August 30, 2014 MLS--Toronto FC vs New England Revolution (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Saturday August 30, 2014, MLS game between Toronto FC and New England Revolution played at BMO Field in Toronto at 5:00pm.

Toronto FC (all red, white names and numbers)

.......................12 Joseph Bendik
17 Nick Hagglund...16 Bradley Orr...15 Doneil Henry...28 Mark Bloom
..................26 Collen Warner...4 Michael Bradley (cpt)
..........23 Dominic Oduro...21 Jonathan Osorio...27 Luke Moore
.......................9 Gilberto

Subs:...1 Chris Konopka (gk)...7 Bright Dike (fwd)...8 Kyle Bekker (mid)...11 Jackson (mid)...14 Dwayne De Rosario (mid)
...33 Ryan Richter (def)...35 Daniel Lovitz (mid)
team officials:...head coach Ryan Nelsen

New England Revolution (navy socks and shirts, white shorts, names and numbers)

.....................22 Bobby Shuttleworth
2 Andrew Farrell...5 A J Soares...23 Jose Goncalves (cpt)...25 Darrius Barnes
10 Teal Bunbury...16 Daigo Kobayashi...24 Lee Nguyen...6 Scott Caldwell
.............11 Kelyn Rowe...9 Charlie Davies

Subs:...18 Brad Knighton (gk)...4 Steve Neumann (mid)...7 Patrick Mullins (fwd)...13 Jermaine Jones (mid)...14 Diego Fagundez (mid)
...30 Kevin Alston (def)...99 Tony Taylor (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Jay Heaps

Game officials:...referee Silviu Petrescu...referee's assistants Gianni Facchini (as a late substitute for Philippe Briere) and Matthew Kreitzer
...fourth official Geoff Gamble...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 5:08pm...TFC defends south end on this hot, humid, and sunny (at least to start) day.
50 sec...TFC goalie catches bouncer sent in up middle from 45 yards by Revs Kobayashi.
1 min 20 sec...Revs Lee Nguyen GOAL...TFC Mark Bloom on left rolls centering pass to TFC Michael Bradley who misses at TFC 45 yards in middle and Nguyen runs down middle in alignment with right post and shoots low 25 yard shot into left corner of net past diving goalie Joe Bendik.
3 min...Revs YELLOW card...Teal Bunbury earns it for high boot to face on TFC Warner who was heading ball injurying him at TFC 35 yard line.
5 min...Revs Soares clears ball before TFC Gilberto can shoot at 8 yards and play is whistled down for him pushing over defender.
6 min...Revs Barnes long throw-in from 30 yard line on left has TFC Henry kick away just inside box on left for another throw-in.
6 min...Revs Barnes throw-in from 15 yard line on left has TFC Warner head away from 10 yards in middle of box.
7 min...Revs Rowe freekick from 40 yards on left bounces through box to Revs Bunbury on deflection but TFC Bloom clears behind end line on right.
8 min...Revs Caldwell cornerkick from right is whistled down in box.
9 min...Revs Nguyen chips 25 yarder too far forward for Revs Bunbury to get at 10 yards on right and ball bounces for goalkick.
13 min...Revs Nguyen 25 yard freekick down middle hits player wall and his rebound shot hits player charging forward to block.
14 min...Revs goalie slips and shanks backpass for cornerkick on right.
15 min...Revs Caldwell heads away TFC Warner cornerkick from right. Revs goalie catches TFC Oduro's 50 yard chip over players.
18 min...Revs Rowe 40 yard freekick from left has defender head ball away. TFC Moore is injured on block of rebound blast by Revs Kobayashi who then sends another 30 yard blasts high and wide left of net.
20 min...Revs Kelyn Rowe GOAL...TFC Bradley Orr at TFC 25 yard line on left sends pass upfield that Revs Rowe intercepts at 50 yards on left and taps short pass over to Revs Lee Nguyen who taps backheeler from 35 yards over to Rowe now charging towards center and he takes pass and runs to middle and survives TFC Michael Bradley trip attempt and and blasts 28 yarder up middle that flying goalie can't stop on 5 feet up on left post.
22 min...TFC Oduro can't get around defender for high ball at 20 yards and ball bounces for goalie.
24 min...TFC Bloom sliding tackle on Revs Bunbury on right end line gives up cornerkick.
25 min...Revs player's short cornerkick from right has Revs Kobayashi roll centering pass from 22 yards on right and Revs Soares shoots 18 yarder down middle over bar.
26 min...TFC Gilberto run down middle then almost overruns ball but stops to turn and shoots 28 yarder down middle high and wide left of net.
30 min...TFC Bloom keeps ball in play on left corner and cross has defender head ball away. TFC Hagglund taps ball over to TFC Warner who blasts from 28 yards down middle just over net.
31 min...Revs Davies on right pushes pass over for Revs Bunbury who runs to near end line and shoots from 20 yards on right and goalie on right post leaps and palms ball over net.
31 min...Revs Rowe cornerkick from right is cleared by two popped up headers by defenders.
32 min...Revs Rowe cornerkick from right has Revs Bunbury pop header from 10 yards high and wide left of net.
33 min...TFC Bradley 55 yard freekick has TFC Gilberto leap on left and head ball well wide right from 12 yards.
34 min...Revs Bunbury chips from 25 yards on right and TFC Orr heads ball away from inside box.
35 min...Revs YELLOW card...Rowe earns it for knock down of charging TFC Oduro at Revs 22 yard line on right.
35 min...TFC Warner 28 yard freekick from right has Revs Bunbury head ball away from 12 yards.
36 min...Revs Bunbury cross from 18 yards on left has ball hit flying TFC Hagglund's hand and bounce for goalie to smother.
37 min...Revs Soares concedes cornerkick from 6 yards in box on 15 yard low cross from TFC Oduro.
37 min...Revs clear cornerkick from right after TFC Hagglund heads from left and TFC Henry suffers head injury on Revs Soares high boot clearance. TFC Warner crosses back in from 25 yards on right and goalie catches in crowd of players.
41 min...TFC Osorio taps pass from left to TFC Bradley who bends 22 yard shot from left wide right but goalie catches anyway.
42 min...TFC Gilberto at 25 yard line on left taps pass forward to TFC Moore but he's checked off ball by defender at 15 yards on left. TFC Osorio crosses from 25 yards on left that Revs Soares kicks away from 12 yards on left.
42 min...TFC Bradley 50 yard freekick from right has TFC Henry on edge of box in middle head 18 yarder wide right of net.
45 min...TFC Hagglund throw-in from right has TFC Moore checked on edge of box and TFC Oduro's cross from right edge of box is over TFC Gilberto on left and bounces out for goalkick.
46 min...half ends 5:54pm.

Halftime Entertainment: there was the usual pizza giveaway, Scott's Lawn Lounge seat upgrade, and Drumsticks ice cream giveaway. For the second time this season there's a short game of Loopyball...a three on three game with players wearing bubble suits. The music was the 'Benny Hill Theme' which was appropriate for this comedy bit of them playing.

2nd Half:...starts 6:10pm...the sky is now overcast.
45 min...Revs Bunbury cross from right deflects high of sliding defender for cornerkick.
45 min...Revs Kobayashi cornerkick from left has Revs Goncalves head 15 yarder that goalie palms over net.
46 min...Revs YELLOW card...Caldwell earns it for pulling down TFC Oduro rushing to center line after Revs Kobayashi cornerkick from right is headed away and Caldwell passes back to right that starts TFC fast break.
47 min...Revs Nguyen rolls pass forward from 22 yards that sliding TFC Hagglund blocks. Nguyen then taps ball to right for Revs Bunbury who crosses from 22 yards on right that TFC Orr heads ball from left side of box out of box on right.
50 min...Revs Kobayashi cornerkick from right has TFC Henry at 8 yards in middle of box head ball away.
50 min...Revs Nguyen blasts quick tap over freekick low and just wide left of post from 22 yards.
It starts to spit rain for about two minutes but never gets hard.
51 min...TFC Bradley 30 yard freekick down middle hits head in player wall and deflects out of box.
52 min...TFC Hagglund low cross from near right endline has Revs Soares clear ball for throw-in.
53 min...Revs Nguyen chips ball from 22 yards forward and to right and Revs Kobayashi short cross from 12 yards instead of taking shot and TFC Orr clears from 8 yards in middle of box.
54 min...TFC Oduro rush down right wing being shadowed by Revs Barnes and cross from 20 yards near end line wins cornerkick on right on deflection off Revs Goncalves at 5 yards on right.
54 min...TFC Warner cornerkick from right has TFC Gilberto step in front of TFC Hagglund and twist header wide left from 5 yards on left post.
55 min...Revs Rowe at 28 yards on left sends low cross forward and to center and Revs Davies just misses foot tipping ball on slide from 8 yards on right and ball rolls wide left of post.
56 min...Revs Davies crash with TFC Orr at TFC 40 yards on left injurying TFC Orr.
57 min...Revs Teal Bunbury GOAL...TFC Michael Bradley crosses from Revs 50 yard line on left and ball deflects off referee at Revs 45 yards and Revs get deflection to start rush. Revs Kelyn Rowe charges up left wing first beating TFC Collen Warner at center line then running to 40 yards and passing forward to charging Revs Charlie Davies at 30 yards who continues to 10 yard line on left and sends low cross between goalie and TFC Doneil Henry and Bunbury receives ball at 6 yards on right and shoots low into left side of open net.
59 min...after that rain a bright sun comes out for a short time.
60 min...TFC Hagglund cross from 20 yards near right end line has goalie catch.
60 min...TFC Osorio second shot (after first one blocked by Revs Soares) from 15 yards has flying goalie tips ball wide right with hand.
61 min...TFC Bradley cornerkick from right has TFC Henry in crowd of players at 8 yards not able to turn header.
61 min...TFC sub...Lovitz replaces Osorio.
62 min...TFC Gilberto can't draw Penalty kick after throw-in to him and he loses ball when he crashes with Revs Barnes.
63 min...Revs Nguyen pushes ball forward from 20 yards on left and TFC Henry slides to clear ball before Revs Davies can get to it at 8 yards.
63 min...Revs Bunbury rush forward to end line on left and back heels that TFC Bradley clears at 8 yards.
64 min...Revs sub...Jones replaces Kobayashi.
........Revs sub...Neumann replaces Bunbury.
66 min...TFC Lovitz cornerkick from right has defender head ball away from 8 yards in crowd in box for quick break.
67 min...TFC Warner rolls through ball pass to TFC Gilberto to run in from 22 yards and he shoots wide into right side webbing of net from 12 yards.
67 min...TFC sub...Jackson replaces Oduro.
69 min...Revs Jones tap for Revs Neumann and his 20 yard cross from right is bounced wide left of net.
70 min...TFC Bradley 40 yard freekick from right has goalie catch unchallenged and then TFC Moore plows into and injures him.
72 min...Revs Nguyen taps through ball from 30 yards too far forward for Revs Davies and ball rolls over end line wide right.
73 min...TFC Bloom cross from 30 yards on left has Revs Soares leap and head away from 15 yards in middle of box.
74 min...Revs sub...Fagundez replaces Nguyen.
76 min...TFC Hagglund can't control ball on edge of Revs box and partial clearance has TFC Moore shoot wide left from 22 yards.
78 min...Revs Rowe cornerkick from right has TFC Warner pop up header on right and ball is cleared on left and Revs Fagundez 22 yard shot from left has defender block.
79 min...TFC De Rosario replaces Moore.
81 min...TFC YELLOW card...Gilberto earns it for trip from behind on Revs Goncalves at Revs 20 yard line which knocked over defender over set up TFC Jackson for breakaway in box which was whistled down.
82 min...TFC Lovitz slides and takes low 28 yard shot from left that goalie catches on left post.
83 min...Revs goalie charges to 15 yards to grab ball that bounced off charging TFC Gilberto at 22 yards.
84 min...TFC De Rosario rolls cross from 15 yards on right that Revs Soares slides and clears from center of box.
88 min...TFC Jackson flick pass from 20 yards to TFC De Rosario whose 10 yard shot has sliding goalie push ball wide right of post.
89 min...TFC Lovitz cornerkick from right is headed out left side of box by defender. TFC Orr sends high cross from 22 yards on left over to TFC Hagglund at 15 yards on right who pops header forward and TFC Gilberto heads over net from 10 yards down middle.
92 min...TFC Bradley 25 yard freekick from left is onto top of net for goalkick.
93 min...game ends 6:58pm

Final Score:.....Toronto FC.......0..........New England Revolution...........3........

Attendance was announced as 22591 which was a sellout but that part wasn't mentioned. The weather was hot and humid with everything from bright sun to overcast to the start of a light rain and then the pattern reversed. Our tickets allowed us free admission to the Canadian National Exhibition. A few acts from the Air Show made an extra flyover run just to entertain us before the game. Some seats never filled in and people were streaming out to go hom or see the CNE exhibits from the 70 minute mark.

Man of the Match (who is always a TFC player) was announced as defender Bradley Orr. Nothing exceptional from him but it was hard to find anyone on the team that deserved praise. I expect the sponsors expect someone. Orr was returning after being benched. This time midfielder Jackson was benched rather than starting in defence and when he was subbed at 67 minutes, he played midfield.

TFC looked bad tonight. They started slow and sloppy and the first goal was a blow but they didn't play much better the entire night.

TFC Michael Bradley was among the worst offenders with passing giveaways. He whiffed on a kick at 1 minute which set up the Revs first goal. He also missed a trip attempt check on their second goal. He also missed with some freekicks. To sum up his day he cleared a ball off the referee which set up the Revs break for their third goal.

TFC Gilberto looked good again tonight for the second game in a row. He was checked off the ball a few times and had a shot blocked. Best chance was late in the game when he blasted a shot into the outside webbing of the net.

Fans were chanting "We want De Ro" a good 15 minutes before he was subbed on. De Rosario set up one chance when he rolled a cross into the Revs box but a defender cleared. Fans were booing their team after the game for the first time this season. This time it was directed at the team not the referees or visiting players.

TFC had injuries to forward Jermain Defoe, defenders Justin Morrow (today's program cover boy), Steven Caldwell, and Warren Creavalle.

Revs Lee Nguyen looked like the best player on the field with a goal and an assist and good passes all around. The first two Revs goals were perfectly aimed at the left corner of the net out of the goalie's reach.

Revs goalie Bobby Shuttleworth earned the shutout. After the game he posed for selfies with fans (Rev fans I'd expect) in the patio seating on the East side.

Scott Caldwell's Yellow card means he misses the Revs next game based on card accumulation.

USA international Jermaine Jones just signed for the Revs earlier this week and came on as a sub at 64 minutes. he had one bit of dribbling magic but was checked off the ball before taking a shot. Unlike last week's game against Chicago Fire when newly signed Robert Earnshaw came in to score within 5 minutes, Revs did not need Jones heroics because they were already ahead 3-0 by that point.

TFC were still in third place up until today but they've frittered away most of their games in hand. They now have back to back games against Philadelphia Union, the only Eastern Conference team they haven't played this year. TFC don't have a lock on the playoffs and risk slipping further like the baseball Blue Jays, although five of the ten weak Eastern teams will make the post season. They also risk slipping in the CONCACAF Championship League qualifying because next year's Canadian rep will be the MLS team with the most points--shutting out the NASL teams for the one year.

The Revs had only won once at BMO Field until today and that was their earlier meeting this year, a 2-1 win, in TFC's seventh game of the year on May 3rd. Revs had won only one road game since then. TFC will play the Revs on the last week of the season.

TFC's general manager Tim Bezbatchenko had said that TFC must "step it up a notch" as a must-win game. That would be reasonable based on their tie last week against Chicago Fire--another team below them in the standings. Head coach Ryan Nelsen said this added pressure to his team although I remember Nelsen said their away game against first place Sporting Kansas City just two weeks ago was a 'must win' game. I'm not an insider with the team but I didn't think it was a good idea to criticise your boss. The next day Nelsen was fired. I was up at the KIA Training Centre watching the League 1 Ontario game between Toronto FC Academy vs Windsor Stars and might have been able to get into that press conference but I had commitments to be elsewhere and figured I'd be able to see it on television.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

stats from MLSsoccer.com
Match Information
 
Match Information
MLS Regular Season at BMO Field
Attendance 22591
Weather Cloudy

Goals and Assists

Scoring Summary
NE – Lee Nguyen 2’
NE – Kelyn Rowe 21’ (Lee Nguyen)
NE – Teal Bunbury 58’ (Charlie Davies, Kelyn Rowe)                          

Misconduct Summary
NE – Teal Bunbury 4’ (caution) Foul
NE – Kelyn Rowe 36’ (caution)  Foul
NE – Scott Caldwell 47’ (caution) Foul
TFC – Gilberto 82’ (caution) Foul

Records:
Toronto FC:                9-9-6  33pts.
New England Revolution:  10-12-3  33pts.     

Lineups

Toronto FC – Joe Bendik; 
Nick Hagglund, Bradley Orr, Doneil Henry, Mark Bloom; 
Jonathan Osorio (Daniel Lovitz 62’), Michael Bradley, Collen Warner Dominic Oduro (Jackson 68’); 
Luke Moore (Dwayne De Rosario 80’), Gilberto

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Konopka, Kyle Bekker, Ryan Richter

New England Revolution – Bobby Shuttleworth; 
Darrius Barnes, A.J. Soares, Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves; 
Kelyn Rowe, Scott Caldwell, Daigo Kobayashi (Jermaine Jones 65’), Teal Bunbury (Steve Neumann 65’), Lee Nguyen (Diego Fagundez 76’); 
Charlie Davies

Substitutes Not Used: Patrick Mullins, Kevin Alston, Tony Taylor, Brad Knighton

Stats:

Team Statistics

TOR                           NER
 14    Shots                   13 
  3    Shots on Target          5 
  9    Shots off Target         4 
  2    Blocked Shots            4 
  6    Corners                  8 
 20    Crosses                 19 
  5    Offsides                 0 
 13    Fouls                   22 
  1    Yellow Cards             3 
  0    Red Cards                0 
432    Total Passes           285 
 76 %  Passing Accuracy        65 % 
 60 %  Possession              40 % 
 55    Duels Won               41 
 12    Tackles Won              8 
  2    Saves                    3 
 18    Clearances              23 

Officials
Referee  Silviu Petrescu 
Assistant Referee  Phill Briere  [it was actually Gianni Facchini]--Rocket Robin
Assistant Referee  Matthew Kreitzer 
Fourth Official  Geoff Gamble

Toronto FC starters