TORONTO – One star returned on Saturday night for Toronto FC, another was noticeably absent.
Clint Irwin was back in goal for TFC, but Sebastian Giovinco missed a third consecutive match since exiting prematurely against Montreal on August 27 with quadriceps and adductor muscle strains.
At first it had appeared as though Giovinco could've possibly made a shock return against New York Red Bulls last weekend, with strong hints being dropped at training, but he did not. And then word appeared prior to kickoff against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday that the injury was "more severe than expected" and that the Italian maestro was back in Italy to get it checked.
“The timeline hasn't really changed,” said Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney after the 1-1 draw with Philadelphia. “In terms of how he was feeling, he felt he might be ready, that maybe last match he was going to be able to get in and pick up some minutes. We thought that was a risk. And then this week as he started to take some steps forward, we convened, talked about it, and he wasn't quite feeling 100 percent ready to go.”
“He also felt comfortable now that he's at this final stretch [of the process], that he consulted with a doctor that he spent years with in Italy. Which for me, in my perspective from when I was in Europe, is very normal,” explained Vanney. “Every weekend, guys would go and see the physician that they were closest to and get whatever they feel is the appropriate treatment. That's what he wanted to do.”
Toronto has dropped points in two of the three matches that Giovinco has missed: After a 2-1 victory in Chicago Chicago on Sept. 10, TFC drew 3-3 with New York and then 1-1 with Philadelphia. The Italian's injury may have dealt a permanent blow to the club's Supporters' Shield ambitions. With four matches to play, they sit five points behind league-leading FC Dallas.
“He'll be back by Monday in preparation for Wednesday,” confirmed Vanney. “If he returns feeling how we think he will and how he thinks he should, then he would be in the mix to play [then]. We all agree that it doesn't make sense to risk him for what we have in front of us, really important matches are in the weeks ahead, not necessarily today, not necessarily Wednesday. We want to make sure he's ready to go.”
