May 29, 2015 Toronto FC II--news in the bye week (from torontofc.ca)
Toronto FC II regroups during bye week Members of the squad have a day to remember vs. Manchester City May 29, 2015 Anthony Campos torontofc.ca Toronto FC II will look to take advantage of some time off as they prepare for their next match against Harrisburg City Islanders on June 6 at 7PM. TFC II Coach Jason Bent met with media on Thursday to discuss what the team has been working on during the bye week. “We’ve been using it [this bye week] to try get some fringe players that haven’t got as many minutes to increase their fitness levels but still getting some specific work done.” Coach Bent also spoke on the positives from last weekend’s match against Rochester. “This past weekend against Rochester the application, the mental approach to the game and the start to the game was quite positive.” “Defensively we worked very hard, we were organized and limited Rochester to some long range strikes so that was very key for us.” “Now it’s just trying to find that consistency week in and week out.” The team was strong defensively against Rochester but has failed to score a single goal in their last two matches. Coach Bent sees this bye week as a great opportunity to work on the team’s offensive tactics. “In terms of the offensive side, we had a lot of possession but not enough possession in their defensive third.” “Those are some things we’re trying to work on the training pitch, trying to get more sustained attacks, more sustained possession in the opponents defensive third.” Skylar Thomas named to USL Team of the Week TFC II rookie defender Skylar Thomas was named to the USL team of the week on Tuesday. Thomas was a key figure in the team’s hard fought 0-0 draw against the Rochester Rhinos. The rookie defender was happy with the honours but still sees room for improvement in his game. “It means a lot. I’m very proud of myself. I think I played well during that game but there is room for improvement.” First Team Experience vs. Manchester City A few of the TFC II players were called up to the first team to play in a friendly match against English Premier League club Manchester City FC on Wednesday. Manuel Aparicio, Chris Mannella, Alex Bono, Jay Chapman, and Jordan Hamilton all got playing time against the former EPL champions. Aparicio, whose first team debut came against Manchester City, spoke to media prior to training concerning his experience playing in the friendly. “It was a great feeling not only to step on against world-class players but also my first game at BMO for the first team.” “[It’s great] for us young guys to get minutes with the first team and to see what world-class players are and how they play.” TFC II goalkeeper Alex Bono believes these friendly matches are a great opportunity to test themselves against some of the world’s best players. “It was an unbelievable experience. It’s a level that we’ve never played at and it’s good to get out there and see the level they play over there [in England].” “It was really cool to be out there against the quality of players they have. It’s good to have our test against those guys and see how we fair.” Coach Bent was pleased with the experience his players gained playing against a team with such high quality like Manchester City. “They’re playing against world-class players and with that level of experience and exposure in that type of competitive environment will do them wonders especially for their confidence.”
.
.