Here are three things we learned from Toronto FC’s 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Friday night.
1. Altidore hitting form at perfect time
Until the 78th minute of this game arrived and Jozy Altidore took a seat with his job done, the American striker had played every second of Toronto FC’s 2018 season.
That struck some as odd. Though Altidore hasn’t suffered an injury for a while, he has a history of muscle problems and does not always look on top form when thrown out for two or three games in a week.
Toronto coach Greg Vanney kept putting Altidore on the field, though, and this is what he was looking for. The 28-year-old can be a streaky goalscorer but when he gets rolling, he’s hard to stop.
Altidore’s two goals to down Real Salt Lake brought him up to 50 for TFC.
“Jozy has, I think for a while now, been excellent – probably one of the best players in the league, in my opinion,” Vanney said.
“He constantly brings us this presence up top. Outside of Jozy, we’re not the biggest team in the world when you look at our attacking group, so Jozy brings us this presence of a guy that we can target, we can play into. He’s also done a nice job of stretching teams out, looking for little moments to get in behind, which keeps the back line honest.”
Listen to Vanney’s full postgame press conference:
The combination of rest over the international break and a strong outing here should put Altidore in prime condition to take on Club América – who reportedly showed interest him in the winter – in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League.
“I know for me (the break) was huge, man,” Altidore said. “It was great to kind of just clear my head for a couple of days. I think everybody could’ve used it; some guys don’t like it, some guys do.
“I enjoyed the couple of days to kind of just regroup and rest and get ready for another busy stretch.”
2. Morgan’s comeback may finally be here
This was Ashtone Morgan’s first start in MLS at BMO Field since 2015.
While he has no doubt enjoyed the success of his hometown club, it has been a rough couple of years on an individual level for the leftback. Two serious injuries wrecked his 2016 season and 2017 preseason, and the emergence of Raheem Edwards last year left him short of minutes when he did return.
There was serious doubt over whether Morgan would have a future at the club at all.
A few stars have aligned now, though: first and foremost, he is healthy and has a full preseason under his belt. Edwards was lost in the MLS Expansion Draft. And as a homegrown player, Morgan can be kept on the supplemental roster and does not count against the salary cap.
More than anything, Morgan was given time to figure things out because of what he means to this club as a Toronto native and its longest-serving player.
“From the day I got here, for me it was more important to get the approval of Ash and (Jonathan Osorio) and the Toronto boys than anybody else because they’ve been here from the start,” Altidore admitted. “They know what this place is all about.
“For me, every time Ash is on the field I want to play well for him. He means a lot to the club, to the city.”
When Morgan — who turned in what might have been his best performance since 2015 — tapped the ball into Altidore’s path for Toronto’s second goal, the hug the two players shared told a story.
3. Centerback could be an option for Van der Wiel
Gregory van der Wiel’s start to life at Toronto FC has been a mixed bag. He’s looked clean on the ball and solid defensively, but hasn’t been quite as dynamic as hoped in attack.
This was his best performance yet for TFC — and it came at centerback, not his usual rightback slot.
The selection of Van der Wiel in the middle was partially made out of necessity, with no chances taken on Chris Mavinga — who has been managing a sports hernia that may eventually require a few weeks on the sidelines — ahead of Tuesday’s match against Club América.
But it worked out well. Against a team looking to sit deep and counterattack, Van der Wiel’s ability to bring the ball out of the defense confidently was valuable. One quick burst into a gap in the RSL half resulted in a neat pass to Altidore, who was fouled for the first of two Toronto penalties.
“Greg has played centerback at Ajax — that’s where he debuted, at centerback, and spent some time at centerback,” Vanney explained. “Given our situation with guys that we’re trying to transition into Tuesday, given their last few weeks or whatever, it made sense.
“It was interesting for us — obviously he’s comfortable and super comfortable on the ball and playing out of situations and dealing with pressure. And obviously he’s a good defender.
“I thought he did a great job tonight and really helped us in terms of some of the stuff on the ball and getting attacks started and choosing great passes. I thought it was great. Will we see it in the future? Maybe. I mean, why not? I think it gives us something that’s a little different.”