So it all comes down to this then. After 44 games, 31 of which have ended without the Reds getting the full three points, Toronto will play one game with a season on the line.
Well, sort of. Would a victory in Dallas tomorrow make up for the 3-0 loss to DC United, the 6-2 to Philly or the 5-0 to New York? Would it help TFC fans forget the tepid play or the fact that TFC was eliminated from the playoffs with almost a month to play (Officially. Realistically the plug was pulled long before it was official)?
If we’re honest with ourselves, probably not. Still, after five years it would be something that will be appreciated by those that appreciate the club the most. However, as I’ve written in this space before, the majority of the crowd at a typical TFC game in MLS play won’t much care – they’ve demonstrated as much by showing up to CCL dressed as red seats.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
That won’t be from a lack of effort by the TFC communications staff. A quick look at the team’s official Web site shows a club entirely focused on the CCL. You’d barely know that the Reds played in MLS from reading Torontofc.ca. The supporter’s boards are the same way. It’s all CCL, all the time.
In contrast, FC Dallas’ site has yet to write an advance article on the game. The game day thread on the Dallas BigSoccer page has six posts. The obsession is not the same.
There, FCD fans have a second straight playoff berth to look forward to. As frustrating as that might be to a TFC fan, it might work out for the Reds. Dallas will want to avoid the wildcard game and they need a win against San Jose on Saturday to have a chance of overtaking Salt Lake and getting a bye through the single elimination wildcard round. The club will give mouth service to wanting to advance, but they will likely have an eye on the final weekend when the game kicks off.
Clearly, Dallas is a much better team than TFC this season. However, in the 3.5 games the two clubs have played against each other so far this year Dallas has hardly owned the pitch – every game has ended (or “ended” in the .5 case) 1-0 for the team from Texas. So, it’s not that absurd that Toronto could win.
It will be an upset though. And one that TFC fans should prepare themselves for. Off the top of the article I asked whether one win tomorrow would make up for the frustration that has too often been a part of this year. I concluded that it won’t. But, there is another side to it.
Would a loss tomorrow suddenly eliminate any positives from the year? No, it won’t. There has been an improvement, there are reasons for hope. The simple fact that Toronto scratched themselves to the point where it could advance tomorrow is a good sign. The Reds are no longer pushovers. They are 7-7-6 in all competitions since the start of the transfer window. It improves to 7-7-4 if you eliminate the first two games after the window opened, when the changes were still taking place. The 1.35 points per game pace would give them 45 points over the full season. That’s in the playoffs. The record since the changes were fully made translates to 51 points. That wins the east.
Statistics, damn statistics and lies and all that, but it’s wrong to suggest that there is nothing positive going on right now.
And a loss tomorrow won’t change that.