Toronto FC: Sebastian Giovinco Injury a Tough Blow
With the possibility of Toronto FC losing their best striker, the team will need other players to step up and fill the void if Sebastian Giovinco is unable to play.
In their 3-0 defeat against New York City FC on Saturday, Toronto FC had to deal with a much bigger issue, losing Sebastian Giovinco to an injury. The Italian striker has played 33 of 34 games since joining TFC last season and has been on the pitch for every minute of each game until Saturday.
If that loss to NYCFC showed TFC fans anything, it is that this team does not have many options outside of Giovinco. TFC’s offence started to face problems when Jozy Altidore was sidelined with another hamstring injury, as a lot of the workload was put on Giovinco.
While he has been able to carry TFC (involved in 13 of Toronto’s 14 goals, or 93 percent of the offensive output), there has not been the conversation into what would happen if Giovinco was out of the lineup.
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“There’s no indication there’d be anything longterm. The question, I think, is whether he will or won’t be available for (Wednesday),” said Vanney to reporters at practice.
TFC plays their next game on Wednesday against the Montreal Impact in the Amway Canadian Championship, where the winner advances to the CONCACAF Champions League. It is an important game for TFC but is it important enough to risk further injury to their most important player. It is especially tough because TFC has struggled offensively as they try to improve their defensive play.
Giovinco had an MRI on Monday, but there is no word on what the results were. If there is a chance of further injury, TFC can’t afford to take that risk.
“In talking to him, he feels like he got out before he felt like there was too much (damage) there sustained,” said Vanney. “We’ll find out when we get the read (of the MRI). That will be the telling thing for us.”
It does not help that captain Michael Bradley and midfielder Will Johnson will be out as well because of national team duties. If TFC decides to rest Giovinco they would not play their next MLS game until June 18th against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Laura Armstrong from the Toronto Star wrote last week that forward Mo Babouli would benefit in having Giovinco stay in MLS after being left off Italy’s Euro Cup roster.
The 23-year old forward signed his first professional contract with TFC and earned man of the match against Columbus a couple of game ago. However, with limited time upfront it is difficult to expect Babouli to lead the offence, but someone will need to step up if Giovinco is not available. Marky Delgado could also help the team offensively as he is not afraid to step up from midfield to attack.
If Giovinco cannot go it will be a good test to see how the team responds in his absence as Saturday’s loss was not a good showing from the team at both ends. It could also be a message to GM Tim Bezbatchenko that the team needs to add something upfront to help alleviate some pressure from Giovinco if this team wants to compete.
That includes debating the future of Altidore, as his lengthy absences due to injuries has been tough on the team. Considering the team only has three designated player spots, with Giovinco and Bradley occupying two and Altidore the other, a serious conversation needs to be had.
It is a tough call to make because Altidore and Giovinco have played well together when Altidore is healthy. If Altidore cannot show that he can continue to be a reliable option for this team then TFC must look to add someone else that can do it. Otherwise TFC will have to continue to rely on Giovinco playing at a high level, which he is capable of doing but not always easy to do alone.