It all comes down to this for Atlanta United’s historic season. Tying the all-time single-season points record still hasn’t been enough to clinch them a trophy yet. The season finale in Toronto will decide whether or not they take home the Supporters’ Shield or come away empty handed. They need a win to guarantee the Shield comes home to Atlanta regardless of how the New York Red Bulls fare against Orlando City. However, if the result doesn’t go their way, there’s still a glimmer of hope that their Southeastern rivals somehow get something out of that match. Tito Villalba will reportedly be available for selection in the finale after missing this past weekend’s game against the Chicago Fire. Miguel Almiron remains out with a hamstring injury but appears to be in contention to return for the playoffs. This is undoubtedly the biggest match so far in the club’s short history. The last time we said that they laid a massive egg in New Jersey. Here’s to hoping things go differently today. No matter what, it’s been a great season. But it would look a whole lot better bringing home the first trophy for the cabinet. VAMOS ATL! Atlanta United’s Lineup: Toronto FC’s Lineup: How to Watch Venue: BMO Field Advertised Kickoff Time: 4:30 p.m. ET Available TV: FOX Sports Southeast Available Streaming: Fubo TV (Free Trial), FOX Sports GO, ESPN+ (Outside Local Viewing Areas) Available Radio: 92.9 The Game (English), AT&T Countdown to Kickoff (FB Live/Periscope), La Mejor 1600 AM (Spanish) This thread will be your match thread. We don’t have many rules here. We just ask that you don’t insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and that’s fine, but name-calling and petty insults will get you banned. If you see a comment that you feel is out of line, please report it and it will be dealt with.<doc-sep>After a needed win against the Chicago Fire, it all comes down to this for Atlanta United’s Supporters Shield hopes. They take on a Toronto FC side looking to halt the Five Stripes’ plans for their first trophy. Miguel Almiron still isn’t available for Atlanta, but Tito Villalba returns to the squad after missing last week’s match. How will Tata Martino’s side line up for this crucial showdown? Let’s take as educated of a guess as we can. Here is the definite, surefire lineup for Oct. 28. * *I’m probably wrong. Formation: 3-5-2. Do you play a 4-3-3 on a cold, rainy night in Toronto? Nope. Play it a little more safe with the extra man to track back. Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan. Center Back #1: Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. Center Back #2: Michael Parkhurst. Center Back #3: Franco Escobar. He’s on a scoring streak now so you can’t take him out. That’s just how this works. Left Wingback: Chris McCann. Greg Garza still hasn’t played since returning to the team from injury and this doesn’t seem like the kind of match you would risk a left back in. It should be George Bello in this spot, but McCann will get the start. Right Wingback: Julian Gressel. Central Midfielder #1: Jeff Larentowicz. The midfield seemed really out of whack without his physical presence and veteran leadership before he entered the match last week. You need Larentowicz in high pressure matches, especially when you also consider the impending bad weather. Central Midfielder #2: Eric Remedi. It’s a tough call between him and Darlington Nagbe. I just think Martino will prefer Remedi’s slightly more physical approach over Nagbe’s ability to possess the ball. That’s not to say possessing the ball is a bad thing in this kind of match though. It really could be either one of these guys. Attacking Midfielder: Ezequiel Barco. You need a credible attacking threat from the midfield and Barco has provided sparks of that over the past couple of matches. The whole product certainly isn’t there yet though and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Nagbe here instead, but I’m going with what one would call a “gut feeling”. Striker #1: Josef Martinez. His poor form (yes, I said poor form) is something no one really wants to talk about, but we probably should if he goes into the playoffs with just two goals in the last eight matches. Let’s just avoid that conversation entirely and score a hat trick on Sunday. Yeah, that sounds good. Striker #2: Tito Villalba. I feel like you have to utilize a player as crucial as Villalba is to this team in this crucial of a match. He could really open things up for Barco and Martinez. To recap, here’s my projected lineup against Toronto FC. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.<doc-sep>Share this Story: TFC has something to play for against Atlanta in season finale TFC has something to play for against Atlanta in season finale Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content A year ago at this time, Toronto FC could not wait to wrap up the regular season and get the playoffs started. Today, Toronto FC cannot wait to get Sunday’s home game against Atlanta United over with to wrap up this wretched, eminently forgettable campaign. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or TFC has something to play for against Atlanta in season finale Back to video Only a victory can prevent TFC from finishing with fewer than half as many points as last year and, more importantly, can prevent Atlanta from eclipsing the MLS record for points the Reds set in 2017. Atlanta has 69 points heading into the match, the same number TFC managed, so a victory, and maybe even a draw, means a new mark, depending on what the New York Red Bulls (68 points) do at home against Orlando, the second-worst team in the league. Atlanta is led by MVP front-runner Josef Martinez, who has scored a record 30 goals and Miguel Almiron and is looking to hold off the Red Bulls for the Supporter’s Shield. Toronto is just looking to end on a high note, but will be missing star striker Jozy Altidore and veteran defender Drew Moor, who both have been shut down for the season due to injuries. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content What went wrong for the Reds? Nearly everything, but it all starts with an almost unfathomable run of injuries to many of the club’s top players. Moor only appeared in eight matches, fellow crucial starting centre back Chris Mavinga just 11, Altidore only 13 (he still scored seven goals in those matches, more than only three other players). Others like 2017 MLS all-star Justin Morrow and talented defender Auro and influential midfielder Victor Vazquez missed nearly half of the season and top player Sebastian Giovinco was in and out of the lineup at times too. A rotating lineup and a busy schedule resulted in poor cohesion, reserves being asked to do too much and led to a lot of mistakes, which often came back to bite the Reds. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The team has never surrendered more goals (partly the work of the patchwork defence, mixed with a down season from goalkeeper Alex Bono and the forwards and attacking midfielders trying to do too much, leading to counters the other way). An abbreviated off-season hurt the club, but that was the price of making the MLS Cup in consecutive years and going deep into the CONCACAF Champions League competition (and nearly becoming the first MLS side to win it). “We put a lot into Champions League and went a long way into Champions League. Physically it took a toll on us and we’ve been trying to recover ever since,” head coach Greg Vanney said last week. “One of the challenges of the league is if you get on the wrong side of momentum than the league is very punishing in that way. That’s been our challenge. We haven’t been able to get all of our guys back in any consistent form and on the field together in order to get cohesive and get on a run. When you can’t (do that) then a little bit of frustration sets in, a little bit of a lack of confidence on the field. A lack of trust … the attackers trying to do too much, the defenders not holding up their owns and vice versa, the connection starts to get some cracks.” Vanney has talked a lot about the root causes of his team’s collapse and how the franchise hopes to glean from all of the disappointing lessons. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content A longer off-season should help. “Guys learned that when you arrive at training camp at the beginning that you have to be fit and ready to go because you don’t have a lot of time before the really highly competitive games get kicked off in CCL,” Vanney said. “This time we saw three of the Mexican teams right off the bat. We saw that intensity really fast and physically it took a toll on us. “We learned a ton this year just in terms of our pre-season, trying to get our schedule as best we can. “We had a couple of sets where we had six games in 18 days. It’s incredible on our guys and then when you already have guys down you’re just running the guys that you (are left with) into the ground.” There will be changes – Altidore has already said he isn’t sure if he’ll be back, despite still having a year remaining on his contract – the defence needs work, aging veterans must be replaced and more young talent needs to be brought in. Ownership cannot be happy to see the league’s highest-paid roster fall flat on its face. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Several players will address the media on Monday, while Vanney and management will have their say on Tuesday at the team’s training facility. @WolstatSun Back in January, about a month after the team’s victory parade in downtown Toronto, Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley told former Sun soccer reporter Kurt Larson: “Call me crazy, but I think we can be even better (in 2018). “I think we can take more points. It’s going to be a f—ing challenge — possibly the biggest challenge any of us have had in our careers.” Bradley sure got the challenge part right and, without knowing it, he also predicted the difference between that club and the one that was to come. “That group of guys went after every single game for an entire year to compete, to win, to prove ourselves.” This one did not, with the proof being an inability to win consecutive matches more than once all year (and the dismal 1-17-1 record when surrendering the first goal). – Ryan Wolstat Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Toronto Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. 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Sunday is Fan Appreciation Day for beleaguered Toronto FC supporters. But the regular-season finale is more a changing of the guard as league-leading Atlanta United comes to town. Atlanta (21-6-6) has already matched the all-time MLS single-season points record (69), set by Toronto last year during its championship campaign. And while TFC players prepare to clean out their lockers, Atlanta has business to settle Sunday with the Supporters’ Shield on the line. The visitors arrive one point ahead of the New York Red Bulls (21-7-5), who host lowly Orlando City on Sunday. A win in Toronto and Atlanta can secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and hoist the Supporters’ Shield — which TFC earned last year — for compiling the league’s best regular-season record. Ronado brace lifts ‘tired’ Juventus over Empoli Striker Altidore to undergo ankle surgery, will miss TFC’s final match Playing for Vancouver Whitecaps has been ‘a dream come true’, says Alphonso Davies It would be a first-ever trophy for Atlanta, which has compiled a 26-15-16 regular-season mark record in its two years of play. By contrast, Toronto went 15-30-15 in its first two seasons in the league (2007-08). Toronto (9-18-6) was eliminated from playoff contention some three weeks ago. A win Sunday won’t gloss over what has been a shockingly disappointing league campaign. But it may offer a positive departure point. And it would beat watching Atlanta celebrate taking one of Toronto’s records and trophies at BMO Field. Toronto coach Greg Vanney hopes his players can go out and play with some freedom. “I think there’s an understanding and an appreciation that the season needs to be finished and we need to go out — at home and against Atlanta in particular — and put out the right performance,” he said after a chilly training session Friday. “But I think the group feels and understands that there isn’t another game on the other side if they get a result or anything like that. That’s the reality of it. There’s a sense of frustration that still exists in the group but I do think it’s kind of a normal frustration ... I think the guys are just focused knowing that there’s one game left and leave it out there for one more game.” It’s been a roller-coaster season for a Toronto team denied the CONCACAF Champions League trophy via penalty shootout after a gritty run against top Mexican opposition. Retaining the Canadian Championship offered a brief high that was quickly swallowed up by one league disappointment after another. Atlanta arrives a staggering 36 points above Toronto in the standings. “I don’t have an answer to that,” Vanney said. “They’ve had an excellent season, similar to what we had last year. And we could never build any momentum coming out of the Champions League.” “I don’t think it is by any stretch of the imagination the difference between our two teams,” he said of the point difference. “If you put the two teams on the field together at full strength, I think it’s an incredible match ... I think it’s the product of two very different seasons and the variables that each has had to deal with through the course of it.” Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... TFC has lost its last three games and is 3-7-1 since a 2-2 tie in Atlanta on Aug. 4. In contrast, Atlanta, which has gone 7-2-0 since that tie, has won its last two and five of the last six. Toronto has been shutting down stars with striker Jozy Altidore and Spanish playmaker Victor Vazquez having undergone minor ankle and knee surgery, respectively. Veteran defender Drew Moor sits out another game, this time with a recurrence of the quad issue that sidelined him previously. “It’s very mild but it doesn’t make sense in this game to put him in a situation where he doesn’t need to be in,” Vanney said. Toronto has some other injury question marks, although Vanney didn’t elaborate. Atlanta playmaker Miguel Almiron is close to returning from a hamstring injury but is not expected to play Sunday. The news is better on forward Hector Villalba, who is available. Star striker Josef Martinez has a league-record 30 goals on the season but has scored in just one of his last seven games. Sunday marks the last regular-season game for Atlanta coach Tata Martino, who is leaving after the playoffs reportedly to take over the Mexican national team.