Luca Petrasso Shines | Toronto FC vs. D.C. United Player Ratings | March 19, 2022

Bob Bradley registered his first win as Toronto FC head coach, as the Reds picked up their first win of the season on Saturday, defeating D.C. United 2-1 at BMO Field.

Toronto went behind early, but goals from Alejandro Pozuelo and Jonathan Osorio – who picked up his milestone 50th for the club – lifted the home side to victory.

Here are my player ratings following the come-from-behind win.

‍Player Ratings

MANAGER – Bob Bradley (7.0) | First win as a member of Toronto FC and first win of the year for the club are always good starting points, but you have to give credit to Bradley for rolling out three at the back (again) in response to D.C.’s wing-backs. When asked after the match about his first win as Toronto FC coach, in Bob Bradley style, the TFC manager deflected all of the spotlight off him and onto the team.‍

GK – Alex Bono (6.5) | A solid performance from Bono, who was particularly well at sniffing out crosses – one of the reasons Bradley has been so keen to play the 27-year-old keeper over Quentin Westberg. He made a big save less than a minute into the game to keep things scoreless, and there wasn’t much he could do on Canouse’s goal. I imagine he’ll get the next start in goal.‍

RWB – Kadin Chung (6.0) | There was a lot to like about Kadin Chung’s game in his second MLS start, this time at right-wing back. He was strong in possession, made a few clever plays in tight spaces, and provided most of the width for the Reds on the right before hobbling off injured. But with Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty back fit, it may be tough for the young Canadian rookie to find minutes moving forward.‍

RCB – Lukas MacNaughton (5.5) | MacNaughton struggled to begin the match, allowing far too much room for Nigel Robertha to cross the ball in for D.C. United’s opening goal of the match, but settled into his right centre-back role as the match wore on. He was strong when he needed to be and is the type of no nonsense guy at the back the team has needed for seemingly years now.‍

CB – Carlos Salcedo (7.0) | A true leader at the back. To me, this wasn’t one of Salcedo’s strongest performances in a TFC shirt, but nevertheless, he was solid when he needed to be and just oozes quality. He was second on TFC in passing accuracy (88.2%) and led the club with three tackles made. It’s early, but he could be the best defender to sport the TFC badge in a long, long time.‍

LCB – Shane O’Neill (5.5) | O’Neill was okay in this one, playing as a left centre-back. I thought he did what was needed from him, but wasn’t the sharpest in possession, connecting on just 68.9 per cent of his passes. Chris Mavinga seems like the better choice in this role, but we’ll see how Bob Bradley deploys the back line moving forward.‍

LWB – Luca Petrasso (8.0) | MOTM for me. The young Canadian wasn't on many people's radars before the start of the season but has seemingly turned into a must-start for Toronto FC, assisting on both of his team's goals Saturday. He also led the club with three key passes.‍

CDM – Jonathan Osorio (7.5) | Another solid performance in the middle of the park for Osorio, capped off with his 50th career Toronto FC goal – a beauty of a finish by the way. The Canadian international led all players completing 92.3 per cent of his passes in a double-pivot alongside MB4.‍

CDM – Michael Bradley (6.0) | Bradley struggled with his passing in this one, uncharacteristically giving away the ball way too many times in the middle of the park. He did, however, pick up the assist – heading on Petrasso’s corner – on Pozuelo’s opening goal and his leadership in the middle of the park alongside such a young team can’t be overstated.‍

RW – Alejandro Pozuelo (6.5) | Pozuelo said after the match that with 2022 being a contract year for him and after a rough season off the pitch in 2021, he’s essentially more motivated this year and it’s shown through the first three games of the season. He notched his first goal of the year, already matching his goal total through 19 matches in 2021.‍

LW – Jayden Nelson (5.0) | Nelson brought good energy in his 65 minutes of action and had a few good chances down the left-hand side, although his decision making was questionable on a couple of those runs and he gave away the ball too cheaply, completing a team-low 66.7 per cent of his passes. The talent is clearly there, now it’s about piecing it all together and coming up with the final product.‍

ST – Jésus Jiménez (6.0) | He didn’t score or register an assist, but Jiménez had another strong game for the Reds, despite often being isolated up top. He showed he’s capable of turning and running with the ball if needed, he’s a good passer of the ball, good in possession, and of course, an aerial threat. As I said last match, he could turn out to be one of the signings of the season.‍

SUBSTITUTIONS

RWB – Marshall-Rutty (N/A) | After going down injured in the last game, it was great to see Marshall-Rutty back on the pitch, a tidbit Bob Bradley emphasized after the match. The 17-year-old had an injury scare, feeling something that wasn’t right in his knee, but fortunately MRI scans were nothing but positive, and mentally, he was able to overcome that hurdle.‍

LW/ST – Achara (N/A) | Achara has become Bob Bradley’s favourite weapon to use off the bench early on this season – a blessing and a curse. His versatility and physicality is a great asset to the club, and he did really well in his 25 minutes Saturday, almost scoring minutes after coming into the match.‍

LW – Kosi Thompson (N/A) | Back-to-back appearances for the 19-year-old midfielder, who was brought on as a fresh pair of legs to see out the game. He did concede a foul in a dangerous part of the pitch in the 89th minute, but TFC escaped unscathed.

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