This season, for all its oddity, has brought some new lessons.
Permanently on the road, playing out of their home-away-from-home in East Hartford, Connecticut, facing a jam-packed schedule with eight matches in the next month as the regular season concludes, Toronto FC are learning to embrace the strange.
“Yeah, it definitely feels weird.” admitted Mark Delgado on Tuesday via another Zoom call. “It's not your normal, typical season. It does feel like a training camp just because we're away from home, but the circumstances are what they are and we’ve just got to make the most out of it.”
“We can't dwell on the situation, we just have to make all of this worth it and to get that final reward at the end – [that] is our ultimate goal,” he stated. “Around each other a lot more we get to know each other better off the field. That's been a good thing for everyone. It brings the crew that much closer to one another. We just push forward.”
Having closed out the all-Canadian portion of the campaign with a win over the Montreal Impact, TFC took to Phase 2 of the return to play with gusto, stretching that unbeaten run to five games, including a trio of wins over sides at the top of the Eastern Conference in their last three.
With 13 of the last 15 points on offer in their pocket, Toronto has put themselves into the Supporters’ Shield picture, tied with Columbus Crew SC on 31 points from 15 matches. In the West, Seattle Sounders FC have a game in hand, but trail the pace by four points.
A fascinating month lies ahead.
And it doesn’t get any easier from here on in.
Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union began another daunting stretch with five matches in 16 days that concludes against Atlanta United FC on October 18 and sees games against FC Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls.
But first comes a trip to Gillette Stadium to face the New England Revolution, who enter unbeaten in four, having conceded just once in that spell.
In their second season under Bruce Arena, New England, rarely joyful opposition for Toronto, have become even more uncomfortable of an opponent.
Through 15 matches they have lost just three times – on par with the top four sides in the conference. They have conceded less than a goal-per-match, but the loss of playmaker Carlos Gil to an Achilles injury has cramped their attacking prowess, limiting them to a goal a game.
In sixth place in the East, the Revs will be looking to surge into the top half of the playoff places in the remaining games.
“They're a team that I put in the category of difficult to play against, especially at home,” began Greg Vanney. “A lot of physical qualities – they're high pressing, they're a committed group of hard working guys who want to make the game difficult. They're athletic, they're big in a lot of places, well organized and they make the game tough.”
“They miss the likes of Gil, who is a creative player and makes the game a little bit different for them. They've become a little bit more workman like, if you will, as a group and pragmatic,” he continued. “They try to get their full-backs in higher positions and whip balls across the goal and get bodies in front of the goal. They'll try to attack that way – getting from the outside back into the inside and trying to get bodies in front of the goal – and they'll press pretty high, try to create turnovers to shorten the field, and they use their athleticism and their strength to try to get in your space and be disruptive and make things difficult.”
“We have a number of teams in our league that are just really difficult to play against in the grand scheme of things,” Vanney added. “And that makes everything you do have to be faster, have to be more purposeful, and you’ve got to take advantage of the moments that you get.”
In the stretch run of a unique season, difficult outings will be the norm.
“That's the way these games are going to be,” levelled Vanney. “We're already into the tail stretch, teams are going to be fighting for playoff spots and positioning, so a lot of these games are going to be that way.”
“But it's [New England’s] style to want to be combative. And that's all right,” he embraced. “We want games to be challenging and to be difficult and for us to have to find solutions. That's how you get yourself battle tested for the playoffs, dealing with different styles and different ways that teams want to try to attack and defend.”
In MLS cakewalks are few and far between, something the newest member of the club experienced in his debut against NYCFC on September 23.
“Coming over I didn’t know too much about the league, about the standard,” said Tony Gallacher, on loan from Liverpool FC’s U-23s. “It's been a real eye opener, especially the first game I came in – it was definitely a tough grind for the boys as a team.”
“I wasn't fully expecting that, but at the same time that's why I'm over here: to play football and get competitive, first team, men's football games. It's been a high standard, even in training – the boys, you can tell they’ve got quality,” he continued. “I didn't really know what to expect, but now I'm settled and I know how good the standard is.”
With three appearances and his first assist under his belt – a sumptuous cross for Ayo Akinola to nod into the Philadelphia net, Gallacher is ready and eager for more.
“That was my first competitive game in a while, so I did feel a bit rusty at that point, but even the other night when I came on, my legs felt better, my first touch was a lot sharper, my match fitness is definitely back,” he explained. “I feel more confident in training and then that cross I put in for Ayo summed up how I’m feeling. I'm here to play and make impacts in games, I just want to kick on from here.”
Individuals and entire teams can build off of such moments. Stringing together good results in tough circumstances is a boost.
“Momentum, especially when you're in difficult circumstances, gives the guys a lot of confidence and belief in what they're doing, which can sometimes counterbalance the things that aren't perfect,” began Vanney. “It can go the other way: for teams that aren't getting great results and they're on the road, it makes everything seem more miserable.”
“The guys are taking a lot of pride in the fact that they have a lot of challenges that are in front of them right now, more challenges than most teams, and taking a lot of pride that they are playing well and finding solutions and getting results,” he continued. “That's a sign of a great team. It's a sign of maturity, a sign of a deep team, and a sign of a team that has a great mindset. That's a big part of it.”
“But we've got to stay resilient,” he added. “It's not going to get any easier. Keep working and keep building momentum as much as we can.”
Motivation can come in many forms. What worked in one season – whether that be proving the doubters wrong, responding to disappointment, overcoming a stumble – may not work in the next. New circumstances require adjustment.
In this most disrupted season, TFC have decided to embrace it.
“It's a choice,” began Vanney. “I hear other teams that complain about everything that's going on and that's a choice. You always try to make lemonade out of lemons if you can. Or you can complain about the lemons, say they’re sour and all that kind of stuff, and then you're going to be miserable anyway.”
“This is where this group is showing strength and maturity and togetherness,” he continued. “Nobody loves the situation, but everybody understands that while we're here, let's make the most of it, support each other, and let's go out and get some results and try to build from it. And if we can do that, then we can make what is a really difficult situation a positive situation. We're here, we might as well get it done and do well – that's the mindset of this group.”
“That's how you get to championship games in each of the four last seasons, counting the [Concacaf] Champions League Final. You have to have strength and mentality, and you have to have character in the group, and you have to have leadership, and you have to have resiliency. And these guys have continued to show it,” Vanney stressed. “We're building off that – that's the starting point of everything we're doing and then trying to get better every single day.”
It’s not all bad at the end of the day, it never is.
“There are some things that are simplified when you’re in this type of environment that might not be when you're at home that we can take advantage of during this time,” posited Vanney. “Because we’re a little bit confined, there is probably a little bit more focus, a little bit more rest; wonderful meals are cooked for us. Everything is right here for us. We don’t have to go searching.”
Despite the limited rest, TFC are eager for the next challenge.
“We're definitely ready.” said Delgado. “We do our best to get our bodies recovered within the days between each game. Circumstances are what they are; we’ve got to make the best of it and getting results is the way to do it.”
“Being stuck away from home and not getting results doesn't sit well and we're a team who wants results either way. We've been getting results, team has been in a good mood, we're hungry and we're only getting better,” he added. “The ball is moving faster, everyone's communicating, confidence is only going up. We’ve got to keep going and keep pushing it.”
