After losing in the Voyaguers Cup final in midweek, Toronto FC return home to BMO Field this weekend for their final match ahead of the three-week World Cup break, to face Western Conference opposition in the form of the San Jose Earthquakes. While the disappointment of missing a chance to add a fifth Canadian Championship lingers, Saturday’s match is an important opportunity to add more points to the healthy total they’ve been accumulating to date and actually equal 2013’s entire league win total.
Regardless of complaints about style, and the sense that the full potential of the rebuilt Reds squad is not being realized, six wins from eleven matches to open the season would represent a remarkable achievement for Tim Leiweke, Tim Bezbatchenko, and Ryan Nelsen.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] For three years, Toronto FC seasons have been more or less already over by early summer and, even with a loss on Saturday, TFC has already succeeded in building a solid base that can be built upon over the coming months.
As for San Jose, a slow start to the season in their first full year under new head coach (and former Canadian national team stalwart) Mark Watson has been overcome and the Quakes have recently hit form winning three out of their last four. Two of those victories came over a collapsing FC Dallas side, including an away win last weekend, but the other was a convincing 3-0 demolition of the Houston Dynamo. As is so often the case in MLS, any game can throw up surprises, and San Jose, like prior visitors to BMO Field like Colorado and New England, is the sort of under-the-radar team that Toronto supporters should be wary of.
One player TFC won’t have to worry about is Chris Wondolowski as the American forward was a surprise call-up to Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. World Cup team. The last time he visited BMO Field Wondolowski was decisive, scoring two goals and meriting more, in the early days of the 2012 season where he’d go on to score 27 goals, tying the league record, in the Earthquake’s Supporter’s Shield winning campaign.
The Quake’s reliance on Wondolowski is evident in their drop-off last year: Wondo only scored 11 and San Jose fell from 1st to 15th overall and missed the playoffs. Even with that decline he was still their leading scorer last season and already leads again this year.
With Wondolowski absent forward responsibilities will fall to regular villain, and all-around pest, Steven Lehnart. The former Crew man, famous at BMO Field for being thrown to the ground by Toronto goalkeeper Jon Conway back in 2010, is the sort of player that opponents, and opposing fans, tend to despise, but home fans often embrace. His physical style, and seeming indifference to the safety of opponents, plays a big part in creating the chaos that Wondoloski’s goal-poaching instincts thrive on.
Another player who may be expected to chip in with some offense is new signing Jean Baptiste Pierazzi. The French midfielder has solidified his role in central midfield beside MLS veteran Khari Stephenson and belted in a stunning strike for the winner last weekend. For the time being, that combination is succeeding in keeping one time Red Sam Cronin consigned to a substitute role.
For Toronto, the question must be whether they can start to get consistent offensive production out of anyone other than Jermain Defoe. While the Englishman has been spectacular in his MLS appearances Toronto’s reliance on the forward will leave them at risk to him having an off day, or opponents successfully shutting him down as Montreal largely did in midweek.
Gilberto was limited to a substitute appearance in Montreal and, after changing the game against Columbus last weekend, seems likely to be returned to the starting line-up Saturday. This is the Brazilian’s last chance to break his goal-scoring jinx ahead of the upcoming lay-off and another missed opportunity would add to the growing disappointment. If he can get that goal though, the pressure would be greatly relieved and maybe the issue wouldn’t dominate discussion during the break.