Having survived a midweek elimination game, Toronto FC finds itself in deeper MLS playoff waters this weekend against New York City FC.
The two teams finished just one point apart during the regular season with NYCFC (15-10-9) placing second in the East to secure a first-round bye while third-place Toronto (14-9-11) had to dispatch the Philadelphia Union to advance. TFC's 3-1 victory was the franchise's first ever in the playoffs.
New York City FC is like a boxer willing to absorb two punches to deliver three. Patrick Vieira's team led the league with 62 goals while ranking 17th in goals conceded at 57 – although seven of those came in one ugly shutout loss at the hand of the rival New York Red Bulls.
The two-legged Eastern Conference semi-final, which opens Sunday night at BMO Field, is a marquee showdown with plenty of star power. Toronto has Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore while New York boasts David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo.
"For me, [it's] two of the best teams in the league throughout the course of the whole season," Bradley said.
The six players are making a combined $36-million (U.S.) this season, according to the MLS Players' Union.
Asked about the difference between the two groups of designated players, Toronto coach Greg Vanney smiled and said: "Ours are younger."
"Both teams have a lot of guys who can really make you pay if you make mistakes," he said, turning more serious. "I think that's the allure of this game."
Away goals will count as a tiebreaker if the two-game aggregate score is tied after 180 minutes. If that does not decide it, two 15-minute extra-time periods will be played followed by penalty kicks, if necessary.
The away goals tiebreaker does not apply to extra time in the second leg.
"Our mindset ... is to make sure we give nothing away," Vanney said.
It's been goals galore most of the season for NYCFC's, who had 19 league games that produced at least four goals. Toronto, which conceded 39 goals all season to rank second to Colorado, had nine such games.
In addition to NYCFC's abundant attack, TFC will also have to deal with the small playing surface – 110 yards long by 70 yards wide – at Yankee Stadium, where the return leg will be played on Nov. 6.
"The field's small. It seems crooked ... It always seems the games are a little bit unpredictable," Vanney said. "So it's important that we try to take advantage of being at home in front of our fans and make the most of this first game. And then go there, once we see what the result is, with a game plan that can make sense for our team on the field given the result."
BMO Field's playing surface measures 115 yards by 74.3 yards.
New York has never lost to Toronto, winning two games and tying three. The five meetings have produced 18 goals including a wild 4-4 tie in July, 2015 that saw Giovinco record a first-half hat trick in nine minutes and Villa score twice. The game featured four penalties, only two of which were converted.
The two teams last played each other five months ago, a 1-1 tie in Toronto on May 18.
Both were undermanned for the May meeting. Pirlo and Lampard didn't play, while Villa came on in the 74th minute. Toronto was without Altidore, Jonathan Osorio, Marky Delgado and Benoît Cheyrou.
The teams also tied 2-2 in New York on March 13.
Lampard missed both games with a calf injury. Once healthy, he scored 12 goals in 15 games before reinjuring the calf. He returned Sunday, collecting a pair of assists off the bench.
Bradley and Altidore both picked up yellow cards in the win over Philadelphia, meaning they are one caution away from a one-game ban. The yellow card accumulation rule is not wiped out until the MLS Cup final.