COLUMBUS, Ohio – With a squad that was almost unrecognizable from its first-choice lineup, Toronto FC gutted out one of the more difficult points they’ll earn this season Wednesday night, fighting to a 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew SC.
The lineup head coach Greg Vanney assembled was missing nearly every one of Toronto’s marquee names, and without most of his stars, Vanney heaped praise on the young team.
“It was nothing tactical that we did; it was nothing extraordinary,” he said after the match. “It was just sheer determination by the group to work together to try to deal with situations and make things happen on the attacking end. For me, I should get no credit in this. This was 100 percent the guys in the locker room who just sheerly worked this one out.”
Striker Sebastian Giovinco prompted headlines even before the match, missing his first game since last September. Vanney said his star was simply resting in Toronto, and will join the team in San Jose for their weekend clash vs. the Earthquakes (10:30 pm ET; SN360 in Canada, MLS LIVE in US).
Others missing include Designated Players Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore, along with usual starters Clint Irwin, Will Johnson and Steven Beitashour.
After playing the Chicago Fire just four days before, Vanney said he could tell the match congestion is “wearing on some guys” who looked tired early in the game. He hopes the Reds are inching toward full health.
“[Beitashour] is on the recovery and Jozy is right there over the next match-ish, and then the other guys are just a couple weeks away,” he said. “So the key here is that as we get guys back, we don’t drop anybody else along the way because we’re running a lot of guys fairly thin. The key is that we try to stay healthy, and over the next few weeks we can get the vast majority of our guys back together.”
And reinforcements may be on their way to help shore up the roster.
Vanney was non-committal about the team’s transfer-window plans, but didn’t rule out an acquisition, especially after the team parted ways with defender Damien Perquis Tuesday.
“We have an eye on it,” he said. “Obviously, we had a recent roster adjustment. So for us, that frees up a little cap space. We’ve always got an eye on trying to either create depth or improve our team. So if the right situation appears, then for sure we’re looking at that. No question.”
