Kaye’s return to play expected to provide offensive spark for TFC
Toronto FC hopes to cash in on some prior experience at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night.
The last time the Reds faced expansion side Charlotte FC was on July 23 at BMO Field — the first time TFC had all three Italian stars as well as newly-acquired midfielder Mark-anthony Kaye in the lineup together, the result being a resounding 4-0 victory for Toronto.
On Saturday at Charlotte’s home park, there’s a good chance Kaye, a 2019 MLS allstar, will be back on the field with Toronto’s three Italians — Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi and Domenico Criscito. With that, Kaye is hoping for some more fireworks.
“We’ve showed that when everything is clicking we can be one of the best teams in the league and it’s just about finding that consistency and just fine-tuning a little bit of the details going forward in these next couple of games,” said Kaye, who suffered a lower body injury in that July 23 game and is only now getting back in the lineup. “I think if we get that sorted, we’ll be very happy with where we end up at the end of the regular season.”
They can only wish. The Reds sit five points out of a MLS playoff spot with seven games left and with four teams to leapfrog, including Charlotte. TFC (8-13-6) is 11th in the Eastern Conference while Charlotte (10-152) is 10th and also hunting to get to a post-season position.
“I wouldn’t say it’s desperation. I would say there’s an eagerness to continue to move forward in the right direction and improve,” said Kaye, when asked about the mood on the team.
Toronto had a five-game unbeaten run (three wins, two draws) snapped with a 2-1 loss to Inter Miami last Saturday. Insigne scored Toronto’s lone goal from outside the box. TFC’S five goals from outside the box in August is the most in the league. All three Italian newcomers have scored from outside the box this month.
Charlotte has lost consecutive home games for the first time in club history following a 2-1 defeat to Orlando City on Sunday. The Crown, as the North Carolina outfit is known, has conceded five goals in those two losses after allowing just seven goals in its first 11 home MLS games. Forward Karol Swiderski has eight goals and three assists for Charlotte. Yordy Reyna, also a forward, has three goals and one assist over the past 10 games.
“I said before we played them the first time, they’re a good team,” said TFC coach Bob Bradley. “They’ve got a clear identity on how they want to play. They’ve been very good at home this year (8-5). Those are all things that we understand well.”
Midfielder Jonathan Osorio leads the Reds with nine goals and four assists. Forward Jesus Jimenez is second with eight goals but hasn’t scored in 10 straight. Ayo Akinola started in Jimenez’s place on Saturday, though he hasn’t scored in 13 straight games. The situation got so bad that Bradley left the 28-year-old Jimenez in Toronto when the club flew off to Miami last Friday. Despite some problems at the forward and goalkeeper positions, Kaye believes the Reds have the manpower to go on a serious playoff run.
“You look at the calibre of the players on our team, it makes the game a lot easier when everyone on the field is technically good, everyone on the field understands the system, everyone on the field is willing to work for one another,” he said. “So, yeah, that Charlotte game (July 23) was definitely a glimpse of just a small bit of the potential we can really reach. It was a good moment and we look forward to creating more of them.”
TFC acquired Kaye last month, and the Toronto native went down with an injury after only three games with his hometown team.
“It’s always frustrating whenever you can’t be on the field,” said Kaye. “You have to find other ways to help the team from within the locker-room with the right attitude and the right mentality. It’s unfortunate I couldn’t play more of a bigger role in the last couple of games. But I know how important this next stretch is and that’s why we’re trying to really make sure everything is ready to go on my end.”
One of the ways Kaye has helped out when not playing is by helping his replacement at midfield, 19-yearold Jayden Nelson, learn the position. Nelson is normally a forward.
“He’s a very good player and he has an array of technical abilities that a lot of players wish they had, and he’s continued to find the balance of what the game needs and what he can bring every time he gets on the ball,” said Kaye. “I’m very happy with his progression and it’s not always easy to go into a midfield like that and perform well at a young age. But he’s able to dribble out of tight spaces, accelerate forward, which helps the team alleviate some pressure. And then he’s working on the midfield aspect of passing the ball, receiving quickly, playing passes in behind ... so he’s learning. He’s a young player and time is on his side. I think he’s going to do great.”