Photo: Ty Harden (right) and Toronto opens at home against San Jose on Saturday.
TORONTO — It’s going to be one of those demanding stretches.
Like six games in 18 days back in the summer of 2010 that combined the start of CONCACAF Champions League group stage with Preki’s bid to keep the Reds relevant in the MLS Cup Playoffs hunt.
Current bench boss Aron Winter faced nearly an identical task in 2011 with one fewer day of rest. That too was in the middle of summer after Winter remade his squad on way to becoming a CCL semifinalist.
Never before though have so many important matches bunched up together this early into a TFC season. Then again, Toronto has never climbed such heights.
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Starting with Saturday’s MLS home opener against San Jose (on TSN at 1 p.m. ET), TFC will play five games in 14 days.
Following what is always an emotional BMO Field inaugural, the Reds will have to regroup regardless of outcome and compete in the most important match in club history to date; the CCL semifinal first leg against Mexican power Santos Laguna next Wednesday in Toronto.
The return leg in Torreon will be on April 4, but not before Toronto faces Trillium Cup rival Columbus at home (March 31), and then from Mexico it’s Montreal, the Reds’ long-awaited foe will prove hostile at the Olympic Stadium in the first-ever MLS meeting between the two natural rivals on April 7.
It’s going to be two weeks of intense competition with little time to recover or train.
The recent hamstring injury to Torsten Frings will mean the Reds will have to cope without their captain. Moreover, defender Doneil Henry and midfielder Matt Stinson are with Canada’s U-23 team vying for a spot in the London Olympics.
Despite these new demands on the squad, minutes will still need to be monitored to get the best out of every player in the side over this early but important period of games. A player rotation policy is entirely feasible much to the chagrin of those who want to see the best available team every three days.
In the stands, TFC fans seem deeply invested in these matches, and they will have to be if the Reds are to come out positive at the end of this stretch.
Luckily, with three of the five games at home – all next week – and the final encounter at nearby (or as “near” as you can get in MLS) Montreal with plenty of seating for visitors, a tidal wave of Red-clad support could help carry TFC to higher ground in the league table and on the continent.
So many matches in such a short period of time might seem overwhelming for all involved, but this is where an old sports cliché could be quite useful.
One game at a time.
NOTES: Toronto FC will return to training Thursday in Oakville ... Doneil Henry & Matt Stinson could see action against El Salvador in Canada's U-23 Olympic Qualifying opening match in Nashville on Thursday ... Toronto signed midfielder Efrain Burgos Jr. on Wednesday.
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