May 15, 2008 MLS Toronto FC vs Columbus Crew pre-game news (from MLSnet.com)
05/15/2008 11:26AM
TFC eye Trillium Cup revenge
Crew, Toronto FC among hottest MLS teams as they tangle
MLSnet.com
TORONTO FC vs. COLUMBUS CREW
BMO FIELD, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
May 17, 2008 | 4 p.m. ET (CBC; ClbSN)
WEEK # 8 | GAME # 50
The two hottest teams in Major League Soccer meet in the second installment for the Trillium Cup this season when the Columbus Crew travel to Canada to take on Toronto FC. The Crew have won five games in a row in racing to the top of the MLS overall standings, leading the Eastern Conference by two points. But Toronto FC have kept pace, unbeaten in their last four matches after a pair of losses to begin the season, including a club-record three-game winning streak.
REFEREE: Kevin Stott. SAR (bench): George Gansner; JAR (opposite): Darren Clark; 4th: Mauricio Navarro
MLS Career: 148 games; FC/gm: 26.6; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 38; pens: 32
INJURY REPORT: TORONTO FC - NONE REPORTED ... COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: MF Duncan Oughton (R leg bone spur); MF Adam Moffat (R knee meniscus tear); MF Stefani Miglioranzi (L quad strain); QUESTIONABLE: DF Gino Padula (L knee MCL sprain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Frankie Hejduk
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (4 meetings): Toronto FC 0 wins, 3 goals ... Crew 2 wins, 8 goals ... Ties 1
IN TORONTO (1 meeting): Toronto FC 0 wins, 1 goal ... Crew 1 win, 2 goals ... Ties 0
• This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season, the first of two at BMO Field. They will conclude the season series north of the border on Sept. 13, with the winner of the set awarded the Trillium Cup.
• The Crew claimed the season series in Toronto FC's inaugural campaign, having never yet lost to the Reds. The teams played to a 2-2 draw in the first meeting before the Crew won the last two, once at each ground.
• Coaches record: John Carver vs. CLB: P1 W0 L1 D0 ... Sigi Schmid v TOR: P4 W3 L0 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS):
3/29: CLB 2, TOR 0 (Moffat 26; Moreno 76)
• The Crew claimed a 2-0 victory on March 29 at Crew Stadium in the first game of the new season and gained a leg up for the Trillium Cup.
• The honor of scoring the first goal of the new season fell to Columbus midfielder Adam Moffat in the 26th minute. Brian Carroll lofted a ball over the TFC backline, and Moffat ran onto it, taking a touch before letting fly from well outside the area. His bounding shot beat Toronto 'keeper Brian Edwards low inside his right-hand post.
• Just before the break, Danny O'Rourke was adjudged to have knocked over Jeff Cunningham in the Crew penalty area. But Crew 'keeper Will Hesmer got down to his left to stop Collin Samuel's penalty area, and Moffat was quickest to the rebound as it sat in the goal area, lumping it away to safety.
• The Crew finished off the match in the 76th minute. Eddie Gaven's perfect through ball from midfield found Alejandro Moreno in behind the TFC line, and the Venezuelan strolled in before calmly slotting his shot past Edwards to the 'keeper's left.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-1-3-1-1): Will Hesmer - Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Stefani Miglioranzi - Brian Carroll - Robbie Rogers (Brad Evans 80), Adam Moffat, Eddie Gaven - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Andy Iro 89) - Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Jason Garey, Leonard Griffin, Andy Gruenebaum, Ezra Hendrickson, Duncan Oughton
• Here's Carver's team (4-4-2): Brian Edwards - Marvell Wynne, Marco Velez, Tyrone Marshall, Jim Brennan - Tyler Hemming (Kevin Harmse 65),Carl Robinson, Maurice Edu, Todd Dunivant (Danny Dichio 65) - Collin Samuel, Jeff Cunningham. Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Boyens, Andrea Lombardo, Pat Phelan, Jarrod Smith, Greg Sutton
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC return to action following a 16-day layoff, their last result a 1-1 home draw with the New York Red Bulls that extended their unbeaten run to four games. TFC sits tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 10 points from six matches, level with the Kansas City Wizards a point behind New York, now eight points off the pace of the overall MLS leader Columbus Crew.
LAST MATCH
• Toronto FC came into the Primetime showcase riding a three-game winning streak, the longest in club history, while the Red Bulls were coming off a win against San Jose that ended a two-game winless run.
• On a windswept, rainy night on the shores of Lake Ontario, set pieces provided all the scoring. TFC opened the lead in the 22nd minute. Laurent Robert put in a free kick from the left touchline and as the New York defense pulled out, Marco Velez was left completely alone at the back post. Maligned by some for TFC's defensive play on the season, the Puerto Rican international powerfully headed home for his first MLS goal.
• But the Red Bulls drew level seven minutes before the halftime interval. From a free kick outside the right corner of the area, Dave van den Bergh drove a low, curling effort that snuck around the wall and inside the far post for his second goal on the campaign.
• Toronto FC head coach John Carver kept his team the same for the third consecutive match, maintaining the group that played in wins against Real Salt Lake (1-0) and the Kansas City Wizards (2-0).
• Here's Carver's team (4-2-3-1): Greg Sutton - Marvell Wynne, Tyrone Marshall, Marco Velez, Jim Brennan - Maurice Edu, Carl Robinson - Rohan Ricketts (Jarrod Smith 74), Amado Guevara, Laurent Robert - Danny Dichio (Jeff Cunningham 83). Substitutes Not Used: Todd Dunivant, Brian Edwards, Kevin Harmse, Julius James, Olivier Tebily
TEAM NEWS
• The draw extended TFC's unbeaten streak to four games, but came after three consecutive wins. It's only the second four-game unbeaten streak in team history (after a 1-0-3 stretch from July 1 to July 15 of 2007).
• "We have higher expectations of ourselves this year," said defender Marvell Wynne. "Last year we were more focused on trying to come together and figuring out what we could do. This year we know what we can do and we're trying to keep our win streak going on. It's good that we're disappointed with a tie. It's a good effort to go into the break with."
• Velez's goal was particularly pleasing, after he's endured a rough beginning - at least from the pundits - for his play for TFC in the opening quarter of the season.
• "It was a great ball in by Laurent and a great header. I think it was a little bit of frustration coming out there because let's be honest, he's been under a bit of pressure from everybody and he's dealt with it ever so well," said Carver. "He had a great performance on the weekend and tonight he's capped it off with a goal."
• Said Velez: "Obviously if you make a mistake you're going to hear about it. You have to bounce back and not really pay attention to the other things and be confident in yourself and work hard. I've been under a lot of pressure especially after how we started, but it's good pressure. It makes you humble and it makes you work hard and ... it always keeps you on your toes. It's good for me, it makes me work harder and hopefully I'll keep doing what I've been doing the last couple of games."
• The free kick from van den Bergh snapped a 250-minute shutout streak for TFC, the third-longest in MLS this season.
• "I must sit here and also compliment the back five. I thought the goalkeeper and the back four were outstanding for us, and that was the platform for us to get something from the game," Carver said. I thought the midfield four and the front two worked their socks off, I thought there was great energy in there, but they tried things and things didn't come off for them and that sometimes happens. I will not fault their effort, you can see the team ethic in the side and they're working for each other. That's what I want."
• A season ago, TFC ran into real trouble during the campaign when international duty robbed them of front-line players and there wasn't sufficient depth. Facing a five-game stretch in 17 days, the Reds could see their depth tested to finish out May.
• "You can never have enough good players on your squad," Robinson said. "Last year I don't think we were strong enough after the first 11 players, and this year we are. Obviously you know when you go into a season you know players will be called for international duty, and what you do is build a strong squad -- not just the starting 11 players, but the other seven players on game day and the younger lads on the roster. All of those boys have been raring to go for chances if they're called upon when players go away. There will be four or five [gone] at a certain time, so it's crucial for them to stay ready for when they get the chance."
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew just keep rolling along, down a goal on the road to the San Jose Earthquakes with 20 minutes to play last Saturday, yet coming back to win 3-2, their fifth win in a row. The Crew lead the Eastern Conference and all of Major League Soccer with 18 points from seven matches, two ahead of the Chicago Fire and nine more than the Western Conference co-leaders, Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas.
LAST MATCH
• The Crew came into the game with four consecutive victories, longest in the league this year, while the Earthquakes were aiming for their first home victory on the season and second of the season.
• The Earthquakes had scored just two goals in five games in their return to Major League Soccer, but took the lead just two minutes before halftime. Ronnie O'Brien swung in a corner from the left and Ramiro Corrales dove to flash a header into the roof of the net.
• But the Crew blew the game open with three goals in an 11-minute span -- all scored in nearly identical fashion. Substitute Emmanuel Ekpo split the Quakes defense with a terrific pass, finding Robbie Rogers streaking down the left, and two days short of celebrating his 21st birthday, Rogers lashed a low shot inside the far post for the 73rd-minute equalizer.
• But Rogers wasn't done yet. Alejandro Moreno played a ball in behind the Earthquakes back line and Rogers again latched onto it and strolled in alone on goal, rounding Joe Cannon before sliding the ball home for his fifth goal on the campaign (81).
• Then two minutes later, the Crew doubled their lead. This time Guillermo Barros Schelotto played provider, sliding a ball for Brad Evans to burst through the heart of the San Jose back four, and Evans hammered the ball high into the goal for his first professional goal.
• The Earthquakes pulled a goal back a minute from the end, also from a corner as Ryan Johnson powered home a header from a Ned Grabavoy service that took a deflection off Columbus defender Frankie Hejduk, but it wasn't enough to overcome to Crew onslaught.
• Crew head coach Sigi Schmid made one change to the team that defeated the Kansas City Wizards 2-1 the previous weekend at home. With Adam Moffat out to a knee injury, Stefani Miglioranzi made his return to the starting lineup, this time coming into the midfield.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-4-1-1): William Hesmer - Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Ezra Hendrickson (Andy Iro 93+) - Eddie Gaven (Emmanuel Ekpo 69), Brian Carroll, Stefani Miglioranzi (Brad Evans 31), Robbie Rogers - Guillermo Barros Schelotto - Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Andy Gruenebaum, Nicolas Hernandez, Steven Lenhart, Jed Zayner
• "We talked during halftime on getting Robbie Rogers back into the game because the first 20 minutes we were very effective attacking on the left-hand side," Schmid said. " I thought the substitution with Emmanuel Ekpo on the right side was good. We felt he could get some space to play in and he was able to make a difference for us tonight."
TEAM NEWS
• The two goals gave Rogers five on the season, a tally that few could have predicted after he was one of the last cuts from the U.S. under-23 team that qualified for the Olympics. But Schmid said the Crew midfielder has reacted in the best possible way.
• "I think [Olympic head coach] Peter Nowak did me a little bit of a favor by dropping him from the Olympic team," said Schmid. "I said to Robbie, 'You've got a chance to go out there and prove [yourself].' There are a couple of young, wide players in this league who everyone is saying are making it. But at the end of the day, it's all about numbers. He scored three goals last year in limited games, and he's got five goals now in six games. That's what you've got to do. You've got to stick the ball in the back of the net."
• The Crew have been able to avoid injury for the most part in the early going. When Adam Moffat went down with a knee injury before the San Jose, he became really only the second starter to miss games through injury (after Gino Padula). But Schmid had Stefani Miglioranzi - who started at left back at the beginning of the year while Padula's visa was being finalized - available to slot into central midfield.
• However, after just 31 minutes in San Jose, Miglioranzi went down with a thigh injury. Brad Evans came into the game - and scored the Crew's final goal.
• "Brad's had a tough go of it early in the season because he was hoping for more playing time," said Schmid. "But he's a player who is very versatile, he can play a number of positions, and I thought he did great with his finish. His first touch off the pass was tremendous, and he obviously finished it very well."
• The Crew became the first team in the league this season to concede the first goal and come back and win. A big change for a team that in 2007 saw their opponents score late goals to gain a result on eight occasions, whether pulling back into a tie or breaking a tie with a late winner.
• "We're a little harder, winning the tackles, the balls in the air, as well as the second balls," said Rogers. "And I think we learned from last season. There were games where we played better than the other team, but didn't come away with any points. This season, it doesn't really matter what it looks like. We're just trying to get the points."
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