Tip of the Tower
Fansided

Toronto FC are 10 matches away from a playoff crossroads

By Trevor Popoff

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 09: Toronto FC fans sing the anthems prior to the 2017 MLS Cup Final against the Seattle Sounders at BMO Field on December 9, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 09: Toronto FC fans sing the anthems prior to the 2017 MLS Cup Final against the Seattle Sounders at BMO Field on December 9, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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Toronto FC
Jozy Altidore of Toronto FC celebrates after scoring the first goal of his team during the second leg match of the final between Chivas and Toronto FC as part of CONCACAF Champions League 2018 at Akron Stadium on April 25, 2018 in Zapopan, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) /

Tough stretch against Los Angeles

Up next comes TFC’s biggest challenge of the season; a trip to Banc of California Stadium to take on league leaders Los Angeles FC. Sitting on an unworldly 52 points, LAFC have staked their claim as the undisputed best team in MLS. Striker Carlos Vela is leading the league in goals, shots, shots on goal and in the AUDI Player Index.

Basically, he’s really good. If LAFC have clinched everything they want to clinch by the time this match rolls around, Vela and other difference-makers like Diego Rossi and Mark-Anthony Kaye could be riding the bench in order to rest up for a long playoff run.

If the likes of Vela, Rossi and Kaye are in the lineup, however, coming out of L.A. with a result seems like a tall order.

Meaningless prediction: 2-0 LAFC.

The penultimate match of the 2019 regular season for TFC goes September 29 in Bridgeview, IL against the Chicago Fire. As of this writing, the Fire sit five points back of TFC, but a lot could happen between now and late September.

All it takes is getting hot at the right time, and any of the teams currently middling along in the Eastern Conference could find themselves contending. The Fire’s 2019 season has been a little disappointing, with players like Nemanja Nikolic and Bastian Schweinsteiger falling way off from where they were a year ago, but this was still a playoff team in 2018 that can’t be taken lightly, especially now that they are backed into a corner.

With not much in terms of an intimidating atmosphere to deal with, however, the Reds should be able to get a result on the road as the playoffs inch closer.

Meaningless prediction: 1-0 Toronto FC. 

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