Charlotte FC have an opportunity to claim their first regular season victory against Toronto when they travel to BMO Field on Saturday.
The Reds have posted back-to-back shutouts in MLS, earning a 0-0 draw versus the San Jose Earthquakes, while the Crown came back to tie the New York Red Bulls last week, 1-1 in North Carolina.
Match preview
With his team short-handed due to the international window, Bob Bradley's side struggled to create much against a hard-nosed Quakes unit that look revitalised under new management.
The other side to that is the Reds defending, who were poor over the previous two campaigns, but are making life a lot harder on their opponents in 2023, conceding a goal or fewer in four successive encounters, helping them to a four-match unbeaten run, one shy of their longest streak from a year ago.
Though it remains to be seen if there is enough depth in this squad outside of its starting 11 to make the playoffs, we have seen plenty of contributions from their new faces early on.
The most significant difference for TFC after five matches this year, compared to 2022, has to be the play of their backline and goalkeeper.
Those new experienced additions have made a massive difference defensively, with the Reds looking much more comfortable in that area of the field so far this season.
They return to Toronto, the site of their first triumph this year when they defeated Inter Miami 2-0 in the middle of March, with the Reds unbeaten at BMO Field this season.
Maintaining a consistently high level of play for 90 minutes will be a focal point for them on Saturday, as TFC tend to drop their intensity from one half to another, conceding four of their five goals this season in the final 45 minutes.
Following a rough opening to the season for Charlotte, Christian Lattanzio has seen his team generate a little momentum in recent weeks, picking up four points in their last two games after losing three in a row.
While it was an own-goal from Red Bulls defender Andres Reyes which helped them claim a point last weekend, it was a point they deserved as Charlotte carried the play throughout with 74% of the possession.
Since Lattanzio took charge, this has been primarily a possession-based squad, often using inverted full-backs when they have the ball, allowing their advanced central midfielders to operate as a number 10.
That formula has enabled them to create scoring opportunities, but their wide play has struggled at times this year, leaving gaps in dangerous areas for their opponents to exploit.
A victory on Saturday would mark the first time in Charlotte FC history that they won consecutive road matches in an MLS regular season, while it might also move them into a playoff position depending on how the other Eastern Conference teams fare.
The Crown have yet to win a league fixture in Canada and have not scored a goal in two previous meetings against Toronto, suffering a 4-0 defeat at BMO Field in their only prior visit.
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Team News
Toronto could be missing Lorenzo Insigne and Adama Diomande for this contest due to lower-body injuries, while Cristian Gutierrez is questionable with an illness.
Aside from those injuries, Bradley is expected to have a relatively full squad after Tomas Romero, Jonathan Osorio, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Richie Laryea and Ayo Akinola all missed the match in San Jose because of the international window.
Sean Johnson has posted consecutive clean sheets, and he only had to make two saves last weekend versus the Goonies while Victor Vazquez started for the first time this season, as did fellow Spaniard Alonso Coello Camarero, with the latter being called up from Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro.
Ashley Westwood and Bill Tuiloma are questionable for Charlotte with right thigh problems, Kristijan Kahlina is recovering from back surgery, Guzman Corujo continues to be sidelined following his right knee surgery and Karol Swiderski should be back on the field following the international break.
In their last road outing, goals from Enzo Copetti and Kerwin Vargas helped propel the Crown to a 2-1 win over Orlando City, while George Marks stopped six of the seven shots that he faced.
Late last week, Charlotte signed defender Jack Neeley through to the 2026 campaign with an option for 2027, making him the third home-grown player to sign with the club alongside Brian Romero and Nimfasha Berchimas.
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Laryea, Hedges, Rosted, Petretta; Bradley, Kaye; Bernardeschi, Servania, Osorio; Akinola
Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:
Marks; Lindsey, Malanda, Armour, Afful; Westwood, Jones, Bender; Jozwiak, Swiderski, Copetti
We say: Toronto 2-1 Charlotte FC
Depth could be an issue for both as the season wears on, but at the moment, the Toronto newcomers are gelling a lot quicker than those for Charlotte, and we believe that continuity will enable the Reds to make fewer mistakes than the opposition on Saturday.
How to watch
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