So far the Reds have been tough to figure out. An unexpected win in Vancouver started the season, before a series of disappointing losses brought back all the old doubts. TFC crashed out of the Canadian Championship at the first hurdle (even though they won the second leg), disappointed in their home-opener, but picked up a respectable point in New England.
All through the opening period of the season, the refrain has been “wait until they’re home for a stretch before you judge.” Well, the home stretch begins in earnest now, and it’s time to start judging. Toronto FC probably doesn’t have to be good to make the playoffs in MLS’s Eastern Conference in 2015 but avoiding the sort of implosion the club is famous for is essential. Losing a second straight home game wouldn’t hurt their chances much long-term, but it would be the sort of punch in the gut that long suffering fans don’t really need.
Toronto’s opponents, the Portland Timbers, are something of an enigma themselves. Like Toronto they have passionate fans and arguably the best stadium atmosphere in the league. Also, like Toronto, it wouldn’t be unfair to characterize them as underachievers. There’s a sense that the Timbers have never really translated all that fan support into sustained success.
Granted, the 2013 edition of the Timbers topped the Western Conference’s regular season standings. They even advanced to the Western Conference Final by beating their archrivals the Seattle Sounders. But the 2013 season was followed by a slow start to 2014 that ultimately resulted in the Timbers narrowly missing the playoffs. Now, another wobbly start sees them lingering down near the basement of their conference.
There’s no doubt that the Timbers have talented players. Diego Valeri announced his return from injury in a win in Montreal a couple weeks ago with a peach of a goal. In the tradition of countrymen such as Javier Morales and Federico Higuain, the Argentine has been one of the classiest players in MLS the past couple seasons even if he’s not the name-brand sort of player that attracts significant numbers of non-MLS fans.
Supplemented by players such as Darlington Nagbe, Diego Chara, and Fanendo Adi the Timbers are capable of playing energetic, entertaining football. They also seem to be able to find ways to drop points when they shouldn’t. That was solidly in evidence during a remarkable loss in Vancouver early in the season. Then, after a morale raising win over FC Dallas, the Timbers were solidly beaten, at home, by an Orlando City expansion team. Predicting just what sort of result the Timbers will get in any game might be the hardest of any team in MLS. So Toronto fans probably shouldn’t read too much into the 3-1 loss Portland suffered in Houston last week.
But that doesn’t mean that the Reds fans shouldn’t be disappointed if their team doesn’t take all three points. Yes, Jozy Altidore is injured, after picking up a hamstring strain in New England. If anything, however, that should just give TFC more of a reason to prove that this team is different from past editions.
The fact is that Toronto’s star players will miss games in 2015. As has been repeatedly shown, season after season, squad depth rules in Major League Soccer. Even two designated players like Michael Bradley and Sebastian Giovinco are luxuries that other squads don’t enjoy. If the loss of one star is enough to send the Reds into a tailspin, what will happen when Bradley and Altidore are away for this summer’s Gold Cup?
So, again, even though the game is not “must win”, it’s time for Toronto FC to show that they will not crumble at the first sign of adversity. That Portland is a good enough team to beat TFC isn’t in doubt. That Toronto will need to beat teams like Portland shouldn’t be in doubt either.