Toronto FC is in Kansas City this evening for a rare Friday night match versus Sporting KC and, for the first time in a long time, it is probably not unreasonable to expect a result.
There has been heartbreak and drama in the recent past but, since the emergence of Peter Vermes’ team as one of the top sides in MLS over the past three seasons, writing off the points available at the home of the current MLS Cup holders has never failed to be the wrong assumption. While the Reds did score a surprise win over SKC in their home opener at the Rogers Centre last year you have to go all the way back to 2009, back when Sporting were still called the Wizards and played in a converted minor league baseball stadium, for the last time TFC picked up points from a visit to Kansas City.
This time, however, there is reason for optimism.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Partially that’s down to the rebuilt Reds’ already impressive road record. The season opening win in Seattle is looking better and better in retrospect as Seattle continues to top the overall table and the win over Columbus came when the Crew still held a perfect record. For the first time in a long time, this Toronto team has shown that they have the capability of competing on the road against the league’s better teams.
For their part, Sporting find themselves sliding into a pre-World Cup slump. While Toronto FC lost Michael Bradley – and are now seemingly permanently without Julio Cesar – Sporting saw both Graham Zusi and Matt Besler called-up for the American national team as expected.
The absence of Besler has contributed to an absolute crisis in the centre of defence for KC. In their last match, a loss in Chicago, they were down to one recognized centre back and elected to arrange their regular fullbacks, Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic, as right and left centre backs in a three man backline. That was with highly rated rookie Erik Palmer-Brown between them but his red card means that he’ll be suspended for the match against Toronto. Should Aurelien Collin, still listed as questionable due to a hamstring strain, not be available Vermes will have to be extremely creative in how he organizes his defence.
Still, it’s unlikely that Vermes has ever struck anyone as anything less than competitive and, after two straight losses for Sporting, he’ll certainly have the players he does field highly motivated. There’s no way TFC fans should expect an easy match. The best way to protect a makeshift defence is to play the match in the other team’s end denying them time, space, and the ball so expect KC’s all-energy, high-pressing game to be in overdrive from the opening whistle.
Selection issues for Toronto head coach Ryan Nelsen exist right down the spine of his side.
Virtually no one connected with Toronto FC has failed to notice that Gilberto, one of the major DP signings trumpeted in the off-season, has so far failed to score in Toronto red. It’s an unfortunate statistic because Gilberto’s overall play has looked exceptionally positive. With the recently acquired Luke Moore grabbing a tap-in goal late in injury time last weekend versus New York there have already been, unsurprisingly, suggestions that he should start beside Jermain Defoe. It’s a tricky situation for Nelsen because every time he names Gilberto to the starting line-up the pressure increases, but dropping him might be seen as an admission that he lacks confidence in the Brazilian’s ability to start converting his chances.
In central midfield another new acquisition, Collen Warner, may have to wait for his first start for TFC due to Bradley Orr’s unexpectedly strong showing sitting in-front of the defence versus New York. Dropping Orr would feel strange but he was only playing due to a lack of available options and the role he filled is precisely the one Warner was brought in for.
Finally, Toronto have their own dilemma at centre back. Rookie Nick Hagglund had a solid, mistake free performance against New York and, for the second time with him starting in central defence, the Reds managed to keep a clean sheet. It’s likely that it was enough to keep the spot and leave Doneil Henry stuck on the bench for at least one more game.
That said, if Nelsen really wants to see a competition between the Hagglund and Henry for the other spot beside captain Steven Caldwell, only rotating after a poor performance might not be the best way to push each player to continue improving. As with criticism of the situation with Joe Bendik and Sebastian Frei in goal last season, it’s only really a competition if both players are getting opportunities to improve on each other’s performance.