MLS Toronto FC

Toronto FC (1) - Columbus Crew Sc (1)

Published on July 13, 2016 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Toronto FC News Release


TORONTO FC (1) - COLUMBUS CREW SC (1) POST-MATCH SUMMARY

Scoring Summary

CCSC - Harrison Afful 54'

TFC - Jordan Hamilton 64' (Jay Chapman, Benoit Cheyrou)

Misconduct Summary

TFC - Mark Bloom 32' (caution)

Records

Toronto FC: 6-6-6 24 pts.

Columbus Crew SC: 3-7-8 17 pts.

Lineups

Toronto FC - Alex Bono; Eriq Zavaleta, Drew Moor, Josh Williams; Mark Bloom (Nick Hagglund 57'), Marco Delgado (Tsubasa Endoh HT), Benoit Cheyrou ©, Jonathan Osorio, Justin Morrow (Jay Chapman 59'); Mo Babouli, Jordan Hamilton

Substitutes Not Used: Quillan Roberts, Steven Beitashour

Columbus Crew SC - Steve Clark; Harrison Afful, Michael Parkhurst ©, Tyson Wahl, Corey Ashe (Waylon Francis 89'); Wil Trapp, Tony Tchani, Ethan Finlay (Cedrick HT'), Dilly Duka (Héctor Jiménez 67'), Justin Meram; Ola Kamara

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Stuver, Chad Barson, Mohammed Saeid, Rodrigo Saravia

GREG VANNEY - HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

On the point earned in tonight's match... I was proud of the group. Candidly I said that this is not a tactical win, it's not anything other than sheer grit and determination and then working together as a group to get something out of it. They did. It's one of those games that hopefully it can be a team-building, character-building sort of moment for the group. They worked very hard tonight under difficult circumstances. We had three subs, we had to use them all fairly early so we adjusted systems a couple times through the course of the game. We had four centerbacks by the time we ended. It was determination. Early on we were defending a lot but through the course of that second half we had several decent look at the goal. We were good to get one and at least get something out of the night. Positive for the guys, I'm really happy for them.

On how they defended so well against Ola Kamara in the first half... Obviously we started with what was more like a five-back or a 3-5-2 but with our wing backs getting into the deeper positions. There wasn't really a whole lot of places for him to go. If he went left or right he was running into another centerback. If there were crosses in the middle he had three pretty good sized guys in the middle to deal with. There just wasn't a lot of space for him in the first half. As we started to get tired some of those gaps started to open up a little bit more. Some of our shape and movement came a little bit loose and Columbus was able to find some pockets on us and he was able to get involved a little bit more. Especially when they were able to release guys wide then he's dangerous in the box. He's very crafty about finding space and he was able to do that over some time. But, I thought we did a decent job in the first half of at least protecting our goal if nothing else.

On getting chances off the counter-attack in the second half... We get out of our shell a little bit. I thought our midfield group was a little bit too close to our backline defensively. When we were winning balls we were winning them too deep in the field and then we didn't have players ahead of the ball really to play forward to. After we gave up the goal, really, the midfield group got off of the back line, they were a little bit higher and then our forwards were a touch higher, we opposed the ball, at time, a little higher. Because we weren't so close together we were able to get out of our defensive shape in to some sort of attacks. They were trying to repress us and whenever they turned over the ball and we were able to, on a couple occasions, eliminate that first line of defenders and then some space really opened up for us. It was important that we had more spacing between our back line and midfield line and our forwards to be able to get out of our defensive shape. We were really having a hard time with that through parts of the first half and early in the second half.

JAY CHAPMAN - MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

On the team's performance tonight... It was a really gutsy performance, and I'm proud of all the guys. When you're on the road in hot weather like that, against a top team in the conference like Columbus, it's not an easy result to get. So, I think coming away with a draw is a good result and it's going to give us a lot of camaraderie and confidence going into San Jose this weekend.

On his performance the past few games... I definitely think the last couple of weeks in training and in the games I've been able to really come out of my comfort zone a little bit and actually contribute to the team when I get on the field. I'm getting more comfortable. They're putting a little more trust in me and putting me in matches. And I'm on a roll I guess. So, I'm just going to keep trying to do the best that I can when I come on.

On his assist tonight... It was a great play. Any time that I'm making little movements and stuff when I have Benoit [Cheyrou] behind me, he's going to get me the ball. It was a great pass from him and I was able to take a good first touch and run at the back line, and Jordan [Hamilton] made a great peel-off run. It was a good run so it was easy for me to pass it to him and it was a great finish.

JONATHAN OSORIO - MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

On how hard it is to play on a hot, humid day... It is very difficult. The weather certainly doesn't make it an easy game for not only us, but them too, so we can't really use that as an excuse. What I can say is playing in that weather away from home maybe is a little bit harder and against a team that moves the ball well. We knew it was going to be difficult. First half was tough, but I thought we were really strong defensively. As a team we showed a lot of character, going down one and coming back. Very proud of the team.

On what gives the team the ability to come back in games... I think we made certain changes in the offseason and brought in experience so even though we had a very young team out there, we had 1, 2, or 3 very experienced guys that helped lead the way and I think that's the difference between a good team and a great team. Great teams have a lot of character and are able to stay in games like this.

GREGG BERHALTER - HEAD COACH, COLUMBUS CREW SC

On attempting to break down a compact opponent... I said at halftime, to us, it was a challenge. To us it was 'can we rise to this challenge' and still create goal scoring opportunities against a team that's extremely compact. And that was the objective. We knew they were going to be really compact, and we had to try and break them down. And I think there were key moments, offensive transition moments in the first half where we got after them. Then there were moments when we turned them over and went after them. And (there were) some spacing issues where we got the ball into good spots and it was just finishing it off.

On if coach expected his team to win... Well, first of all, I forgot to congratulate Harrison (Afful) on his first goal for the club. He's been close all year and it's great to finally see him get on the scoresheet, because he's had a lot of attempts and it shows what an offensive threat he is. Regarding the question, I would say that those are always tricky situations to be in because you know that the guys they have are extremely motivated. You know they have a very conservative game plan, so we knew we had our work cut out for us.

On what he takes from the game... We need more. We need more, no question. I think the guys dig in and they give a good effort, but I think we need to get more and then you win that game. Again, I think Toronto was very focused on getting the shutout, very focused on being very defensive, and I'm more disappointed with us giving them that goal. We got our objective, we scored the goal, and then it's about being smart, staying in shape and for that one minute, we really lost our shape.

On if the margin of error is gone for this home stand... As tough as it seems - and it is tough, I clearly wasn't happy, I thought it was a game we should win - we're five points back. We're five points back. There's a lot of soccer to be played and our objective right now, our focus, is on the next game, is on DC. And that's all we're focused on.

On what can be changed for improvement... It's tough. I'm not going to say it's been a smooth ride. I think there's a combination of factors that have led us to not playing our best and not getting the results that we feel we should get. For us, we think we're a better team than where we are right now, but the table doesn't lie. It really doesn't. We're in a situation where we focus on the next game and try and win a soccer game on Saturday.

On if a disproportionate amount of bad moments occurred because of the backline... That's not fair. I don't think it's fair to say that. The team shape wasn't good on the goal. I wouldn't point out anyone in particular. I think the team shape wasn't good. We were way too stretched. That's a moment where we knew we could hurt them on transition. So, give them a little space, let them come to us a little bit, stay nice and tight, stay organized, and we can get a counter opportunity. So, it's not fair, I don't think, to single out a unit like that.

On Ola Kamara's chance right after the first goal... I thought we were going to open it up. Strange turn of events, they actually get an injury and it helps their shape by the changes they're forced to make. So, they were in trouble with the shape they were playing in and then they had to sub two guys out, and their shape became much better. They switched to a 4-2-3-1, a much more threatening shape and more compact defensively as opposed to the 5-2-3 they were running in the second half.

On if Toronto's subs helped them get more chances near the end of the game.... We're pushing; we were going for the win. We are committing guys forward and there is always that opportunity for the break, but we were not satisfied with a tie in this game. We wanted to go win the game.

On what was addressed at halftime to break down Toronto's three centerbacks... We identified some pockets of space at halftime that we thought we could exploit and that's what we were going after. Having said that in the first half I think we had opportunities on the counter attack with Justin [Meram] and Dilly [Duka], but just missing the moments.

On the disappointment from the players.... The issue is we play on Saturday again. So how much are you going to destroy when you have to build it up for Saturday? We're very conscious of that. These guys have to go in and put in a good and hard effort on Saturday with little rest, so right now it's about getting 11 healthy bodies on the field.

HARRISON AFFUL - DEFENDER, COLUMBUS CREW SC

On his first goal... It feels great, but I'm not happy with the result. For me, I always want to win. So, even though I scored, I think the result is more important than scoring. So we just have to step up our game and focus on Saturday.

MICHAEL PARKHURST - DEFENDER, COLUMBUS CREW SC

On his thoughts of tonight's match against Toronto FC . . . We take one point in the standings and it's obviously better than zero, but we are disappointed not to take three, of course. That was the focus tonight and we came up short again. That's disappointing, but we need to take a look at the video and figure out how to break down teams that are so defensive against us. I'm sure that's not going to be the last team that comes in to our stadium and defends deeply like that and we need to see how we can break them down a little bit better.

On the short time between this match and the next . . . It's all about recovery and mentally getting ready for the game. Watching video from this game, learning from it, and then quickly turning around and watching DC [United], a team that we are a little unfamiliar with this year. We always know that DC [United] teams are physical, they play direct, they battle and they hang in there for 90 minutes. It'll be a tough challenge for this team and one that we need to rise up against.

On his expectations of DC United's strategy . . . It's possible. I don't know for sure. Without a midweek game, maybe they come out and press us a little bit, but normally they get compact, make it difficult, and play on the counter attack. We have to make sure we are prepared for both.

On his team's intensity during this match . . . I thought for the most part it was good and Toronto [FC] made it difficult. Obviously straight from the first whistle they had 11 guys behind the ball and the desire was there. We were trying to break them down and we were trying to win the ball back quickly. I think that the mentality of the group was good. It was just disappointing that we conceded.

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB- [cid:image005.jpg 977A4D269WSM1M1intmlselc_

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