Finally Toronto FC will play in front of their fans. Not in Orlando, Bradenton, Vancouver or Salt Lake City. Not in Columbus, Chicago or Dallas. Not in Orlando (again), Philadelphia or Montreal.
For the first time in 2015 the Reds will march into BMO Field fresh from a successful seven game road trip.
Their opponents will be the Houston Dynamo. Owen Coyle’s side has taken two points from their past four games and have two wins this season.
But last season Houston helped derail TFC’s playoff dream in devastating fashion and those memories, however much we may want them to, don’t fade. Sunday will be a chance to christen the new BMO Field with a win while exacting a slight modicum of revenge on the Dynamo. Revenge, after all, makes the world go round.
Here are three keys for the home opener.
Score Early
If you’ve read three keys this season it’s pretty clear we’re stating the obvious. Sometimes the obvious is overlooked for different reasons, but an early goal for the Reds in front of a sellout crowd would be huge.
“We’re so excited to be home after such a long road trip,” said Justin Morrow.
That excitement can turn to dread real fast if Houston manages to prevent Toronto’s offence from making a mark early, much like they did in October last season.
“It’s been hard not having our supporters behind us, giving us that extra push,” said Marky Delgado.
“We’ve been grinding through it and I felt like we’ve done a good job on the road.”
Nine points through seven road games is very respectable. A win on Sunday pushes the Reds back to .500. Getting on the frontfoot early is a key to the game and big for a home crowd that has been waiting to erupt at BMO Field for a long time.
Stop Giles Barnes
It was Barnes that scored the game winner last October and the former West Bromwich striker has troubled TFC throughout his time in MLS.
Stopping Barnes will key for a backline that is beginning to find their form. On Sunday expect to see Ashtone Morgan, Damien Perquis, Nick Hagglund and Justin Morrow start, as they did in Orlando and Philadelphia, where the Reds recorded back-to-back clean sheets.
Barnes excels at holding up the ball and playing midfielders into the opponent's box with clever flicks. Earlier in the season Greg Vanney’s side had trouble preventing strikers with Barnes’ skillset from providing opportunities for deeper lying teammates.
Control The Play
Possession certainly isn’t everything in the modern game, and we’ve seen TFC win two consecutive league matches after being on the wrong side of the statistic.
With that said, they were on the road on those occasions. The visiting team is usually content with relying on the counter attack, but at home it’s a different story.
Funny enough Houston controlled the play against FC Dallas two weeks ago, only to be exposed by Fabian Castillo & Co. on the counter (know that feel).
Look for Coyle’s side to do what Dallas did to them, but quality wise you have to like TFC’s chances. Get Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Benoit Cheyrou on the ball with consistency and let it ride.
