Toronto's three superstars brought their best, and TFC is finally in the second round.
After countless rethinks, rebuilds, and tens of millions of dollars spent, Toronto FC has finally had their big moment. They're heading to the second round of the MLS Cup Playoffs after a 3-1 first-round win over the Philadelphia Union. Their big stars excelled, with Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco both finding the back of the net, while Michael Bradley turned in an excellent display in midfield.
The Union almost took a surprise lead three minutes in through Chris Pontius, who was unlucky to have his shot blocked from 10 yards out after he was picked out by C.J. Sapong with a square ball. But for the next hour after that, it was all TFC.
Toronto took the lead in the 15th minute through Giovinco, thanks to a great assist and some calamitous defending. Ken Tribbett misplayed a bouncing ball, kicking it into the path of Altidore, who surged forward into the box. He was nearly dispossessed, but recovered to play a perfect cross to Giovinco, who hit a volley to put TFC ahead.
There wasn't a ton of action in the rest of the first half, but Toronto quickly doubled their lead in the second through a corner. Jonathan Osorio was the beneficiary of a deflection and some very bad defending that left him with a tap-in from six yards out in the 48th minute.
Philadelphia fought back and scored a goal in the 71st minute, also taking advantage of some poor set piece defending. The ball pinged around in the Toronto box three times before Richie Marquez knocked down for Alejandro Bedoya to redirect the ball into the back of the net.
But Philly wasn't in the game long. Altidore sealed the victory for Toronto in the 85th minute, grabbing a much-deserved goal after a night of hard work to help his teammates.
Three things
The monkey is off TFC's back -- They did it! After 10 long years, Toronto FC has finally won a playoff game, and they did it in front of a loud home crowd too. Now they can stop thinking about that and just play. Whether you believe the players put that kind of thing out of their mind before they can step on the field, it certainly can't hurt to ensure that no one ever has to think about this ever again.
Jozy Altidore is in top form -- His goal and assist were just the tip of the iceberg of Altidore's contribution on Wednesday night. He had another shot on target, plus an incredible four passes that led to shots, and his hold-up play was excellent too. If he keeps playing like this, there's no reason not to consider TFC the favorites to advance out of the East.
Philly has a foundation; can they build on it this winter? -- The Philadelphia Union weren't expected to make the playoffs when this season started. Injuries to Maurice Edu and Josh Yaro significantly reduced their chances of doing anything in the playoffs. For those reasons, it's hard to be too disappointed in how their last couple of months have gone. But because of their moments of success and the quality players they've acquired, Union fans will be expecting big things from sporting director Earnie Stewart and head coach Jim Curtin this offseason.
The Union have a lot of great pieces, but a lot of players who aren't MLS Cup contender caliber either. They have a lot of work to do this offseason.
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