After having a day off, Toronto FC was back in training on Sunday ahead of its playoff game against the Columbus Crew this week.
Here are some news and notes from the day’s practice.
Altidore and Giovinco back for TFC
After sitting out the opener through suspension, forwards Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore are eligible to play in Wednesday’s second leg of the Eastern Conference final.
The return of Giovinco and Altidore is a massive boost for the Reds, who failed to register a single shot on target in last week’s game against the Crew. Giovinco (16 goals) and Altidore (15) accounted for 41.9 per cent of TFC’s league-leading 74 goals this season. Together, they combined for nine game-winning goals (five from Altidore).
The last time TFC’s star forwards saw action was in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Red Bulls on Nov. 5. By the time Wednesday’s game rolls around, it’ll be 24 days since they last took to the pitch, thanks in large part due to the international break, in addition to their their suspensions.
Giovinco admitted it was strange and difficult to watch the first leg from a private box at MAPFRE Stadium, and he’s anxious to play again after such a lengthy layoff, admitting that it felt “like a year.”
“After [three weeks], finally I’ll play again. I’m happy about this,” the Italian said with a coy smile.
“Now it’s our turn [his and Altidore’s] and I hope we do the best job for the team.”
With Giovinco and Altidore back in the starting 11, Canadian forward Tosaint Ricketts is expected to return to the bench after starting against the Crew in the first leg.
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Advantage TFC for second leg?
TFC went into last week’s opening leg of the Eastern Conference final looking to earn something positive on the road to take back home for Wednesday’s return match. In the end, they kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw.
As a result, Toronto is 90 minutes away from advancing to its second consecutive MLS Cup final – all it needs is a win. But the first-leg stalemate also means that a draw with goals on Wednesday, such as 1-1 or 2-2, means Columbus advances to the final on the away-goals rule. A 0-0 draw at the end of regulation time would lead to 30 minutes of extra time and then a shootout, if required.
Had they scored in the first leg, TFC would be in a much stronger position. Instead, Toronto enters Wednesday’s tilt walking a thin line between success and failure.
“I was pleased with the result in Columbus [but] I wanted us to get a goal on the road. … In the grand scheme of things, I was happy with just getting the result, and getting a draw, knowing that we can come home and win,” Toronto coach Greg Vanney offered.
“In some ways, I wanted to give ourselves a little bit of an edge should we be in a draw situation [on Wednesday], having the road goal behind us, but it didn’t happen, which is fine.”
He later added: “I said the same thing to the guys: If we started pre-season and said we have one game to win at home to get to the final for another shot, then we’d all sign up for that chance.”
All this being said, home field should be a huge advantage for TFC, as they’ve only lost one game all season at BMO Field.
Injury report, yellow cards and MLS Cup
Vanney confirmed that his team isn’t dealing with any injury issues ahead of Wednesday’s contest, and that all of his players will be available for selection.
Jonathan Osorio and Raheem Edwards picked up yellow cards in the first leg in Ohio, while captain Michael Bradley is carrying a yellow from the semifinal series against New York. But they won’t miss the MLS Cup final, assuming TFC advances, if they earn a caution on Wednesday, as bans for yellow card accumulation get wiped out before the final.
If Toronto wins this playoff series, it would host the MLS Cup final at BMO Field on Dec. 9. The Reds would host the winner of the Western Conference final between the Seattle Sounders and Houston Dynamo. The Sounders won the first leg 2-0 in Texas. Seattle beat Toronto at BMO Field in last year’s MLS Cup final via a penalty shootout.
Artur suspended for Columbus
Brazilian midfielder Artur earned a yellow card for a foul on Bradley in the first leg. It was his second caution of the playoffs, which means he’s suspended for Wednesday’s game due to yellow card accumulation.
Artur, 21, has been one the Crew’s best players this season. Signed on loan from Brazilian club Sao Paulo, Artur appeared in 24 games during the regular season, 19 as a starter, and collected three assists. He has one goal in three playoff games.
“I think [his absence] hurts them. He’s been a real stabilizer for them over the course of the season. He’s a fantastic balance to [Crew captain Will Trapp], who a lot of times will drop in and distribute the ball and initiate some of their attacks,” Vanney explained.
“Artur’s presence and his experience has been a good balance for them, and a key piece to their games when they’ve been successful.”
All-time series vs. Columbus
TFC topped the Eastern Conference and the overall MLS standings with a 20-5-9 record and a league-record 69 points. Columbus (16-12-6) finished fifth in the East, 15 points adrift of Toronto.
The Crew did, however, hand TFC one of its five losses this season, earning a 2-1 home win on April 15. The Reds returned to Ohio the following month and beat the Crew 2-1, and then hammered Columbus 5-0 on May 26 in the final match of the campaign between the two sides.
This Eastern Conference final marks the first playoff encounter between TFC and the Crew, but they’re old rivals in regular-season play dating back to the Reds’ first MLS season in 2007. Columbus leads the regular season series against Toronto with 13 wins and 10 draws in 31 contests. The Crew have won nine of 17 games vs. Toronto in Columbus, while TFC have earned four wins in 18 matches vs. the Crew at BMO Field.
In direct matchups between Vanney and Columbus manager Gregg Berhalter, the teams have evenly split their 10 matches, with three wins apiece and four draws, including last week’s 0-0 stalemate in Ohio. While Toronto is in the Conference championship for the second year running, Columbus have made it to the Eastern final for the second time in the last three years.
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