Prince Owusu was the hero for Toronto FC as he scored an incredible goal that saw him backheel the ball into the back of the net to seal a win over the New England Revolution and three points at home.
Toronto have had a long list of players on the injury list so far this season including DP winger Lorenzo Insigne, who is still a ways away from returning to action. His absence has forced head coach John Herdman to come up with different tactics to maximize the potential of the players available.
Throughout the offseason and early in this MLS regular season, there has been plenty of discussion surrounding the need for a consistent striker, but it appears as though Owusu has emerged as the player to fill a much needed hole. His goal came in the 66th minute and TFC showed that they were able to maintain the lead and keep a clean sheet.
During his post-match press conference, Herdman noted that tonight’s win was a resilient effort from his squad and highlighted Owusu and Jahkeele Marshal-Rutty’s performances he believes stood out most. He said:
“You have to tip your hat to Jahkeele [Marshall-Rutty], he’s had a big impact coming off the bench, and again, he’s having a good season. He’s making big chances for players and Prince [Owusu] doing what he’s been doing, on a bit of a hot streak. Proud of the effort and proud of the way they managed the game and just make sure that we were hard to beat. That was a big starting point, but yeah, happy to get three points.”
Toronto FC head coach John Herdman post-match comments regarding tonight’s 1-0 win
Herdman continued by heaping praise on Owusu for how he has responded to his role with TFC, especially in the past few weeks when the club had struggled:
“He’s [Owusu] shown a level of leadership across the last three, four weeks. He’s had to deal with disappointment of not starting and he’s had to manage a group that’s been struggling. During the week, he’s shown a real level of experience, professionalism, given his time in Europe. I think he’s been one of the standout people in the locker room.”
Toronto FC head coach John Herdman on Prince Owusu
It will be interesting to see whether Owusu can continue his impressive form as Toronto FC are back in action this Wednesday, when they host the Simcoe County Rovers in the first round of the 2024 Canadian Championship. Based on the opponent and upcoming schedule, it remains to be seen who will be in the starting-XI as Herdman could use the match as an opportunity to evaluate some of his younger players.
