Toronto FC are so close to turning a corner that TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen can practically taste it.
“One day when hopefully we bring in a witch doctor or the black cat leaves, we’ll turn these games into wins. The effort is there and you can see that they have made progress,” Nelsen said.
While Toronto conceded yet another late goal in falling 1-0 on the road to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening, Nelsen saw plenty of positives from his team’s performance on a night in which the opportunity to grab all three points away from home was there for the taking.
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“I thought it was a very good performance from the guys. I thought they held their shape really well for the entire game and were organized and they also attacked with pace and purpose and created some really good opportunities to score,” Nelsen told MLSsoccer.com following the match. “We knew if we got one, then the game would open up and we’d get even more chances to compound that score. But we just couldn’t get that one goal. Even at the end we thought that we looked like we were the ones that were going to score, but unfortunately we had a bit of a mistake and they scored.”
Coming off an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Montreal Impact in the Amway Canadian Championship tournament on Wednesday, Toronto looked like a completely different squad in every facet of the game against the Rapids.
“I wasn’t surprised by their reaction [to the loss in Montreal]. I knew they would come back and deliver a performance like that. I thought it was an excellent performance, especially playing at altitude. They had some great opportunities to score and reward their hard work,” Nelsen said. “We’re learning as a team and we’ll always stick by the boys. They really tried hard and worked their socks off tonight.”
OPTA Chalkboard: Toronto FC get in good position on shots, but can't convert vs. Colorado
With seven points and a 1-4-4 record through their first nine league fixtures, Toronto have been competitive in every match and have not lost by more than a single goal in any of their MLS matches. Add in the fact that the Reds have been ravaged by injuries and have also not seen a single bounce go their way and it’s no surprise that Nelsen continues to feel confident in his squad while at the same time feeling just a tad snakebitten.
“That is what is probably so frustrating. Everybody involved with the club can see how far the team has come. We are so close to turning draws into wins and losses into draws or wins as well.”
“We’re really close. We just have to keep on the path and it will turn.”
