On Saturday, Toronto will visit Red Bull Arena for the second time in 2024, this time to battle the New York Red Bulls in the first encounter for both sides at the Leagues Cup this season.
At this tournament last year, New York made it to the round of 16 before losing to the Philadelphia Union on penalties, while the Reds were knocked out in the group stage, suffering two defeats.
Match preview
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After back-to-back draws in which the Red Bulls were in a position to win both times, they finished the job last Saturday, claiming a convincing 3-1 triumph over FC Cincinnati.
Five times in the 2024 regular season, Sandro Schwarz has seen his side drop points when scoring first, resulting in 11 points being lost.
On the positive side, they are unbeaten in eight successive league fixtures, putting them fourth in the Eastern Conference table, two points behind the reigning MLS Cup champions, the Columbus Crew.
The Red Bulls are the only team in the league this year that have not suffered a home defeat in MLS, scoring multiple goals in four consecutive domestic encounters at Red Bull Arena.
At the 2023 Leagues Cup, they topped a group featuring Atletico San Luis and the New England Revolution, going unbeaten in that phase of the tournament.
With nine league matches remaining in 2024, the Red Bulls have collected 41 points, two fewer than they had at the end of the previous regular season.
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John Herdman needed something positive to boost the morale in Toronto, and he got it last weekend against their arch-rivals, CF Montreal.
That 1-0 triumph not only saw them bounce back from losing to Inter Miami, but it was also their first clean sheet since a 0-0 draw with the Philadelphia Union in late May.
Posting a clean sheet may have been the most positive sign for them last weekend, as this team have had their share of rough defensive performances domestically in 2024, conceding three or more goals on nine occasions.
Thanks to that triumph in the Canadian Classique, Toronto remain in a playoff position, three points above that line in the Eastern Conference in eighth.
TFC can claim their first points at the Leagues Cup with a win on Saturday, and in doing so, they would claim consecutive victories for the first time since May.
When they visit Red Bull Arena, the Reds rarely come away with anything positive, losing their last seven matches played there and failing to score in six of those instances.
Team News
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Against Cincinnati, the Red Bulls were missing Emil Forsberg due to a leg issue, Peter Stroud was recovering from ankle surgery, while Roald Mitchell and Serge Ngoma were sidelined with knee injuries.
John Tolkin is with the United States Under-23 team, who are competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, losing their opening game against France this week, 3-0.
Kyle Duncan scored his first of the MLS campaign last weekend, while Lewis Morgan netted a brace, giving him 12 domestically this season.
Alonso Coello missed another match last week for Toronto because of a sore thigh, and Tyrese Spicer was sidelined with a lower back issue.
Brandon Servania will not be back in the Toronto lineup this season after the American ruptured his ACL earlier in the year.
Richie Laryea scored the only goal for them against Montreal, his first of the 2024 MLS campaign, while Sean Johnson only had to make one stop to collect his first clean sheet since that 0-0 draw with Philly in May.
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; D. Nealis, Reyes, Eile, Duncan; Edelman, Donkor; Harper, Morgan, Vanzeir; Manoel
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Long, Gomis, Petretta; Bernardeschi, Thompson, Longstaff, Laryea; Osorio, Insigne; Owusu
We say: New York Red Bulls 1-0 Toronto
Even without a valuable ball winner in Forsberg, the Red Bulls have shown much more poise and consistency than Toronto, so we project they will begin this tournament on a winning note.
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