

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

March 16, 2014 Email

Steve Bottjer

On Twitter:

@BottjerRNO

With one match now in the books, this new look TFC squad looks like it is going to be a very sturdy side indeed.



While there were plenty of minor hiccups – many passing plays and lay-offs not quite coming together, the fullbacks being beaten on a few plays and Jackson displaying a very un-Brazilian first touch - for Toronto in their 3-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, overall the performance suggested this is indeed going to be a TFC squad unlike any previously witnessed by Reds supporters.



Realistically, it would have been very easy for this team to have to gone to Seattle and lost and then pointed to the fact that the players in the starting eleven had hardly played together as an excuse. The fact that the Reds won this game when the team is clearly somewhat disjointed and far from its best says a lot about the potential this squad has.



“We’ve got so much to improve on,” TFC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen told reporters after the match. “Look, we’re not stupid, we know we’ve got new players coming in and they haven’t played together. Our organization wasn’t too bad, but it can get so much better. And we can get so much better with the ball as well.”



“But what I like about this team is their heart and character and desire to win,” Nelsen added. “You want to build your house on that type of foundation. We know we’ve got a lot to improve on and we’ll get back to work as soon as we can.”



In addition to the heart and character the team displayed, the increased quality of the players on the pitch was clearly in evidence, particularly down the spine of the team.



While some pundits had speculated previously that Jermain Defoe would need some time to bed in with his new team, the Englishman came as advertised and immediately provided the type of finishing that TFC has usually lacked over the years.



Nelsen himself admitted that he wasn’t the least bit surprised that his former teammate had a big impact in his first match.



“I’ve had the pleasure of playing alongside the man and watching him at training,” Nelsen said. “Once you see it day in, day out at training, you just know that is going to happen.”



As good as Defoe was in his debut, Michael Bradley was quite possibly even better. For those Canadian soccer fans who had heard about him but who had not seen him play that often, this game was a nice piece of initial evidence as to why the TFC brass absolutely had to jump at the chance to acquire the U.S. International when he became available during the recent transfer window.



His first performance for TFC was a tenacious one in which he dominated the midfield battles against a Sounders side comprised of players that aren’t exactly chopped liver. Even though he was clearly still getting used to his new teammates, not to mention probably playing on artificial turf for the first time in a while, Bradley also came as advertised and immediately looked he can indeed be the best midfielder in the league. When Nelsen spoke of the heart, desire and character of his side, he could easily have spoken of the former Roma midfielder as the player who set the tone for his squad in that regard and who looked very much like a player possessing top class playing ability and leadership and intangible qualities.



Canadian International Jonathan Osorio set up the opening goal with a well-placed pass to spring Defoe and delivered a solid two-way performance beside Bradley. It’s obvious that the two midfielders are still getting used to functioning together in the double pivot central midfield role, as TFC was caught outnumbered when Seattle scored and got back in the game in the second half. That said, outside of that instance, there was plenty to like about the manner in which Bradley and Osorio dominated the midfield against the Sounders.



While Steven Caldwell isn’t completely new to TFC after joining the club in the summer last year, the Scottish defender was immense again for his team on Saturday, once again highlighting that TFC have finally gotten it right with respect to the player they have brought in to lead the team’s back line. Also of note, his young central defense partner Doneil Henry was also one of the best players on the pitch in the victory.



With many on Twitter were stressing the possibility of another late collapse by TFC when the score was 2-1 and the Sounders were pressing for an equalizer, I always had the feel of certainty that Toronto were going to close the game out. A big part of that confidence came from the sight of keeper Julio Cesar as the last line of defense. The Brazilian made a couple of important stops, but overall it was just his presence and the assuredness he exudes as a world class player that made a real difference for me and had me feeling like he would be there to make a big play should Seattle have beaten his teammates and engineered a scoring opportunity.



So with all respect to Jermain Defoe’s former club, after one game it certainly looks like the TFC brass have spent their own $100 million outlay the right way. The new players don’t only bring quality, they bring the type of reputations that are likely really going to get into the heads of the opposition teams.



Yes, it was only one game, but it also can’t be discounted that the players who will really need to deliver for Toronto on a weekly business did so in spades against one of the top teams in the league.



Last week I gushed about the opening week performance of the Vancouver Whitecaps and this weekend the new look TFC impressed. While both Canadian clubs will undoubtedly experience bumps in the road this season, I have to say that the quality that TFC and Vancouver have shown in their first matches already has me very excited for a Canadian Championship tournament that looks like it has a chance to be epic.