Another Toronto FC record for Sebastian Giovinco? Sure, why not?

Already closing in on becoming TFC’s all-time leading scorer, the Italian found the back of the net a mere 58 seconds into Saturday’s 1-0 win away to D.C. United, setting a new mark for the fastest goal scored in club history.

The victory was Toronto’s first since the opening week of the Major League Soccer campaign, and ended a four-game winless skid for the Reds.

The result, combined with Montreal’s 2-1 win away to Chicago on Saturday, sets up a tasty affair between TFC and the Impact next Saturday at Stade Saputo.

Here are my three thoughts on Saturday’s match:

A solid start sets the tone

Toronto FC came out flat in their previous two outings, conceding within the first 20 minutes of both contests, thus putting themselves behind the eight-ball early on as they were forced to a chase a result.

TFC needed a strong start in the American capital on Saturday evening to set the tone early on, and that’s exactly what they did thanks a perfectly crafted “team” goal. Jonathan Osorio showed a lovely touch in keeping the ball while under pressure and shifting it out wide to Jozy Altidore, who then played a teasing pass across the six-yard box. Marky Delgado hustled to get on the end of it and played a smart pass back into the middle for Giovinco to tap home into an empty net. It took all of 58 seconds.

From there, the Reds played their usual “defence-first” game that has become the norm during this road stretch, but they did it from a position of advantage and with a larger room for error thanks to that early goal. It marked only the second time this season Toronto scored the opening goal. When was the other time? In a 2-0 decision over the New York Red Bulls in the first week of the campaign, TFC’s only other win thus far.

Team defending

Toronto came in for heavy criticism last season when it conceded a league-high 58 goals. TFC’s defence was a mess, as highlighted by the short but still disastrous pairing of Damien Perquis and Ahmed Kantari in the middle. But Toronto’s defensive woes weren’t just the fault of the back four—critically, they received scant defensive support from midfield.

The acquisition of Canadian midfielder Will Johnson might have been the smartest move made by the Reds in the off-season. He’s been a bulwark for Toronto in the centre of park, effectively teaming up with captain Michael Bradley to protect the back four. Saturday was Johnson’s best game in a TFC uniform—the Canadian international made a number of crucial clearances and tackles to break up attacks by D.C. United, and ran himself ragged with his recovery runs to help support the back line.

Central defender Drew Moor, another off-season pick-up, was also outstanding on the night in organizing and quarterbacking the defence. Fullbacks Justin Morrow and Steven Beitashour obliged with solid efforts on the defensive end at the expense of venturing forward, while Clint Irwin made a big save in the opening half, and provided a sure set of hands when going after high balls played into his penalty area.

Toronto kept its shape, and never really allowed D.C. to get in behind them. All in all, it was a fantastic defensive effort, not just from the back four, but the entire team.

Not pretty to watch, but pretty solid

Toronto didn’t win any style points on Saturday. But even though it wasn’t pretty to watch, it was a pretty solid performance by the Reds, as they continue to make being a tough team for opponents to break down their top priority.

TFC has eight points through six matches, with two clean sheets, and are averaging one goal against per game. Club president Bill Manning set a target of eight points for the first eight road games to begin the season—they reached that mark with two games to spare.

It hasn’t been scintillating, champagne football by any stretch of the imagination, but the Reds have done exactly what road teams in MLS have to do—play gritty, compact soccer in order to grind out results. They’ve “been in” in every game they played, and haven’t yet been played off the park by an opponent.

We’ve seen a genuine maturation in TFC’s play under Greg Vanney so far this season—the temptation to open things up and get involved in a “run-and-shoot” game has wisely been avoided. Instead, the focus has been on defensive stability and getting the job done at the expense of following their attacking instincts. Considering how difficult it is for road teams in MLS—where a point per game is the standard and where most sides have a losing record away from home—Toronto has played smart soccer. Not pretty or attractive, but smart.

TFC’s lack of chance creation is a bit worrying, but again, that can be overlooked due to the unusual circumstances of beginning the year with eight consecutive road games. The emphasis has been on piling up valuable road points, and putting in solid and professional performances away from home.

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