HANOVER, N.J. – More often than not, any conversation about Toronto FC starts and ends with Sebastian Giovinco, and rightly so.
Joining the Reds from Italian giants Juventus ahead of the 2015 season, the “Atomic Ant” decimated defenses throughout Major League Soccer.
During his MVP campaign, Giovinco put together arguably the most impressive season of any player in league history, topping MLS in both goals (22) and assists (16).
In his matchups with New York, Giovinco had his share of struggles, but also displayed the kind of game changing talent that made him an all-star last season. Particularly in their final matchup of 2015, Giovinco ran rampant, coming off the bench after featuring for Gli Azzurri just a day earlier and scoring a Goal of the Year candidate to secure a TFC victory on the night.
“It’s pretty easy to focus in on him, he’s their key man,” captain Dax McCarty told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “When you talk about Toronto, the clear emphasis has to be on stopping Giovinco. He’s a tremendous player, a world-class player, and he won the MVP for a reason. The guy can hurt teams in so many different ways, so we have to be really smart with how we go about defending him.
“We have to make sure we know where he is at all times. The term we always use is rest defense, and it has to be very good in this game, especially against a guy like him. We have to make sure we’re supporting each other. No one can be defending him one-on-one; he’s just too dangerous. We obviously can’t give away stupid fouls around the box, because he’s very dangerous on set pieces.”
There isn’t exactly a blueprint on how to stop the diminutive Italian international, as his dynamism often proved too much for MLS defenses. However, New York head coach Jesse Marsch is confident that his squad will be up to the task.
“You have to try to stand him up,” he said. “You don’t always have to take the ball, but you have to try to slow him down so that you can get numbers around him. If you dive in or try to commit too much, he’s just so good at turning on a dime and making a play. It’s a tough job on the day for our backs, but we expect them to be able to handle it.”
For all the attention that may be on Giovinco, McCarty has warned that the Red Bulls can’t allow themselves to key in on just one player. After all, the new and improved Toronto side has several weapons that could prove a nuisance come Sunday afternoon.
“We can’t focus only on him,” he added. “He’s obviously a big emphasis, but we have to make sure we’re ready for all of their dangerous players.”
For defender Sal Zizzo, the task will certainly be a tall one. But New York has continually shown faith in their system, rarely straying from their style of play. And while special players often require special attention, don’t expect the Red Bulls to cater to Toronto’s style of play, or anyone else’s for that matter.
“We’re not going to change too much,” Zizzo said after Friday’s training session. “Ultimately, it’s our style, our game, and we’ll be playing at home. We feel really good about where we’ve been this preseason and the direction that we’re going, so I don’t see us changing anything dramatically.”
