The Reds tasted defeat for the first time this season, but there were still positives to take from the 2-1 result in Columbus. Back inside the video room, let’s take a look at how Michael Bradley continued his role as a steadying influence in the heart of the Toronto midfield.
The Situation
Down a goal heading into the second half, TFC went in search of the equalizer by committing numbers forward in the attack. After finding a road block out wide, the team turns to Bradley as they look to play the killer pass in the final third.
The Play
In the 64th minute, Toronto looked to attack the Crew defense from the wide areas as you can Sebastian Giovinco drifting to the left wing. After his one-two with Jozy Altidore gets cleared out away, Raheem Edwards claims the loose ball and has thoughts of whipping in yet another service from out wide.
Instead, he pulls it back and finds Bradley deeper in the midfield as TFC essentially hit the reset button on the attack. The captain wastes no time in changing the point of attack, as he takes one touch to control before shifting the ball to the opposite wing with a quick pass to Victor Vazquez.
This leaves the Columbus defense scrambling as they attempt to shift with the ball as it swings from left to right. With the backline off balance, Vazquez elects to play a quick, incisive pass forward into Jonathan Osorio who is brought down just at the edge of the area, leaving TFC with a golden opportunity off the ensuing free kick.
via GIPHY
What They Said
Michael Bradley: “We pushed hard in the second half, we had to play on the edge and really go for it. We put ourselves in good spots.”
