Things are tight at the top for TFC
Reds coach Greg Vanney is happy to be playing meaningful games
Toronto FC has spent much of this season riding high atop Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference, but the Reds’ ascent has not come without a few glances back.
And one of the teams on Toronto’s heels, New York City FC, visits BMO Field on Sunday, trying to get that much closer to first place. New York is in third place, just three points behind TFC.
The Reds had a chance to create a little distance between themselves and their closest pursuers — Chicago, two points back but with a game in hand, and New York City — but settled for a 1-1tie after a late collapse against Colorado, the league’s worst road team. Still, the congestion at the top of the conference should give the Reds incentive, according to coach Greg Vanney.
“I think it’s a good thing for us to have teams right there and that we’re competing,” Vanney said Thursday. “I think you need that pressure as you get into the season.”
“The teams that walk away with things or create a huge gap as you go down the stretch tend to get complacent. For us, every game is important and we need to feel like every game is important if our objective, which it is, is to try and win the Supporters’ Shield.”
That will ultimately come down to beating their opponents head to head, Vanney said.
In addition to Sunday’s game against New York City, Toronto will visit Chicago in mid-August, host the fifth-place New York Red Bulls in late September, and visit fourthplace Atlanta to close out the regular season in October.
Vanney is trying not to put too much emphasis on Sunday’s game, which will feature New York City’s David Villa, the league’s second-leading goal scorer.
“There are still a lot of points for all of the teams to chase, so I’m not sure if it’s anything critical yet,” he said. “(But) I think it’s important for us to have these meaningful games now that have just a little more pressure than every other game.”
This will be the second time in two weeks the teams have met. A depleted Toronto team scored in injury time to force a 2-2 draw. The Reds should have close to a full complement Sunday, with captain Michael Bradley, striker Jozy Altidore and defender Justin Morrow returning after helping the U.S. to a Gold Cup title.
Midfielder Benoit Cheyrou will be unavailable after suffering a calf tear against Colorado. He is out eight weeks.
But defender Nick Hagglund, who returned to the starting lineup last Saturday after missing more than two months with a torn MCL in his left knee, is healthy and hoping Toronto can return to its shutout ways. The Reds have posted10 clean sheets so far this year but have allowed at least one goal in each of their past five games.
“We know we’re going to score goals and we know we’re a team that’s dangerous on the attack,” Hagglund told reporters Wednesday. “I think getting back to games with a zero on their side would be perfect.”
Doing so with Villa on the team will be a tall task but Toronto holds itself to high standards, said fellow defender Drew Moor.
“If we win a game 5-1 we’re not going to be too disappointed but we’ve set lofty goals and we’ve set a number of shutouts that we want to hit every season and we haven’t hit it yet this season,” Moor said. “We’re always pissed when we allow any goal.”