TORONTO – Marky Delgado wasn’t credited with an assist on the goal, but he should have been.
Earlier this week, Delgado made his national team debut when the United States hosted Paraguay in an international friendly in North Carolina, and it was a sublime piece of skill from the Toronto FC midfielder that broke open the game.
With the scored tied 0-0 and halftime looking, the U.S.’s Jorge Villafana forced a turnover in his end of the field and played a quick ball to Tyler Adams who sent a short pass to Delgado. Adams then made a darting run down the left side as Delgado sent a perfectly-weighted long ball to his feet, hitting the New York Red Bulls midfielder in full stride as he broke in on goal.
Paraguay ‘keeper Gatito Fernandez took down Adams inside the box, and forward Bobby Wood converted the ensuing penalty. Delgado’s vision and execution in that split second when he picked out Adams was the decisive moment of the match, as the Americans held on for a 1-0 win.
Fresh off what many pundits called a man-of-the-match effort against Paraguay, Delgado will try to duplicate that performance when TFC hosts Real Salt Lake on Friday night at BMO Field, as the Reds search for their first win of the MLS season.
“You get a lot of confidence when you get called up to the national team, especially when you play well. You carry more confidence with you [going forward], and hopefully I can carry that over into our next few matches here,” Delgado said.
The soft-spoken, mild-mannered Delgado downplayed his role in the buildup up to the winning goal, choosing to highlight the play of Adams.
“I peeked over my shoulder and I saw him, and he called out early, so I knew he was there. I saw the space in behind where [Paraguay] had a high backline line. I just chipped it over right into his stride. He made a good run, so it was big on his part to stick with that run,” the TFC midfielder explained.
Delgado, a 22-year-old native of California, joined the Reds prior to the 2015 season, but it was last year when he broke out, establishing himself as a key starter on a TFC side that enjoyed the single greatest MLS campaign in history.
With the U.S. national team in rebuilding mode after failing to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, interim U.S. coach Dave Sarachan decided not to call on veteran players, and instead went with a roster full of youngsters against Paraguay. A first cap for the U.S. was just reward for Delgado, who has established himself as one of the brightest young prospects in MLS.
His solid showing against the South Americans didn’t go unnoticed by TFC coach Greg Vanney, a former U.S. international himself. Vanney was impressed with Delgado’s hard work off the ball, both on the offensive and defensive end, was efficient in possession, and kept the ball moving – all the things he normally does with TFC.
“To me, Marky is the kind of play you can slip into any team and he just fulfills the role that is required, and he does it in a logical and sensible manner,” Vanney offered.
“Sometimes with national teams, especially when you haven’t bene together a long time, it’s hard to get everybody on the same page. I think Marky is one of those guys, because he’s a quality role player on our team, he knows how to assimilate within that team.”
Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley, a mainstay with the U.S. national team who wasn’t called up for this match, was equally impressed, but not surprised by Delgado’s debut performance.
“I’ve been able to see up close how much he’s improved over the last few years, what a good player he is, what a good teammate he is … His qualities in terms of being mobile, how he reads the game, the way that he plays quickly and simply – he’s fun to play with. He makes guys around him better, he makes things easier for them,” said Bradley, who also captains the U.S. side.
“I’m very excited for him to get his first taste of [international duty]. I know they’ll be plenty more, and I’m also looking forward to the day when he and I are playing together on the national team.”
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MORROW UNLIKELY FOR FRIDAYToronto FC could be without three key starters against Real Salt Lake: defender Chris Mavinga (lower body), full-back Justin Morrow (calf) and midfielder Victor Vazquez (back).
Vanney said Morrow is unlikely for Friday, while Mavinga and Vazquez are both questionable. Vanney said he doesn’t want to rush any of them back too soon ahead of next week’s CONCACAF Champions League match.
Vazquez has been troubled by his back since being subbed out of Toronto’s season-opening loss to Columbus on March 3. Mavinga and Morrow picked up their injuries in the second leg of TFC’s CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against Tigres on March 7.
SHOWDOWN WITH CLUB AMERICA LOOMSAfter the Real Salt Lake match, Toronto hosts Mexican side Club America on April 3 in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. The return match is April 10 in Mexico City.
TFC booked its spot in the final four of the continental competition after besting Mexican club Tigres in the previous round.
“They’re an aggressive team, probably more aggressive than Tigres. Their front five or six guys look to try to get out and get pressure on things, and try to create some transitions and shorten up the field,” Vanney said of Club America.
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