In Toronto FC's last match with the New York Red Bulls on June 6, TFC held a 1-0 lead through 68 minutes and were looking strong. Three minutes and two goals from Juan Pablo Angel later, the Reds found themselves in a hole they couldn't climb out of.
More than two months later, the memory of losing a winnable game against an Eastern Conference rival is fresh in the minds of Toronto FC's coaches and players. So is the memory of Angel, the striker who devastated them the last time around.
"Has [Angel] been quality since he's come here? Certainly," said Toronto coach Mo Johnston. "He's been outstanding. His movement off the ball, his imagination inside the box has been very good. He sees tendencies to back away from people, and obviously his talent is in front of the goal. Of late he's not done that, but no doubt he'll get that back because he's a quality player."
Angel's last goal came in New York's 3-3 draw with Kansas City on June 16, a span of six league games. The Colombian star still has nine goals in 12 MLS games, and through the Red Bulls are 2-4 during Angel's scoring drought, Johnston warns that they are hardly a one-person team.
"[Midfielder Dave] van den Bergh is crossing on the run, we need to close Claudio Reyna down ... then on set pieces we need to be careful," Johnston said.
One player who is particularly eager for another shot at New York is defender Andrew Boyens. In the previous match on June 6, Boyens was assessed a questionable foul for his tackle on striker Jozy Altidore. The Red Bulls were awarded a direct free kick, which Angel struck home for his first goal of the day. Angel scored his second just a few minutes later to turn the match in New York's favor.
"It's extra motivation to go out there and play them again and beat them, especially after it happened somewhat controversially," Boyens said. "I think we've got a very good chance to challenge them at their home."
Atonement aside, the larger question for Boyens is whether or not he'll get a chance to play at all. The defender has missed Toronto's last two games after suffering a concussion during training two weeks ago, and though he will make the trip to New York, Boyens will only see action as a substitute, if at all.
Boyens has trained with the team for the last two days and said he feels ready to play. He understands the team's hesitation to put him back into the lineup, however, given that goalkeeper Greg Sutton has already been lost for the season after a concussion.
"Definitely Sutt's injury is in the back of everyone's mind," Boyens said. "I suppose we took it fairly cautiously. I've had headaches through last week after the injury happened, and we just had to wait until they went away and I could come back to training. Lucky for me it's come back to normal."
Another Toronto defender is looking forward to Sunday's match is former Red Bull Todd Dunivant. The defender came to Toronto from the Red Bulls in a June 27 deal for Kevin Goldthwaite and has played every minute for the Reds in the seven games since his arrival.
Dunivant said he is looking forward to facing his old club, as well as playing a new position. With Maurice Edu serving a one-game suspension for accumulation of cautions, Johnston said that he would insert Dunivant and Andy Welsh into the central midfield on Sunday.
"It'll be fun," Dunivant said. "I played there growing up and a little bit in college. Hopefully I settle right in and run around with my head cut off and wreak some havoc in there."
Toronto has had a week to recover from last Sunday's 0-0 tie with Los Angeles, and New York will be playing its first match since July 26. Both clubs will need to be rested for the home stretch of the MLS season and the chase for playoff spots. In spite of their recent poor form, the Red Bulls would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. TFC, who sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table, would be on the outside looking in.
The Reds hope that their first-ever trip to Giants Stadium can help turn around a pair of troubling trends. Toronto has just one win in 12 games against Eastern foes, as well as only one win in 10 road games. Without solid results away from BMO Field, Toronto FC won't be able to extend their inaugural season into November.
"We've got to be able to find the same energy on the road that we get here from the crowd," Dunivant said. "For me personally I can get a lot of energy playing against my old mates. We need three points. We can't be making the playoffs with ties all the way through."
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
