Toronto FC return to league action on Saturday against New York Red Bulls but the Reds will be without their most influential player, midfielder Michael Bradley, who has now left to join up with the United States squad for their pre World Cup training camp. After a difficult run in the league, TFC managed to advance to the final of the Amway Canadian Championship in Vancouver on Wednesday night. Despite losing 2-1 against the Whitecaps at BC Place after extra time, Toronto won the tie on penalties. The Form: Toronto FC have lost three straight in Major League Soccer, and their home form has been poor, losing two of their three games at BMO Field this season against Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution. Defensively, the Reds have had some shaky moments in their last couple of league games, conceding four goals at Dallas and home to New England. Ryan Nelsens team will be buoyed by their progression in the Canadian Championship: Its a game we really wanted to win," said the coach following the match in Vancouver. "No matter how we got through, we got through. When you play these games and they go to extra time, it can be a real positive when you come out with a win. Guys have played together now, they will harden up and any 90 minutes they experience in the future will be a walk in the park compared to this." The Big Question: Will Toronto FCs players have enough gas left in the tank? With the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal in Vancouver going all the way to penalty kicks on Wednesday night, there will be some tired legs within TFCs squad. However, Toronto FC had a bye weekend in MLS leading up to the match in Vancouver and have only played seven league matches so far this year, so the effect of a lengthy cup tie may not be as negative as it could have been if the schedule had been more difficult. The Lineup: Bradley Orr partnered Doneil Henry in the centre of defence in Vancouver but veteran defender Steve Caldwell is likely to return to the lineup against the Red Bulls. Mark Bloom and Justin Morrow are set to return in the fullback positions, although Nick Hagglund has impressed this year whenever he has been given an opportunity. With Bradley gone, Torontos midfield could see two young Canadians paired together with the potential for Kyle Bekker to play alongside Jonathan Osorio, although Osorio has also been played by Nelsen on the left side of midfield recently. Draft pick Daniel Lovitz was impressive when he came on as a substitute for his Toronto FC debut in Vancouver on Wednesday. Jermain Defoe was left on the bench against the Whitecaps but should be back in the team on Saturday. Ryan Nelsen will be hoping Defoe is motivated to prove a point after being left out of Englands World Cup squad. The Opposition: New York Red Bulls won the Supporters Shield last year, finishing with the best record in MLS during the regular season. Mike Petkes team have had a mixed season so far. They got off to a slow start, failing to win in their first six matches, but since then things have picked up, and they were unbeaten in four - with three wins - prior to losing a crazy game at home to Chicago Fire last weekend 5-4. Whenever the Red Bulls visit, much of the attention is focused on France star Thierry Henry, but it is his attacking partner Bradley Wright-Phillips who has been capturing the headlines of late. Wright-Phillips scored a hat-trick (his second of the season) against Chicago and has now scored eight goals in his last four matches. The London born forward leads the league in scoring with nine goals, and has been developing a strong understanding with Henry. Red Bulls coach Petke and TFCs Nelsen know each other well. They won MLS Cup as teammates at DC United back in 2004. Petke was a finalist for MLS Coach of the Year in 2013 after guiding New York to the top of the standings in his first year in charge. The Odds: With Toronto FCs current poor run in MLS and their disappointing home losses against Colorado and New England, New York will arrive at BMO Field confident of taking at least a point home with them, especially given the loss of Michael Bradley. The Red Bulls have a very good record against Toronto FC and are unbeaten in their last ten matches against the Reds dating back to June 2009. Theyve out-scored them 25-5 during that stretch. In fact, New York have only lost four of 18 meetings all-time against Toronto. Where To Watch: Join me, Jason deVos and Kristian Jack for Toronto FC against the New York Red Bulls, live on TSN on Saturday at 4:30pm ET, 1.30pm PT. Dexter Fowler Jersey . 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The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Custom Cubs Jersey China . The Toronto Blue Jays general manager made a series of bold moves that reshaped the club ahead of what would turn out to be a disastrous 2013 campaign.NEW YORK - Weather. Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. And although the initial reports predict a temperature of plus-1 or 2 celsius, until they kick the ball off you just never know. The coldest Super Bowl ever played was in 1972 in New Orleans before the Mercedes-Benz Superdome existed between Dallas and Miami. It was 39 degrees fahrenheit which is about plus-4 celsius, so come Sunday that record could be re-written. When you consider the history of Wild Card, divisional and Conference Championship games, many have been played in brutal conditions. Most recently, San Francisco played at Green Bay in the Wild Card round on Jan. 5 and that one was well played and the best team on that day won. When it was first announced that New York as a city and New Jersey as a specific location would hold a Super Bowl many did cringe, myself included. But when it comes to the many amenities needed such as hotel rooms, meeting facilities, football fields, transportation networks then the area involved will provide anything needed. When the game was played in Jacksonville and Indianapolis I thought the magnitude of the event stretched the ability of the city to hold the event. I will say this though. The 2013 Grey Cup held in Regina, Saskatchewan did have a couple of days where the weather personally made me hesitate to be involved, but those were days of minus-16 and evenings of minus-26 celsius. Yes, if it gets that cold it will take away from the game as many are not conditioned for that type of challenge. Once the week starts on Monday it is mildly amazing how well and efficiently the Super Bowl is run. Everything is on time and I mean everything. If a player or coach is to appear, they are there. And for those in demand it is demanding. If a normal day is between eight and nine hours including preparation meetings and practice, you can add another three hours for media and their desires. That is especially true for the stars. The players on the back end of the roster by Thursday are not in demand and its time to read the paper or relax if you can. The people at the front end of the roster are always in demand. Monday it is for a select few, Tuesday is for everybody as traditional "Media Day" is the priority and Wednesday and Thursday the location switches to each teams hotels.dddddddddddd By Thursday every question has been asked and you do sense that its time to move on. On Friday and Saturday it all tapers down in a dramatic way with only single players and head coaches available. The actual best meeting of the week is Friday at 11:30am. That is the "State of the League" address with the commissioner Roger Goodell and you do get a sense of what is working, what needs improvement and the timeline of future events for 2014. It also marks the presentation for NFL Player of the Year which recognizes the standard of excellence both on and off the field. So from Monday to Friday it is an odd week, a promotional week for anything and everything related to the NFL and the Super Bowl itself. It is true that many go to be seen and heard but come Saturday it changes to football. Outside of game day, Saturday is an explosion of anticipation. Everything that could be said has been said and just about everybody is over-saturated with predictions, thoughts and evaluations. It is time to play the game, not so much because it is close to February 2, just because enough is enough it terms of talk. Its time to play. Game day is special. We as a group always go early and take it all in and just watch people from everywhere interact. Well depending on weather, maybe we wont go too early this year. As much as I like the game I am fascinated by the halftime show. From our high altitude vantage point it is impressive how they get thousands of people on the field in a disciplined and short period of time. When the game is over it is controlled chaos as everyone either wants to leave the stadium, stay in the stadium or get on the field. And basically thats the week. A lot of hurry up and wait, then done, mess it up, followed by get ready to do it again tomorrow. It is part event, part celebration, part celebrity status recognition and in the end a championship football game. With the No. 1 seed in the AFC playing the No. 1 seed in the NFC it is difficult to argue that we will find the best team in the end. But there is a lot to be experienced before that conclusive moment. Including some guaranteed cold weather. ' ' '