Your Reds are on the road this Saturday to square off against Harrisburg City Islanders at 7PM in the first meeting between the two clubs.
TFC II’s last match came on May 23rd, a 0-0 draw against the Rochester Rhinos at BMO Field. The team currently sits 10th in the Eastern Conference with record of 2-5-2.
The Opposition
Harrisburg City Islanders currently sit 6th in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 4-3-1 over 8 matches.
The Islanders are coming off a tough 6-5 loss against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Up 5-3 with 4 minutes left in the match, the Islanders gave up 3 goals against the Riverhounds, 2 of them coming in stoppage time.
TFC II coach Jason Bent spoke to reporters on Wednesday, remarking on the strengths of the opposition.
“Their two centre backs are quite strong in the air, quite physical, so we can’t be lumping balls into the middle of the park because they’ll be winning their fair share of those balls.”
“In terms of midfield shape, it’s quite secure. They have three good players in there.”
“The two guys in front of the back four tend to get forward into the box and can score goals. I think that’s the strength of their team.”
Players to Watch
Islanders rookie midfielder/defender Ken Tribbett is a threat on set-pieces and corner kicks both offensively and defensively due to his 6’2” frame and currently leads the team with 3 goals.
Midfielder Jason Plumhoff has only played 5 games but has been one of the largest offensive threats for the Islanders, notching 2 goals and 2 assists in those matches.
Working On Offence During Bye Week
TFC II has struggled offensively as of late, failing to score in their last two matches.
Coach Jason Bent used the bye week to work on some offensive strategies going into Saturday’s match against the Islanders.
“We’ve been working on our attacking shape in the final third and trying to have more sustained possession which will lead to more chances on goal.”
“That’s been a big focus over the break.”
TFC II forward Edwin Rivas sees the team creating opportunities but also sees the need to be sharper to overcome the goal drought.
“Offensively we have the ideas but we just have to sharpen up a little and we’ll overcome that.”
TFC II takes on Harrisburg City Islander this Saturday, June 6th, at 7:00PM ET. Follow along on Twitter @TorontoFCII using the hashtag #TFCLive and watch the action via livestream at torontofc.ca/live
