The Blue Hell is where it all began for Toronto FC’s Mark Bloom.

It’s a small, boisterous 20,000-seat stadium situated west of Kansas City’s downtown core.

When Bloom pulled up in a cab outside Kansas City’s Sporting Park last July, he was in awe.

In his proudest moment, despite being signed from the Atlanta Silverbacks a day earlier, the Toronto FC defender was informed he couldn’t enter the venue.

“I had to go to the stadium earlier than all the guys because I had to get a physical,” Bloom told me ahead of Friday night’s match against Sporting KC, the 26-year-old’s first return to the stadium he first wore an MLS kit in.

“So we got dropped off in front of the stadium and had to go through security. We couldn’t get in. They wouldn’t believe who we were.”

Who could blame stadium officials? Most TFC fans didn’t know who Bloom was. His name wasn’t yet on the roster.

A year later, Bloom enters Friday night’s Eastern Conference tilt in the American heartland with a much different, more confident mindset.

“I just remember being amazed at the whole stadium,” Bloom reminisced. “I wasn’t used to the really nice stadiums. Then, seeing the locker room and seeing my jersey for the first time was pretty surreal for me, seeing my name on the back of an MLS jersey. That was a pretty special moment for me.

“It was very overwhelming. I didn’t think I would play, but I was pretty nervous. I didn’t want to play because I was kind of scared.”

The 2013 Reds were scary, too. They’d won just one of 15 MLS matches ahead of Bloom’s debut.

A 3-0 loss in Kansas City that night dropped TFC’s MLS record at the time to 2-9-7.

This time around, Toronto heads out to play the defending MLS champs with a much different mindset. The Reds are close to level with KC in terms of points per game this season and Bloom is now a bonafide MLSer, brimming with confidence.

“It comes with getting games under your belt,” Bloom told the Toronto Sun. “The confidence to know you’re good enough to be out there. You deserve to be out there. I’m going into this game (Friday night) expecting to do well.”

Coming off a solid 2-0 win over New York last weekend, Toronto FC is expecting a lot more this time around, especially when you consider the hosts will be without a pair of key U.S. internationals —Graham Zusi and Matt Besler — and pretty much every centre back the club has.

Aurelien Collin is expected to miss Friday night through injury and KC’s reserve centre back, Lawrence Olum, is away in Kenya on international duty.

To make matters worse for KC, the club’s backup to its backup central defender, Erik Palmer-Brown, was sent off in a 2-1 loss at Chicago on Sunday.

For once, TFC’s opposition appears to be the side that’s vulnerable due to a lack of bodies.

“Look, we’re missing Jackson, potentially Jonathan Osorio and Michael Bradley as well. That’s three of our starting midfield,” TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen reminded reporters this week. “Nobody shed any tears for us when we were struggling (with injuries) at the beginning of the season. So, I’m not going to shed a tear for them.”

Instead of shedding tears, the hosts will likely be a bit disillusioned if they drop a third consecutive MLS match.

After falling to Philadelphia and Chicago in back-to-back fixtures, a loss to Toronto would see KC drop its third straight MLS match for the first time since May 2012.

Nelsen will have some key decisions to make if TFC is to make that happen.

Nick Hagglund has done well in two previous starts and should usurp Doneil Henry for the centre-back spot next to Steven Caldwell.

Toronto’s management will also have a key decision to make centrally with newly acquired midfielder Collen Warner available for selection and defensive stalwart Bradley Orr also a possibility to feature in the holding role left vacant by Michael Bradley.

While they’re not quite favourites away from BMO Field on Friday night, the Reds are approaching even money to get their first-ever result at Sporting Park – mostly due to Kansas City’s absences.

And, of course, in part due to Toronto FC’s more recognizable faces – a list that, since TFC’s last visit, now includes Bloom.

TORONTO FC AT SPORTING KC

ROSTER REPORT

DOUBTFUL: Osorio (hamstring); Jackson (concussion)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: Bradley (U.S.); Cesar (Brazil)

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

ALL-TIME (18 matches): Sporting 10 wins, TFC 4 wins, Ties 4

AT K.C. (9 meetings): Sporting 7 wins, TFC 1 win, Ties 1

MARQUEE MATCHUP

Dom Dwyer (KC) vs. Steven Caldwell (TFC)

Dom Dwyer (left) is quickly becoming one of the biggest pests in the league. Small in stature, he is a bulldog up front, both quick and powerful. His eight goals – one off the league lead – is evidence of how deadly he can be. For the most part this season, TFC captain Steven Caldwell has done an excellent job of marshalling his back four and not allowing opposing forwards to exploit the space behind him. If Caldwell and Nick Hagglund do as well as they did against New York last week, the Reds are more than capable of potting a few at the opposite end.

kurtis.larson@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @KurtLarsun