TORONTO — It’s the dog days of summer, and nobody knows that better than Toronto FC.
But even though the Reds are feeling a little lethargic due to a rash of injuries, they are actually in a good spot all things considered.
At the halfway point of the Major League Soccer regular season, TFC sits fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 6-6-5 record and 23 points. By comparison, Toronto sported a 7-7-3 record and had 24 points at this point last year.
TFC has games in hand on the teams directly below and above them in the standings, leaving them firmly in the playoff mix (the top six clubs in the conference qualify for the post-season) and in a comfortable position with the second half of the campaign still ahead.
Toronto’s playing style has evolved over the course of the term. During the opening nine-game road stretch it was all about establishing a foundation of defensive solidity, and keeping it tight. Since returning home, the Reds have opened it up a bit more on the attacking end, while still adhering to the principles of defensive organization preached by coach Greg Vanney.
The results speak for themselves. In 2015, TFC finished tied for the worst defensive record in the league with 58 goals against. Currently, they have the third-best defence in MLS, with just 19 goals conceded.
“We’ve played good soccer. We’ve grown as a group. At the beginning of the year we were doing a lot of defending on the road, locking it down and only getting a few [scoring] chances. Now we’re getting a lot of chances, but still staying pretty solid defensively,” Vanney stated.
“I’m good with where we’re at, and look to get guys healthy and press towards tightening up some things.”
This is a critical stretch coming up, though, and it will be a serious test of Toronto’s depth. Three key starters—goalkeeper Clint Irwin, captain Michael Bradley and Canadian midfielder Will Johnson—are all out with serious injuries that should keep them on the sidelines until mid-August. The Reds won their first game without the trio last weekend, but they have seven more matches to go without them.
Also, forward Jozy Altidore remains out, having dealt with a hamstring injury since mid-May. He should return sometime in the next two weeks, but he isn’t expected to be in the starting line-up right away when he does come back, as he will likely have to work his way back into match fitness.
Despite the injury woes, Vanney believes TFC has the character to come through this difficult stretch unscathed because they’ve already dealt with tough times earlier this year.
“We started nine games on the road and then you come off of the road and we’ve had a lot of injuries. … We have a lot of key guys who have been out at the same time. We’ve gone through a season of adversity, in some ways, in the first half of the year, but we’ve managed to put 23 points on the board,” Vanney said.
Injuries are just one issue. Sebastian Giovionco is currently mired in a seven-game goal drought in MLS, his longest futility streak since joining the club last year. The Italian’s dry spell coincides with Altidore’s absence—he was injured in the last league game Giovinco scored in and has been out since—so the hope is that the American’s return will lead to more space and scoring opportunities opening up for the reigning league MVP.
Toronto has also looked less than ruthless in front of goal in recent games. In their last two outings, a 1-1 draw vs. Seattle and a 1-0 win over Chicago, TFC squandered a number of chances, and failed to kill off their opponents and put the game beyond their reach.
Vanney told his players in pre-season that they have to become comfortable winning games 1-0. And while he conceded that he’d like to see a few more goals, he’s been impressed with how his side has been able to grind it out, and lock it down defensively when they get the lead.
“Over the course of this year we’ve talked about finishing off teams and putting the game into a position where it becomes out of reach, where teams feel they’re not going to be in it anymore,” Vanney said.
“That would be nice. Right now were not scoring lots of goals, so it’s important that our defence remains solid and stiff the way it has the last several games and all year by and large.”
He later added: “A win’s a win right now in the grind of the summer with a lot of guys [out injured].”
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