One day after the Rapture, and Toronto FC have ascended into the sky.
No, they weren't called into Heaven. Instead, they have travelled to Commerce City, Colorado, to take on the Rapids in a rare Sunday tilt that does nothing but add pressure to an already-packed May schedule.
Toronto, of course, have eyes for the Voyageurs Cup, which will be decided at BMO Field on Wednesday night in what is sure to be a real "cracker" of a match. But watching Aron Winter talk about it, you get the impression that every game is of equal value, regardless of whether it is a chance at rare silverware or a mundane league away match in a near-unwinnable venue.
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Winter has been quick to point out to anyone that'll listen that he takes the old sporting cliché "taking it one game at a time" to heart, refusing to even discuss the Nutrilite Championship finale in the build up to the Colorado match over the past few days.
And he's not one to simply pay lip service to that philosophy, taking a decidedly middle-of-the-road approach to rotating his players during this ridiculously hectic stretch of games. Winter has clearly identified his preferred core of players and has ridden them out, game in and game out. Don't be surprised if much of that core is on the pitch tonight at Dick's Sporting Good's Park in suburban Denver.
Of course, injuries and suspensions -- and an unexpected national team call-up -- will force Winter's hand in regards to relying on his core. Julian de Guzman is out due to yellow card accumulation, and fellow midfielders Tony Tchani and Jacob Peterson are serious doubt after falling victim to Empire Field's awful artificial turf in the midweek.
If all three are unavailable, Winter and company will be faced with picking a side that features none of his preferred midfielders, something that'll severely test the depth of this overhauled Reds squad.
Who gets the call in their stead?
Will it be the beleaguered Nathan Sturgis, a player who has only seen spot duty under a new regime that clearly doesn't rate him? Will Matt Gold get a start after a less-than-stellar outing in Vancouver last week? What about Oscar Cordon, the highly-talented Canadian rookie who doesn't seem to be quite ready for the league just yet?
On top of the midfield dilemma, "Little Greatness" Joao Plata has earned himself a call to the full Ecuadorean national side for a North American tour, potentially pulling the tiny dynamo from Winter's plans for tonight. The training camp -- starting tonight -- inexplicably takes place in Ecuador, even though their matches will be played in Seattle, Toronto and New York and even though a number of players will be coming back from Europe to take part.
Given that the story on MLS and TFC's site says that Plata would be expected to show up to camp tonight, one would reasonably expect him to miss the match in Colorado. But then, a video of Plata expressing his happiness at the call-up has appeared alongside the story on the TFC site -- ostensibly shot in Colorado, so it's hard to say where he'll be at kickoff time.
On the other side of the pitch, the Rapids are dealing with their own absences, mostly through a rash of injuries that has hit their attacking players. Omar Cummings, Caleb Folan, Quincy Amarikwa, and Conor Casey have all had health issues of late, with only Casey and Amarikwa expected to be available for selection. Add in Macoumba Kandji's ACL tear from MLS Cup 2010, and Colorado's got a heavily-hobbled crop of forwards.
Add in veteran midfielder Brian Mullan's lengthy suspension for cutting Steve Zakuani's leg in half, and you've got a Rapids team missing a fair bit of experience.
Despite all of that that, the Rapids have had a decent start to the season, amassing 15 points from their first ten games (good enough for a fourth-place tie with New York). Colorado will always have an altitude advantage playing at home, and they've wisely augmented that advantage by making the field at DSGP as wide and long as legally possible.
For a team that loves to play the ball wide have have their full-backs make deep, surging runs all game long, fatigue may hit Toronto more than some of Colorado's other visitors so far this year. That said, the Rapids are not exactly playing like dominant reigning champions, and with a decimated attacking corps they may be ripe for a nicked point.
Colorado Rapids v. Toronto FC
Sunday, May 22, 2011. 7:00pm EDT.
Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Commerce City, CO.
Watch: GolTV Canada, MLS MatchDay Live
Listen: FAN 590, FAN590.com