By Mike Crampton
For Toronto FC it’s been a season bookended by Santos Laguna. Back in late March the team from Torreon, Mexico travelled to Toronto for what was TFC biggest home game in history; now, precisely five months later they return for the last meaningful home game of TFC’s season. The last encounter was a memorable draw, full of incident, where Toronto managed to hold their own against one of the continent’s very best sides. It’s easy to forget but, incredibly, the Reds still maintain an undefeated home record against Mexican opposition. There have been a couple of heavy losses south of the Rio Grande but up here, in the Great White North, Toronto has punched above their weight and taken something from every encounter.
The problem for Toronto is that they may have woken the bear. Santos Laguna ultimately annihilated the Reds in the second half of the second leg in Torreon, as had been their style before against Montreal and Seattle, but before then their pride was damaged and a level of personal enmity was created. Complicating matters is the new wrinkle of the Champions League format. If TFC are serious about advancing in this year’s competition then, realistically, a draw at home will not be enough. With only one side advancing out of the group and CD Aguila essentially already written off Toronto must defeat Santos at home or they’ll likely face the uphill task of needing to win in Torreon.
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One thing is certain about this match: Paul Mariner’s Toronto FC team who take the field will not be the same group of players who represented the club under Aron Winter in the spring. The list of players no longer with the club, unavailable, or unlikely to play is substantial when compared to the 13 who saw the field in the spring: Nick Soolsma, Julian De Guzman, Miguel Aceval, and Joao Plata are gone while Ty Harden is rarely seen. Now word has come out of TFC that regular goalkeeper Milos Kocic has been dropped in favour of newcomer Freddy Hall. The decision has baffled many supporters but it’s worth remembering that, for all his heroic shot stopping, Kocic has had his share of blunders. Gifting a goal back to CD Aguila with the game still somewhat in the balance didn’t end up hurting the Reds but, against a better opponent, would probably be remember a lot less charitably.
What might be of more concern for Reds supporters is that, of the missing players, virtually all of them were noted for their superior performances in the Champions League. Soolsma and Plata were both key offensive catalysts in TFC’s run to the semi-finals while it was regularly acknowledged that Julian De Guzman’s style seemed to fit better against the more possession oriented opponents that the Reds faced in the tournament. Aceval may have committed an inordinate share of defensive errors in his four games in the tournament but he also won’t be available to recreate his one moment of glory in red when he belted home the equalizer in the clubs’ 1-1 draw back in March.
A further concern is likely to be how the change in Toronto’s style from an attacking possession based team to a defensive long ball side will impact their ability to compete with the Mexicans. It’s worth remembering however that TFC’s lone victory over a Mexican opponent, the 2-1 win over Cruz Azul achieved back in the summer of 2010, came under the leadership of Preki and his arguably even more defensive and cagey style of play. In that match Toronto changed things up, took the game to their opponents, and produced one of the finer footballing displays in the club’s short history. Granted, that performance may have been a fluke but it shows that it’s not impossible for a team more designed to stay competitive in the rough and rugged style of MLS to raise their game and change their style to suit continental play.
Already under Mariner the Reds produced what was very likely the most dominating victory the club has ever enjoyed. CD Aguila may have been a tired and unmotivated opponent but Toronto has faced clubs of that level before in this tournament and never come away with a 5-1 win. The likelihood of anything like that being repeated against a superior side like Santos is virtually nil but you never know what will happen in a game of football.