putts and didnt get it up and down from the opportunities

Frustrating. Sloppy. Forgettable. Choose your adjective. Toronto FC was poor in a 2-1 home loss to the New England Revolution. The play on the field resembled the dark and dreary day by the lake in downtown Toronto. The Revs may have come away with all three points, but they were no better than the home side. Two absolute gifts were the tangible difference on the day. An overall disappointing display and now three straight losses for Toronto FC. Head coach Ryan Nelsen said afterwards it was a "really good" performance by his team. Beauty must be in the eye of the beholder. Toronto FC out-possessed their opponent for the first time all season, which is progress. It should be noted there is a tangible difference between positive and negative possession. The attacking play was all too narrow and lack of cutting edge or decisiveness in the attacking end is a significant concern. Many will point to the 82nd minute penalty as Toronto FC reverting back to their old ways, conceding late. In truth, the full 90 was concerning. A fully healthy squad meant, for the first time all season, Nelsen had his full compliment of weapons. Coming off a bye week, playing at home should have given ample time for rest, recoup and regeneration. Instead, 50-50 balls were won by New England (56.5 per cent) and mistakes were more noticeable than sustained, meaningful build-up. Canadian mens national team head coach Benito Floro was in attendance to see three of his internationals feature in Toronto FCs starting XI. His analysis of the Canadian contributions had to be similar to the rest of the Canadian team: a work in progress. A late right leg/ankle injury to Jonathan Osorio left the Canadian international on crutches. If England manager Roy Hodgson were watching, he would have seen a rather anonymous performance by Jermain Defoe in his return from a long-term hamstring issue. Defoe played the full 90 (a positive) but lacked his typical sharpness. Service from the midfield remains an issue and certainly contributed to the non-descript afternoon. There is only so much he can do on his own. Here are my five thoughts on the 2-1 loss: 1) Shapes of the Midfield - Alvaro Rey was kept out of the starting XI in preference of Kyle Bekker and/or Osorio, however you want to look at it. Bekker was deployed in a holding role, which seems to be Nelsens preference, allowing attack-minded Osorio and all-action Michael Bradley to get forward. The outside left position is an interesting one for Osorio, giving him freedom to roam, checking in and out of the middle of the field. The question is whether the team is better off using a more traditional 4-4-2 with natural wing players or having Osorio in a freer role. All too often, the attack was too narrow and predictable, easy to play against. If this is the way Toronto FC wants to play, they need more overlapping runs from the wingbacks to make it work. And whether Bekker is ready/able to be a stabilizing defensive midfield player is highly debatable. Nelsen acknowledged he was happy how his new-look middle four worked. To the critical eye, it needs work. 2) Oh Henry - Centre-back Doniel Henry returned from a five-week absence (left knee sprain) and the early returns didnt flatter. It was a struggle throughout, with Henry the culprit for both goals conceded. In the first half, Henrys careless, errant pass straight up the middle went right to Revolution midfielder Daigo Kobayashi. A quick pass to Patrick Mullins and a powerful strike from distance beat Julio Cesar for the equalizer. Credit Mullins, as he still had much work to do. Henrys distribution and decision-making must improve for him to take the next step. Remember, hes only 20. With a physical maturity beyond his years, its the mental maturity that is a step behind. Hes a beast in challenges and will continue to be a frustrating asset for the time being. The final blow on a gut-wrenching day for the defender was his handball in the box, leading to the 82nd minute Lee Nguyen penalty winner. A controversial retaken corner kick and Justin Morrows ensuing poor clearance obviously played a role. All too often, Henry slides recklessly inside the 18-yard box and this time, he was punished with the ball hitting his arm. There was no argument whether it was a penalty. Henry will have better days. Hes still the starting centre-back for this team. That should not be debated. 3) In Bloom? - It remains somewhat a surprise Mark Bloom is the preferred option at right back. Bloom has done little wrong to start the season. Hes proven himself to be a valuable squad player on an incredibly team friendly contract. But is he the best option? Bloom provides little getting forward in attack. There were numerous opportunities to get forward and overlap, yet he stays put, falling deep in support. When he does get forward, good things happen. But hes not programmed to be that free-flowing outside back that is preferential in the modern game. Bradley Orr, on the other hand, has more to offer. The Englishman was outstanding deputizing at centre-back with Henry out through injury. Orr is a natural right back however, and seems a better fit to take over the position. Bloom should and will continue to play a role. But Nelsen may do better with Orr as his regular. 4) Action Jackson - The Brazilian midfielder was all over the field, in the middle of good and bad all day long. Jacksons goal was fortunate, taking a nasty deflection off AJ Soares, freezing goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth. Its Jacksons goal for now, but a case can be made for an own goal. The rest of the day was hardly a Picasso. The Brazilians work-rate is his biggest asset. A controlled temperament is not in his arsenal. Jackson has been involved in numerous questionable challenges on the year. In the 43rd minute, he was involved in the worst of any to date. Jackson failed to control and went in high and late on Chris Tierney, catching the midfielder with his studs up to the chest. Jackson was shown a yellow but he should have been sent off. A little more restraint is needed in a league where more times than not, hasty decisions are made. He needs to be more in control: of the ball, in his decisions, and positioning. 5) Failure to Launch - Nelsen pointed to missed opportunities as being a disappointment. Misfiring Gilberto hit the post twice and still looks a step off and rather uncomfortable in his surroundings. Henry had a header on the far post go wide. And Defoe was crafty in manufacturing a chance late, putting a left-footed strike just past the left post. Its fair for Nelsen to point to the inability to take their chances as reason for defeat. Its also fair to say New England, despite only having 40 per cent possession, missed opportunities as well. Both teams were similar in attempts on goal (15-14), so its how Toronto FC uses possession thats the bigger issue. Bradley continues to be a powerhouse going forward through the middle. But on a day the opponent is content to sit back and welcome pressure through the middle, its all too predictable and easy to defend. Toronto FC needs to spread its tactical wings, developing layers of attack and giving more options through natural team movement. If they are unable to do so, they will remain best as a counter-attacking team, relying on the likes of Defoe to take whatever limited chances fall their way. This, perhaps, is not the best way to utilize millions of dollars of talent. Once again, this is a work in progress for all. Progress is essential over the next month leading into the World Cup break. There is still good reason to think this can all come together and work efficiently. Next up for Toronto FC is a date with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the opening leg of their Amway Canadian Championship tie, Wednesday (7:30pm et) at BMO Field. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Wholesale NFL Jerseys . This week they discuss Russias mens hockey team, the ineptitude of the IOC handling the Nicklas Backstrom situation, John Tortorellas many apologies, and Canadas strong showing in curling. Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys .J. -- Rampage Jackson scowled, howled, then bellowed to the crowd: "Im back! Im back!" With rebuilt knees and a new promotion, Jackson might have one more act left in MMA. http://www.cheapjerseysali.com/ .com) - Charlie Davies netted a pair of goals, including the series-winner on Saturday, as the New England Revolution battled the New York Red Bulls to a 2-2 draw in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship at Gillette Stadium and advanced to MLS Cup final via a thrilling 4-3 aggregate victory. Cheap China NFL Jerseys . The top-ranked Spaniard won his fourth Madrid Open on Sunday after Kei Nishikori was forced to withdraw with a hip injury when trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in the final. And Nadal, who is coming off to uncharacteristic quarterfinal losses on clay, said his mental strength is still lacking just two weeks ahead of the French Open.Two-time major winner Jordan Spieth says he wants a strong finish to the season and has his eyes set on winning the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup. The Texan was never in a position to contend for the Claret Jug but at least finished with his best round of the week at The Open.He duly completed a three-under-par 68 to finish two over par at Royal Troon, which was surprisingly his first sub-par round in the majors since opening with a 66 at Augusta in April in defence of his Masters title. Spieth walks past the Claret Jug on the 1st tee with his caddie Michael Greller With the PGA Championship starting in 11 days time he will try to take the positives out of that as he heads home to Dallas.Im very pleased with the way we finished in the half of the field that we had Thursday, Friday, he said. Leaderboard The 145th Open Were trying to look at positives. I dont think were far off from being able to tee off on Sunday afternoon at a major. All the parts seem to be coming together, whether it shows off after a 30th-place finish or not. Ive just got to fine-tune a couple things when we get back home, thats it. Spieth lost his singles match at the 2014 Ryder Cup to Graeme McDowell And with the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine taking precedence at the end of September, Spieth is focused on gaining revenge for the heartbreaking 2014 defeat at Gleneagles, where he scored two-and-a-half-points for USA, but lost his crucial singles match to Graeme McDowell to hand the trophy to Europe. That week at PGA Championship alone could become one of the most special weeks Ive ever had. So thats what were focused on is grinding for that, he said.Then we have the playoffs, the FedExCup Championship, so theres obviously incentive there. Then maybe most importantly PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup, weve got to win one. Spieths Open woes continue Jordan Spieth had mixed feelings about the changes to the Royal Troon course set-up Weve got to start a trend back the other way and make them develop a task force, you know? There is a big focus on the end of this year with certainly a ton to play for. For me personally Ive got to avenge that loss.I felt like the 2014 singles match was a really important match that I lost for the team, and Im going to go back and try to avenge that the best I can.ddddddddddddMeanwhile, Jason Day was left disappointed with his short game at Royal Troon but insists that he will simply go away and try to improve ahead of next years championship. World number one Jason Day described his Open experience as a mixed bag after he finished the tournament on one-over par. It was a mixed bag of all sorts of things, I guess, he told Sky Sports. I think, if I put it in a nutshell, my short game wasnt sharp enough this week, I missed too many putts and didnt get it up and down from the opportunities that I had, especially close around the greens for birdie.Even when I was struggling to hit the greens, trying to get those up and down were a little bit tough for me this week. I dont mind what happened this week, its just something to try and get better for next year and see how it goes. Jason Day was not happy with his short game during The Open Before that, however, Day will look to defend his US PGA Championship title in 10 days time and it is an experience the Australian is looking forward to.Its going to be special, he said. Its obviously a new experience for me. Im looking forward to soaking up the first part of the week but once Thursday comes around then Im there to try and defend that trophy, hopefully Ill get it back again. Watch The Ryder Cup from Hazeltine live on Sky Sports - your proud new home of The Open Also See: Royal Troon leaderboard Monty says goodbye to Troon WATCH: Rory snaps his club Five of the best 63s Golf live on Sky Sports ' ' '