When the Columbus Crew host their Canadian rivals Toronto FC Saturday, the team will have no shortage of motivation. Not only is the match the conclusion of the 2013 Trillium Cup between the two clubs, but the meeting will be the first time the Columbus has seen Toronto since the heartbreaking stoppage time loss on July 27.
"We know means a lot to our fans and the fans mean a lot to us, so obviously we're going to put more emphasis into this [match]," said defender Eric Gehrig. "There's a cup on the line, and the way things went a couple of weeks ago in Toronto, that wasn't pretty . So I guess there's a little extra incentive."
The Cup, named for the official wildflower of Ohio and the official flower of the Canadian Province Ontario, has been played since the inaugural match on March 29, 2008. Given the cup's history, even Argentinian forward Federico Higuain, who has only been with the team for about a year, has gotten a feel for the rivalry between the two clubs.
"You can tell from the way the team and the front office prepares itself ahead of this game that there's something special to it, so I have picked up on that a little bit with some of the Trillium Cup stuff," he said.
In the teams' last meeting, the Crew were much more involved in the playoff race, but had just come off of a devastating 2-0 loss to the New England Revolution. Leading much of the match 1-0, two stoppage time goals gave the team their second tough loss in a row, and was the second of three consecutive losses.
For midfielder Bernardo Anor, the name on the front of the visiting team's jersey doesn't matter, but the last match provides all the motivation he needs.
"I don't even pay attention to the name, I don't like to see what players are playing, you just go out there and do the same thing that you would do against any team," he said. "But thinking back in the game we had in Toronto, we were leading the whole time 1-0 and we let it slip away at the very end. So maybe we've got to be even more excited to play them because it's kind of a revenge match, and it's very important for us to get a win."
Even without the rivalry, The Crew has no doubt that they need the three points in a desperate playoff race that sees them in eighth place with a long climb up the table ahead. Head Coach Robert Warzycha said that the team will certainly be fired up, regardless of the opponent.
"I think because it's the closest team to us and it's an international competition, it's a rivalry that we have. But we don't need the extra motivation for this game," he said. "To win a second game in a row for the first time this year is enough motivation. If we want to make the playoffs, it would be nice to win this game."
Because the Trillium Cup is decided in three matches over the course of the season, each meeting has something different at stake. For Warzycha, this is what makes the rivalry interesting.
"We play them three times, and every year and every time it's a different meaning," he said. "Sometimes you play in the beginning of the season, sometimes like this time it's very important to win because we want to get into the playoffs. Because of the different meanings, sometimes the game is more important and sometimes you feel like you have to get motivation from something else."
The Crew has taken four of the five Trillium Cups, only faltering in 2011, and is currently toed 2-2 on aggregate goals after their 2-0 loss in July.
