TORONTO - Toronto FC may have to dispose of the MLS champion to advance to the final four of the CONCACAF Champions League tournament.
But coach Aron Winter wasn't complaining after being paired with the Los Angeles Galaxy in Tuesday's draw, even if the March matchup pairs the league's top team against No. 16 in terms of points collected this season.
"For our fans, it's a great draw," the Dutch coach told a media conference call.
Galaxy coach Bruce Arena liked the fact that the draw provided a known quantity.
"Both teams are on a level playing field," Arena was quoted on www.mls.com. "We know their team, there's going to be changes to both teams in the off-season and it's going to be what it is -- playing in Toronto in March. They're going to be a very difficult opponent. There's no question about that."
While Toronto looks ahead to the Champions League quarter-final, the Galaxy are still very much in the present. They face the Houston Dynamo for the MLS Cup on Nov. 20.
Toronto could have been matched with Santos Laguna or defending champions CF Monterrey, both Mexican teams whose season will be well under way when the quarter-finals open.
MLS teams like Toronto and the Galaxy, in contrast, will just be finishing their pre-season.
Toronto will host the Galaxy March 6-8, with the return leg at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., March 13-15. Exact dates will be announced by CONCACAF at a later date.
The MLS regular season is expected to start in mid-March next year.
TFC has yet to decide on the venue, with the Rogers Centre offering a much larger and warmer domed alternative than BMO Field.
Toronto played its first home game on March 26 this year, which was earlier than usual.
The fans and players paid for it on a chilly Saturday by the lake with a temperature of minus four feeling more like minus nine prior to kickoff. There was some snow still on the ground outside the stadium, courtesy of an unwelcome midweek dump
There's a question mark over whether David Beckham will still be with the Galaxy come next season. His lucrative contract expires at the end of this campaign and while Los Angeles is interested in keeping him, they face competition from the 36-year-old soccer icon.
"It's not our problem but it would be nice if he's still in (the MLS)," Winter said. "I think they're probably going to extend his contract."
"But it doesn't matter," he added. "With or without David Beckham, I think L.A. showed us this year and also in the playoffs that they've go a very good team. And there are a lot of other players you have to be aware of.
"It's a nice draw, but it's not going to be very easy for us."
The Galaxy (19-5-10) finished first in the MLS standings with 67 points while Toronto (6-13-15) was 16th at 33 points. But both teams emerged with two points from their regular season encounters.
The teams tied 0-0 in Toronto in April and 2-2 in California in June. Both games were before the influx of players brought in by Winter in July. Los Angeles also added to its roster as the season wore on.
Toronto is 2-3-5 all-time against Los Angeles, which has not won or scored at BMO Field since 2009.
The Toronto-Los Angeles winner will play either the Seattle Sounders or Santos Laguna in the semifinals.
In other quarter-final matchups, Isidro Metapan of El Salvador will meet Mexico's Pumas UNAM and Monarcas Morelia will face fellow Mexican side CF Monterrey.
The Toronto FC players will gather in the third week of January, Winter said.
At least Winter will be able to plan his own pre-season preparations for next season. He said this year's training camp was organized before his arrival.
