If there was ever a time to show what you’re really made of and prove that you’re the real deal…now’s that time for TFC.
Coming off back to back losses (which in my opinion, a point from each would’ve been more than acceptable) the Reds desperately need a win to keep them above .500. Their opponents, New England Revolution, coming off an impressive 2-0 win against the defending champions, will feel that they’re in a prime position to deal another death blow to TFC.
But hold the phone…He’s baaaaaack!
The injury bug hit the Reds early this season, claiming at least one match from a large number of TFCs first choice starting XI. It struck so early that one might even question whether they were totally healthy to begin with. One huge plus heading into the weekends’ match up will be the return of Jermain Defoe to the lineup!
Having only played half of the season to this point, Defoe still leads the team with 3 goals scored and will no doubt take some of the pressure of snake bitten Brazilian DP Gilberto, who has yet to open his scoring account.
The bye week has been a blessing in disguise for the boys and the time off to heal wounds will hopefully pay dividends against the Revs on Saturday afternoon.
Coming off a huge victory versus Sporting KC, the Revs won’t be a push over, no matter how many players TFC can have back from injury. Led up front by a determined Teal Bunbury, New England struggled to kick off the early bit of the season, taking only a single point from their first 3 games. Since then, the Revs are unbeaten in their last 3 matches, recently picking up wins against San Jose, Houston, and SKC.
This will be the 16th meeting between these two sides and their first of the season. The Revs hold the slight upper hand over TFC, with a record of 5 wins, 4 losses, and 7 draws. The last meeting between the two was last August at BMO Field and ended in a 1-1 draw, goals from Diego Fagundez and Andrew Wiedeman.
There’s no question about whether this will be a difficult game for TFC to get 3 points from, because it will be. But will it be as difficult of a game as Dallas? I personally don’t think so. If TFC was able to break down a solid Dallas side on a few occasions, with the type of lineup they fielded I might add, I think a full and healthy TFC squad has the ability to get a win at home against the Revs.
New England has a young team of excellent players, so shutting down their key players will be the goal. I can’t stress it much more than it has already been stressed: passing, possession, and controlling the game is what will get TFC the win. The 3 losses the Reds have picked up have come as a result of some sloppy play and an inability to play a dominant possession style game in the midfield. That will have to change.
With the World Cup break just a few games away, you can bet your bottom dollar that guys like Defoe, Cesar and Bradley will be looking to take their games to the next level. Especially in the case of Jermain Defoe who some believe is still most likely on Roy Hodgson’s periphery. I would imagine, provided he is 100% healthy as he claims to be, Defoe will be playing unconscious. He will need to be at the top of his game should he hope to crack the England World Cup squad and keep TFC in the running for a playoff berth.
TFC plays 4 of their next 5 regular season games at home and the points that will be won or lost will be vital to the teams’ success heading into the World Cup break. The word vital is an understatement. A failure to pick up at least close to maximum points will put our boys behind the 8-ball as the season resumes after the break. These are sentiments that I would imagine Ryan Nelsen has beat into his squad day in and day out at training.
Toronto is more than capable of beating New England on Saturday and I believe they will. My prediction is a 2-1 win for TFC and goals coming from Defoe and…I’m going out on a limb here, Gilberto.
Come on you Reds!
(image courtesy of Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/QMI Agency)
