Names may be the same but it’s a new-looking TFC
Minutes after Toronto FC ousted Mexico’s Club Leon from the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, captain Michael Bradley had a message for his team.
“The knife stays between our teeth. Keep going. There’s more for us,” the skipper, throwing in F-bombs for emphasis, told teammates crammed into a narrow corridor at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
While Mexican league leader Cruz Azul awaits in the quarterfinals of CONCACAF’s flagship club tournaments, the Major League Soccer part of “more” starts Saturday when Toronto kicks off the regular season against CF Montreal in Fort Lauderdale, where the Quebec side has set up shop during the pandemic.
While the TFC names essentially stay the same, it’s a newlook Toronto under new coach Chris Armas, who succeeded Greg Vanney.
The 48-year-old Armas, a former elite defensive midfielder who went on to coach the New York Red Bulls, brings his own brand of intensity to the job. While personable, he burns brightly — as does his preferred aggressive playing style.
The goal is to pressure the opposition into mistakes, as TFC did against Leon. Armas calls it “hunt mode. We’re all-in and all committed to aggressive defending and this idea that we’re dangerous when we don’t have the ball,” he said.
The goal is to unbalance the opposition, win the ball back and then attack quickly.
“I’ve had a really interesting view of it as I’ve been working my way (back to fitness) with the second group,” said veteran fullback Justin Morrow, who returned to action and scored in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Leon.
“And I keep on telling these guys after training (that) it’s a really hard style of play to play against. I see it day-in and dayout at training. It’s really uncomfortable the way they put pressure on the ball, the way we step up,” Morrow added. “And, on top of that, we win the ball and we’re going the other direction fast.
“It’s a little bit different than we’ve had in the past but it’s very fun to play in. And very hard to play against … Everyone’s bought in. Eleven players moving together at the same time. That’s the sign of a good team.”
It’s also the sign of a fit one, even if Armas says there’s more work to be done on that score.
He says sports science data shows that, while Toronto was in the upper tier among the league in distance covered during games last season, it was one of the lowest when it came to sprint distance.
That is changing quickly under Armas, due to style of play and some of the young engines that are being utilized more.
Toronto’s pre-season got off to a rocky start, disrupted by a lockdown back home after the club reported nine cases of COVID-19.
Add a wholesale change in off-field personnel including the sports science department, Armas’s demanding tactics and a move to Florida and TFC bodies have taken a licking.
Toronto has a long injury list entering the season.
Spanish playmaker Alejandro Pozuelo (thigh), Chris Mavinga (calf), Erickson Gallardo (groin), Julian Dunn (hip) and Ifunanyachi Achara (knee) are unavailable Saturday.
Star striker Jozy Altidore (thigh) and Tsubasa Endoh (sports hernia) are listed as questionable. Midfielder Jonathan Osorio, who has been dealing with a thigh issue, is suspended after kicking out at Nashville’s Alex Muyl in the playoff exit.