Catenaccio N/A

Cabrera’s boys grind out a win against arch-rivals Toronto FC in their home stadium Montreal made their return to BMO Field a month after a 2-1 defeat in league play. This time they were looking for blood. And silverware. Vanney’s men on the other hand had the tall order of reversing a 1-0 aggregate that matured a week prior in Montreal’s Saputo Stadium. The game got off to a slow start, with Toronto trying to break down Montreal’s tight lines. The Impact - thanks to some painstaking work by their newly minted coach Wilmer Cabrera - held the line well, conceding little in terms of chances to the home side. Onlookers got the sense that Altidore - most often the Reds’ best sniper - was not on his night after two significant misses in the first half: the first at the 15’ after settling a cross by Endoh (the best among the Reds), and the second right before halftime as his shot passed just shy of (Montreal goalkeeper) Diop. Montreal, played a typical grind-down game followed ...

Credit: Getty Images Originally appeared on Breaking The Lines In a tumultuous match the Reds overcome a tough Rapids side to take a comfortable position in the Eastern Conference playoffs The Rapids landed in Toronto with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Desperation plus momentum (strong of three wins a row) pretty much guaranteed an exciting match. Vanney’s Reds, on the other hand had a little streak of their own - 8 unbeaten matches in a row - which put them in a pretty comfortable playoff position. A month ago TFC fans would have loved to be in this position, but the nature of the sportsfan is to want more. Grinding out points like TFC has done thus far has made Vanney & Co. go from strength to strength and try for a 4th place finish in the hopes to see some playoff action at BMO Field this post-season. That’s right, because the MLS Playoff structure in 2019 foresees one-game ties hosted in the home of the top finisher, with only the 1st place team getting a bye ...

Originally posted on Soccer Examiner Canada reproduces its Gold Cup routing of Cuba in the first encounter of the second phase of the CONCACAF Nations League Canada is developing a taste for good looking, entertaining soccer. In a cool Saturday night at BMO Field, the Canadians took care of Cuba by a wide margin. To be fair, things didn't look that way at the start. Cuba's Pablo Elier Sanchez set up his side really well defensively, with off the ball movement looking like something out of a synchronized swimming team. Alas, for him things didn't hold up that way. Unable to use the services of Atiba Hutchinson, Scott Arfield (due to injury) and Cavallini (expecting a baby) Canada head coach John Herdman proposed an offensive 4-3-3 with Hoilett, Davies and David leading the attack. Cuba's hard-nosed defending and good field coverage lasted only 12 minutes, when Hoilett collects a ball from 35 yards out, sets his sights on the right post, and beats San...

Originally posted on Juvefc.com   Higuain, Pjaca, Ramsey, Rabiot, Buffon, Demiral, Romero, Pellegrini, De Ligt, Danilo and Han. Then: Barzagli (end of contract), Caceres, Orsolini, Rogerio, Spinazzola, Cancelo and Kean. This is the illustrious list of 2019-20 incoming and outgoing transfers, respectively. Too simplistic to suspend judgement until the end of the season in order to truly judge. I’ll draw my conclusions from a September point-of-view: Juventus is stronger. Juventus’s mercato trajectory began in a “linear” fashion: beginning with a much needed “beef-up” at centre midfield with Ramsey and Rabiot – much needed, as mentioned, since the Bianconeri only had four available in 2018-19. To the seasoned, world-class (argue all you want) Welshman and Frenchman Paratici and Co. add two younger, not well known defenders Demiral and Romeo. Then the jab to the juventino’s gut: saying goodbye to Spinazzola for a younger, more physically imposing – and perhaps less injury prone –...

Hashtag campaigns to end racism in Italian stadiums are back, as yet another player is racially abused. Hashtags are not enough. It's time for action. In the wake of a concerted effort by Serie A's social media channels and those of its component clubs to clamp down on piracy, fans on social media are outraged by the league's focus on piracy, while ignoring racism as an issue. Yet, in terms of "lip service", Serie A seems on point. Anyone who's been to a Serie A game in the last 3 years knows that before the beginning of each half shiny minute-long ads featuring the league's top footballers renounce racism in football. Piracy and racism are both undoubtedly "bad for business". The message is lost, however, when the opportunity for the league to step up and make an example of "fans" who contravene the league's message with their racist behaviour. Inter forward Romelu Lukaku was the victim of racist chants after s...