D.C. United will look for its first run of back-to-back league wins on Saturday when it visits a Toronto FC side trying to endure a wave of injuries.
The Black-and-Red earned a 2-1 home win over the Colorado Rapids last weekend on the strength of two goals in first-half stoppage time, one each from Christian Benteke and Hosei Kijima.
And for the third time in four games, D.C. United (3-5-3, 12 points) held an opponent to one or fewer goals, allowing Benteke’s sixth goal of the season to stand up as the match-winner.
That improved defense, said coach Troy Lesesne, has come from a formational switch to a 3-4-3 that followed a 6-1 defeat in San Jose, a result that tied D.C.’s worst in club history.
“Obviously after San Jose, we had to really answer some questions in terms of how do we want to move forward, right?” Lesesne said this week.
“And we want to continue to be aggressive, but we felt like adding another player in the back line, another center back, was a way that we could still be aggressive and do what we want to do in our identity and our style of play, but also not feel as open.”
Meanwhile, Toronto (1-6-4, 7 points) has lost two straight to begin a four-game homestand, failing to score in either match while also navigating a wave of injury-related absences.
Nicksoen Gomis’ season is likely over after suffering an Achilles tendon rupture midway through the second half of Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the New England Revolution. He was the third substitute of the afternoon after coach Robin Fraser also made two halftime changes.
“The turnovers really did us in, but injuries as well,” Fraser said. “It feels like we’ve made more forced substitutions this year than I can remember in a long time.”
The week before, Federico Bernardeschi was forced out of a 1-0 loss to NYCFC early, though he recovered and played all 90 minutes of the New England defeat.
Bernardeschi has two goals and two assists and has been involved in half of Toronto FC’s eight goals, the second-lowest total in the Eastern Conference.
–Field Level Media
