Bradley tells fans to make some noise
As some Toronto FC fans wage a silent protest against the club’s front office, captain Michael Bradley wants Reds supporters to know just how crucial their voices are to the team’s success.
“My message to the fans is that we need them, more than maybe they even realized,” the midfielder said Friday.
Supporter group Inebriatti has quelled its cheers for long periods over Toronto’s last few matches to protest a clause in a document the Reds’ front office asked them to sign recently that they believe could make the group responsible for any incidents that occur in their seating area.
The document stems from an incident in the group’s section, 114, during a 1-0 loss to Montreal in August, when two fans displayed a sexually suggestive banner.
Inebriatti denied the fans were members of the group at the time. Toronto FC has since levied sanctions again two men, whose identities the club is keeping anonymous.
When asked Thursday if either man was a member of their supporter group, Inebriatti said it didn’t comment on matters the club handles privately.
During Wednesday’s match against Orlando City SC the silence was especially deafening as other support- er groups, like Kings in the North and U-Sector, joined the protest.
Toronto will need all the support it can get when DC United visits BMO Field Saturday night.
The visitors sit just above the playoff line and come into the game on a four-game unbeaten streak. If United wants a chance to clinch a playoff berth this weekend, it needs a win over the Reds.
The home side’s one loss in its last 12 games bodes well for the team, but Toronto is itching for three points — which would secure its first home playoff game in club history — after three consecutive draws.
The team could again be without leading scorer Sebastian Giovinco spurring its offence, though. The Italian has been out four games with adductors and quadriceps strains.
Giovinco trained Friday but coach Greg Vanney is still weighing the risk of playing him Saturday, especially with the team heading into a twoweek break following the match.
“It’s a tricky injury, the quads — you can do probably 90 per cent of what you want to do and feel just fine,” Vanney said.
> TONIGHT TORONTO FC vs. DC UNITED TV: 7:30 p.m., TSN2 At BMO Field