But any Toronto FC fan who’s been there since the beginning must, deep inside, harbour doubts. Finding new, unprecedented ways to disappoint is a special gift of TFC’s and until mathematical certainty of a playoff spot has been achieved, those doubts will linger. Back in 2007 no one would have believed that it would take the Reds until at least 2014 to make the playoffs. Until they do, it makes it hard to believe that they will.
At this point, beyond the irrational, the only legitimate cause for concern is Toronto’s somewhat indifferent home form. To date, the Reds have earned 32 points in league play. 16 have come at home, while 16 have been earned away. Granted, the Reds have currently played two more games on the road than at home, so they still have earned a higher points-per-game at BMO Field, and have managed to win half their home games. The problem is that they’ve lost nearly as often.
With a run of three games at home out of their next four, and all against Eastern Conference rivals below them in the playoff standings, avoiding losing has become nearly as important as winning. Draws, though unsatisfying for home fans, will at least prevent those rivals from closing the gap and make any wins all the more valuable.
First up on Saturday evening is a visit from the Chicago Fire. Arguably the weakest of the teams Toronto is set to face over the next few weeks, the Fire enter the match coming of a loss at lowly Montreal last weekend which had been immediately preceded by a 6-0 thrashing handed to them by Seattle in cup play a few days before.
The seemingly interminable Jermaine Jones transfer saga has still not been concluded either. Linked to the American international for weeks, the on-again-off-again flirtation, peppered with statements from both parties, has been a bigger source of attention for the Fire than their bland on-field performance. 13 draws from 23 games mean that the Fire are still hanging around on the fringe of playoff contention but unless they can put a run of wins together and improve on their meagre tally of four victories, they’re unlikely to be of much relevance in the final few weeks.
While the Jones story still runs, the Fire did manage to add a player this summer. It probably made as much news in Toronto as Chicago, but former Red Robert Earnshaw, TFC’s top scorer last season, has returned to MLS with the Fire and is expected to make his debut in Toronto. Along with Quincy Amarikwa, Chicago now host a tandem of ex-Toronto forwards cut loose by the Reds over the past couple seasons.
For Toronto, there is starting to become an abundance of options in the forward positions. Bright Dike made an earlier than expected return to action last week in Kansas City with a late cameo and, after being held out another week, Jermain Defoe should be available for the match against Chicago. With Gilberto and Luke Moore both producing during Defoe’s absence, Ryan Nelsen will have to consider carefully how he manages his forwards. It’s a cliché, but Nelsen must agree that “it’s a good problem to have” to be allowed the option of integrating and rotating all those players into the attack.
Toronto haven’t taken maximum points off the Fire in any match since 2010 (when Nick LaBrocca’s infamous wind-assisted goal opened the score). More than any game since, this would be a great game to break that streak.