Toronto FC feeling the frustration of early-season injuries, blown leads

Football

Published 17.03.2023

Toronto FC feeling the frustration of early-season injuries, blown leads

It’s early within the MLS season, however frustration is rising at Toronto FC.

Injuries to key personnel have denied coach Bob Bradley an opportunity to discipline his first-choice crew. Toronto (0-1-2) has led in all three video games however has been unable to carry out for the win.

TFC continues its quest for a primary victory of the season Saturday when Inter Miami (2-1-0) involves BMO Field.

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Toronto is winless in its final 9 league video games (0-6-3) relationship again to final season. Its final victory got here Aug. 27, a 2-0 choice at Charlotte FC.

Italian star winger Lorenzo Insigne (groin) and Norwegian ahead Adama Diomande (hamstring) stay sidelined for Toronto. Defender Shane O’Neill, who has had such points earlier than, is out with complications.

Things worsen subsequent week with Toronto dropping fullback Richie Laryea, midfielders Jonathan Osorio and Mark-Anthony Kaye and ahead Ayo Akinola to Canada, which means additional roster holes for an away sport at San Jose.

“Simply put, it doesn’t work great that you play over international breaks,” Bradley mentioned.

The good news is Akinola is wholesome once more after lacking final week’s 1-1 draw with visiting Columbus, having tweaked his hamstring within the 1-1 attract Atlanta the earlier week. And Bradley says the prognosis from a specialist was constructive for O’Neill.

Insigne, the league’s highest-paid participant, didn’t miss a day in pre-season, however the 31-year-old has not performed since hobbling out of the Feb. 25 season opener at D.C. United — a 3-2 loss that noticed TFC concede objectives within the ninetieth and 98th minute — after simply 34 minutes.

“Frustrating for all of us,” mentioned Bradley. “Because of the fact that you felt going through pre-season that he was in a good way.”

The membership says the Italian will not be anticipated to be out there for 3 to 4 extra matches after present process a setback in coaching final week.

“He reached for a ball (and) felt a little bit of pain,” mentioned Bradley. “We determined to examine it once more and the scan confirmed that it’s aggravated. An identical motion to what passed off in D.C.

“It’s disappointing then 30 minutes in, on a play like that (in D.C), that he feels something,” Bradley added. “But we’ve got to work through in it in a way that we can get him back and keep him on the field.”

The harm listing has heaped duty on Federico Bernardeschi, who has accounted for 2 of Toronto’s 4 objectives this season. The Italian winger has taken 21 per cent of TFC’s whole touches within the attacking third, which ranks fifth within the league in accordance with MLS.com.

With its assault depleted, Toronto has been outshot 43-18 (15-10 in photographs on track) over the primary three video games. The 18 photographs are the fewest by a crew within the first three video games of the season since a minimum of 2010, in accordance with the league.

Bernardeschi has taken 4 of these photographs, all on track, however didn’t handle a shot on purpose in final Saturday’s 1-1 draw with visiting Columbus.

“In the last game, he was frustrated at the end. But he was also frustrated at himself,” mentioned Bradley. “He didn’t give as much in that game as he did the previous two games.”

Goal possibilities have been few and much between within the final two contests. Toronto’s XG (anticipated objectives) for the final two video games was 0.3 and 0.8.

Still, Miami coach Phil Neville expects Toronto to be a troublesome opponent.

“I know they’ve got a couple of players out missing but Bob’s a really good coach. He’s recruited really well and they’ll be desperate, desperate, for their first win of the season. So I think it’s going to be a really tough away game.”

Miami has received 5 straight over Toronto since dropping the primary assembly in 2020. The 5 TFC losses equal Toronto’s longest dropping streak towards an MLS opponent (Seattle, 2010-13).

Miami received some unwelcome harm news of its personal this week with Brazilian midfielder Gregore, the crew captain, anticipated to overlook six months after present process surgical procedure on a foot injured in a problem by NYCFC’s Matias Pellegrini.

Neville calls Gregore “the heart and soul” of the membership.

“We’re going to miss him and the team’s going to be different … We’re going to need everybody to contribute,” he added.

It’s been a powerful begin for Miami, which has conceded simply as soon as — an personal purpose in a 1-0 loss at New York City FC final weekend. Neville’s crew opened with a pair of 2-0 residence wins over CF Montreal and Philadelphia.

Miami ahead Josef Martínez has 98 objectives in 135 regular-season video games, seeking to turn out to be the quickest participant in MLS historical past to achieve the 100-goal milestone. Bradley Wright-Phillips at the moment holds the report, doing it in 159 video games.

Toronto added depth at fullback on Tuesday by claiming defender Cristian Gutierrez.

The 26-year-old Gutierrez joined Whitecaps FC in January 2020 from Chilean facet Colo-Colo and made 44 appearances (together with 32 begins) throughout all competitions with six assists. He made US$267,500 final season with Vancouver, with Bradley saying TFC didn’t decide up his whole wage.