Toronto FC was back in training on Friday ahead of its road trip for next week’s Concacaf Champions League match.
Here are some news and notes from the day’s practice.
BUSY SCHEDULE AHEAD FOR REDS
Toronto FC opens its Concacaf Champions League campaign on Tuesday in Panama against Club Atletico Independiente de la Chorrera. The return leg of the round-of-16 series is Feb. 26 at BMO Field.
TFC then begins the MLS regular season with a road game against the Philadelphia Union on March 2.
The Reds spent the bulk of pre-season training in California before returning home on Wednesday to start the last phase of camp and prepare for their two-game set versus Independiente.
Toronto, of course, is coming off of a failed 2018 MLS campaign in which it didn’t qualify for the playoffs. The year wasn’t a complete write off, as TFC became only the third MLS team to reach the finals of the Concacaf Champions League, after Real Salt Lake (2011) and Montreal Impact (2015).
Still, there’s no escaping from the fact that not qualifying for the post-season was a major letdown for a side that hoisted the MLS Cup the previous year. Captain Michael Bradley insists the 2018 MLS season is in the past, though.
“Nobody is sitting around worried about last year anymore. For me, that’s been the best part of this last week or so. Coming into camp and looking around and feeling right away there’s an excitement and a motivation of the guys who are here to get going and to work,” Bradley told reporters after Friday’s practice.
THE CAPTAIN SPEAKS
Bradley missed the first part of training camp with TFC as he was on international duty with the U.S. national team.
Bradley missed a lot while he was away. TFC sold star forward Sebastian Giovinco and chief playmaker Victor Vazquez, traded central defender Nick Hagglund to FC Cincinnati, and Gregory van der Wiel was sent home to Toronto from the California training camp after an altercation with coach Greg Vanney. The Dutch fullback won’t be back with TFC this season, as the club is looking to move him.
There’s also been some additions to the roster, chief among them centre back Laurent Ciman, winger Nick DeLeon and midfielder Griffin Dorsey, Toronto’s first-round draft pick. The club is also pursuing high-profile replacements for Giovinco and Vazquez.
Bradley believes the newcomers already in camp and those still to come will bring new life and energy into the team.
“This group that’s here right now is in a very good way, frame of mind, mentality …. The initial part of pre-season there was a lot going on, but I think everybody who is here right now is very excited to put all of that stuff behind us, and now hit the ground running for what we all believe is going to be a great year,” Bradley stated.
ALTIDORE RULED OUT FOR 1ST LEG
Jozy Altidore took part in portions of Friday’s training session, but the American forward won’t play in the first leg in Panama.
Altidore underwent off-season surgery to remove a bone fragment from his right ankle. He’s still recovering from the surgery, but Vanney is hopeful that he’ll be able to play some minutes in the second leg and in the MLS season opener.
With Altidore unavailable for the first leg, look for Vanney to give a start to forward Terrence Boyd, who joined the club earlier this month from German club SV Darmstadt 98.
“He’s a guy who is going to be a physical presence. He’s not afraid of contact, he’s not afraid to put his body into people, he’s not afraid to make sure that every defender who walks off the field after playing against him understands that it’s not been an easy day,” said Bradley, who has played with Boyd in the U.S. national team.
LOOKING AHEAD TO PANAMA TRIP
Independiente currently sits in a tie for second place in the Panamanian first division, with two wins from its first three games of the season.
Founded in 1982, Independiente play their home games at Estadio Agustín Sánchez on an artificial surface that isn’t the greatest quality, according to Vanney. Heat could also be an issue, as it is expected to be 91 degrees Fahrenheit in La Chorrera at kickoff time on Tuesday night.
“Playing in Central America always has its challenges. Sometimes the opposition is just one challenge, and the conditions and different things become another challenge. For us, it’s about being intelligent how we go play this first leg and try to set ourselves up to come back and finish the series at our place,” Vanney said.
As far as the scouting report on Independiente, Vanney expects the Panamanian side to use their pace on the counter-attack.
“What’s made them successful is that they’re fairly organized, they’re pretty aggressive defensively. They’re very quick in the counter-attack. If they can win the ball and break out, a lot of their goals come off of transition play,” Vanney explained.
Bradley added: “Nobody is under any illusions that this is going to be easy.”
TFC reached the final of the 2018 Champions League, losing to Mexican side Chivas in a penalty shootout in the decisive second leg in Guadalajara. Toronto qualified for this year’s tournament by winning the 2018 Canadian Championship last summer.
If it advances past Independiente, Toronto will meet either Mexican side Club Deportivo Toluca or Sporting Kansas City in the quarterfinals.
This knockout competition features 16 top teams from across the Concacaf region that covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
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