TFC finish third in the East, will host playoff game vs. Philadelphia Union

TORONTO — A victory may not have been enough to move Toronto FC into second place in the MLS Eastern Conference, but getting three points against the Chicago Fire was an important way to end the season.

Toronto picked up a 3-2 victory on Sunday evening at BMO Field but got no help from the Columbus Crew, which fell 4-1 to New York City FC, thus relegating Toronto to third place in the East and putting them back into a one-game knockout against the Philadelphia Union to open the post-season for the second year in a row.

“We knew we were only in control of so much,” said head coach Greg Vanney of the team’s ultimate finish in the standings. “We wanted to win the game and go into the playoffs with a win and go into the playoffs scoring some goals, which was nice.”

The win was all the more important considering Toronto’s middling form coming down the stretch. A home-heavy schedule was supposed to play in Toronto’s favour for a Supporters’ Shield push but in the five games Toronto hosted out of its last six games overall, Sunday’s win was the club’s only in the bunch.

A loss or a draw would have raised a few red flags heading into the one-game playoff against the Union but instead Toronto’s got Sebastian Giovinco with his scoring boots back on after a first-half penalty and valuable contributions from Justin Morrow and Jonathan Osorio, who perhaps needed a goal more than anyone after having his radar off-target for long periods this season.

“We all know it’s one game, very little margin of error and you’ve got to be on it on the day,” said Vanney. “You’ve got to be sharp so it’s good to have that little bit of confidence and feel that winning sensation as we go into the playoffs.”

Last year, Toronto went on the road to Montreal and folded in its first post-season game, losing 3-0 to the Impact, but now Toronto will host a playoff game for the first time in the club’s 10-year existence.

It’s been a long-time coming, but they’ll know the Union will do what a lot of teams have done when they’ve visited this season. Especially down the stretch, teams found success in clogging up their own half, forcing Toronto to try to break them down and try and hit them on the counter-attack.

Toronto managed to miss a hatful of chances in a number of the games and when the Union salvaged a point almost a month ago when they visited BMO Field, they employed those lock-down tactics very well.

“We don’t have a lot of time to think about it. I think it’s a good thing. It’s a big game Wednesday night,” said defender Drew Moor. “This is the real tricky one. We are at home, we’re playing against a team that regardless of current results, is probably a bit of a wounded animal, which is extremely dangerous. So it’s important that we start the game well and we really get ourselves ready to match any kind of intensity they’re going to bring.”