Toronto FC vs. New England Revolution
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 31
BMO Field — Toronto
Sept. 29 — 7:30 pm ET
WATCH: TSN4, ESPN+
It’s another Eastern Conference six-pointer with serious playoff implications between two teams below the line as Toronto FC host the New England Revolution at BMO Field on Saturday night.
Ten points below the line with four games to play, Toronto FC are coming off a devastating 2-0 loss at the New York Red Bulls last Saturday, while the Revs, five points behind sixth-place Montreal with a game in hand, drew the Chicago Fire, 2-2, at home Saturday.
This is the second meeting this season, with the Revs pulling out a 3-2 win at Gillette Stadium on May 12. Cristian Penilla struck for a brace inside the opening seven minutes and Teal Bunbury extended the lead to 3-0 just after halftime before the Reds rallied on an own goal by Antonio Delamea and a late Sebastian Giovinco tally.
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Toronto FC
TFC (8-15-6) suffered a debilitating blow toward their playoff hopes when the Reds fell to the Red Bulls, 2-0, on Saturday.
Kaku broke the stalemate in the 70th minute for the hosts and Derrick Etienne added a stoppage-time insurance goal for the Red Bulls, while Luis Robles denied Tosaint Ricketts and Victor Vazquez.
“I thought it was our season in a game,” Greg Vanney said. “I don’t know if we have come to Red Bull Arena and outplayed them as much as we did today, but we still find a way to lose the game.”
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: M - Michael Bradley, F - Jozy Altidore
- International duty: None
- Injury Report: QUESTIONABLE: D - Drew Moor (undisclosed injury), F - Jozy Altidore (ankle injury), F - Sebastian Giovinco (calf injury)
Projected Starting XI
(3-5-2, right to left)
GK: Alex Bono — Nick Hagglund, Michael Bradley, Chris Mavinga — Gregory van der Wiel, Marky Delgado, Jonathan Osorio, Victor Vazquez, Justin Morrow — Tosaint Ricketts, Lucas Janson
New England Revolution
For the third time in the last four games, New England (8-10-11) were forced to share points, playing the Chicago Fire to a 2-2 draw at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
Twice the Revs had to rebound from deficits, with Scott Caldwell canceling out an early Aleksandar Katai strike in the 62nd minute. And five minutes after the Fire led again on a Michael Mancienne own goal, Cristian Penilla leveled again.
“Obviously disappointed with the result, not disappointed with the performance," Brad Friedel said. "We had 72 percent of the ball, after looking at the stats, 500-plus passes to their low-200s or something of that nature, lots and lots of opportunities, a really good second half performance. We gave two silly goals.”
- Suspended: D - Antonio Delamea
- Suspended after next caution: M - Scott Caldwell
- International duty: None
- Injury Report: OUT: D - Chris Tierney (torn right ACL)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Brad Knighton — Andrew Farrell, Jalil Anibaba, Michael Mancienne, Brandon Bye — Luis Caicedo, Scott Caldwell — Kelyn Rowe, Diego Fagundez, Cristian Penilla — Teal Bunbury
All-Time Series
- Overall: Toronto FC 6 wins, 31 goals … New England Revolution 13 wins, 48 goals … 9 draws
- At Toronto: Toronto FC 4 wins, 20 goals … Revolution 3 wins, 18 goals … 5 draws
- Last meeting at Toronto: Toronto FC 2, New England Revolution 0 (June 23, 2017)
Officials
Referee: Ismail Elfath
Assistant Referees: Gianni Facchini, TJ Zablocki
4th Official: Sorin Stoica
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
