TORONTO

Don’t put your scarves and red kits away just yet, TFC fans.

Despite sitting bottom of the table on just five wins from 32 league games in 2013, Toronto’s set to feature in two of the biggest matches of the season in back-to-back weeks.

Looking forward, assuming the Montreal Impact, who were once top of the table, continue to choke, the Quebecers, Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union will all be on 46 points heading into this weekend.

With Toronto travelling to take on Chicago this Saturday, the Reds have a chance to either help or hurt their biggest rival’s playoff chances.

At this point, the aforementioned three teams appear to be fighting for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, with the New York Red Bulls and Sporting KC having already qualified and the Houston Dynamo sitting safely in third.

In one scenario, a Toronto loss at Chicago will likely see the Fire secure a playoff berth, with the Impact and Union facing off at Saputo Stadium on the same day.

While the Impact will be favoured, it’s not out of the question Philly will manage a draw against a struggling Impact side — fresh off a midweek game in L.A. — that hasn’t scored in back-to-back games.

If the stars align, that would leave both the Union and Impact on 47 points and both fighting for the fifth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot on the final day of the season, when Montreal travels to BMO Field for what might be the biggest home MLS match in TFC’s history.

At the very minimum, Montreal will come to town with playoff positioning on the line in two week’s time, a good thing for TFC fans who have been arriving late and leaving early at a venue that hasn’t witnessed a meaningful match since the Canada-U.S. Rugby World Cup qualifier in August.

WINTER SKED LOOMNG?

It didn’t take long for Major League Soccer to shoot down a Monday report saying the league is looking at implementing a European-based schedule as early as 2014 — something that drew immediate ire from wary fans.

If implemented now, or in the future, the MLS season would begin in late July or early August and end in late May or early June, according to the New York Daily News, who first reported the story.

The 10-month season would include a six- to eight-week winter break.

Citing a league source, the Daily News said MLS commissioner Don Garber has intensified his examination of implementing a new calendar.

Rampant online speculation fuelled a response from MLS headquarters Monday when Dan Courtemanche, the league’s executive vice president of communications, seemed to put the rumours to bed.

“‘Rumors’ is an appropriate way to classify it,” he responded via Twitter. “MLS has reviewed many possible schedule formats throughout the years.

“We hope to announce soon, but the timing will be very similar to the current season.”

The league currently runs from early March through early December — break-free — with this year’s final falling on Dec. 7, the latest date for an MLS Cup in the league’s 18-year history.

If the report is to be believed, it brings up massive concerns, most notably the possibility of cold-weather cities throughout the midwest and northeast hosting games in late February.

Then, there’s viewership and attendance concerns.

With both the NBA and NHL regular seasons finishing up in early April, Major League Soccer’s current setup sees it take advantage of a summer window when only Major League Baseball is in session, a huge tidbit for MLS cities that house each of the other major North American sports.

Soccer in this country isn’t ready to compete with the big boys — NCAA football and the NFL — and it seems the league’s front office realizes that, for now.

READY FOR FRIENDLY

Canadian men’s national soccer team head coach Benito Floro alerted media to the task ahead during a Monday teleconference from London, England, where Canada meets Australia in a friendly match at Craven Cottage.

Ahead of Tuesday’s match, the Australians are going through a rough time of their own as the federation canned former Canadian head coach Holger Osieck following a 6-0 loss to France last week.

“For us, it doesn’t matter (what’s going on with Australia),” Floro said. “Because we plan to play in our system and for me, it doesn’t matter.”

What that system is remains to be seen. Canada enters Tuesday’s match riding a 10-game winless run that has seen them score just once along the way.

With young players like midfielders Michael Petrasso (Queens Park Rangers) and Stefan Cebara (unattached) in camp alongside young MLSers like Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio and Doneil Henry, Floro is attempting to shape Canada’s national team into something that will be competitive by the time 2018 World Cup qualifying rolls around.

“We need to work on a lot of days, a lot of camps because we are in a special moment,” Floro said. “It’s necessary to teach the young players to achieve the level of other players. We need a lot of camps. It’s not a question of one week or one camp.

“We need to work the young players from 17 years old to prepare all the players to play for the first national team. If not, it’s very difficult to achieve the first team playing well.”