Reds have to dig deeper for offence
Strikers Altidore, Giovinco will watch as TFC tries to extend its unbeaten streak
Jozy Altidore will cheer on from the sidelines while serving a suspension. Sebastian Giovinco is in the final stages of recovering from an injury.
Toronto FC hosts the Columbus Crew on Friday night without their star strikers but as coach Greg Vanney pointed out Thursday, Toronto’s depth has been a significant factor in its seven-game MLS unbeaten streak. And it’s about to be tested once again.
“Scoring goals,” Vanney said with a laugh when asked about the challenges TFC faces without Altidore and Giovinco. “But I think it’s the opportunity for other players to step in.
“Obviously Jozy and Seba account for quite a few of our goals.”
They have 12 goals between them. The rest of the roster has a combined eight.
“Obviously Tosaint (Ricketts) has been that guy as the third forward who’s come in and (scored),” Vanney said. “We have other guys who are capable of stepping up, we have creators, we have guys who will get in goal-scoring positions. But the easy answer to that is we lose our top two strikers — and guys who quite frankly other defences fear a little bit more in the grand scheme of things — but we’ll come with something that we believe will also score goals and create goals (Friday).”
There is good news for Toronto in that Giovinco is on pace to make a return to the lineup next week.
The 30-year-old hasn’t played since straining a quadriceps muscle against Minnesota on May 13. However he has practised the last two days, including Thursday’s session in blustery, wet conditions at the team’s training ground in the city’s northwest end. Giovinco had an MRI exam Wednesday, Vanney said, that showed “almost complete healing, but not quite.” He’ll get another MRI in the coming week and could be cleared to play in the June 3 game versus New England, and perhaps even Wednesday when Toronto hosts the Ottawa Fury in the second leg of their semifinal for the Voyageurs Cup — Canada’s club championship.
“Hopeful, optimistic. I’m not sure if Wednesday is even in the potential range. But he’s approaching three weeks and that was the initial prediction,” Vanney said.
Toronto is being cautious with Giovinco, who has six goals this season. Vanney said he’s pleased with what he’s seen in practice.
“He’s starting to strike balls, starting to strike balls on goal,” said the coach. “With the quad it still becomes an endurance issue over time, and making sure he’s 100 per cent in terms of the strength of the muscle and its ability when fatigued to remain strong. (But) he’s looked great, he’s looked sharp, he’s looked ready.
“We’ve had this situation in the past with quads, when they can be a little finicky and guys feel great but they’re not quite healed and in a fatigue moment you get yourself into another situation. So we want to make sure he’s 100 per cent ready to go before the docs feel they’re comfortable letting him out there.”
Columbus is the lone team to beat TFC — who’ve gone 6-0-1 in their unbeaten streak — in MLS play this season.
The teams split their two matches in Columbus. The Crew won 2-1 on April 15 and Toronto took the rematch by the same score on May 10.
Ricketts scored two late goals in the Toronto victory and he’ll be counted on again Friday. The Canadian forward said stepping up in place of Altidore and Giovinco won’t “only be on my shoulders but the entire team.”
Toronto had its six-game win streak come to an end last Friday with a 1-1 tie at New York Red Bulls. The team is looking for its first eight-game unbeaten run since 2010, when Toronto had four wins and four draws between May 8 and July 10.