TORONTO – Toronto FC star Sebastian Giovinco is a player in a class of his own.
So says his head coach Greg Vanney, who saw his side benefit from another peach of a goal by the Italian forward in a 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers – Toronto’s first home win of the season – and the strike left Vanney and teammates full of praise.
The coach joked that he was glad never to have played against Giovinco, whom he called "excellent" on the day: “He’s the exact type of match-up that would be a disaster for me."
“Every time he gets the ball, something exciting is potentially going to happen,” Vanney said after the match. “For him, it’s mixing it up between playing simple and doing the dramatic thing. When he does that, he’s going to be unstoppable.
“I would put him in a very high category of the best players who have come into this league,” Vanney added.
The TFC head coach admitted that he didn’t really have time to appreciate the beauty of the goal, instead focusing on reorganizing to prevent a quick response from Portland. But, Vanney says he’s looking forward to watching the replays at home.
So, what did the Atomic Ant think of his game-winning goal?
“It was beautiful!” Giovinco said via translator, flashing a cheeky smile. “From the start, I just had one thing in my mind – to shoot. So, I just controlled the ball and shot it. That’s it.”
It’s Giovinco’s fifth league goal, and with a growing sample size to pick from, it was also the one goal he says was his favorite, “not only because the goal itself was important, but it also meant we won and got all three points.”
This goal also brings him level on the scoring charts with his partner up top, Jozy Altidore, who missed Saturday's match with a hamstring injury. Giovinco says he is indeed counting each goal as he and Altidore go head-to-head with each ripple of the net.
“Yeah, there is a competition, but it’s in a nice way,” Giovinco said. “Being a striker, you need that kind of competition with everyone, but especially with your strike partner. As long as we keep scoring, it works for us, for the team, and it means we’ll win. It’s a very nice, fair competition.”
- Get more Toronto FC news at TorontoFC.ca
Giovinco’s goal gave Toronto all three points against the Portland Timbers, but also cushioned the blow of Altidore’s absence. Adjustments made to the team lineup also saw Michael Bradley move further up the field, a change Giovinco says has had a positive impact on his own game.
“Bradley is a very important player and this adjustment is making his life easier,” Giovinco said. “It’s also easier for the other strikers, because, of course, we can play with the ball way better. There are more occasions and more chances to score, too.”
Conversely, Bradley now sees Giovinco flourishing in Major League Soccer after making the transition to the pace and style of the league from that of Serie A.
“He’s starting to find a good way in the team, in terms of the relationships on the field with the guys around him,” Bradley said. “He’s only going to continue to get better.”
Armen Bedakian covers Toronto FC for MLSsoccer.com.
