With their preseason preparations behind them, TFC II begins its inaugural campaign this Saturday in the United Soccer League (USL) with a big test - in more ways than one.
The Baby Reds start the first of an eight game road swing with a trip to a notoriously difficult ground, traveling down to South Carolina and Blackbaud Stadium to take on the Charleston Battery. This shapes up to be an exciting challenge for head coach Jason Bent and his staff, who have put together a roster that has a mix of young and eager talent with players that bring solid collegiate experience and first team players in need of competitive minutes.
The overall squad is made up of TFC Academy grads and MLS SuperDraft picks with a sprinkle of young veterans like defender Ashtone Morgan, a player Bent will call on to be a leader of a group that are largely experiencing their first time traveling as professionals. Another player Bent will be putting a lot of trust in is midfielder Chris Mannella, naming him captain of the squad earlier today.
Having experienced NCAA collegiate players like defenders Clement Simonin, Skylar Thomas (unavailable due to injury) and goalkeeper Alex Bono alongside teammates that played last year with the Wilmington Hammerheads such as forwards Jordan Hamilton and Mark-Anthony Kaye, midfielder Manny Aparicio and goalkeeper Quillan Roberts will help the group settle in and gel, especially a player like Simonin that has been training with the first team during preseason.
“We’ve been used to flying during preseason with the first team,” said Simonin. “For some of the guys it will be their first time flying and will be something new, but we’ll make the most of the road trips and preparation time. We’ve been preparing for this, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Any preparation time during this trip will not be wasted, especially against a club like the Battery that has made the USL playoffs the last four seasons.
INTERVIEWS: Jason Bent | Clement Simonin | Mark-Anthony Kaye
What to expect from Charleston Battery
Charleston were one of the better defensive teams in the USL last year, giving up only 33 goals last season putting them behind only Orlando City SC now of MLS, the reigning champion Sacramento Republic and LA Galaxy II. The coaching staff is mindful of this, having watched footage of their 7-1-2 preseason.
“We’ve watched them on video and know their strengths and weaknesses,” said Bent. “They look to play out of a 4-4-1-1 system, have some imported players, a lot of Cubans they’ve brought into their side and are one of the storied franchises within this league. It’ll be a good atmosphere, good ground and a grass pitch. We’re looking forward to the test.”
They also possess one of the league's more promising forwards in Dane Kelly. The 24-year-old Jamaican international has scored double-digit goals for the Battery the last two seasons. Although they’re strong defensively, outside of Kelly this is a team that lacked the offensive punch necessary to make a deep playoff run. That will be something Bent and his staff will want to capitalize on.
Individual Match-Up to Watch
A big factor in Charleston’s stellar defensive record last season was Cuban International goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper, who posted 16 shutouts and a 1.10 goals-against average in his last two seasons with the club.
Bent will look to his two big goal threats in Hamilton or Molham Babouli to test the 22-year-old keeper. Although Hamilton’s pedigree is more well known to TFC fans, Babouli has been a revelation. He burst onto the scene by scoring a league-leading 26 goals with TFC Academy in League 1 Ontario, a performance that saw him garner whispers of a Canadian national team call up.
Babouli is a typical goal-poacher that poses a serious threat, able to take advantage of gaps and force defenders to track his runs. Going toe-to-toe against one of the better young keepers in the league will be a good test for the promising striker, but Bent is expecting a lot from him than goal scoring.
“I don’t know if he’ll be able to score 26 goals at this level,” said Bent. “We’re pretty confident that he’ll be able to find the net, but we also will be looking for him to start playmaking as well. He has the vision, can see a pass and is technically he’s very good, we’ll be looking for him to add that to his game.”
The 22-year-old forward is a rising TFC talent, one that many are touting as capable of making the final step up the ranks to the first team. He and the rest of the squad will want to prove just that, starting with game one in a tough environment.
Catch TFC II’s first game of the season via livestream at 7:30 PM ET on torontofc.ca.
