TFC is looking to finish the job in playoffs
TORONTO — A record-setting regular season in its rear-view mirror, Toronto FC’s sights are now set firmly on the MLS Cup.
For top-seeded Toronto (20-5-9), Monday’s visit to Red Bull Arena is the first step of hopefully a five-game playoff journey that will culminate Dec. 9 in the championship decider at BMO Field. First up are the sixth-seeded New York Red Bulls (14-12-8) in the twolegged Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semifinal.
Toronto coach Greg Vanney has called his team the best in Major League Soccer history and TFC has the numbers to back him up with a leaguerecord 69 points — one better than the 1998 Los Angeles Galaxy team featuring Vanney in the backline.
Now it’s time to finish the job.
“Our biggest goal this season is the one that’s still in front of us,” he said Sunday, prior to boarding the team charter. “We all recognize it’s the start really of a new season. It’s a new competition. And it’s a challenging one, because any time you get in these Cup competitions, one mistake here or there, one missed opportunity can change the course of it quickly.
“So we know it’s time to execute. Results are of the utmost importance and every moment of the game is an important one.”
Toronto fell just short last season, losing via penalty shootout to visiting Seattle in the championship game.
Vanney says his team is ready to go one better.
“The concentration, the focus, intensity from our guys has gone up to another level this week. I think they understand after last year’s experiences what the playoffs really look like,” he said. “We know when we play a Red Bulls team that it’s going to be engaging, it’s going to be fast and it requires you to be mindful of every moment of the game.”
The additions of Spanish playmaker Victor Vazquez and French defender Chris Mavinga have elevated Toronto’s game to a new level this season. Alex Bono has taken over in goal, an excellent shot-stopper and mobile ’keeper whose occasional gaffes rarely lead to disaster.
Captain Michael Bradley and star strikers Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore are the straws that stir the drink. Bradley is the midfield fulcrum. Up front, a healthy Giovinco has looked in the mood recently, while Altidore continues to be a bull in an opposition china shop. Marky Delgado has become a key cog in the midfield, keeping the ball moving.
New York advanced by upsetting third-seeded Chicago 4-0 in a knockout game on the road. The Red Bulls may have entered the playoffs the hard way in 2017, but are no strangers to the post-season, making their eighth straight appearance since 2010.
The clubs tied 1-1 at Red Bull Arena in May, with Toronto winning 4-2 at home in September, thanks to a Justin Morrow hat trick. Red Bulls stars Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sacha Kljestan saw limited action off the bench that day. WrightPhillips is on 99 goals in all competitions, with nine of those strikes coming against Toronto (in just 11 games).