CHICAGO FIRE vs. TORONTO FC
Toyota Park | Bridgeview, Illinois
Saturday, September 10 | Week #27 | MLS Game #277
8:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE, SN360, CSN PLUS)
A crucial contest in the Eastern Conference drive to the MLS Cup Playoffs is ahead as the Chicago Fire entertain Toronto FC on Saturday evening at Toyota Park. The Fire extended their home undefeated streak, claiming a 3-0 win against Philadelphia Union last weekend in Bridgeview to leave them eight points outside the top six with eight games to play. Toronto FC return to action after seeing their undefeated run put to an end after seven games last time out in a 1-0 loss to the Montréal Impact at BMO Field, now sitting in a tie for second place in the East, a point off the top spot.
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- The Fire extended their home undefeated streak to nine games at Toyota Park, Michael de Leeuw scoring a goal and adding an assist for a second consecutive game in his club’s 3-0 win against Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening.
- Toronto FC had their seven-game undefeated streak – with six victories in that time – put to an end in the 1-0 home loss to the Montréal Impact in their last match. TFC were shut out at the attacking end for the first time since May 28, a span of 13 league games.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Justin Morrow scored the game’s only goal after nine minutes and TFC held out the rest of the way for the victory July 9 at BMO Field.
- The Fire have never lost to TFC at Toyota Park, with five wins and five draws in 10 meetings all-time in Bridgeview, including the 3-2 win there last April 4.
- TFC have won the last two meetings at BMO Field. When Toronto FC won at home last Sept. 26, it was their win against the Fire since the 2010 season. The Fire had won six of the 12 meetings in between, with six draws.
REFEREE: Marcos de Oliveira. AR1 (bench): Chris Strickland; AR2 (opposite): Eric Weisbrod; 4th: Mark Geiger
MLS Career: 8 games; FC/gm: 26.0; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 1; pens: 2
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: TOR: Michael Bradley, Marky Delgado
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHI: Matt Polster, David Accam, Joao Meira … TOR: Justin Morrow
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (22 meetings): Fire 9 wins, 36 goals … Toronto FC 5 wins, 31 goals … Ties 8
AT CHICAGO (10 meetings): Fire 5 wins, 15 goals … Toronto FC 0 wins, 9 goals … Ties 5
FUTURE MATCH: 10/23: Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire, 4 p.m. ET
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Justin Morrow scored the game’s only goal after nine minutes and TFC held out the rest of the way for the victory July 9 at BMO Field.
- The Fire have never lost to TFC at Toyota Park, with five wins and five draws in 10 meetings all-time in Bridgeview, including the 3-2 win there last April 4.
- TFC have won the last two meetings at BMO Field. When Toronto FC won at home last Sept. 26, it was their win against the Fire since the 2010 season. The Fire had won six of the 12 meetings in between, with six draws.
- Coaches record: Greg Vanney vs. CHI: P4 W2 L1 T1 … Veljko Paunovic vs. TOR: P1 W0 L1 T0
LAST MEETING (MLS):
7/9: TOR 1, CHI 0 (Morrow 9)
- The game's lone goal came in the ninth minute. Sebastian Giovinco sent a nice through ball into the box, with Jordan Hamilton and Justin Morrow converging on the same spot to latch onto the pass. Hamilton made way for Morrow, and he put home a one-time finish on the angle.
- Both sides put shots off the post down the stretch. TFC goalkeeper Alex Bono was credited with four saves for the clean sheet.
- TORONTO FC (4-3-1-2): Alex Bono - Steven Beitashour, Eriq Zavaleta, Drew Moor, Justin Morrow - Marky Delgado, Benoit Cheyrou, Jonathan Osorio (Nick Hagglund 90) - Tsubasa Endoh (Jay Chapman 82) - Jordan Hamilton (Mo Babouli 85), Sebastian Giovinco.
- CHICAGO FIRE (4-3-2-1): Sean Johnson - Rodrigo Ramos, Johan Kappelhof, Jonathan Campbell, Brandon Vincent - Michael Stephens (Michael de Leeuw 46), Joao Meira, Khaly Thiam (Razvan Cocis 78) - John Goossens (Arturo Alvarez 63), Kennedy Igboananike - David Accam.
