Toronto FC vs Chicago: A tale of two teams

Jozy-Altidore;-Toronto-FC

Jozy Altidore. (CP)

CHICAGO – Another road game, another challenge for Toronto FC.

This time it started before the team even left Toronto for Chicago where they will play the Fire on Saturday afternoon at Toyota Park. Another ominous beginning for the Reds as a fog at the Toronto island airport caused a three hour flight delay.

As a result, their training session in Chicago on Friday, which was supposed to take place at Toyota Park mid afternoon, didn’t wrap up until about 6:30 pm local time.


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Injuries and suspensions which plagued the Reds a week ago are still an issue, although Justin Morrow is back from suspension. Luke Moore has been banned as a result of supplementary discipline imposed by MLS over what they felt was a harsh tackle in the Real Salt Lake match last weekend. Damien Perquis and Steven Caldwell are still struggling with injury, and so it goes.

The good news of course is that U.S. internationals Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore are back, which should provide a spark.

If this isn’t a game Toronto FC should win, then I don’t when there will be one. Their opponents have had a tremendous turnover this year. Chicago coach Frank Yallop has remade the roster, with the basic admission that this team simply wasn’t good enough in 2014. And he’s right. It’s still not clear if the team is any better, despite all the changes. They lost their first three games of the campaign and finally squeaked out a win against Philadelphia a week ago, but the jury still is out.

Like many teams, the Fire have three designated players. But these are the bargain basement type DPs, if there is such a thing.

Yes, they have Shaun Maloney, signed from English club Wigan. He’s their most high profile signing. But they also have Nigerian Kennedy Igboananike and fellow striker David Accam, from Ghana and who last played for Helsingborgs in Sweden. Neither of these two will set hearts a flutter, but Yallop says that’s simply the way the Chicago Fire do things. This is not a team that throws a lot of money around like TFC.

The Fire trained in windy, blustery conditions Friday morning on a high after finally getting that first win on the weekend and believe they are on the verge of better things to come.

We’ll see. Three matches between these two teams a year ago resulted in three draws. Neither team will be happy with a draw this time.

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