Caribbean Stars T&T Community Football

Reggae Boyz outclasses Soca Warriors.

Jamaica Reggae Boyz defeated Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 and moved into the second spot in Group A behind frontrunners USA in the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023. With the top two finishers advancing to the quarter-finals, the last group matches on Sunday between Trinidad vs. USA and Jamaica vs. St Kitts and Nevis will be the decider on which two teams will advance. Stay Tuned for more assessments of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

Toronto FC Fires Coach Bob Bradley

The jury was out on Toronto FC Coach Bob Bradley for quite some time, and it was decided that his enthusiasm and passion could not have taken the Toronto FC team to the next level of play based on questionable selection and mediocre performances. The Reds had two Designated (DP) Players and three midfield players from Canada’s World Cup Qatar team in their lineup, yet the losses continued to pile up.

Bob Bradley’s expertise was never in question before he got the job as TFC coach. And with his son Michael as the team captain, it seemed like a good fit for him. However, even with his long resume in coaching, it became crystal clear that the Bob lustre was gone, based on his substitutions, adjustments on the fly and reaction to surprise matchups from the opposing teams.

At Stars Soccer Review, we keep our reporting positive and objective with our coverage. However, after watching the Reds’ performances, taking an objective position on Bob Bradley’s coaching tenure in Toronto was extremely challenging.

Our sole report on the Reds was on whether the glass was half empty or half full because it was evident that TFC was struggling to gel as a team and find their identity. As an optimist, you may have thought things would improve, but if you knew the sport and watched the TFC games, you would have noticed that the team needed to go in a different direction from Coach Bob Bradley.

It is an understatement to say that Bob Bradley and Toronto FC were a bad mix. While it seemed like the end of his tenure was very much a done deal, it could not have come at a better time for the club’s ownership since there were talks that the Reds supporters were planning to wear paper bags over their heads for the home games at BMO Field.

As a result, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment dodged a bullet with another great marketing job by releasing Coach Bob Bradley, his assistant coach and technical director Mike Sorber. I’ll be surprised if coach Bradley was surprised by his release after his team managed just three wins over 20 games and, more importantly, played less than inspiring soccer, resulting in blown early leads and allowing late goals.

Bob Bradley took over Toronto in November 2021. He was relieved of his duties on Monday, 26th June 2023, after a run of poor results that has the club second from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, with a 3-7-10 record and ahead of Inter Miami franchise which is about to have Lionel Messi in their lineup.

Toronto FC takes Unbeaten Streak into Philly.

We are in the early stages of Toronto FC MLS season 2023, and you must decide whether the Reds’ glass is half empty or half full. This analysis is based on the Red’s current 7-game unbeaten streak in games where they took early leads and sometimes gave up late goals. It would have been less troublesome had the problem for Coach Bob Bradley stopped there, but his team has also given up late equalizers. While contemplating a fix to the problem, his team came from behind twice and showed the character needed to score a late equalizer in time added to end the last match.

Sporting a 1-1-6 record after eight games, it seems like Coach Bradley has some work to do to get his players to give a sustained effort for 90+ minutes. The Reds are yet to gel as a team to withstand momentum changes in a game, and some say the jury is out on whether Coach Bradley can build on the momentum of the last game. And while I think he can, with all his coaching experience and expertise with US Soccer and LAFC, he may be better served to concentrate on improving the team player personnel.

The Reds’ next game is on Saturday, April 22nd, away to Philadelphia Union, and the scouting report says that they split their head-to-head encounter in 2022, with the home team winning. However, going in with a 7-game unbeaten streak should crystalize in the minds of the Reds players, and with that mindset, they should be able to continue the momentum from the last game.