TORONTO

What’s Italian for “out of sight, out of mind?”

Toronto FC striker Sebastian Giovinco hoped his Major League Soccer move wouldn’t cause Antonio Conte to look the other way.

On Sunday, Giovinco’s hopes were dashed when Italy’s manager snubbed the 28-year-old former Juventus star ahead of a EURO 2016 qualifier against Bulgaria on Saturday.

Instead, TFC’s No. 10 will be available when the Reds play in Salt Lake City on Sunday night.

Conte had included Giovinco in several previous EURO qualifiers and even included him on Italy’s preliminary callup list last week.

Giovinco told reporters in January that he didn’t think his move away from Serie A would impact his status with the Azzurri.

“Only (the manager) knows,” Giovinco told Simon Evans of Reuters last weekend.

“If it is opportune, he will call me.”

He added: “The door is open ... We have a good relationship, but it is a normal one. It’s not like we speak every day or something.”

With Toronto FC teammate Jozy Altidore set to miss next Sunday’s Reds match through international duty, having Giovinco will be a bonus for head coach Greg Vanney, who feared he’d be without his two first-choice attackers for a difficult road test.

YANKS CALLED UP

Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley will join Altidore for a pair of U.S. friendlies in Denmark and Switzerland this week. As a result of being called up by U.S. bench boss Jurgen Klinsmann, the Reds will be without two of their most influential players in Salt Lake.

“We want to work on a couple of things with these two games with Denmark and a very strong Switzerland,” Klinsmann said. “We want to prove that we can really compete with these guys in their countries, in their homes and get results there.

“We want to see that the players give everything they have in terms of making their own cases for the Gold Cup, because the Gold Cup should obviously should take us to the Confederations Cup 2017 in Russia. So we need to be spot on. This is the way to showcase yourself in these two games.”

Klinsmann didn’t do Toronto FC any favours on Sunday, leaving World Cup veteran and Real Salt Lake lynchpin Kyle Beckerman off his roster for the upcoming exhibitions.

However, Salt Lake will be without at least three influential starters with midfielder Luis Gil joining up with the U.S. under-23s and goalkeeper Nick Rimando joining Bradley and Altidore.

Salt Lake’s top attacker, Alvaro Saborio, has been called up by Costa Rica.

Toronto FC reserve midfielder Marky Delgado has also been called up by the U.S. under-20s.

FAMILIAR TERRITORY

Before arriving in Toronto this past off-season, Robbie Findley was still training with his old buddies at Real Salt Lake, where he has spent six of his eight MLS seasons.

Now, he’s preparing to travel back the Rockies for the first time since the Reds took a chance on the 29-year-old World Cup vet.

“(Salt Lake) was a huge part in my career,” Findley told the Toronto Sun.

“They put together a good squad and some good coaching staffs. In 2009, we won MLS Cup. It did a lot of things for my career.”

Funny enough, Findley originally scoffed at the idea of heading to Utah when he was traded there from the Los Angeles Galaxy during his first season in the league.

“I wasn’t too excited about it,” Findley added. “But everything ended up working out.

“It’s a great city with great fans and I liked it a lot.”

Findley’s TFC teammate Collin Warner will also be in familiar territory next Sunday.Warner spend his first two seasons in MLS under former RSL bench boss Jason Kreis.

“It’s great to go back,” Warner told the Sun. “I haven’t been back for two or three years. To play in Rio Tinto Stadium is special. They have really great fans there.

“We’re going to be missing a few starters. I hope I get into the lineup.”

Sale Lake is 32-8-11 over the past three seasons playing at Rio Tinto — good enough for the third best home record in Major League Soccer.

THIS AND THAT

The San Jose Earthquakes opened up the new Avaya Stadium on Sunday night in front of a packed house. Before Sunday, the ’Quakes had played in close to a dozen different venues during their existence ... ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman is questioning whether the league’s decision to expand its playoff format to include 12 of 20 teams is negatively impacting the product. Twellman, who played for the New England Revolution for nine seasons, says the expanded playoff format allows clubs to sit back and accept draws. “Where’s the urgency,” Twellman asked at halftime of the Red Bulls-DC United game. “There’s a lack of urgency to get three points at home.” ... FC Dallas remains the only perfect club in MLS. The Hoops are 3-0-0 after topping the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park this past weekend.