Toronto FC Dominate the MLS Team of the Week with 3 Representatives

Apr 23, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Impact defender Laurent Ciman (23) pushes Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco (10) during the second half at Stade Saputo. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Impact defender Laurent Ciman (23) pushes Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco (10) during the second half at Stade Saputo. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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Led by Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC dominates the MLS Team of the Week with three out of a possible 11 representatives.

It turns out the Montreal Impact weren’t the only thing Toronto FC dominated this week. Their win was the most impressive of the season so far, and it gave Toronto points in three straight contests, as well as points in five of their first seven games. Did I mention that they’ve played every game on the road so far?

Sebastian Giovinco scored a brace to bring his tally to six on the season, while he has also been involved in every Toronto FC goal so far this season. Kurtis Larson also provided some eye-opening statistics as to his revelatory play ever since he came into the league:


Not to mention, in the one game that he didn’t start, he scored the most important goal in club history. Dare I say it, but Giovinco might actually be better this season.

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Not to be overlooked, though, captain Michael Bradley held down the fort in midfield along with his partner Will Johnson while Drew Moor was vital in holding the Impact to one shot on target and giving Toronto a third clean sheet this season. It was a complete team performance, and it was good enough to see someone from each part of the field get a nod in the MLS Team of the Week (courtesy of MLSSoccer.com):

TEAMoftheWEEK-2016-8
TEAMoftheWEEK-2016-8 /

Those three slots are the most out of any other team this week. Everything leading up to the game suggested Montreal was going to win. They had the best record in the East, they were playing at home, Drogba was getting his first start of the season, and in his absence, Ignacio Piatti was lighting up the league. Not to mention Laurent Ciman has been playing like one of the best center-backs this season.

But despite all that, Toronto and their fans marched into Stade Saputo and brought Montreal’s momentum to a screeching halt. Given the fact that Georges Saint-Pierre was in attendance, I’m sure he would say that he was not impressed by the Impact’s performance.

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Other notable inclusions on this week’s team are Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sacha Kljestan. After winning the Supporters’ Shield last year, the New York Red Bulls have taken a complete nosedive. Wright-Phillips finally got on the board this season with a brace while the win halted a four-game losing streak. Let’s see if that win is enough for the Red Bulls to get back on track, or if it turns out to be a complete anomaly.

The Galaxy are continuing to blow teams away this year, as they cruised to a 5-2 drubbing of Real Salt Lake. Their two representatives, Emmanuel Boateng and Giovani dos Santos, were both vital to their win and both contributed goals. The latter has been especially big for the Galaxy this season, as he has lived up to his billing and then some. In four games, he already has three goals and two assists, and has led the Galaxy’s offensive surge. So far, LA has scored 17 goals which is by far the highest total in the league in this young season.

Toronto FC may be scoring half the goals as the Galaxy, but they have shown massive improvement on the defensive side of the ball. They currently lead the league in least goals conceded, and their smothering backline has contributed to three clean sheets in seven games. If they keep that up while the MVP keeps cooking on offense, that’s a recipe for a potential Supporters’ Shield winning team.

Next: Toronto FC vs. Montreal: TOP 5 401 Derby Moments

While others may not enjoy the way Toronto FC is playing, their fanbase must be loving the way their consistent play on defense is picking up results.