Five Things We Learned: #TORvNE
- Updated: September 14, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Remember when BMO Field used to be a place where the Revolution struggled? A place where the swagger died, and the mistakes mounted? Well, it’s not like that anymore.
For the second straight occasion, the Revolution went into Toronto keen to take three points and left with precisely that amount in their back pocket following Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Reds.
In a game that had its fair share of twists and turns, oohs and ahhs, and a Herculez Gomez cameo thrown in for good measure, the locals proved to be the sturdier side when it was all said and done.
So what did we learn from Sunday’s scintillating, late-season showdown?
1. The Revolution raced to the door when opportunity knocked. Be real: if someone handed you a highlight package of Sunday’s game and edited out the scoring sequences, you’d think that the Reds would have run away with this game by a score of like 4-0. And they should have given all the opportunities they created. But at last check, MLS games weren’t decided by which team collected the most chances, or looked most likely to reinvent Total Football. To wit, the Revolution, with their 39.8 percent possession, and 14 fewer shots, were simply better when it mattered the most.
2. Unlike last year, Diego Fagundez is getting hot at the right time. At this time last year, Revolution supporters were buzzing about three things: Jermaine Jones, Lee Nguyen, and oh yeah, Jermaine Jones. One thing they definitely weren’t talking about: the curious disappearance of Fagundez, whose playing time was waning faster than support for the Boston Olympic bid. Oh, what a difference a year can make. Not only has the 20-year-old scored in three straight, but his defense has bolstered the team’s shape, which has in turn, restored his self-confidence. And we all know what a confident Fagundez is capabale of.
3. Jay Heaps is still a master of the matchup. Initially, the sight of Teal Bunbury’s name in the XI was a head-scratcher. Or a chin-scratcher, you know, for those with the ability to grow full, glorious beards. After all, Kelyn Rowe was in the midst of a strong stretch of action. But Heaps never stops looking at the tape, and when he did prior to Sunday’s game, he saw Jozy Altidore and Robbie Findlay as wide players. Note: Rowe’s defense is good, but not that good. To that end, he elected to go with Bunbury, a player whose defense has been superlative since arriving here last year. It wasn’t a knock on Rowe’s attacking prowess, but rather, a response to the danger Toronto posed on the wings. And you know what? It worked.
4. The Revolution got lucky against Sebastian Giovinco…again. For the second time in less than two months, the Revolution kept the likely 2015 MLS MVP candidate from getting on the board. But unlike Giovinco’s last match against the Revolution – an abbreviated 45-minute outing – the locals have more than some sensational defending from Andrew Farrell to thank for their success against the Reds. Case in point: the Italian international fired a game-high 11 shots, and remarkably, not one of them found the back of the net. Yes, Farrell was large part of the reason why the Atomic Ant didn’t score, but you also have to think a recent adductor injury impacted Giovinco’s form on his free kicks.
5. The back line rose to the occasion in one of their toughest tests of the summer. While Giovinco may not have been fully fit, and Greg Vanney was getting ready to file a missing persons report for Jozy Altidore, you have to give credit where it’s due. In the Revolution’s case, much of what kept Toronto from putting a gaggle of goals on the board was some timely plays from Farrell and Jose Goncalves. The center back duo did well to mark Altidore out of the match while giving Toronto’s less-talented-winger – Robbie Findley – a little more room to operate. True, that approach opened the door for Findley to score before the hour. But on the whole, allowing only a single goal to the Reds at BMO Field isn’t easy thing to pull off.
Related Posts
About Brian O'Connell
