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MLS Toronto FC

Toronto FC (2) - Chicago Fire (2) Post Game Summary

September 29, 2019 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Toronto FC News Release


SCORING SUMMARY

TFC - Jozy Altidore 59' (Marky Delgado)

CHI - Aleksandar Katai 68' (Przemyslaw Frankowski)

CHI - Fabian Herbers 77' (Nicolas Gaitan)

TFC - Omar Gonzalez 80' (Alejandro Pozuelo)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

TFC - Marky Delgado 69' (caution)

CHI - Nicolas Gaitan 85' (caution)

RECORDS

TORONTO FC 12-10-11 47 points

CHICAGO FIRE 9-12-12 39 points

MEDIA NOTES

Alex Bono made his 100th appearance (all competitions) for Toronto FC after coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute. He becomes the 11th player in club history to make 100 appearances for Toronto FC.

Omar Gonzalez scored his first goal as a member of Toronto FC.

LINEUPS

TORONTO FC - Quentin Westberg (Alex Bono 75'); Auro Jr, Omar Gonzalez, Chris Mavinga, Justin Morrow; Marky Delgado, Michael Bradley (C), Jonathan Osorio; Tsubasa Endoh (Nick DeLeon 68'), Alejandro Pozuelo, Jozy Altidore (Patrick Mullins 64')

Substitutes Not Used: Ashtone Morgan, Laurent Ciman, Erickson Gallardo, Nicolas Benezet

CHICAGO FIRE - Kenneth Kronholm; Johan Kappelhof, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Francisco Calvo, Jonathan Bornstein; Brandt Bronico (Aleksandar Katai 63'), Dax McCarty (C), Przemyslaw Frankowski, Nicolas Gaitan, C.J. Sapong (Fabian Herbers 64'); Nemanja Nikolic

Substitutes Not Used: Richard Sanchez, Marcelo, Michael Azora, Diego Campos, Djordje Mihailovic

GREG VANNEY - HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

On the match...

"It was wide open. I thought neither team did a great job of stopping the other team. It was very end to end, which meant there were a lot of chances, both teams had a lot of chances. It's something that can happen when you get around playoff time. It's when teams get a little bit desperate and they are willing to throw sort of caution to the wind and throw everything at it, especially towards the end of the game. It just gets very open. I thought for us, from our perspective, we rushed our attacks a little bit when we were getting into the attacking half of the field. We saw some spaces and opportunities to really go, and we went. For too many of them, we didn't get enough out of it. Then we end up opened up, because of the speed of our attacks, then we turn over the ball, then the transition speed that they were trying to get back at us, then again, it becomes disconnected. So, the game begins to become really wide open, that's really not what you want. For us, that's not really what we want ever, but for sure not in the seventh game in 23 days and coming off a midweek game that was a lot of work. Having said that, we had our chances to try to get it. We were here to try to get three points. We want to try to adjust our position in the table if we could, but we weren't able to. Again, they have good players. Players who are very capable. When the game gets open, it's anybody's game. And tonight, I think it was a little of anybody's game."

On Quentin Westberg's injury...

"I think when he took the ball, and kind of went over the player's back, I think he landed awkward. It wasn't Q, but the doctor chose to take him off the field. That's the right of the home team doctor who represents the league in these situations and is checking the players. He recommended he come off the field so we had to use a sub on the goalkeeper, which doesn't help either when you're in a wide open game, you want all of those subs for players who are sprinting end to end."

On Omar Gonzalez's first goal of the season...

"It was for nice Omar to get on the [scoresheet], it was nice for Jozy to get on the back of the net-feel that again since it has been a few games for him. It's good for both of those guys. Again, just pleased we battled out and got a result and we kept this form of being difficult to beat. For that I am happy, again, it's little bit of execution, and for us as we go towards the playoffs, we don't want these games to look like this one did tonight where it's really, really end to end. That's something that we defensively and our possession, need to do a little bit better job of controlling the tempo of things."

On whether this unbeaten streak helps as Toronto heads to the playoffs...

"I think it's great just for the mentality for the group. In the past when we talked about this in 2017, the team's that tend to do the best in the playoffs are the teams who are doing the best in the final 10 games of the season. That's so far the only indicator in MLS of teams that do well in the playoffs. You want to go in with some level of confidence, you want to go in where you are really difficult to beat. For us, again just a little bit more execution in a few of these games and we would probably have more wins than draws out of those but at the same time, our group is very confident. We just worked through an incredible stretch of again, seven games in 23 days. So from a fitness standpoint, the rest this week will do us well but I think we are, you know, guys are fit, guys are healthy, guys are looking forward to the next stage."

On Marco Delgado's play tonight...

"I think Marky's just continuously game after game puts in an incredible shift of just covering ground at high speeds, running and closing defensively, keeping the ball moving fast for us, getting it off his feet, and to someone else's feet who is in a better position to attack. He is really a kind of facilitator for us of the game, and linking players to players, and just doing a lot of dogged work for us. We couldn't be more happy right now with just the form of Marky, and his field awareness but also his capacity to really do some real work out there for us. Oso is coming around at that level too. In the middle of the year, he wasn't feeling great physically and I think we pushed him to the limits this week, but he is showing that all of those energy levels are coming back. This is a great time for him."

On the message to the guys today regarding their playoff position...

"We just talked about the makeup of this game, and what we need to take away from this game, just on a very basic level just because we will do more of that during the week. But just that. It's going to come down to the last day. We still have an opportunity at home to pick up three points and change our position in the standings. Maybe that includes a home game, maybe it doesn't, I don't know. We want to continue to be in the positive results category especially at home as we worked on this last game. We need to control our business and the rest will land where it lands."

JOZY ALTIDORE - FORWARD, TORONTO FC

On getting on the scoresheet tonight...

"It felt good. It was a long time coming. Felt nice. But the biggest thing is the result and we stayed unbeaten. That's the best. I think everybody's a bit, we want to get those three points and I think we put in the work. It's not falling for us, but we are unbeaten. I think the mentality has been good, and going into the playoffs you want this momentum, so we still have it and we feel good about it."

On the busy schedule the last few weeks and the team's performance...

"It was hard. I think midweek in that Montreal game, I think that was our lowest point. In terms of, not the result, but I don't think we were able to get in that next gear, that I think we have been able to do at home during the course of the year. I think that was the result of a lot of games, a lot of guys playing a lot of minutes. But still we won the game and obviously we lost on penalties, but we won the game. That I think was the lowest point in terms of where we saw the games get to us, but I think tonight we bounced back really well. It's a tough place to come and they were desperate, they had to win, and they threw everything at us and we were still able to come out of here with a result."

On what they need to do this next weekend...

"We have to keep the momentum. Play a good game and win regardless of what is going on, regardless of where we finish, you just want to keep that winning mentality, that unbeaten mentality going into the playoffs where obviously it's a knockout, a lose or go home. We want that feeling of being unbeaten and having that momentum. We have that right now."

MICHAEL BRADLEY - MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

On the match...

"I thought we did some good things, I thought the mentality continues to be good and strong. Thought if we were a little smarter, a little better, a little sharper, that the opportunity was there to take three points. On one hand, disappointing to feel like you leave two points on the table. Again, the mentality was good, there were good stretches, and on the whole, we were in a really good way. Just keep going and one more game to play next week, see how things shake out and then get ready for the playoffs."

On using a result like this to help the team during single elimination playoffs...

"That's always been the form in the playoffs. Find ways to make plays and in key moments make sure the mentality is strong, make sure that guys understand just in terms of intensity and commitment that everything has to come up a few notches and then go from there. I think in this last stretch we have done a good job with those things and again, we just got to keep going."

ALEX BONO - GOALKEEPER, TORONTO FC

On making his 100th appearance...

"It means everything to me. It's been five years of, you know, this is kind of the first milestone that you hit, your personal milestone you hit. To mean it means everything. Obviously, the situation, you never wish injury upon anybody, nor obviously on one of your teammates and one of the guys who you grind day in and day out with, so I wish Q a speedy recovery. You never want to see that happen to somebody. But situationally, not great but at the end of the day, 100 appearances is 100 appearances. As a goalkeeper I feel it's a lot more difficult to get, you don't get to make a lot of sub appearances. I'm very proud, I am very honored that I've been able to do this for this club and hopefully 100 more."

On being ready mentally all the time...

"It's funny, before the game Pat was like, make sure you are ready. I'm like I am always ready. And he is like, 'yeah, yeah, you say that but make sure you are always ready.' And I was like, all right, you know, whatever, I am always ready, I told you that. But yea, it's a mentality thing more than anything. It's just kind of, you never know what's going to happen over the course of the game. To be ready and to be available even when it looks like we are about to make our third sub. It's a difficult role to play but it's one that's important for teams to have, you know. If something happens, you're called upon in any position, it's important that you are ready to go."

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