May 31, 2014 MLS--Toronto FC vs Columbus Crew (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Saturday May 31, 2014, MLS game between Toronto FC and Columbus Crew played at BMO Field in Toronto at 5:00pm.

Toronto FC (all red, white names and numbers)

....................12 Joseph Bendik (cpt)
28 Mark Bloom...17 Nick Hagglund...15 Doneil Henry...2 Justin Morrow
11 Jackson...8 Kyle Bekker...16 Bradley Orr...21 Jonathan Osorio
...............27 Luke Moore...18 Jermain Defoe

Subs:...1 Chris Konopka (gk)...9 Gilberto (fwd)...14 Dwayne De Rosario (mid)...23 Alvaro Rey (mid)...25 Jeremy Hall (mid)
...32 Andrew Wiedeman (fwd)...35 Daniel Lovitz (mid)
team officials:...head coach Ryan Nelsen

Columbus Crew (all yellow, black names and numbers)

.....................1 Steve Clark
3 Josh Williams...4 Michael Parkhurst (cpt)...2 Tyson Wahl...21 Chad Barson
6 Tony Tchani...11 Daniel Paladini...24 Agustin Viana...9 Justin Meram
............13 Ethan Finlay...19 Jairo Arrieta

Subs:...28 Matt Lampson (gk)...7 Bernardo Anor (mid)...8 Dominic Oduro (fwd)...12 Hector Jimenez (mid)...16 Eric Gehrig (def)
...17 Ben Speas (mid)...30 Fifi Baiden (mid)
team officials:...head coach Gregg Berhalter

Game officials:...referee Sorin Stoica...referee's assistants George Gansner and Mark Cahen...fourth official Uisro Rudolf
...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 5:08pm...TFC defends south end on this hot afternoon with a bright sun in the west and a light breeze from the south.
2 min...TFC Jackson low cross from 28 yards on right is cleared in middle by Crew Parkhurst at 15 yards.
4 min...Crew Finlay low cross from 25 yards on right has TFC Hagglund slide and deflect ball from 8 yards high and wide right of net preventing Crew Arrieta from getting to pass for 10 yard shot.
4 min...Crew Paladini cornerkick from right is back for Crew Barson to chip 30 yarder down middle and Crew player's flicked header from crowd of players from 8 yards on left has goalie catch on bounce near left post.
6 min...Crew Williams cross from 25 yards on right has Crew Finlay miss header header from 12 yards on right but TFC Henry right behind him heads behind own net.
6 min...Crew Paladini cornerkick from right has Crew Tchani duck and flick header from 10 yards on right wide right of net.
8 min...Crew Meram pivots on TFC Bekker and blasts low 25 yarder up middle that bounces off outside of left post.
9 min...TFC Bekker 55 yard freekick from left has ball headed away at 16 yards.
11 min...TFC Henry 65 yard chip from left is caught by goalie at 12 yards on left.
14 min...TFC Hagglund hooks away ball at 10 yards preventing shot on right after long Crew throw-in.
15 min...Crew goalie outjumps TFC Jackson at 15 yards on left for 60 yard chipped ball and whistle blown on their bumping.
16 min...TFC Bloom cross from 30 yards on right has leaping TFC Defoe pop up header at 8 yards on right and Crew defender heads ball up from 6 yards and another defender bicycle kicks ball away from 15 yards.
17 min...Crew Justin Meram GOAL...Crew Tchani at 60 yards rolls ball forward up middle for Crew Jairo Arrieta to quickly tap ball forward through legs of TFC Doneil Henry at center line and Crew Finlay dribbles ball from 45 yards on right over to 30 yards in middle and rolls pass over to Meram at 22 yards on left and he cuts towards middle and bends in 15 yarder from even with left post into top right side of net after eluding defenders.
18 min...TFC sub...Lovitz replaces Orr.
19 min...TFC Jackson at 30 yards on right threads pass to TFC Defoe on edge of box in center and he wins Penalty kick when his arm is grabbed by Crew Wahl at 15 yards.
20 min...TFC Jermain Defoe GOAL...Defoe blasts Penalty kick low to left. Diving goalie Steve Clark gets hand to ball but can only push it into corner of net.
25 min...Crew Arrieta eludes TFC Henry at 25 yards on run down middle and then takes low 20 yard shot just wide right of post.
26 min...Crew Paladini freekick from 28 yards on right has TFC Morrow head ball down and away at 10 yards in middle. Crew Finlay chips 25 yard shot from left that goalie catches on left side of net.
32 min...TFC Defoe cuts low shot from 22 yards on left that Crew Tchani clears at 8 yards.
33 min...Crew defender at 8 yards heads ball away long throw-in from left by TFC Morrow.
34 min...TFC Jackson crosses 28 yarder from right well over TFC Moore in box and over left side of box.
36 min...TFC Jackson injured on sliding tackle by Crew Viana at TFC 35 yard line.
38 min...Crew YELLOW card...Parkhurst earns it for tripping up TFC Jackson at Crew 30 yard line.
39 min...TFC Bekker 30 yard freekick from left is well over net.
41 min...TFC Morrow long throw-in from left has defender head ball away from inside left side of box.
42 min...TFC Henry in middle prevents shot by Crew Paladini from middle on edge of box.
43 min...TFC Defoe rushes in from 50 yard line on left cutting to middle and pushes pass forward at 35 yards between defenders and charging TFC Moore gets to ball at 10 yards on left and passes back to TFC Jackson cross from 25 yards on left of partial clearance has defender head out of box from inside box at 12 yards.
43 min...TFC Morrow long throw-in from left has defender head ball to middle and another defender boots ball out of box from 10 yards.
45 min...TFC Jackson 30 yard freekick up middle hits player wall and TFC Bloom blasts 28 yard rebound from right high and wide right of net.
46 min...half ends 5:54pm.

Halftime Entertainment:...it was the same as their last game although they added a trivia contest on the Trillium Cup.

2nd Half:...half starts 6:11pm. The weather is unchanged with the sun now in the north west.
46 min...Crew Meram cross from 28 yards on left has TFC Henry in middle of box head ball away at 12 yards.
46 min...Crew Meram is hurt at center line jumping for header in collision with TFC Hagglund.
48 min...TFC Morrow cross from 25 yards on far left has Crew Tchani head ball away. TFC Bekker heads ball from 22 yards back into box and Crew defender at 15 yards on left heads ball back to goalie.
51 min...TFC Moore on run to Crew 30 yards down middle rolls pass too far forward for TFC Defoe to get at 8 yards and Crew Parkhurst ensures goalie smothers it at 5 yards.
53 min...TFC Defoe at 25 yards on left sends low cross to TFC Jackson on right and he chips into box from 20 yards and Crew Williams chests ball back to goalie from 8 yards.
54 min...Crew Williams cross from 30 yards on right has TFC Henry head ball through box where Crew Meram is checked off ball on left edge of box.
57 min...TFC Morrow tries to run into left side of box but Crew Parkhurst checks him off ball.
59 min...Crew YELLOW card...Viana earns it for tripping up TFC Lovitz at TFC 25 yard line.
60 min...Crew sub...Speas replaces Paladini.
62 min...TFC Hagglund runs into TFC end boards on left chasing down ball but keeps Crew Arrieta from getting to it.
64 min...Crew Agustin Viana GOAL...Crew Ben Speas cornerkick from left has Viana just in front of TFC Doneil Henry leap and head 6 yarder on right downwards and forward into right corner of net.
65 min...TFC YELLOW card...Bendik earns it for complaining to the referee after the goal.
65 min...TFC sub...Gilberto replaces Jackson.
66 min...TFC Gilberto blasts 35 yarder from right well over net.
68 min...TFC Bekker rolls 40 yard freekick from left upfield but TFC Defoe is checked off ball on left edge of box.
68 min...TFC Morrow long throw-in from left is kicked out of box for another throw-in.
69 min...TFC Hagglund cross from 20 yards on left is over players in box and wide for goalkick.
70 min...TFC sub...De Rosario replaces Osorio.
72 min...Crew sub...Baiden replaces Viana.
72 min...TFC Bloom is injured with clearance kick by Crew Meram hits him in face at Crew 35 yard sideline.
76 min...Crew Meram crosses from 8 yards near left end line and Crew Arrieta spins and shoots midair ball down middle from 13 yards well over net.
76 min...TFC YELLOW card...Gilberto earns delayed call for running into Crew Parkhurst at Crew 40 yards.
77 min...TFC ball is fed too far forward up middle by TFC Gilberto for charging TFC Defoe at 20 yards.
78 min...TFC Bekker is injured at TFC 30 yard line on his sliding tackle on Crew Meram.
78 min...TFC YELLOW card...Bekker earns it for complaining to referee about last play.
80 min...TFC Jermain Defoe GOAL...TFC Gilberto nods header forward up middle from 35 yards that Defoe gets to at 25 yards and shoots 20 yarder into top left corner of net.
82 min...Crew YELLOW card...Wahl earns it for pulling down charging TFC Defoe on right edge of box.
83 min...TFC Lovitz 22 yard freekick on right has ball whistled down in box for TFC Defoe climbing on defender to get to header.
84 min...TFC Lovitz long run down left but pushes ball over end line.
85 min...TFC Morrow long throw-in from left has TFC Hagglund pop up header at 13 yards on left and Crew Meram heads ball away at 6 yards in center and TFC Henry heads ball downward and forward from 12 yards but fallen defender kicks it away.
86 min...TFC Gilberto falls on right but taps pass to TFC Defoe whose 15 yard roller from right is smothered by diving goalie.
87 min...TFC Morrow steals ball and runs up left wing and crosses from 30 yards that TFC Gilberto at 8 yards taps ball back to TFC De Rosario who blasts 18 yard shot up middle that goalie palms over net.
87 min...TFC Lovitz cornerkick from right wins cornerkick from left as Crew defender heads it wide left of net.
88 min...TFC Bekker cornerkick from left has defender head away that starts Crew fast break.
89 min...Crew sub...Anor replaces Finlay.
91 min...TFC Lovitz cornerkick from right has Crew Tchani at 4 yards on right head away. TFC De Rosario wins freekick on right edge of box when Crew Tchani pulls him down.
92 min...TFC Doneil Henry GOAL...TFC Daniel Lovitz 20 yard freekick from right has Henry charge forward into crowd of players and head 5 yarder into low left side of net.
92 min...TFC YELLOW card...Henry earns it for pulling off his shirt celebrating his goal.
93 min...Crew Anor just misses connecting on ball down middle at 12 yards.
94 min...TFC goalie gathers up bouncer on left side of box on cross from right.
94 min...game ends 7:00pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC......3..........Columbus Crew...........2........

Attendance was announced as a sellout at 22591 on this hot afternoon--best weather of the season so far!

Man of the Match (who is always a TFC player) was announced as forward Jermain Defoe which was an easy choice as he scored two goals and had defenders draw two or three Yellow cards trying to cover him.

TFC beat the Crew to win the Trillium Cup already in only their second meeting of three this season. They beat the Crew 2-0 in Columbus earlier this season. The TFC players paraded the Cup out on the field after the game.

Doneil Henry played well again today. He scored the winning goal like he did in the Red Bulls game and made some key clearances. Both goals the last week's were set piece headers. He took a Yellow card for pulling his shirt off celebrating the goal. He'll have to watch his accumulation of cards or he'll end up missing a game soon. The goal eases some of the pressure placed on him for conceding another Penalty kick in the game away in Kansas City. The Crew had their top striker Federico Higuain miss this game for Yellow card accumulation. Steven Caldwell missed this game because of the Red card he picked up in Kansas City.

Bradley Orr was replaced very early and it was later explained that he'd aggravated a rib injury.

Gilberto came on at 65 minutes--understandably he didn't deserve to start with no goals so far. He took a Yellow card for his temper but did earn an assist on Defoe's second goal.

TFC had more ball possession than what they usually have. Officials stats show they had 45%.

TFC were missing midfielder Michael Bradley (USA) and goalie Julio Cesar (Brazil) away at the World Cup. The Crew were without defenders Giancarlo Gonzalez and Waylon Francis both with Costa Rica.

Fans leaving out the north gate were given what I'd describe as a fold up frisbee. Like canvas wrapped with a coat hanger. It flies so it was definitely smart not to give it out upon our arrival or it would have resembled the seat cushion day of 2007.

Transit service was awful today with the Yonge Street subway closed between Eglinton and Bloor. The game starting one hour later than their last home game helped offset the problem somewhat. It was actually worse getting home--two and a half hours to get home in North York. Former Toronto mayor David Miller was on the same bus as me on the way home (guess he did renew his season's tickets after last week's protest about the team's direction). I could sort out for him that difference in venues of the Women's U-20 World Cup and the Women's World Cup held the next year. No games in Toronto for the Women's World Cup. Next week none of the subway will be running south of Bloor Ave.

The next home game for TFC will be next Saturday at 4:00pm against San Jose Earthquakes. It will be the last weekend of games before the league takes a few weeks off for the first round of the World Cup.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

stats from MLSsoccer.com

Match Information

MLS Regular Season at BMO Field
Attendance 22591

Goals and Assists
CLB 18'    Justin Meram   Assisted By: Ethan Finlay 
TOR 21'    Jermain Defoe (PK)  
CLB 65'    Agustin Viana  Assisted By: Ben Speas 
TOR 81'    Jermain Defoe  Assisted By: Gilberto 
TOR 90'+2' Doneil Henry   Assisted By: Daniel Lovitz 

Disciplinary
CLB 39'    Michael Parkhurst    Reason: Foul 
CLB 60'    Agustin Viana        Reason: Foul 
TOR 66'    Joe Bendik           Reason: Dissent 
TOR 77'    Gilberto             Reason: Off the ball foul 
TOR 80'    Kyle Bekker          Reason: Dissent 
CLB 83'    Tyson Wahl           Reason: Foul 
TOR 90'+4' Doneil Henry         Reason: Excessive celebration 

Toronto FC
12 Joe Bendik
28 Mark Bloom, 17 Nick Hagglund, 15 Doneil Henry, 2 Justin Morrow
11 Jackson (9 Gilberto 66), 8 Kyle Bekker, 16 Bradley Orr (35 Daniel Lovitz 18), 21 Jonathan Osorio (14 Dwayne De Rosario 71)
27 Luke Moore, 18 Jermain Defoe

Subs not used:  1 Chris Konopka (gk)...25 Jeremy Hall (def)...23 Alvaro Rey (mid)...32 Andrew Wiedeman (fwd)

Columbus Crew
1 Steve Clark
3 Josh Williams, 4 Michael Parkhurst, 2 Tyson Wahl, 21 Chad Barson
6 Tony Tchani, 11 Dan Paladini (17 Ben Speas 61), 24 Agustin Viana (30 Fifi Baiden 73), 9 Justin Meram
13 Ethan Finlay (7 Bernardo Anor 89), 19 Jairo Arrieta

Subs not used:  28 Matt Lampson (gk)...8 Dominic Oduro (fwd)...12 Hector Jimenez (mid)...16 Eric Gehrig (mid)

Attendance: 22,591

Stats:

 TOR                        CLB
  9     Shots                7 
  5     Shots on Target      2 
  3     Shots off Target     5 
  1     Blocked Shots        0 
  3     Corners              3 
 21     Crosses              9 
  1     Offsides             1 
 17     Fouls               16 
  4     Yellow Cards         3 
  0     Red Cards            0 
345     Total Passes       429 
 73 %   Passing Accuracy    76 % 
 45.3 % Possession          54.7 % 
 49     Duels Won           56 
 13     Tackles Won         20 
  0     Saves                2 
 17     Clearances          30 
 
Officials
Main  Sorin Stoica 
Lineman 1  George Ganser 
Lineman 2  Mark Cahen 
Fourth official  Yusri Rudolf

Toronto FC starters