TORONTO -- Following up on his MVP season, star striker Sebastian Giovinco continues to be the straw that stirs Toronto FC's drink.

Now with U.S. international Jozy Altidore back from a minor hamstring injury, Toronto coach Greg Vanney has to find a way to work both into the lineup without disrupting the current flow. Altidore is available for Sunday's road game against Sporting Kansas City.

"I'm excited, I'm fit and I'm ready to go," he said Friday after a chilly workout that ended in hail.

Toronto hasn't missed a beat in Altidore's absence, defeating the New York Red Bulls and tying New York City FC. Giovinco, with two goals and two assists, has been involved in all of Toronto's scoring.

Kansas City, one of the league's three unbeaten teams, has already dispatched Seattle and Vancouver.

While Vanney wasn't giving anything away Friday it seems likely Altidore might start on the bench.

Altidore understands.

"This is normal. This is football, you have to fight for your place," he said. "I'm the first one to say if it's not broke, don't fix it.

"For me, I want to make sure that when I return it's a gradual thing and I'm not interrupting any flow of the team. Because the team always comes first."

While Altidore said all the right things, he made it clear he was frustrated at having to sit out last week's game when he thought he was ready, although he said he understood the club just wanted to be on the safe side.

Injuries and international call-ups disrupted Altidore's 2015 season with Giovinco grabbing the spotlight.

Toronto has used both a 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 formation with the two on the pitch. The 4-3-3 has seen Altidore at the tip of the spear, with Giovinco on the flank moving in and out at will.

The 4-4-2 has the benefit of the two forwards being close to each other and able to attack the opposition centre backs.

Vanney acknowledged the team is still working out the best way to connect the dots between the two.

"It was flashes last year, in games here and there where we saw some combinations and them connecting," he said.

"I don't think we've reached where their peak is together as a group and I think that takes a little bit of time," he added. "It also takes a lot of games and a lot of minutes ... Hopefully they'll be together on the field more often and we can continue too through training and through these matches to connect them together, so that they can use each other to be even more dangerous than they were sometimes individually last year."

Giovinco had 22 goals and 16 assists in 33 games (32 starts) last season while Altidore had 13 goals in 25 games (21 starts). Combined, the two made US$11.865 million in 2015.

Sunday's contest is Toronto's third straight on the road. There are five more away games before Toronto returns to BMO Field, which is being renovated.

Vanney has few injury issues other than winger Daniel Lovitz, who is still going through concussion protocol. Defender Drew Moor missed training Friday due to illness while midfielder Jonathan Osorio had some treatment. Neither situation was deemed serious.

Kansas City is waiting on mdfielders Benny Feilhaber (muscle strain) and Justin Mapp (turf toe) but has excelled with Roger Espinoza, Soni Mustivar and Jordi Quintilla running the midfield.

With a 4-13-5 career record, Toronto has more losses to Kansas City than any other MLS team.

Toronto has just one win in Kansas City, with 10 losses and one tie. Its record at Children's Mercy Park is 0-5-1.

Toronto's lone road victory came some seven years ago, a 3-2 win March 21, 2009, at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Kansas City has won six and drawn one since then.

Peter Vermes' club is 10-1-3 in its last 14 meetings with Toronto, which is mired in a six-game winless streak against KC with its last victory coming in March 2013.