TORONTO – Michael Bradley summed up Toronto FC's afternoon after losing 3-1 to Sporting Kansas City with a single word: “disappointing.”
“It was a big opportunity for us to move ourselves into that top group of teams and really make the statement that we're ready going into the run in, ready to make a strong push.
“Obviously, it's just one game. We can still do that, there's still a lot of games left, we're still in a good position. There's nothing lost in the big picture. But, like I said, still disappointing.”
After a sloppy start that saw both sides miss half-chances, the visitors took the advantage from the penalty spot with Benny Feilhaber doing the damage. Bradley himself would pull one back, but two more from Kansas City erased his equalizer, leading to the 3-1 defeat.
“It wasn't a matter of overlooking them at all,” Bradley maintained, even with Sporting missing four first-choice starters. “We knew it was going to be a difficult game ... games like this become more difficult when some of the 'bigger players' are out, because the others come in and are more determined to make sure that the team doesn't miss a beat.”
Toronto manager Greg Vanney chose a different word to describe the match: “unacceptable.”
“First half we just flat out got out-worked, we were second to everything,” he sighed, eschewing any consideration that short rest was to blame after defeating Orlando City SC handily on Wednesday.
“We were just too slow. It's like we were surprised by their pressure, which we knew was coming," Vanney continued. "That's the Kansas City team that plays every weekend. A team that closes you down, presses you, puts you under pressure, tries to create turnovers and attacks you.”
Toronto FC were unable to put together a fluid attack against the pressing Sporting side, completing just 71 percent of their passes. This had a hand in Toronto FC only taking three shots in a disappointing first half.
With the tepid build-up, Sebastian Giovinco was unable to make his imprint on the game. The MVP candidate had just 32 touches on the ball, the fewest he's had in a game in which he played more than 45 minutes.
After the discouraging teamwide performance, Vanney did not hesitate about possibly making changes to his starting lineup.
“If guys can't make the right decisions, then they can't be on the field. Period.”
