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Here are three things we learned from Toronto FC’s 0-0 draw with the Colorado Rapids, which saw them through to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League by a 2-0 aggregate scoreline.
1. Toronto tries to bridge fitness gap
Ahead of a game with few – any – captivating storylines, most of the discussion centred around how Toronto coach Greg Vanney would split his troops between this match, Saturday’s MLS opener against the Columbus Crew and the following week’s quarterfinal first leg versus Tigres.
The consensus had Vanney ringing the changes for this game as a result of TFC’s 2-0 aggregate lead, but instead he named an unaltered XI.
Afterwards, the coach suggested he believes a lack of competitive minutes is more likely to be TFC’s downfall against a side from Liga MX – which is nine games into the second half of its season – than fatigue.
“I think if you have any desire to win this tournament and you’re an MLS team, you need every minute you can to get your guys on the field and trying to get in sync with each other and trying to get experiences together that you can build on,” Vanney said. “We have the luxury of now going to Mexico and eventually playing a team who’s played 10, 11, 12 games and are already sharp and already have a lot of things worked out.
“We can’t rest guys right now. Guys have to get through this if we want to win this tournament.”
2. Alex Bono set to take another step forward
Toronto goalkeeper Alex Bono was not tested heavily over the course of this tie, but when he was — such as when Rapids forward Dominique Badji advanced on him one-on-one at 0-0 in the first leg — he dealt with what was thrown at him with total authority.
Bono was one of a few TFC players to report early in January despite an already brief offseason on the back of an MLS Cup win. He did so to prepare for that month’s United States men’s national team camp, and he looks lean, sharp and confident as a result.
Beyond European-based frontrunners Bill Hamid and Ethan Horvath, there are a number of MLS goalkeepers in the mix for a place in the U.S. squad as it turns over a new leaf. In this form, Bono will be near the top of that list.
3. The real fireworks are yet to come
Colorado coach Anthony Hudson raised a few eyebrows after the game by describing this tie as an extension of the Rapids’ preseason.
“This is preseason for us,” Hudson said. “That’s the bottom line: it’s preseason. If this is a preseason game for us before we lead into our first game of the season, we’re very happy [with our performance].”
“All of our planning and thinking,” he added, “is around being ready for New England on the 10th of March.”
In truth, that makes sense. After qualifying for the Champions League on the back of an excellent 2016 season, the Rapids went into freefall last year and were not close to being equipped for a deep run in continental competition.
One of the consequences of that, though, was that this matchup will not have raised many pulses in either fan base or among neutrals. Luckily, the opposite should be the case when Toronto takes on Tigres in the next round.
This is the clash MLS has been waiting for: a league champion at the top of its game with a fighting chance to knock off arguably the top club in Mexico at this moment. It should be a thrilling pair of games.