After what feels like the longest off-season ever, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Toronto FC will look to kick-off their 8th season in winning fashion today, away in Seattle, in front of a full house of screaming Sounders fans.
Seattle has already got their season off to a perfect start after knocking off the defending champions 1-0 in the “Seattle sunshine” on the CenturyLink turf. It came down to death as The Chad – Chad Barrett, buried the only goal of the match following a scrum in front of the Sporting Kansas City keeper.
The re-configured Sounders are as strong as ever and are one of the, if not the, favourites to win it all this season. Their off-season player moves, too many to name each one, may not have been as star studded as those made by Toronto, but they’ve added some fantastic MLS talent and depth, something TFC could desperately use. Former Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei will more than likely get the start and former striker Chad Barrett will also look to get some minutes as well.
I almost forgot to mention, CenturyLink Field was ranked by MLS managers as the 2nd toughest place to play in MLS.
Sounds like a walk in the park for TFC, doesn’t it?
As if the task at hand for the Reds wasn’t hard enough, a significant group of players still have question marks hanging over them heading into today's match. Gilberto did not travel with the team, Bradley Orr, Justin Morrow to name a few and even Jermain Defoe to an extent, are not exactly 100% match fit.
Defoe however, coming off a hamstring strain and having only began training with his new teammates as of Monday, claims that he is ready to go; coach Ryan Nelsen may feel otherwise, especially considering the condition of the turf at CenturyLink Field. Don't expect him to play near a full 90.
So even after the millions of dollars spent by management to secure high priced and big name DP’s, TFC will no doubt be heading into their season opener shorthanded and playing the role of underdog as per usual.
Historically, TFC has not fared well in the Emerald City, or against the Sounders in general for that matter. Having a depressing 1-6-1 record all-time versus the Sounders, the Reds have only ever managed to leave Seattle with 1 point, and that was way back in 2010.
But this isn't the TFC of old…at least we hope not!
Bradley vs. Dempsey…Defoe vs. Martins. I would suggest finding your local MLS friendly pub and hunker down for what is already being billed as the match of the week.
The Projected Starting XI as tweeted by the official Toronto FC Twitter account
In order to have a chance at points today, the Reds will need to keep target men Obafemi Martins and Kenny Cooper as ineffective as possible and limit Clint Dempsey and Osvaldo Alonso’s movement through the midfield for the entire match. Also, slowing DeAndre Yedlin's pace down the wing is a very important factor considering he's a speedy wing back who is notorious for getting involved in the attack and sending in dangerous crosses.
Look for TFC to use the wings to their advantage and to swing crosses into the box against their former stalwart goalkeeper who has a history of allowing juicy rebounds from time to time. Jermain Defoe will no doubt be the focal point of any attack moving forward and expect DeRo to be hitting shots from well outside the 18 yard box. Michael Bradley will be playing the role of ball winner, then I would imagine quickly distributing the ball to the wings. If the mood strikes him, Bradley might even venture forward in order to send cutting through balls to the lethal two pronged attack of DeRo and Defoe.
With the Starting XI being as strong as it is expected to be, TFC has every opportunity to take at least a point away and I’m sure most supporters would be more than satisfied with that as the Reds continue to gel and build chemistry. 1-1 is a reasonable prediction and would be an excellent result for this early season clash, but a win is always welcome.
(image courtesy of The Canadian Press)
