INTERVIEWS: Greg Vanney | Michael Bradley | Nick Hagglund | Steven Caldwell | Gilberto
It was supposed to be a soggy encounter on a wet day in Toronto. Instead, the fans gathered at BMO Field were treated to sunshine and renewed hope on Sunday afternoon.
A 3-0 win over Chivas USA means Greg Vanney’s side has everything to play for going forward. It was a pair of Brazilians that combined to put Toronto FC in front in the 23rd minute. Gilberto continues to show he’s the total package, playing a smart backheel to Jackson in Chivas’ penalty area. It’s not just about goals for the hard-working striker.
From there, the lanky winger handled business, faking a shot before delivering a well placed strike to beat Dan Kennedy. Vanney stressed getting on the front foot all week, citing TFC’s need to break the visitors’ resolve as soon as possible. Luke Moore doubled the lead just before halftime, doing just that.
The tweaks Vanney made to the starting lineup paid off, with Daniel Lovitz registering an excellent performance. Steven Caldwell was a calming influence at the back, returning from a quad injury that kept TFC’s captain out of the lineup.
His return coincided with TFC’s best defensive effort under Vanney. That’s not a coincidence.
“I fully enjoyed being back out there,” said the Reds’ captain.
“I thought we were excellent. We’re first to the ball, we moved it well, we spread it well and of course we defended pretty well whenever we needed to.”
Toronto’s Designated Players hooked up in the second half, with Michael Bradley setting up Gilberto for TFC’s third goal. Even this so-called “garbage goal” was pretty.
In all, it was the perfect day in what was essentially an elimination match for the Reds. The results around the Eastern Conference this weekend didn’t necessarily go TFC’s way, but the positives outweigh the negative.
With Sunday’s win the Reds trail Columbus by three points and have one game in hand. They also hold the tiebreaker against the Crew should the teams end up tied at the end of the season.
The negatives were highlighted by red cards shown to Jackson and Chivas midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker in the second half. TFC will be without the Brazilian against Portland pending an appeal. That’s an issue for next week.
Today, however, is one for celebration. They say the hardest games to show up for are ones you’re expected to win.
“To me, honestly, this was a must win because it’s a team [Chivas] that has been a little bit on the ropes,” said Vanney.
“For us in terms of our confidence and next steps we really needed to win it. It wasn’t something we talked about all week but I think if you asked each guy they probably have said the same the thing.”
It should be said the energy at the training ground this week was different. Confidence was on display after a spirited comeback against Chicago the week before. What this team needed was something to build on going forward with only six games remaining. The playoff hunt is on and TFC are firmly in the race.
On to the next one.
