Toronto FC: Emphatic Statement Made With Crushing 5-0 Win
With no pressure heading into the second leg of the East semifinal, Toronto FC were relentless in scoring five goals to beat New York City FC 7-0 on aggregate.
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Sunday was a good day for Canadian soccer fans as both Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact secured victory in the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchups. TFC thrashed New York City FC 5-0, to set up a showdown in the Eastern Conference Final against Montreal, who defeated the New York Red Bulls.
There was no pressure for TFC to have a big offensive performance against NYCFC, with a 2-0 advantage heading into Sunday’s matchup. The Reds came out firing with three goals in the first 30 minutes of the match, before adding two more in the second half.
It was an impressive performance by Toronto FC, who shut down one of the best offences in MLS, especially superstar striker David Villa. Sebastian Giovinco showed why he is the class of the league with a hat-trick and an assist following news that he would not be included on the MVP ballot.
Despite being left out of the MVP race, Giovinco knew the best way to prove people wrong was to go out and have a masterful performance:
How much was Giovinco motivated by being ignored in the MVP voting? "A lot," says Vanney. #TFCLive
— Laura Armstrong (@lauraarmy) November 7, 2016
The question for TFC moving forward is whether they can continue this into the next round against a Montreal team that always play tough against them? Ignacio Piatti has been a vital contributor for Montreal, which he proved again with two goals in Sunday’s game against the Red Bulls.
The Impacts’ result over the top team in the East was extremely impressive. In addition, keep in mind the Red Bulls had made the Eastern Conference finals for three straight years.
"When we're firing on all cylinders, when everyone's playing they're best like they have recently, we're difficult to play against" - Vanney
— Laura Armstrong (@lauraarmy) November 7, 2016
TFC has come a long way from years of poor records and a heartbreaking loss to Montreal in the knockout round last season. NYCFC were supposed to represent a tough challenge, but the Reds made it look easy with a relentless counter-attack and elusive speed.
It also helps that Jozy Altidore and Giovinco are both healthy and have rediscovered their chemistry up front, making them a dangerous offensive duo. The smaller dimensions of Yankee Stadium did not give TFC any problems.
Toronto FC had a strong group of roughly 300 fans making the trip to New York to cheer on the team. The other impressive part of the performance was that no one received a yellow card, which was a concern for coach Greg Vanney heading into the game.
TFC will travel to Montreal on November 22nd for the first leg of the Eastern Conference Final, which will be played at Olympic Stadium rather than at Saputo. The second leg will be held on November 30th at BMO Field.
Next: Sebastian Giovinco Snub Makes MLS Look Bad
It should prove to be a series for the ages between the Canadian rivals. In theory, the advantage should go to Toronto FC, but as Sunday night proved, anything can happen in the playoffs.