Posted by

Armen Bedakian ,

March 23, 2011 Email Armen Bedakian

Toronto FC will take to the field against the newest expansion side – The Portland Timbers – on a chilly Saturday afternoon. Having succumbed to a 4-2 humiliation against bitter-but-not-quite-bitter archrivals Vancouver Whitecaps, Toronto FC will be looking to restart their season and put old wounds to bed. Portland, however, will be looking at Toronto FC and licking their lips; for the green-clad Oregonians, the scent of 3 points will be wavering in the air. That being said, these 10 keys to the game will see Toronto triumph, and kick-start their season properly, gaining 3 points and – hopefully – some momentum as well: 1. Kenny Cooper

Kenny Cooper returns to MLS after a failed stint in Europe, but he is still the biggest threat Portland possess; certainly, Cooper, who scored a plethora of goals for Dallas, will be looking to once again find the back of the net and regain some of those impressive results and showings which saw him gain a place in the United States National Team. Cooper has certainly found no trouble in scoring against Toronto; he’s done it on several occasions. The bane of TFC’s existence at times, to the hands of Dallas at least, Cooper will need to be contained if Toronto are to walk away with a win. 2. Defensive Line

Changes need to be made to the defensive line if Toronto are to, at the very least, outscore their opponents. Gargan looked rusty but will probably start. Nana Attakora should pair with Adrian Cann in the center, and Mikael Yourassowsky will cover that left-hand side which Vancouver began to favour last week. Discipline in the defensive third will be crucial for Toronto. 3. Tighter midfield

Nathan Sturgis’ performance proved one thing; Toronto FC desperately need Julian de Guzman. Off the ball movement to open space up for the entire midfield was lacking, so Toronto will need to have that link-up play between defense and midfield more clearly established if they are to walk away with the spoils. 4. Winged-wonders

With rumours of Alen Stevenovic making the jump over to MLS from Torino in Italy, Toronto FC will need to use their wings, and use them well. Martina and Soolsma will probably play once again. If the wings are flapping, Toronto will fly away with max points. 5. Keep possession

It’s the 4-3-3, and indeed, MLS is a counter-attacking league, but possession early on will plant seeds of anxiety into Portland, who are very much a passing side. Look for frustrated tackles should Toronto maintain too much possession, but at the same time, look for capitalization of chances too. Toronto FC will need to figure this style of play out quickly to bring it to greater effect. 6. Prevent through balls

This comes down to smart positioning. Preventing the through ball will prevent the break-aways which saw Toronto FC go down twice. Ty Harden could be to blame, but the creativity must be quelled to keep the score down and ensure the defense is functioning properly. 7. Find Maicon

The big man up top was given almost no service in the first half, but saw chances created upon the introduction of Yourassowsky and Zavarise. Feeding Maicon will lead to goals, it seems, so finding opportunities to pass to Santos will be crucial if Toronto want to repeat the screamer from last week’s game against Vancouver. 8. Absorb Toronto

This is the first home game of the season; the supporters will be out in full force, singing love songs and feeding energy to the players; it is their job to use what they’ve got, and make BMO Field the fortress we all know it can be. The supporters have always stepped up to the plate; Toronto would do well to take advantage of that fact and use that support as a vital tool in their offense. 9. Keep De Rosario hungry

Dwayne De Rosario is a restless player, constantly moving and looking for the ball. A disheartened De Rosario is not a happy De Rosario, so allowing him a few chances at goal, though selfish it may seem, may do more good than bad; at best, he’ll score a goal, and at worst, he’s scuffed a chance. Critics find this type of selfish unsatisfactory but for Toronto, the goals have to come from somewhere. 10. Break the last-15 minute Jitters

By the point, assuming Toronto FC has followed the game plan and are on top, the last fifteen minute curse which seemingly plagued the clubs campaigns of the past will need to be addressed. This comes down to footie IQ. Keeping focus and seeing the game out does not necessarily mean give up possession and try to deflect; it’s smart passing, low-risk and, oftentimes, time-wasting which will see Toronto FC successful.

