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The Headliner: Bonus Round
To this point, Toronto FC's second four-game homestand of the season has gone perfectly. The club has outscored their opponents 8-1 in three matches and has jumped into second place in the Eastern Conference.
With nine points to their name, this homestand can already be considered successful, especially with the roster that has been playing. Tonight against the New England Revolution, they will have a chance to earn some bonus points, and go a perfect 12 points from 12 matches during their homestand.
The Revolution come into town with only one road win to their name all season, but have the distinct rest advantage. Toronto FC played on Wednesday, while New England hasn't played since last Saturday. This may well be visible, especially as the match gets into its later stages.
Toronto will likely only make one, maybe two at most, changes to their starting lineup for this match as they still haven't gotten much relief from the sick bay. Eriq Zavaleta is likely to return to the lineup, while the club could also start one of Jozy Altidore or Tosaint Ricketts in place of Jordan Hamilton.
For New England, Kei Kamara is the player to watch, especially against Toronto FC. Kamara has consistently been a thorn in the Reds side all of his career, and they will need to be in top form to stop him from doing so again tonight.
Key to the Match: Stuck in the Middle
Will Johnson, Michael Bradley and Benoit Cheyrou are all on the mend, but are not quite ready yet for a return, at least not in a starting capacity. That means Toronto will once again have to roll out a young midfield against the New England Revolution.
While they have performed very well lately, they didn't look particularly good against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday. They were out of sync, missing passes, and did not seem very confident in one another.
If there is one player to look at in this game, it is Jonathan Osorio. The "veteran" of this group, Osorio really needs to step up in a big way during this match and lead his young teammates by example.
Lineups:
To be released at 6:30 p.m.
More Information:
Venue: BMO Field, Toronto, ON
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
SB Nation Opposition Blog: The Bent Musket
TV: Sportsnet 360
Streaming: Sportsnet Now