Reggie Lambe & Toronto Defeat D.C. United 1-0
Bermudian footballer Reggie Lambe and his Toronto FC teammates took to the pitch for the first time in 2014 yesterday [Feb 5] in preseason action, defeating rival D.C. United 1-0 with a goal by Bright Dike in the 85th minute.
According to the official Toronto FC website, “Tonight, trialist Issey Nakajima-Farran owned the wings, it didn’t matter if it was the left or the right, when he was on flank, he took the space and made it his own.
“The Canadian International could have ended the night with a pair of goals if it wasn’t for solid goalkeeping from DC United keeper Joe Willis.
“The question that was asked going into the preseason was “who was going to play beside Michael Bradley?” Obviously after one preseason match, we don’t have the answer, but tonight Jonathan Osorio looked sharp beside him.”
“Bradley played the deep role in the midfield, collecting from the centrebacks and pushing either to the wings or forward to Osorio who was the link between Dwayne De Rosario and Andrew Wiedeman. While OPTA was not tracking this match, it was clear that the possession was heavily in favour of Toronto FC and hovering around their attacking third.
“Whenever you can claim a clean sheet with a backline where just one defender is over 25 years old, it’s a good day at the office. Yes, the backline still has some work to do, but they now seem to understand that keeping possession after winning the ball is vital to keeping it out from the back of their net late in games.
“Once you add in the maturity of Steven Caldwell and Bradley Orr, this group should be on its way.”
Toronto FC will open its official season schedule against Seattle on March 15.
