With schedule set, Reds adapting to new home

‘No complaints’ from Vanney about temporary move to Connecticut

Toronto FC learned Tuesday what lies ahead in the rest of the pandemic-rejigged MLS regular season.

Seven matches in October and two in November. Six “home” games in East Hartford, Conn. Asteady diet of Eastern Conference opponents.

On the plus side, coach Greg Vanney gave a thumbs-up to the facilities in their Hartford home away from home, talking up the team’s hotel and food as well as Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, where TFC will play home games due to border restrictions limiting U.S. teams from coming north.

“The setup’s been great ... No complaints,” Vanney said Tuesday. “We’re just obviously away from family and all that, which we have to manage and work through while we’re on the road.”

As Toronto (6-2-4) prepared for its third meeting with New York City FC this year —Wednesday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. — the league released the last chunk of the regular-season schedule.

Toronto will play a 23-game season campaign, rather than the normal 34. TFC will finish out the regular season at the New York Red Bulls on Decision Day, Nov. 8.

Unless something drastic changes with COVID-19, TFC will finish the regular season having played just four of those 23 games at BMO Field.

Toronto faces a difficult opponent in NYCFC (5-5-2) on

Wednesday.

The New Yorkers are unbeaten in six games (4-0-2) — a stretch that has seen them concede just two goals. NYCFC ranks second in the league on defence, yielding 0.75 goals a game, which has helped cover up the fact it is tied for 22nd on offence in averaging 0.83 goals a game.

In contrast, Toronto is tied for ninth on offence (1.67 goals a game) and seventh on defence (1.17).