Tormenta Takes Long Roadtrip Versus Toronto FC II
July 12 at 4 p.m. at BMO Training Ground
Following their second loss of the season and ending the longest clean sheet streak in the league, Tormenta starts up their 3-match road trip with Toronto. The two teams have been in the playoff race the whole season and Tormenta goes into Friday sitting in second place with a match in hand over Chattanooga. Toronto, on the other hand, has slipped over the course of their last few games. Toronto has not won a match since June 8th, only picking up 2 of a possible 12 points. Even though the team has been struggling, Toronto II is still undefeated at home. Tormenta will face over 1,000 miles of travel into a different country on Friday. On top of the long travel, Tormenta does not have the most impressive road record through their first six road matches (2-1-3). The three points on the table are crucial for both teams. Tormenta needs all three to keep up with #1 North Texas, and three points for Toronto would put pressure on #3 Lansing and #4 Chattanooga.
FIRST MEET UP: When the teams met for the first time back in May, Toronto went into the half up 2-1 and was clearly the better team through the first 45’. In the second half, Tormenta pulled it together and tied the match up in the 72nd minute via Marco Micaletto. Tormenta kept pushing, and in the 93rd minute, Charlie Dennis’ trickling shot rolled into the back of the net.
What To Watch For:
Jordan Perruzza: The 18-year-old forward for Toronto II has been on fire, bagging five goals and winning Midseason Young Player of the Year. When the two teams met in May, Perruzza opened the scoring in the 14th minute and looked promising the whole time he was on the pitch. On top of his goal-scoring ability, Perruzza is just as useful when distributing the ball to his teammates. Jordan is averaging 85% on passes and 83% on long passes. The young forward plays wiser beyond his years and will cause headaches for Tormenta if he is not handled well.
High Powered Offense: Toronto comes into this match 2nd in the league in goals scored with 22. Through 14 matches played, Toronto has been held to 1 goal or less only 6 times. The team has looked comfortable playing a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-2-3-1. When the two teams met last time, Tormenta emphasized attack and it shows if you view the average positioning on the field. 7 of Tormenta’s field players’ average positions were in Toronto’s end as opposed to Toronto only having 4 players sticking in the Tormenta end. When Toronto beat Lansing 3-0 at home, their average positioning on the pitch was much more attack-minded. Hundal and Shaffelburg stayed on the shoulder of the backline and Toronto compressed Lansing into positions where they were marked tightly. If Tormenta can repeat what they did when the teams first met, the match will be close and hard-fought. If Toronto can get the matchups they want in the midfield, look out.
Match Facts:
July 12 at 4 p.m.
BMO Training Ground
Watch at the Clubhouse Watch Party or on ESPN+
