By: Michael Crampton
As Toronto FC prepares for the stretch run of their intensive 10 game, month long, two-a-week early summer schedule the refrain has not changed: this club needs wins and needs them sooner rather than later. Winless in three is a far cry from “worst team in the world” territory but the nature of the Reds’ defeat on the weekend, an abject failure where it seemed the team decided to take the night off against Philadelphia, has quickly muted any small inklings of positivity that were beginning to peak their head above the parapet during the team’s five game undefeated streak.
So far, in his short period in charge, Paul Mariner has been confronted with two other tests of his ability to get the team to respond with a solid performance in their next game after adverse results. Arguably, two of the best performances TFC have exhibited with him in charge were in those matches.
The first, a draw in Houston on June 20th, came on the back of Mariner’s first game as head coach of the club against Kansas City. Toronto were run over by Sporting in the opening exchanges of that match and easily could have been down four goals by half time. The final score of 2-0 to KC might not look atrocious but, added to the infamy of the subsequent Club Escobar incident and the loss of Adrian Cann, TFC’s next game looked nearly impossible. While they did eventually run out of gas and conceded two late goals that allowed the Dynamo to equalize the idea of Toronto FC scoring three goals in the first half of an away game would have been nearly inconceivable to Reds’ supporters before it happened.
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The second major test of Mariner’s ability to get the team to respond came seven days later in Montreal. Allowing Houston back into the game and blowing a two goal lead may have been, however disappointing, somewhat understandable away from home in the tough conditions of Houston’s humidity. To do the same thing, with an even later equalizer, in a game that seemed to be under control up until the 70th minute at home to New England was worse than disappointing. It was the sort of dagger to the heart Toronto fans are all too used to from the team and, for those inclined to see Mariner as more of a continuation of the previous regime rather than a fresh start, seemed to confirm that little had changed at TFC. Emphatically beating the Impact 3-0 away in the next game wasn’t just a satisfying defeat of a rival that spoiled the debut of their first Designated Player it was, measured by margin of victory, Toronto FC’s biggest ever away win in the league.
Now, facing Vancouver Wednesday night at BMO Field, Paul Mariner faces a similar set of circumstances. For the first time however he’ll be doing it in front of a home crowd. That presents a danger as much as an opportunity. Regardless of the performance on the weekend – BECAUSE of the performance on the weekend – loyal Reds supporters who fill the stands will be expecting their team to compete. Losing is never impossible in football no matter how well you perform but excuses will be hard to swallow if Toronto can’t take points at home. TFC’s fan base has stuck around in surprisingly large numbers through a half decade of disappointment (and scattered success) but, after losing five straight home matches to start the year, are never too far from turning on the team. If he wants to be Toronto head coach for longer than most incumbents in the position managing that relationship and getting the supporters back on side is as much Mariner’s job as managing the team.
For their part, Vancouver enter this match looking to cap off a solid string of away results over the past week. Currently tied with Seattle for third place in the Western Conference with a game in hand the ‘Caps may have been making noises about avenging their Voyageur’s Cup final defeat but the match is surely more important to their overall season goal of making the playoffs. A loss for Vancouver wouldn’t be disastrous to their season but it would be a missed opportunity to pick up valuable road points.
TFC fans would normally be happy to hear of the suspension of striker Eric Hassli but that just means they’ll have to watch out for Whitecaps new boy Darren Mattocks instead. Mattocks, the second overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, has been integrating into the team well since early May and that occasionally allowed ‘Caps head coach Martin Rennie to move Hassli to the bench by choice already. It’s a level of depth at the centre forward position that Mariner must envy and, in comparison, in form Reds striker Danny Koevermans’ original status as questionable for the match will be a real cause for concern. Koevermans looks to be available but if he’s carrying minor injuries built up over the previous four weeks that might explain his contribution to the sluggish performance in Philadelphia. Toronto’s recent up tick in form has been powered by his scoring and goals will need to come from somewhere if there’s to be any hope of a response against Vancouver.