Toronto FC’s 1-1 draw on opening day away to FC Dallas saw four players make their debut for the Reds.
19-year-old Deandre Kerr, one of a trio of teenagers on the field, was joined in the starting lineup by Mexican defender Carlos Salcedo and Spanish attacker Jesús Jiménez, while another off-season addition, Shane O’Neill, came on at half-time to solidify the back-line.
All performed well, but early in the season it was just a glimpse of the potential.
The first thing one noticed about Salcedo in preseason was how forceful of presence he was at the back. He continued that in the first game of the season.
“I always say that Carlos is a big personality on the field,” remarked Bob Bradley. “On a night like tonight, he makes some really good plays, read situations well. When they clogged the middle, we had to find different solutions to play from the back, he helps. And then he also had some passes that went a little bit off, where the quality wasn't always perfect.”
Jiménez was lively throughout the match. He was integral to TFC’s equalizer, flicking on Jacob Shaffelburg’s left-sided cross at the near-post to tee up Jonathan Osorio at the back, and had a good look from a header but leapt a touch too early.
“Some skillful moments, but overall a night where some of the important opportunities didn't quite come off,” assessed Bradley. “I haven't had a chance to see the header again, but that's a good opportunity in the second half.”
“He's a player that we can use in different ways and so in moments in the first half when we couldn't quite find our way through, he comes off the defenders, he finds some good positions to be able to receive balls and tried to connect things,” he continued. “Not everything that went to him came off really well, so there's still that sharpening up of things, but he's going to be an important player for us.”
O’Neill, who replaced Chris Mavinga at half-time, assessed his own contributions post-match: “We didn't concede, which is always a positive, but they certainly had chances.”
“There’s things to work on, especially on the ball, finding those passes, find those angles, getting the chemistry right. Defensively I was pretty happy with a couple moments, but, like I said, they had some big chances, so we’ve got to tighten those up, go back, watch the film, and see how those things broke down,” he added.”Overall, it was decent. I feel like I did what I can do: compete and play simple and just try and help the team not concede goals, so yeah, it was alright.”
That is the nature of these early season matches. The point is as valuable as any other on offer, but the information the challenge of real game provides is just as important.
Things that work, things that don’t, things that need a bit more time and practice to hammer out the details and hone the edge.
“We played some good football,” said O’Neill. “Jesús had a header, Noble [Okello] had a header that the defender got a little bit lucky, touched it right before he got to the ball – those were really nice plays. The play that led to the penalty, or the penalty that was given and taken back, all really good moments of what we've been working on.”
“At times in the second half we were super deep in our own half, just hacking it out, suffering, trying to just get through these moments. We couldn't really find outlet passes at times,” he weighed. “But, away from home, first game of the season, that's kind of the nature of it. So we'll take some of the positives and work on those those aspects.”
Toronto now have all week to prepare for their next match: the home opener at BMO Field on Saturday with the visit of the New York Red Bulls.
Coach Bradley will be running the players through their paces in preparation, analyzing the video and walking through the ideas on the pitch.
“Football wise there are moments in that game where I still expect that we can be sharper and better,” he stressed. “Some of the moments in transition came from some carelessness. You could attribute some of that to the fact that the field was very slick, you saw some guys fall down, but I still think there were moments where we’re better and sharper than that and that would include some of the execution in the final parts of plays.”
“But I like the fact that the group as a whole is showing a commitment to be a real team,” Bradley added. “I felt good about the response after going down. The feeling after the game is that it's not our best, but it shows that we're going in a good direction, so that part I'm satisfied.”
After two pandemic afflicted seasons, spent largely away from home, this Saturday will be a special day. The players are looking forward to it.
“It's going to be amazing, as it always is, a game at BMO Field,” said Osorio. “We love playing in front of our fans. We had them for a little bit last year, but it just wasn't the same with all the circumstances and where we are in the world.”
“This year it’s going to be great to have a home opener at this time of the year,” he added. “We're looking forward to getting back home, to our families and to find a routine now and to perform on the weekend and give the fans what they deserve, which is a great footballing team.”
“But I like the fact that the group as a whole is showing a commitment to be a real team,” Bradley added. “I felt good about the response after going down. The feeling after the game is that it's not our best, but it shows that we're going in a good direction, so that part I'm satisfied.”
After two pandemic afflicted seasons, spent largely away from home, this Saturday will be a special day. The players are looking forward to it.
