TORONTO – Thursday promises to be a special day for Dwayne De Rosario. Toronto’s captain will be celebrating Canada Day by leading out his hometown team at BMO Field against his former club Houston Dynamo.
“It’s going to be a huge day and will be another great atmosphere,” said De Rosario. “Playing on Canada Day against my old team is something that I am really looking forward to. Hopefully it will be an enjoyable game and a great night. We have to come here with the right mentality and take care of business.”
De Rosario made the move north from Texas in December 2008 and went up against his old club on two occasions last season. His first time back at Robertson Stadium ended in disappointment with a 3-0 defeat for TFC, but he made amends by scoring in the return match at BMO Field in a 1-1 draw last July.
“Scoring in that match against Houston last year was bittersweet for me,” he said. “It was nice that I got the goal, but that was the first time playing here against my old team so there was no celebration from me because I still have a lot of respect for them. I will be looking to do the same on Thursday.”
Playing Houston remains a significant match for the Scarborough born star who won the MLS Cup twice during his time with the Dynamo. It is definitely special because I have some great memories of my time there,” he said. “They are a great group of guys with a good coach and I have some good friends there, but when it comes down to the game it is all business. Playing here at BMO Field, it is a game that we are looking to get three points out of and hopefully we are able to do that.”
The Dynamo lost to Los Angeles Galaxy in the Western Conference final last season, but have struggled to find consistent form this year. They are sixth in the Western Conference standings and without a win in their last four matches, but De Rosario isn’t surprised by their slow start.
“All of the fans seem to expect them to start slowly and pick up as the season goes along because that is usually how their season goes, but I know they are going to come here to compete because they will be trying to turn things around. They are a team that rides on confidence and we have to make sure that we don’t allow they to get into the game and start to build their confidence.”
Toronto FC will be looking to extend their nine game unbeaten run (all competitions) but after failing to score in the last two home matches, the Canadian international knows they have to be more creative in front of goal. “Service is definitely a key thing,” he explains. “We have to utilize the wings. We haven’t put many crosses into the box over the last few games. If we can match Houston’s intensity and dictate the pace of the game we should be in good shape.”
