TORONTO – The good news for Toronto FC is they haven’t suffered a loss in their last four games. The bad news is they haven’t won in those four games either.
With four draws and one loss in their previous five outings, TFC will try to get back on the winning track on Saturday afternoon when they host Thierry Henry and the New York Red Bulls.
Toronto (1-2-4) has seven points from its first seven games of the season – not a bad tally for a team that is in rebuild mode and began the 2012 campaign with nine consecutive losses.
But while the Reds have shown modest improvement under new coach Ryan Nelsen, some of the age-old problems persist that have plagued this team since entering the league in 2007. Toronto has conceded tying goals in injury time in three of their last four games, including last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo.
After the Houston game, captain Darren O’Dea boldly proclaimed that the club wouldn’t concede any more late goals.
These late collapse are a problem that clearly irk Nelsen, but the New Zealander also believes they are a sign of progress.
“Of course, it’s three wins that we could have had,” Nelsen said. “It really shows the level we’re at. . . that we’ve missed out on three wins that would have put us second or third in the league. We’ve come a long way, it’s baby steps.”
He later added: “I’d rather be having these conversations than maybe throwing away ties or losing games.”
There’s no doubt that Toronto looks more defensively organized under Nelsen than it did last season with either Aron Winter or Paul Mariner at the helm. But Toronto has conceded in each of their seven MLS games this campaign, and hasn’t kept a clean sheet since last October in a 0-0 draw with the Montreal Impact.
What’s more, TFC’s defence will have to contend with Henry on Saturday. The Frenchman has scored three goals in eight games this season.
Toronto has its own-goal scoring sensation in newcomer Robert Earnshaw, who leads the Reds with five goals this season. The Welshman played against Henry nine years ago when he was a member of West Bromwich Albion and the Frenchman was still with Arsenal.
The last time Henry played Toronto last September, he scored one goal and set up three others in a 4-1 New York win.
“I love playing against top players and he’s been a great player for a long time. He’s been one of the best. It’s going to be great for us as a team as well to come up against these guys,” Earnshaw said.
Injury report
Toronto defenders Logan Emory (ankle) and Darrel Russell and Richard Eckersley (both hamstring) have been ruled out of Saturday’s contest.
Midfielder Terry Dunfield remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury. This past week, he told sportsnet.ca that he is two weeks away from returning.
Striker Danny Koevermans was running hard at practice Friday and Nelsen said the Dutch striker, who underwent off-season knee surgery, could return to action in a month’s time.
Argentine midfielder Matias Laba, who signed with the club on Friday, won’t be available for Saturday’s game. But he could make his debut next Monday in the second leg of the Canadian club championship semifinals versus the Montreal Impact.
New York will be minus Brazilian playmaker Juninho, who is suspended for Saturday’s contest.
