MLS Playoff Contenders: Toronto FC
Why Toronto FC will make the playoffs:
1. Jermain Defoe back from injury
Jermain Defoe has missed quite a few games throughout the season with lingering hamstring issues. Defoe told media last week that he “was a day away” from having surgery, but luckily he did not require it in the end. Defoe has finally returned to full training with the club this week and is hoping to be back in the lineup against the Galaxy on Saturday night. While Luke Moore and Gilberto have done well to fill the void in Defoe’s absence, a player of Defoe’s caliber cannot be replaced.
2. Finding momentum at the right time
Toronto have struggled following the World Cup break, however, they seem to have finally regained their confidence and look ready for one final playoff push. The team have won their last two matches, including a fantastic second half comeback against the Portland Timbers on Saturday. The streak would have been at three right now, if Toronto FC had not had Gilberto’s game winning goal in Chicago wrongfully called off three weeks ago. Following the match, Michael Bradley’s comments about the officiating were less than flattering and even earned the midfielder a fine from the league. Nonetheless, the team look much more motivated as of late, and could be a team to look out for if they do manage to make the playoffs.
3. Adapting to Vanney’s new style
Head coach, Greg Vanney, was thrown into the thick of things when Ryan Nelsen was suddenly let go at the end of August, after an embarrassing 3-0 home loss to New England. While Vanney did not get his first win as a Major League Soccer manager until his fourth match at the helm, his squad have now won two straight matches. Vanney has given players like Dwayne De Rosario, Ashtone Morgan, and Daniel Lovitz, more opportunities than his predecessor did, and the club are looking like a more united front because of it. Vanney wants the team playing high tempo football and the club have started to respond. With only five games left, it is crucial the team are all on the same page, and that looks to be the case for the first time in quite a while.
Why Toronto FC won’t make the playoffs:
1. Still having issues at the back
Toronto may have won their last two matches, but one was against desolate Chivas USA, and the other was a dramatic late comeback against the Timbers. Toronto gave up two weak goals within twenty minutes of opening kickoff against Portland, and while they were able to mount a comeback on Saturday, they can’t expect to do the same against tougher competition. Toronto’s lack of depth at the back became more than apparent when their captain, Steven Caldwell, missed over a month because of injury. As much potential as Doneil Henry and Nick Hagglund have, they are still young and inexperienced, which could cost Toronto in the final games. Hagglund may have been the best player on the pitch Saturday against Portland, but the one mistake he did make, ultimately cost the team the opening goal. These are the team errors that simply cannot happen if a club wants to be considered serious playoff contenders.
2. Tough schedule down the stretch
Toronto FC have a game in hand on all the teams they are currently chasing, but they must win that game for it to matter at all. They are in tough next week when they travel to Los Angeles on Saturday night to take on the Galaxy before playing Houston in midweek action, and then going to New York to square off against the Red Bulls. Their final home match is against Canadian rivals, the Montreal Impact, on October 18, and they finish the season on the road against a red hot, New England Revolution. 3 of their final five matches are against teams currently in the playoffs, while Montreal is starting to find their form, and Houston is still in contention as well. Vanney’s men will need to be at their best if they want to earn results in their final five matches.
3. It’s Toronto FC..
It boggles the mind how one of Major League Soccer’s most financially successful clubs, have never made the playoffs, in a league where more than half the teams do every season. Like most sports teams from Toronto (Maple Leafs, Blue Jays, Raptors), they tend to choke, and utterly disappoint fans. The Reds are looking to finally snap the curse and make the postseason, but based on what we’ve seen in the past, don’t expect to see them playing in November. In 2009, all they needed to do was beat one of the worst teams in Major League Soccer at the time, the New York Red Bulls, in their final game at Giants Stadium. Not only did Toronto FC lose the biggest game in their franchise history, they got destroyed 5-0. With a trip to New York in a couple of weeks on the schedule, Toronto fans are just praying they don’t experience deja vu.