All-stars showdown awaits TFC in semi
It’s always a star-studded affair when New York City FC comes to town, but Sunday night’s opening leg of the Eastern Conference semifinal against Toronto FC could have more allure than usual.
The game itself is huge. The Reds are into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in their 10-year history, while New York has never before made a playoff appearance at BMO Field — where a crowd of around 30,000 is expected for the 7 p.m. kickoff.
Add big-name players on both sides of the field and the stage is set for something special.
It’s not every day that a Major League Soccer team’s designated players can match the star power of Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley. New York City FC is an exception with striker David Villa as well as midfielders Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo.
“Both teams have a lot of guys who can make you pay if you make mistakes,” Reds coach Greg Vanney said recently. “Whether it’s Seba or Jozy or any of our guys, or Lampard or Villa, they’re guys who, with one chance, can put this tie away.”
The teams have met five times, but there’s never been a single match when all of six of those players saw action. They’re all healthy now and played the last time out, so the stars seem to be aligned for Sunday night.
Having all of its designated players in the lineup hasn’t been the norm for either side. The Reds’ trio have only appeared together in 15 of 34 regular-season matches, while Villa, Pirlo and Lampard saw action in the same game just 18 times.
“Their guys are clearly seasoned veterans, have been around for a long time, are very clever, smart and connect well with each other,” Vanney said in comparing both sets of players, adding Giovinco, Altidore and Bradley work together just as well.
The obvious difference, Vanney said, is age. Toronto’s designated players are all under 30. Among New York City’s big three, Villa is the youngest at 34. That could bode well for the Reds. If the first leg of the home-andhome series — the second match goes next Sunday — is played at the same frenetic pace as Toronto FC’s knockout-round win over the Phila- delphia Union on Wednesday, Vanney says older players could be in for a struggle: “It becomes a little more challenging for them to cover those spaces, maybe, at the same rate and have to deal with second balls, loose balls, all those sorts of things.”
The combination of Giovinco and Altidore, who played a part in each other’s goals against the Union, could be especially important.
Altidore didn’t feature in either of the Reds’ draws against New York this year, because of hamstring injuries. Since returning from his second, more lengthy layoff in July, though, the striker has scored 11 goals and provided four assists.
Captain Bradley says it’s no secret the team is at its best with Giovinco and Altidore on the field. Tactically, they present an interesting challenge for other teams, and New York City had one of the worst defensive records in MLS.
“The reality is that there aren’t too many teams in the league that play with two out-and-out forwards.” Bradley said. “We do and we have two of the best, so I think to have both of them on the field and sharp and fit and into it is something that we rely on a lot.