Going through the health of Toronto FC players has become a ritual of late at coach Bob Bradley availabilities. It usually takes a while.
"Who are we thinking about?" Bradley said in the buildup to Saturday's game at Austin FC. "It's easier if you give me a name."
There's a lot to remember.
Toronto (2-4-7) is missing nine players through injury or suspension with another three questionable, according to the club's injury report. That total includes five starters: defenders Matt Hedges and Sigurd Rosted and midfielders Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio and Mark-Anthony Kaye.
The five have a combined 1,056 MLS regular-season and playoff games between them including Rosted, who new to the league this season accounts for just 11 of that total.
Kaye, who filled in as an emergency centre back in the absence of Hedges and Rosted last weekend, is the only one of those starters listed as questionable after missing the mid-week 0-0 tie with the visiting Red Bulls with a hip flexor. Fullback Richie Laryea shifted to centre back alongside Aime Mabika, filling in admirably.
With Toronto already suffering from a lack of depth, having defender Shane O'Neill, midfielders Alonso Coello and Victor Vazquez and forwards Adama Diomande, Deandre Kerr and Jordan Perruzza unavailable or questionable through injury and Jahkeele Marshall Rutty through suspension does not help the cause.
Injuries have led to some frequent flyer miles with Michael Bradley having a procedure on his hamstring in England and Vazquez returning to his native Spain to have specialists look at his foot.
TFC had its chances mid-week against the Red Bulls but failed to convert them. Still the team believes it is headed in the right direction. For the supporters, it's just taking longer than expected to reach its destination.
"I'm honestly proud of the guys," Laryea, arguably the team's MVP so far this season, told reporters after the Red Bulls game. "I've played on teams where guys have given up early, even earlier than this in the season, and (our) guys are still trucking along, fighting. We come to training every day. We put in the work. So I think it's positive.
"Obviously (there are) things you guys don't see. You guys just see the results after the games and it might look bad to you. But within the group I think everyone's working really hard, which is a very positive thing for me and keeps me going, keeps guys going … I think it's going to click soon. So hopefully this weekend we can go and get a big three points and then start getting a few of the guys back and yeah, start going from there."
Toronto, which has won just two of its last 19 MLS outings (2-9-8), takes on Austin for the first time. The third-year team, know as the Verde and Black, have had their own problems of late, ending an eight-game winless run in league play with a 2-1 victory at Seattle on Wednesday.
Amazingly, TFC has won just one of 22 regular-season games in Texas (1-12-9) with the lone victory in September 2010 (2-1 at Houston).
Toronto has won just one of its last 10 outings in all competitions and sits 15th and last in the Eastern Conference below the Red Bulls on goal difference. A saving grace is both teams go into the weekend just three points out of a playoff berth in the congested East.
TFC has yet to win on the road in six tries this season (0-3-3) and is 2-14-7 away from home in league play since the beginning of last year. Its last road win was in August in Charlotte.
Austin (3-5-4) snapped an eight-game winless league run (0-4-4) with a 2-1 upset at the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday. It was Austin's first victory since a 2-1 decision at Real Salt Lake on March 11.
Austin managed the win over the West-leading Sounders, who came into the game with a 13-point lead over the visitors, despite missing four starters through injury or international duty.
The Texas side sits in 10th place in the West, one point out of the playoffs. It has been better on the road (2-3-1) than at home (1-2-3) this season.
"I think that they've shown that they're a team that has good ideas on how they want to play football," said Bob Bradley.
"They've changed at times a little bit this year. They've played a little bit more a version of 3-4-3 of late but still some of their buildup ideas, some of their ways of getting people forward, runs in the box, movements, those things are good."
Argentine midfielder Emiliano Rigoni, one of Austin's designated players, is in fine form with one goal and two assists in his last four league outings.
The other Austin DPs are Finnish midfielder Alex Ring and Argentine midfielder Sebastian Driussi, a finalist for league MVP last season and the league's fifth-highest-paid player this season at US$6,022,500 (Toronto's Lorenzo Insigne is No. 2 at US$7.5 million and fellow Italian Frederico Bernardeschi No. 4 at US$6,295,381).
Austin is coached by former U.S. international Josh Wolff, who started his playing career under Bradley at the Chicago Fire. Wolff has coached Austin since its inaugural campaign in 2021 and led the team to second place in the Western Conference last year with a 25-point improvement over its debut campaign.
Austin's record since entering the league in 28-36-18, compared to 17-40-24 for Toronto over the last three seasons.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2023
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press