Gerry Dobson

If you think you're tired now Julian ...

Not many things are working in Toronto FC's favour as they make the trip to Honduras.

If Toronto FC is able to get a result against Motagua in their Champions League return match in Honduras Tuesday night, it will be an amazing accomplishment. And it has nothing to do with the comparable quality of the two sides.

Consider what's happening.

The team has just come off a miserable loss to the Kansas City Wizards under brutally hot and steamy conditions on an evening when they didn't even have their full kits until just before game time. Then they spent Sunday in K.C. killing time before their charter departed for Honduras Monday morning.

Here's where it really gets interesting.

MLS regulations are very restrictive when it comes to allowing teams to use charters, but the Champions League does not fall under such restrictions. So to ease the travel burden, the team elected to charter from Kansas City to Honduras and back to Toronto. Originally they planned to fly into Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa. That airport is consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous airports in the world.

My pal Craig Forrest flew in there during his playing days and described it as a harrowing experience. The only runway begins at the base of a mountain and ends at the edge of a cliff. Planes are forced into a sharp descent along the slope of the mountain and must hit the runway right when it begins or face running out of room at the other end. It is so dangerous, that for a time in 2008, all commercial flights were moved to the Soto Cano Military Airbase. However, pressure from the business community forced the government to re-open the airport.

But back to TFC. Airport officials would not grant the team charter permission to land there due to safety reasons. The plane they are using, combined with weather conditions, meant that there was only a "40 per cent chance" that it could land safely. Team officials then lobbied to allow the plane to land at the military base. No dice.

The next and final option turned out to be the city of San Pedro Sula. It’s the second largest city in the country, the industrial heartland, and more modern. One problem: It’s a five-hour bus ride to Tegucigalpa where the match will be played. So here's what we've got. The team spends the day flying, followed by a five-hour bus ride (let's hope it’s not yellow and that it does have air conditioning) and no chance for a training session. Then it’s the match under hostile and sweltering conditions, followed by the same bus ride back and a middle of the night flight back to Toronto.

Wednesday is a rest day. That means just one training session before their next league game on the weekend. Don't be surprised if Toronto FC's woes continue.

Good luck.