On Sunday night, Toronto FC fell to the San Jose Earthquakes to extend their winless streak to five games. Here are three things we learned from the 2-1 defeat.
Toronto FC’s winless streak extended to five games on Sunday night with a 2-1 defeat against the bourgeoning San Jose Earthquakes. Even though Greg Vanney took a pragmatic approach in the absence of key players Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio, and Alejandro Pozuelo, TFC’s lack of quality at both ends of the pitch prevented the Reds from getting back to winning ways.
Despite suffering their sixth defeat of the season, TFC are clinging on to seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 17 points and will look to snag a win against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC place this Friday.
See what we learned from Sunday night’s loss.
3. Altidore only a partial answer
In my preview of this match, I questioned whether Jozy Altidore could shoulder the creative and goal-scoring burdens generated by Alejandro Pozuelo’s absence. The American failed to find the back of the net but had a fine game overall. His aerial presence and hold-up play were integral to Toronto FC’s attacks on the right side of the pitch in the first half wherein he combined well with the tireless Marky Delgado as well as standout Richie Laryea.
Altidore did more than pass the eye test too. According to the MLS’ Audi Player Index, the U.S. international completed 20 of 27 passes in San Jose’s half, 15 of which were in the final third, and one of his three key passes led to Laryea’s opening goal in the 28th minute.
Decent way to open your MLS account ✅@RichieLaryea_ | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/LUWPlOncme
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) May 27, 2019
Altidore’s influence dwindled as the match wore on. Meaningful interchanges between himself, Delgado and Laryea became less frequent as the Earthquakes anticipated the home side’s intent, while a left-side consisting of Ashtone Morgan, Nick DeLeon, and Justin Morrow for the majority of the match could not be relied upon to fill the creative void. So yes, Altidore did play well, but he was not enough to cover for the Pozuelo absence.