TORONTO FC v COLORADO RAPIDS
BMO FIELD, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3:30 p.m. ET (CBC; Altitude)
June 2, 2007 (WEEK 9) / MLS Game #54
Racked by international absences, Toronto FC return home to try and keep their current run going, playing host to a Colorado Rapids team looking to maintain its own surging form. After opening their history with four losses in a row, TFC has posted two victories and a draw in their last four games, but will see as many as 10 players away this weekend to national team duty. The Rapids are unbeaten over their last four games with two wins and two draws, and have won their last two games on the road.
REFEREE: Steven DiPiero. SAR (bench): Amato DeLuca; JAR (opposite): Joe Fletcher; 4th: Paul Ward
MLS Career: 2 games; FC/gm: 28.0; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 0; pens: 0
Games involving Toronto FC: first game
Games involving Rapids: first game
INJURY REPORT: TORONTO FC - QUESTIONABLE: FW Abbe Ibrahim (groin); DF Kevin Goldthwaite (ankle) ... COLORADO RAPIDS - DOUBTFUL: DF Greg Vanney (L ankle sprain); PROBABLE: DF Brandon Prideaux (R knee meniscus); DF Ugo Ihemelu (L knee)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: COL: Kyle Beckerman; Pablo Mastroeni
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: TOR: Jim Brennan; Alecko Eskandarian ... COL: Herculez Gomez
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: TOR: Carl Robinson (Wales; v Czech Rep, June 2); Greg Sutton, Adam Braz, Marco Reda, Chris Pozniak (Canada; vs. Venezuela, June 1); Cristian Nunez, Stephen Lumley, Nana Attakora-Gyan, Gabe Gala [tbc] (Canada under-20) ... COL: Roberto Brown (Panama; CONCACAF Gold Cup)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME: first meeting
• This is the first ever meeting between the clubs, the first of two on the season. It's the only set for BMO Field; their lone meeting at Dick's Sporting Goods Park will take place on Oct. 7.
• Coaches record: Mo Johnston v COL: first game ... Fernando Clavijo vs. TOR: first game
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC continued their resurgence after beginning the campaign with four consecutive losses, playing to a 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew last Saturday at Crew Stadium. TFC is still is seventh place in the Eastern Conference with seven points from eight matches, a point behind the Crew and 10 behind joint first-place New York and New England.
LAST MATCH
• The Crew were returning home having lost two of their last three games after a four-game unbeaten run to start the season, while TFC had two wins in their last four games after losing the opening four matches in club history.
• The Crew took just two minutes to jump into the lead. Rusty Pierce picked off a pass and lofted the ball forward for Alejandro Moreno, who laid the ball off to his left where Andy Herron was running in behind a defender. Herron drove a left-footed strike off the 'keeper for an early lead.
• But Toronto drew level in the 27th minute, when Danny Dichio collected a long back, played a neat one-two with newly acquired Jeff Cunningham and pounded home and angled shot from inside the area.
• Herron hit for his second, though, nine minutes later. A Ned Grabavoy strike from inside the area was knocked down by a diving Greg Sutton in the TFC goal, but right to the feet of Herron at the corner of the six-yard box, and he again found the net from close range. However, an injury forced him off barely two minutes later.
• The visitors again pulled level four minutes after the second-half restart. From a free kick all of 35 yards from goal, defender Jim Brennan smashed a left-footed drive that sailed around the wall and into the upper right corner for his first MLS goal.
• TFC head coach Mo Johnston made three changes to the team that lost 2-1 to D.C. United the previous weekend at BMO Field. With Andrew Boyens and Carl Robinson both away on national team duty, Marco Reda and Chris Pozniak came into the team in defense and midfield respectively. Jeff Cunningham started in his TFC debut after arriving from Real Salt Lake via trade; he started in place of Alecko Eskandarian, who went the other way in the deal.
• Here's Johnston's team (4-4-2): Greg Sutton - Marvell Wynne, Marco Reda, Jim Brennan, Kevin Goldthwaite - Andy Welsh, Ronnie O'Brien, Maurice Edu, Chris Pozniak - Danny Dichio, Jeff Cunningham (Edson Buddle 87). Substitutes Not Used: Adam Braz, Miguel Canizalez, Srdjan Djekanovic, Gabe Gala, Andrea Lombardo, Cristian Nunez
• "I felt we came out very slow. We gave up an easy goal to Andy Herron and he's a good player. When we started to play our game, we started our game plan, we were really coming at their backs, we started to open them up a little bit and obviously we got back in the game," Johnston said. "It was a great goal from Danny Dichio. Cunningham played off and it was a very good finish."
TEAM NEWS
• Johnston will have some real selection issues coming soon. Four players will join Canada for preparation toward the CONCACAF Gold Cup this week - goalkeeper Greg Sutton and defenders Adam Braz, Marco Reda, and Chris Pozniak - and they will not be available, along with Robinson and Boyens, who remain on international duty. Later in the month, TFC will lose four players to the Canadian under-20 national team, hosts of the FIFA Youth World Cup (Gabe Gala, Andrea Lombardo, Cristian Nunez and Nana Attakora-Gyan).
• "If we get any red cards then it's a huge concern," Johnston said to the Toronto Star. "It's going to be a little bit stressful. We'll probably need to change our formation because we'll have four forwards and only 12 players. It's a challenging one."
• But over the past few games, Johnston has seen the potential realized that he saw in preseason.
• "The first four games, obviously, we'd like to have started with the group that we have. You can see that people are finding it hard to beat us," he said. "Against D.C. we should have come up with at least a point and we just couldn't score that last goal; we were very tired. Having played three games at home, we're kind of excited for this trip because we came on the road tonight and got something. The monkey's off our back."
• Cunningham was put into the TFC starting lineup without even having had a chance to train with the club. "For me, you can see that there's going to be goals there for Cunningham, especially playing off someone like Dichio. He wasn't having the best of games, but I felt overall he created some problems for Columbus," said Johnston.
• Said Cunningham: "I didn't do a very good job of putting away my opportunities and as a result, we're only coming away with one point. I felt like we outplayed them and we deserved three points. Poor finishing on my part."
• His addition also brings a classic look to the strike tandem - Cunningham's industry and pace and Dichio's size and power in front of goal. "He's a great player," Cunningham said of Dichio. "He has good division, good technique, great understanding of the game, he covers a lot of ground for a big man. I felt a little disappointed not putting away those chances because he did a good job of creating them for me."
• Cunningham wore uniform No. 90 with Real Salt Lake, for the number of league goals he had scored during his career. After scoring three more this season, he's now wearing No. 93. He first wore 74 upon his arrival in Utah - the number of goals he had then.
• "I'm having fun with it," Cunningham said of his statistic-minded jersey. "I'm keeping tally, but I don't care if anyone else does."
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids won at their new Dick's Sporting Goods Park home for the first time since opening day, defeating a 10-man Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday evening in Commerce City. The Rapids remain in second place in the Western Conference, now with 15 points from nine matches, one point behind division leaders FC Dallas and four ahead of Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• The Rapids were still looking for a first home victory since the opening day win against D.C. United, while the Galaxy had just one in their opening five games, having played the fewest in the league.
• The game turned midway through the first half, when Kyle Martino was sent off with a straight red card after getting tangled up with Herculez Gomez after the Colorado striker had the ball taken away in a tackle.
• The Rapids finally took advantage of their manpower situation in the 71st minute when Terry Cooke took the ball on the right and swerved in another of his trademark crosses. Gomez slipped in behind a pair of defenders and stooped to head home past Joe Cannon for his third goal of the year, but first since April 15.
• The Galaxy nearly pulled level in the 83rd minute when a deflection left Nate Jaqua perfectly placed in front of goal with the ball at his feet. His low shot was stopped by Bouna Coundoul's fingertips but it escaped and rolled toward goal, only for the Colorado 'keeper to scramble back and claim it.
• Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo made one change to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards at home the previous weekend. Ugo Ihemelu made his first start since April 30, coming in at right back for Dan Gargan.
• Here's Clavijo's team (4-4-2): Bouna Coundoul - Ugo Ihemelu, Pablo Mastroeni, Mike Petke, Chris Wingert - Terry Cooke, Kyle Beckerman, Jovan Kirovski (Jose Cancela 54), Nicolas Hernandez - Roberto Brown (Conor Casey 60), Herculez Gomez (Daniel Wasson 79). Substitutes Not Used: Dan Gargan, Nick LaBrocca, Jacob Peterson, Zach Thornton
• "It was a good three points, but I think we suffered a little bit more than we should have at the end. We created chances; I think we managed the game well for 80 minutes," Clavijo said. "We're back to winning ways at home, and against a division opponent. Everything that we did was good, except putting the ball in the back of the net. It's always good, when the crowd is there, to make sure they go home happy."
TEAM NEWS
• The match was the first meeting between the Rapids and Galaxy since the offseason deal that saw goalkeeping fixture Joe Cannon go to Carson and Herculez Gomez and Ugo Ihemelu come to Colorado. Gomez provided the game's only goal - one he savored.
• "This was a game that I really wanted to win. It's not a big secret that I was a huge Los Angeles fan before I played there, and I kind of lived the fan's dream," Gomez said. "But I feel that the trade was the best thing for me. I finally feel like I'm becoming an all-around player."
• And Coundoul made four saves to ensure the Rapids held on for the victory, while Ihemelu returned to the starting back four for the first time in five games.
• "I have the greatest respect for Joe (Cannon) - he's a great goalkeeper," Clavijo said. "But I would do it again. I thought we had two outstanding young players in Herculez Gomez and Ugo Ihemelu. We gave an opportunity to a very young goalkeeper [Bouna Coundoul], who in my personal opinion is going to be one of the best goalkeepers in the league for many more years to come."
• The game was played in front of the largest crowd in Dick's Sporting Goods Park history, a standing-room only attendance of 18,458 that eclipsed the opening day crowd against D.C. United.
• "They are the reason we won. Any other day I don't think we could have gotten this result," Gomez said. "They really pulled us through every time we touched the ball; it was a very soccer-educated crowd."
