No field of dreams for host TFC
Frozen conditions add another layer to game vs. Chivas
Hell hasn’t frozen over. But BMO Field has. Regardless, a game will be played Tuesday night.
Chivas couldn’t have expected such miserable conditions — centimetres upon centimetres of every kind of frozen precipitation — upon arriving here Saturday.
They’ve been stuck indoors at the BMO Training Ground as TFC’s embattled grounds people work tirelessly to prevent BMO Field from turning into a potato patch.
It certainly adds another layer to a Champions League final Toronto FC’s upper echelon have billed as the biggest “moment” in club history — a moment they’ve “wanted.”
Unfortunately, TFC’s “moment” arrives at a time when pitch conditions could benefit the visitors. Coach Greg Vanney speculated weeks ago some of Sebastian Giovinco’s frustrations stem from his inability to “get places” on a mushy surface.
“There are some challenges out there on the field that are difficult when you’re a smaller guy who needs a lot of turnover to get places. It’s hard to accelerate,” Vanney said.
Players haven’t aired their grievances. They know their frustrations are, for the most part, the result of unseasonable weather patterns that have delayed spring’s arrival. Conditions that could level the playing the field.
The Reds, at times, have looked better in possession on the road than they have at home. They need a quality surface to play out of the back and connect passes and get Giovinco and Victor Vazquez involved.
Chivas, on the other hand, are akin to New York Red Bulls, a high-pressing team that anticipates mistakes and turns them into attacking opportunities back the other way.
“I think this is going to be a tougher series than people think,” Vanney said following Saturday’s loss in Colorado. “Everyone looks at the last two (Mexican) teams we’ve been able to beat and thinks this series is going to be easier. I don’t think so.
“They’re always going to make the game difficult with the way they play,” Vanney said. “This Chivas team is very disciplined. They’ll man-mark you. They’ll track you. Long strings of possession aren’t really what teams get against them.”
It feels and sounds like a match tailor-made for Jozy Altidore, whose health remains a concern despite Vanney saying he “couldn’t see” a foot bruise keeping Altidore out of the game.
Altidore has proven paramount in possession and shown an ability to slog through bad playing conditions, shrug off defenders and score in back-to-back series during this competition.
After making 10 lineup changes in a loss to Colorado, Vanney appears to have a full complement of players to chase a first leg result before heading to Mexico for the third time.
Vazquez could be held out of the lineup if Vanney goes with three at the back.
“I think they’ll try and get tight to guys and make it difficult for us to keep possession,” Vanney said. “If things don’t look good they’ll probably commit fouls and slow the game down. They’ll do all those things savvy teams do on the road.”
While the Reds should have a close-to-full complement of players, Chivas enters this final without two key contributors. Starting goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota will miss Tuesday night’s game due to accumulation while veteran defender Jair Pereira received a two-game suspension for choking Red Bulls’ Sean Davis during their semifinal series.