Preview: Toronto FC hoping for another special night at BMO Field vs. red-hot Timbers

Toronto FC return home to BMO Field this weekend as they’ll welcome a rare visitor, the Portland Timbers, into town.

The last time Toronto FC and Portland (7W-6L-12D) met was all the way back in April 2019, with the Timbers coming away with a 2-1 road win. The two sides have met just 10 times in all competitions dating back to 2011, with the all-time series split down the middle (4-4-2).

Portland’s current 10 game unbeaten run is the longest active streak in MLS, so they enter Saturday’s match in terrific form. They’ve found the back of the net in 11 straight, though, six of their last 10 games have ended in a draw – a big reason why Portland find themselves in seventh in the Western Conference, just one point clear of the playoff line.

“Always a tough team,” TFC head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley told media on Friday when asked about Portland.

“Physically strong, a real presence on set pieces, organized, and then a couple of players they rely on to make plays. For sure [Sebastián] Blanco, both [Yimmi and Diego] Chara. Good team.”

Giovanni Savarese’s squad are deep in attack. This season, 10 different players have scored at least a goal – and five different players have scored five or more. Portland is currently the only team in the league that has five players with five or more goals each.

Polish forward Jaroslaw Niezgo, a Designated Player, leads the visitors with nine goals in 20 starts this season, while fellow DPs Blanco and Yimmi Chara have combined for nine more.

For Toronto, they understand what’s at stake. The revamped Reds don’t have much margin for error as they sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, four points back of a playoff spot with just 10 matches remaining. But with the additions of Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi, Domenico Criscito, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Doneil Henry, and Richie Laryea in the summer transfer window, they’ll be feeling confident in their chances the rest of the way.

“We know it’s difficult, every game in this league is difficult,” said midfielder Jonathan Osorio on Friday, speaking of TFC’s playoff chances.

“But we certainly think that it’s very possible as well, especially with the team that we have and in the way that we’re playing right now. We’ve been saying every game now, we go in to get three points and now the margins are really little now for losing points. We go into every game like it’s a final and that’s our mentality.”

Speaking of Laryea, he’ll return to BMO Field for the first time since departing the club for Nottingham Forest this offseason. The Canadian international right-back was re-acquired on loan from the now-Premier League side and was a difference maker in his first game back with the club on Saturday, picking up an assist and earning a penalty in just over 60 minutes of action in Toronto’s 4-3 win over Nashville SC.

The club had hoped that Kaye may return after missing the last three matches with a lower-body injury, but it appears unlikely as the Canadian international was training on his own Friday and manager Bob Bradley called him a question mark for Saturday’s match. His two-way presence in the midfield, alongside Osorio and Michael Bradley, would’ve been a welcome addition to a side that’s slowly rounding into form.

Toronto’s win at Nashville made it seven points from their last three MLS matches (W2 D1). The Reds had collected eight total points in their previous 14 league games (W2 D2 L10) dating back to mid-April.

Italian newcomers Bernardeschi (2 goals, 2 assists) and Insigne (1 goal, 1 assist) have contributed to six of Toronto FC’s last seven goals, including the last three they scored against Nashville on Saturday.

The last time TFC played at BMO Field, it was the debuts of Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi and the team put on a show, culminating into what was one of the most special nights by the Lakeshore in years. The club is hoping to duplicate that performance and inch closer their ultimate goal of qualifying for the postseason.

“I know how excited everybody was for Charlotte and then what it felt like, the crowd, and then just the level of support and then on that day, we put together some really good football and everybody was feeling very, very good about that,” Bob Bradley said. “We’re really excited again, to get back on a Saturday night which we love, being at BMO with our fans.”

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Predicted Toronto FC Starting XI

(4-3-3) Bono; Laryea, MacNaughton, Mavinga, Criscito; Osorio, Bradley, Nelson; Bernardeschi, Jiménez, Insigne

Injury Reports

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Toronto FC: Noble Okello (OUT), Quentin Westberg (OUT), Mark-Anthony Kaye (QUESTIONABLE)

Portland Timbers: Diego Gutierrez (OUT), Felipe Mora (OUT)

Betting Lines

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Toronto FC (-115) | Portland Timbers (+270) | Draw (+290)

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