Download the Game Guide
TORONTO FC vs NEW YORK RED BULLS
BMO FIELD, Toronto, Ont., Canada
June 24, 2009 (WEEK 15) / MLS Game #106
7:30 p.m. ET (GolTV Can.; MSG)
Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls meet for the second time in an 11-day span at BMO Field, after the Reds claimed a 2-1 victory on June 13. That victory ended a two-game league losing streak for TFC; they haven't played a league match, but staged a miracle victory in Montréal in between to claim the Canadian Championship. The Red Bulls returned home in the meantime, putting an end to a five-game losing skid with a 1-1 draw against Seattle Sounders FC.
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. SAR (bench): Daniel Belleau; JAR (opposite): Philippe Briere; 4th: Steven DePiero MLS Career: 75 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 29; pens: 32
INJURY REPORT: TORONTO FC - OUT: FW O'Brian White (knee); QUESTIONABLE: MF Amado Guevara (ankle); DF Adrian Serioux (foot) ... NEW YORK RED BULLS - OUT: DF Carlos Johnson (broken metatarsal); QUESTIONABLE: FW Juan Pablo Angel (R quadriceps contusion); MF Albert Celades (L hamstring strain): FW Macoumba Kandji (R hamstring strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: TOR: Marvell Wynne (USA; FIFA Confederations Cup) ... NY: Andrew Boyens (New Zealand; FIFA Confederations Cup)
SUSPENDED: NY: Kevin Goldthwaite (yellow card accumulation; through June 24); Mike Petke (through June 27)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NY: Kevin Goldthwaite
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: TOR: Jim Brennan ... NY: Mike Petke, Dane Richards
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (7 meetings):
Toronto FC 3 wins, 9 goals ... Red Bulls 3 wins, 11 goals ... Ties 1
AT BMO FIELD (4 meetings):
Toronto FC 2 wins, 6 goals ... Red Bulls 1 win, 5 goals ... Ties 1
REMAINING MATCH:
10/24: Toronto FC at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
• After the Red Bulls won the season series in Toronto FC's first year of existence, the teams split last year, each winning on the other's home ground. The third meeting, at the Meadowlands, was a draw.
• The Red Bulls had won the first two meetings at Giants Stadium before last year's season series finale.
• This game is the second of the two-game series between the clubs at BMO Field for Toronto FC - but not Red Bulls. TFC has had 11 days off between league games; New York played Seattle at home on Wednesday.
• Coaches record: Chris Cummins v NY: P1 W1 L0 D0 ... Juan Carlos Osorio vs. TOR: P5 W2 L2 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS):
6/13: TOR 2, NY 1 (Cronin 3; Dichio 43 - Celades 54)
• The teams played just 11 days ago, with Toronto FC claiming a 2-1 victory at BMO Field.
• It took TFC just three minutes to open the lead through somewhat bizarre circumstances. Seth Stammler fell on the ball in the area, hitting it with his arm, and the penalty kick was awarded. Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway parried Amado Guevara effort from the spot, but TFC rookie Sam Cronin was first to the rebound and knocked it in for his first professional goal.
• The Reds were two goals to the good two minutes before the break. Pablo Vitti was nearly sprung alone on goal with a long pass up the middle, but Conway was quickly off his line to clear the ball away. Yet it went only as far as Danny Dichio, who knocked the ball into the empty net.
• Nine minutes into the second half the Red Bulls pulled a goal back. The ball was hooked off the endline high back to the top of the area where Juan Pablo Angel laid it off for Albert Celades, and he cut inside a defender before coolly sliding it home for the Red Bulls' first goal on the road in 684 minutes this season.
• But New York could get no closer and lost for the 20th consecutive regular-season match on the road, an MLS record, surpassing the mark set by Real Salt Lake. The Red Bulls are 0-14-6 on the road in league play since a 2-1 win last May 10 at the LA Galaxy.
• Here's Cummins' team (3-3-3-1): Stefan Frei - Nana Attakora, Nick Garcia, Adrian Serioux - Sam Cronin, Carl Robinson, Kevin Harmse - Pablo Vitti (Chad Barrett 68), Amado Guevara (Marco Velez 63), Dwayne De Rosario (Rohan Ricketts 86) - Danny Dichio. Substitutes Not Used: Brian Edwards, Gabe Gala, Emmanuel Gomez, Fuad Ibrahim
• Here's Osorio's team (4-1-3-2): Danny Cepero - Jeremy Hall, Carlos Mendes, Mike Petke, Alfredo Pacheco (John Wolyniec 74) - Seth Stammler (Matthew Mbuta 90) - Nick Zimmerman, Albert Celades, Jorge Rojas - Juan Pablo Angel, Macoumba Kandji. Substitutes Not Used: Jon Conway, Juan Pietravallo, Luke Sassano, Khano Smith, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC return to MLS league play after an 11-day break, their last match the 2-1 win against New York on June 13 at BMO Field. TFC has 19 points from 14 matches, sitting in a three-way tie for third place in the Eastern Conference with Columbus and Kansas City, four points behind D.C. United.
TEAM NEWS
• For the Red Bulls match, TFC interim head coach Chris Cummins made three changes to the team that lost 2-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy the week before at BMO Field. Nick Garcia was given his first start for the club since being acquired from the San Jose Earthquakes, joined by Nana Attakora in a new-look back line while Amado Guevara returned from international duty. Jim Brennan was injured while Marco Velez and Chad Barrett went to the substitutes' bench.
• "We've been questioning ourselves to see if we can grind out results, and we showed today that we can do it. It wasn't a pretty game but we ground a result out and the most important thing today was the three points," Cummins said.
• Cummins started his team with three in the back, Garcia centrally between Attakora and Adrian Serioux. That meant wide midfield positions for Sam Cronin and Kevin Harmse to start, though at halftime, with a tactical shift back to a 4-4-2, Cronin went to right back.
• "Sammy, he came in and did the job in a right-sided position," said midfielder Carl Robinson. "He's a good kid. He's willing to listen and learn any play in any position and that's important as a young footballer because you get to realize about other people's jobs."
• TFC had nine shots on goal out of 11 shots overall, a marked improvement for a team that has struggled to be clinical in front of the net this season, particularly over their three-game losing streak. The Reds had just one goal on 44 shots over those previous three matches.
• "Having the two at the start is great, and going up at halftime 2-0, you should make it easier on yourself," Cronin said. "We kind of sat back a little too deep, didn't apply enough pressure and as a result let them define the game a little bit more and obviously we gave up what I think was a soft goal."
• On Thursday, Toronto FC did what few thought possible. Needing to win by four clear goals to claim the Voyageurs Cup and the Nutrilite Canadian Championship - as well as a place in the CONCACAF Champions League - the Reds defeated l'Impact de Montréal 6-1 at Stade Saputo to win the first honor in club history.
• Of all things, TFC fell behind through a Tony Donatelli penalty kick on 24 minutes. But Dwayne De Rosario scored in the 29th, 39th and 49th minutes, Amado Guevara made it 4-1 in the 69th, then Chad Barrett sealed the trophy with an 83rd minute goal before Guevara put the icing on the cake in the 90th.
• "I thought we thoroughly deserved it on the night," Cummins said. "We've gone for broke. People say we can't take our chances but tonight we've taken our chances. The club's going in the right direction. It's the first bit of silverware for Toronto and I can assure you it won't be the last. The club's going in the right direction."
• Here's Cummins' team: Stefan Frei, Nana Attakora (Fuad Ibrahim 80), Adrian Serioux (Marco Velez 64), Nick Garcia, Jim Brennan, Sam Cronin, Carl Robinson, Amado Guevara, Pablo Vitti (Chad Barrett 46), Danny Dichio, Dwayne De Rosario
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls put an end to their five-match losing skid but still saw their winless run extended to seven games, trading first-half goals with Seattle Sounders FC before settling for a 1-1 draw Saturday night at Giants Stadium. The Red Bulls have 10 points from 16 matches on the season, still in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, now 13 points behind division-leading D.C. United.
LAST MATCH
• The Red Bulls were playing their lone home game amidst a seven-game stretch, riding a five-game losing streak, including three in a row away from home. Sounders FC had followed up their first win in nearly two months with a hard-fought 3-3 draw with D.C. United at midweek.
• The Red Bulls took the lead in the 40th minute. A clearance bounced off the back of Sounders FC defender Tyrone Marshall and Juan Pablo Angel reacted quickly to it, racing into the area and slotting home past Kasey Keller for his fifth of the season.
• But three minutes into first-half stoppage time, Sounders FC evened the score. Jeremy Hall was caught in possession in the right corner, stripped of the ball by a Fredy Montero sliding tackle. Montero quickly got up and raced into the area, firing high over Danny Cepero at the near post for his third goal in as many games and seventh on the season.
• Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio made one change to the team that lost to Toronto FC 2-1 the week before. Kevin Goldthwaite returned from injury in place of the suspended Mike Petke in central defense.
• Here's Osorio's team (4-1-3-2): Danny Cepero - Jeremy Hall, Kevin Goldthwaite (Danleigh Borman 74), Carlos Mendes, Alfredo Pacheco - Seth Stammler - Nick Zimmerman, Albert Celades (John Wolyniec 81), Jorge Rojas (Dane Richards 58) - Juan Pablo Angel, Macoumba Kandji. Substitutes Not Used: Jon Conway, Juan Pietravallo, Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
• "I thought we had a good first half except for the last minute. I thought we had the better chances. Unfortunately, we conceded again. It was a very soft goal and it cost us dearly today," Osorio said.
TEAM NEWS
• The Montero goal was the fourth goal the Red Bulls have conceded in stoppage time this season, not including another two goals scored in the actual 90th minute of play.
• "I was very impressed with the way Jeremy reacted to it," forward Juan Pablo Angel said. "He was our best player in the second half and encouraging for the future. Not many players with the few games he has at this level would react the way he reacted. I'm happy for him because he took it the right way."
• Added Kevin Goldthwaite: "Full marks to Jeremy for coming out in the second half and playing well. Anybody else could have just shut down on themselves and performed bad. But Jeremy came out and really showed maturity and played a really good second half."
• For a second consecutive game Danny Cepero did well in net, making five saves, including a diving stab late in second-half stoppage time on Roger Levesque's attempt that could have been the game-winner.
• "That's what I get paid to do as a soccer player," Cepero said. "You have to perform every night. Those are the saves that I'm expected to make." Added Osorio: "He was very good. I think he was our best player last week and probably our most influential player today again."
• After the break, the Red Bulls were not able to get a single shot on target, after maintaining possession and getting four shots on frame in the opening 45 minutes.
• "It was very difficult to come back from that dramatic goal against but at the end, it's a point and I think we played for our pride in the second half and I think it was worth it," said Osorio.
• The Red Bulls will be without defender Mike Petke for the Toronto match and the weekend game at Columbus after the MLS Disciplinary Committee suspended him and fined him $500 for inappropriate conduct and comments made toward the officiating crew at the June 13 game in Toronto.
