TFC wins Leg 1 against Motagua 1:0. Will it be enough?

Last night Toronto FC once again did the predicable and pulled off a 1:0 victory against Honduran side CD Motagua, featuring Amado Guevera. This was the first leg of a two match playoff in the CONCACAF Champions League qualifying round.

Not a bad win, and it did look like TFC were in control for most of the game. They had several good scoring chances, one of them being converted by Chad Barrett for a goal, and Motagua didn’t really give them too much trouble. It just would have been nice for TFC to grab at least one extra goal, which could have been a big help next week when the teams meet again in Honduras. On the positive side, Toronto did not give up the crucial away-goal, which would have really helped Motagua next week,

Anyone who is used to watching the UEFA Champions League or Europa Cup tournaments knows that if the away team can pick up at least a goal, they really have a boost when returning for their home game. Lets say last night ended in a 2-1 win by TFC, well if Motagua were able to beat them 1-0 at home next week, they would win the playoff, despite the overall aggregate score being 2-2 between the two games. Luckily that didn’t happen, and now I hope that TFC can grab an away goal next week to win the playoff themselves. If TFC can get at least 1 goal, then Motagua will need to score THREE goals to win because an aggregate of 2-2 will result in a TFC victory for the playoff!

OK enough tournament background for you. The bottom line is that Toronto is tough to score upon (even on the road most of the time), so as long as they can grab a goal next week, they should have this one in the bag. If they can’t score, well, we better hope Motagua can’t either or it might be lights out for TFC. I’m sure it will be an exciting game no matter what happens, because this will be Motagua’s first competitive home game as their season gets ready to begin, so the fans will probably be out in full force and be excited to see their team in action again.

Hopefully Preki can prepare the guys for what awaits them next week (ahem, try working on their finishing…). Until then, there’s still an away game in Kansas City to deal with, not to mention DeRo playing in the MLS All-Star game tonight against a little team from Manchester…

Category: Match reports, Team News