We talked last week about Toronto FC going after former New England Revolution assistant Paul Mariner, well it looks like he may not be the head coach after all, instead he will be the new technical director of the club. Now reports are saying Toronto FC will hire former Dutch midfielder Aron Winter as their new head coach. There are [...]
WVHooligan – Soccer Blog
To appear at the Canadian Motorsports Expo Sunday Canadian racing fans will have an opportunity to meet – and get an autograph from – one of NASCAR’s top young stars when Brad Keselowski appears at the Canadian Motorsports Expo on Sunday, January 23, 2011. The show takes place Jan. 21-23 at Toronto’s International Centre. This [...]
Flagworld.com >> News
The Charlotte Bobcats will look to rebound for an embarrassing loss at home against the Boston Celtics when they hos the Toronto Raptors tonight at the Tim Warner Cable Arena. The Bobcats were outscored 93-62 on Saturday by the Celtics, their lowest offensive output of the season. Charlotte has lost seven of their last 10 games, and are just 5-6 at home this season. The Raptors avoided their fifth straight loss with a huge comeback win over the Pistons on Saturday. Toronto at one point was down 25 points and entered the fourth quarter down 16, but thanks to improved effort on the defensive side of the ball, the Raptors were able to come away with a 120-116 win. The Raptors will be looking for revenge tonight, as the Bobcats beat Toronto 101-96 on their home floor back on Nov.10. The oddsmakers don’t seem to think that will be the case for the Raptors, as our current NBA spreads have the Bobcats favored by 5-points over the Raptors at home.
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The Raptors have really killed themselves on the defensive side of the floor. In their last game against the Pistons, the Raptors shot 65% from the floor in the first half, but yet still trailed by 19 points. That simply means this team is not playing any defense at all. The Raptors have allowed over 110 points in each of their last five games, and if they don’t start playing defense four four quarters, they are going to continue to find themselves in close games and more times than not on the wrong end of the scoreboard.
The Bobcats shot just 33.8% from the floor and had 22 turnovers against the Celtics, but that was against one of the best defensive teams in the league. The Bobcats have only topped the 100-point mark seven times in 23 games this season, including their 101-point performance at Toronto.
The Bobcats latest performance had team owner Michael Jordan so upset that he personally addressed the team after the game. It will be interesting to see if that ignites this team to start playing better basketball, or if they continue to play like one of the worst teams in the league.
Toronto will be without starting point guard Jose Calderon, but that might not be a bad thing for the Raptors, as Jerryd Bayless dropped 31 points in his last start against the Pistons.
The key players in this game for the Bobcats are Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson, these two combined for 39 points in the Bobcats earlier win over the Raptors, and with the way Charlotte has struggled on offense, this team has to have these two guys bring it every night.
Toronto will need a big game out of Bayless and center Andrea Bargnani, but most importantly the Raptors have to play better defense.
I think you have to take your chances and lay the points on the Bobcats tonight. The Bobcats are 29-16 ATS versus terrible defensive teams – allowing 103+ points/game over the last 3 seasons, and are 6-2 ATS against the Raptors over the last three seasons.
If you are looking for some help with who to take in the NBA, check out what our NBA handicappers have to offer in their expert NBA picks.
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Derrick Rose didn’t practice Tuesday and was wearing a brace on his right wrist, but the point guard said he expects to play Wednesday when the Bulls face the Toronto Raptors on the road.
“If it’s up to me, I’m playing,” he said. “Knowing that it’s only sore, usually I can play through soreness.”
Although the wrist was the biggest concern after he crashed to the floor late in the Bulls’ 92-73 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday, Rose said that wasn’t the body part giving him the most pain.
“My hip is really messed up,” he said. “I’ve been just getting treatment, I’ll get treatment on the plane and I’ll get treatment in Toronto. Hopefully, for the game I should be alright.
“The wrist really isn’t that bad. If anything, my elbow hurts more than my wrist. Right now, I’m a little beat up, but I should be able to play through it.”
Former US Men’s National Team captain, Thomas Dooley, is interested in coaching at Toronto FC. In my conversation with the former US/Bundesliga star and UEFA Cup champion, Dooley reveals his passion for coaching and what he would do as coach of Toronto FC.
Beatty: Why Toronto FC?
Dooley: Toronto is a soccer town and Canada is a soccer country. Its fans are knowledgeable and excited, much like the fans in Europe. Since coaching is a 24/7 job and I had been involved in two to three other projects, I didn’t want to sign up to a coaching job. Either I’m doing it right or not at all. Around one and half years ago I decided that I want to coach 24/7. When I became available, I was in positive discussions with Mo Johnston but had come too late and Preki was chosen as head coach of Toronto FC. Since then, I have also had meetings with DC United and things were moving positively, but in the end they chose to Ben Olsen as their head coach.
Beatty: Have you had any conversations with Klinsmann?
Dooley: I’ve contacted Toronto FC, but have not had any meetings with them yet or spoken to Klinsmann. I believe Klinsmann is helping them find their identity, structure, and playing style.
Beatty: What type of playing style would you have?
Dooley: You must play the style of game to fit the players you have. Three things are very important to play successful:
1. I would play an attacking style of soccer, though not at the expense of defense. The players need to understand the tactical part in any game. That is a key to play any style successfully.
2. Another very important part of playing successful soccer is fitness. You need to be fit for 90 minutes.
3. Passion, and play with heart. Players need to understand what does it mean to play for Toronto FC
Beatty: How would you improve the club?
Dooley: First, I would setup a good system of player development. Specifically, I would instill a soccer apprenticeship. At least five days of training per week for academy players would be mandatory. Our kids are missing thousands of hours on the soccer field and tens of thousands of hours on TV (theory) lessons.
Beatty: So would this be a residential academy?
Dooley: No, it is not necessary for kids to be in boarding school. Being able to see their friends and family at the end of the day offers some support and is does not necessarily need to be removed. Academy players (U-14, U-18) could alternate training and home/ online schooling or through cooperation with a local school to provide an education as well as a real soccer apprenticeship. For example, a U-16 team might train from 8am-10am M-F, while the U-18 team may be in class from 8am-10am. From 10am to noon, the U-16 team would be in class, while the U-18s trained. A break for lunch from noon to 2pm and then they begin the same process again from 2pm to 4pm and 4pm to 6pm. At 6pm, they are done and they get to go home. That is how it could look like.
Academy teams train three times a week. With the current level of training time, they really have time to only cover the basics and need more hours to also have time to train tactically. They must learn what each position means. If you look at players like Cherundolo, Friedel, Reyna myself, etc that have spent many years in Europe, we have feedback and high levels of training that many other players don’t get. With the proper training, a team can greatly improve its standing.
Beatty: What about first team players?
Dooley: You don’t need to have the best players to play successful or win championships. The best team wins championships. I have played 15 years of my 20 year soccer career in Germany. I went through all that. 1. With Kaiserslautern: we went from last place after more than half of the season to manage to stay in the league and win the German Cup. With almost the same team we won the Bundesliga Championship the next year. 2. With Schalke: from a goal to finish the season on 9th place we finished on 3rd, qualified for UEFA Cup and won it that fallowing year with almost the same team. That doesn’t happen through accident that is team building. I’m positive with that experience I can personally pass these things on to players. 3. As a coach at FC Saarbrücken, I had to deal with 34+ players. Many players who had come from big clubs like Bayern Munich, but were simply there to collect a paycheck. I had no assistant coach and was left without much support from the Club officials, but I fought every game for every point. I believe in giving 100% on the field for 90 minutes and leaving it all out on the field every time. With good training and work, one of my best players was Julian De Guzman and he went on to become a success in the Bundesliga and in France.
Beatty: Speaking of Julian De Guzman, can he be a big success for Toronto FC?
Dooley: Many players take some time to adjust to MLS, but players are also people. If a player is unhappy for any reason (playing in the wrong position, pressure as a highly paid player, problem with the coach etc.), it is difficult to play his best. You need to find the right tone for each player. Julian has a good soccer mind from his time in Europe and can and will be a great asset for Toronto FC and will be successful.
Beatty: Are there any particular players you have identified for Toronto FC?
Dooley: I have every touch of every player in every game for Toronto FC via Matchanalysis.com. [Matchanalysis.com is a game and player analysis service that has clients ranging from top teams throughout the world as well as news organizations such as the New York Times. In addition, Matchanalysis.com has signed agreements with 13 MLS teams individually and the league office in 2010 previously working with Seattle Sounders in 2009]. With these databases and tools, I already have a huge advantage on understanding all of the players on a team and whom I might want to incorporate if given the opportunity.
Beatty: Are there any particular people that you would like as an assistant coach?
Dooley: If a club would like to keep a current assistant coach for continuity purposes I would work with them, but if I had the opportunity I would bring in someone with whom I have written many books and also has a UEFA Pro-License as I do. [One of Dooley’s many other passionate investments into coaching and soccer is Dooley Soccer University, www.dooleysoccer.us, and my best guess would be that he is speaking of Christian Titz, http://www.dooleysoccer.us/index.php?page=christian-titz].
Beatty: What is unique about you?
Dooley: My goal is to have a great challenge, where I can show my knowledge and accomplishments in soccer. To achieve that, I aspire to a coaching job with clear goals, working with a great supportive organization and helping to build a team that plays successful soccer with a great team spirit.
We all know that you don’t need to have the best players to win a championship. It is the best team that plays successfully and wins trophies. I intend to build players who believe in themselves, play with confidence and develop a winning gene. For a number of years after finishing my playing career, I was not ready to focus 24/7 on a coaching job because of other commitments. Now, the time is right. After many year on the soccer fields all over the world (2 World Cup participations, 81 games for the US National Team, numerous Champions League and UEFA Cup games, 15 years of playing in the German Bundesliga and 4 seasons in MLS), I am now certain that it is time to continue, my so far very successful time in soccer.
Of course, there are differences in training between countries and different leagues. Not only in the quality, but also the mentality and culture play a big factor. I know that, I include that in the way I envision my training program and will act accordingly. I always had high expectations and accomplished all my goals.
As I mentioned before I am passionate about developing talent in MLS for the US and for Canada and I think if my training methods were implemented that in five years our current U-14 through U-18 teams would be significantly better than the players that have not benefited from a soccer apprenticeship. Under the right coaching methods, the current team would be instilled with a sense of 100% effort, soccer detailed information and tactics to become a great team regardless of the players. However, under the right coaching methods, each player would develop much better and faster. The MLS would benefit from those players and maybe players would not just sign up with average teams in the best leagues, they would sign with the best teams in those leagues.
What do you think? Excited to see more former USMNT players in the mix for coaching MLS or are you just wondering why it has taken so long for these players to work their way into coaching in MLS? What do you think about some of Dooley’s suggestions for development? As a Toronto FC, does Klinsmann and now Dooley give you hope for a better season for Toronto FC?
-Patrick Beatty
Major League Soccer (MLS) Rumors – For the time between the games
| Team |
Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL |
90 | 1.067 | 51.9 | 17.7 | 17.5 | 12.2 |
| TOR | 90 | 0.867 | 40.7 | 28.4 | 17.8 | 16.7 |
Wherein Josh Smith delights lovers of base-10…
Though the lack of defensive resistance Toronto offers provided little in the way of useful perspective with which to evaluate the general level of quality the Hawks achieved Sunday afternoon, it did grant us a game-long look at how Larry Drew’s offense is designed to work: constant movement of both players and the ball until someone, anyone gets an open look.
The five starters plus Jamal Crawford each attempted between 8 and 13 field goals. Each of the six players earned at least one assist. The team scored frequently and early enough to allow Drew to limit the minutes of most of the core players. The Hawks can’t make the Raptors provide a stern defensive test. They can only go out and execute or not. This afternoon, they executed.
Toronto, assembled in such a way as to preclude the possibility of playing quality defense, should be far more concerned with their complete offensive capitulation in the third quarter. They scored 50 points on their first 46 possessions, a rate sufficient to compete in this game as well as almost exactly what one would expect given the season-to-date performances of both their offense and Atlanta’s defense. Over the final 10:27 of the third quarter, they managed to make just one field goal, five free throws, and committed six turnovers. Offensive execution is not so easy as it seems.
One thing that neither seems nor is easy is breaking into the Atlanta rotation as a young point guard. Jeff Teague again got pulled immediately after making a mistake. With 8:56 left in the second quarter, he made a lazy pass while initiating the offense. Leandro Barbosa stole the pass and took it in for a layup. It was a unforced error in every respect. It was also exactly like unforced turnovers Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford have committed in recent games. Unlike Teague, they are allowed to play through* their mistakes. Also unlike Teague, neither Bibby nor Crawford figure to have any long-term impact on the fortunes of this franchise. Given the dire salary cap restrictions the Hawks will face until almost the middle of this decade, a rookie-scale contract should be like gold to this franchise but they appear completely willing neither to use Teague nor get anything useful for him. If he is so limited that the team** cannot overcome him committing a turnover or giving up a open shot, then sit him next Etan Thomas and give his spot in line to Jordan Crawford.
Just as soon as Rick Sund explains why he took Teague ahead of DeJuan Blair and Darren Collison. It should be even more captivating as his explanation that the Hawks “play really well” when everything’s working and they’d be a better team if they could play good defense.
*Even Josh Powell, terrible now and disposable going forward, committed a turnover inbounding the basketball when the game was still within in six late in the second quarter. He finished the half and made his regular appearance in the third quarter.
**A team, I remind you, whose backcourt defense consists of some combination of Mike Bibby, Jamal Crawford, and Joe Johnson.
TIP-OFF: 1pm (EST)
TELEVISION: SportSouth
RADIO: The Hawks have moved to 97.9 on the FM dial this season.
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: Pape Sy is out.
TORONTO INJURY REPORT: Ed Davis and Reggie Evans are out.
BY THE NUMBERS
| 2010-11 |
Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (off) |
90.6 | 1.100 | 51.6 | 23.5 | 25.5 | 15.2 |
| TOR (def) |
92.4 | 1.108 | 51.4 | 33.6 | 25.9 | 16.2 |
| 2010-11 |
Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (def) |
90.9 | 1.075 | 49.2 | 27.5 | 27.4 | 14.3 |
| TOR (off) |
92.4 | 1.088 | 47.9 | 27 | 30.7 | 16.4 |
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Raptors Republic
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -1, 203 o/u
PREVIOUSLY…the Toronto Raptors lost 110-101 in Boston on Friday night. The loss snapped a four-game Raptor winning streak. Toronto also lost Reggie Evans to a broken foot in the game. The absence of Evans, Toronto’s leading rebounder on both ends of the floor, could limit the exposure of Atlanta’s weakness on the defensive glass and the importance of offensive rebounding to their efficient scoring. Then again, if most of Evans’s minutes go to Amir Johnson, Toronto may not miss a beat on the offensive glass.
It’s a big game for Atlanta’s tenured guards as they should, for once, be only the second-worst set of perimeter defenders on the court. Marvin Williams should be well-rested after sitting for the final 15 minutes of yesterday’s game despite delivering his best performance since returning from injury.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
