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Toronto FC begin the first of their two game road trip tonight against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on the turf field.
TFC, tied with Columbus Crew SC for first in the eastern conference, are undefeated in their last five games and look to continue their three-game winning streak against sixth-place New England. The Revolution are in good form themselves, as they are undefeated in their last four games and are coming off back to back clean sheets from goalkeeper Matt Turner.
The Reds on the other hand, are coming off of an exciting 2-1 win against the Philadelphia Union. TFC fell behind early, after conceding a goal inside of five minutes. The Reds would remain scoreless for the first half. Less than ten minutes after the half, veteran striker Jozy Altidore, who was second for TFC last year in goals (11), would leave the game with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Altidore will miss the game against New England, and has an indefinite return date.
Greg Vanney tells media that Jozy Altidore has a hamstring strain, no timeline yet for a return. Justin Morrow, meanwhile, has a mild calf strain and is expected to miss a few weeks.#TFCLive
— Michael Singh (@MichaelSingh94) October 6, 2020
In the second half, the team would rally behind Ayo Akinola and Alejandro Pozuelo, who both headed in their seventh goals of the season. Pozuelo, who was September’s MLS player of the month, is making a serious case for MVP this season. Pozuelo’s goal against the Union marked his fourth consecutive game finding the back of the net. Since the continuation of play following the MLS is Back Tournament, Pozuelo has scored six goals and added four assists. Pozuelo is tied for fifth in goal scored league wide, and leads the league with nine assists.
Who had Poz header on their TFC bingo tonight?@Pozuelo_10 | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/W4XI4RVqdJ
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) October 4, 2020
New England’s two game clean sheet streak will surely be threatened by Pozuelo and Akinola if the two are on their game. When the two sides faced earlier this season on July 21, they reached a goalless draw in the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament. TFC are undefeated in the last three meetings between the clubs, with a 1-1 draw in the last encounter at Gillette Stadium, on Aug. 31, 2019, following two victories. A Toronto FC win would temporarily push them ahead of Columbus, and would remain in place if Columbus were to drop points. In a neck and neck race for the supporters shield, Toronto FC must win out as Columbus has the advantage in goal differential