Toronto FC risk setting a club record for longest winless streak when they face the visiting New England Revolution on Saturday night.
Toronto FC (3-7-8, 17 points) played to a 1-1 draw against New York City FC on July 31 to extend their drought to 13 matches (0-6-7) in all competitions. Djordje Mihailovic’s tying goal deep into first half stoppage time made for their third draw in their last four outings.
“These past four games have been a different feeling for me and more frustrating because you walk away thinking ‘Wow, we actually were the better team in a lot of spells. We actually had chances that were created that we should have put away,'” defender Walker Zimmerman said after training on Tuesday.
Toronto have been sturdy at the back since returning from the World Cup break, allowing only three goals, but have managed just two themselves over the same timeframe. They will count on recently arrived midfielder Niklas Dorsch, who made his club debut against NYCFC, to provide some much-needed distribution from the middle of the park.
After a two-week hiatus, the match will mark Toronto’s first home fixture since the World Cup break.
One match in that winless run came against the Revolution (9-6-3, 30 points) on July 22, who themselves have been in middling form since the break. Their last outing was a 2-0 defeat at home to the Houston Dynamo, bringing them to a 1-1-1 record since their scoreless clash against Toronto.
“For us that was the first game after the break, I think second for them,” head coach Marko Mitrovic said of the upcoming game. “I expect some different players on the field on both sides.”
If they hope to put one past TFC goalkeeper Luka Gavran this time out, they will have to do it without the services of team assists leader Luca Langoni, whom Mitrovic suggested would miss the next couple of weeks with a lower-body injury.
Since the defeat to Houston, New England reinforced themselves at the other end of the field with the signing of South African center-back Tylon Smith, on loan from Queens Park Rangers F.C. in the EFL Championship.
The last two matches between the two teams have both ended in draws.
–Field Level Media
