July 28, 2018 MLS Toronto FC--Toronto FC vs Chicago Fire (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Saturday July 28, 2018 MLS game between Toronto FC and Chicago Fire played at BMO Field in Toronto at 7:00PM. 51 min...TFC Jozy Altidore GOAL...TFC Sebastian Giovinco at 25 yards in middle gets around defender and from 22 yards even with left post rolls pass forward for charging TFC Jonathan Osorio who chips cross from 10 yards across 6 yard box and TFC Marky Delgado ducks and heads 7 yarder forward that goalie saves on right side of net. TFC Justin Morrow steps forward over off-balance TFC Victor Vazquez at 3 yards to get to rebound and rolls ball forward where Fire defender Brandon Vincent stops it on line. The ball rolls away to left and Altidore even with left post blasts 3 yarder into left side of net. Altidore then removes one of his orange shoes and holds it to his ear like Maxwell Smart. 71 min...TFC Jonathan Osorio GOAL...TFC Jozy Altidore receives pass up right sideline and turns and centers pass up right sideline and turns and centers pass from 45 yard linne to Osorio at 50 yards in middle. Osorio runs forward to 28 yards and rolls pass left to TFC Victor Vazquez who stops and chips 30 yarder into right side of box. TFC Sebastian Giovinco makes mid-air one-touch from right edge of 6 yard box between goalie and defender and Osorio slides to jam 3 yarder into left side of open net. 88 min...TFC Sebastian Giovinco GOAL...TFC Ayo Akinola at 50 yards on left rolls pass to Giovinco at 40 yards who turns and runs towards goal. He weaves to middle and shoots low 20 yarder up middle that hits Fire defender Kevin Ellis's raised foot at 14 yards and deflects over scrawling goalie into top right side of net. Final Score:...Toronto FC.......3.....Chicago Fire........0........ Attendance was announced as a sellout of 29190. There were certainly a lot of late comers. The seats beside me weren't occupied until the 40 minute mark. Even with sanctions still in place against some of the supporters' groups in the south end, people must have moved around to occupy every seat. Some of them even lit off flares. I'm glad I wore a windbreaker because it cooled off after it was dark and by the time it took me two hours to be home it was cool. Man of the Match (who is always a TFC player) was named as Gregory van der Wiel who was probably chosen before the 80 minute mark so they didn't know that Giovinco would score. I didn't think he played anything special. I'd have chosen Osorio for the insurance goal or even his part in the first goal. Even Altidore with his three yard goal I wouldn't have been surprised of being their choice as an encouragement for returning to the team. Now that the regular TFC roster who were injured have almost all returned, TFC started only two Canadians--Osorio and Ashtone Morgan who was subbed out at halftime. With the game no longer in doubt, Ayo Akinola (raised in Brampton but born in Michigan and US International at least at the junior level) was subbed in at 79 minutes for Altidore. Chicago had former TFC players Raheem Edwards and Nicolas Hasler playing on the same wing with Edwards on defence. Hasler was traded to Chicago just last week for forward Jon Bakero and GAM money which TFC may be compiling to bring in another player. Edwards started off well but fizzled in the last half hour. He was claimed by Los Angeles FC in the expansion draft then immediately traded to Montreal. Montreal traded him to Chicago on July 16th for $400,000 in TAM money. Long alo Alan Gordon (subbed in at 78 minutes) and unused Tony Tchani were TFC players. TFC had 3 shots in the first half and 17 in the second. It's like they flipped a switch at the start of the second half. Strategists wrote that it was the substitution of midfielder Marky Delgado for defender Ashtone Morgan at halftime that initiated it. Giovinco hit the post at 73 minutes and the bar at 87 minutes although seconds later he scored. Only worry was after hitting the bar he kicked an illuminating signboard and risked injurying his leg. Fire has now lost five games in a row including last week in their 2-1 loss to TFC in Chicago. They looked defensively competant because they played mostly with five on the backline with designated player Bastian Schweinsteiger playing in the center as a defensive midfielder often behind the defenders. They had few chances to score and I figured they wouldn't be disappointed with a 0-0 result. With five in the back it resulted in a lot of shots stopped in the box or pinballed around and usually a Chicago player to clear. Chicago had scored two goals to come from behind here on April 28th and tie 2-2. TFC win their fourth game in a row although two were against USL level Ottawa Fury in the Canadian Championship semi-final. They have recovered from their lowest point of the season three MLS games ago losing to Orlando who were on a nine game losing slide and have lost each game since. TFC now have a record of 6 wins, 11 losses, 4 ties and are still in tenth place and 6 points behind Montreal for the last playoff spot of sixth place. This was the first back to back wins this season in 21 games. It's their first home win in MLS since May 18th. Certainly Chicago is one of the teams TFC must pass to make the playoffs but these two MLS wins were not against a playoff team itself. Their next game is next Saturday on the road against Atlanta United. That should be a challenge as Atlanta beat the Impact in Montreal 2-1 to maintain first place in the East. Rocket Robin robing@eol.ca twitter @RocketRobin01

stats from MLSsoccer.com
Match Information

Goals and Assists
52' TOR  Jozy Altidore        
72' TOR  Jonathan Osorio      Assisted By: Sebastian Giovinco, Víctor Vázquez        
89' TOR  Sebastian Giovinco   Assisted By: Ayo Akinola          

Disciplinary
30' CHI  Brandt Bronico       Reason: Unsporting Behavior          
42' TOR  Sebastian Giovinco   Reason: Argument         
63' TOR  Michael Bradley      Reason: Unsporting Behavior         

Lineup

Toronto FC
10 F Sebastian Giovinco
17 F Jozy Altidore          (80')
25 G Alexander Bono
 9 D Gregory van der Wiel
15 D Eriq Zavaleta
23 D Chris Mavinga
 4 M Michael Bradley
 2 M Justin Morrow
 7 M Víctor Vázquez         (82')
21 M Jonathan Osorio
 5 M Ashtone Morgan         (HT)

Bench
 1 G Clint Irwin
18 M Marco Delgado          (HT)
 6 M Nick Hagglund          (82')
27 M Liam Fraser
22 F Jordan Hamilton    
20 F Ayo Akinola            (80') 
54   Ryan Telfer

Manager Greg Vanney

Chicago Fire
10 F Aleksandar Katai          (79')
23 F Nemanja Nikolic
17 F Diego Campos              (64')
45 G Richard Sánchez
 5 D Kevin Ellis
 4 D Johan Kappelhof
 3 D Brandon Vincent
 7 D Raheem Edwards
13 M Brandt Bronico            (56')
31 M Bastian Schweinsteiger
22 M Nicolas Hasler

Bench
30 G Stefan Cleveland
16 D Jonathan Campbell
27 D Rafael Ramos
12 M Tony Tchani
19 M Mohammed Adams             (56')
21 F Alan Gordon                (79')
 9 F Luis Solignac              (64')

Manager  Veljko Paunovic

Officials
Referee                 Joseph Dickerson
Assistant Referee       Kevin Klinger
Assistant Referee       Jeremy Kieso
Fourth Official         Luis Guardia
Video Assistant Referee Guido Gonzalez Jr.

Match Information
MLS at BMO Field
Toronto, ON
Attendance 29190
Weather Cloudy

Team Statistics

TFC                             CHI
 20    Shots                      7     
  8    Shots on Target            3     
  7    Shots off Target           3     
  5    Blocked Shots              1     
  6    Corners                    3     
 17    Crosses                   11    
  1    Offsides                   0         
 10    Fouls                     16      
  2    Yellow Cards               1    
  0    Red Cards                  0    
595    Total Passes             394     
 87 %  Passing Accuracy          81 %      
 60.1 % Possession               39.9 %         
 42    Duels Won                 40       
 12    Tackles Won                8    
  3    Saves                      4    
  6    Clearances                22

Toronto FC starters