Lions search for a spark in Toronto
Orlando City’s precarious playoff hopes could get a boost tonight when the Lions play at conference-leading Toronto. A win could move Orlando City into the eighth and final playoff spot with three games to go. The Lions have suffered three straight lopsided defeats, but they’ve split their two games this season with Toronto.
TORONTO — It’s not the easiest thing to follow three of the worst losses of the season with a match against one of the league’s best teams, but that’s the challenge Orlando City faces when it at Toronto’s BMO Field tonight.
It’s the Lions’ first trip to the city this season, but the teams’ third meeting. They have split the previous games.
Orlando City (7-10-13, 34 points) is desperate to salvage a playoff opportunity at eighth in the Eastern Conference and has lost its past three games 4-1, 4-1 and 4-2. Toronto (13-8-9, 38 points) already clinched a playoff spot and has led the East much of the season.
“It’s a very, very difficult team, we know, top of the table for a reason,” Orlando City coach Jason Kreis said. “So, we come here with a massive challenge in front of us, but still a team I think we can beat. I think we played very well against them last month at home. In a lot of ways, I think we outplayed them, but didn’t win the game. So, we look to do the same here and hope for a better result.”
Kreis said the team did a lot of talking following its last defeat Saturday against D.C. United and many of the players who did not start in that match will get an opportunity in Toronto, so they need to be prepared. The Lions arrived in Canada Sunday and practiced the last two days at Toronto’s training facility.
Just because Toronto has a lock on the postseason doesn’t mean the Reds will roll over, though. They still are competing with the two New York teams for the Eastern Conference title. The three teams also are tied in points with Colorado and Los Angeles in the Western Conference. And they all are chasing league leader FC Dallas (53 points) for the Supporters’ Shield.
Kaká would not entertain the idea that Toronto would ease up after clinching a playoff berth.
“I don’t think so,” he said after the Lions’ 4-1 loss at D.C. United over the weekend. “I think they want to be the first of the conference, so probably they will play hard. One good thing for us is [Sebastian] Giovinco is out, so maybe we can take advantage of that.”
Sebastian Giovinco, the Reds’ leading scorer and reigning league MVP, has been recovering during the last month from strains in his quadriceps and adductor. Reports out of Toronto the last few days said he was training away from the team and was questionable for the club’s matches against Orlando City and United.
Despite missing the last three games, Giovinco is third in the Golden Boot standings with 16 goals, behind Bradley WrightPhillips (20) of the New York Red Bulls and NYCFC’s David Villa (19). Giovinco also leads Toronto by far in assists with 13. The club’s No. 2 scorer, Jozy Altidore, has eight goals. Will Johnson and Jonathan Osorio are tied in second for assists with five each.
Both of the last two meetings were battles until the end, with each team winning a match on a late goal — a 100th-minute penalty kick from Kaká for a 3-2 Lions’ victory in June 25 and an Altidore goal in the 86th minute of a 2-1 Toronto victory Aug. 24.
A victory this time could put the Lions in a tie with D.C. for the final playoff spot with three games to go, depending on United’s result today against ninthplace Columbus.
“Obviously the first two games between the teams were really good, back and forth, late goals . . . . So, I expect the same thing,” Lions goalkeeper Joe Bendik said. “After losing three games in a row, we needed to figure a couple things out as a team, and hopefully we can show that on Wednesday.
“I think everybody else is doubting us. So, I think that’s a very dangerous place to be because we’re playing with a lot of freedom. We’re still believing, like we’re right on the [playoff ] line, and we are.”