TORONTO – Timing is everything.
For Toronto FC, the Concacaf stars aligned in 2018: the team was coming off a treble-winning season with a tested group that knew how they wanted to approach the Champions League. There were obstacles, injuries in particular, but the conditions for a run were set.
Come 2019, the situation had changed and TFC were bounced from the competition in the round-of-16 by a 5-1 aggregate scoreline by CA Independiente de la Chorrera, who withheld waves of pressure to advance with a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on Tuesday night.
“Our team has come together at a late stage this year,” said Michael Bradley post-match. “That's not an excuse, that's reality.”
The departures of Sebastian Giovinco and Victor Vazquez as preseason began, the absence of Jozy Altidore still recovering from offseason surgery, and the protracted wrangling that saw reinforcements delayed, meant TFC entered the competition as an incomplete side.
While the disappointment was palpable, it is not in their nature to dwell on these things. The next match, the MLS season opener, is just around the corner, as they travel to face the Philadelphia Union on Saturday (1 pm ET | TSN 1/4 in Canada; MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US).
“It was not our plan to go out of this, but at the end of the day it does put your focus on one place,” said head coach Greg Vanney, noting the large distances and fixture congestion CCL advancement entails. “Our schedule is much more open now for the next two months.”
“In that time period we can get some guys healthy, [to] full fitness; we'll probably have a couple of additions along the way as well,” continued Vanney. “We have some time to work as a group and games that we can focus on one at a time.”
The instability of the last few months seems to be approaching a conclusion: talk that the protracted transfer saga of Alejandro Pozuelo from KRC Genk is nearing completion is circulating; word of a new deal for Altidore emerged during the broadcast.
And given the poor display in the first leg, Tuesday night's performance was a step in the right direction.
In attack, the buds of the tweaked system were there, if not the fruits.
“We take the effort, the commitment, the mentality that the guys came into this game with,” said Vanney. “They played with purpose. Had a much better intensity and focus than down there.”
Defensively, the fires were largely put out before they could flame.
“We dealt with transitions a lot better,” highlighted Vanney. “Our guys did a nice job of knowing where their outs were, putting out most of those situations quickly. That's something we have to take with us.”
Nick DeLeon sees no reason to fret: “As long as we can keep that mentality high, come out with that intensity, the side will take care of itself.”
For Bradley, it is about continuing upon this new path.
“Get guys like Laurent [Ciman], Terrence Boyd, DeLeon, some of our younger players [settled in] and hopefully over the next few weeks there are a few new faces coming into the group,” said Bradley. “Obviously Jozy at some point: when we get him back, that will feel like a new face. We're excited with the way that it is starting to come together.”
