Toronto have an opportunity to win three games in a row for the first time since 2020 when they travel to Rio Tinto Stadium for a date with Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer action on Saturday.
The Reds edged New York City FC to begin the month of April, their second consecutive 2-1 victory, while Claret and Cobalt could only manage a draw versus their arch-rivals, the Colorado Rapids.
Match preview
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It may not be the prettiest football we have ever seen, but Real Salt Lake have been able to get the job done, starting off this month with a draw in Colorado.
Pablo Mastroeni saw his group endure plenty of pressure from the Burgundy Boys throughout that encounter with only 37% possession and two efforts on target, so to get a result was encouraging.
Grinding out results seems to be a motto with this team, making the most of their opportunities on the break and currently just two points behind Los Angeles FC for first place in the Western Conference.
RSL are a difficult side to play against because of their work rate and the unpredictability factor of what you will get from them, as Mastroeni employs a variety of different tactical setups each week.
After ending the 2021 regular season by losing their last two matches on home soil, they come into this contest having won their previous two games played at Rio Tinto Stadium, conceding only once despite allowing 12 shots on target.
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It looks as though the rebuilding process in Toronto is moving in the right direction after a difficult opening three matches in which they were only able to pick up one point.
Defeating the reigning MLS Cup champions was a tremendous boost to the confidence of Bob Bradley and his team, who were given a lucky break when an own goal from Thiago Martins gave them an extra cushion.
Saturday will be another big challenge for this young group, as playing at altitude presents its own difficulties when dealing with crosses, ball movement, set pieces and long-range efforts, among other things.
For the first time since September 18, 2021, TFC managed to go into half time with the lead a week ago, having now won their last three games when in front heading into the interval.
A positive result in this one would not only be another step forward, but it would also put an end to a 10-match winless run away from home.
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Team News
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RSL will be without Zack Farnsworth with a right ankle injury, Justen Glad has a hamstring issue and David Ochoa is out with a right quad strain.
Jonathan Menendez has an adductor problem, Bobby Wood and Jasper Loeffelsend could miss more time due to hamstring issues, while Erik Holt has a left foot injury.
Justin Meram made his 300th MLS regular-season appearance last week at the Rocky Mountain Cup, defender Jaziel Orozco earned his first start in the league and Pierre Reedy made his debut, replacing Maikel Chang in the second half against the Burgundy Boys.
For Toronto, Ayo Akinola is out with an ACL injury, while Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and Kadin Chung are question marks with lower-body issues.
Jesus Jimenez and Jonathan Osorio have developed instant chemistry in Toronto, as the Spaniard notched his team-leading third goal of the campaign a week ago thanks to the great work of Osorio.
Bradley made two changes to his starting 11 against New York, putting Kosi Thompson and Jacob Shaffelburg into the lineup with Kadin Chung and Jayden Nelson starting on the bench.
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
MacMath; Schmitt, Silva, Reedy, Brody; Ruiz, Caldwell, Luiz; Meram, Kreilach, Rubin
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Bono; MacNaughton, Salcedo, O'Neill; Okello, Bradley, Osorio, Shaffelburg; Pozuelo, Nelson; Jimenez
We say: Real Salt Lake 2-1 Toronto
Toronto have put together a nice run of late and are showing definite improvement, but playing in the altitude of Salt Lake City against a side who have done a great job of making in-game adjustments will be a lot to handle.
The Reds have not won a game there since 2007, and we expect that streak will continue this weekend.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Salt Lake win with a probability of 51.59%. A win for Toronto had a probability of 24.28% and a draw had a probability of 24.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Salt Lake win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.6%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.66%) and 2-0 (8.95%). The likeliest Toronto win was 0-1 (6.78%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.44%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.2% likelihood.
