Two clubs in the Eastern Conferences of MLS will do battle today in a league match between D.C. United and Toronto FC. The first-division clash scheduled for 7 p.m. ET will be held at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. and can be live streamed here.
Both clubs were unable to reach the postseason in 2013, but a quick turnaround sees United and Toronto FC battling near the top of the Eastern Conference. For D.C., the energy and hold-up play of striker Eddie Johnson has been beneficial for the club.
"In a lot of ways, he's as good as it gets in this league," head coach Ben Olsen said (via MLS's official website). "He has an ability to score, hold the ball up, he's technically sound, has good pace. He's as well rounded a forward as you can get in this league and now it's nice to see him touch the net a little bit.
"He does a lot of scoring in the summer traditionally," he added. "And we hope the goals keep coming. I thought he's worked as hard as he's ever worked on the defensive end for us. Part of that's scoring goals, you score goals and you're a little bit more energized as a forward."
Johnson and company will look to continue their form against a tough opponent at RFK.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Having served his one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation, Jermain Defoe returns to the fold for Toronto FC. The 31-year-old leads the club with 11 goals scored.
D.C. United's Projected Lineup (4-4-1-1): Hamid; Korb, Birnbaum, Boswell, Franklin; Rolfe, Kitchen, Arnaud, DeLeon; Silva; Johnson
Toronto FC's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Bendik; Morrow, Creavalle, Orr, Hagglund; Oduro, Warner, Besley, Osorio; Defoe, Gilberto
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
Standings
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
1 |
Sporting Kansas City |
21 |
11 |
5 |
5 |
31 |
19 |
12 |
38 |
|||
2 |
DC United |
19 |
10 |
4 |
5 |
29 |
20 |
9 |
34 |
|||
3 |
Toronto FC |
18 |
7 |
5 |
6 |
27 |
25 |
2 |
26 |
|||
4 |
Columbus Crew |
21 |
6 |
8 |
7 |
25 |
27 |
-2 |
26 |
|||
5 |
New York Red Bulls |
20 |
5 |
9 |
6 |
32 |
31 |
1 |
24 |
|||
6 |
Philadelphia Union |
21 |
5 |
8 |
8 |
33 |
35 |
-2 |
23 |
|||
7 |
New England Revolution |
20 |
7 |
2 |
11 |
25 |
33 |
-8 |
23 |
|||
8 |
Chicago Fire |
19 |
3 |
11 |
5 |
27 |
33 |
-6 |
20 |
|||
9 |
Houston Dynamo |
20 |
5 |
4 |
11 |
22 |
40 |
-18 |
19 |
|||
10 |
Impact Montreal |
20 |
3 |
5 |
12 |
21 |
37 |
-16 |
14 |
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
1 |
Seattle Sounders |
19 |
12 |
2 |
5 |
35 |
27 |
8 |
38 |
|||
2 |
Real Salt Lake |
20 |
8 |
8 |
4 |
31 |
26 |
5 |
32 |
|||
3 |
FC Dallas |
21 |
8 |
6 |
7 |
34 |
31 |
3 |
30 |
|||
4 |
Colorado Rapids |
20 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
31 |
24 |
7 |
30 |
|||
5 |
LA Galaxy |
18 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
29 |
16 |
13 |
30 |
|||
6 |
Vancouver Whitecaps |
20 |
6 |
10 |
4 |
31 |
29 |
2 |
28 |
|||
7 |
Portland Timbers |
21 |
6 |
9 |
6 |
35 |
35 |
0 |
27 |
|||
8 |
Chivas USA |
20 |
6 |
5 |
9 |
21 |
33 |
-12 |
23 |
|||
9 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
18 |
5 |
5 |
8 |
22 |
20 |
2 |
20 |
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