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yyys123 · Joined: 08 Jul 2019 Posts: 855

Stop the bleeding. Toronto FC has done just that with consecutive positive performances, culminating on the weekend with an impressive 3-2 win at the Columbus Crew. Back-to-back wins on the road couldnt come at a better time for TFC. Two wins on the road, at that, reaffirming Toronto as a contender. Questions were beginning to be raised about Toronto FCs credentials as true challenger in Major League Soccers Eastern Conference. Just one win in eight coming out of the MLS World Cup break would always ramp up that conversation, promoting negative sentiment. It was a frustrating July for Ryan Nelsen and co. with the team showing better on the field in terms of overall play, with results failing to follow. Fortunately, while not playing well over the opening months of the season, Toronto FC managed to pick up points, building a cushion and lessening the blow of a difficult month. Toronto FC is back on track. A visit to the woeful Montreal Impact brought three points 11 days ago. Saturdays trip to Columbus was likewise fruitful. Luke Moores winner in the 84th-minute capped off another fine performance, where TFC persevered despite the Crew twice equalizing. Through it all, Toronto FC remains third in the Eastern Conference, five points up on sixth-place Columbus and with at least a game in hand on all others in and around the top five in the conference, battling for playoff spots. Here are five thoughts on Toronto FC coming off their most recent win: 1) Goal-scoring Gilberto – Make it goals in back-to-back matches and three in his last four starts for the often criticized Brazilian striker. Its plain to see Gilberto is finally full of the confidence he lacked early this season. Gilbertos athleticism and potential have always been ubiquitous. His misfiring ways and, oftentimes, frustrating carelessness on the ball brought out the critics. It seems the transition period to MLS is firmly behind him and now is the time to prosper. Recent weeks have been kind to Gilberto as he has battled back to fitness, finally finding form. Injured captain and central defender Steven Caldwell (@stevocaldwell) took to Twitter post-match Saturday to praise Gilberto, writing "I dont like to single someone out, but I thought Gilberto was tremendous tonight. What a win!" MLS onlookers agree with Caldwells assessment with Gilberto being named to MLS Team of the Week. Gilbertos recent form softens the blow of Jermain Defoe out of the line-up (groin). Further competition up front is on the horizon with Bright Dike back training after having missed the first five months of the season (Achilles). Nelsen has been treading lightly, preferring to keep Gilberto out of the starting XI in preference of Moore. Its Nelsens team after all, and he should be able to do whatever he deems best for the team, but there have to be internal pressures to play the high-priced off-season acquisition. The argument is becoming irrelevant at this point, with Gilberto forcing his way into the side based on his play, rather than price tag or potential. 2) Osorio Impact – Back-to-back starts for the Canadian and back-to-back wins for Toronto FC. Not only that, but Toronto FC have held more possession in consecutive games that Jonathan Osorio has started, something they have struggled to do all season. Its no coincidence. Toronto FC was too direct and weak defensively down the wings with both Dominic Oduro and Jackson in the starting XI. TFC is a better team with Osorio in it. It may be an imperfect situation with Osorio playing wide left in the 4-4-2 with the midfielders preference to come inside and play one-two touch football in the middle of the park. When it works, it really comes off well. Osorio was a force in the second half in Columbus, creating before scoring the 2-1 goal. Osorio predictably came inside and forced the issue, showing for the ball before cutting forward to get into position to score on the rebound. Osorio, as an outside midfielder that fails to take advantage of the width, makes it all-important for Gilberto, Luke Moore or whomever is playing up front to play off Osorio and, at times, utilize the space down the flank. Its likewise essential for Justin Morrow to get forward from his left-back position to contribute in the attack, providing balance. Toronto FCs wing-backs dont get up the field nearly enough for my liking. Quite frankly, they cannot risk regularly getting forward, abandoning defensive responsibilities with the Oduro/Jackson combination on the flanks. Osorio is simply a better fit for all aspects of Toronto FCs play. 3) Nine-Point Swing – TFC swept their Trillium Cup rival this season, taking all nine points from three games against Columbus for the first time in club history. Bragging rights are one thing, but taking all the points against an Eastern Conference adversary is another. A five-point cushion between them and Columbus, the sixth-place team in the Eastern Conference is as good as it gets. In fact, Toronto FC has taken four out of six points against fourth-place New York Red Bulls. TFC begins September with a critical home-and-home against the fifth-place Philadelphia Union, which will go a long way in determining playoff positioning. All in all, a favourable schedule lies ahead, with ample time for rest and recovery with no mid-week games until the Philly back-to-back on September 3 and 6. With Caldwell due to return in September and with nothing else significant in terms of long-term absentees, things are trending in the right direction. The MLS roster freeze comes on September 15, leaving plenty of time for general manager Tim Bezbatchenko to figure out what he still needs for the duration. 4) Liking Luke – Few mid-season acquisitions in MLS have been as important as Luke Moore to Toronto FC. And to think, all Toronto gave up for the English striker was defender Gale Agbossoumonde, who has yet to play a game for the Colorado Rapids. Its absolute larceny by Bezbatchenko and the fact Moore comes on the cheap, with his salary largely paid for by his Turkish club Elazigspor, makes it all the better. Nelsen deserves credit, as he really pushed for the team to acquire the player. Bezbatchenko obliged and the team is better for it. Moore has been effective all over the field – nothing flashy, but solid, coming back to control the ball as a more natural number nine, as well as being decent in the air. His game-winner, a header off a corner Saturday was equally impressive in power as it was placement. The returns as a Red, five goals and three assists, as well as building solid partnerships with both Defoe and Gilberto, speaks to his quality. The attacking side of the equation, in depth and talent, should not be a worry for TFC down the stretch of the season. Moore is a big part of that. 5) Road Warriors – TFC wraps up their four-game road trip Saturday against Sporting Kansas City, a place they earned a hard fought 2-2 draw down to ten men earlier this season. Road success has been key to Torontos turn-around this campaign. TFC has picked up 16 points away from BMO Field, the same number of points they have earned at home. TFC only earned nine away points through the entirety of the 2013 season. Away goals havent been an issue either, having scored two more away goals than at home, looking rather comfortable playing a more patient, counter-attacking style. Saturdays upcoming match should be predictably heated, with serious tension between the two sides. Toronto FCs 2-1 loss to SKC last month was noted for its chippy, physical and emotional play. Referee Ted Unkel was forced into numerous questionable calls and non-calls, which were highly debated among onlookers. Both sets of coaching staffs, publicly and/or privately begrudged the difficult night for the referees, who did little to quell tensions or properly manage the thorny occasion. The unfortunate outcome for TFC will be fresh in the players minds heading to the midwest. TFC has something to prove after back-to-back losses against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Saturday at Sporting Park has the makings of something special, pitting two standout MLS sides, capable of playing at the highest level with good tempo and quality play, with no love lost between them. Toronto FC and Sporting KC renew hostilities Saturday night at 830pm (TSN2, TSN 1050 Radio). 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Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (5) – He was locked in all night, made huge stops on Benoit Pouliot, Raphael Diaz, Ryan Mcdonagh, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash (twice) but none better than the three saves on Mats Zuccarello.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Orlando Magic are the only team in the NBA who have reached the halfway point in the season. So, if its good enough for one team out of 30, then we shall declare it the midpoint of the 2014-15 NBA season. In doing so, lets examine where the awards would go if the campaign was drastically shortened, which, no one would cry a single tear about. MVP - JAMES HARDEN, HOUSTON ROCKETS Almost every other pundit has tabbed Steph Curry from the Golden State Warriors for this honor and I get it. Curry is the best player from the best team in the league, and, in the absence of a runaway contender, that formula is a solid means to an answer. However, I believe Harden has been a more valuable player for the Rockets. The statistics bare out pretty equal seasons. Harden is ahead in scoring, but Curry is up in assists. Pretty standard stuff since one is a shooting guard and the other is a point guard. (Although, I love that Harden is averaging a career-high 6.6 assists per game, which is second to LeBron James among non- point guards, and a near 90 percent clip from the foul line while leading the league in attempts.) Here are the three things that give Harden an edge for me: First, the Warriors are a much better, more complete team. Sounds like a plus for Curry, but Harden has done most of the heavy lifting in keeping the Rockets within four of the Warriors for the best record in the league. Curry is magnificent, but his team is loaded with two-way athletes in a manner that the Rockets are not. The overall talent is stronger in Golden State than in Houston, thus, making Hardens achievements this season more impressive. Second, when you are literally the butt of social media jokes about how horrendous a defender you are, it shows something to improve. Harden is not quite Gary Payton, but his defense has improved tremendously. Hes 12th in defensive rating and second in defensive win shares. Granted, those numbers changed with the arrival of Trevor Ariza and the continued solid defense from Dwight Howard, but Harden went from punch line to serviceable. The Rockets are third in opponents scoring and fourth in opponents field goal percentage. Last season, they were 23rd and seventh in those same categories. Harden isnt at the heart of the turnaround, but hes no longer weighing them down defensively like an anvil chained to the leg of a mob informant. Finally, during an 11-game stretch when Howard was down with a knee injury from mid-November to mid-December, Harden kept the Rockets afloat, going 8-3 in the process. During that stretch, Harden averaged 29 points and 6.1 assists per game. Curry hasnt had to deal with anything like that. Adversity shouldnt translate into automatic MVP victory. Its not the Oscars, where an actress will win if she plays an alcoholic, single-mother stripper, whose daughter is a piano prodigy and mom must find a way to work a third job to pay for a good teacher as well as trips abroad so the daughter can perform in recitals. Harden has kept the Rockets near the top of the league without a supporting cast like Currys. While Ariza has been a revelation, Howard is averaging nine- season lows in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. Harden has taken a team, Ill admit, I had missing the playoffs, and got them the fourth-best record in the NBA. With less around him, I go Harden over Curry. COACH OF THE YEAR - STEVE KERR, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS This is possibly the closest competition for an award I can remember. How could you not like Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks? With a stunningly similar roster that finished under .500 last season, Bud has the Hawks atop the Eastern Conference by four games (Al Horford is really important, too). However, Kerr gets my nod for the simple fact that he made extraordinary coaching decisions that paid massive dividends. He started Harrison Barnes andd Draymond Green over Andre Iguodala and David Lee.dddddddddddd Kerr put two infants in there at the expense of 21 combined seasons, three All-Star appearances and $27 million in 2014-15 salary. And its worked unbelievably. His lineup changed meant the Warriors starters can switch almost any time without massive consequence. Kerr had the hard job of replacing Mark Jackson, who is not quite Phil Jackson, but had the eternal respect of his players. Kerr erased any doubts, and quickly. I will fault no one who votes Budenholzer, but I think Kerr has done just a little more. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - ANDREW WIGGINS, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES Since Jabari Parkers injury, Wiggins was destined to pull away some. He has, but he would have even if Parkers ACL didnt tear. Over the last 10 games, Wiggins is averaging 21 ppg. Granted, they are all Timberwolves losses, but Wiggins game is rounding out nicely. Remember, he started slowly at Kansas, then emerged. As the T-wolves continue to be terrible, Wiggins is getting a chance to develop greatly. Shabazz Mohammeds insertion into the starting lineup, thus moving Wiggins to the shooting guard, paid off handsomely for the No. 1 pick as well. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - DRAYMOND GREEN, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS Know who leads the league in Defensive Rating and Defensive Win Shares? Draymond Green. Know how to calculate either of those? (Not rhetorical, please help me.) The Warriors rank first in opponents field goal percentage. Green is one integral piece of that team-oriented puzzle. Andrew Bogut is a top-five defensive big man. Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala are both upper echelon wing defenders. Steph Curry is underrated and leads the league in steals. But heres why I like Green so much for this award - hes a wonderful combination of all of those things and that versatility is what makes the Warriors a stout defense. Golden State can constantly switch anything because players like Green can cover all five positions. To have that kind of flexibility is huge. Green is the best demonstration of that. SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR - LOU WILLIAMS, TORONTO RAPTORS Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers, Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Pelicans, Williams, Reggie Jackson of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Isaiah Thomas of the Phoenix Suns are all close in scoring. I feel like Williams and Thomas have done more for their teams in terms of helping them win games. I feel like Williams did more when DeMar DeRozan was gone to help Toronto keep pace. Thomas missed a few too many games. MOST IMPROVED PLAYER - JIMMY BUTLER, CHICAGO BULLS Ill say it - I hate this award. Its too hard to figure out the meaning of a three-word award. Too many people vote for someone who gets more playing time than the season before. Is that technically improvement or did that player just receive a mountains worth of more run? Or did the player improve so much during camp, that he forced his way into this new-found time? Ive always favored the player who improves, not the one who receives more playing time, although, Ive softened on that. There is a reasonable argument to be made that a player like an Alex Len of the Suns improved enough to crack the rotation. But, Im going with a player who didnt receive a bump in minutes. That wouldve been next to impossible considering Jimmy Butler shared the league lead in minutes per game last season. Hes first again this season. In literally ONE MORE MINUTE of playing time per game this campaign than last, here is the tale of Jimmy Butler: 2013-14 2014-15 Points per game: 13.1 20.9 Assists per game: 2.6 3.4 Rebounds per game: 4.9 6.2 3-point percentage: 28.3 34.2 field goal percentage: 39.7 46.4 free throw percentage: 76.9 83.0 Thats with ONE MORE MINUTE a game. Theres not a better example of improvement in the league. ' ' '