Even as little as three weeks ago, when the teams met in Toronto, TFC were still firm favourites. A quick opening goal seemed to beckon the possibility of a comprehensive victory for the Reds but, by the end of the night, catastrophe had struck. The crisis Toronto FC find themselves in had its germination in that game.
Predictably, it had to be a pair of former Toronto players, Robert Earnshaw and Quincy Amarikwa, who scored the Fire’s pair of equalizers but that, and even the couple of potential points dropped as a result, wasn’t the real disaster. What were far more important were TFC’s three substitutes: Steven Caldwell, Justin Morrow, and Jermain Defoe. None have returned, Defoe might be gone for good, and the Reds have been outscored 6 – 0 in the three games since.
The question of Ryan Nelsen or Greg Vanney is, for the short term at least, probably less important than who is available to start along Toronto’s backline. The suggestion is that Morrow is ready to return to his regular left back position which will help, as Doneil Henry has picked up a suspension for yellow card accumulation. With Caldwell still unavailable that probably means Nick Hagglund and Bradley Orr in central defence.
Vanney’s style, the extent that he has been able to effect it, has seen Toronto’s fullbacks bombing forward with reckless abandon. Morrow can do that and still get back to support the centre backs which will be important as, so far, the approach has left dangerous amounts of space for opponents to counterattack into. If Chicago’s quick, small forwards can execute those counters better than Philly’s did the potential for a truly embarrassing score line is well within the realm of possibility. Any loss will edge TFC closer to playoff irrelevance but a blowout would add substantial insult to an already injured fan base.
All that said, maybe this really is the game where the Reds save their season. As thin as they are at the back, this is still the same squad of players who were looking like a solid lock for the playoffs five weeks ago and Chicago are far from world beaters.
In fact, one of the reasons Chicago had to bring in Earnshaw in midseason was Mike Magee’s injury situation. Last season’s league MVP and nearly top scorer, Magee is probably the only star on the Fire and, after dealing with a variety of issues all season, his season is now over permanently after hip surgery on Monday.
Without Magee, Frank Yallop’s squad is as close to vanilla as you’re likely to find in Major League Soccer. The Fire don’t lose as often as their table position would suggest, but they certainly don’t win very often either. From their perspective, two draws against TFC in two previous meetings are probably exactly what you’d expect.
A gritty performance, a little organization, even a fluke goal might be all it takes to emerge from the tailspin TFC have slipped into. Three points are on offer, and as the saying goes, “football is a funny old game.” The right team doesn’t always win and, as throughout most of their history, that’s what we’re back to hoping for here in Toronto.