Faced with a visit from arguably the most difficult opponent Toronto FC has met during his tenure, Greg Vanney went with what he knew.

The TFC coach returned to a 3-5-2 formation from a 4-4-2 look for Tigres UANL’s visit on Tuesday night in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal. And his starting 11 looked similar to the squad he fielded to start the last December’s MLS Cup run. The only starters missing were Victor Vazquez, who came on later despite a nerve issue in his back, and Steven Beitashour, who is no longer with the club.

Vanney’s decision paid off in the 2-1 win. Midfielder Marky Delgado, who had been dropped from the starting lineup the previous Saturday, set up the tying goal and Jonathan Osorio made up for Vazquez’s absence by scoring the winner.

Read more:

Jonathan Osorio plays the heel as Reds get a leg up on Tigres

Opinion | Damien Cox: MLS Cup repeat what TFC fans crave most

Toronto FC’s winning formula no mystery . . . it’s chemistry

Vanney pointed to the pair’s understanding of what the team was trying to do, as well as their sheer willingness to cover ground.

“We knew what the state of the game was going to be, what we wanted to do and just the amount of work up and down defensively and in attack,” Vanney said. “Just non-stop. Marky and Oso have done that, they’ve done it in this system over and over, so their familiarity to what we were trying to do is further along than, say, Ager Aketxe or some of the other options that maybe we could have looked at.”

Whether or not that midfield lineup will remain intact come next Tuesday in Monterrey, Mexico, will likely depend on Vazquez’s health. The Reds would prefer the 31-year-old Spanish midfielder to be on the field whenever possible. But to fit four midfielders — Delgado, Osorio, Vazquez and stalwart captain Michael Bradley — on the field at once could require a return to a 4-4-2 system, a formation that hasn’t given Toronto the speed or attacking prowess it showed Wednesday night.

Vazquez, who played the final 15 minutes of the first leg, is not a sure bet for next week’s finale. He was still struggling with tightness in his legs against Tigres and said on Thursday that he “wasn’t feeling great” in the aftermath of the game. He hopes almost a week without a match will give him the time he needs to fully recover.

Vanney too hopes there’s an advantage to having a few days to recover, a luxury not available to Tigres, who play Club Tijuana on Saturday night.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

But either way, the Reds seem to have a taste for playing meaningful matches.

“I know everyone will fight for it,” said defender Chris Mavinga, who signed a new multi-year deal with the club Thursday. “This is the goal for this year, to win the Champions League, so we have to be ready for the second leg and be the best on the field.”

Read more about: