TORONTO — Toronto FC welcomes Austin FC to BMO Field for the first time Saturday, in a battle of two teams on the MLS playoff bubble.
"It's an important game," said Toronto captain Jonathan Osorio. "We know what's at stake. We know we're fighting (for position). But I think we're embracing it.
"When you look at the bigger picture, from where we've come from last year to now, to be in this position, I think this is a positive. We'd much rather be in this fight than not in a fight at all."
TFC finished last in the league at 4-20-10 last season and was second-to-last in both 2021 and 2022 at 6-18-10 and 9-18-7, respectively.
Toronto (10-15-3) is currently 19th in the 29-team Supporters' Shield standings, one place and one point below Austin (9-11-7).
More importantly, TFC goes into weekend play in eighth spot in the Eastern Conference (the eighth and ninth-place teams in each conference qualify for wild-card playoff matches). Austin sits 11th in the West, two points below ninth-place Minnesota.
Toronto is one point ahead of ninth-place D.C. United, two points ahead of 10th-place Atlanta and three ahead of 11th-place Philadelphia. Atlanta and Philadelphia have a game in hand, however.
For Toronto, it's a far cry from earlier in the season when coach John Herdman talked of a top-four finish that carries home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Toronto has six games remaining, including four at home, in its bid to return to the post-season for the first time since 2020 when it lost to Nashville after extra time at the first hurdle.
For Herdman, that means winning at home and playing the full 90 minutes. Toronto is a disappointing 6-7-0 at BMO Field this season and coming off a 3-1 loss to visiting D.C. United before the international break.
"We have to take care of business at home," he said after training Friday.
"We have to make a commitment that it's not a 55-, 60-minute showing," he added. "We have to be there whistle-to-whistle and fight with everything we've got to take three points."
Toronto has conceded 19 goals after the 75th minute of games this season. Only cellar-dwelling San Jose has conceded more late goals (21).
Austin's road to the playoffs is also challenging with home games against Houston, Real Salt Lake and Colorado and visits to Los Angeles FC, Portland and Los Angeles Galaxy, all of whom are currently in playoff positions.
"I think the guys have recognized how important points are," said Austin coach Josh Wolff, whose team is coming off a 1-0 loss to visiting Vancouver. "Every game is critical, home and away … We, like many teams, have to make the most of these opportunities, regardless of home or away."
"Toronto started the year well," he added. "They had their difficult moments, as most teams do at some point. But they're a dangerous team. Offensively they have a lot going around the field … They're a very fluid team. They move around a lot and they ask some different questions."
Not surprisingly, Wolff singled out Federico Bernardeschi as a Toronto player to watch. The Italian star leads TFC in both goals (eight) and assists (eight).
The only previous meeting between the two teams was in May 2023, when Gyasi Zardes scored a 91st-minute winner to give Austin a 1-0 win over visiting Toronto, which was then mired at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. That loss prompted a post-game outburst from Bernardeschi,
"We don't play," he said in English. "We play long pass. We don't have any idea to play … I think this city, the fans, everybody, don't deserve this."
Then-coach Bob Bradley benched Bernardeschi for the next game.
Toronto is healthy for the Austin visit, other than veteran defender Kevin Long who is out after tweaking his hamstring in training last week.
Austin is 3-7-3 away from home this season, its fourth in the league.
The Texas side, whose roster includes former TFC defender Matt Hedges, reached the Western Conference final in 2022 in its only playoff appearance to date.
Friday marked the MLS roster freeze deadline with Herdman saying he expected some activity before the door closes. That would likely involve promoting players from TFC 2 or adding players out of contract.
Such news may come later, as signings work their way through the league office.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
