Two of the early surprise stories in Major League Soccer will square off at BMO Field on Saturday as Toronto face Charlotte FC in their home opener.
Both sides are undefeated after two matches, with the Reds edging the New England Revolution 1-0 in their previous encounter, while the Crown settled for a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Match preview
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We are only two matches into the new campaign, but the mood in Toronto for now is a complete 180 from what we saw a year ago.
John Herdman seems to have brought what was a dysfunctional side a year ago together, as the Reds look much more cohesive on the field in 2024.
In 2023, TFC gave up more goals than anyone in the Eastern Conference (59), but after two matches this year, they are the only side in MLS that have not conceded.
Last weekend the club ended a lengthy drought, winning an away match in this competition for the first time since defeating Charlotte 2-0 in late August 2022.
Toronto lost six of their final seven domestic fixtures at home in 2023, with their only victory over that stretch coming against the Philadelphia Union in late August (3-1).
They have never lost a regular season home fixture versus the Crown, finding the back of the net multiple times in both of those encounters.
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It has been a positive beginning for the club from North Carolina, with Charlotte picking up their first away point of the new campaign last weekend.
Dean Smith is undefeated as an MLS coach, and the Crown have claimed at least a point in three successive away fixtures in regular-season play.
Last season, this team let 23 points slip through their fingers when scoring the opening goal, and they dropped two in their opening away fixture versus the Caps last weekend.
The Crown have yet to win a regular season affair on Canadian soil, though their previous encounter in Vancouver was the first time they had a lead against a side from Canada away from home in this competition.
Dating back to the end of the 2023 regular season, their last four matches in this competition have been decided by a goal or fewer, with the Crown coming away with a point or more each time.
While they have never won an MLS affair versus the Reds on the road, Charlotte beat Toronto for the first time last season at Bank of America Stadium (3-0).
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Team News
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On Sunday, the Reds were missing Richie Laryea, who is dealing with a thigh injury, and Deandre Kerr is out because of a left calf strain.
Nicksoen Gomis made his TFC debut against the Revs, starting in a back three alongside Shane O'Neill and Kevin Long, while Matty Longstaff was not available, having only recently signed from Newcastle United.
Lorenzo Insigne notched his first of the campaign last Sunday, while Sean Johnson stopped six New England efforts and has yet to concede in the 2024 regular season.
Bill Tuiloma was on the bench for Charlotte against Vancouver but did not play due to a sore left thigh, Tyger Smalls has a bilateral lower leg issue and the club is still working on the visa of Djibril Diani.
Brandon Cambridge is unlikely to feature due to a sore right ankle, Brandt Bronico has an issue in his left thigh and Ben Bender will probably sit out because of a left knee injury.
Iuri Tavares scored his first MLS goal last weekend, while Kristijan Kahlina has conceded a goal or fewer in three successive regular season fixtures.
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Johnson; O'Neill, Long, Gomis; Bernardeschi, Flores, Blessing, Petretta; Osorio, Insigne; Owusu
Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:
Kahlina; Byrne, Malanda, Privett, Uronen; Westwood, Urso; Vargas, Dejaegere, Tavares; Copetti
We say: Toronto 1-0 Charlotte FC
Although we have only seen a sample size of Toronto in 2024, they seem to be a lot more composed off the ball than we saw a year ago, and we believe the home crowd and their experienced attacking players will give them an edge this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
