U-Sector – The Original Toronto FC Supporters Group

Keep the Ball Rolling

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Jesus comes to Toronto

Are you rested yet, TFC?

Toronto FC returns to BMO Field Saturday after pulling off the Herculean task of securing a result in Honduras on Tuesday, allowing the team to move on in the CONCACAF Champions League. Nearly as impressive was the fact that the Reds scored a whopping two goals in less than 45 minutes.

Toronto hadn’t scored more than a single goal in a match since the May 29 road win over San Jose. In the two months between, TFC played nine games, scoring a total of five goals in the process. The wells had dried up as summer hit, making the two-goal second half that the Reds put together in Tegucigalpa a rare treat.

But now that Toronto had showed that it could not only fight its way back into a match, but also do so on the road (where that San Jose victory still stands alone as the only road win thus far in 2010), what does that mean?

Will TFC use the confidence gained in that CCL match as a motivating tool to get back on track in league play? Or will the dramatic series victory over Motagua end up being a one-off, with Toronto slipping right back into the summer doldrums?

Fortunately, we won’t have to wait very long to find out. Toronto hosts Chivas USA on Saturday, a club whose fortunes seem to be the polar opposite of TFC’s.

Where Toronto started off poorly and had a great late spring run followed by a dour July, Chivas kicked off with a decent April, followed by six straight losses in May and June, leading into an undefeated July.

Preki’s former side took far longer than his current side to come together after a roster overhaul and coaching change, but Chivas can claim to be the better team right now. The Goats arrive in Toronto having dispatched Columbus 3-1 last week, a good result that was preceded by a road draw at RSL, and positive results against both Kansas City and Philadelphia (two teams Toronto have lost to in recent weeks).

Chivas’ form mirrors that of young striker Justin Braun, who has notched eight goals in MLS play thus far. As the season progresses, Braun’s confidence grows, and the Goats are better off for it.

Toronto’s central defence tandem of Adrian Cann and Nana Attakora will have their hands full with the likes of Braun and Mexican-American forward Jesus Padilla, but what TFC will need to be more wary of is Chivas’ team attacking style as a whole.

Coach Martin Vasquez finally has Chivas playing the Latin game that owner Jorge Vergara promised when he incorporated the franchise as an offshoot of C.D. Guadalajara back in 2005. That actually may be good news for a Toronto side that has just spent the past week learning to counteract the same style in the Champions League.

Ultimately, given that the game is as BMO Field, it will come down to which Toronto side shows up that determines whether TFC takes the victory or continues to drop crucial home points.

Will it be the clueless, disinterested TFC that dropped points to Dallas, Kansas and Philly in recent games? Or will the determined, gutsy Toronto side that took its chances and clawed out a result in Central America?

Posted by Rudi Schuller