Toronto FC v New York Red Bulls: A View From The Stands

Next up for Perez was a match against the New York Red Bulls, marking only the second game back at BMO Field in Toronto since March of 2020. The three Canadian MLS teams were forced to relocate their home matches to the United States due to COVID-imposed travel restrictions along the Canada-US border. But with vaccinations rising, these restrictions were eased for sports teams, allowing TFC to return to BMO Field in front of a limited number of fans. Against the Red Bulls, these home fans, myself among them, bore witness to a fairly lacklustre performance from both sides which ended in a 1 - 1 draw. However, one player in particular stood out from the mediocrity as a result of his tremendous confidence, energy and flair; that player being Toronto FC’s Yeferson Soteldo.

From Santos to Toronto

Having been at the club since 2014, Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley agreed to a new contract in late 2019, which saw him take a significant pay cut as a gesture of goodwill towards the club. In the MLS, each team is allotted three ‘designated players’ who are allowed to be over the salary cap. Since Bradley’s new contract was no longer over the cap, Toronto were free to sign a new designated player, and 16 months later they finally did so, signing Yeferson Soteldo from Santos. The 24 year old Venezuelan is representative of the MLS’ gradual shift away from ‘retirement-type’ designated players (Drogba, Rooney etc). In recent years, the supposed commercial upside of established European stars has worn off on many MLS clubs. While at the same time, Atlanta United has proved that younger designated players can be both successful and profitable thanks to shrewd recruitment.

So what exactly convinced general manager Ali Curtis that at 24, Soteldo would be worth the €5.9 million transfer fee (significant by MLS standards) and a designated player slot?

In essence, Soteldo is just a stereotypical South American winger; quick, confident and exceptionally skillful. Yet, what sets him apart is his extremely low center of gravity, a byproduct of his 5' 3" frame. Combined with a vast range of skill moves, this low centre of gravity turns Soteldo into what New York Red Bulls manager Gerhard Struber described as a “dribbling monster”.

The Dribbling Monster

Whenever there was a switch of play, both sets of players tended to drift towards the ball, losing much of their shape and leaving a massive gap on the far side. However, unlike his teammates, Soteldo maintained his positioning on the left flank, often finding himself in acres of space as a result.

Given all this space, the dribbling monster attempted and completed more dribbles than anyone else in the match. Whenever he received the ball, Soteldo attacked the space with astounding confidence, consistently attempting a great deal of feints and stepovers against the oncoming defender. However, these runs proved fraught until Jozy Altidore was subbed on in the 53rd minute. Altidore’s stocky presence at centre-forward provided TFC with a much-needed target for Soteldo’s crosses, eventually leading to Toronto's equalizing goal.

The Matchday Experience

Soteldo aside, Toronto FC were sub-par for large stretches of the match (admittedly, the same can be said for the Red Bulls). But regardless of the performance, it was wonderful to see TFC in person again. Returning to the sights and sounds of BMO Field felt remarkably comforting, as if I had travelled back to pre-COVID times. Although, there were a few occasions when this illusion disappeared. For instance, it is tradition for the fans to sing the Canadian national anthem in unison without a singer or instrumental. Yet, with the stadium at only 50% capacity, the crowd was awfully sparse, resulting in a noticeable delay between the singing in each of the main stands.

By all means, quirks like this are still preferable to the team playing behind closed doors in Florida, as they were at the start of the season. Plus, if Soteldo’s performance is any indication, TFC’s results are bound to improve. All to the delight of Toronto FC fans like myself.