Toronto FC take a huge leap in win over Club America

Toronto FC have continued an already story-filled campaign, with a huge 3-1 win over Club America at BMO Field on Tuesday night.

Toronto FC are slowly starting to find the form that supporters have been accustomed to over the past couple of years. A win over Real Salt Lake has ignited the spark to gain ground in the MLS, while the already important Champions League campaign apparently now looks set to continue to the finals.

There’s no doubt the team relies on the contributions of Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore. If the duo score, it’s seemingly game over for opposing sides. The fact they couldn’t find the back of the net often early on can strongly correlate to TFC’s hard time getting past Tigres and the struggles domestically.

However, it looks as if Altidore and Giovinco have now found a small sample of their scoring touch from last season. The Atomic Ant smashed a penalty home early, while Altidore put Toronto right back into the lead before the first half ended.

Ashtone Morgan polished the fixture off with a strike of his own in the 58th minute.

Giovinco has been making numerous runs down the wing recently. Right as the seventh minute hit, the Italian looked to make a move in the box which led to Edson Alvarez tripping him up and giving Toronto a 1-0 lead from the resulting penalty.

Give a lot of credit, specifically to Andres Ibarguen for tying the game in a relatively quick manner. The Colombian made a series of moves on Michael Bradley and scorched the ball past Alex Bono.

America were surprisingly pushing their back-line forward, despite the Reds’ obvious control of dangerous chances and time-of-possession. Giovinco curled a ball through a high-pressed America defense, which saw Altidore send a low ball past Agustin Marchesin to regain the lead.

Marky Delgado has been turning heads up North. The former Chivas USA man looks to be set as a regular in Greg Vanney’s starting lineup. In the 51st minute, he made a series of moves in the box while leading Giovinco towards goal. Seba’s chip attempt failed and then sent Club America on the counter.

Yet, the fixture was TFC’s to be won. Auro’s versatility flew him down the near-side, as he sent in a perfect low cross that was tapped home by Morgan.

Bono’s struggles have been evident early on in the season. Henry Martin Mex was sent in after a one-touch play, but the young keeper we’ve come to know, made a critical save to not only seal the fixture, but give Toronto a huge advantage heading to Mexico for the second leg.

Man of the Match

Supporters are really seeing who runs this team at the moment. Every attack involves Giovinco one way or another. The Italian’s play down the wing has been brilliant lately, and other defences seem to have a real problem with it.

For those who would like to look at the stats to determine the  Man of the Match, a goal and an assist against one of the top clubs in the Americas is never a bad thing.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic might have landed in MLS, but this is still Giovinco’s continent.

Key Stats

Toronto FC

• 10 shots
• Three shots on target
• 42 percent possession
• Key Player: Giovinco

Club America

• 58 percent possesion
• Five shots on target
• Two yellow cards
• Key Player: Ibraguen with a big goal that could really help his team back into the tie for the second leg.

Around the Champions League

Nothing new has happened other than this fixture. Look out for the New York Red Bulls, who have been in inspiring form in both MLS and the Champions League. New York plays out the first leg of their semi-final against Guadalajara on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m.

• Toronto FC 3-1 Club America (3-1 Aggregate)
• New York Red Bulls – Guadalajara (First Leg)

What’s next for the Reds?

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All of the focus is now being put into the Champions League. Luckily, there are no games for TFC as far as MLS goes. Toronto will now travel South to try and finish off Club America at the famous Estadio Azteca.

The lack of games for Toronto between now and the second leg is a huge advantage. America play Necaxa in the LigaMX on Apr. 7, which is just three days removed from the fixture.

It’s still early in the LigaMX season which has Club America at fourth place, which means starters are still going to feature on a regular basis. In TFC language, that means the regulars for the Mexican powerhouse could be worn out, to help the Reds send them packing.

Catch the second leg next Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Coverage for what could be one of the most important matches in TFC history can be found right here at Tip of the Tower.

Next: TFC get back on track in MLS play against Real Salt Lake

What was your take from Toronto FC’s performance on Tuesday night? How confident are you in their ability to finish off this tie in the second leg? Share your thoughts in the comments below!