The Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs are underway for Toronto FC, who drew first blood in the opening leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal with a 2-1 win away to the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Monday night.
“Very good result; the way we went about it was good,” said Michael Bradley post-match. “These games take on a life of their own. They’re so different [from] the regular season. You have to embrace that.”
“Teams that understand that; teams that don’t let that phase them, are the ones who give themselves the best chance,” continued Bradley. “We have a group that understands that. We know that we’re going to have our moments to play.”
“It’s a great result – to come away with a win and two away goals, but it’s only half-way done,” reminded Bradley. “We’re not celebrating anything yet. We understand that we have to go back to Toronto, in front of our fans on Sunday afternoon, and play in a way from the beginning that ultimately means [New York] have no chance.”
TFC took the lead after eight minutes through Victor Vazquez, pouncing on a loose ball in the Red Bull box and coolly placing a right-footer into the yawning net to calm any early nerves.
Vazquez himself began the move, playing a ball down the right for Jozy Altidore before continuing into the area to get on the rebound after New York keeper, Luis Robles, pushed Altidore's low cross into a dangerous spot.
Toronto nearly added a second in the 36th minute when a lovely sweeping move saw Vazquez pick out Marky Delgado with a cross from the left, only for his header to rattle the underside of the crossbar.
New York would be given a lifeline in the final play of the first half, Daniel Royer converting from the penalty spot after Bradley Wright-Phillips got tangled with Drew Moor just inside the area. And the teams would return to the dressing rooms tied at ones.
“We defended well,” said Greg Vanney. “Staying together as a group, protecting our box, protecting our goal. We needed to be a little bit better with the ball in transitions, with possession.”
“Part of that is their pressure comes fast,” continued Vanney. “You've got to be able to move just as quickly as their pressure is arriving. But the guys pulled together, we kept our shape; protected our goal. There weren't a ton of things on goal that we gave up, and we found our moments either in transition or on set pieces.”
With the tempo picking up and both sides pushing, it was going to take something special to break the deadlock.
Cue Sebastian Giovinco, who struck yet another unstoppable free-kick, curling it over the wall and into the Red Bulls net in the 72nd minute to give TFC the lead, and a second away goal, ahead of the second leg on Sunday.
“He's amazing,” said Vanney. “We talk about it all the time: the knack to step up in the moment and make a play is what star players do. He was able to do that again tonight. You know that's a weapon you have.”
“The guys [knew], especially after we got the first goal, the away goal, relatively early, [tonight] was about locking things down, giving up nothing, and giving opportunities for guys like Seba, Jozy... somebody like Victor, to step up and try to make a play, try to get the second one, and that's ultimately what happened.”
Goalkeeper Alex Bono was called upon at the death to make one last save, denying Kemar Lawrence of a back-post header deep in stoppage-time.
“A really good performance tonight; very solid defensively,” said Bono playing his first career playoff match. “We knew we’d be up against it for long stretches today and we were. We bent; we didn’t break. Those are the kind of performances we’re going to need to go far in this playoff run.”
Added Bradley: “If you want to be the team holding the trophy in the end, then you have to deal with these kinds of nights. You have to have a group that accepts the challenge, embraces it, that goes for it and finds ways to win. They’re not the prettiest games, but to get to the biggest games you have to know how to navigate these ones.”
