VANCOUVER – It was far from a balanced performance, but Greg Vanney wasn’t exactly complaining.

Toronto FC’s coach was all smiles when talking to the media Saturday evening after TFC’s come-from-behind 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS season opener for both clubs.

Although thoroughly dominated and over-run by the speedy Whitecaps in the opening 45 minutes, TFC headed into the break levelled at 1-1 when, really, they could have easily been down by two or three goals. But Vanney made adjustments that turned the tide in his favour, and Vancouver never looked threatening in the second half.

Here are my three takeaways from the game.

The genius of Giovinco

Sebastian Giovinco, the Reds’ biggest off-season signing, made his MLS debut on Saturday, and you could tell he had some rust to shake off. That was to be expected as he played few competitive games in his final few months with Juventus. He also seemed to struggle with the artificial surface at BC Place Stadium in regards to judging the bounce of the ball.

As the game went on, though, the Italian found his legs and his influence became greater and greater. That was never more evident than on the Jozy Altidore’s opening goal for the Reds in the 32nd minute. The fleet-footed Italian showed remarkable ball control and a deft touch in a very tight space as he danced around Vancouver’s Matias Laba—one of the best defensive midfielders in MLS—before delivering a slide-rule pass into the box for Altidore to slot home.

The goal came totally against the run of play, and was owed mostly to the vision and technique of Giovinco. It also changed the complexion of the game, dragging the Reds back into the contest when it looked as though the match was slipping away from them.

That’s the genius of Giovinco; that’s what he brings to the table. The Italian can conjure something out of nothing, and can come up with a moment of magic and a touch of class to influence matters. He’s a dynamic attacking player who can make things happen in the final third with his fearlessness in running at opposing players and his playmaking ability. The Whitecaps discovered that to their peril on Saturday. The rest of the league has been warned.

Altidore “The Monster”

Having began his career with the New York Red Bulls before moving to Europe, Altidore was making his return to MLS on Saturday following an ill-fated spell with Sunderland that saw him score just one goal in 42 games over two years.

It’s fair to say he has a point to prove, especially with so many doubters who believe TFC did not get value for Jermain Defoe when the Reds received Altidore in the swap with Sunderland earlier this winter.

Against the Whitecaps, though, Altidore impressed not only with his goal-scoring touch, but also with his tenacity and commitment to tracking back deep to help out his defence. And how great was that cheeky Francesco Totti-inspired cucchiaio (a chipped penalty attempt) in the 90th minute that sealed the win for Toronto? It takes a lot of nerve and supreme confidence to even attempt something like that, never mind pull it off.

It’s premature to herald Altidore as success in his MLS return after only one game, but this was a complete match performance from the American, and if he can deliver this type of effort on a consistent basis, his many doubters will soon be silenced.

“I thought Jozy played like a monster. He showed you what he could do, so anyone who questions whether he can score goals, I think he proved something today,” Vanney told reporters after the game.

Right side of defence exposed

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for TFC against Vancouver.

Vanney opted to play a high defensive line in the first half, and the Whitecaps, who have speed to burn (especially with Kakuta Manneh in the line-up) exposed Toronto defenders Warren Creavalle and Steven Caldwell down the right side countless times.

Only when Vanney went to a more diamond shaped 4-4-2 in the second half, thus providing the right side of defence more protection, did the bleeding stop. Until then, the Whitecaps were having their way, shredding Creavalle and Caldwell.

To be fair, right back isn’t Creavalle’s best position, and he was only playing there because Vanney curiously started him ahead of the more sure-footed Mark Bloom who is a natural right-sided defender. One would have to think that Creavalle’s poor showing will force Vanney to reinstall Bloom as the team’s starting right back.

Caldwell is another matter entirely. The Scottish centre-back looked every bit of his 34 years of age. He was slow, caught out of position a number of times, and struggled with the pace of the game. Lucky for him that new partner Damien Perquis looked outstanding in his MLS debut—the Frenchman quarterbacked the defence, read the game beautifully and looked very comfortable on the ball as he played it out from the back line.

Anybody would struggle with the speed of the Whitecaps, so maybe this was a one-off bad performance from Caldwell. Or maybe it’s a sign that he’s clearly lost a step and is not the same player he was when he first came to Toronto. Either way, Vanney will have to monitor this situation very closely.

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