Finally, it’s here. Toronto FC visits Frisco, Texas to take on FC Dallas on Saturday night at 8:30 PM ET. Catch the game on TSN 4.
It seems like the last TFC match was many moons ago, long before the new Star Wars trailer and the Blue Jays home opener.
That’s because it was. The 3-2 loss in Chicago left a bad taste in the mouths of supporters expecting a win against one of the supposed ‘lesser lights’ in the Eastern Conference.
To be frank, at this current juncture TFC falls in that category. With one win and three losses through four games the season isn’t over by any means and irrational panic is worth nobody’s time.
With that said there are issues that must be worked out sooner than later. The first one, the most important and the one that will dictate how this team fares in 2015 is the defence.
The Reds have conceded eight goals through four games to go along with two red cards. Injuries haven’t helped, but that’s not an excuse.
“Some of our mistakes are because guys feel uncomfortable when they should be comfortable. They panic a little bit and make decisions that they normally wouldn’t make and they know better than that. They’re a little uneasy,” said head coach Greg Vanney this week.
That’s been evident through four games. Vanney offered a solution to the Reds’ defensive woes.
“It’s just making sure that their roles are clear and what we’re trying to do, and that their responsibility within a given situation is clear so they can find comfort in that and just be the players they are.”
The return of Damien Perquis will help in that regard, especially with Blas Perez lurking up front for Oscar Pareja’s side.
TFC’s defensive solidarity will be tested by a Dallas team that thrives on pace down the wings. Chicago’s David Accam gave the Reds mountains of trouble in that regard two weeks ago.
Tesho Akindele and Fabian Castillo have the ability to do the same - Bryan Kay’s profile of Castillo is worth a read.
Perez, Akindele and Castillo are as formidable a trident as you’ll find in the league, but without Mauro Diaz in the lineup the final pass has been lacking for the Toros in recent weeks. Diaz is said to be ‘available’ for Saturday’s match, but his participation appears unlikely.
As Waking The Red’s James Grossi points out, we could see Akindele move into the middle in place of Diaz, with Ryan Hollingshead likely to take the future Canadian international's (99.9%!) place on the wing.
No matter what lineup Pareja puts out it will be a formidable test for a defensive unit that has yet to find their footing this season.
Up front the Reds will probably remain unchanged. Jozy Altidore’s red card against Switzerland was a blessing in disguise for TFC, as the striker was unavailable for the U.S. midweek friendly against Mexico.
Michael Bradley did play a full 90 minutes in that game, however, and his incredible recovery skills will be tested by the Texas heat.
With three matches remaining in the seven game road trip to start the season we still don’t know much about this iteration of Toronto FC. We’ll continue to learn more on Saturday night in Frisco.
