Toronto FC: Releasing Alejandro Pozuelo the key

This weekend, Toronto FC are looking to secure their second MLS Cup in three years. If they are to overcome a dangerous Seattle Sounders side, releasing Alejandro Pozuelo will be the key.

If you were to ask Toronto FC how far in the playoffs they would go without Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez, I am not sure they would say further than the first round, in which they hosted D.C. United.

Gonzalez has revolutionised their defensive solidity since signing in the summer, a crucial piece of a puzzle that threatened to utterly unhinge the team, while Altidore is Altidore, the backboard of an attack that has dominated Major League Soccer throughout the past half-decade.

In the postseason, Toronto FC hosted D.C., before travelling to the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, New York City FC, who topped two points per game in the regular season and would have won the Supporters’ Shield in almost any other season than this, and Atlanta United, the defending MLS Cup Champions and arguably the most talented team in the league. And yet, it was wily old Toronto who got the better of these Eastern powerhouses. And all without two of the top-five players.

A major reason for their success has been the form, and usage, of Alejandro Pozuelo. Signed in the offseason to replace outgoing stars Sebastian Giovinco and Victor Vazquez, Pozuelo was the new Designated Player on which the Toronto FC team would hinge. And despite now reaching the end of an 18-month period without an extended break, dating back to the early part of the 2018 summer, he has provided precisely what the Reds were hoping for.

In the regular season, Pozuelo scored 12 goals and 12 assists, both team-leading figures. He played the second-most minutes of any Toronto player with just a 19-day break between the end of the Belgian season and the start of the MLS season. He never went more than five games without a goal or an assist, proof of his dependability throughout the year and the reliance Toronto had on their star playmaker.

And now in the playoffs, Pozuelo has stepped up again. Tabling two crucial goals, including a last-gasp Panenka penalty, to beat NYCFC, and an assist against D.C., his goal contributions have been solid once more. But what is even more pertinent has been how head coach Greg Vanney has leaned on Pozuelo to deal with the absence of Altidore.

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Without a recognised centre-forward on the pitch, Pozuelo has been utilised as a false-nine in a 4-3-3, an excellent central midfield trio of Marky Delgado, Michael Bradley and Jonathan Osorio tasked with providing the attacking foundation for the now freed Pozuelo to drift in and out of pockets of space, receiving the ball on the half-turn and then feeding through passes out wide or taking shots at goal. It is a very similar role to that of Roberto Firmino’s in Liverpool’s front three.

The difference there, however, is that Firmino has Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to feed, arguably the best wing pairing in world football. Nicolas Benezet and Tsubasa Endoh are average even by MLS standards. Richie Laryea provides some much-needed athleticism and speed from the off the bench, but much of Toronto’s attacking play rests on Pozuelo.

But in this free-roaming role, the Spaniard flourishes. He had over half of Toronto’s shots against NYCFC, he scored both goals. He assisted the winner against Atlanta while playing just six unsuccessful passes all match. Almost an eighth of his attempted passes came from within his own half, showing how all-encompassing his ‘centre-forward’ role is.

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Pozuelo is vital to Toronto FC. He might, in fact, be the most important player on the pitch in Sunday’s MLS Cup against the Seattle Sounders. On either side. If his teammates can provide him the freedom to flourish, they will be well set up for victory. But if Pozuelo and his incisive attacking play is stifled, there is little hope for the Reds.

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