A 40th minute strike by Danny "Koef" Koevermans was enough for Toronto FC to beat Tauro F.C. 1-0 in CONCACAF Champions League Group C play on Tuesday night at BMO Field.
Only three days after a two-goal performance that earned him MLS Player of the Week, Koevermans struck again, this time his first goal in CCL to complement his six MLS tallies. The alert poacher beat a Tauro defender and keeper Alvaro Anzola to the ball inside the six-yard box, redirecting a Peri Marosevic ricochet into the goal for the 1-0 lead. When a confident Koevermans arrived at BMO Field in late June (ineligible to play until mid-July), he said his job was "simple," it was to "score goals." He is certainly living up to that promise to the delight of TFC supporters.
In its last CCL outing, Toronto was badly exposed at the back in Mexico City. Whether the services of then suspended Richard Eckersley would have made a difference against Pumas will remain unanswered, but what was clear Tuesday is that the on-loan Englishman was the hardest working player on the pitch.
Eckersley was relentless on Toronto's right side, nullifying just about any approach the Panamanians made from that part of the field. He joined the attack at will, delivering three open crosses, and tracked back for a team high four tackles. After Torsten Frings, Eckersley had the highest number of touches of any Toronto player in a 90-minute clinic on how to play fullback. It wasn't all puritanical work ethic from the Salford son, he even took time to entertain.
While Eckersley dazzled on the right side, local lad Ashtone Morgan enjoyed a second consecutive memorable performance for Toronto on the left flank.
With Frings protecting the backline by playing between the two centre backs, Morgan enjoyed the freedom to venture forward and make his mark. The Toronto FC Academy graduate did just that in supplying the cross that created chaos in the Tauro box before Koevermans knocked the ball past Anzola. In total, Morgan made a game-high seven crosses while the Reds looked increasingly comfortable spraying the ball wide to the 20-year old Toronto native. If Morgan continues to feature regularly for Aron Winter's squad, a Canada call from national team boss Stephen Hart could be in his near future.
The victory takes the Reds to second in Group C with six points, four ahead of Tauro. The other members of the quartet, FC Dallas (seven points) and Pumas UNAM (four), kick off in Texas on Wednesday night. Dallas could be virtually through to the next round with a win, but a loss would allow Pumas to not only surpass Toronto with two games to play, but it would propel them to first in Group C on goal difference.
Regardless of Wednesday's Dallas-Pumas outcome, Group C will come down to a climactic Round 5 next week. Toronto could chart its own destiny with a victory against the Mexicans next Tuesday, September 27 at BMO Field. While Toronto is on a two-game MLS winning streak and must compete again on Saturday night in California versus Chivas USA, Tuesday's CCL match is now the most important game of the season; likely to determine who will advance to the Champions League quarterfinals in March.
Thoughts on the match
"It was a very good victory because we played against an opponent who played completely differently than when we played them in Panama City. In the first half (in Panama), even when we weren't playing well, we scored two goals….This evening they showed also they can play football. Technically they're very good. We played well against them."
Thoughts on Danny Koevermans' performance
"He's a very good striker. He's not only waiting for the ball, but he anticipates, watching always, [asking] 'okay, when I'm in the box where could the ball fall that I'm close to the ball to make a goal?'
