TORONTO FC vs. D.C. UNITED
BMO Field | Toronto, Ont.
Saturday, Oct. 1| Week #30| MLS Game #308
7:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE, NewsChannel 8, TSN4, RDS2 in Canada)
The Eastern Conference playoff picture could come into sharp focus when Toronto FC play host to D.C. United on Saturday evening at BMO Field. Toronto FC have already booked their place in the postseason, still the conference’s top seed and the Supporters’ Shield in their sights, following a third consecutive draw in a goalless result with Orlando City SC at midweek. United have opened a four-point gap at the red line, sitting in sixth place and the final playoff position in the conference with a chance to secure their berth, following a second consecutive victory in a 3-0 home win against Columbus Crew SC, also at midweek.
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- Jonathan Osorio collected his fifth assist, now with a goal and/or an assist in his last three games, in TFC’s 1-1 draw with Philadelphia Union on Saturday. It was a second consecutive home draw for Toronto FC, without a victory in three straight games, their last home win having come Aug. 6.
- Patrick Mullins scored a pair of goals in United’s 4-1 win against Orlando City SC on Saturday evening, his first goals since scoring a hat trick vs. the Chicago Fire on Aug. 27, setting a single-season career-high with seven goals in his third MLS season.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and Toronto FC have won the first two, one at BMO Field, the other at RFK Stadium. Sebastian Giovinco scored after just 58 seconds, the earliest goal scored by Toronto FC in the club’s 10-year history, for a 1-0 win April 16 in Washington. Then on July 23, Giovinco hit for a hat trick in a 4-1 TFC win in Toronto.
- TFC has come away with points on three of their last four trips to RFK Stadium, with a 2-1 victory June 6 of last year at RFK Stadium in the only meeting between the teams in Washington, D.C. The TFC win in the first meeting this season ended a two-game home winless streak in the series. United had come away with points on six of their previous nine trips to BMO Field since 2010, with five victories.
REFEREE: Mark Geiger. AR1 (bench): Sean Hurd; AR2 (opposite): Joe Fletcher; 4th: Nima Saghafi
MLS Career: 157 games; FC/gm: 26.6; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 36; pens: 49
SUSPENDED: TOR: Tosaint Ricketts (through Oct. 2)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: TOR: Michael Bradley, Marky Delgado
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: TOR: Justin Morrow, Will Johnson … DC: Steve Birnbaum, Marcelo Sarvas, Luciano Acosta, Rob Vincent
DISABLED LIST: DC: Chris Rolfe (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (25 meetings): Toronto FC 9 wins, 34 goals … United 12 wins, 42 goals … Ties 4
AT TORONTO (13 meetings): Toronto FC 5 wins, 14 goals … United 7 wins, 14 goals … Ties 1
2016 (MLS):
4/16: DC 0, TOR 1 (Giovinco 1)
7/23: TOR 4, DC 1 (Giovinco 21, 39, 91+; Delgado 29 – Jeffrey 24)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and Toronto FC have won the first two, both at BMO Field. Sebastian Giovinco scored after just 58 seconds, the earliest goal scored by Toronto FC in the club’s 10-year history, for a 1-0 win April 16. Then on July 23, Giovinco hit for a hat trick in a 4-1 TFC win.
- TFC has come away with points on three of their last four trips to RFK Stadium, with a 2-1 victory last June 6 at RFK Stadium in the only meeting between the teams in Washington, D.C.
- The TFC win in the first meeting this season ended a two-game home winless streak in the series. United had come away with points on six of their previous nine trips to BMO Field since 2010, with five victories.
- Coaches record: Ben Olsen vs. TOR: P17 W7 L7 T3 … Greg Vanney vs. DC: P4 W3 L0 T1
LAST MEETING (MLS):
- It was a virtuoso performance from Sebastian Giovinco. He opened the scoring when he beat backup 'keeper Travis Worra from 25 yards out in the 21st minute directly from a free kick.
- Jared Jeffrey equalized for United in the 24th, driving home a Lloyd Sam pass from the center of the area. But the lead was restored when Giovinco was denied by the post in the 29th minute, but Marky Delgado was on hand to knock home the rebound.
- Giovinco then curled a beauty of a free kick into the top left corner in the 39th minute to make the score 3-1. Giovinco finished off his hat trick in the first minute of stoppage time, slotting home Mark Bloom's pass from short range.
- TORONTO FC (4-1-3-2): Alex Bono - Steven Beitashour, Eriq Zavaleta, Drew Moor, Justin Morrow - Benoit Cheyrou - Marky Delgado, Jay Chapman (Jozy Altidore 72), Tsubasa Endoh (Mark Bloom 89) - Jordan Hamilton (Tosaint Ricketts 71), Sebastian Giovinco.
- D.C. UNITED (4-1-4-1): Travis Worra - Sean Franklin, Kofi Opare, Steve Birnbaum, Taylor Kemp - Marcelo Sarvas (Lamar Neagle 58) - Lloyd Sam (Patrick Nyarko 71), Jared Jeffrey, Luciano Acosta, Nick DeLeon - Alvaro Saborio (Patrick Mullins 58).
