

Posted by

Ian Clarke ,

September 11, 2015 Email

Ian Clarke



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Toronto FC return home to BMO field looking to recoup and heal ahead of a critical Eastern Conference showdown as they host the New England Revolution on Sunday afternoon. The Revs are currently three points ahead of TFC, but with a game in hand. It is an important battle for fourth place and all the spoils would go a long way in avoiding the wild card round of the MLS playoffs. Greg Vanney will once again have his hands full with roster selection, as several key players are returning from injury and all hands will be needed fit and healthy if TFC are to make a legitimate push to being in form come end of October, and near the top of the table. Keep thinking

TFC are coming off of a banged up and depleted display last weekend where they put in a valiant effort away to the Seattle Sounders. Despite CenturyLink Field being the scene of some bitter defeats, Toronto looked the better side for long stretches of the match, without key players such as Giovinco, Benoit Cheyrou and Jozy Altidore. Whether that had as much to do with Toronto punching above their weight, or a surprising display of how poor Seattle are this season, remains to be seen and will be confirmed over the coming weeks as the playoffs nears. What the 2-1 loss did demonstrate was some character performances and some confidence that there is decent depth in the squad to at least improve on the terrible road performances seen previously. Michael Bradley is finally looking to be the engine that TFC need in the midfield and in the kind of form supporters saw off the hop in 2014. Jonathan Osorio continues to grow as a competent attacking midfielder and offer more than just dribbling and some key passes. Despite defensive errors continuing to plague the team, all defenders, specifically Clement Simonin, did well considering their inexperience and gives hope they could develop into more consistent performances. The loss did however underscore how much the team leans on Giovinco to lift them above opposition, and his return, even with him coming off an injury being a consideration, will need to be weighed carefully by Greg Vanney. Jozy Altidore will be back from national team duty, and will be a plus as he's been finding the back of goal with frequency of late. Benoit Cheyrou also is a player Toronto will need to rely on down the stretch as he has been one of the most important players in linking up with Giovinco and efficiently starting out possession for the Reds. The reason why all these components coming together is so important is because New England are currently in a formidable run of results and a win would keep TFC from being out of reach of fourth place or above. Not only that, but this match also harkens back to the home fixture last season, at nearly the same time, which started the unraveling and ultimate demise for Ryan Nelsen and beginning of Greg Vanney's tenure as head coach. Simply put, this game will be a very strong indicator of how far TFC have improved over the last year. In that 3-0 loss last season TFC had become one of the most predictable teams in MLS and other clubs came to BMO knowing exactly how to dispatch them. What New England demonstrated was scoring from distance against a team who would sit back and allow the likes of Lee Nguyen and Kaleyn Rowe all the space required around the 18 yard box to have a go at goal. Aside from that was a completely uninspiring and unmotivated performance from the likes of Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio and Luke Moore. This year, New England have struggled at times, having been through a five game losing streak not long ago. In that stretch, it could be seen that the goals that made them contenders last season weren't coming and specifically Ngyun's 20 goals were not being replaced despite a plethora of attacking options. However, the Revs are currently unbeaten in six, winning four in a row and their only goal surrendered over that four-game run has been to TFC. Even though Nguyen has not been scoring as much, he has been setting up his teammates and New England have been balanced in their goal scoring of late. Up top, Charlie Davies, Juan Agudelo and Diego Fagundez all have been playing well. While aside from Nguyen in the midfield, Kaylen Rowe and Chris Teireney both have held down their positions. Add in the possible return of Jermain Jones and Toronto will have their hands full should they not have their best available. The one positive for Toronto is this season they have been much better at BMO Field and have instilled a stronger home field advantage. But make no mistake, this is a match where quality will be required and inexperience on the backline could be exploited. Should Justin Morrow and Ahmed Kantari be ready, that will go a long way in improving things, but they will need support in front of goal. Michael Bradley has been carrying more of the load in the midfield and will need to erase last year's performance, which was abysmal. Greg Vanney did well last week to prepare his side for a fight on the road, and this is another match where nothing can be left to chance. Any slip up in discipline will be the difference as Toronto need to begin establishing themselves as a team beyond the heroics of Giovinco. If Vanney has the players available, an in turn can set up a disciplined approach for his defenders and midfield, the attack will sort it self out and Toronto could close the distance on the top teams in the East. In the end

TFC return home after a valiant effort against the Seattle Sounders. Unfortunately the task doesn't get any easier as the red hot New England Revolution comes to town almost on the one year anniversary of them whooping Toronto 3-0 and being the beginning of the end for Ryan Nelsen. Toronto are hoping their injured players such as Giovinco and Benoit Cheyrou can be fit, however, the next month is critical and those games will be essential for a good playoff run. This match will be a true test to how far Greg Vanney has taken the side and one where once the full team is back and healthy, it can be expected a more definitive result. Prediction

Toronto FC 1-1 New England