Toronto FC is about to hit the road with back-to-back matches against marquee opponents with plenty of star power.
After playing their last three games at home, the Reds are now set for crucial away matches against Robbie Keane and the LA Galaxy this Saturday, followed by a trip to the Big Apple for a game vs. New York City FC the following weekend when Frank Lampard is expected to make his MLS debut.
Here are some news and notes from TFC’s training session on Tuesday….
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Of note, Toronto (7-6-2, third in the Eastern Conference) will be without four starters for their next two games. Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Ashtone Morgan and Jonathan Osorio are away on national team duty for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Coach Greg Vanney said he won’t change tactics or tinker with the team’s playing style in LA, and thinks he has the depth to overcome the absences of some crucial players.
“The good thing is that we’ve had a fair number of players get reasonable minutes this year,” Vanney said.
“All things being told, some guys will definitely get a chance as that’s what happens when four starters are missing. But I expect that they’ll be able to step in and do what they do, and not what the other guys did, within the structure of the team.”
LA is a tough opponent. Buoyed by star Keane, the Galaxy (7-6-7) currently sit fourth in the Western Conference and before last weekend’s loss to San Jose they exploded for 10 goals over their previous two matches. In the previous meeting between these two clubs, the Galaxy defeated the Reds 3-0 on Oct. 4, 2014 at StubHub Center. TFC is 2-5-6 all-time against the Galaxy.
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Morrow back on the left?
Although Vanney said he has other options, including Daniel Lovitz, expect Justin Morrow to slot in at his natural left fullback position with Morgan away with the Canadian national team.
Morrow has moved over to the right side of defence the past few months to accommodate the in-form Morgan at left fullback. Morrow did play on the left in last week’s 3-1 win over Montreal when Morgan was out with the flu.
“It’s a little strange at first. The hardest part is switching back and forth. Once I’m in a position, after a couple of games, I’m alright. Maybe I’ll get a (run of games) on the left now that Ashtone is gone,” Morrow said.
Look for Warren Creavalle to start at right fullback if Morrow, as expected, shifts back to the left on Saturday.
Bright Dike has returned
Forward Bright Dike is back in Toronto after his loan deal with the San Antonio Scorpions of the NASL expired. The Nigerian international trained on Tuesday with TFC II, the club’s USL team.
Dike is not eligible to play for TFC until July 8 when the MLS transfer window re-opens (he is subject to the window because he was on loan), so he won’t make the trip to California. He could, though, see action in New York.
Dike scored one goal in five appearances (one as a starter) for the Scorpions, who he joined on loan in April. Dike has one assist in two games for Toronto this season.
“The team shifted from when he first went down there to playing with two forwards to changing to one forward,” Vanney said of Dike’s time with San Antonio.
“He was sharing time with (former MLS star) Omar Cummings, so Bright was in and out, getting some minutes here and there. We’ll check his form when he gets back into training and see if he can provide us with any solution.”
Injury updates
Midfielder Benoit Cheyrou trained with TFC on Tuesday, and Vanney said he could be available for selection in LA. The Frenchman missed the last two games because of a calf injury. Goalkeeper Chris Konopka did not practise (ankle problem) but he will be fit to play on Saturday.
Veteran defender Steven Caldwell, who’s been out since the third game of the season with a quad injury, continues to progress and improve.
“He probably won’t be ready for the weekend, but he is definitely getting closer to integrating back into the team on a regular basis,” Vanney said.
Defenders Mark Bloom and Clement Simonin remained sidelined with long-term injuries.
New academy director
Toronto FC on Monday announced the hiring of French coach Laurent Guyot as its new youth academy director. Guyot, 45, most recently coached France’s under-16 coach team and served as a coaching instructor with the French Football Federation.
Guyot played professionally for 14 years as a centre back, mainly for FC Nantes where he won the French league title during the 1994-95 campaign.
Toronto has been without an academy director since Vanney was promoted to TFC coach last August.
Vanney became aware of Guyot through a mutual friend, Jocelyn Gourvennec. Vanney played at Bastia from 2002 to 2005 when Gourvennec was his teammate. Gourvennec is the current manager of Ligue 1 side Guingamp.
“Through our relationship and through the French federation’s coaching course, I got to spend a lot of time with Laurent as both an educator and get to know him as a coach,” Vanney explained.
“He’s worked with players who have played at a very high level and helped develop players who have reached a very high level, so he’s a great addition to our team here.”