June 12, 2015 Toronto FC II--TFC II on Two-Week Break (from torontofc.ca)
Toronto FC II On Two-Week Break TFC II will look to work on offensive tactics during the break June 12, 2015 Anthony Campos Toronto FC II will have a two-week break to prepare for their next match against Wilmington Hammerheads at BMO Field on June 27th. TFC II is coming off a 0-0 draw against Harrisburg City Islanders. The team has been solid defensively as of late, maintaining a clean sheet over their last two matches. On the flip side, the team has struggled offensively, failing to score in their last three matches. The last time the team scored was in a 2-1 win against St. Louis FC back on May 14th. Main Focus During the Break With plenty of time to work on the team’s tactics in practice, head coach Jason Bent will continue to work on defensive responsibilities while emphasizing a bit more on the offensive side. “We’ll continue to look at our defensive responsibilities and roles within our set shape, set defending and transitional defending, but also continue to emphasize the attacking side of things.” “Being able to possess the ball for longer periods of time in the opponents half we feel will ultimately create more scoring opportunities. In saying that we still have to be sharper in front of goal.” TFC II defender Adam Bouchard acknowledged that the team would be focusing on offensive tactics during the break. “We can always do better, especially defensively, but I think we’re going to focus a lot on attacking patterns and linking up on the final third, getting more sustained possession so we can produce more chances,” said Bouchard. First Team Debuts for Academy Players Toronto FC II’s match against the Harrisburg City Islanders last weekend marked the debut of two Academy players: Liam Fraser, who started and played the entire match, and Gabriel Boakye. “It was definitely a great experience to have my professional debut. It was nice to get the start too. To get a point on the road in Harrisburg was good for us,” said Fraser prior to training on Friday. Head coach Jason Bent was very pleased with the performances both players put in against Harrisburg City. “He looked very calm and composed beyond his years in his first professional debut,” said head coach Jason Bent on Fraser. “I was very pleased with his defensive side of the game in terms of the amount of plays that he broke up and his recovery of the ball, and his intensity to defend was impressive from my perspective”. “Gabriel Boakye, who came in for a 30-minute stint, I thought was pretty composed as well.” Head coach Jason Bent has continued to provide playing time to Academy players in USL matches, a testament to the objective of the team in the development and growth of the young Reds. TFC II Players Named to Canada’s Provisional Gold Cup Roster Canada Soccer has announced its 35-man provisional roster for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The final roster of 23-players must come from the provisional roster and in the event of an injury or in the event a player needs to be replaced, only a player from the provisional roster can be called into fill his place. On that provisional roster are two TFC II players: Quillan Roberts and Jordan Hamilton. “It’s great. I’ve played in a couple Gold Cups myself and hopefully they can go in and stamp their authority on that squad and make the final roster. It’s a massive experience,” said head coach Jason Bent on Roberts and Hamilton being named to the roster. “Hopefully they can break into the squad. I think that will do wonders for their experience and hopefully they can bring that back to TFC II,” he added.
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