Fresh off a disappointing two-game homestand, Toronto will travel to Red Bull Arena on Saturday to face the New York Red Bulls on matchday 20 of the MLS campaign for both sides.
On Wednesday, New York came from behind to claim a 2-2 draw with CF Montreal, while the Reds squandered a narrow half-time lead, losing 2-1 to Nashville SC.
Match preview
Persistence and patience eventually paid off for the Red Bulls in midweek, as they erased a 2-0 half-time deficit to claim a single point, firing 10 efforts on target.
It was the third time in MLS this year that this side had conceded the opening goal and found a way to earn a result, claiming seven points domestically this season when doing so.
That resilience has moved them up to third in the Eastern Conference with 31 points, eight more than they had after 19 matchdays a season ago.
However, the downside is that they are currently on a three-match winless run in this competition, and it could be their longest run without a victory in the Sandro Schwarz era should they fail to walk away with three points on Saturday.
The Red Bulls are the only Eastern Conference side without a home defeat in the 2024 regular season, with this team posting consecutive clean sheets at Red Bull Arena in this competition.
Saturday will be their third meeting versus Canadian opposition this year, with New York unbeaten in those previous two fixtures, while they have not lost a regular-season home contest against a side from Canada since April 2022 (2-1 versus CF Montreal).
With points in their grasp once again on Wednesday, Toronto failed to hang on, extending their MLS winless run to five matches.
Another defeat this weekend would equal their longest losing run in the league this year (three matches) and potentially cause them to slide further down the Eastern Conference table.
As things stand now, John Herdman's men are seventh in the East with 24 points, four above the playoff line, though the Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United and Nashville SC all have games in hand.
For as much improvement as this group have shown us in 2024 when compared to the previous campaign, they have yet to fix their leaky defensive issues from seasons past, conceding the third-most goals in the Eastern Conference this year (32).
Perhaps this two-game road trip is what they need to turn things around, with the Reds losing three successive MLS home contests but also claiming points in consecutive domestic outings as the visitors.
TFC are winless in their last nine meetings with the Red Bulls and have not claimed three points in a regular-season visit against them at Red Bull Arena since 2016 (2-0).
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Team News
In their midweek encounter, the Red Bulls were missing Emil Forsberg due to a sore foot, Serge Ngoma and Roald Mitchell sat out with knee injuries, while Peter Stroud is still recovering from ankle surgery.
Lewis Morgan is with the Scottish national team for Euro 2024 in Germany, and Carlos Coronel will not be available as Paraguay begin their Copa America campaign on Monday against Colombia.
Wikelman Carmona scored his second of the domestic campaign this week, while Julian Hall netted for the first time in 2024 three minutes before the 90 to help the Red Bulls claim a point.
Toronto were once again without Tyrese Spicer on Wednesday due to a lower back issue, Shane O'Neill sat out with a sore quad and Brandon Servania will not return this season after rupturing his ACL.
Neither Richie Laryea nor Jonathan Osorio will be available on Saturday as both are on international duty for Canada at the Copa America, while Sean Johnson is with the US national team for that tournament.
Federico Bernardeschi missed a first-half penalty on Wednesday but also set up their only goal, which came courtesy of Alonso Coello, the first for the Spaniard in MLS this season.
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Meara; Duncan, S. Nealis, Eile, Tolkin; Harper, Edelman, Amaya, Carmona; Vanzeir, Manoel
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Gavran; Gomis, Long, Petretta; Bernardeschi, Coello, Thompson, Marshall-Rutty; Longstaff, Insigne; Owusu
We say: New York Red Bulls 2-1 Toronto
The Red Bulls have continuously found ways to earn points this season, and that should give them a psychological edge against a Toronto side whose frustrations appear to be high.
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