Brilliant Giovinco leads Toronto FC five points clear on historic day

Rudi Schuller

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Brilliant Giovinco leads Toronto FC five points clear on historic day image

TORONTO — Earlier in the season there were questions about Sebastian Giovinco's performance level for Toronto FC.

The 30-year-old was not producing up to his normal standards, and that inevitably led to chatter about whether Giovinco could reach the heights that led him to win the 2015 MLS MVP award and score four goals in the 2016 MLS playoffs.

Giovinco eventually erased those fears with some stellar performances, but Sunday's match against New York City FC may have been the biggest indication that the Atomic Ant is back to his best self.

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With two goals and an assist in a 4-0 thrashing of NYCFC, Giovinco firmly reminded the rest of Major League Soccer that both he and his team are still the cream of the crop. His first strike on Sunday was a stunner from the run of play, and his second set the all-time MLS record for direct free kick goals by a player (and was his 50th regular season goal since joining TFC in 2015).

"What can you say that we haven't all said about Sebastian?" Toronto head coach Greg Vanney asked rhetorically. "The free kicks, he now leads the league in the history of free kick goals. We've seen him do that a number of times. Fifty [regular season] goals, it was just a matter of time."

Vanney noted the varied skill set that makes Giovinco such a dangerous player, and that was evident in each of the three goals that the Italian had direct involement in.

First, Giovinco found himself isolated with countryman Andrea Pirlo in the 32nd minute and, after getting around Pirlo with a quick step, unleashed a bomb that New York goalkeeper Sean Johnson had no hope of stopping.

Giovinco then showed the other side of his brilliance — free kicks and setting up teammates — in the second half. After being taken down 25 yards from goal in the 67th minute, the little Italian did what he does better than anyone in MLS by striking the dead ball over the wall and under Johnson's crossbar to ice the game for the home team.

He then followed that up by brilliantly setting up Raheem Edwards for the game's final goal in the 82nd minute.

In all, it was a dominant display by Giovinco, but for Vanney it just reinforced how special the TFC talisman is.

"I think when it's all said and done ... he's going to have a lot of goals and a lot of assists because he's a well-rounded, great player," Vanney said. "Probably the best that's ever played in this league."

Rudi Schuller