By Michael Crampton
From 2007, when Toronto FC joined the league, to 2010 Major League Soccer employed a 30 game regular season schedule. After a run of four consecutive losses to start their league campaign that is essentially what TFC’s season has become; just everyone else gets to play 34 games. The exertions of a CONCACAF Champions League campaign are no longer there to provide distractions (or excuses) and Aron Winter’s men must start picking up points soon or supporters face the bleak prospect of another summer and fall of increasingly meaningless games at BMO Field.
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First up in this second phase of the season is a visit from Chivas USA for the teams’ only meeting in 2012. Second year coach Robin Fraser’s side are a real enigma at the moment. To their credit they’re not allowing many goals – Chivas has only conceded four goals in their first five games and no side has scored on them twice – but they’re also not scoring many either. Like Toronto FC the Goats are currently winless and goalless at home after three listless performances there.
Completely contrary to the idea that MLS is a league that favours home teams however Chivas have, incredibly, won both their away games so far. In the first, a 0-1 win at Real Salt Lake, keeper Dan Kennedy had an outstanding performance leading some observers to begin suggesting that he may be the best keeper in MLS. Then, last weekend, Chivas came from behind to win at Portland. Fraser may have made polite noises about Toronto in his comments to It’s Called Football but, realistically, he will be viewing this weekend as a great opportunity to continue earning points on the road.
Fortunately for Toronto striker Juan Pablo Angel will not be making the trip. Chivas’ designated player has been an absolute TFC-killer over the years and bagged a brace in their last meeting but is currently listed as out with concussion symptoms. TFC old boy Nick LaBrocca meanwhile has not exactly recaptured the form that saw him earn an unlikely MLS All-Star selection in 2011 but did pop up with the winning goal versus the Timbers. He’ll be expected to pull the strings of the Goats offense and feed the forwards while wide man Ryan Smith will hope his own success continues after a two assist performance in Portland as a half time substitute.
Exactly what Toronto FC team Chivas will be facing remains to be seen. After the loss in Montreal Winter suggested in comments that he’s “going to change some things.” Defensive blunders and a lack of offensive punch have been costing the Reds games so far this season but with captain Torsten Frings still unavailable to act as sweeper it’s unclear whether Winter intends to revert to the 3-4-3/5-4-1 formation used to great effect against LA or simply rotate players. Supporters are clamouring to see different faces after such a poor start to the season but how those pieces can fit together in a coherent system is also uncertain. Handing starts to players like Eric Avila, Efrain Burgos Jr., Matt Stinson, and Doneil Henry might be a popular kneejerk suggestion but outside of Avila the remaining three are still relatively untested and playing them together would be a significant risk in what’s become a vital game.
One piece of good news for TFC fans coming out of training on Friday is that it looks like defender Adrian Cann is set to make his return to the first team on the weekend after nearly a year on the sidelines. Cann may have fallen slightly out of favour with the club’s new management at the start of 2011 after a stellar year in 2010 but with the Reds in desperate need of a stabilizing influence in the centre of defence he will be a welcome sight to Toronto supporters. With two appearances in the reserve side under his belt apparently Winter feels confident enough in Cann’s match readiness to prefer him to the other available options. Whether or not that results in lightning rod Ty Harden losing his spot remains to be seen.
Against a stingy Chivas who will likely be more than happy to kill the game goals should be at a premium and the match is unlikely to offer much in the way of spectacle. That said, rather than seeking to entertain the fans, keeping a clean sheet for the first time in 2012 has to be a priority for Toronto and is the basis upon which points can be secured even if the offense sputters. Sorting out the defense would also be the first step towards resurrecting their season and giving back fans the sense of hope that has too quickly disappeared early in the year.