TORONTO – Italians are renowned for their quirky proverbs, but a personal favourite of this correspondent describes someone of little actual substance, who is all sizzle and no steak.
“Tutto fumo e niente arrosto”—All smoke and no roast. It doesn’t apply to Sebastian Giovinco, though. Not in the least.
In fact, Giovinco isn’t just the roast, he’s the entire meal. The diminutive Italian continues to take Major League Soccer by storm, his spectacular goal-of-the-week candidate leading Toronto FC to a 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers before 23,569 fans at BMO Field on Saturday evening. With its first home win, Toronto improved to 4-5-1 on the campaign.
The goal was Giovinco’s fifth of the MLS season and highlighted what was one of the best individual performances by a TFC player in quite some time. The former Juventus star continues to underline why MLSE spent big money on him this off-season as he builds upon his reputation as one of the league’s most dynamic and entertaining players.
“Every time he gets the ball something exciting is potentially going to happen,” TFC coach Greg Vanney told reporters after the game. “I would put him in a very high category of guys, maybe even on his own, of the best players who have ever come into the league.”
Faint praise from a coach with an obvious bias? Hardly. Giovinco’s stellar play on this gloriously sunny Toronto evening had the BMO Field press box buzzing, with both regular TFC beat reporters (most of them beyond jaded from covering this team for the past eight years) and Portland-based journalists “oohing” and “ahhing” every time he zeroed in on the Timbers’ goal.
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Much was made in some quarters of Giovinco’s contract, reported to be $7 million US per season, when he signed with the Reds in January. He’s not worth that kind of money, was a familiar refrain. Maybe not in Europe, but in MLS, Giovinco is worth every penny and more. TFC is a completely different team with the Italian at the height of his game—the Reds are vibrant and dangerous in attack, with Giovinco routinely able to conjure a moment of brilliance out of nothing. In this league, that’s a priceless commodity.
The opening 45 minutes marked the most complete team performance by TFC this year, with Giovinco the undoubted star of the show. The Italian was positively sensational, terrorizing Portland’s defence with his quickness, deft touch and inventiveness on the ball. He also showed flashes of playmaking brilliance, cutting in off the flank and delivering dangerous balls into the area for teammates.
“He was excellent today. I thought he gave them a lot of problems,” Vanney said. “He was busy, and the more times we can get him on the ball and the more touches we can get him, the better we’ll be as a team.”
Giovinco linked up effectively with captain Michael Bradley and forward Luke Moore (starting in place of the injured Jozy Altidore), with the trio teaming up for the opening goal in the fifth minute. The “Atomic Ant” belted a left-footed screamer from 25 yards out that nestled just inside the post in what was, without question, one of the best goals ever scored at BMO Field.
When asked to describe the goal, the Italian simply responded “bello”—beautiful, with a sheepish smile.
Things went from bad to worse for Portland after Giovinco’s goal when influential playmaker Diego Valeri, who recently returned from a knee injury, had to be subbed out in the 25th minute.
Toronto nearly added to its lead when Moore fired just over the crossbar, and goalkeeper Adam Larsen Kwarasey made a fabulous diving stop in pushing Giovinco’s curling shot destined for the lower corner just wide of the post. Giovinco also nearly added a second goal when his shot on net was accidently blocked by teammate Jonathan Osorio.
Portland looked the livelier of the two sides after the restart and carried the majority of the play in the second half. But a TFC defence anchored by Damien Perquis and Eriq Zvaleta (playing instead of Nick Hagglund) and abetted by the calming influence of holding midfielder Benoit Cheyrou comfortably kept the Timbers at arm’s length.
TFC’s Warren Creavalle impressed after coming on for the injured Collen Warner at the start of the second half, and he nearly iced the game in the 80th minute. Creavalle latched onto a perfect through ball and then glided by two Timber defenders before firing a shot on goal from close range, only to be denied by Kwarasey.
Vanney felt Toronto was on the back foot for the final stages and his team was forced to hold on for the win. It was a sentiment echoed by his team captain, who was, nevertheless, pleased with how TFC found a way to scrape out a win.
“There were some good moments, for sure. I didn’t think it was our best game. We’re just scratching the surface in terms of what we can be in terms of sharpness and finishing teams off,” Bradley stated.
“Every day is not going to be your absolute best, but you still have to know how to close up shop on those days and come away with three points.”
Many supporters in the normally festive south end of the stadium were dressed in black, as a “Black Shirts At BMO” social media campaign was born earlier this week to mourn the fact that the Argonauts are moving into BMO Field next year.
A number of banners were also held up, including “RIP BMO.” The same fans also kept quiet, leading to a funeral atmosphere, and only began to cheer and beat their drums midway through the first half.
NOTES: Toronto has the edge in the all-time series with Portland, winning three of six games with just one loss. The Reds are unbeaten in four home matches vs. the Timbers, with three wins. This was the only league meeting between TFC and the Timbers this season… Toronto hosts English Premier League club Manchester City in a friendly on Wednesday at BMO Field. The Reds return to MLS action on May 30 at home vs. the San Jose Earthquakes.