As the clock ticks down to the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 against Toronto FC at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday, we take a look at some of the storylines during TFC’s offseason.
Depth on defense was an offseason priority.
Toronto’s stout defense conceded only 37 goals during MLS play in 2017- the lowest total in the Eastern Conference. To build on that success, TFC acquired two high-profile defenders during the offseason.
On February 1, the Reds signed experienced Dutch international defender Gregory van der Wiel after reaching a transfer agreement with Italian Serie A club Cagliari. Prior to joining Cagliari, the 29-year-old right back played for Turkish club Fenerbahçe, Ajax and Paris Saint-Germain. Among his 46 career caps for the Dutch national team, the Amsterdam native appeared in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final and earned a place on their UEFA Euro 2012 roster. However, the right back will not feature in Tuesday's match as he rushed home after TFC practice on Saturday to be with his pregnant girlfriend before it was later decided he would not travel.
Two weeks following the signing of van der Wiel, Toronto acquired 22-year-old Alvaro da Cruz Junior “Auro” on loan from Brasileiro Série A club, São Paulo FC. Auro made a combined 34 appearances across three seasons with São Paulo. He spent time on loan in 2016 at Clube Atlético Linense and most recently in 2017 with América Futebol Clube. The young Brazilian featured in the starting lineup during a recent friendly against Cruz Azul.
TFC boss Greg Vanney expects a challenge from the new-look Rapids.
“By the looks at it, they are in a 3-5-2. At times, they will be very aggressive, they’ll look to press and try to force the tempo us from a defensive perspective, which we will have to manage that appropriately," Vanney said recently.
"We will have to get control of the tempo of the game and try to break them down, but on the other side it’s difficult to breakdown five defenders. You have to find your way through those guys, try to get behind them and create chances, but it’s not always easy. We have to be smart on how we manage those things.”
The Reds spent time in Mexico City during preseason.
TFC began their preseason training in Los Angeles, California at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) for the third consecutive year. The 12-day stint saw the Reds play in four friendlies against UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Club Tijuana and MLS newcomers LAFC before departing for their second preseason leg in Mexico City.
During their nine day assignment in Mexico, TFC played in four additional friendlies, including three against Pachuca, Cruz Azul and Liga MX front runner Club América.
Overall, the Reds wrapped up their preseason 4-3-1 with wins against UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Ventura County Fusion and Club Tijuana. They tied 2-2 against LAFC and lost to Club America, Cruz Azul and local Mexico City club Mexican Navy.
Drew Moor and Toronto FC harbor Champions League ambitions.
“It’s a tournament that we obviously take one game at a time, but it is extremely important to us. It’s a tournament that Toronto has been in before, and we want to have some success in it, but it starts in Colorado," Moor said in a recent press conference.
"Again, (Colorado is) a team that has had a lot of changes. The first game is extremely important to go and set an early tone. The main reason we went to Mexico for preseason was to prepare for the Champions League games, and it doesn’t mean we are going to put the regular season aside because that is extremely important to us as well. We are going to adopt the mentality that we had last season, which was to take it one game at a time.”
Pack an extra layer, scarf and beanie Tuesday night.
Everyone knows weather in Colorado is very unpredictable during this (and every) time of year. This weekend, there was plenty of sunshine with the temperature reaching around 70F. As we look ahead to Tuesday, temperatures are set to drop in to the teens with scattered snow flurries and snow showers in the forecast. If you're coming out to the game, make sure to bundle up as it will be a chilly evening for Champions League action at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park.
