Toronto FC welcome the surging Vancouver Whitecaps to BMO Field Wednesday as their grueling stretch nears its end. The Reds have had quite the busy schedule as of late, playing ten games in just five weeks since the international break. They have had both a weekend and a midweek game each of the past four weeks, continuing through this week and the next. Make no doubt about it, this takes a toll on the players.
Although they have had to do their fair share of travelling, the team is not making any excuses, battling through it better than most would have expected. Mariner has been pleased with the play of his team during this span.
Wednesday’s game against the Whitecaps will be the eighth of ten games the team will play over a span of five weeks. So far, TFC have posted a 1-4-2 record in their first seven, picking up a respectable seven points all things considered.
Toronto will travel to New England on Saturday before returning home to face the Rapids on Wednesday, putting their grueling schedule behind them and earning a full nine days rest.
TFC enters the game with just one loss in their last six, although that defeat came at the hands of the Union just a few days ago. Losing 3-0 at the hands of Philadelphia on Sunday could be a clear cut sign the team is finally running out of steam. They would probably never admit it, but the break could not come soon enough for these players.
The Whitecaps on the other hand come into Wednesday’s match on top of their game. They have lost just once in their last eight league games and have picked up points in three of their last four road games.
This game, however, is a derby. And in a derby match, all stats can be thrown out the window. All that matters Wednesday is which team wants it more.
Mariner seems to have the Reds on the right path. The young back four, consisting of Jeremy Hall, Richard Eckersley, Logan Emory and Ashton Morgan (average age of 22.75) is starting to gel and play with some confidence. Mariner has preached patience in regards to his young defenders, but even he is taken back by how quickly they have progressed.
This perhaps eliminated the need for the team to sign aging Italian defender Alessandro Nesta who landed with the Impact early last week. The Reds have picked up a good amount of criticism for passing on the defender without making a serious effort to sign him.
This criticism is not warranted. They did not have cap space to sign Nesta without giving him designated player status and they currently have no DP spots available. This meant they would have had to either free up one of their current DP spots or trade for one. The other option would have been freeing up a ton of cap space, also not easily done. A first year team like the Impact had the flexibility to make this deal happen, and happen quickly.
At the end of the day, for TFC it was a race against the clock. Too many obstacles stood in their way to make space for Nesta, making the potential deal more of a hassle than anything. The Reds are better off turning their attention to former Argentinian International and Villarreal star Juan Roman Riquelme who just recently left Boca Juniors and has expressed his desire to play in the MLS.
Riquelme would fill a glaring need for TFC who lack a true attacking midfielder, a number ten. Avila is currently filling this role, but Riquelme is a gifted playmaker who would immediately help Danny Koevermans and Ryan Johnson get their chances up front.
Terry Dunfield, Julian de Guzman and Torsten Frings are all natural central midfielders. They serve a similar role with the club, outlining the need for a true attack minded player in the midfield. It would go a long way in helping the TFC attack.
Time will tell if Cochrane and Mariner will look to add any reinforcements to the club, or assess the talent the team has with any postseason hopes all but over and wait until the offseason to improve the club.
Toronto has welcomed Vancouver to BMO Field three times, winning them all. They will hope to keep that streak alive on Wednesday as their quest to climb out of the Eastern Conference cellar continues.
(image courtesy of torontofc.ca)
