Juan Albion
Chicken Sniffer 3rd Class
Toronto arranged to play Bolton Wanderers and then fielded an extremely weak team. Of course they didn't warn the fans buying the tickets that there'd hardly be a single player they'd know - playing for their own team. How do you spell "rip off"? At least the journo wrote what I expect what all the fans in attendance were thinking. Why do teams rip off their own fans? Do they think they won't remember in future?
I do think, though, that if there is a player out there known simply as "Mista" then he belongs on the Gus Bus.
"What was the point?
Even the most die-hard Toronto FC fan had to be asking that question after watching the Reds battle to a dire and uneventful shootout loss against English Premiership side Bolton Wanderers in an international friendly Wednesday night.
The teams battled to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of regulation, before Gary Cahill scored the decisive penalty in the shootout and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen saved Oscar Cordan’s effort to lift Bolton to victory.
With nothing on the line, TFC fielded what could charitably be called their B team against the visitors from the northwest of England. None of the Major League Soccer club’s regular starters — including captain Dwayne De Rosario, designated player Julian de Guzman, central defenders Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann, and goalkeeper Stefan Frei — were even on the substitutes bench.
Instead, Toronto’s starting lineup featured two trialists (Mirko Medic and Drazen Vukovic), one youth academy member (Doneil Henry), and a host of senior team members (goalkeeper Jon Conway and rookie midfielder Nane Joseph foremost among them) who have barely seen any playing time this season.
Preki wasn’t making any apologies for it in the post-match news conference.
"We have a game at four o’clock on Saturday," he replied when asked why he fielded a makeshift team against Bolton.
Toronto has a hectic schedule coming up, with crucial MLS encounters against FC Dallas (July 24) and the Kansas City Wizards (July 31), and a CONCACAF Champions League qualifier against Honduran outfit Deportivo Motagua next Tuesday.
Preki has his priorities straight and wisely rested his starters for the tough slog ahead, not wanting to risk losing any of them to injury in a game that had no bearing on the MLS standings.
In light of Toronto’s aspirations of claiming its first playoff berth and qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League, Preki’s cautious approach was perfectly understandable.
But if you go to the trouble of bringing a top-tier club over from Europe, then the very least you can do is play your starters and take the game seriously, much like TFC did last summer when Real Madrid came to town.
Otherwise don’t bother lining up these exhibition matches, because to trot out a farce of a squad, as Toronto did on Wednesday, reduces such games to an exercise in pointlessness.
The Toronto coach said in the presser it was a "fun game" and it granted him the opportunity to look at some youth players.
The lone moment of inspiration from the Reds came just before the end of the first half, supplied by the team’s newcomers, former Valencia star Mista (making his team debut) and Brazilian Maicon Santos.
Largely ineffective through the opening 45 minutes, Mista floated a perfect cross from the left flank deep into the box where Santos nodded it past the reach of Jaaskelainen.
Preki was full of praise for Mista and Maicon, lauding them for their "perfect execution" on the sequence that led to the goal.
Maicon’s gorgeous goal cancelled out Matt Taylor’s effort for Bolton in the 28th minute, scored on a deflection off a shot by teammate Martin Petrov.
The introduction of youth academy forward Nicholas Lindsay in the second half gave Toronto a bit of a spark, but not enough to notch a second goal."
I do think, though, that if there is a player out there known simply as "Mista" then he belongs on the Gus Bus.
"What was the point?
Even the most die-hard Toronto FC fan had to be asking that question after watching the Reds battle to a dire and uneventful shootout loss against English Premiership side Bolton Wanderers in an international friendly Wednesday night.
The teams battled to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of regulation, before Gary Cahill scored the decisive penalty in the shootout and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen saved Oscar Cordan’s effort to lift Bolton to victory.
With nothing on the line, TFC fielded what could charitably be called their B team against the visitors from the northwest of England. None of the Major League Soccer club’s regular starters — including captain Dwayne De Rosario, designated player Julian de Guzman, central defenders Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann, and goalkeeper Stefan Frei — were even on the substitutes bench.
Instead, Toronto’s starting lineup featured two trialists (Mirko Medic and Drazen Vukovic), one youth academy member (Doneil Henry), and a host of senior team members (goalkeeper Jon Conway and rookie midfielder Nane Joseph foremost among them) who have barely seen any playing time this season.
Preki wasn’t making any apologies for it in the post-match news conference.
"We have a game at four o’clock on Saturday," he replied when asked why he fielded a makeshift team against Bolton.
Toronto has a hectic schedule coming up, with crucial MLS encounters against FC Dallas (July 24) and the Kansas City Wizards (July 31), and a CONCACAF Champions League qualifier against Honduran outfit Deportivo Motagua next Tuesday.
Preki has his priorities straight and wisely rested his starters for the tough slog ahead, not wanting to risk losing any of them to injury in a game that had no bearing on the MLS standings.
In light of Toronto’s aspirations of claiming its first playoff berth and qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League, Preki’s cautious approach was perfectly understandable.
But if you go to the trouble of bringing a top-tier club over from Europe, then the very least you can do is play your starters and take the game seriously, much like TFC did last summer when Real Madrid came to town.
Otherwise don’t bother lining up these exhibition matches, because to trot out a farce of a squad, as Toronto did on Wednesday, reduces such games to an exercise in pointlessness.
The Toronto coach said in the presser it was a "fun game" and it granted him the opportunity to look at some youth players.
The lone moment of inspiration from the Reds came just before the end of the first half, supplied by the team’s newcomers, former Valencia star Mista (making his team debut) and Brazilian Maicon Santos.
Largely ineffective through the opening 45 minutes, Mista floated a perfect cross from the left flank deep into the box where Santos nodded it past the reach of Jaaskelainen.
Preki was full of praise for Mista and Maicon, lauding them for their "perfect execution" on the sequence that led to the goal.
Maicon’s gorgeous goal cancelled out Matt Taylor’s effort for Bolton in the 28th minute, scored on a deflection off a shot by teammate Martin Petrov.
The introduction of youth academy forward Nicholas Lindsay in the second half gave Toronto a bit of a spark, but not enough to notch a second goal."
