TORONTO – The emotions were raw. The accomplishment, after all, was a long time coming.
The aftermath of Toronto FC’s 2-1 win Wednesday night over the New York Red Bulls– a result that secured their first-ever trip to the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs – the reaction from the team, fans and everyone involved at BMO Field was a worthy response to a seminal moment for the 9-year-old club.
“I'm excited, I'm relieved, I'm a lot of things,” said TFC head coach Greg Vanney, who became the one who finally dragged the club into the postseason for the first time after eight others failed before him. “I could feel [how much it meant to the fans] through the game. As the game got closer to the final whistle, as we picked up the second goal ... I could feel the excitement building in the stadium ... closer and closer to the whistle.
“And then six minutes of extra time...,” he continued. ”I heard all the [fans’] whistles at about three minutes, for the last three minutes, fans were whistling for it to end.”
Despite all that went right for TFC on the night – a fortunate bounce to Herculez Gomez for the opening goal and a masterful display of individual talent from none other than Sebastian Giovinco, fresh off Italian national team duty – they still had to sweat out some late moments of drama before it became reality.
“As soon as the whistle blew, between my own personal emotion and the feelings I have for the team, [that] we've been bottling up for the city and the fans to accomplish this, it was all let out at,” Vanney said. “We put a lot of work into getting here.”
It was perhaps Gomez, whose opener was his first goal since joining TFC this summer, who best summed it up.
“I'm happy for the guys, I'm happy for the team, for the fans,” he said. “I know it's been a long time, nine years ... so to finally get this going and to make history, it feels pretty damn good to be part of it.”
Ashtone Morgan, a Toronto native and the club's longest-serving player, having joined the first team in 2010, added: “It's surreal still. We got the job done. I'm proud of the boys, proud of the organization. We stuck through it. We're really happy.”
Morgan had a special message for the fans: “We did it for them. They've stood behind us for all these years. I'm happy for everybody.”
More important for Vanney was that the club achieved another milestone, registering their first-ever four-game winning streak, all four at home. It is that sort of form that Vanney hopes will take his team into the playoffs.
“[MLS] is a league of momentum,” he said. “That was the importance of having this final stretch of games at home. It gives you an opportunity to build momentum, and we've taken advantage of that.
“We're really proud to pull three points, to move up into second place because that is one of our goals, to keep pushing forward and get as high as we can. If we can squeeze that first bye and play at home, guarantee ourselves a home game, we'd be very happy.”
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A top-two finish would indeed guarantee TFC a first-round bye in the playoffs and a home game in the first round. They currently hold a point advantage over third-place D.C. United and trail frontrunning New York by five points.
Gomez felt much the same way. “I'm excited,” said Gomez. “That was a playoff game. I've been in plenty of playoff situations, that's what they're like, and today we put together quite a performance.”
Vanney also was quick to remind that TFC still face another match Saturday at Columbus Crew SC.
“We'll enjoy it and get ourselves prepared,” he said. “We've got to turn around and play in a few more days.”
