TORONTO – With camouflage-coloured names and numbers on the back of their shirts, Toronto FC completed its objective against Chivas USA: picking up all three points in a 3-0 win, the first of what they hope to be a sprint to the regular-season finish line.
“You get to this point of the season and you want to feel like you’re hitting your stride,” said midfielder Michael Bradley after the match. “Not only are the results right but you also feel like the play is improving and I think we’ve kind of realized that at this point, both the results and the performances have to go hand in hand. We have no room or ability to compromise one for the other because it’s so tight in our conference.”
It had gotten tighter on Saturday as Columbus beat New England while New York topped Seattle. Along with Philly’s draw vs. Houston, that means there are five teams in the hunt for the last three playoff spots in the East, all clustered between 37 and 42 points.
“Every point can be so precious,” Bradley continued. “We really feel like, now, in this last stretch, we’re starting to hit our stride. Those three points are very important today and the mood and the spirit reflects that.”
It’s the first time the mood has been good for Toronto in what seems like a long time. Both starting forwards – Gilberto and Luke Moore – got on the scoreboard, and a dominant, whistle-to-whistle performance left little doubt against the overmatched Goats.
What’s more, it marked head coach Greg Vanney’s first win as boss – while also bringing a close to a six-game winless streak. It’s also the team’s 10th win of a season, tying the club record.
“I thought we played well,” Vanney said. “I thought we were, for the most part, in control of the match on both sides of the ball. I thought we were purposeful in our possession, sometimes a little too backwards – I think we could still become a little bit more aggressive and forward thinking.”
They’ll hope that forward thinking carries them all the way to the postseason. Toronto are now within three points of a playoff spot with a game in hand.
Six games remain.
“Everybody keeps an eye on things,” Bradley said. “The table, the other games, because every point is so important, so valuable at the moment. Having said that, we’re also in a position where, if we take care of business ourselves, there’s no real need to be looking around hoping and praying for other results. The beauty of the position we’re in at the moment is still that, every week, we get the chance to go on the field and take care of business ourselves.”
Taking care of that business requires a quick turnaround from the team, too. Just as the club brushed aside the 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire last week, Bradley says this result, too, has to be tempered and not overstated.
“We’ve earned the right to enjoy it and feel good about it,” Bradley said. “But starting tomorrow morning, all concentration and all focus has to be shifted towards Portland. Now, it’s a massive game. We’ve got six finals left.”
