• New York City FC 0, Toronto FC 4 (Altidore 29’; Pozuelo 58’, 78’; Chapman 83’)
• New DP Pozuelo stars for Toronto in his MLS debut
• TFC starts season with 3 wins for 1st time in club history
TORONTO – There’s a new No. 10 in town.
Wearing the same number made famous for Toronto FC by Sebastian Giovinco, Spanish star Alejandro Pozuelo put on a sensational display in his MLS debut on Friday night, scoring two goals and setting up another in TFC’s 4-0 romp over New York City FC.
Pozuelo only arrived in Toronto last Friday following his transfer move from Belgian club Genk, but TFC’s newest Designated Player showed no signs of rust or fatigue, fitting seamlessly into his new surroundings.
Like Giovinco did so many times to great acclaim in MLS, Pozuelo put on an entertaining show with his glimmering skills on the ball, more than once bringing the announced crowd of 25,447 fans at BMO Field to their collective feet, and leaving them begging for more.
Although a midfielder by trade, Pozuelo, a 27-year-old native of Seville, was given licence to roam all over the field and follow his attacking instincts when TFC was in possession. When New York had the ball, he pushed up alongside forward Jozy Altidore, as the duo acted as the first line of defence.
“It was a magical night. It will be impossible to forget this night,” Pozuelo said through a translator after the game.
In terms of MLS debuts for Toronto, Pozuelo’s surpasses Jermain Defoe’s in 2014 when the Englishman bagged a brace in a road win over Seattle, as he looked every bit like the playmaker the Reds needed following the off-season departures of Giovinco and Victor Vazquez.
Altidore heaped praise on his teammate for adapting so quickly to his new team.
“This is not an easy place to play when you come in with a big-price [transfer] and a lot of expectations,” Altidore said. “Toronto is not an easy market. Say what you will about MLS, but these people get on you when they don’t see something they like.”
Toronto captain Michael Bradley was impressed, too.
“We’ve all been there – you get to a new club and you want to prove yourself as quickly as possible … We’re all very happy for him,” Bradley offered.
Toronto coach Greg Vanney felt it was one of the best debuts by any player in MLS history.
“The two goals were classy and confident,” Vanney stated. “I thought his play throughout the game just showed an incredible comfort level and confidence within the group.”
Midfielder Jonathan Osorio saw a bit of Andres Iniesta in Pozuelo’s game, especially with the way he moves from side to side and with his quickness.
“He’s a special player, creates a lot, works hard, plays for the team. The guy is magic. We saw it today,” Osorio opined.
[relatedlinks]
It’s not even April, but TFC has already managed to do something it couldn’t do in all of 2018: win three consecutive regular-season games. This is also the first time in franchise history the Reds have started an MLS campaign with three victories.
The team’s attack is flying high with 10 goals through three games, and Friday’s result marked the club’s first clean sheet of the season.
Still, Bradley cautioned that TFC is far from the finished article, saying “three games don’t make a season.”
“Look, it’s still early,” Bradley warned. “Everybody is still working through things… But the thing I like the most is the mentality, the intensity, the life, the personality. Those things are all very, very good.”
After coming off the bench to score a later winner last time out, Altidore made his first MLS start since Sept. 29, 2018. Midfielder Marky Delgado returned to the starting lineup after missing Toronto’s previous game with a minor hamstring issue.
The first dose of Pozuelo magic came in the seventh minute, when he played a defence-splitting pass that released Altidore on goal. NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson made a smart save on the American forward’s angled shot, but Pozuelo and Altidore continued to link up to great effect as TFC poured on the pressure.
The breakthrough came near the half-hour mark. Pozuelo started the play just inside his half, made a lung-busting run to latch onto a pass from Osorio, and then sublimely deked two NYCFC defenders inside the box before sliding the ball across the box for Altidore to slot home.
“He had as good as a debut as you can hope for from a guy like that. … It’s easy to play with good players, and this is a player who’s very good, very talented,” Altidore said of Pozuelo.
The Spaniard nearly scored just before halftime with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area that forced another great save from Johnson.
Johnson hadn’t seen the last of Pozuelo, though. Altidore was pulled down inside the box, and after a VAR review the Spaniard stepped up to the spot and converted a cheeky “Panenka” penalty – chip shot – that left the NYCFC goalkeeper completely embarrassed.
Pozuelo revealed to reporters after the game that he had dinner with Bill Manning last Saturday, and he told TFC’s president he planned to attempt a “Panenka” if he had a chance to take a penalty in this match.
“He told me I was crazy,” Pozuelo joked.
Pozuelo wasn’t done. After taking a pass from Osorio, the Spaniard chipped an angled shot from the corner of the box with two New York defenders in front of him that majestically looped over Johnson and nestled inside the far post. Pozuelo was immediately subbed out of the game, and was given a standing ovation by the appreciative TFC faithful as he walked off the pitch towards the bench.
“That was outrageous, man,” Altidore enthused about Pozuelo’s second goal.
Four minutes after replacing Pozuelo, Canadian Jay Chapman completed the rout by scoring his first goal of the season off a setup from Auro Jr.
NOTES: Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu delivered the ball as part of Friday’s pre-match ceremony… New York leads the all-time regular-season series against Toronto with four wins and four draws in 10 meetings… TFC’s next match is at home vs. the Chicago Fire on April 6.
