Preview: New-look Toronto face must-win at home vs. RSL

BMO FIELD, Toronto, Ont.
7 p.m. ET (GolTV Can.; KUTV)
August 13, 2011 (WEEK 22; MLS Game 214)

Toronto FC are the first stop on a three-game league road swing for Real Salt Lake when the clubs meet for the second time this season, Saturday evening at BMO Field. TFC are coming off a pair of draws away from home, their last result a 3-3 tie at D.C. United last weekend. Real put an end to their two-game losing streak at Rio Tinto Stadium last Saturday in a comprehensive 3-0 win against the New York Red Bulls.

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REFEREE: Mark Kadlecik. SAR (bench): James Conlee; JAR (opposite): Colin Arblaster; 4th: Sorin Stoica
MLS Career: 11 games; FC/gm: 23.5; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 3; pens: 3

INJURY REPORT: TORONTO FC — OUT: MF Elbekay Bouchiba (R knee surgery recovery); DF Adrian Cann (R knee surgery recovery); DF Dicoy Williams (R knee surgery recovery); MF Leandre Griffit (abdominal strain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Julian de Guzman (L knee swelling); MF Terry Dunfield (R adductor strain); MF Nathan Sturgis (L gluteus strain); MF Gianluca Zavarise (L hamstring tightness); DF Eddy Viator (L hamstring tightness); PROBABLE: FW Ryan Johnson (ankle sprain) ... REAL SALT LAKE — OUT: MF Nelson Gonz·lez (R foot fracture); MF Ned Grabavoy (L adductor strain); MF Javier Morales (L ankle fracture dislocation); DOUBTFUL: DF Jamison Olave (L knee MCL strain); PROBABLE: MF Jean Alexandre (R knee internal pain); GK Nick Rimando (R wrist pain); FW Álvaro Saborio (R knee swelling)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Will Johnson
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: TOR: Danleigh Borman, Terry Dunfield, Ryan Johnson, Javier Martina, Mikael Yourassowsky ... RSL: Jean Alexandre, Kyle Beckerman, Fabian Espindola, Robbie Russell, Chris Wingert

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (9 meetings): Toronto FC 3 wins, 7 goals ... Real 4 wins, 11 goals ... Ties 2
AT BMO FIELD (4 meetings): Toronto FC 2 wins, 2 goals ... Real 0 wins, 0 goals ... Ties 2

Alvaro Saborio scored twice to lead Real Salt Lake to a 3-1 win against Toronto FC in the first meeting this season, June 25 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Real have yet to win — or score — at BMO Field. Toronto FC have won twice on their home ground in the series; the teams have also played to two scoreless draws in Ontario.
After Toronto FC won in the first meeting ever between the clubs, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, RSL has won their last four home games.
Coaches record: Jason Kreis v TOR: P9 W4 L3 D2 ... Aron Winter vs. RSL: P1 W0 L1 D0

LAST MEETING
6/25: RSL 3, TOR 1 (Borchers 39; Saborio 42, 60 — Maicon Santos 66)

Nat Borchers put Real into the lead in the 39th minute when he buried a header off a Kyle Beckerman corner kick. Then three minutes later, a cross from Robbie Russell on the right wing bounded directly to Alvaro Saborio directly in front of goal, and he squeezed between defenders to deflect it home.
The Russell-Saborio combination clicked again in the 60th minute, when Russell delivered a long ball over the top, Saborio ran on and coolly slipped a shot past TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
Maicon Santos pulled a goal back for TFC in the 66th minute, racing in alone toward goal after receiving a pass from Nick Soolsma. Santos stopped at the top of the area, and blasted a shot to Nick Rimando's left.
REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Robbie Russell, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Tony Beltran - Ned Grabavoy (Nelson Gonzalez 67), Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson - Collen Warner (Andy Williams 57) - Luis Gil, Alvaro Saborio (Jean Alexandre 81)
TORONTO FC (4-3-3): Stefan Frei - Richard Eckersley, Ty Harden, Doneil Henry, Danleigh Borman - Dan Gargan (Nick Soolsma 66), Nathan Sturgis, Gianluca Zavarise - Javier Martina (Matt Stinson 46), Maicon Santos, Joao Plata (Mikael Yourassowsky 46)

TORONTO FC

Toronto FC reached a draw for a second consecutive match, this time conceding a late equalizer in a 3-3 tie with D.C. United on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium. TFC has 20 points from 23 games on the season, sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

LAST MATCH

The game was just seven minutes old when United went a man down, Bill Hamid sent off after colliding with Eric Avila well out of the area. But D.C. still took the lead in the 19th minute when Dwayne De Rosario fired home a long-range effort after a quickly taken freekick.
Seven minutes after the break TFC leveled the score, when goalkeeper Steve Cronin's attempted punched clearance came back off his own defender and substitute Peri Marosevic simply tapped it into an empty net.
United regained the lead in the 64th minute when a Pontius cross wasn't cleared and De Rosario was there again, rounding goalkeeper Stefan Frei and scoring his second. But TFC equalized again in the 69th minute from a long-range blast by Julian de Guzman, a sequence that eventually saw United coach Ben Olsen ejected.
The visitors took the lead in the 86th minute when Danny Koevermans sent a shot goalward from a corner kick that Andy Iro and goalkeeper Steve Cronin both swiped at before it rolled into the net. But from the ensuing kickoff, Iro fouled Austin da Luz in the box as he latched onto a rebound of his own shot, and De Rosario converted the spot kick for his third goal.
TFC head coach Aron Winter made three changes to the team that came back for a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field. Doneil Henry came into the back four for Ty Harden, and Eric Avila and Terry Dunfield started in place of Julian de Guzman and Nick Soolsma.
TORONTO FC (4-1-2-3): Stefan Frei - Richard Eckersley (Matt Stinson 51), Andy Iro, Doneil Henry (Peri Marosevic 46), Ashtone Morgan - Torsten Frings - Eric Avila, Terry Dunfield (Julian de Guzman 55) - Ryan Johnson, Danny Koevermans, Joao Plata.

TEAM NEWS

While it was a second consecutive draw for Toronto FC, they saw their winless streak in league play extended to six games.
"I'd like to say we lost two points. We gave away two points because in the end, we were also lucky in the extra time of the game because in the moment we were not sharp," said TFC head coach Aron Winter. "If you were watching the game, in the end, most players of D.C. were cramping. Then, you have to be clever and you have to win the game."
Since a 1-0 shutout of Vancouver at BMO Field on June 29, TFC have conceded 17 goals in their last six MLS games. The 46 goals allowed by the Reds are most in MLS; next is Vancouver, with 36 goals allowed.
"In the end we were winning 3-2, it's impossible that you get a goal in 20 seconds — it's 3-3," said Winter. "It is unprofessional. The last week has been very heavy and tough for us because we traveled and played a lot of games. You could see in the final moments the guys were a little bit tired."
Since being picked by Toronto FC following his release by FC Dallas, Peri Marosevic has scored two goals in two games, coming off the bench at halftime in each.
Toronto FC Designated Player Julian de Guzman scored his first MLS goal in 42 league appearances, a long-range strike vs. D.C. United.
"It was a good opportunity for myself to find open space. It was smart of Ashtone who played it in for [Joao] Plata," said de Guzman. "At the same time, we were fighting for points. It was a tying goal, which gave us a lot more motivation to get the third one, but then we were able to let the three points slip away at the end there right after the goal was scored."
For Morgan, it was his first career MLS assist, in his second career MLS start, both coming in the last two games after four consecutive appearances off the substitutes' bench.
"It's a long season, but that's why you have a deep squad," Morgan said. "I've been on the sides for a bit [but] I've been given an opportunity recently. I'm trying to show what I've got and try to earn my spot on a full-time basis."
Just one player who started in the first meeting with D.C. United on April 16 was in the first XI for the second encounter — goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
Eric Avila and Terry Dunfield each made their first starts for Toronto FC since being acquired from FC Dallas and Vancouver, respectively.

REAL SALT LAKE

Real Salt Lake put an emphatic end to their two-game losing streak, rolling to a 3-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL sits in fifth place in the Western Conference, with 36 points from 21 matches.

LAST MATCH

Real took the lead in the 13th minute, a Kyle Beckerman corner kick found the head of defender Nat Borchers, who nodded his shot past New York goalkeeper Frank Rost.
Then in the 44th minute, Beckerman intercepted a clearance from defender Rafa Marquez laid the ball back to Luis Gil, who blasted a shot past Rost from outside the area.
RSL completed the comprehensive victory in the 77th minute when Roy Miller was whistled for a handball in the penalty area on a corner kick. Álvaro Saborio stepped up and put away the resulting spot kick.
RSL coach Jason Kreis made three changes to the side that went down 2-0 to Sporting Kansas City at Livestrong Sporting Park. Robbie Russell came in for Tony Beltran at right back and Andy Williams and Luis Gil started in midfield for Arturo Alvarez and Collen Warner.
REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Robbie Russell, Chris Schuler, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert — Andy Williams (Arturo Alvarez 82), Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson (Jean Alexandre 87) - Luis Gil (Collen Warner 67) - Fabian Espindola, Alvaro Saborio.

TEAM NEWS

Real Salt Lake were coming off back-to-back losses in league play for the first since last April 17-24.
"There's a methodology about who we are, and there are very clear definitions about when we want to win the ball and where we want to win the ball," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "I felt like we got away from that in the last two games and got very loose with our discipline, and so [vs. New York], it was really rewarding to see the guys take that message on board and come through big time."
Luis Gil became the youngest player in Real Salt Lake club history to score a goal, at 17 years, 265 days of age.
"It's very, very rewarding. Anytime anyone scores their first goal for us we get a little bit emotional with the moment," said Kreis. "Luis is a kid that has worked extremely hard for us for a year-and-a-half. He's done a great job keeping his head down and not listening to other people around him telling him he should be playing all of the time."
Gil also moved into the attacking central midfield role, making his fifth start of the season, that had been filled previously by Andy Williams and Collen Warner since the injury to Javier Morales.
"It wasn't a perfect performance and we need to be completely honest about that as well," Kreis said. "The goal that he struck was fantastic, but there are some tactical things that we need to talk through and improve upon in the next match."
Alvaro Saborio scored for the sixth time in his last six games, converting a penalty to cap the 3-0 win against New York on Saturday.
Kyle Beckerman's two assists gave him seven on the season, setting a new career single-season high. He had recorded five assists in 2003 with Colorado.
Kreis said Jamison Olave, injured in the MLS All-Star Game on July 27, is "extremely questionable for this Saturday," and that midfielder Ned Grabavoy, who has missed the last two games, "will be out for the next 3-4 weeks."

Real Salt Lake Toronto FC