You’d think that the schedule planners at MLS headquarters, when they were putting together the 2015 season, could have looked at a calendar. It was hardly a secret that CONCACAF would be holding its biannual Gold Cup this summer. As expected, that means that the Reds are without the services of their captain Michael Bradley, and fellow American Jozy Altidore. So instead of what could have been a marquee game featuring two legitimate American national team stars playing in their country’s biggest city, fans in the Big Apple will only have the long overdue debut of Lampard to entice them to the park.
Except, of course, they won’t.
To no one’s great surprise, the aging English midfielder has been rendered unavailable with a calf strain before even playing a match in MLS. City have also officially announced the signing of Italian star Andrea Pirlo, but he’s not slated to actually appear in sky blue until later this month. That said, Lampard was supposed to be available for New York at the start of the season.
The truly remarkable thing is that, should they actually play, both Pirlo and Lampard could get a taste of playoff action in their first season. NYCFC have turned around a terrible start to the year and have been picking up points consistently since the start of June. Other than a loss to their crosstown rivals, the Red Bulls, City have not been defeated in the league since May 23rd. Three of their points were picked up off TFC, at BMO Field, in a contentious, physical contest last month.
All of this has seen City sneak up to the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Their points-per-game is still an unimpressive 1.11, and well off typical playoff place, but a victory Sunday would actually see them catch TFC on points. Ahead of the summer signings (hopefully) suiting up, the question is whether this form is an unsustainable blip, or a sign of things to come.
For Toronto, the match comes at what could be a potential inflection point in their own season narrative. Only two matches ago TFC had won four of their last five and looked good doing so. Now, a couple games later, they’ve only won one of their last four, and are coming off a heavy defeat in Los Angeles.
The period without theie Gold Cup call-ups, which also includes regular starters Jonathan Osorio and Ashtone Morgan away with Canada, was always going to be the final awkward stretch in the Reds season before the disproportionately home heavy second half begins. If head coach Greg Vanney can manage this stretch successfully, Toronto will be well placed to challenge for one of the top spots in the conference. If they wobble, they could be sucked right back into the sort of playoff scrape the team bottled last summer.
As part of this tricky stretch, it seems the never-ending question of TFC’s season is back once again: who plays right back? Morgan’s absence means that Justin Morrow, who filled in during the Reds’ best stretch and had seemed to end the debate, has been switched back to his natural left side. Warren Creavalle probably came in for more criticism than he deserved in LA, but it’s an experiment most TFC fans have seen enough of. Nick Hagglund and Jackson have hardly looked impressive in their limited opportunities. If Vanney is still not ready to hand Mark Bloom a first opportunity of the season, the range of likely options have all been attempted, and all found wanting.
Optimists will point to the team’s high points-per-game, still second in the East, and the scheduling challenges the team has so far faced. But potential points, from games yet to be played, don’t count until you’ve actually taken them. That respectable PPG could drop quickly if the Reds don’t pick up points as they become available. Toronto FC faces a surprisingly important game on Sunday and the lack of star players doesn’t make it any less significant to their season.