Two clubs in opposite conferences of MLS will do battle today in a league match between Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps. The first-division clash scheduled for 8 p.m. ET will be held at BMO Field in Toronto and can be live streamed here.
This isn't your father's Toronto FC. Trailing the Houston Dynamo by two goals at the weekend, the Reds offered a champion's response in the second half. Four unanswered goals allowed the club to capture a much-needed 4-2 victory. A majority of the praise was heaped on the shoulders of the team's leading striker, Jermain Defoe, but the former Tottenham marksman isn't interested in such praise.
It's the team effort the 31-year-old is more concerned with.
"Everyone played well and everyone worked hard for each other," Defoe said (via Steve Bottjer on MLS's official website). "We have great team spirit. There are a lot of games to be played in a short period of time and everyone is working hard."
When asked about the gifted back-pass that allowed him to seal the victory in the 89th minute, Defoe added: "It was like Christmas, I couldn't believe it. I was so happy. I was surprised because I don't think the goalkeeper called for it, but I was one-on-one with the keeper and I just thought this is when you have to do your stuff."
Will Defoe and company be able to repeat their performance against Vancouver this evening? Tell us @SportsWN.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Controlling the midfield and limiting the chances of Toronto's pointman will fall squarely on the shoulders off Vancouver's Matias Laba. The 22-year-old enters today's match averaging 5.5 tackles per match and completing 86.2 percent of his passes.
Toronto FC's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Bendik; Morrow, Henry, Hagglund, Bloom; Osorio, Bekker, Warner, Jackson; Gilberto, Defoe
Vancouver Whitecaps' Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ousted; Harvey, Leveron, O'Brien; Beitashour; Coker, Laba; Fernandez, Morales, Teibert; Manneh
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DC United | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 31 | |||
| 2 | Sporting Kansas City | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 29 | |||
| 3 | Toronto FC | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 24 | |||
| 4 | New York Red Bulls | 18 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 30 | 27 | 3 | 23 | |||
| 5 | New England Revolution | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 24 | -1 | 23 | |||
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 18 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 23 | -3 | 20 | |||
| 7 | Philadelphia Union | 19 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 33 | -4 | 19 | |||
| 8 | Chicago Fire | 17 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 25 | 27 | -2 | 19 | |||
| 9 | Houston Dynamo | 19 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 38 | -18 | 18 | |||
| 10 | Impact Montreal | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 29 | -12 | 14 |
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Sounders | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 24 | 11 | 38 | |||
| 2 | Real Salt Lake | 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 24 | 3 | 28 | |||
| 3 | Colorado Rapids | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 27 | |||
| 4 | FC Dallas | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 29 | 1 | 26 | |||
| 5 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 25 | 2 | 25 | |||
| 6 | LA Galaxy | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 24 | |||
| 7 | Chivas USA | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 27 | -7 | 23 | |||
| 8 | Portland Timbers | 19 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 30 | 32 | -2 | 21 | |||
| 9 | San Jose Earthquakes | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 16 |
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