I thought we did a lot of things solid on the night. It’s the first game back after being away for eight days, and so we have to rebuild that rhythm. But it was a good start against a good team. Good start to the five-game stretch. Not a good start to the actual game itself.”

Can you give an update on Jozy and Justin?

“I don’t have great information yet. Jozy, it seems to be it looks like a minor hamstring issue. I don’t know how minor or not minor. He says that soreness is there. We’ll have to see. We don’t exactly what the time frame looks like until we get a scan and we get a sense of what it is. As far as Justin, it was more just calf tightness that started to build a little bit in the warmup. So, we were aware that he was feeling sort of the onset of it, but he felt like he could go, and he could give it a go. He wasn’t sure how long, or if it would continue to tighten. So, we were communicating because he was right in front of the bench, as things were going. He was going to go as long as he felt like he was in a safe zone but if it started to progress then we were going to get him off. So that kind of happens a little bit there before the end of the first half. But he thinks he’s fine. We will get him some treatment. We will try to loosen it up. We don’t think it’s anything specific. We think it might be just a byproduct of a change of surface, or something that’s maybe causing a little bit of that. So how it changes the rotation … obviously we’re down a forward if Jozy’s out for some period of time. That puts Pat back into the rotation. Maybe it brings, at times, Poz back into the middle. There’s plenty of things that we will do to adjust. We’ll miss Jozy because I really felt like he was starting to pick up his rhythm with everybody. I thought he was starting to move in a good way. He was maybe a little bit away from the goal through the course of the first half, but I think that was just a product that Poz was inside a lot so that Jozy was drifting a little bit wider and that was one of the things that we wanted to adjust a touch in the second half but it didn’t last too long for Jozy. So, we ended up moving Poz to the inside and bringing Nick to deal with the outside, and I think that opened up a few things for us.”

JONATHAN OSORIO – MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

Two wins against two top teams in the conference is Rentschler Field beginning to feel like home?

“Yeah, a little bit for sure. We’re doing our best to use it to our advantage and make it a home advantage and we’re trying to do that with the way we play here and getting two wins against two big opponents helps a lot. It helps for the confidence of the team to play on this field and we’re getting comfortable in playing in this environment. It’s not easy, of course we wish there was fans and it’s a much better atmosphere when there is and for our supporters and everything. It is what it is. We’ve been dealing with it for most of the year now, but these two wins definitely help get us more comfortable playing here at The Rent. It’s always nice to win.”

What does this team remind you of?

“I think a little bit of the 2017 team. We’re in a good rhythm right now, we’re playing really good football. I think we played well in the last game and a half against two really strong teams, two teams that are top of the league. I think this team is coming together now. We went through a little bit of a transition in the beginning of 2019. I still think that throughout the whole year we always had that quality it was just getting the system down, getting used to a little bit of a different system and players getting used to the philosophy that we play with here. Once that happened and everything started clicking and guys got healthy towards the end of last year that’s when you saw the quality that we had. Like you said, we were resilient, and I think we’ve brought that over to this year and you’ve seen over the last two games with the come from behind wins. But I think this year we’re dominating games in a better way, in the way we want to and we’re playing really positive football.”

ALEJANDRO POZUELO – MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

Another big game from you, is this best you’ve ever played?

“No, I don’t think so. I had a good period in another team, I know I feel good. The more important thing is the team. We play very good football, we started losing but we kept going and pushing and the three points is the most important.”

Do you set any type of goal to have an MVP caliber year?

“No, this is not my goal. My goal now in this moment is to be fit because we have a lot of games and the most important is not to be injured and try to play all the games possible and working for the team. This is my goal in this moment. If you’re thinking about the MVP (award) this is no good. Now in this moment we need to keep working for the team, we need to keep working in training and this is a good example for the young guys also.”

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POZUELO IS MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH

POZUELO NAMED MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo was voted the MLS Player of the Month for the month of September of the 2020 MLS season.

The Spanish midfielder scored four goals and added two assists across six games in the month of September, leading TFC to wins over New York City FC and Columbus Crew SC. He has been involved in 15 TFC’s goals this season, registering six goals and nine assists. Earlier this season, he was named to the MLS Team of the Week for Weeks 1 and 2 during the MLS is Back Tournament, and Week 6 and 7. This season, Pozuelo has made 14 appearances, starting in all games.

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LARYEA NAMED MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Toronto FC defender Richie Laryea has been named the MLS Player of the Week and to the MLS Team of the Week for Week 14, the league announced today.

Sunday night in East Hartford, Connecticut, Laryea earned two assists and scored TFC’s third goal to help lead The Reds to a 3-1 victory over Columbus Crew SC. This is Laryea’s first Player of the Week award. Earlier this season Laryea was named to the MLS Team of the Week for Week 2 during the MLS is Back Tournament. This season, Laryea has made 11 appearances and scored four goals with two assists for Toronto FC.

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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 100^th appearance for Toronto FC tonight (all competitions), he becomes the 12^th player in club history to make 100 appearances for TFC
Jozy Altidore made his 150^th appearance for Toronto FC tonight (all competitions), he ranks 6^th 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.”

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TFC RELEASES REMAINING SCHEDULE

TORONTO FC ANNOUNCES REMAINING MLS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

Toronto FC announced the club’s remaining nine matches in the 2020 MLS Regular Season today. Toronto FC will have five home matches at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut and four on the road to close out the regular season.

The Reds will play both home and away to the Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls in addition to hosting Atlanta United, New York City FC and Inter Miami CF. TFC’s additional road matches will be at New England Revolution and FC Cincinnati. The Reds will conclude the regular season on Sunday, November 8 against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena for MLS Decision Day. The remaining schedule is listed below.

DATE	OPPONENT	VENUE	KICK-OFF (ET)
Saturday, October 3	Philadelphia Union	Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field	7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 7	New England Revolution	Gillette Stadium	7:30 PM
Sunday, October 11	FC Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium	7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 14	New York Red Bulls	Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field	7:30 PM
Sunday, October 18	Atlanta United FC	Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field	7:30 PM
Saturday, October 24	Philadelphia Union	Subaru Park	7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 28	New York City FC	Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field	7:30 PM
Sunday, November 1	Inter Miami CF	Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field	7:30 PM
Sunday, November 8	New York Red Bulls	Red Bull Arena	3:30 PM

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-

TFC 2, D.C. UNITED 2 SUMMARY AND QUOTES

TORONTO FC (2) – D.C. UNITED (2) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

DCU – Ola Kamara 5’

TFC – Alejandro Pozuelo 17’

TFC – Ayo Akinola 60’ (Pablo Piatti)

DCU – Griffin Yow 88’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

TFC – Nick DeLeon 25’ (caution)

TFC – Pablo Piatti 41’ (caution)

TFC – Richie Laryea 67’ (caution)

DCU – Kevin Paredes 81’ (caution)

RECORDS

TORONTO FC: 6-2-4 22 PTS.

D.C. UNITED: 2-5-5 11 PTS.

LINE-UPS

TORONTO FC – Quentin Westberg; Richie Laryea, Eriq Zavaleta (Chris Mavinga 75’), Omar Gonzalez, Justin Morrow; Nick DeLeon (Laurent Ciman 82’), Jonathan Osorio (C), Marky Delgado, Pablo Piatti (Patrick Mullins 90’), Alejandro Pozuelo (Tsubasa Endoh 90’); Jozy Altidore (Ayo Akinola, HT’)

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Bono, Tony Gallacher, Erickson Gallardo, Jayden Nelson

D.C. UNITED – Bill Hamid; Chris Odoi-Atsem (Erik Sorga 87’), Fredric Brillant (C), Donovan Pines, Joseph Mora; Junior Moreno, Yamil Asad (Federico Higuain 78’), Mohammed Abu (Griffin Yow HT’), Julian Gressel (Moses Nyman 78’); Ola Kamara, Gelmin Rivas (Kevin Paredes 68’)

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Earl Edwards Jr., Axel Sjoberg, Oniel Fisher

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

What went wrong with the team’s defending?

“I think the first half it was very random. Guys were moving all over the place trying to find the ball. We didn’t have much shape. And as we were running all over the place trying to find the ball and trying to create things and leaving spaces open, we become vulnerable in the transition. And in the defensive transition, we don’t control the game. It seems like we normally control the game. It wasn’t anything overly sophisticated or complicated about what they did. It was a pretty straight up 4-4-2, but we have to be more disciplined about the areas of the field that we need to have players in. And we need our players to be in the right positions at the right times and we were very busy. That left us vulnerable in the first half. It cost us a lot of energy in the first half because we end up running at times we don’t have to run, for no purpose. We end up getting exposed in the transition, which means a lot of work in the transition because spaces are open, they get out in those spaces and we need to sprint to recover. And it becomes incredibly inefficient. And we’re on the road and the start of a tough road trip, and we burned a lot of energy for not a lot of gain in the first half. We give away an absolute howler on the first goal, which is never the way you want to start a game. And we come out in the second half a little more structured, we switched some things around to get some structure out of the game, and I thought we had a little bit better, for the first 25-30 minutes, had a little bit better shape in terms of with the ball, moving a little more purposeful, we created a few more chances, got in deeper into their half. But still we started to fatigue. These games a bit of a war of attrition, between travel, between injuries and guys carrying things, and these games come back to back to back, so you try to push guys through. They’re having the same issues as we’re having and we’re thin in the midfield right now and trying to work our way through it. And so, the second goal comes off…our midfield is physically struggling a little bit, so we went with a third centre back, thinking if at least we can force them to put crosses in we will have numbers in front of the goal. We need to protect the middle of the field. And sure, enough they put a cross in and Q (Westberg) comes to get it, calls for it, Omar stays in and heads it. So either Q needs to get it, or Omar needs to clear space for him so he can take it, or Omar’s got to make sure he clears it, so neither of the above happened, so we head it back down and their guy smacks it into what’s a relatively empty net. So, yeah, the other part of it is there’s some defensive things that … we have this sense right now that we have to win every single ball and every single pass, so our defensive shape is at times very impatient, and because of that we expend a lot of energy chasing balls. We just need to be more patient sometimes. We can’t press everything. And tonight, we were … because I think we started off playing from behind … our patience wanes a little bit and we are pushing the game a little bit too much and we’re expending too much energy through the course of it. So, there’s a synopsis of the game, I guess.”

How is Pablo Piatti? He looked like he was injured?

“Yeah, he was cramping. It wasn’t anything more than that, so he should be okay. We’ll hydrate and all that kind of stuff and he should be okay.”

What’s your sense on why you guys are giving up late goals so frequently?

“Yeah, the first 2-2 draw against them was a diabolical collapse of nonsense which is, you know, us giving away essentially goals very similar to the way we did tonight. You know, we lose a ball in a bad place they go on a breakaway. It was reminiscent of the Higuain’s goal against us and that first game. When you collapse like that and you put yourself in a tough situation. The second goal is reminiscent of how they how they scored at the very end. They just a lump of ball into the box we don’t clear it and you know … the last one they nodded it down and they were first to it, and tonight, we nod it down for them and they bury it. So, it’s you know, we’ve got to be a little to be a little bit more structured and cleaner about how we defend when we’re under a little bit of pressure. We’ve been the aggressors in many of these games, which has helped us a lot of times to get on top of the games. But you know, when we are seeing out leads, we need to recognize that, and be a bit more patient about our defensive structure and what we can deal with. And so, it’s something we definitely need to continue to grow at, as a group. Obviously, with guys slightly out of position, doing different roles, especially in the midfield, some of that structure gets a little bit lost in the midfield. But guys are putting in a heavy shift and they’re doing everything they can. It’s just sometimes they’re not used to the specific roles they have, so we’re trying to work through some of that as well. So, it’s the nature of the beast right now. Again, a lot of teams are dealing with it. We can’t give up silly goals like we did at the beginning and we have to do better to clear balls when we’re under a little bit of pressure at the end of games. That’s been a big chunk of it.”

AYO AKINOLA – FORWARD, TORONTO FC

Does tonight’s tie feel more like a loss?

“Yeah in a way. We had the lead for a good amount of time, a little bit of fatigue that caused the second goal. But yeah definitely this tie feels like a loss. One thing that’s good about us, after a result like this we usually bounce back. Going into the next game we’re definitely going to prepare ourselves a lot better.”

What’s it like playing in these games? Away to DC and New York then a home game in Connecticut. How do you prepare yourself? Do the games feel different?

“Prepare like we’re at home. Obviously, every game now is going to feel like we’re away. Some may think just because we’re away we’re going to be the underdogs, but we have the mindset that every game we play like it’s our last. We feel like sometimes we’re the home team with how we move the ball and possess it. It definitely feels weird, but nothing surprising to us, especially being down in Orlando. We were away from home for a long time. It’s like Orlando part two for us, definitely weird but nothing surprising to us. We should be ok with it.”

Can you break down your goal?

“I didn’t see who played the ball to Richie. Richie went down the line and crossed it. On his cross, I thought he missed everyone, I didn’t know who he was trying to play it to, but Pablo was there. At first, I thought Pablo was going to take a touch, but he put it back first time right onto my head. As I headed it, I thought for a split second that Hamid was going to save it, but it passed by him.”

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TFC ADDS GALLACHER

TORONTO FC ACQUIRES TONY GALLACHER ON LOAN

Toronto FC announced today that the club has acquired Scottish defender Tony Gallacher on loan from Liverpool FC for the remainder of the 2020 MLS season. Gallacher will occupy an international roster slot and join the club pending receipt of his ITC (International Transfer Certificate). Gallacher has already received his P-1 Visa and completed the mandatory quarantine period under local government and MLS health and safety protocol.

“Tony is a young, promising defender that will provide us with additional depth on our backline for the remainder of the year,” said Toronto FC General Manager Ali Curtis. “We feel his character and personality will fit well within our group.”

Gallacher, 21, joins Toronto FC from reigning English Premier League Champions, Liverpool. Gallacher joined Liverpool in the 2018 January transfer window and made his senior team debut on December 17, 2019 in a League Cup loss to Aston Villa. He made 32 appearances for Liverpool’s U-23 team, scoring two goals with one assist over two seasons. Prior to joining Liverpool, Gallacher played for Scottish club, Falkirk F.C. He made his debut on November 28, 2015 and went on to make 26 appearances for the club. Gallacher played his youth football at Forth Valley Academy before joining Falkirk F.C.

Gallacher has represented his native, Scotland at various youth levels including U-16, U-17 and U-19.

TRANSACTION: Toronto FC acquires defender Tony Gallacher on loan from Liverpool FC.

TONY GALLACHER

Position: Defender

Height: 5’10

Weight: 156 lbs

Birthdate: July 23, 1999 (Age – 21)

Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland

Nationality: Scottish

Last Club: Liverpool FC

TFC TO PLAY HOME MATCHES IN CONNECTICUT

TORONTO FC TO PLAY ITS HOME MATCHES IN CONNECTICUT

Toronto FC announced plans today to play their next MLS home game at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Reds will begin this next portion of the MLS regular season on Saturday September 19 when they meet D.C. United at Audi Field. The Reds will play their second game at Red Bull Arena against New York City FC on Wednesday, September 23 and then host Columbus Crew SC on Sunday, September 27 in East Hartford.

“While we continue to work with government officials on our travel protocols, it is important to the club to have our own home away from home during this next phase,” said Toronto FC President Bill Manning. “The state of Connecticut opened their arms for us and my compliments to David Lehman and Governor Lamont for their leadership here. Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is a great venue. They’ve hosted a number of international games and we’re excited to play there.”

MLS announced the next three games for each club as the league continues to finalize travel protocols. Pending further developments regarding travel, the next set of regular season matches will be announced.

“We felt that it was important to have a surrogate home field that had similarities to BMO Field, in dimension, surface characteristics, and field quality,” said Toronto FC General Manager Ali Curtis. “Also, from a competitive standpoint, a priority was to have our own home field. While playing at BMO Field is always our preferred and ideal option, we think the East Hartford location is the best available option for this next phase.”

Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, the home to the University of Connecticut’s NCAA Division I football team, has hosted a number of United States Men’s and Women’s National team games through the years. The pitch is Kentucky Blue Grass with dimensions of 115 by 75 yards.

TORONTO FC 1, WHITECAPS 0: Postgame notes and quotes.

TORONTO FC (1) – VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (0) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

TFC – Richie Laryea 15’ (Alejandro Pozuelo)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

TFC – Liam Fraser 36’ (caution)

VAN – Andy Rose 55’ (caution)

TFC – Pablo Piatti 84’ (caution)

TFC – Alejandro Pozuelo 86’ (caution)

RECORDS

TORONTO FC: 4-0-3 15 PTS.

VANCOUVER: 2-5-0 6 PTS.

MEDIA NOTES

Toronto FC extended its unbeaten streak to 17 consecutive regular season matches. The fifth-longest streak in MLS History (8 wins and 9 draws) – courtesy of Opta

LINE-UPS

TORONTO FC – Quentin Westberg; Auro Jr., Omar Gonzalez, Chris Mavinga, Richie Laryea (Justin Morrow 67’); Jonathan Osorio (Nick De Leon 83’), Michael Bradley (C), Liam Fraser (Marky Delgado 57’), Pablo Piatti (Laurent Ciman 84’), Alejandro Pozuelo; Jozy Altidore (Patrick Mullins HT’)

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Bono, Eriq Zavaleta, Erickson Gallardo, Tsubasa Endoh

VANCOUVER – Thomas Hasal; Ranko Veselinovic (Theo Bair 88’), Derek Cornelius, Jake Nerwinski (Cristian Dajome 71’), Ali Adnan; Andy Rose, Leonard Owusu (Ryan Raposo 71’), Russell Teibert (C), Patrick Metcalfe; Lucas Cavallini, Tosaint Ricketts (David Milinkovic 78’)

Substitutes Not Used: Bryan Meredith, Christian Gutierrez, Jasser Khmiri, Michael Baldisimo, Georges Mukumbilwa

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

On the differences between Tuesday’s game vs tonight’s game….

The difference from Tuesday’s game is they sat off a lot more, they have five in the back line, it was our job to try and move those guys out of the back line and create some spaces to be able to attack. We did an ok job at times but times we were a little bit too impatient. It slowed the game down and then you have to be really patient to try and move people around. Still, it was a good performance, we stayed responsible, we did what we had to do, and it would have been nice to have finished one or two of the good chances we had.

On staying focused for a year and staying undefeated…

Our group is pretty mature, we ‘ve got some really young guys who have come through the academy and some veteran guys who have played a lot of games together. A lot of things click into natural gear quickly. Guys were motivated to play coming in from the stoppage and after getting to the final last year. There is a lot of motivation in our group to be successful this year.

On Altidore’s substitution at halftime, just a precaution….

It is a quick turnaround for Jozy, having played minimal minutes down in Florida and to have a turnaround in three days is not easy. We wanted to get him 45 minutes and to get the lead in the first 45 minutes. We wanted to start off where we left off from the last game. We’ll get him prepared for the next game.

RICHIE LARYEA – DEFENDER, TORONTO FC

How has TFC maintained consistency and kept a 17-game undefeated streak…

It comes down to us being a resilient group, this group fights to the end, this is a very big club in this league and guys want to compete for trophies every single year. We want to show why this club is where it is and why it has been for the last couple years. I think it is about us taking ownership on our own and making sure we are doing our own individual workouts.

On his goal…..

It was a good build up down the right side and I was pinching in to help with the transition and the ball was getting in the box and I didn’t have anyone near me so I was able to push forward a little bit more and I was able to get the ball in front of me and landed nicely for me and I was able to put it in the back post.

QUENTIN WESTBERG – GOALKEEPER, TORONTO FC

On how the team is playing in front of him in the last two games…

I think we have done well, and we have done well individually and collectively. We have been playing together for a while now and have established a good identity. I think it is a great collective effort. I think our playing values and our principles are very well established. We have a lot of the ball and create a lot of chances and are great defensively.

On playing at BMO without fans…

It is a shame to be here without fans as we know how special this place is with our fans. We try to respect our stadium and have a responsibility to perform well here, we have to perform well everywhere but it is very particular here to all of us. BMO is a strong part of TFC’s identity and is a very hard place to come with or without fans.

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-

TFC resumes season Tuesday with no fans

TORONTO FC SET TO CONTINUE MLS REGULAR SEASON

Toronto FC announced today that the club will continue the 2020 MLS Regular Season beginning on Tuesday, August 18, playing host to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BMO Field. Toronto FC will play six matches against Canadian rivals, Montreal Impact and Vancouver between August 18 and September 9 in Phase One of the revised regular season schedule. All matches will be broadcast on TSN. In addition, the three matches at BMO Field will be played with no fans in attendance and following strict public health direction to protect the health and safety of both teams.

Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will meet on Tuesday, August 18, with kick-off at 8:00 p.m. ET and Friday, August 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Toronto FC’s final home match in the six-match schedule will be on Tuesday, September 1 against the Montreal Impact at 8:00 p.m. ET. TFC will travel to Montreal on Friday, August 28 and Wednesday, September 9 and make one trip to Vancouver on Saturday, September 5.

Toronto FC currently sit second place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 2-0-3 with 9 points.

TORONTO FC SCHEDULE

Tuesday, August 18 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC – 8:00 p.m. ET – TSN

Friday, August 21 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC – 8:00 p.m. ET – TSN

Friday, August 28 – at Montreal Impact – 8:00 p.m. ET – TSN

Tuesday, September 1 – Montreal Impact – 8:00 p.m. ET – TSN

Saturday, September 5 – at Vancouver Whitecaps FC – 9:30 p.m. ET – TSN

Wednesday, September 9 – at Montreal Impact – 8:00 p.m. ET – TSN

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-

Toronto FC knocked out of MLS is Back tournament after a 3-1 loss to NYCFC — Toronto Sun

Revenge may be a dish best served cold. But on sweltering Sunday night in Orlando, it was a hot dish of revenge served up by New York City FC against Toronto FC. Read More
Toronto FC knocked out of MLS is Back tournament after a 3-1 loss to NYCFC — Toronto Sun

TFC 0, REVOLUTION 0: Summary and quotes.

TORONTO FC (0) – NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (0) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

None

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

NE – Kelyn Rowe 38’ (caution)

NE – Scott Caldwell 41’ (caution)

TFC – Michael Bradley 50’ (caution)

MLS IS BACK TOURNAMENT STANDINGS

GROUP C	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	PTS.
Toronto FC	1	0	2	6	5	1	5
New England Revolution	1	0	2	2	1	1	5
D.C. United	0	0	2	3	3	0	2
Montreal Impact	0	2	0	3	5	-2	0

Bold – Advanced to Round of 16

MEDIA NOTES

Toronto FC extended its club-record unbeaten run in MLS regular season matches to 15 (6 wins and 9 ties) – courtesy of Opta
With the draw today, Toronto FC has secured one of the top two spots in Group C and have advanced to the Round of 16
Noble Okello made his Toronto FC and MLS debut today, coming on as a substitute in the 68^th minute

LINEUPS

TORONTO FC – Alex Bono; Auro Jr. (Laurent Ciman 82’), Omar Gonzalez, Chris Mavinga (Jozy Altidore 86’), Richie Laryea; Michael Bradley (C), Marky Delgado (Noble Okello 68’), Alejandro Pozuelo; Pablo Piatti (Tsubasa Endoh 67’), Nick DeLeon (Jacob Shaffelburg, HT’), Ayo Akinola

Substitutes Not Used: Quentin Westberg, Eriq Zavaleta, Griffin Dorsey, Liam Fraser, Erickson Gallardo, Jayden Nelson, Patrick Mullins

NEW ENGLAND – Matt Turner; Andrew Farrell, Henry Kessler, Brandon Bye, DeJuan Jones; Scott Caldwell (Wilfried Zahibo HT’), Teal Bunbury (C) (Cristian Penilla 60’), Kelyn Rowe (Gustavo Bou 60’), Diego Fagundez; Adam Buksa (Justin Rennicks 77’), Tajon Buchanan

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Jeff Caldwell, Michael Mancienne, Seth Sinovic, Antonio Delamea, Alexander Buttner, Issac Angking, Damian Rivera

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

Are you happy with where the team is heading into the knockout round? And we got to see a glimpse of Jozy Altidore and Ayo Akinola playing together, what did you think?

For us we are pleased and content with where we are in terms of the results so far. I can nitpick forever. We should have taken three in the first game. But for the short turnaround, guys dug down. Two 9:00 a.m. games and a game in 48 hours in between there so I’m really pleased with the guys resiliency, the battle. We did some really good things, especially in the first half, I thought, in terms of our ball circulation and made it really difficult for them. So, I’m pleased with our performances, so now our games move to night. We’re getting our legs underneath us. Jozy is getting himself back into the fold with us. Oso should be ready hopefully for the next game, to get involved. It was a little bit of a precautionary choice today. So, the team continues to build and that’s what these events are about. So, I’m pleased with where we are at. I’m pleased with where our mindset is at. These 9:00 a.m. games are brutal. And we’ve just grinded through another one. In terms of seeing Jozy and Ayo on the field together, it was nice. I think it’s a handful for defenders. We slid Ayo out to the right side, so he was kind of coming off the right wing. Jozy was then playing as the target, but at times bringing Ayo in to run off Jozy. And that’s where the opportunity and the penalty kick, almost came from right off the bat. I’m pleased. They’re two strong guys who are going to be a handful for defenders in the moments that we use them together. One of those moments today where it came out. So, we’ll see how we play it out as we move the tournament and into the rest of the year.

Did these games play out the way you envisioned them? The team seemed to never get out of second gear, and it seemed like more of a grind to just get through the games.

I’m not sure if you’ve watched any of the other 9:00 a.m. games. They all look very similar. You can start and get going a little bit. The ball is moving quick. Everybody is fresh in the early part of it. But as the game continues, it’s really a grind. There’s no other way. It’s not different for any game. Yesterday, New York and Philadelphia in the morning. Everybody is complaining about how slow the game was. I say come try to play a game at 9:00 a.m. in Florida. At 10:00 a.m. when it starts to get hot, no clouds, no cover from the sun. The guys, it’s just gritting it out. Your mind is telling you to take a rest, but you know you also can’t take a rest and you’ve got 11 guys trying to coordinate when they can be resting at the same time. It’s choosing your moments. That’s what these games are about in the morning. You’ve got to choose the moment when you sprint and when you can make a difference. And then you’ve got to take advantage of that moment. And neither team really took advantage of the moment. And that’s why it ended 0-0. Sometimes defensively both teams made a play here and there, but these games are a grind and it’s about taking advantage of that moment whenever it shows up, and they don’t show up that often because guys don’t have the capacity to repeat sprints the same way they would if it was cooler outside, or if it was even at night here. So, I’m pleased. I’d be hard pressed to say there’s a team in the tournament that’s had as difficult a schedule as we’ve had in playing two games at 9:00 a.m. and one off two days’ rest. So again, it shows the strength and resiliency of our group. Even the depth, some of our young guys coming in and helping us out. So, I’m very pleased. Now we need to take that mindset and some of the good moments we’ve had over these few games and put them into complete games and continue to build in this process of getting better in the process through the tournament. Trying to win it.

Would you have traded the clean sheet for a goal today?

That’s a good question. Winning the game was our priority. That’s what we wanted to do. That’s what we set out to do. I think getting the clean sheet was important for our group in this tournament. I think we are confident we can create chances, we can score goals. With Jozy coming back in the mix, and Oso coming, we know our attack is going to continue to do its thing. I think showing some resilience as a group, getting a shutout is very important, especially because we’ve given up some goals that we’re not very proud of in the first couple of games. So, the shutout is important. I don’t know that I can ever answer that question precisely, but I think the shutout was good for our group today.

ALEX BONO – GOALKEEPER, TORONTO FC

How did you feel out there, Alex? It’s been a bit of a long time since you’ve played?

I felt really good. Obviously, the 9:00 am kickoff is a little bit different and not something we’re used to, especially in the heat, and makes it a lot more difficult. I feel bad these guys in front of me that work so hard and have to deal with that heat. So, the preparation is a little bit different, but the instruction is the same. I’ve got to go out and play 90 minutes. And so, I was ready for it. I felt good going in and I’m happy that we’re now at the top of the group and put ourselves in a good position to move on, and that was the goal today.

Alex, can you walk us through the point blank save you made late in the game?

It was a ball that came through. Rule of thumb I use is if a ball is outside the frame of the goal, is to hold your ground unless you think you’re going to get there. So, I decided to stay in, and he had time to dribble in and play a ball across. At that point you’re not really sure who’s there to get on the end of it. So, we work on it a lot in training, to come out and make yourself big and put a block on it and hope it hits you. I was fortunate in that moment that I was able to put myself in a good position and get a block.

Alex, the clean sheet was a nice pickup. What is the takeaway heading into the knockout round?

We showed a lot of resilience today. Obviously in the first half we were on top of the game a lot. Going into the second half we found ourselves against it a little bit. And we talked about it before the game, when you get tired, it’s inevitable during these games, it’s important that we keep mental strength, and I thought our group showed a ton of mental strength today, staying tuned in all the way until the final whistle, even when we were up against it at the toughest times. I give the guys a lot of credit for staying tuned in and engaged throughout the whole match.

AYO AKINOLA – FORWARD, TORONTO FC

Ayo, when you were taken down late in the game on the edge of the box, did you think that was a penalty?

I initially thought it was, but at the same time, I saw the skid marks on the grass, and it was just outside. So, I had a feeling…I thought initially they were going to give a penalty at first, but after it went to VAR, it was just outside the box, and I actually thought it was outside the box.

Ayo, were you starting to feel the effects of the 9:00 a.m. start, the heat and the humidity, with this being the third game you’ve played?

Just a little bit, but at the same time I’m kind of used to it. So, I wasn’t overly concerned about the heat because I think just the preparation was right for me. But I think just a little bit there were times when I had a lack of concentration, little slip ups, but I thought overall it was good for me.

Ayo, you’ve been very cool and collected as you’ve had so much success in this tournament. What’s life been like, has your phone been blowing up?

Just from family and friends, just cheering and supporting me. But at the same time, I’m not going to let social media get to my head. I know if you get complacent, it’s just going to go downhill. I just try to keep a humble approach and ground level it.

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-