TORONTO – As if flying to Salt Lake City for their third-straight road match to open the year wasn’t tough enough, Toronto FC might have to take on Real Salt Lake next Sunday, March 29 (7 pm ET, Fox Sports 1) without nearly half their regular starting lineup.
TFC head coach Greg Vanney will find himself shorthanded for the difficult encounter on the Wasatch Front, with up to five key players set to miss the match through a combination of injury, suspension and national team duty.
With a host of international friendlies taking place next week, Toronto could see all three of their Designated Players called-up. Italy host England on March 31, with attacker Sebastian Giovinco a possible call-up for the Azzurri. The US national team heads to Europe to take on Denmark on March 25 and Switzerland on March 31, with USMNT boss Jurgen Klinsmann almost certain to bring in TFC duo Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore for the matches.
The club could also be without defenders Justin Morrow and Steven Caldwell. Morrow picked up a red card in TFC’s loss at Columbus Crew SC last week, and, while the club has appealed the decision, Vanney says they’re simply stuck “waiting to see what comes of it.” If the red card is upheld Morrow would be suspended for the RSL match.
Caldwell is dealing with an injury issue, coming out in the second half of the Columbus match with a calf strain. Vanney said the Scottish defender might not be available for the RSL contest.
While the absences certainly seem daunting, Vanney sees no need to worry.
“It’s something we may have to deal with but that’s why we established the team the way we have,” he said. “We have good leadership and a good group of players in terms of our depth. Luke Moore, Collen Warner, all those guys give us choices and some guys who, quite frankly, deserve some minutes. This will give them an opportunity to get some time to play and to show us what they have."
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The possible absences aren’t exactly a surprise for Toronto FC. They knew that they’d have to deal with injuries and international call-ups – especially during this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup – and built their roster accordingly, adding depth in key spots to deal with potential lengthy stretches without key players.
“We knew, as we put this group together, that we were going to have these issues,” said Vanney, who confirmed that Bradley and Altidore are on Klinsmann’s preliminary roster for the US’s upcoming friendlies. “This summer, potentially, when the Gold Cup comes around, is another time where we’ll need to get out some of our depth. It’s MLS. We don’t stop for the international breaks so we have to make sure all of our guys are ready to play and have a roster deep enough to compete week in and week out.”
