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Games between MLS clubs from the capital of Ontario and the capital of the U.S. have been rather capital affairs.
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Seven of the last eight meetings between Toronto FC and D.C. United have ended up being even after 90 minutes, including the last five in a row. D.C. beat Toronto, 1-0, in Oct. 2018 while Toronto knocked D.C. out of the 2019 playoffs, winning 5-1 in extra time after finishing 1-1 in regulation.
So don’t expect a one-sided affair when the two clubs meet again on Saturday afternoon at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Expect a hard, drawn-out battle — and a lot of desperation on TFC’s part.
The Reds are off to the second worst start in team history, with one win, two draws and seven losses and sit tied for last overall in the Major League Soccer standings. Chicago and Toronto are both on five points through 10 games, the first time in the post-shootout era (since 2000) that two teams have had five or fewer points after 10 games of a season. TFC has lost five straight and now has lost 11 times in its last 15 games. Prior to this run, the Reds had suffered just 10 losses in their previous 48 matches dating back to May 2019 (23 wins 15 draws).
Needless to say, TFC head coach Chris Armas is under a tremendous amount of pressure to right the ship before a playoff spot becomes out of reach.
“Often times in tough moments it’s about sticking together and attacking the situation with honestly and energy in the best way you can,” said Armas this week.
Under head coach Hernán Losada, D.C. United has 13 points in 11 matches but has had trouble scoring goals. They do get shots off, but have yet to show that they have that dependable striker, managing only 10 goals in 11 matches.
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“It’s a team that’s playing pretty well right now,” said Armas, when asked to assess the Black and Red. “They’re hard to beat, they’re hard to score on. They’re a team that comes with energy. They’re a team that high presses. They’re a team that fouls a lot — No. 1 in the league in fouls committed. So that’s a tough game for us, it’s a tough game for most teams right now in the league.”
Coming off a 2-0 loss to FC Cincinnati last Saturday, the Reds, in training this week, concentrated on eliminating bad turnovers and costly defensive mistakes — particularly early in games.
“We took a hard look at ourselves this week and we addressed things that needed to be addressed. All these games we’ve played, if we don’t hurt ourselves (with mistakes) then we have a massive chance of winning,” said TFC defender Kemar Lawrence. “(D.C. United) is a team that likes to get the ball on the outside, get players in the box, so we’ve got pick up players, we’ve got to track and we can’t giveaway bad balls and hurt ourselves.
“We have to first understand what type of game (D.C. United) is going to be and how we attack that and how we can make it difficult for them,” added Armas. “They’re doing a nice job over there. They’re a team that relies on energy and we’ll have to match that and put together a performance that not only involves intensity but also concentration and execution.
“So we’re looking forward to it,” the coach added. “It’s a tough match up, but also a good one for us. We’ll have a plan, to go there and get three points.”
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The Reds have been plagued with injuries this season, but Armas expects DP’s Yeferson Soteldo and Alejandro Pozuelo to be available in some capacity for Saturday’s match, which would be a major shot in the arm. A couple of weeks ago, Pozuelo, the reigning MLS MVP, spoke out in defence of Armas, who was hired to take over from Greg Vanney this season. (Vanney left Toronto to join the L.A. Galaxy). However, one has to wonder how long the front office will wait before making a move if the club keeps losing.
In an interview with the Toronto Sun this week, Armas said he’s open to make some lineup changes and perhaps including some guys in the starting XI who have not been regular starters this season.
Following Saturday’s match at D.C. United, the Reds next play on Wed. July 7 at New England. After that, Armas will lose a group of players to the Concacaf Gold Cup, which begins Sat. July 10. Three Reds — midfielder Jonathan Osorio, defender Richie Laryea and forward Ayo Akinola — have been named to the Canadian team, Lawrence will join the Jamaican side and centre back Eriq Zavaleta has been called up to the El Salvador team.
Veteran forward Jozy Altidore, meanwhile, continues to train on his own in Orlando, away from his TFC teammates, as the club looks for ways to move him.
As the province of Ontario heads into Step 2 of reopening, the TFC front office is hoping that the team — currently training and playing home games in Orlando — will soon be able to return home and play at BMO Field. The last time the Reds played at their home ground in downtown Toronto was March 7, 2020, a 1-0 victory over New York City FC.
Forward Ifunyachi Achara, who is out long-term with an ACL injury, midfielder Nick DeLeon (thigh), defender Justin Morrow (lower back), and goalkeeper Quentin Westberg (hand) will all be unavailable for Saturday’s match.
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