April 26, 2007 MLS Toronto FC goal drought (from Globe and Mail)
POSTED ON: 26/04/07
Goals will come, Johnston says
LARRY MILLSON
From Friday's Globe and Mail
TORONTO — After beginning its first season with three road games and no victories, no draws and no goals, Toronto FC is home for a spell now, starting with its first game at the new BMO Field tomorrow afternoon.
It will be the first of four consecutive home games. In fact, seven of Toronto's next eight games will be at home. You'd think somewhere among those home games there will be room for that first goal and even that first win.
"Now we've got to turn it around," midfielder Andy Welsh said.
"Turn three defeats into three wins and we're straight back into it. Hopefully, the crowd is going to be the 12th man on Saturday."
BMO Field is expected to have a capacity turnout of 20,000 to welcome the Major League Soccer expansion team.
Toronto FC will play the Kansas City Wizards, who defeated Toronto 3-0 on Wednesday in the rain at Arrowhead Stadium, where the crowd was announced as 7,438.
Toronto FC head coach Mo Johnston hopes the size of striker Danny Dichio in tomorrow's lineup will help his team's offence.
Dichio, who was signed last week, was unavailable for Wednesday's game because his visa was still being worked on.
As the Toronto goalless spell reached 270 minutes plus stoppage times, there were occasions when individuals tried to do too much by themselves out of frustration or desperation.
"There are certain guys doing too much, running with the ball too much," Johnston said. "We're not creating the simple chance, the one that puts you in front, the one that gives you the easy tap-in. We're not making that smart-enough run. Will that come? Hopefully, it will come. But right now, we're searching. We're searching for the best ingredient."
Johnston did feel that two of his most recent acquisitions, left back Kevin Goldthwaite and right back Marvell Wynne, played well in their first game with a new team.
Goldthwaite was with the Houston Dynamo when Toronto played its first game on April 7, losing 2-0 to Chivas USA but having some excellent chances in the first 30 minutes.
"That first game against Chivas, I watched it on TV and there were three or four legitimate chances where the goalie came up making some fantastic saves," Goldthwaite said. "I think it just comes for any player in his career, especially forwards, when they kind of have a little drought, the breaks aren't going their way.
"Even [Wednesday], we had a couple of good chances where the final pass wasn't there, the final touch wasn't there. But the guys we have up top, the skill levels that they've had the last six years they've been in the league, I think they've showed that they can score goals. I think that's just something that, hopefully, will come in time and, hopefully, will come sooner or later."
After Wednesday's game, Toronto FC announced that through a mutual agreement, midfielder Richard Asante is leaving the team.
Asante joined the club after he was selected in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft in January.
Goalkeeper Sam Reynolds from Chivas USA was added to the roster for Wednesday's game only as an "extreme hardship" call-up by Toronto FC. The team had only one goalkeeper, starter Greg Sutton, available to travel to Kansas City after waiving Tomer Chencinski.
Midfielder A.J. Gray also was put on waivers.
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