In the days that have followed TFC’s 2-2 draw with LA in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal much of the talk has remained positive.
People are looking at the ways that Toronto might be able to win. They see a tired LA team and find opportunity.
The truly ambitious look ahead and see the Seattle Sounders up a goal heading into their second leg. Like LA, Seattle is probably a bit better than TFC, but not unbeatable. The road to the final is right there is front of us.
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It’s rare to see the Toronto faithful so full of hope and positive thinking. Collectively this is a group that would run their own mother out of town if she missed her mark on a particularly important corner (unless she tries really hard and gets more from her limited talent than she should. Then they’d retire her number).
There is a risk here though. Yes, there are lots of legitimate factors you can point to that suggest that a TFC win is possible. There are a lot more reasons to think LA will take it – two away goals and a talent gap not the least of those.
So, what happens if the Reds lose tomorrow? Will the good will #OccupyRogersCentre created be lost? As stated, Toronto sports fans are a fickle bunch. And, their patience for TFC re-builds is about run out.
There has been so much attention placed on the quarterfinal tie that the regular season opener Saturday is lost. It’s a tough one as Sounders fans are going to be out in big numbers and Seattle is no pushover. It’s entirely possible – the odds suggest probable – that the Reds will be out of the CCL and 0-1 to start the MLS season by this time next week.
Talk about a buzzkill.
That’s going to be 2012 though. The fans are very much on edge. If they came back in 2011 they did so with the knowledge the season was going to be a write off. They weren’t happy about it, but they knew deep down that Toronto would be horrible last year. They were willing to accept some more losing, so long as Aron Winter and company appeared to be progressing. It’s unclear that the team will get the same pass this year.
When you play the most important game in your club’s history off the top of the year it can be hard to face the rest of the season. However, come 48-hours from now we’re going to need to do that. The CCL has been a nice distraction from what promises to be an absolute vital year for the Reds.