Back at BMO Field, TFC hopes home is where the wins are
Toronto FC ends its pandemic-prompted 31-game, 10-month road trip Saturday when it hosts Orlando City SC at BMO Field.
Buoyed by a coaching change, a rare win last time out, Jozy Altidore’s return to the fold and sleeping in their own beds, players and staff of the 2-8-2 MLS club finally have something to smile about.
Goalkeeper Alex Bono says the team is “on a real high right now.”
“Definitely excited, definitely ready to go (Saturday). I think we’re in for a really special atmosphere and a really special welcoming back,” he added.
Attendance Saturday will be capped at 7,000 with the crowd drawn from front-line healthcare workers, first responders and season ticket-holders. That number will be increased to 15,000 for next Wednesday’s home match against the New York Red Bulls.
The next home match after that is Aug. 1 against Nashville SC. TFC and Major League Soccer have not yet announced plans for that game and beyond.
The league and its Canadian teams have applied for a socalled National Interest Exemption, which would allow players who aren’t fully vaccinated to cross the border with a modified quarantine. While most teams are almost fully vaccinated, they want to have access to all their roster.
The MLS Players Association said it is approaching 95 per cent of the player pool being vaccinated, though it did not specify whether that meant double-vaccinated.
While Toronto only announced the return to BMO Field on Wednesday, Orlando coach Oscar Pareja said his team knew last week that coming north of the border was in the cards.
Every player is “able and prepared” to travel, he said when asked about the requirement to be fully vaccinated to cross the border without quarantine.
While the mood is bright, TFC remains in the league basement, nine points out of the playoffs, and ranks last in the league on defence, conceding 2.42 goals per game on average. Toronto has given up a leagueworst eight goals in the first 15 minutes of games and is 0-7-1 when conceding the first goal.
Toronto has gone 11-15-5 in all competitions since its last game at BMO Field on Sept. 1, with eight of those wins coming last year. The club has won just three of its past 17 matches (312-2) in regular-season and post-season play.
But one of those wins came last time out, a 3-2 victory July 7 at New England, in Javier Perez’s debut as interim coach after Chris Armas was fired three days earlier. That snapped a sixgame losing (and seven-game winless) streak.
Bono, who revealed Perez had cut him while he was in charge of the U.S. youth national team, said the Spaniard has brought calmness and confidence back to the team.
Both teams are missing players away on international duty at the Gold Cup.
Toronto is without Ayo Akinola, Richie Laryea and Jonathan Osorio (Canada), Eriq Zavaleta (El Salvador) and Kemar Lawrence (Jamaica). Orlando is missing Daryl Dike (U.S.).
TFC goalkeeper Quentin Westberg is questionable with a finger injury. But Altidore, who last played May 22, is back training and available.