In the third game of Toronto FC’s 2014 campaign the Reds were dealt a humbling blow by Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Alvaro Saborio scored twice while Luis Gil added a goal of his own to power the Claret and Cobalt to a 3-0 win over TFC.
Fortunately for the Reds, Saborio, Gil, Elias Vasquez and goalkeeper Nick Rimando will not be available this Sunday after being called up for international duty. Unfortunately for the Reds, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore will also be missing for the same reason, along with Justin Morrow (suspension) and most likely Steven Caldwell (injury).
Here are three keys to watch for when it comes to Sunday night’s game:
Rimando’s Replacement
Few keepers have the MLS resume that Nick Rimando does, which means his backup, Jeff Attinella, doesn’t get many opportunities to start. He will on Sunday.
“Everytime I get to play it’s really exciting,” Attinella said on the Claret and Cobalt Podcast this week.
Attinella made 10 starts last year, registering a 2-4-4 record. Because of Rimando’s penchant for getting called up by the United States, the Clearwater native does get his fair share of game action.
In terms of approach, the 26-year-old isn’t one to obsess over the opponent during the week leading up to a match.
“I’m not big on diving into film too early cause you kind of psyche yourself out in my own mind,” he continued. “We’ll watch [film] on Saturday, see what they have and try to figure out who they’re going to fill in for the guys that will be missing. We know they’re still a really dangerous team with Giovinco and Robbie [Findley] up top.”
“That’s the thing about this league now. When somebody leaves somebody else will step in.”
Filling In For Saborio
Filling Alvaro Saborio’s boots isn’t an easy endeavor.
From 2010 to 2012 he was a goal scoring dynamo, collecting 40 goals in 81 games. Since then the Costa Rican international slowed a tad, but he remains an integral part of the RSL strike force.
Head coach Jeff Cassar does have options up front, but until Joao Plata returns from injury his prefered attacking triumvirate remains unused.
On Sunday, due the absences of Saborio and Plata, the goal scoring onus will fall on Sebastian Jamie, Devon Sandoval and Olmes Garcia. Expect Javier Morales to push forward when he can as well.
Stopping Giovinco
One focal point of Cassar’s game plan will be stopping Sebastian Giovinco.
Man marking in the modern age is easier said than done. Simply put, it’s rarely done effectively. Even still, Cassar is wary of the threat poised by the Atomic Ant.
"He's intelligent. His movement's fantastic. He shows up in a lot of different areas of the field and if you leave gaps open, he'll find [the ball], get it and turn and go at you, so we have to be extremely mindful of him," Cassar said, via Chris Kamrani of the Salt Lake Tribune.
"If we're good with the ball, we'll nullify anything [he] can do with it."
Morales has been in the upper echelon of MLS for years now, and Cassar sees Giovinco as a player that can have a similar impact when unfettered.
"They've got great soccer minds, they kind of slow down a little bit and then they speed up right at the right times, so we have to know where he's at, for sure."
Having a player like Kyle Beckerman to protect the back four is the safety blanket many coaches in MLS wished they had.
Watch the game this Sunday on Sportsnet at 7:00 PM ET and follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #TFCLive
