Head coach and technical director Aron Winter is happy to see a contrast in how Toronto FC played in Saturday’s 2-0 win against Portland, a vast improvement from the loss in Vancouver seven days earlier.
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VIDEO: Defender Dan Gargan on Toronto FC TV Tuesday after training.</p> |
On Tuesday after team training at Cherry Beach, the Dutch boss said he was thrilled to win the home opener but also content that the Reds were able to play their own game against the visiting Timbers on that chilly BMO Field afternoon.
One player that was missing from the Toronto lineup Saturday was Canadian international defender Nana Attakora. Winter however, is upbeat about Attakora’s possible inclusion this week against visiting Chivas USA (Saturday, April 2 at 1 p.m. on TSN).
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“He started training,” said Winter pointing to the players cooling down behind him after a two-hour windswept training session. “If he is fit, Nana is going to play.”
Winter also touched extensively upon the progress of midfielder Julian de Guzman who has been sidelined due to offseason knee surgery.
“With Julian it’s day-to-day,” the coach said. “We have to see how he is going to react tomorrow. With injuries you are always going to have to be careful to see how (the body) reacts.”
For his part de Guzman seemed comfortable to be involved in “intense training” but Winter remains a cautious man reminding the media gathered that at this point in the season it’s more important to administer proper treatment instead of a quick solution.
“(Julian) has to be fit for the whole season. We can’t risk him for just one game. The system we are playing is one where Julian is going to be important. He can be the key between the midfield and the defence.”
Winter concluded the scrum saying that he is looking into possibly adding another defender. Most recently Toronto has added attacking options in Alen Stevanovic and Joao Plata.
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