With Mexican mighties Santos Laguna invading the lakeshore for tonight’s first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League, there are two schools of thought about Toronto FC’s embattled, overmatched defence.
Theory the First) With Torsten Frings sealing the cracks as a sweeper, the Reds’ back line is adequate.
Theory the Second) With Torsten Frings injured, the Reds’ back line couldn’t prevent snow in Swaziland.
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The evidence is reasonably overwhelming, particularly if you’re still reeling from the ragged, tattered non-resistance Toronto’s back end offered to a gleeful batch of San Jose Earthquakes back on Saturday.
But hold that particular phone.
Let’s go back to the second half in Los Angeles, when TFC were under siege the whole blessed time, and somehow managed not to concede an equalizer to the defending league champs in the CONCACAF quarters.
I concede, going in, that Torsten Frings had a lot to do with what happened. But here’s what happened:
Seven or so TFCers held their ground. They didn’t bite on fakes. They didn’t lunge in when there was no ball to be won. They didn’t trip over each other. They played some pretty solid positional footy. Vulnerable, perhaps, to the long cross, but not even David Blessed Beckham himself found a way to hit that ball.
If I were coaching this mess, here’s how I’d present it to the TFC players.
Okay, no Frings. But it was all the rest of you that made that work. He won’t be out there to organize tonight, but doesn’t that make it all the more crucial to claim your defensive ground, and not give it up?
Sound positional soccer. Don’t try to do too much. Just cover your ground, and don’t get suckered into weaving side-to-side trying to knock down three-man breaks. Those Mexican attackers will be entirely reacting to what they see in front of them. If what they see is soundly placed – and not panicking – it will certainly make things trickier.
Sure, TFC could play great defence against these lads, and still get shredded. But if that’s going to happen, I want to see TFC go down playing.
Not guessing, not flailing, not flopping and dying and looking like cr@p.
Yes, I’m talking bunker ball – but there’s lots of speed up front to outlet the ball to.
Paging Julian de Guzman. Dude, you’re on. This -- if anywhere -- is where you can earn your cash.
Frings is a huge loss. But TFC defenders can still stay on their feet – and hold their ground – without him.
Whatever tiny little chance this team has tonight, it’s pretty much coming down to that.
Onward!