Toronto FC will see another player step up from injury for Saturday’s important game against the Montreal Impact, one who does not rank as a star such as Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley or Jozy Altidore, but one who is equally important.
Drew Moor appeared in TFC’s past two games as a second-half substitute after missing 3 1/2 months because of a torn quadriceps muscle. But Saturday night’s game at BMO Field marks his first start since late April and Moor said Friday he is ready to play a full 90 minutes.
At 34, the veteran defender is a step or two slower these days, but his value for the Reds has never been about making plays. Moor is the glue that holds the back line together from the centre-back spot, where he is a master communicator among his fellow defenders and with Bradley and the midfielders.
A major reason why TFC’s Major League Soccer season went awry, with the team desperately trying to pull off an improbable run to the playoffs, was the lack of organization in Toronto’s defensive game.
“What he brings to our line is huge, because of all of our guys he’s the one who plays the most outside of himself, which is communicating to the guys next to him, seeing things, coming and reading the game and making sure everybody is on the same page quickly,” TFC head coach Greg Vanney said. “Communicating in front of him to [Bradley] and those two work together to keep things organized.
“On the training field there are few voices as loud as Drew’s. You recognize that as soon as he comes back into the mix. You add that to [Bradley], to a few other guys and now you really have an atmosphere where things are being dealt with before they happen. That’s the value.”
With the long-term injury to Moor along with a rash of injuries to other defenders such as Chris Mavinga, who remains on the sidelines with a strained hamstring, Vanney often used Bradley as the centre back. But all this did was disrupt the midfield as well, which was already trying to cope with Victor Vazquez’s run of injuries that limited his playing time.
The uncertainty played a role in TFC’s habit of coughing up goals early in games and arguably contributed to a growing lack of discipline throughout the lineup. Altidore, for example, will miss the Montreal game because MLS tacked on an additional one-game suspension for the red card he took in a game last week. It was the second consecutive game in which a Reds player was issued a red card.
As a result, the Reds find themselves with a 6-12-6 record with a mere 10 games left in the regular season. The Impact holds the sixth and last playoff spot in the Easter Conference with 33 points, nine ahead of TFC. While the Reds have two games in hand on the Impact, they no longer can afford any sloppy performances, such as last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes, the worst team in the league.
“The word I like is urgency,” Moor said of his team’s plight. “My communication is short, it’s concise, it’s to the point and it needs to be like that all over the field. The message needs to be urgency. You can use desperation at times. We have to be desperate; we have to go for what we want.
“But just being urgent, good with the details, good with the simple passes, good with the simple touches, just sharp, everything at a quicker pace, not frantic or out of control, but urgent. Urgent is a huge word to me right now.”
Neither Moor nor Vanney expect the Impact to alter its basic style of play despite some tweaks and a lot of personnel changes this season. As always, the Impact will look for the counterattack and getting open spots for midfielder Ignacio Piatti and forward Matteo Mancosu.
“Their strength will be to keep things tight, close up spaces on us, win balls and try to open us up,” Vanney said. “It doesn’t mean they won’t ever press and it doesn’t mean they won’t ever have their stretches of possession.
“But I think they’re most dangerous in the moments when Piatti can have a little space to get up on the ball and get running and face guys in one-on-one situations with space. Mancosu is the same thing. It’s not like they are a one-trick pony, but they are definitely best at the counterattack game.”
TFC midfielder Jonathan Osorio left Friday’s training session early because of soreness in his hip, but Vanney expects him to play Saturday. Vazquez’s status is less certain as he worked out by himself after taking a cortisone shot in his knee earlier in the week. A decision on him will be made on Saturday.
It appears newly signed forward Lucas Janson will replace Altidore in the lineup. He made a strong debut in the San Jose game and scored the Reds’ only goal. Giovinco is expected to start after a groin problem limited him to second-half duty in the San Jose game.