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Sebastian Giovinco's scorching start has Toronto FC thinking big
Sebastian Giovinco came over to Toronto FC in the Major League Soccer offseason as the next shiny name supposed to save the perpertually underachieving club.
The list of those that came before him, which includes players, coaches, and executives, all left shadowed in disappointment as they couldn't reverse the Reds' fortunes or they simply stopped caring. But none were as well-equipped as Giovinco to handle the gig. Given his age, 28, his experience with Serie A giants Juventus and the Italian national team, and his obvious talent, the expectations were sky-high.
Somehow, he's managed to be even better than advertised.
After a brief feeling out period, he had only one assist to show from his first three games, Giovinco has taken the league by storm. As the MLS season nears its midway point, TFC is third in the Eastern Conference with 19 points from 12 games and Giovinco has led the way with seven goals and six assists. Giovinco's start in MLS ranks up among the best in league history.
As opposing teams have quickly learmed, he's the kind of player they must devote much of their game plan to stop and even then they'll feel fortunate to hold him to a handful of game-changing plays. The latest example? A masterful two-goal performance in TFC's 2-1 win over D.C. United that prompted this comment from United coach Ben Olson via MLSsoccer.com:
"It’s pretty simple. We went into the game trying to limit Giovinco’s influence in this game and that didn’t go so well. He’s a world-class player. Not only is he tricky and able to turn incredibly quickly but he has a soccer brain - he’s able to utilize the space, turn, know when to hold the ball, know when to pass it - like I said, he’s world-class."
Giovinco presence has also allowed Michael Bradley to play a deeper-lying role in midfield and Giovinco's ability to strike from set pieces has added another dangerous dimension to TFC's attack.
The Reds are in a good position, they've won five of their last seven games, but a cynic might point out that Jermain Defoe had a similar start to his career in Toronto with 10 goals and two assists in his first 12 games. It wouldn't be a fair comparison to make though. They bring different styles of play to the table, Defoe was much more reliant on those around him, and Giovinco appears to have settled in to a new country quite nicely, which wasn't the case with Defoe.
"I’m happy, but it’s just a starting point. There’s more work for me to do," Giovinco told reporters after being named the MLS player of the week for the second straight week.
The team itself is still a work-in-progress – TFC doesn't have a win when Giovinco doesn't have a goal or an assist – and the grind through the hot summer months is just beginning.
The playoffs are a long way off, giving the Reds time to put the final pieces together. The hard part is out of the way: they have a star player in his prime to carry the load. The "Atomic Ant" has given Toronto FC reason to think big.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
