Prematch press conferences done, all that remains is for Leg Two of Toronto FC’s Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 series with Club Leon to be played.
The match is set for Wednesday night at 6 pm in Orlando, Florida.
Chris Armas anticipates a similar approach from his side to the one that saw them walk out of Estadio Leon with a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
“Our mentality will be to be aggressive,” encapsulated the TFC head coach. “I don't think it's a secret. And we score a goal based on that – some would say it's lucky – we have a mindset of forcing mistakes, so we did that. We're comfortable in this climate already and we're getting clearer each day on what that looks like and how to use that strategically in different moments, but who we are becoming will not change and we're just going to throw everything at it.”
“For us, this is a final and we'll approach it that way,” Armas stressed. “We want to, no matter what, after the match is done know that we threw everything at the game and stuck to who we are.”
Leon took the lead in the first leg through Fernando Navarro’s sublime volley, but the tenacity of Erickson Gallardo forced a turnover out of the Leon back-line that saw Andres Mosquera redirect the Venezuelan’s through-ball into his own goal.
Without several starters, playing their first competitive match of the season, in Mexico, at altitude, TFC learned a lot about themselves throughout that 90 minutes.
“We came out of that match with momentum, internal belief, belief in what we are all doing here, how we want to play, that we can,” detailed Armas. “We knew we would get tested in a big way on many levels and we did. We were pushed hard, for many different reasons, but we passed the test.”
“The coach can talk about that, but for the players to experience that, that's where the belief comes from,” he continued. “Coming out of that match there's more belief in what we're doing – the Columbus preseason match gave us confidence too. And then those types of games push guys physically and mentally to places where you don't know you can go. So to see heart rates and distance covered at that altitude, and that guys are able to push themselves way outside their comfort zone, gives each player an internal confidence that they can push hard and suffer and do that together.”
“That locker room after the match, there’s not much for me to say,” Armas recalled. “Just watching guys, the looks on their faces, knowing, ‘Hey, this is working. We believe in it, we're sticking to it.”
Toronto will look to carry that spirit into the second leg.
“The mood going into tomorrow is very good, everyone's ready, all the guys are excited,” said Richie Laryea. “We got a good result over there, away, so it's all to play for right now. We're pumped to get back out there, kick off this game and then just continue to push forward.”
Although they wish the match were played at a packed BMO Field, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will do.
“Any field we feel at home,” smiled Armas. “That's not always the case – at altitude and in a different country than the comfort of Canada and the US – but this one certainly feels a bit more like home.”
“We're doing everything to make Orlando feel like our home, on and off the field, and we've had some time already at the stadium in which we'll be playing – most recently, the one game against Columbus,” he continued. “There was a comfort there, the way the ball moves, the dimensions. There's a few things that we feel really comfortable about that we're not going to talk about so much right now.”
Like the first leg, TFC will be without some players.
“We're still a little banged up, but that's part of it right now,” dismissed Armas. “Each day we feel like we're getting stronger. With the healthy guys, in terms of them getting fitter, and then the guys that have been injured are slowly coming off that list. We're getting stronger each day and then tactically more on the same page.”
“[Those who missed the first leg] are doing a lot on the field right now and the question is do we use them for this match with what’s at stake?” he added. “We're going to have some good options. A bunch of guys are day-to-day and will be considered.”
Heads were turned when the squad list for the first leg was revealed and young players were given vital roles, both starting and off the bench. That they produced such fine performances was no surprise, however.
“If I show the belief and I give them confidence and I give them clarity before they step on the pitch, young players don't let you down,” said Armas. “Setting them up for success is important, surrounding them with certain players and putting them in certain spots of the field and limiting how much information you're giving them. Pregame, postgame, video, arm around; there’s all this stuff that goes into it, but we will need to rely on them heavily.”
“Noble Okello, Ralph Priso, Jacob [Shaffelburg], they'll get some minutes,” he added. “Their energy, their enthusiasm, the quality. Although they're inexperienced in many ways, they'll be essential for us to succeed.”
As it so often does, the 90 minutes will decide.
Technically speaking Toronto has the advantage of the away goal, but they will not rest on that fact.
“For us, it doesn't change anything. We have to try to beat a good team,” said Laryea. “The away goal, does it help? Yes, of course. But I don't think it changes the way we're going to play and the way we're going to approach the game because we want to win every game we play in.”
“We wanted to win that game against them in Leon, even though it was difficult circumstances and atmosphere,” he continued. “And we're going to want to win again tomorrow as well.”
“I don't think we should read too much into the results of last game and the away goal because that could easily have you slip up or not playing the way you should be playing because you feel like you're protecting something,” Laryea added. “We're going to go into the game with our plan to execute and hopefully not have to worry about the away goal we got in Leon.”
