TORONTO – One-man team?
That oxymoron has been applied to Toronto FC with Sebastian Giovinco central to the club's rise.
Giovinco, who Greg Vanney called "questionable" for Wednesday, looks set to miss out on a fourth-straight game when TFC takes on Orlando City SC at BMO Field (7:30 pm ET; FS1 in US | TSN4 in Canada).
Back from Italy, Giovinco was with the club come Monday, and took part in the first portion of Tuesday's training.
“He's feeling good,” said Vanney afterwards. “Now it's to decide whether he'll play a factor tomorrow or we'll hold off until the weekend. The scans are all positive, it's a matter of doing what he needs to do to be match ready.”
Giovinco's influence is plain – factoring in 67 of the club's 103 goals (65 percent) since the start of the 2015 season - but to call TFC overdependent on the Italian strikes Justin Morrow as an "unfair criticism".
“Sebastian is a massive part of our team, league MVP... you can't replace that,” said Morrow. “We've been able to get results without our [Designated Players]. Our squad has done a great job this year.”
“[Giovinco] 1000 percent makes us a better team, but we're still a very good otherwise,” reminded Vanney. “We've seen our young players [improve], our depth is getting better. Guys are ready to step in and do their part to make a difference. It won't be the same, but they can bring their [skill set] to the game and help us be a team that can win games.”
Throughout the season, TFC have been forced to achieve without key pieces. Giovinco has missed four matches already, while Jozy Altidore (11), Michael Bradley (10), Will Johnson (9) and Clint Irwin (14) have all been unavailable for long stretches. That is a lot of minutes to fill.
In their place, players like Mo Babouli, Jordan Hamilton, Jay Chapman, Dan Lovitz and Tsubasa Endoh have stepped up.
The fact that Giovinco's contribution has remained steady this season, that TFC are currently four places higher in the conference and need just one point from four remaining matches to equal 2015's haul, speaks to the achievement of the group.
“By the way the league is structured, you're only allowed so many difference-makers,” began Vanney. “When you lose one, it affects every team in the league. But what this group has proven is that we can still win games, can still get results, and can still play good soccer when Seba isn't available. We're not a one-player team.”
