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Toronto FC pack up after the biggest win in their short history and will need to get right back to business as they begin the 2012 MLS season away to Seattle. It could not be a tougher start to the campaign - first a Champions League home and away against the reigning MLS Cup Champions LA Galaxy, then on the road to face the second best team in the 2011 table, and a legitimate contender for the Supporters Shield.
Fatigue will be a question mark for both sides as they had midweek matches, and it will be a matter of who has the better depth and which players can remain focused and disciplined for the full ninety minutes. Seattle has not been kind to TFC over the last few years, as they are one of the few teams who genuinely have a 12th man to help raise their game. The Reds have a tall order in front of them for the opener and given the way the week went for both teams, a result is not out of the question, but will require another colossal effort if they are to steal points.
Keep Thinking
Going into the two legs against the LA Galaxy, if anything can be taken away from that match-up it’s that through the end of the 2011 season to now, TFC continues to find ways to punch above their weight, so much so that it’s beginning to look like they are legitimately closing the gap on better sides and moving out of the basement of the league.
Seattle might actually pose a stiffer challenge than LA in that they have followed the same schedule as Toronto up to this point, which means they also rested last weekend to focus on their midweek fixture. As well, unlike the Galaxy, their lineup is marginally younger, with their oldest player coming in at the long-toothed age of 31. Going in Toronto’s favour is that the Sounders were humiliated in Torreón, Mexico against Santos Laguna 6-1, which surely will have rattled their confidence and have had a longer trip back home from Mexico, where Toronto would be arriving already on the coast in Los Angeles.
With only a few days to pull it together, and the Reds no doubt brimming with confidence, as seen heading into Wednesday night, a match that on paper should separate clearly the favourite from the underdog is now creating much more areas of grey.
There are three clubs that are clearly above the rest in MLS in terms of quality players and overall depth, and Seattle is one of them. Last season they made a close run at the Galaxy who many were calling one of the best MLS teams ever, (falling four points behind) and this year, while losing and missing a few players, Kasey Keller most notably retiring and Steve Zakuani recovering, have made some good additions that will certainly help their cause.
As seen against LA, once again the midfield will be the main battle ground and Toronto will need to be weary they don't employ the exact same strategy as Wednesday night, as you can only tempt fate so often. The Reds don’t know who the officials will be and a roll of the dice and a competent referee could see what were offsides become onsides, and called back goals now standing.
Seattle will also try to find ways through the middle of defence, as there is no question - aside from Frings - this is still TFC's weak spot. With some very quick and fluid players such as Fredy Montero and Mauro Rosales, they will be the architects of almost everything that the Sounders bring on goal. In 2011, combined, they allotted for 17 goals and 18 assists. Add in the cast of Àlvaro Fernández, Brad Evans and Osvaldo Alonso and you can see why they came so close to the Supporters Shield in 2011.
However, their run in 2011 wasn’t built upon CenturyLink Field being a fortress, but on racking up the best road form in the league with nine wins. The Sounders showed vulnerability at home, however, one should not bank on them being susceptible at this point of the year, and that is one advantage they will have over the LA match, is 30,000+ fans in attendance.
For the Reds, it might not be a great idea to go toe to toe and stretch the space between defenders and attackers. Seattle are still a weight class above them but Aron Winter found strategies last year to get results against better teams through, albeit, not the most attractive tactics. The difference is now that there are a few more options off the bench, most notably either decisions to play or sit Plata, Silva or Soolsma and save them for a final push toward the final whistle.
Midweek, Seattle were opened up and caught on the counter multiple times - but Toronto don't, and realistically can't play the same game as Santos, but should make note that Seattle were caught out with too few defenders several times. While it would not wise to emulate Santos Laguna’s strategy to a ‘T’, finding ways to capitalize on these opportunities when they arise could result in goals for the Reds. Danny Koevermans has been quiet to start the year, but his form depends on service, which has only come from Ryan Johnson thus far. It should only be a matter of time before he makes that last adjustment and begins clicking with his wingers.
In the End
Toronto FC are riding high after arguably the best week in the club’s existence. Unfortunately on the heels of it they will have to face off against a team that is nearly on par with the Galaxy, should be carrying the same fitness as the Reds and have more than 30,000 in support for their home opener. The Sounders play a fluid game through disciplined coaching and pose a real threat to bringing TFC back down to earth. Toronto has the players now to compete and simply need to employ the approach right to get a good result. However, this one might be too much of a tall order to expect a win, and with the positive continuing to slowly stack up, will bring the fight but likely come up just a bit short against one of the best in MLS.
Prediction
Seattle Sounders 3 – Toronto FC 2
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