TFC wonders what could have been
Outplayed Seattle only to fall in penalties
The stadium’s Tunnel Club was more serene Saturday night than usual.
Dropping a home MLS Cup on penalties will do that to an organization, its fans and its players, none of which showed at Toronto FC’s postchampionship party at Muzik nightclub.
Who could blame them? The Reds were still in disbelief after manhandling the Seattle Sounders for 120 minutes only to see their MLS Cup dreams dashed when Justin Morrow’s penalty pinged off the crossbar in front of a record crowd at BMO Field.
But then there was a voice inside TFC’s in-stadium pub — mere steps from TFC’s dressing room. It interrupted a one- on- one interview between TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko and the Toronto Sun.
Two little boys had spotted the club’s GM inside the Tunnel Club.
“Can we have your autograph?” the boys asked Bezbatchenko, who politely obliged.
“Good job this year,” one of the boys said. “It was so close.”
Inches, one could argue. Stefan Frei’s save in extra time will go down as one of the great saves in MLS Cup history. Another inch up and to the right and the Reds would be holding a parade Monday morning.
Sebastian Giovinco, Jonathan Osorio and Tosaint Ricketts also missed good — essentially open — looks that would have provided TFC the goal it chased for two hours.
Shots were 19- 3 in favour of TFC, which also finished with a 7-0 advantage in terms of attempts on target.
Even Sounders bench boss Brian Schmetzer admitted post-game he wished his side would have “played better.” They were the second best squad on the pitch, buoyed by Frei and TFC’s uncanny ability to squander the good looks it managed to create against a bunkering defence.
“We played very well,” Michael Bradley said. “There’s no two ways about it. That’s a good team, they have good players.”
He couldn’ t say what rationale pundits and viewers and neutral fans were thinking: The Sounders were outplayed from start to finish.
Bradley’s smart, though. He understands this game often times isn’t just.
You can be far and away better and still not win.
Yes, the Sounders became just the fourth team to shut out the Reds in 23 games played at BMO this season. Sure, they bottled up Giovinco and battled Altidore. Seattle did as much as they could and still conceded almost 20 shots Saturday night.
But the Reds didn’t concede a single shot on goal while battling a side that boasted Uruguayan sensation Nicolas Lodeiro.
Then there’s the hope that TFC fans can look back over the entire season — the homeopening win over Dallas, the Voyageurs Cup, the first playoff win, the extra time victory over the Montreal Impact. It was quite a ride.