I’m really not all that surprised Toronto FC took the night off in Salt Lake City last Saturday.
Coming off the high of their great escape in the Voyageurs Cup and consecutive home-field wins over the utterly awful New York Energy Drink, the Reds had utterly no answer for a decent, under-achieving squad of Salt Lake Seagulls.
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Altitude, time zones, fixture backlog – take your pick. This particular 0-3 loss was well-earned.
Too many ragged passes across contested territory. Amado Guevara’s backpass of doom that set up the opening goal was a perfect symbol of a lost evening. This guy’s done it all lately, and once it was clear he didn’t have it, the rest of the roster quickly and neatly fell in line behind him.
And I’ve been sitting here for a day or two wondering why they didn’t adjust? Why the Torontos couldn’t move away from serving up piles of pass interceptions and get back to the short-pass control game that served them so well when they beat Chivas and Kansas City?
Exhaustion, mostly. Thin air and one more airplane ride, when what they really needed was some time away from it all.
Well, they get that now. No more games until the trip to San Jose on July 11. And that’s good for the fans, as well. If you guys are feeling as burned out as I am, we all need a little time away.
So, then …
Midpoint of the MLS season, and Toronto has a .500 record with just five out of 15 matches left at home. They’ve bagged the Voyageurs Cup, and have a tough home-and-home with the Puerto Rico Islanders, one of the very best teams in USL-1 who got all the way to the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals just a few short months ago.
Key question: is this as good as it’s going to get?
MLS is a league with very little separation between most teams. The money’s so low, and rosters so small there just isn’t all that huge an advantage in any game.
That actually works in Toronto’s favour, I think, because for all the improvements, this still isn’t a team that can consistently put games away. They’ll earn their share, but this is a league where everyone gets points they don’t really deserve.
It’s a strange argument, certainly, but odd circumstances sometimes call for an unorthodox approach. Toronto FC can certainly create chances, but they have struggled all season to finish. That costs them points. On the other hand, other teams in this league are going to lose the thread while playing Toronto, and that will bring some points back.
In other words, I think we’re looking at a .500 team here – at best. Breaking even would be good enough for a playoff spot. Much less won’t.
Now, as far as CONCACAF goes:
MLS teams got eaten alive in this competition a year ago. Too many competitions and tiny rosters doubled up to just destroy them. Only Houston even vaguely hung in there, but what few resources they could throw at the problem were never going to be enough.
Puerto Rico are an experienced, well-organized squad. This is no breeze for TFC. I think, however, with the time off and a good chance to re-focus, Toronto should be able to advance past them. It won’t be easy, though.
Beyond that – well, I don’t think there is any beyond that. A very tough CONCACAF group that includes Costa Rican powerhouse Saprissa and everyone’s favourite defending MLS champions Columbus, coupled with endless MLS road games, will certainly make or break this team.
Certainly, there are encouraging signs, but there’s still a long way to go. TFC can defeat Puerto Rico, but they could easily torpedo both their league and cup seasons if they do.
We have to understand that the team which folded up and posed for Seagull City was the real Toronto FC. A team is always a product of how far it has come, and how far it has to go.
The Voyageurs Cup and a .500 record is a first-half combo I think most TFC supporters would have happily settled for back in March. All the roads get harder now.
I recommend settling in and enjoying the ride. There will be some infuriating setback ahead, no doubt. But Toronto is becoming a team that can thrill and entertain – even if the doors fly off from time to time, and the engine occasionally falls out and goes bouncing down the highway.
This was never going to be easy – or pretty.
Take a few days off, and get ready for a ride.
Onward!