TORONTO FC vs. NEW YORK CITY FC
2016 Eastern Conference Semifinal – Leg 1
BMO Field | Toronto, Ontario
Sunday, Oct. 30
7:00 pm ET (FS1 in the US | TSN2 in Canada)
The Lowdown:
New York City FC pipped Toronto for the second seed late in the year, but they’re all square heading into Sunday’s first leg. Toronto will be riding high after beating Philadelphia 3-1 on Wednesday to record their first playoff win, while NYCFC will be rested and ready after toppling Columbus in their regular season finale last Sunday.
Must-Read:
- Analyst: Sunday playoff preview
- Toronto vs. NYCFC: Who has the edge?
- Mission for NYCFC: Cut off service to TFC's stars
- Star-studded TFC brace for NYCFC
- Which lower seeds does ESPN SPI favor?
- TFC gearing up for "hard but beautiful" clash
- Yellow cards could plague TFC DPs vs. NYCFC
- Tactical Look: Why NYCFC play out of the back
- Villa on playoffs: "Europe can copy this"
- Altidore on TFC win vs. PHI: "Soccer in Toronto is reborn"
- NYCFC hail return of "very important" Lampard
- NYCFC's Reyna: "We can do it" in playoffs
- Analyst's Den: Jozy, Seba do dirty work
Toronto FC Snapshot:
- 2016 Regular Season Finish: East No. 3 seed (14-9-11 record, 53 pts / 8-3-6 home record)
- Current Form: D-L-D-W-W
- Strengths: Talented roster featuring Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley, with Altidore and Giovinco clicking down the stretch.
- Weaknesses: If Altidore or Giovinco go cold, there are questions about who can pick up the slack in front of net.
- Injuries/Suspensions: QUESTIONABLE: D - Ashtone Morgan (stress fracture in foot), M - Will Johnson (knee injury); no suspensions.
- Player to Watch: Sebastian Giovinco. Who else? The Italian star can change a series at any moment. One of the few players in MLS capable of carrying his team to a title.
- Probable Starting XI: Clint Irwin; Nick Hagglund, Drew Moor, Eriq Zavaleta; Justin Morrow, Jonathan Osorio, Michael Bradley, Armando Cooper, Steven Beitashour; Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore
New York City FC Snapshot:
- 2016 Regular Season Finish: East No. 2 seed (15-10-9 record, 54 pts / 7-7-3 away record)
- Current Form: D-W-W-L-W
- Strengths: Hugely talented core with no shortage of experience in huge games. The stage won’t be too big for any of NYCFC’s DPs.
- Weaknesses: They’ve struggled defensively all year, conceding the most goals of any of the 12 teams that qualified for the playoffs.
- Injuries/Suspensions: OUT: D – Connor Brandt (hip), D – Shannon Gomez (ACL)
- Player to Watch: David Villa. Right there with Giovinco as one of the top players in the league, the Spaniard was a terror all year. If NYCFC advance, he’ll play a huge role.
- Probable Starting XI: Josh Saunders; Ronald Matarrita, Jefferson Mena, Frederic Brillant, Jason Hernandez; Andrea Pirlo, Andoni Iraola, Frank Lampard; Tommy McNamara, David Villa, Jack Harrison
Match Essentials
DOWNLOAD THE FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)
Referee: Silviu Petrescu
Assistant Referees: Daniel Belleau (AR1), Mike Rottersman (AR2)
4th Official: Jose Carlos Rivero
Toronto vs. New York City Head-to-Head
All-Time (5 Meetings)
New York City 2 wins, 11 goals • Toronto 0 wins, 7 goals • Ties 3
All-Time Playoff Meetings:
First meeting
All-Time in Toronto (2 meetings):
Toronto 0 wins, 1 goal • New York City 1 win, 3 goals • Ties 1
2016 Meetings (2 meetings):
NYC 2, TOR 2 (Mar. 13); TOR 1, NYC 1 (May 18)
