With both Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco suspended for the opening leg of Toronto FC's Eastern final matchup, TFC will be in tough tonight when the team takes the pitch against the Columbus Crew at 8 p.m. ET across the TSN Network.

Altidore was given a red card for violent conduct after he and New York Red Bulls captain Sacha Kljestan were ejected when the two teams clashed in the BMO Field tunnel at halftime of Game 2 of the semifinal Nov. 5.

The TFC striker appealed referee Chris Penso's decision, but an independent panel upheld the ban.

Giovinco's suspension stems from an accumulation of two yellow cards over the two-leg East semifinal against the Red Bulls for time wasting and dissent.

TFC was 2-3-1 without their two offensive leaders -- one of those wins a 5-0 rout of Columbus on May 26.

The veteran strikers combined for 42 per cent of the Reds' league-leading 74 goals during the regular season and it will now be up to attacking midfielder Victor Vazquez (eight goals during the regular season) and forward Tosaint Ricketts (seven goals) to shoulder the load in their absence. 

Ricketts scored four goals in the four games with Altidore and Giovinco unavailable this season. The Edmonton, Alta. native also had a strong showing against the Crew this season, scoring two goals in three games.

Here's how TFC has performed without Altidore and Giovinco since 2015:

9/5/2015              at SEA   L 2-1

7/13/2016            at CLB    T 1-1

5/26/2017            vs CLB   W 5-0

9/16/2017            at LA      W 4-0

9/23/2017            at NE     L 2-1

9/20/2017            vs MTL  L 5-3

Toronto's dynamic forward duo will return for the second leg at BMO Field on Nov. 29 as TFC seeks to be the sixth runner-up to return to the MLS Cup the next year and first since the Houston Dynamo did it in 2012.