Looking to put the skids on a long winless run in MLS play, Toronto FC remain at home to entertain the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening. TFC haven’t won in six league games after a 3-0 loss in Seattle last weekend, though they defeated Edmonton in the Canadian Championship at midweek. The Dynamo saw their long undefeated run come to an end at midweek, falling 2-1 at home to Colorado.
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC had their winless stretched to six games, in a 3-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday afternoon at Qwest Field. TFC has 7 points from 8 games on the season, in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
LAST MATCH
* Sounders FC took the lead in the ninth minute. With TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei moving to cover the near post, an unmarked Alvaro Fernández got on the end of a Brad Evans cross from the right flank and headed home.
* Seattle doubled the lead in the 52nd minute. This time it was Evans who finished off, running onto a Montero pass and firing a shot to the left side that Frei could only get his hands on but not stop.
* Evans added a third on the night for the home side and his third of the season in the 75th minute from the penalty spot after referee Ricardo Salazar whistled Mikael Yourassowsky for a handball in the box.
* TFC head coach Aron Winter made one change to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew at BMO Field. Alen Stevanovic came into the lineup, in place of the suspended Tony Tchani.
TORONTO FC (4-1-2-3): Stefan Frei - Dan Gargan, Dicoy Williams, Adrian Cann, Danleigh Borman - Julian de Guzman (Nathan Sturgis 57) - Jacob Peterson, Maicon Santos (Mikael Yourassowsky 46) - Javier Martina, Alan Gordon, Alen Stevanovic (Matt Gold 62)
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo lost for the first time since the season opener, falling 2-1 to the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday evening at Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo have 12 points from 8 games on the season, sitting in a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference.
LAST MATCH
* The game burst to life over the final 20 minutes. Former Rapids midfielder Colin Clark opened the scoring in the 71st minute, tallying his first goal in a Dynamo uniform after a quick move to create space in the area and a shot that caught Rapids ‘keeper Matt Pickens cheating off his near post.
* Just three minutes later, Colorado’s Jamie Smith scored on a 40-yard free kick after Houston ‘keeper Tally Hall misjudged the flight of the ball. Hall came off his line and could only flap at Smith’s curling effort, which bounced in the goal area and rolled into the net.
* But the Rapids hit for the winner in the 84th minute. Houston struggled to clear the ball from a long Marvell Wynne throw-in, and Caleb Folan was able to poke it back to Scott Palguta at the top of the box, and he hammered a well-struck left-footed shot just inside Hall’s left-hand post.
* Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made one change to the team that, rolled to a 4-1 victory against D.C. United at Robertson Stadium. Je-Vaughn Watson made his first MLS start, in place of the injured Geoff Cameron.
HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2):Tally Hall, Hunter Freeman (Alex Dixon 85), Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe – Colin Clark, Lovel Palmer, Je-Vaughn Watson, Brad Davis – Will Bruin (Koke 77), Cam Weaver (Brian Ching 62).
REFEREE: Jorge Gonzalez. SAR (bench): Adam Wienckowski; JAR (opposite): Jeff Hosking; 4th: John McCloskey
Gonzalez Career: 56 games; Fouls called/game: 24.5; Yellows/game: 3.4; Red cards: 17; Penalties: 15
INJURY REPORT: TORONTO FC – OUT: MF Elbekay Bouchiba (R knee surgery recovery); DOUBTFUL: FW Keith Makubuya (adductor strain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Gianluca Zavarise (adductor tightness) … HOUSTON DYNAMO – OUT: FW Calen Carr (concussion); MF Danny Cruz (R knee hyperextension); DOUBTFUL: MF Geoff Cameron (R lower leg contusion)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: TOR - Julian de Guzman
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: TOR - Dan Gargan
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (8 meetings): Toronto FC 2 wins, 7 goals … Dynamo 2 wins, 10 goals … Ties 4
AT BMO FIELD (4 meetings): Toronto FC 1 win, 4 goals … Dynamo 0 wins, 3 goals … Ties 3
RETURN MATCH: July 9: Houston Dynamo v. Toronto FC, 8:30 p.m. ET - GOL TV Canada
LAST YEAR (MLS)
July 1: Toronto 1-1 Houston (Gargan 84' – Ching 72')
September 18: Houston 1-2 Toronto (Ching 18' – De Rosario 60' 90')
* The Dynamo have never won at BMO Field. Toronto FC had recorded a victory in first meeting on the shores of Lake Ontario, before the teams played to three consecutive 1-1 draws.
* Toronto FC won the first meeting ever between the clubs – the 1-0 win May 16, 2007 – then had not defeated the Dynamo again before the 2-1 win in Houston last September, going 0-2-4 in the six meetings in between.
Coaches' record: Aron Winter vs. HOU: first game … Dominic Kinnear v TOR: P8 W2 L2 D4
