Thus, with Montreal enduring a Toronto FC-like season and looking unlikely of being capable of catching up to the other Canadian teams, the only head-to-head league meeting of TFC and Vancouver has become a “six-pointer” in traditional football league parlance. Having already ended the ‘Caps opportunity to play in continental competition for the first time by eliminating them from the Canadian Championship earlier this year, the Reds can put a serious dent in any ambitions the Whitecaps may harbour regarding next year’s tournament as well.
Entering play, the Whitecaps enjoy a slender one-point advantage in the standings. However, like so many of Toronto’s opponents this season, Vancouver has played more games than TFC. With a win, Toronto would overtake Vancouver in points and extend their existing points-per-game advantage.
For Toronto, a win would also keep alive the possibility of surpassing their entire points tally from the 2013 season by the halfway point of the 2014 season! With 24 points from their first 15 games – compared to 29 points from the entire 34 game season last year – it will take two straight victories to achieve that statistical quirk but simply being that close at this point in the season should give an idea of the scale of the turn-around already effected in T.O.
To win, however, Toronto FC will likely be looking to return to the tighter defense that served them well before the World Cup break. A four goal comeback against Houston, for their first win since their return to action, obscured the fact that the Reds conceded two goals for the third time in four matches. It’s always easier to win a match if you’re not giving up goals yourself and, with TFC still not a consistently dangerous team going forward (albeit improving), the regular concession of multiple goals has to be a concern for head coach Ryan Nelsen.
Adding to Nelsen’s problems in defense will be in the unavailability of club captain Steven Caldwell in the centre of defense for the foreseeable future. The Scot suffered a quadriceps tear in the win over Houston and will be sidelined for what could be an extended period. That probably means a return to centreback for utility man Bradley Orr. Orr did well in cameos in the position earlier in the season when Caldwell was suspended and, with the extra defensive screen Collen Warner has been providing in central midfield, can be sacrificed from his occasional starting role in midfield to fill the hole at the back without forcing Nelsen to resort to pairing youngsters Doneil Henry and Nick Hagglund there.
Fortunately for Toronto, Vancouver has their own problems in defense to deal with. Captain Jay DeMerit is out with an ankle issue and the red card picked up by Jordan Harvey in the weekend loss to Chivas USA means that he’ll be missing his first match of the league season for the ‘Caps. Harvey has been one of the quiet, steady success stories in 2014, that underpin so many successful MLS teams, and head coach Carl Robinson will have a question at left back he’s yet to have had to answer in his time in-charge on the West Coast.