Toronto FC's Julian de Guzman reacts after firing a shot over the Kansas City Wizards' cross bar in the 88th minute of MLS action in Toronto on Saturday June 5, 2010. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungCHRIS YOUNG/The Canadian Press
The positive side for Toronto FC after a lacklustre and generally poor outing in tying the Kansas City Wizards 0-0 at BMO field, is that they enter a well earned break period, still unbeaten at home.
Even though some say they had the benefit of having more opportunities to score they were realistically half chances. Facts are facts. Each TFC player was off the pace today, including captain Dwayne DeRosario.
Credit should be given to Kansas City and their coach Peter Vermes who showed early on they were up to the task. Anticipating a lively TFC attack the Wizards clearly set out to compete and frustrate. Aside from a few unbalanced defensive plays in the first half where they were vulnerable to the TFC counter attack, Kansas City handled the attacking threats of Toronto very well.
True Nick Garcia was sent off but in many ways it summed up the day for Toronto who always seemed to be a yard short or a good touch away from being effective. Garcia's tackle was clumsy and mistimed and so he was vulnerable. It was no different to the Marcus Haber tackle on Wednesday night when TFC played Vancouver Whitecaps. As we all know these things tend to balance themselves out over the long haul.
Even though it was an off day, the most encouraging part was TFC's defensive performance at the back and the collective willingness of the whole team to roll up their sleeves and battle.
The next four games will be crucial for Toronto FC as they will all be played at BMO field. It will give them the opportunity to firmly establish how far they can now go this season. All is not lost with one poor performance but at the same times it is a warning sign. Not so much on complacency but more so on the limitations of their squad without additional players of technical quality.
Kansas City meanwhile gave a blueprint to other teams on how to stop Toronto FC scoring.
TFC Team
Frei, Gargen, Attakora, Cann, Garcia, Labrocca, Sanyang , de Guzman, Peterson, DeRosario, Barrett, White
Formation: 4-4-2
Player Ratings
Stefan Frei (7)
Aside from a few misplaced kicks which looked haphazard it was another good performance from the Toronto net minder. Growing in stature he looked confident and when called upon to make a first class save against Ryan Smith he was able to do so. No basic errors, is again, a sign of maturity.
Dan Gargen (7)
His best outing to date. Having to switch positions from right to left full back he did so seamlessly. Defensively he did an excellent job 1v1 and looked quick and feisty on the turn. At times he gave the ball away but it was a rare occurrence when compared to some of his teammates. Played good quality balls forward when required. A mature performance.
Adrian Cann (7)
A good performance. Nothing more nothing less. Along with Nana he dealt with Kei Kamara well but with only one central striker to deal with it was not as stressful as some previous encounters. Nevertheless he did a good job of defending 1v1 when required. On the ball though he was just a little off - like most of his teammates.
Nana Attakora (7)
Same as Adrian Cann. Overall he looks a different player from last season when he was maturing. He now defends in a composed, reliable, and extremely competitive way. Under difficult circumstances - with the TFC team not playing well - he still performed well and did not lose concentration.
Nick Garcia (6)
The red card as Jason Devos from CBC pointed out was a little harsh. Having said that it was a mistimed tackle and so it was a sign of the Nick Garcia of "old". Hopefully it is a remnant of that difficult period for him as he actually was playing well up until that point. He looked comfortable in what was near enough TFC's strongest line-up.
Nick Labrocca (6)
An awkward game where nothing quite went to plan. A bit off with connecting the all important final pass. Never shirks away from competing though and so, as always, he contributed to grinding out an important point. Overall a gem when it comes to his temperament.
Amadou Sanyang (5)
Not surprised he was taken off at half time, even if it was from illness. Not a good performance. As an 18 year old it would have been a learning curve for him. He just lacked the energy and so he could not compete as effectively and his passes and touch were off.
Julian de Guzman (6)
Not a great performance from the DP player if you critique him on connecting passes. It was just one of those days where nothing went well for him in that department. Nevertheless the expectations from Julian on the ball can at times be too much and as a result, some of his other qualities get missed. In the energy department he worked harder than most of his teammates; he never gave in; and he was always looking for possession of the ball. Most other players hide when they give the ball away but not de Guzman today. He showed good character. In regards to his chances on goal they were difficult and he created them by making positive runs forward.
Jacob Peterson (6)
Another decent performance and he looked quick and lively. Showed great pace and vision by getting free in the first half but was then thwarted by an excellent save from Jimmy Nielsen. It was disappointing to see him leave the game at half time
Dwayne DeRosario (6)
One of those days where nothing really went right for him. It was bound to happen at some point. His touch and passing selections were off but he was also dealt with very well by the Kansas City back line.
Chad Barrett (6)
Similar to Dwayne it was not one of his better outings. During an important phase in the first half where Kansas City were vulnerable to TFC's counter attack movements Chad had a couple of excellent opportunities to take advantage of fast breaks. Unfortunately he took too much time on the ball which allowed the Kansas defenders to get goal side and the opportunities fizzled out.
Substitutions
Gabe Gala (6)
Looked a spark plug for the first 20 minutes of the second half but then faded into a non-threat for getting forward. Playing in a central midfield position requires a different energy system which Gala looks uncomfortable with - at least for longer sustained periods. It is a credit to his improved ability that he has been able to handle the position when called upon.
Ty Harden (7)
A good performance from the half time substitute. Did not put a foot wrong and 1v1 he never looked like getting beat. On the ball Harden was efficient and sensible when under pressure. A pleasant surprise especially considering his long layoff with injury.
O'Brien White (5)
Was up against it today against a tough Kansas City backline. Could not get himself going and showed no guile in getting away from a tough marker. Plus he had trouble holding the ball up.