Toronto FC vs. Portland Timbers
2017 MLS Match Preview
BMO Field – Toronto
Saturday, August 12 – 6 p.m. ET
WATCH: TSN; MLS LIVE in US
Supporters' Shield leaders Toronto FC – unbeaten in five, and in seven of their last eight – return home after a 1-1 road draw in D.C. to host the Portland Timbers. After an offensive outburst that downed the LA Galaxy, 3-1, Portland entered a four-way tie for second place in the Western Conference. The group of teams lie three points behind leader Sporting KC, and three ahead of seventh place Vancouver.
Toronto FC
- Suspended: NONE
- Int’l Duty: NONE
- Injury Report: OUT: D - Steven Beitashour (abdominal injury), M - Benoit Cheyrou (calf tear), D - Oyvind Alseth (laceration/puncture);
Projected Starting XI(3-5-2; left-to-right): Alex Bono -- Chris Mavinga, Drew Moor, Eriq Zavaleta – Justin Morrow, Victor Vazquez, Michael Bradley, Marky Delgado, Raheem Edwards – Jozy Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco
Notes: While Toronto and Portland have each scored a league-high six penalty goals, Toronto has only conceded one penalty goal, tied for the league-low.
Portland Timbers
- Suspended: Roy Miller (Yellow Card accumulation)
- Int’l Duty: NONE
- Injury Report: OUT: D - Gbenga Arokoyo (Achilles tear), D - Chance Myers (hamstring injury), D - Marco Farfan (ankle injury); QUESTIONABLE: D - Amobi Okugo (knee injury),
Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1; left-to-right): Jake Gleeson -- Vytautas Andriuskevicius, Liam Ridgewell, Larrys Mabiala, Alvas Powell – David Guzman, Diego Chara – Sebastian Blanco, Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe – Fanendo Adi
Notes: In the 1,514 minutes that Portland has played with David Guzman on the field, they average 1.8 goals per 90 minutes played. In the 856 minutes that they have played without him, that number falls to 1.2 goals scored per 90.
All-Time Series
- Toronto leads, 3-2-2, with a plus-1 (12-11) goal differential.
- At BMO Field, however, the Reds are undefeated in four matches (3-0-1), with a plus-four (8-4) differential.
Referees
Referee: Kevin Stott
Assistant Referees: Kyle Atkins, Peter Balciunas
Fourth Official: Mark Kadlecik
Video Assistant Referee: Silviu Petrescu
