Photo: Marjorie Elzey

It was a dark and stormy night.

The Union, somehow both struggling to maintain even a semblance of continuity from last year’s rarefied heights while also simultaneously re-summiting those shortness-of-breath-inducing ones from two years ago, exorcised some demons. Toronto FC were the sacrificial lamb and their leader, American soccer mage Bob Bradley, could only look on in disappointment and disbelief.

Neither team was perfect, but the home side could certainly feel like they left the field with wind in their sails toward the real contest Wednesday night, a date with LAFC.

On to the ratings.

Author’s note: As was and will again become custom here, a rating of 5 represents an average performance – and specifically average for the player in question.

Starters

Andre Blake – 5

Nothing superhuman from the oft-caped wonder. Unhappy with the late gaps in his defense, and didn’t face a single shot for forty-four minutes. 

Kai Wagner – 6

Handled one of the Italian Stallions, Federico Bernardeschi, with aplomb. His forward runs still seem off, but his shift was solid. 

Jack Elliott – 5

Elliott’s run of form lately is out of character. Saturday was better, but there were still too many gaps in the final half an hour to feel great about the outing. He was responsible for lots of chances snuffed out though. 

Jakob Glesnes – 5

A match in which the Norwegian had a laugh with Lorenzo Insigne about how much smaller the latter was than the former and then was otherwise almost anonymous the whole night – but in a good way. What’s Norwegian for tidy?

Nate Harriel – 4

His task was a tall one, no question, but Harriel was up to it only half the match. Eventually Insigne found the cracks and the holes in the Union wall and, come l’acqua, worked his way behind the ball-watching homegrown – and eventually found a goal. 

Jose Martinez – 5

Rocket from outside the box, just over the bar? Check. Massive role in holding Toronto’s entire attacking formation at bay? Check. Maddeningly casual giveaways as time wore on? Check. 

Jack McGlynn – 7

The kid can split lines like Ozil, shift hips like Busquets, and rattle crossbars like… who’s famous for rattling crossbars? Enjoy him while he’s here Union fans – this guy is the next local darling destined for Europe. 

Alejandro Bedoya – 4

Maurice Edu called Bedoya’s effort “a Captain’s performance.” While that’s fair – and Bedoya was good for more than a half, dirty running, winning balls in the air, et al… – sometimes it feels like he is also ready to go down with the ship. He should’ve been off at the hour mark, and wouldn’t have been doubted he had made the call himself. 

Daniel Gazdag – 7

The Union didn’t entirely click in this match, but 4 goals is hard to argue with. Both truths are partly on their string-puller. Too many chances went wanting for Union fans, but Gazdag created nearly all of them – and on both sides of the ball. If the U need a volume guy to make it work, Danny G is starting to turn it up to 11. 

Julian Carranza – 6

This score was very nearly lower, considering the striker’s yellow card and almost-yellow-carded reckless challenge late in the game. But his effort on the team’s second goal to move Sean Johnson and his inch-perfect pass on the fourth to Uhre on the back post mean that even an outing with flaws still seems beautiful. 

Mikael Uhre – 9

His first hat trick in a Union shirt (which seems impossible given last year’s firework stretch), and in only two thirds of a match. If Uhre is off and running, so too will this team be. 

Substitutes 

Quinn Sullivan – 4

He’s pressing. The shot from 40? Hard, low, solid. The rest of the match? Not enough. The quality is there, as is the opportunity (Curtin has said as much), and now the patience and poise need to come to make it work. And given Sullivan’s vast skill set, it should. 

Leon Flach – 4

Something is up with Flach. He looks a step slow and out of position – things no one could’ve said about him last season or the one before. He’s still very, very young though, with time and training enough to work it out.

Andres Perea – 5

Not much other than he did his job seeing the game out, and the two late goals are less about him than they are about eyes on Wednesday.

Jesus Bueno – 5

The last half an hour of this match was like a long Italian goodbye, lots of hugging and smiling, ribbing and reopening already closed doors. Bueno’s hospitality was notable, as he did his best to help see visitors off. 

Geiger counter

Alex Chilowicz – 7

The man the middle dealt with a difficult assignment nicely, eschewing delays and calls for VAR, some dives and some chippy play, without putting himself center frame. His bright pink ensemble stood out on Apple’s 4K display as though he’d been pasted on the screen.

Man of the match – Uh-re, Mi-kael Uh-re, la la la la…

What is there to say? When the best players on the team do what they were signed to do, they earn the match ball. This week, that trophy goes to Uhre.