Saturday the New York Red Bulls visited Toronto and it was my annual trip to with my dad to watch a TFC game. Last season we saw TFC v Real Madrid. I was looking forward to game as it would give me a chance to see Thierry Henry and Rafa Márquez play.
We arrived at BMO Field and as we got nearer the stadium we could hear the sound of the fans singing. But these were not the TFC fans. These were the 50 or so Red Bulls fans who had made the trip up for the game and their singing added tot eh atmosphere.
TFC had not lost at home all season and they came out and attacked the Red Bulls from the start creating several very good scoring chances including hitting the woodwork. With Thierry Henry being booed every time he touched the ball, the Red Bulls did not look that threatening going forward.
That all changed within a five minute spell. First Rafa Marquez hit an unstoppable shot from 25 yards out into the roof of the net. It was a fantastic goal and Marquez’s first in MLS. Then five minutes later a Marquez free-kick was turned into his own goal by Joseph Nane. A terrible goal to give up.
To their credit TFC came out in the second-half and took the game to New York and got the early goal they were looking for when De Rosario scored in the 49th minute from a very tight angle. Suddenly it was game on.
But a comedy of errors by the Toronto defence sent them to defeat. First a silly hand ball by by Nana Attakora resulted in him getting a straight red and a penalty to New York that Juan Pablo Angel scored from and then former Toronto FC midfielder Carl Robinson added a fourth for the visitors after a terrible mistake by TFC keeper Stefan Frei.
Thierry Henry is obviously not fully fit and he missed a couple of good chances to score, that you figure he will convert next month as he regains his fitness while Rafa Marquez was class in front of the Red Bulls back-four.
The Red Bulls have the most expensive line-up in MLS with three designated players. Based on Saturday’s performance, I expect them to be back in Toronto on Sunday, November 21 for the MLS Cup.
