International breaks are among the many small factors in a season that are barely considered or planned for but can have a significant, if sometimes unnoticed, effect. For teams in form and on a roll, they kill momentum; for others out of sync or stretched thin by injuries, they provide a welcome relief.
Toronto FC will be hoping the latter is the case when they return from the latest stoppage in Montreal on Sunday. The Reds welcome Sebastian Giovinco and Jay Chapman back into contention after injury having had two weeks to put the stinging 2-1 defeat to D.