BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Sunday’s match against Toronto FC is going to be a “weird” one for Dan Gargan.

The Fire will face his old team for the first time since the Reds sent him and a 2012 draft pick to Chicago for defender Dasan Robinson last month. Gargan revitalized his career with Toronto after briefly retiring in 2008 and playing for the USL’s Puerto Rico Islanders in 2009.

“It’s a weird feeling,” Gargan told MLSsoccer.com after the Fire’s 1-1 draw against D.C. United Thursday night. “Toronto gave me a great opportunity to give me the platform to be the player that I knew I could be.”

While he’s grateful for the chance Toronto gave him when they signed him before the start of the 2010 season, Gargan said that things were difficult this year under TFC’s new regime. New head coach and technical director Aron Winter has made changes liberally, bringing new tactics and plenty of new players to BMO Field.

All of that upheaval and some poor results — Toronto are in seventh place in the East with 23 points through 26 games — took a toll on Gargan.



“This year was difficult and it was difficult under the direction that they brought in,” Gargan said. “My home’s in Chicago now. This is my team and I feel great being here and I feel right at home. [Interim head coach Frank Klopas] and the rest of the staff have welcomed me with open arms and the guys in the locker room have been amazing. This is the team that I’m a part of and this is the team that I’m fighting for. I want to win.”



Gargan and his new teammates will have to put up a strong fight if they’re to get all three points on Sunday. TFC are surging, compiling a 4-0-2 record in their last six matches across all competitions, including a 2-1 CONCACAF Champions League win at Panamanian club Tauro FC on Thursday.

Chicago, meanwhile, are coming off two straight draws, the latest coming Thursday against DC.

“There has to just be a little bit more in both final thirds,” Gargan said of Sunday's. “In our attacking final third, there’s got to be balls in the back of the net and in our defensive third on [DC’s] goal, one of those passes has to be closed down. There’s just got to be a little bit more of a sense of urgency and it needs to happen immediately.”

Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. E-mail him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.