It's been a while since I've watched Toronto FC play but I got to watch the second half of their match this evening in Orlando. Sebastian Giovinco was spectacular as usual. He scored TFC's second goal at the beginning of the second half to put TFC 2-0 up and a few minutes after Orlando had the cheek to pull a goal back, the little genius put them in their place with a spectacularly struck free kick. He was turning away, smiling in celebration as soon as he hit it.
But there were a couple of other things that caught my attention. One was Orlando's brand new stadium. I thought to myself it's like an old fashioned English stadium, with the stands tight to the pitch not like Toronto with their ridiculous pitch-side fancy seats. But then I thought not quite English, more Spanish. It reminded me of Villarreal or Sevilla where you feel the fans are right on top of the pitch. And with the majority of the seats full (again unlike Toronto where you always think most of the ticket holders are either walking around or just forgot to show up) it came across as a wonderful atmosphere on TV. Orlando also have the MLS' first safe standing area behind one goal. It's not quite Borussia Dortmund's Yellow Wall, but it makes a good argument for fans in English stadiums who prefer to stand for a match.
Once I got over watching the fans more than the football I had to Google the name I kept hearing to confirm he was who I thought he was. Around ten years ago Giles Barnes was one of those wonderfully talented young players who was going to make the big money move to an English Premier League club from Derby County. He is now playing in Orlando, via Vancouver and Houston. And that, sadly, is an indicator of the route his career took. A seemingly never ending number of injuries curtailed his progress and he didn't quite follow the same path to the MLS as Giovinco.
And there was one more thing. Victor Vazquez, former youth player with Barcelona and former player of the year in Belgium, is a wonderful player to watch for TFC. He has impressed me since early in the season with his calmness, his incredible passing and the way he always encourages all the players around him. Giovinco gets most of the glory, along with Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley, but Vazquez may be the most underrated imported player in the MLS this season.
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