Toronto FC has another strong outing in 2-0 win over Houston
By Mark Shannon
Toronto FC puts on another clinic with a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo.
After starting off the season with one win in their first six games Toronto FC has now won their second consecutive. In a game that was billed as a high offensive game turned into a one team show as Toronto FC dominated the Houston Dynamo.
The first goal from Jozy Altidore was the creation of a wonderful display of passing, 20 passes to be exact. Marky Delgado made a beautiful pass out wide to Raheem Edwards who thread a ball back to Jozy Altidore for his first of the game. The second goal was just as pretty. Sebastian Giovinco put a beautifully weighted through ball over the top of the defense and Altidore slotted it past the goalkeeper for his fifth goal of the season.
Toronto now sits second in the Eastern Conference with 13 points and are 2-1-2 in their last five games. With another home match on Wednesday against the red hot Orlando City on the cards Toronto FC will be looking to move atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Player that stood out: Marky Delgado
Giovinco, Altidore, and Victor Vazquez are names you hear all the time, but one who stood out was Marky Delgado. In the last two games Delgado has started Toronto has won, and quite handily as well. It was his perfectly placed through ball out wide to Raheem Edwards that helped set up the first goal by Jozy Altidore. He’s been a revelation and will be huge this month with Toronto having to play a lot of games. Delgado should once again get the start on Wednesday when Toronto takes on Orlando in a midweek clash.
Why They Won
They won because they dominated possession, plain and simple. They were the better of the two teams and had the better of the chances. The one touch passing between the forwards and the midfield was clinical and it was the best Toronto FC team we have seen this season.
Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco linked up well all game with constant give-and-go’s. But the real reason why they won was they completely bossed the midfield. Michael Bradley, Delgado, and Vazquez controlled the game from the onset and helped create chances all game.
Three Key Takeaways
1. Defence
Once again Toronto FC and their defense stood out. They were tasked with just keeping tabs on the three options upfront for Houston. They kept Erick Torres, Alberth Elis and Romel Quioto under wraps all game not giving them many chances on goal. Nick Hagglund has been a rock at the center of defense without Drew Moor. They’ll haven to be even stronger on Wednesday when they have to try and keep Canadian Cyle Larin off the board.
2. Offense
It was a complete game for Toronto, controlling. While Toronto FC had struggled earlier on in the season they sliced through the Houston midfield and defense. The quick one touch passing around the Houston defense proved critical and allowed Toronto the chances at goal. While the game ended up 2-0 for Toronto it could have been much worse for Houston, as Toronto FC had plenty of chances to score.
3. The team TFC was last year
Finally, after the first six weeks of up and down soccer, Toronto FC fans have finally seen the team they had hoped to see when the season started. The offence was stagnant and the defense was sloppy, but now Toronto has seen a reawakening. Seba, Jozy, Vazquez, Hagglund, Zavaleta, they’re all having a turn around and the record for Toronto FC has changed.