Photo: Torsten Frings embraces Aaron Maund at final whistle following historic victory over LA.

Return To Training

Toronto FC players and coaches arrived in Seattle late Thursday afternoon, less than 24-hours after beating LA Galaxy 2-1 in Carson, on route to a 4-3 aggregate CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal victory.

The players took part in a recovery session in Seattle, as is the custom following matchdays, and will return to full training Friday evening.

TFC First Kick

The Reds are in Seattle because on Saturday, Toronto opens its 2012 MLS season against Sounders FC. The match will be shown live on Sportsnet One at 10 p.m. ET.

Cup-tied players, midfielder Eric Avila and newly signed defender Logan Emory are forced to watch Champions League matches from the sidelines. Both are eligible to play Saturday in MLS should they get the nod from head coach Aron Winter, adding more depth to a confident TFC squad.  

With the Reds training late on Friday, Toronto FC TV will have pregame interviews from Seattle in the early hours of Saturday morning leading up to the MLS opener.

Champions League Details

CCL semifinals start March 28 with the first leg against Mexico’s Santos Laguna set to take place at BMO Field with an 8 p.m. kickoff. The return leg in Torreon will be played on April 4.

Santos beat Toronto’s Saturday opponent Seattle in the CCL quarterfinals 6-1 on Wednesday (7-3 on aggregate) to earn the semifinal berth.

Ticket details for the Toronto leg are expected to emerge shortly, with season seat holders likely to have first chance to take their seats for the historic match at BMO Field.

Toronto is the first Canadian team to advance to the semifinals of North America’s premier club competition.

UPDATE: CCL ticket details now available

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