Home at last.
After a road trip that felt like forever (it's only really been 17 days), TFC return to the sometimes-friendly confines of BMO Field on Saturday night. For a number of Toronto players, the match will be the first opportunity to actually play as a Red at home after a frantic past couple of weeks traveling the continent.
In addition to the return to the lake shore, Toronto are coming off an increasingly rare week in which they've had no games scheduled, a seven-day stretch during which the players will have hopefully refreshed both physically and mentally.
Incoming are the 2009 MLS Cup champs and 2011 CONCACAF Champions League runners-up Real Salt Lake, a team that's stumbled recently but seem to be rounding back into the form that has made them one of the most feared sides in MLS.
And just in time to face Toronto.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
RSL have, at times, looked a shell of their former selves after losing the CONCACAF final in a most painful way. The weight of that loss seemed to visibly hang from the shoulders of every Salt Lake player in the subsequent weeks and months, and while the results were still largely positive, they were hardly the dominance that we'd become accustomed to from late 2009 onward.
The loss of talisman Javier Morales in the early going surely didn't help, as it just seemed another blow against a side that still reeling from the knockout punch delivered by Humberto Suazo of Monterrey in that ill-fated continental finale.
Still, the Utah club is a deeply talented and superbly-organized team, and after a mourning period that stretched from early May to late June, Jason Kreis' side have bounced back to the tune of four wins in their past seven league matches.
Most recently, they dismantled the faltering Red Bulls 3-0 at Rio Tinto, the type of dominant performance that was more often seen in 2010, and -- perhaps more importantly -- an end to a two-game slide in which Salt Lake looked decidedly average.
It's the fact that RSL have looked decidedly average very recently that gives Toronto hope in this match, as the Reds are still a patchwork crew looking to gel into something resembling a cohesive unit.
There have been moments, especially in TFC's suddenly talented midfield, where the Reds have shown just what they can do when going forward. The back line is, as always, a disaster waiting to happen, but Toronto's new-found ability to actually score goals seems to be enough to keep them in games these days.
An interesting stat was floated around recently that shocked quite a few: Real Salt Lake have never scored a goal at BMO Field in MLS play. If you add in the 1-1 deadlock in last year's Champions League group stage, RSL have still only scored once in five total appearances at 170 Princes Blvd.
If history were to hold true, then Toronto should be able to pull off something positive on Saturday night.
If.
--
Injuries: It's being reported that Stefan Frei has a mild knee injury and will likely be rested against RSL, meaning that Milos Kocic will get his first league start of 2011.
After Kocic's blunder versus Real Esteli back in July, Aron Winter went right back to the second-string keeper the following week in Nicaragua in order to allow him to regain some lost confidence. That seems like a sound move now.
On the other side of the ledger, hulking centre back Jamison Olave is still questionable for Salt Lake. He's been out since the All-Star Game, and was in doubt to travel to Toronto this week. Olave's possible absence is a like-for-like in regards to Frei's ailments, as each are arguably their respective club's best defender.
Toronto FC v. Real Salt Lake
Saturday, August 13, 2011. 7:00pm EDT.
BMO Field. Toronto, ON.
Watch: GolTV Canada, MLS MatchDay Live
Listen: Sportsnet Radio FAN 590, FAN590.com
Rudi Schuller contributes Toronto FC and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He manages the Euro File here at Canadian Soccer News, and is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.