Toronto FC will end the 2024 MLS regular season on Saturday with the visit of Inter Miami CF to BMO Field.
Despite the midweek defeat against the New York Red Bulls, TFC remain in possession of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but with the club not involved in the final day action on October 19 this is the last chance to impact the standings.
John Herdman, speaking to the media on Friday, kept his message to the side simple: “This could be the last game of the season.”
“You could sense there was a bit of anxiety in that last game,” he continued. “The first 45 minutes we looked a little bit timid. There was that little bit of fear, anxiety to get on the ball and you just weren't in the rhythm that we were in against Vancouver or even Chicago.”
“We’ve got to take the shackles off,” Herdman urged. “There's a big team coming into town, an exciting team, and for many of these players playing in the match against Miami is a big opportunity, so we’ve got to take it. This is the last opportunity we might get this season.”
Saturday marks the end of a gruelling stretch of seven games since September 14 that saw the side range across the continent and back. Toronto need to make this one count.
“Quick turnaround off the game against Red Bull, disappointment there with the result,” reflected Richie Laryea. “We just had to brush that aside and now we're eager to play against the best team in the league and match up against them.”
“We need three points,” he underlined. “Guys are excited to get back out and right some wrongs.”
Miami have brought their stars. Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, all are in town.
“They're all here and that's exciting for our fans,” confirmed Herdman. “Whenever Miami are in town, you're looking to see if Suárez, Messi, Busquets, Alba, legends of the game, are going to be on the field.”
“We faced Miami in Miami, we faced the team without the Suárez/Busquets starting, then we faced them with it starting, and you know whatever happens they've got a deep squad,” he balanced. “There are different storylines at play. If the big guns play, they're pushing for a points record and if the other lads are playing, they're playing for opportunity to push their claim for a playoff [lineup] spot.”
“They're going to be motivated, they're going to be hungry, they're in a good rhythm,” added Herdman. “But we might have a bit more to play for.”
The record for most points accumulated in a single season is 73, set by the New England Revolution in 2021. Miami head into Saturday’s match on 68, five shy of that mark. Tata Martino’s side will close the regular season at home against the Revolution following the international break having already lifted the 2024 Supporters’ Shield with a 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio on Wednesday. Toronto are fighting for their lives.
“You've got to bring it back to ‘We have to win this match,’” simplified Herdman. “We’ve got to look past the pink uniform. We've got to look past the [Miami co-owner David] Beckham. We’ve got to look past all of the glitz and glamour and bring it right down to ‘I’ve got to show up and show up for 90-plus minutes.’”
“You give this team, with their quality, an inch, they're going to take a country mile,” he continued. “It starts with we have to show up in a way that we want it more than them. We're ready to fight, we're ready to lay a glove on them. They've got to feel the physicality.”
“The pitch is a bit rough, we've got to use that to our advantage, make them feel uncomfortable in this environment, and just hope the fans get behind us and don't make them feel too comfortable,” Herdman added. “We’ve got to win this match. That mystique, I would hope, just dissipates the second that whistle kicks off.”
Shutout the distractions and focus on the task at foot.
“It's a do-or-die game,” levelled Laryea. “The Messi effect is real. I've played against him a couple times now this summer, so hopefully my family and friends will not care too much about that.”
“We have to focus on ourselves,” he stressed. “It's do or die, so I'm shutting out all that stuff, making sure I'm ready, and then also helping other guys to be ready as well. They have great players, they're the best team in the league, they've shown why they are. This is a massive opportunity for us to show.”
Focus on what Toronto needs to do.
“The first thing is you have to be brave on the ball,” outlined Herdman, “You've got to try and control elements of the game where you limit [Messi’s] opportunities through what you're doing.”
“That's really important against Miami,” he continued. “If Messi is playing, they have a really aggressive first line pressure and if you can play past that then you can, I wouldn't say dominate the ball against them, but you can find that opposite-opposite rhythm. What we do with the ball is going to be really important.”
“The second part is then the transitional moment, knowing that one-man cover isn't going to work, you've got to ensure that there's two, three players close enough in proximity,” Herdman reminded. “On one hand, you want to commit numbers to win the game, but on the other hand you know that that risk is very high. That's something we'll certainly be paying attention to.”
“And then finally it's can we press them,” he added. “That's got to be important as well: being able to get good pressure higher up the pitch to force direct play and take them out of that beautiful rhythm they can find with Busquets, who can just control a game.”
With the table tight – five teams are separated by just six points with two rounds remaining – anything can happen. Three points on Saturday may not be enough when the dust settles, but closing the regular season with a victory is never a bad thing.
“There's a chance,” said Laryea. “That has to be a good reason for us to get up for the match. It's a big match. It could be a good response against a very good team.”
“Yes, we need other teams to drop points as well, which will be a little bit frustrating for us having to watch on the last day not knowing what could happen,” he closed. “We need to really hone in on ourselves, focusing on the match tomorrow, winning that game and ending the regular season on a good note, and then pray and hope that the other teams drop points and we're in the playoffs.”
