Toronto FC can taste playoff berth
Favoured against shaky Quakes
T ORON T O • Win, and the Reds might be in.
League brainiacs determined Toronto FC will clinch a playoff berth this weekend if one of five scenarios happen: ❚ TFC wins and New York Red Bulls lose. ❚ TFC wins and Montreal ties or loses. ❚ TFC wins and Columbus ties or loses. ❚ TFC wins and Atlanta loses. ❚ TFC wins and Atlanta ties AND New York Red Bulls tie.
Needless to say, the San Jose Earthquakes’ playoff future isn’t nearly as certain ahead of Saturday’s return to BMO Field.
The below-. 500 Quakes enter this weekend teetering on the edge of the playoff picture after firing head coach Dominic Kinnear earlier this year.
“I’m sure this is a team our guys probably haven’t seen a lot,” coach Greg Vanney told Postmedia. “They’re not in our conference. We don’t play them much. They play l ate ( night) games. They’re not really a team that, based on results over the years, draw attention.
“But they have some big wins,” Vanney said, noting the Quakes have quality attacking players. “They have some multi-goal wins.”
A recent 3- 0 dismantling of the L. A. Galaxy — in Los Angeles — is evidence of that. However, Vanney reminded, the Quakes have some bad losses.
Prior to topping the Galaxy before the international break, the Quakes had lost five straight away dates by a combined score of 19-3.
The expectation here Saturday night is TFC will have its way with the up- anddown Quakes.
Not so fast, Vanney added, the vulnerable Quakes might have the most in-form striker in the region right now in Costa Rican Marco Urena.
Urena’s two-goal performance devastated the United States in a recent World Cup qualifier before he added another against Mexico.
“He’s on fire right now,” Vanney said. “This is a guy who is a dangerous forward. He’s quick, he’s strong, he’s a clever runner.”
The guy next to Urena, Chris Wondolowski, is 13 goals from matching Landon Donovan’s all-time MLS scoring record (145).
“He’s that poacher — a guy who has a great feel for spaces in the box and a knack for anticipating good areas to score goals,” Vanney said.
A win Saturday night would put Toronto FC ( 163- 8, 56 points) nine points back of the Galaxy’s all- time record with six games remaining.