TORONTO – This is just plain ridiculous now.
Toronto FC has suffered yet another injury blow, with new coach Greg Vanney confirming that Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio is dealing with a hamstring problem and is doubtful for Saturday’s home match against the Philadelphia Union.
Vanney said Osorio was getting a medical scan Friday afternoon, and the team won’t know the extent of the injury until they get the test results back later in the day. Osorio was injured in Wednesday’s 1-0 road loss to the Union.
Soccer Central podcast: SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HERE.
“There was some tightness in his hamstring and we don’t know if it was more of the cramping, fatigue variety or if it was more of the strain variety,” Vanney told reporters after Friday’s practice.
In case you’ve lost count, TFC will likely be without four key starters for Saturday’s return match against Philadelphia: Osorio, top scorer Jermain Defoe, captain Steven Caldwell and left back Justin Morrow. Also, Ashtone Morgan will be suspended, and fellow defender Bradley Orr (toe) is questionable.
With Defoe expected to be out until late September with a groin injury, and Caldwell (quad strain) and Justin Morrow (hamstring) still on the mend, the timing of Osorio’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The Reds sat in third place in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference at the start of the summer, and looked a sure bet to make the playoffs. But with just three wins in 14 games — including just one clean sheet and 27 goals against in that run — a post-season berth is slipping away.
Toronto (9-10-6, 33 points) sits in a tie for fourth place with Columbus and Philadelphia. New York (31 points) and Chicago (29) are also in the mix, with New England (36) starting to pull away. Toronto has nine games remaining.
TFC is winless in four matches (with three losses) and is clearly on a downward trajectory. Midfielder Michael Bradley doesn’t read too much into that, though.
“It doesn’t really matter what’s happened until now, it’s all about putting yourself in the right position. We’re in a simple position: with nine games to go, we need to win a few games to get ourselves in the playoffs. It’s important that the mentality reflects that; nothing’s lost, the season isn’t over, and that there’s everything still to play for,” Bradley stated.
Vanney would be excused for feeling cursed or if he shook his head while saying to himself, “What else can happen to us?” But he’s not. He remains philosophical about it.
“It’s an interesting league. There’s a lot of travel and you have to be really fit and really strong to get through league, especially during the summer months. We have some guys who are breaking down. There’s been a lot of matches,” Vanney offered.
The absences of Caldwell and Morrow have led to different defensive line-ups in recent weeks, and the lack of continuity has led to mistakes, according to right back Mark Bloom.
“We’ve been playing well for about 85 minutes and then a couple of mishaps leads to goals… The injuries have left us scrambling at the back week in and week out. I can’t say that we don’t have the players to come in and fill those roles, but it is a bit of a scramble every game. It makes it difficult,” Bloom admitted.
For a limited time get Sportsnet Magazine’s digital edition free for 60 days. Visit Appstore/RogersMagazines to see what you’re missing out on.
Wednesday’s mid-week loss was marked by individual errors. Vanney and his players spent a better part of Friday’s training session pouring over game tapes to address those mistakes and give young defenders Bloom, Doneil Henry and rookie Nick Hagglund more confidence with the veteran Caldwell still out.
“We try to provide them with leadership and guidance as much as possible. Short of having Steve Caldwell in there or someone who can produce that for them, these guys are going to have to grow up fast, learn to read the game and manage situations. They’re doing all right. They’ll be fine,” Vanney affirmed.
Some good news for TFC is that defender/midfielder Warren Creavalle will be available for duty Saturday after sitting out the last four matches with a hamstring problem. And Brazilian winger Jackson, who missed the midweek game in Philadelphia due to a groin problem, will also return.
Also forward Dwayne De Rosario and midfielder Kyle Bekker have been released by the Canadian Soccer Association and will be made available to play against Philadelphia. After the game, both players will re-join the Canadian team ahead of next Tuesday’s friendly against Jamaica at BMO Field.
Defoe remains in England where he is getting a second opinion on his groin injury. There’s been no decision made about whether or not he’ll undergo surgery. For now, he’ll continue his rehab process.
