Reds’ stars could return against Atlanta

Team’s healthier after international break, but faces playoff elimination

Jozy Altidore and Alejandro Pozuelo could both see some playing time Saturday when Toronto FC returns to action against visiting Atlanta United after the international break.

While coach Javier Pérez was not definitive on either designated player taking the field, he said there was a chance.

“This international break has been really good for us because we have had time to work with players that have been out for a long time,” he told reporters Friday.

“The other thing is, we have to remember that some of these players have been out for a long time, and it takes a little bit of time for them to get into the fifth gear they need to (be in). But it’s all good news.”

Both players have been training with the team this week.

Altidore has not played since Aug. 7, missing the last 11 games in all competitions. He underwent surgery on his right ankle on Aug. 19 in New York with the club saying at the time his recovery would take six weeks.

Pozuelo, sidelined by a lowerbody injury that has dogged him all year, last saw action Aug. 27 in a 3-1 loss to Montreal. The reigning MVP in Major League Soccer has not played in the seven matches since, although he was on the bench for Toronto’s last game, a 3-1 home win over Chicago on Oct. 3.

Altidore and Pozuelo, whose salaries total $8.25 million (U.S.), have appeared in a combined 23 matches this season with three goals and four assists.

There is also a question mark over winger Yeferson Soteldo, the team’s other designated player. He saw 14 minutes off the bench in Venezuela’s 1-0 loss to visiting Paraguay in Merida on Wednesday, followed by a long journey home and a health issue.

Pérez said while Soteldo had been feeling “some discomfort,” the club’s medical staff says it’s not as severe as initially thought. He will be evaluated prior to the match.

“At the moment, he’s questionable for (Saturday),” said Pérez.

Toronto, 6-15-7, is unbeaten in its last five in all competitions (4-0-1) but stands 13th in the 14th-team Eastern Conference, 15 points out of the playoffs. A loss Saturday will officially end their playoff chances, as would a tie depending on other results. That would mark just the second time since 2015 that TFC has failed to make the playoffs.

Their hopes in the Canadian Championship are still alive, however, with a Nov. 3 semifinal set against Pacific FC.

“We want to win that,” said Toronto defender Kemar Lawrence.

“I feel like every game right now is just getting us sharper and sharper for that. So we want to end the year with a trophy. Now we can’t get MLS Cup, but a trophy’s a trophy.”

Like Altidore, striker Dom Dwyer and centre back Chris Mavinga have been upgraded to questionable ahead of the Atlanta game.

Ayo Akinola, Tsubasa Endoh, Ralph Priso and Luke Singh are out. Toronto’s Mark Delgado, Richie Laryea and Soteldo are also one yellow card away from a suspension.

Eighth-place Atlanta arrives on the cusp of the playoffs at 10-9-9, 14 points ahead of Toronto.

“Every game is a final,” defender Brooks Lennon said of the club’s remaining six matches.

“It’s a tough place to play, no matter what time of year it is,” he added, about Toronto. “They’ve got a quality team. It doesn’t matter where they are in the standings or the table … We’re not going there and thinking we’re just going to run all over these guys.”

Atlanta has lost two of its last three, including a 2-1 defeat in Montreal last time out, but that was preceded by an 8-2-1 run that included a 1-0 home victory over Toronto on Aug. 18.

The club is 4-3-0 under coach Gonzalo Pineda.