TFC keen on recapturing lost momentum

Bye week stalled Reds’ three-game winning streak

Twelve games into the regular season, Toronto FC has finally overcome the inertia created by the seven-game road stretch that opened 2015.

The club has strung together wins at home against Portland and San Jose, then travelled to Washington June 6 and snapped DC United’s 20game home unbeaten streak. That win came with captain Michael Bradley and with a small contribution from striker Jozy Altidore, and two dazzling goals from Sebastian Giovinco.

More importantly, it showcased the club’s recent progress.

The defensive lapses that cost the team several points in early season games vanished, while the club’s role players were steady enough to allow stars such as Giovinco to shine. With two-thirds of the schedule left to play, TFC has pieced together a three-game win streak and finally established momentum. Then came the bye week. From the standpoint of a team playing its best soccer of the season, the week off couldn’t have been more poorly timed. But head coach Greg Vanney says that, for a squad steeling itself for a long summer full of warmweather games, a week off means a chance to regroup before pressing ahead.

When his club faces New York City FC on Saturday, Vanney doesn’t ex- pect TFC to look sluggish or rusty.

“I don’t like the fact that we lost momentum and we didn’t have a match and keep the rhythm going,” Vanney said. “At the same time . . . it was good for us to get a break, to relieve some of the stress, to (allow) bodies to heal. We’ve got a lot more numbers back into training after the extra week off.”

For some players, a break from the MLS schedule meant a chance to play more soccer.

Midfielder Jonathan Osorio and fullback Ashtone Morgan were both summoned to Canada’s national team, where they played in a pair of wins over Dominica in World Cup qualifying.

Osorio, who has recorded two assists in 11 games this season, found the time productive, not just because

“I don’t like the fact we lost momentum and we didn’t have a match and keep the rhythm.” TFC COACH GREG VANNEY ON THE TEAM’S BYE WEEK

the national team advanced in qualifying, but because coach Benito Floro’s obsessive attention to on-field detail gave him a fresh perspective he can bring back to his work with TFC.

“I feel good in both systems,” Osorio said. “Benito puts it inside our heads that we can never switch off. Every play, every second of the game is important. Not that I don’t learn that here, but he definitely puts a lot of emphasis on it, so when I come here it definitely helps.”

While Osorio and Morgan stayed game-ready during the bye week, midfielder Collen Warner used the time off to visit his family in Denver and rest a pesky hamstring injury. He says he returned to training healthy, refreshed and ready to attack the next phase of the season.

“I feel great,” Warner said. “There’s no better treatment than going to see your family and friends.”

New York City FC, a first-year club that shares an owner with Manchester City, enters Saturday’s match as the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, with 14 points in 15 games. They have won their last two league matches but recorded just one other victory in their previous 13 games.

After hosting NYCFC, the Reds play the Montreal Impact at BMO Field on Wednesday.