TFC hits World Cup break on high
Defoe buries lone goal, Reds in playoff picture as three-week layoff starts
MARK ZWOLINSKI
SPORTS REPORTER Toronto FC enters the three-week World Cup break after a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday knowing that the club remains a work in progress, but that some of the pieces are falling into place. Consider: The win vaulted them into a Major League Soccer playoff spot for the first time in almost two months. They have played an Eastern Conference-low 11 games (6-4-1), which can give them an advantage when the schedule resumes June 27 against the New York Red Bulls.
Jermain Defoe scored the goal Saturday, off a penalty kick, and now has seven in seven games.
Rookie Nick Hagglund had a tremendous game with three impressive scoring opportunities while doing a wonderful defensive job on San Jose strikers Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart, two of the tallest and most physical players in the league. Collen Warner, in his debut at midfield, set up two of Hagglund’s chances.
“That’s why we paid the extra allocation money to move in the draft and take him,” TFC coach Ryan Nelsen said of Hagglund, who is building a case for rookie of the year.
“He will have tough times and (rookies) all do, but he’s progressing how we dreamed he’d be. We’re happy to have him playing for us.”
Hagglund and fellow defender Doneil Henry have elevated their games, and six wins in 11 games is a sound start for Nelsen and his staff, considering the challenges they’ve faced since training camp.
While they’ve equalled their win total for the entire 2013 season, the hype and high expectations in Toronto have not waned.
“I don’t think we’re, as a team, playing as well as we can . . . but we’re getting more points than I thought,” Nelsen said of their 6-4-1 mark. “We don’t concede many chances, which means we’re always in games. But we have to get better. What I want this TFC team to be is, you have to play real well to beat us, and I think that reputation is coming around the league now . . . we’ll keep working.”
Nelsen’s work deserves credit. Both Defoe and Gilberto arrived late to camp, while injuries, a busy schedule — including the Canadian Championship — and the loss of Michael Bradley and Julio Cesar to the World Cup, leading to several trades, played havoc with the roster.
The three-week break comes at a good time.
“We’ll give them some time off,” Nelsen said of his players. “They’re probably sick of my voice. Rest their bodies, rest their minds . . . get them hard and fit and injury-free, and get them to know each other better, be- cause we’ve been disjointed since day one. But now we feel we have a squad that can be MLS competitive.” Gilberto was a last-minute scratch for Saturday’s match against the Earthquakes. Nelsen said his striker was injured Wednesday and tried to play through the pain, but pronounced himself unfit after the pregame warm-up. Dominic Oduro, just acquired from Columbus in a trade for Alvaro Rey, subbed in late and had an immediate impact.