After back to back victories against hated eastern conference rivals, Montreal Impact and Columbus Crew, TFC heads into their weekend match up against Sporting KC in a “must win” if the Reds hope to catch the defending champs in the standings.
TFC have looked comfortable and strong since a very disappointing loss to DC United, taking all possible points thereafter, heading into tonight’s match.
With Jermain Defoe having been sidelined due to a sports hernia scare, all the players you would have expected to fill in have been doing so very well, and if TFC hope to continue to add points to their total, the usual suspects will have to continue to perform at this high standard.
It wasn’t long ago that some fans were hoping that Gilberto’s time at the club would come to an abrupt end. In light of his recent performances and his constantly improving goal total, he’s quickly silencing his critics.
Jonathan Osorio has been a revelation since starting the season very slowly, being nagged by several different injuries.
Luke Moore is quietly filling the goal scoring void left by Defoe, adding goals in both the Montreal and Columbus matches respectively.
And what can possibly be said about Michael Bradley that hasn’t already been said? The guy is a midfield general and an absolute pleasure to watch. His ability to send a ball with pin point accuracy is incredible. One can only hope that will continue heading into today’s tilt vs SKC.
The home side tonight is coming off an embarrassing 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a match that could’ve been a lot worse on the score card. Without a doubt, the fans inside Sporting Park will expect a quick response from their squad.
The last time these two sides faced off was a 2-1 loss for TFC at BMO Field that left fans from both sides wondering what the officials were doing. One would imagine there would be an element of revenge in this one for TFC.
With 2 games in hand on the conference leaders and a 4 and 5 point cushion on NY Red Bull and Philadelphia Union respectively, the Reds will feel that this is must win time, as if the last 3 matches weren’t so.
For a club that hasn’t played meaningful soccer at this point in a season in what feels like an eternity, all matches going forward should have a “must win” feel. A result tonight would go a long way for TFC’s post season hopes and one can only assume that the players would love to have a playoff spot sown up as soon as mathematically possible. A result is very possible against a struggling but still deadly SKC side, but is it likely? You can be the judge of that.
Kick off is at 8:30 pm Eastern time, so make sure to tune in to what should be a great match. Come on you Reds!
(image courtesy of Steve Russell/Toronto Star)
