TORONTO – As the MLS Cup Final inches ever closer, there’s no denying one simple fact: Winter is here.

Toronto FC took to the training pitch on Wednesday afternoon on a considerably chillier morning, with temperatures dropping below freezing. After some nicer weather earlier in the week, it looks as if the cold spell will be here to stay all the way through the final on Saturday afternoon.

“Hopefully it won’t be as windy as it was today, but we know that the temperature is going to drop; evidently there’s some snow on the horizon,” head coach Greg Vanney said on Wednesday afternoon. “Hopefully we can keep the field relatively snow-free. We know it’s going to be cold, but once the guys get running, that becomes second to everything else going on.”

Defender Drew Moor, who lifted MLS Cup 2010 at BMO Field with the Colorado Rapids, is ready to take part in his third MLS Cup in Toronto, though he admitted he wouldn’t mind a more favourable forecast come Saturday.

“I’d rather it be 75-degrees and sunny to be fair, but it is what it is,” Moor said with a laugh. “We’re used to some pretty cold weather. The wind can be a bit annoying, but we had a good session.”

Justin Morrow echoed a similar sentiment.

“I wouldn’t say you get used to it, especially when it’s this cold,” he told reporters. “The wind is the most difficult for element to deal with for me.”

Despite the chilly climate, Moor insisted that his team will be ready to get after it as soon as they step on to the field come Saturday afternoon.

“It was cold last year during MLS Cup and it’ll be cold this year,” he said. “Once you get on the field and you get the blood flowing, you really don’t think about it. It’s the same for both teams, so I don’t think it’ll be a factor at all.”

Hear from Vanney, Moor and Morrow following Wednesday’s training session.

Greg Vanney

Drew Moor

Justin Morrow