MEXICO CITY, Mexico - If Toronto FC are to become just the third MLS team to reach a Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League final, they will need to finish the job in one of world football's greatest venues.
The Canadian side face off against Club America boasting a 3-1 advantage in their 2018 SCCL semifinal series, with the second leg set for Tuesday night at the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Tuesday's affair in such a storied stadium is just the type of match Toronto FC Head Coach Greg Vanney envisioned years ago when he set out to assemble a squad that would relish the challenge of such a high stakes match in a hostile environment.
"As we've been building our team over the last two to three years, it's been with the hope to be able to compete in situations like this," said Vanney in a pre-match press conference on Monday.
"So my thought is that our guys will have a lot of respect for the stadium and a lot of respect for Club America, but will come in with a strong mindset and confidence to play their top ability," added Vanney.
The history of MLS teams versus Mexican sides in SCCL knockout rounds also has Toronto FC's attention. In 23 all-time series, just four times has an MLS team emerged with a series win, including Toronto FC's elimination of Tigres in the 2018 SCCL quarterfinals.
And there is nothing but respect from the reigning MLS champions for the seven-time CONCACAF champions.
"Our players who represent the U.S., Canada or other CONCACAF nations understand the difficulty of CONCACAF and one of the great CONCACAF members is Mexico. Those players always know the difficulty of competing against Mexican opponents, whether it's national team or Mexican league opponents. We have great respect for Club America," concluded Vanney.
