Preview: Toronto FC heads to New York riding four-game unbeaten streak

After dispatching the joint league leaders in Philadelphia last week, Toronto FC will look to continue their fine form and pick up their first road win of the season in New York, against NYCFC.

Kick-off is scheduled for 5 PM EST on Sunday, April 24th, and can be watched on TSN.

Three wins in their last four games have the Reds and their fans feeling confident, even more so by having good performances all over the pitch. In addition, Bob Bradley has had to rely on different sets of defenders stepping in for injured or suspended players. Last week it was Chris Mavinga, whose return to the team and performance earned him a Team of theWweek nod, along with midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo.

One of the advantages the Reds have had so far this year is consistency in midfield, with captain Michael Bradley and Jonathan Osorio having started every match up until this point. Osorio, who is one match away from 300 appearances for the Reds, left last week’s match with a thigh injury and his status for Sunday evening is still up in the air.

Along with the uncertainty of Osorio, the Reds will also be without Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Noble Okello, and Ralph Priso through injuries, while Jayden Nelson will be unavailable after the MLS Disciplinary Committee suspended the Canadian for one match following a dganerous challenge against Philadelphia’s Kai Wagner.

Toronto’s opponents, New York City FC will be coming into this match confident as well, following their 6-0 victory against Real Salt Lake last week. Argentinian striker Valentin Castellanos notched four goals in that match, earning him the MLS Player of the Week nod.

Last week’s win snapped a two game losing streak for the Blues, who have found wins tough to come by through seven games. NYCFC have won just two games so far this year, but as Toronto also know, focusing on the CONCACAF Champions League and MLS simultaneously is indeed a challenge. NYCFC fell to fellow MLS side Seattle Sounders in the CCL earlier this month, meaning that the Blues can focus more on the league from here on out.

Ronny Deila will have a healthier squad to pick from this time out, compared to when NYCFC faced off against the Reds earlier this month. The Blues were missing defenders Anton Tinnerholm and Maxime Chanot, but both look to be available this week after working their way back from injury. How much of a role they might play remains to be seen.

This will be second time these teams face off this year. Last time out, at BMO Field, the Reds collected all three points in a 2-1 win for the home side. Toronto has fared well on the road against NYCFC, having lost only twice in their last 10 matches, and are undefeated in their last four matches.

Match Details

Opponent: New York City FC
Stadium: CITI Field, Queens, New York
Kick-off: 5 PM EST
Watch: TSN