TORONTO – The reigning MLS Cup champions have a bit of work to do. That much is clear.
With the CONCACAF Champions League now out of the way, Toronto FC can focus entirely on Major League Soccer and digging itself out of the hole it finds itself in.
TFC currently sits in last place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 1-4-1 record and four points, and is 16 points off the pace of East-leading New York City FC. By prioritizing the Champions League through the first two months of the MLS season, which included fielding “reserve teams” in recent road losses against Colorado and Houston, Toronto has forced itself to play catch up on the domestic front.
Can the Reds make up the ground? Coach Greg Vanney believes they can, starting with Friday night’s home contest versus the Philadelphia Union.
“We all believe in the quality of our team, and that we can get on a run in [MLS] and win games. I’m not concerned about the gap because that’s getting concerned about things you can’t control,” Vanney said.
“What I’m concerned about is getting us prepared for Philadelphia, getting as many guys turned around and healthy as possible, getting our mindset shifted off of [the Champions league] and straight up on [MLS]. If we can shift all of those things, and get all of our ducks in row, we’ll make a run that will close the gap. We have that capacity and the ability to do that.”
That task could prove tough in the immediate future, as Toronto is dealing with a rash of injuries. Defender Drew Moor is out two to three months with a quad tear, while fellow defender Nick Hagglund remains unavailable due to a long-term injury. Forward Jozy Altidore is expected to be sidelined the next two weeks with a hamstring issue. Defenders Chris Mavinga (lower body) and Eriq Zavaleta (quad muscle) as well as fullback Justin Morrow (calf), have missed action over the past month.
Things were so bad for the last two games that Vanney was forced to shift captain Michael Bradley from his central midfield position into the middle of defence, where he played alongside Gregory van der Wiel, normally a right fullback. Both players looked comfortable in their new positions, while others have also stepped up their respective games according to Vanney, including Canadian defender Ashtone Morgan.
“Our team has a lot of versatility, and I think we’re going to be an even better soccer team we were last year,” Vanney proclaimed.
That’s a bold statement considering the historic nature of Toronto’s 2017 MLS campaign. TFC set a new league record for most points in a regular season, won the Supporters’ Shield, repeated as Canadian club champions, and hoisted the MLS Cup.
It’s also important to remember that TFC was slow out of the gate last year, winning just one game and collecting seven points from their first six matches. In the end, things turned out just fine, so you’ll forgive Vanney if he’s not concerned about the gap in points his side has to make up at the moment.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. … It’s a matter of winning these games one at a time and the rest will take care of itself. We’ll look at the standings when we get midway through the season or three quarters of the way through the season, and see what we have to do,” Vanney explained.
That message has filtered down to the players who, like Vanney, aren’t concerned about the ground the team has to make up.
“Our character has shown in the past and I think it’s going to show through the next stretch of games,” forward Tosaint Ricketts promised.
“We’ve done it before. Last year was a slow start. We know what we’re capable of.”
Toronto has to get through this injury crisis as it attempts to claw its ways up the Eastern Conference standings. That’s the physical side of the immediate challenge facing the Reds. There’s also the mental challenge of getting over the bitter disappointment of last week’s heartbreaking shootout loss to Chivas de Guadalajara.
“Losing in a final in penalties is one of the worst feelings. …. It was really rough to see [Chivas] celebrate winning the cup and we were just standing there,” midfielder Nicolas Hasler admitted.
TFC can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves. They have to hit the ground running, and put the CONCACAF final, and last Saturday’s MLS games against Chicago – a 2-2 draw at home that saw the Reds concede the equalizer deep into injury time – behind them.
“It was a tough stretch with the Champions League, and pretty much our full focus was on that. But with the mentality of this group, it’s shifted immediately, and now our full focus is on [MLS]. I feel the guys just want to get out there and starting getting those results, and start working towards [closing] that gap that we started the season with,” Ricketts offered.
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