Union-Toronto prediction: Is a Decision Day surprise in store?
The biggest wild-card element is how much Toronto's veteran stars, such as Italians Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, will play
I’m 1-for-2 with predictions so far, after getting a Union draw in Atlanta right and a Union win in Charlotte very wrong. Sunday’s regular-season finale will be my toughest call yet.
This is mainly because the biggest wild-card element isn’t whether Alejandro Bedoya returns to the Union after missing the last two games with a minor injury. Or how Olivier Mbaizo’s expected return at right back will spark an attack that went goalless in both of those contests.
» READ MORE: Jim Curtin hopes the Union have woken up after their ugly loss in Charlotte
It’s what Toronto will do. How much freedom will manager Bob Bradley give his veteran stars, Italians Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi and American Michael Bradley? The Reds’ boss said Friday that Insigne and Bernardeschi are questionable for the game.
Toronto has been out of playoff contention since Sept. 17, and will finish next-to-last in the Eastern Conference no matter what happens Sunday. So will we see the veterans or will we see the team’s talented youngsters, many of whom are products of one of MLS’s best youth academies?
Union head coach Jim Curtin, who played for Bradley and still counts the 64-year-old as a mentor, would surely like to know. So would Toronto’s archrival Montreal, which would snatch first place if they beat Miami and Toronto does them a favor.
The final day of the regular season always delivers drama, with all the games in each conference played at the same time. This year’s Decision Day is likely to be no different.