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MLS Toronto FC

Toronto FC (1) - Charlotte FC (0) Postgame Summary

March 9, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Toronto FC News Release


SCORING SUMMARY

TOR - Lorenzo Insigne 80'

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

TOR - Lorenzo Insigne 27' (caution)

CLT - Kerwin Vargas 60' (caution)

TOR - Sigurd Rosted 64' (caution)

CLT - Scott Arfield 82' (caution)

CLT - Brecht Dejaegere 86' (caution)

CLT - Kristijan Kahlina 90+5 (caution)

RECORDS (W-L-T)

Toronto FC 2-0-1 7 points

Charlotte FC 1-1-1 4 points

LINEUPS

TORONTO FC -Luka Gavran; Shane O'Neill, Kevin Long (Sigurd Rosted 46'), Nicksoen Gomis; Kobe Franklin (Prince Owusu 61'), Deybi Flores, Alonso Coello (Matty Longstaff 62'), Raoul Petretta; Federico Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne (Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty 87'), Jonathan Osorio (C)

Substitutes Not Used: Greg Ranjitsingh, Aimé Mabika, Cassius Mailula, Kosi Thompson, Ayo Akinola

CHARLOTTE FC - Kristijan Kahlina; Nathan Byrne, Adilson Malanda, Andrew Privett, Jere Uronen; Brecht Dejaegere, Ashley Westwood (C), Júnior Urso (Nikola Petković 87'); Kerwin Vargas (Nimfasha Berchimas 82'), Enzo Copetti (Patrick Agyemang 71'), Iuri Tavares (Scott Arfield 72')

Substitutes Not Used: David Bingham, Bill Tuiloma, João Pedro Reginaldo, Jaylin Lindsey, Hamady Diop

MEDIA NOTES

Matty Longstaff made his Toronto FC and Major League Soccer debut.

Luka Gavran recorded his first clean sheet for Toronto FC.

Toronto FC have now recorded three consecutive clean sheets to begin an MLS campaign for the first time in club history.

Toronto FC's third consecutive clean sheet in MLS action ties the Reds' second longest clean sheet streak (3), a feat TFC previously recorded en route to lifting the 2017 MLS Cup when the club shut out Columbus Crew (twice) and Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup Playoffs between November 21 and December 9, 2017.

The Reds have now recorded back-to-back wins in MLS action for the first time since picking up consecutive wins Nashville SC and Portland Timbers in August 2022.

Jonathan Osorio made his 300th MLS appearance (MLS regular season, MLS is Back and MLS Cup Playoffs) for Toronto FC, becoming the first player in club history to reach the milestone.

Eleven years on from making his Toronto FC debut on March 9, 2013, midfielder Jonathan Osorio led his hometown club, Toronto FC, as captain in front of the home fans at BMO Field for the first time.

Federico Bernardeschi made his 50th appearance for Toronto FC across all competitions (Major League Soccer, Canadian Championship and Leagues Cup).

Following today's win, Toronto FC's MLS Home Opener record moves to 9W-6L-3T and the win marks the Reds' first Home Opener victory since a 1-0 win against New York City FC on March 7, 2020.

With two victories and a draw from the club's opening three matches, the Reds' start to the 2024 MLS campaign represents the club's second-best start in club history (2-0-1; 7 points).

JOHN HERDMAN - HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

Q. Another clean sheet. Can you give us your thoughts on that goal, and also the celebration that ensued?

I didn't realize he [Lorenzo Insigne] was that heavy. He nearly took us right off our feet. It was amazing. I said today would be a tough game. They are a very direct team, direct second phase. You've got to fight for everything. Two strong forwards. But proud of the lads.

I thought they put a shift in, again. And our quality came through, and we have got that quality, and to do well in MLS, you need your DPs performing at that level, and Lorenzo [Insigne] certainly came in trumps today. But for me, you've got to talk about Luka Gavran, he made a big save. He didn't have much to do but he made one big save that kept us in the game, and then Sigurd [Rosted], Kevin Long had to go out at half-time and big Sigs [Sigurd Rosted] has come in and I thought we did well in the second half with him sort of managing that back line.

So all in all, the fans, got to mention them. I think you could feel it on a knife edge, and I knew this was that game. It's not a game where they open up like the New York City's or Atlanta's. They stay tight in a shell and play that direct style. The fans stuck with us. And when Lorenzo [Insigne] scored, I just felt that this is what the stadium can feel like through this season. I think they felt we might be back. We're getting close to it.

Q. Can you give us an update on Sean Johnson and also Kevin Long?

Yeah, it's been tough, actually. Sean [Johnson] just picked something up in the session yesterday. We couldn't put him on any injury report because he got assessed this morning, and he's still under assessment. They are just trying to figure out, and I'm at a moment where it's low risk, real low risk on our key players. I'd rather push the next man up.

Luka [Gavran] did well in the preseason in the matches and the moments he played, and he's been performing well this week, as well. I've noticed that. We asked Sean [Johnson], manage himself and let's look to the future as opposed to the here and now.

And then Longy [Kevin Long], he's been feeling this cough since the turf. I said a couple lads got beaten up on the turf, and he's just had some tightness all week. We knew he was touch and go for the game, and he was probably only going to have a half in him. We knew at halftime, once he sits in the dressing room, it's going to seize up, so we had Siggy [Sigurd Rosted] ready.

Yeah, all in all, I think those lads stepped in well, and we'll be assessing those players to see how they are looking for next week. Luckily six days to get them ready.

Q. Has there been a common theme, that's been common across the three performances through the first three games?

Clean sheets. Clean sheets. I mean, clean sheets. It's hard to get a clean sheet in MLS. Such an open league, and the players told us that you have these crazy 20 minutes in MLS where the game just tends to open up but there was no way a [Dean] Smith team is going to do that. His team is never going to open up, and for us, we wobbled a little bit. We were too open. I addressed it at halftime, around the 35-minute mark, we came away from our identity and we bent, but we didn't break again. So that's got to get better.

But I think the consistency has been the effort of Federico Bernardeschi. I think he has been just an absolute warrior for us, and to see Kobe Franklin come in, he had three big opportunities. It seems to be the next man up, no matter who we put out there. We can trust to, one put the work in, and two deliver the best they can. That's all I can ask from my players.

Q. Matty [Longstaff], had a 30-minute cameo, his first competitive action in 15 months. How do you think he did?

Yeah, he's good. Pretty solid would be the way I would describe it. His passing ability, he can control the tempo of the game. Things changed when he came on, but I did think, you know, Prince [Owusu] stretching the line a bit more also helped the stretch within the team. [Matty] Longstaff is building. Nice to hear the fans, they gave him a big reception. So I think they are excited to see him. It's great to see another Geordie out there fighting for TFC.

Q. [Jonathan] Osorio, a milestone day for him, 300th MLS game and 11 years to the date he made his debut. You've coached him for a long time through various teams. Can you talk about the kind of player you have as your captain and what he's meant to Canadian soccer?

I came to this club to work with him right from the starting point, I've worked with Sinclair. I've worked with Hutchinson, just some great people, great humans, and they are right in the core of your leadership group. And if you've got a player with that character, that high-level character, like high standard character, you want to work with those people.

So as I say, for me, the conversation coming to TFC, you've got to be there; are you committed, will you wear the armband; are you committed to taking this club back, and beyond where it was at. And he was.

So with that said, what can I say about Oso [Jonathan Osorio]? The hardest-working player on the team. Maybe [Federico] Bernardeschi is just underneath him at the moment but he is the hardest-working player on the team. You can see the quality, as well. He can do all that stuff, running, but he can bring the quality in those moments, as well, just you can see his movements and his touch is next level. So what he said at the end of this, summarizing, another step, guys. Another step to bringing this club to where it needs to be. That's his mentality. He's always on. Next step. Next step. Next step. He's never thinking about the last step, and he's never willing to stand and wants to be pushed. He's pushing everyone.

Q. It's a little bit early to read too much into the standings but is this about where you expected the team would be at this point?

We set our goals. We set our goals. The players set their goals. They have seen the track. They know through this phase, the points track that's going to get them to where we want to be by the end of the season, and they are on track. They are on track. All I'll say is it's process. The effort, the intensity, the desire, but the clarity -- the clarity to fight for that point.

I said to you before the game, the guys were so clear. There were so many storylines to this game and it could have been a bit of a service for them but we just brought them to clarity. Just get the points. Doesn't matter how it happens.

We've got good players on this team that can make that happen, and if we stick to the process, it can happen. So I'll be saying the same thing all season. Just stick to the process.

Q. Lorenzo [Insigne] said this week, he texts you more than he does his wife. Do you get a lot of texts from Lorenzo [Insigne], and if so, can you give us a sense of what the back-and-forth is about?

I'm wearing his perfume at the moment. You need to ask him about that one. That's something (laughing) we've had some fun. He's a real character. I think he's on to enjoy the club, enjoy his football. He knows that we're trying to get the best out of him. Every player is committed to trying to get Lorenzo [Insigne] in and around the ball. I thought they did a good job today trying to nullify him.

But the relationships, he's a tough player, and I'm willing to listen to him. I think that's an important part of this. He's got his ideas on tactics. I mean, the guys see more football matches -- he's gotten more than I know, I'd say, about football, so I tap into that and I'm enjoying just the relationship at the moment. At times it's intense. He doesn't give you a minute; he doesn't give you a second. You've got to be at the top standard. If you're not, he let's you know. And I've built that trust where I can let him know, as well. I think that's where things are starting to blossom.

Q. You gave Kobe [Franklin] the start. What was the rationale and what did you make of his performance?

I mean, Kobe [Franklin] is just a warrior for this club. I love what he brings, and again, he's another player that will do everything he can do bring the best out of [Federico] Bernardeschi and Raoul [Petretta] does that for Lorenzo [Insigne], very sacrificial.

But Kobe [Franklin] in training, through the preseason for me, he's taken everything on board, the timing of his runs. The tactical piece, he's so tactically disciplined, and you've got to put that around key players. Today was good, given that they have a really narrow back four, it was all about Kobe [Franklin] trying to stretch space for Federico [Bernardeschi], and then arriving late on the 2v1 on the fallback. He's had some big chances through preseason, as well. Soon enough that goal will come for him and when it does, I think it will change everything. So for me, he's just a warrior for this team, and I love working with him because he's a Homegrown. You need a couple of those fellas on your team.

Q. Talk about the decision on having that front three of Jonathan Osorio, Federico Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne and what did you like?

Yeah, those diagonal runs, the 2v1 moments that we were getting, they weren't going to give you too much through the center, but you have to invest in the center of the field against that team. If you just play around the outsides, they defend crosses well. They get 2v1s quickly on a Y-play we saw. We work with a false nine with Oso [Jonathan Osorio]. That was important to just have the extra number around the two screens. Then Lorenzo [Insigne]and Fede [Federico Bernardeschi] in the inside channels, and then Kobe [Franklin] rolling in to allow Fede [Federico Bernardeschi] to have the width.

So for me, what I noticed with that team, if you played an end, you didn't have quality, you were getting hit on the transition. You were very vulnerable. I needed to put three quality players, players who can handle the ball, to just draw them in and then to be able to work out wide.

For periods, it looked okay, but we were too slow in our build. Way too slow. I wasn't happy with the pace of the work across the centre-backs into the two midfields. The two midfielders distances were too wide. I think when we fix that and with Matty [Longstaff] coming on, he's a progressor. He has the skill set to play in that identity, whereas Alo [Alonso Coello] is more of a defensive unit, and we needed -- we knew, first half they were shelling it, and we needed that physical presence from owl. It was a tough tactical battle today. Dean's [Smith] got them well-organized. Yeah, they are going to do well this season.

LUKA GAVRAN - GOALKEEPER, TORONTO FC

Q. When did you find out you were playing and the games you played at the end of last year, I imagine that was a help going into today?

Sean [Johnson] was feeling something the last couple days, so he wanted to see how he's feeling today. Obviously I was getting prepared, and today when we found out, I was already completely prepared for it.

The games last year definitely helped me with the nerves I would have on my debut. So those three or four games that I had, four games, definitely helped with managing the game and playing already with players that were on the field. So that definitely helped.

Q. When you go through the start of the game and you don't get called into action - then making big saves -- how difficult is that to stay engaged?

Honestly that's the biggest thing for keepers. In some games where your team is really carrying the moment and you don't really have nothing to do, you don't see the ball as much, that one chance you need, whether it's come in the 30th minute or the 90th, you have to be ready for it.

That's a big thing we've been training on, and me and in the 1v1s, trusting myself to stay set, don't guess and it paid off every time I stayed up and really read him. In the end, I could have held it, just to be safe -- but I'm happy that I kept my team in the game and we went from there.

Q. Last season, obviously you weren't in goal for much of it but this team gave up a lot of goals and has not given up any this season. What differences are you seeing from your position then to now that's causing the turnaround?

I think tactically we are just way more clear and there's way more clarity of what everyone's job is and how we are going to play off the ball. We really emphasize that in every training session, every video session, every time we can, we emphasize that everybody has to be on the same page. That's just wanting to do it, and not making excuses and finding other ways or blame other people. But everyone, just do your job. We have a system that we follow. Everything's clear. If you have any questions, you ask and everybody knows what to do. I feel like us going into games now is completely different. We go into games now knowing we are going to score and knowing we are going to keep a clean sheet and knowing we are going to win, instead of the opposite which we kind of did last year. Last year we struggled with adversity, giving up goals, getting down on ourselves right away but not this year.

Q. Is that related to the coach?

For sure. John has definitely instilled a mentality that is completely different and he knows how to get people to trust him and really win over players which I feel like is very important for a coach and everyone will play for him and fight for him, and you can see it these past three games.

Q. As a goalkeeper, can you give your thoughts on Lorenzo's [Insigne] goal?

I was actually just telling the players now, when you watch a goal like that from behind, you get to see everything. Honestly every time he gets the ball inside, I know he's looking for a cross. I know he's looking to make, and he does it a million times in training. I'm not surprised he did it today. But what a goal, yeah.

Q. We can sort of get a sense of the atmosphere from the team on the sidelines and in celebrations, but can you bring us inside a little bit with it being the home opener?

Coming into today it was marked on our calendars for months now. The buildup of the past two games are two good performances away from home. A win and a tie away from home is not easy and we built that momentum into tonight --everyone was ready. Coming off a turf game which is tough. People had heavy legs and everyone is dealing with, throughout the week, soreness and all that, but everyone sucked it up. Knew what was needed tonight, today, and the mentality is completely different. Everyone is ready to hopefully change BMO.

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