NEW YORK — Anybody expecting a tepid return from the international break on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, when NYCFC hosted Toronto FC, might have wound up apoplectic by the end of the 90 minutes. Was Sebastian Giovinco, taking a knock just before the 39th minute, going to stay in the game? Would that mean sudden death for Toronto? Would NYC bag another of its oddly new signature come-from-behind-wins? Would we get bored as the final half drained?
Nope to all of that, with the match-up among Eastern standouts – both battling each other and Chicago for more sure footing in the Supporters’ Shield race – yielding some more of the weeknight-match weirdness many of us love. There was the second Toronto goal that, then, wasn’t a goal! There was the ejection of TFC head coach Greg Vanney in the ensuing arguing! And then, of course, that heartbreaking-to-NYCFC equalizing penalty at the end!
Neither side seemed thrilled with the final 2-2 result — surely TFC feel redeemed, but also robbed, while the home side probably felt relieved things didn’t turn out worse.
“I feel that sometimes you have to accept that the other team is playing better, and I think Toronto played better,” NYCFC head coach Patrick Vieira said in his post-game press conference. “I think in the second half when they scored the goal we were struggling. Physically, it was quite difficult for us.”
Both good and bad and just weird luck abounded throughout the match. But Toronto – even down Giovinco, even missing many of their usual stars to international duty – proved themselves still the deepest team to top in the East.
“I think when we conceded the second goal that was bad defending, and you have to give them all the credit,” Vieira said. “In Greg [Vanney]’s shoes, I would be really disappointed to go back to Toronto with only a point.”
Penalty-drawing bungling in the box at the end aside, it could have gone much worse for New York City, and given the danger of their visitors, they acquitted themselves okay. And for now, head coach Patrick Vieira said, they don’t plan to mess with much in the immediate term, especially since it’s resulted in a seven-game unbeaten run in regular league play.
“We’re not going to change the tactical approach of the game,” Vieira said. “It will be important for us to cover, and for me to try to find the best 11 to start again.”
Keeping the current setup will probably work out fine for NYC’s next match, vs. Chicago, this Saturday (2 pm ET, MLS LIVE in US and Canada). The home field advantage has proven pretty strong in the Bronx. But doubtless they’ll need to go deep into the tape of tonight’s outing before they face Toronto again – just two matches from now, at BMO Field, on July 30 (2 pm ET, ESPN and ESPN Deportes, TSN). This year’s TFC seems to just roll on unfazed by personnel shake-ups.
“The second half we went again in our style, in our roles, and I think we made a good second half,” said Toronto midfielder Victor Vazquez after the match. “I think we are in the top of the classification and we have to be happy with that.”
If there’s well-deserved hype about Toronto boasting the deepest squad in the league, though, Vazquez, at least, says it’s rolling off their backs unnoticed.
“Maybe they talk about this outside, but we don’t feel it,” said Vazquez. “We are proud of ourselves, we are happy with what we are doing, and we have to keep it like that.”
