May 21, 2015 Toronto FC II--preview of Toronto FC II vs Rochester Rhinos (from torontofc.ca)
Match Preview: Toronto FC II vs. Rochester Rhinos TFC II open home campaign at BMO Field on Saturday night May 21, 2015 Anthony Campos torontofc.ca TFC II will be playing their home opener at BMO Field this Saturday as they take on the Rochester Rhinos at 8:00PM. The last meeting between the two clubs ended in a 1-0 loss for your Reds after a stoppage time goal by Rhinos substitute Steevan “Duba” Humberto Fortes Dos Santos gave Rochester the victory. The Opposition The Rochester Rhinos are coming off a 1-1 draw against the Wilmington Hammerheads and currently sit first in the Eastern Conference standings. The Rhinos have yet to lose a game this season, holding a record of 6-0-3 and leading the league in most defensive statistics. TFC II coach Jason Bent spoke to media on Wednesday regarding their previous meeting against the Rhinos. “From the last time we played them we thought we did a good job against them, it was just sort of a lack of concentration at the end that gave up the points for us.” “We’re pretty confident that we can perform again against them. We’re looking forward to the challenge and we’re looking forward to playing a home game.” The Reds will ideally approach the game with the same tactics as their first meeting against Rochester in which they limited offensive opportunities and played a defensively sound game. Anticipate TFC II to be more aggressive on the offensive side, something that was missing in their last meeting. Looking Forward The Reds will look to put their 4-0 defeat at the hands of Louisville City FC this past Saturday behind them as they take on the best team in the Eastern Conference. TFC II goalkeeper Alex Bono talked about the team’s approach following the loss on Saturday. “We’re a team that takes the next couple days to reflect. We watch the video session on it. We see what we did, what mistakes we had and we move on from there.” “Our team as a whole has learned to have a short memory and move on to the next game.” Forward Massimo Mirabelli also spoke on putting the loss behind them. “In Louisville it wasn’t the best result you kind of just have to have a short-term memory and put it behind us and move forward for the next game.” “Being a professional you have to be able to go through those types of situations.” Home Opener Your Reds will finally play their home opener this Saturday at BMO Field after playing their first eight games of the season on the road. “It’s very exciting. It’s going to be nice to be at home and have our home crowd, and not going in front of the heckling and that sort of thing,” said Bono prior to training on Wednesday. “We’re always looking forward to home games.” Mirabelli also shared the excitement of playing in front of familiar faces. “There’s no better feeling playing at home in front of all your friends and family.” Saturday will be a double header at BMO Field as the first team plays against Portland Timbers at 5PM, followed by TFC II’s match at 8PM. Focusing on Player Development TFC II has made it clear that the one of their main concerns is developing their young players and helping them make the transition to the first team. Coach Jason Bent discussed lineup changes and giving players opportunities to assist this development throughout the season. “Our main focus is that players need the opportunity to play and we have to test them in certain environments.” “If players make mistakes or don’t perform their best then they have to get better in training and wait for the opportunity to perform on that stage again.” He also touched on building confidence in the players. “It’s a mental sort of thing, trying to instill confidence within the players and keep encouraging them even if they are making mistakes so that they can improve.” TFC II takes on Rochester Rhinos this Saturday, May 23rd, at 8:00PM ET. Follow along on Twitter @TorontoFCII using the hashtag #TFCLive and watch the action via livestream at www.torontofc.ca/live
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