Clutch.
It’s not really a word often used to describe Toronto FC.
Inept.
Futile.
Painful.
Those are words often used to describe the Reds.
But, clutch? No, that’s for other teams -- teams with history and style and success. Toronto has streamers, tazers and keepers scoring on them in injury time.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
But, maybe that’s changing. Maybe this is now a club that will inspire positive adjectives. Like, clutch. I’ll start now:
Toronto FC put in a clutch performance last night in pulling off a stunning upset over the defending MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy.
Yeah, that really happened. Hard to wrap your head around, eh? A killjoy – and there will always be one – will talk today about how TFC parked the bus at times (they were technically lined up in a 3-4-3, but in reality there were five across the back, with Torsten Frings playing as a sweeper. At times it was an 8-1-1) and if it wasn’t for a heroic (another positive adjective!) performance from Miloš Kocić the result could have been different.
The result wasn’t different though. It wasn’t because over the 180 minutes TFC was the more deserving team. LA has more talent and are undeniably sexier, Toronto had something the Galaxy could only wish they had – four goals.
That is the bottom line in football – outscoring your opponents. And Toronto did that. As a result it’s Reds’ fans this morning wondering if they dreamed it all and Galaxy fans crying in their tall skinny chai lattes.
So, what does it mean? Other than the obvious trip to Mexico to play Montreal’s favourite team Santos Laguna that is. Does it mean that the Reds were lucky last night, or that they now make their own luck?
Could it be that the Galaxy are in trouble, or that they were just tired.
Or could it possibly mean that TFC is actually good?
We’re going to need some more evidence before we can speak to that, but there is little doubt that TFC was good enough last night.
They were clutch, even.