The first-ever meeting between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC took place on April 4 at BMO Field, when both teams enjoyed unbeaten records and were looking to make a further statement that they would be a team to be reckoned with in 2009.
Unfortunately for the Reds, it was Sounders FC who spoke louder on that day, to the tune of a 2-0 result that was one of TFC's worst performances of the season. The three points that Seattle picked in that game still stand as the difference between the two clubs, as Sounders FC have 33 points to Toronto's 30 in the hunt for an MLS Cup Playoffs spot.
As the two clubs prepare to meet for the return fixture, Toronto midfielder Dwayne De Rosario was clear about what was on his side's mind as they prepared to face the team that spoiled their home opener.
"Revenge," De Rosario said. "They came out here and their adrenaline level was a lot higher than ours. ... They came here looking to prove something and I think we owe them something now going into their stadium."
TFC isn't just looking to avenge that April defeat, but also to atone for a lackluster performance last Saturday. The Reds couldn't manage a shot on goal in a 2-0 loss to Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center in the opening of Toronto's three-game road swing against Western Conference opponents.
With only a little over three days back in their own beds, TFC headed out on another long flight on Thursday morning. The early departure was due to the 1 p.m. PT opening kickoff for Saturday's game, and Toronto interim head coach Chris Cummins felt his team might benefit from a bit more time to get over the jet lag.
"When we got back on Sunday I was knackered, and the lads were as well," Cummins said. "We were flat on Monday [at training]. The biggest thing is the time difference and it affects you. You'll be playing at 7 p.m. when it feels like 10 at night to you."
The trip was even longer last week for O'Brian White. The rookie forward was held up at the airport and didn't arrive in Los Angeles until less than 24 hours before the kickoff against Chivas.
"I went to immigration and the guy said I can't have two resident cards, one for Canada and one for the States. But I've been traveling with two for over three years now and I haven't had an issues, so it surprised me," White said. "I got in around 9 p.m. on Friday night. It was a long day."
The back-to-back trips to the west coast aren't nearly as big a concern, however, as the quality of the opposition that the Reds will face when they arrive in the Emerald City. Sounders FC are on pace to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in Major League Soccer, and Qwest Field has quickly become the most intimidating away venue in the league thanks to an average crowd of 30,412 supporters.
"They've proven to be a really solid team. They're probably the best first-year team that MLS has ever had," said midfielder Sam Cronin. "They're very organized, well-coached, and in Seattle at least 30,000 fans will be there. It's a tough place to play."
Cronin will be playing an even larger role than usual in the match due to the absence of Carl Robinson. The veteran midfielder and center back Adrian Serioux will both miss the game due to suspension for accumulation of yellow cards, as each man received their fifth yellow card in the Chivas match. It will be the first time that Serioux has been out of the TFC starting lineup all season.
With these two stalwarts missing, the onus will fall on young players like Cronin to pick up the slack. Cronin has himself become a fixture of the starting XI in his rookie year, and with 18-year-old rookie Amadou Sanyang a possible starter alongside him in the midfield, Cronin might find himself becoming the sort of on-field mentor for Sanyang that Robinson was for Cronin at the start of the season.
"I don't have the experience that Carl Robinson does, but I've been able to play in almost every game I've been available for so I have a little more game experience than [Sanyang] does," Cronin said. "If it's us two paired in the middle, I want to help him and the team in any way I can."
Team captain Jim Brennan will be back after serving a one-game suspension of his own for caution accumulation, and with Chad Barrett and Nick Garcia both just one yellow card away from suspensions as well, there is a threat that TFC could yet again be short some players in the coming weeks.
Cummins said that while he doesn't like seeing his players be reckless, he doesn't want them to hold back for fear of getting booked.
"You can never stop players from getting yellow cards. It's the physical nature of the game," Cummins said. "The lads are aware of it and we've got to be careful, but if you don't go in there and make tackles because you're worried about getting a yellow card you might as well not play. ... You have to be aware of it but you have to play your natural game and if you do get suspended, then make sure the lad that comes in for you doesn't do better than you and take your spot."
This mindset is particularly important against Seattle's powerful strike force of Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua. The two forwards have combined for 17 goals this season, and a number of those scores have come from the service of designated player Freddie Ljungberg. TFC got a taste of the Swedish international in their April 4 meeting, when Ljungberg's 15th-minute strike (his first goal in MLS) ended up as the game-winner.
Cummins said his club is focusing on defense this weekend with a target of leaving Seattle with at least one point.
"We need to not concede [goals]," Cummins said. We need to stifle them as much as we can, and if it means hitting them on the counter with forward runs and 1-vs.-1 plays then that's what we'll do. We need to be more solid defensively, not just the back four, but the entire team.
"Freddie's a fantastic player. He's got great qualities and great movement, but the young lads [Cronin and Sanyang] may be able to stay with him. So I might put the two young lads in there and tell them to put a man-to-man job on him. ... We might lack a little bit of quality going forward if we do that but it's important we stop their key players from playing and then go from there."
Aside from the suspended players, Danny Dichio might again be a question mark due to the toll that a cross-country flight takes on the veteran striker's bad back. Dichio didn't accompany the team to Los Angeles last week, though Cummins said that Dichio would play if needed. Pablo Vitti was held out of Tuesday's training session due to a mild groin strain, but Cummins considered the injury to be slight and said that Vitti was limited in training mostly as a precautionary measure.
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com
