Toronto FC balances MLS playoff push against upcoming Canadian Championship final

Coach John Herdman finds himself between a rock and a hard place ahead of Toronto FC's game Saturday at the Colorado Rapids.

With just four regular-season games remaining, eighth-place Toronto (11-16-3) needs points to stay above ninth-place Philadelphia and 10th-place D.C. United in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. The two chasing teams are both three points behind with a game in hand.

The eighth- and ninth-place teams meet in a playoff wild-card game, with the winner moving on to take on the first seed in the East (currently Inter Miami).

But Herdman has to balance his playoff push with Wednesday's Canadian Championship final in Vancouver against the defending champion Whitecaps — a chance to lift a trophy and secure a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the elite club competition in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Injuries are another concern.

Both captain Jonathan Osorio and Italian star Lorenzo Insigne had to leave the 2-0 mid-week loss to visiting Columbus. Herdman said while both are "OK to be put on the team sheet," the extent of their weekend participation will be decided with one eye on the cup final.

Defenders Nicksoen Gomis and Henry Wingo are out with hamstring injuries.

On the plus side, Shane O'Neil returns from suspension and fellow defender Kevin Long, who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, is expected to be available for some minutes off the bench.

"There will be some (personnel) shifts for sure, to accommodate the cup final, but at the same time there's still players that are trying to earn their right into that cup final, on form," Herdman said after training Friday.

After Vancouver, Toronto returns to league play, visiting the Chicago Fire on Sept. 28 before returning home to host the Red Bulls on Oct. 2 and Inter Miami on Oct. 5.

Colorado (14-10-5) sits fourth in the Western Conference, tied on points with Seattle but ahead in the standings because it has played one less game than the Sounders.

Former Toronto coach Chris Armas took charge of the Rapids last November, inheriting a team that finished last in the Western Conference at 5-17-12. Colorado was 28th in the Supporters' Shield standings, five points ahead of cellar-dwelling Toronto (4-20-10).

Colorado goes in Saturday's game seventh overall in the league, with nine more wins and 20 more points than last season.

The Rapids are coming off a 4-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City that snapped a three-game win streak.

"There's going to be nights like that," Armas said after the mid-week defeat. "The 29th game (of the regular season) in MLS I believe. You can't have your good stuff all the time. And we've had it for most of the season."

He called the loss "probably a wake-up call."

"Everyone's fighting for something. Everyone's got something to play for in our league. Every team is capable," he added.

Colorado is 9-2-3 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park this season, unbeaten in its last nine league games (7-0-2) there since a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on May 11. Toronto has not won there since a 1-0 decision in August 2008, going 0-5-2 since.

The teams played to a scoreless draw the last time they met in suburban Commerce City, in September 2021.

Colorado's roster includes Canadian forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes as well as former CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, one of the Rapids' designated players.

Defender Reggie Cannon made his debut for Colorado mid-week. The U.S. international joined the Rapids as a free agent following a stint with Queens Park Rangers in England's second-tier Championship and three seasons with Boavista FC in the Portuguese top flight.

Toronto fired Armas in July 2021 in the wake of a humiliating 7-1 loss at D.C. United, the club's sixth-straight defeat. Under the first-year coach, Toronto (1-8-2) was winless in seven and languishing in last place in the league.

Assistant coach Javier Perez ran the team for the rest of the season with Bob Bradley taking over as head coach and sporting director prior in November 2021.

Bradley was axed in June 2023 with TFC mired in 14th place in the East at 3-7-10, having won just two of its last 17 matches (2-7-8) in all competitions.

Assistant coach Terry Dunfield served as interim coach until Herdman arrived in October 2023.

Armas went on to serve as an assistant coach at Manchester United under Ralf Rangnick and Leeds United under Jesse Marsch, who succeeded Herdman as Canada coach.

"He's a smart coach," Herdman said of Armas. "He gets the best out of his players in terms of intensity and he recruits players that fit that style of play as well."

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024