TORONTO – Greg Vanney’s Toronto FC team looks a side reborn as of late, after consecutive wins against Chivas USA and the Portland Timbers. The Reds continue searching for crucial points on Saturday in Los Angeles in the final part of the season against one last Western Conference foe, the LA Galaxy, a side that has lost just five games all season (10:30 pm ET, TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE in USA).
Vanney, a former LA Galaxy player, said earlier in the week, that the match at StubHub Center wasn’t necessarily a must-win situation for his side, but with a tight Eastern Conference and only five games left in the season, Toronto FC will be hoping to take at least a point from the Galaxy, who have already clinched a playoff spot.
What is Vanney’s game plan?
“We have to defend in an organized manner,” Vanney told reporters in Los Angeles ahead of the match. “They have some very, very good attacking players that play well together, not just individually, but play well collectively. For us to be successful, we’re going to have to defend collectively. If we get caught up chasing individuals around the field, it’s going to be a long day.
“We just need to make sure that we are in positions to cover each other and help each other,” he continued. “We need to be effective in the attack so that their attacking players have to respect the defending side a little bit and can’t just wait for counterattacks against us over and over.”
Toronto FC has found a bit of a scoring vein as of late, scoring six goals in its last two games, five of which came from set pieces. It’s this new preparedness and planning on dead ball situations that has seen Toronto FC improve, but Vanney says he won’t be relying solely on those plays against the Galaxy.
“We’ll try to take advantage of every scenario,” Vanney said. “The idea for us, even in preparation for each of these games, is to look at different ways we can create problems on set pieces. Every ball that is put into the box is an opportunity to score a goal and if we’re prepared and put the ball in the right places, you’re always giving yourself an opportunity.”
Vanney also pointed out that Los Angeles is equally as dangerous on set pieces and present the unenviable task of defending players like Omar Gonzalez.
“Omar is a beast on their attacking set pieces,” Vanney said. “He’s also a guy who gets on the end of things. He has a knack for finding the right space and attacking the ball to clear things out. They also try to break off of those onto the counter, so we need to be highly concentrated and pay attention to all the details within our set piece set-ups to give ourselves the best chance to get something.
“We’re going to take every chance as if it’s our last chance,” Vanney concluded.
Armen Bedakian covers Toronto FC for MLSsoccer.com.
