‘It’s really important’: Bob Bradley on regaining momentum at BMO Field

Toronto FC’s home opener earlier this month didn’t go to plan.

In front of just over 23,000 fans in attendance — their biggest crowd in almost two years — TFC were blown out 4-1 by the New York Red Bulls.

The discouraging outing was a missed opportunity for Toronto to, in a way, leave reason for optimism among a fanbase desperate for some sort of assurance that the club will eventually return to being competitive sooner rather than later. But now, after a slow start to the year, the Reds will have to reignite the fanbase and it starts with an inspired performance on Saturday in front of the home faithful.

“That’s very important,” said head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley, when asked about the significance of putting in a strong performance at BMO Field this weekend. “Everyone was really disappointed. We said following the Red Bull game after so long to get back into the stadium, it meant so much, and then with a couple of plays, we let that momentum get away from us that day, and now we’ve got to earn it again. So, yeah, it’s really important.”

Their opponent on Saturday, DC United (2-1-0), outscored Toronto FC (0-2-1) 10-2 in two meetings last season, including that 7-1 drubbing on July 3 that ultimately spelled the end of Chris Armas’ tenure as head coach.

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In fact, United have had Toronto’s number in the regular season the past few years, as the Reds are winless in their last nine regular-season meetings (3 losses, 6 draws) with their Eastern Conference rival. However, with 19 players out the door from last year’s team and a new manager at the helm, this is a revamped TFC side that doesn’t spend much energy dwelling on the past.

“We’ve not spent too much time talking about past results,” said Bradley. “I think everybody that was here understands that things need to improve.”

DC have started the year off on a decent note, notching wins over expansion side Charlotte FC and FC Cincinnati, but are coming off a disappointing 2-0 loss to the Chicago Fire.

Goalkeeper Bill Hamid leads the league in saves (16) and has posted two clean sheets through three matches, while Ola Kamara remains their biggest threat up top. The 32-year-old striker was the co-leader in goals in MLS last season, narrowly losing out to New York City FC’s Valentin Castellanos for the Golden Boot as the NYCFC striker held the tiebreaker with more assists. And Kamara has started the 2022 campaign where he left off, already with two goals to his name.

A player who the Reds were close to acquiring ahead of the 2020 season will also be key for DC: Julian Gressel. The former Atlanta United man has settled into the right-wing back spot nicely in Hernán Losada’s 3-5-2 formation, giving them a dangerous option going forward down the right-hand side and on set pieces, something TFC are going to be particularly wary of.

“Gressel is very good in terms of his delivery on set pieces,” said Bradley. “They’ve got some guys, [Steven] Birnbaum, [Brendan] Hinze-Ike, and Kamara who are good at taking advantage of some of those deliveries, so those are things that we know for sure that we need to be on top of.”

TFC did catch a small break, however, as United will be without Ecuadorian international Michael Estrada up top, according to Steven Goff of The Washington Post. The 25-year-old striker, who scored a brace on the opening day of the season, will miss the match due to family reasons.

The Reds will also see centre-back Carlos Salcedo make his return to the squad after their designated player was suspended for last match, while Shane O’Neill and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty – who was forced out of Saturday’s loss to the Columbus Crew in the 12th minute – will also an option for Bradley on the weekend.

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‍INJURY REPORT

Toronto FC

·      Ayo Akinola (ACL – OUT)

·      Jacob Shaffelburg (Hamstring – OUT)

·      Chris Mavinga (MCL – QUESTIONABLE)‍

DC United

·      Michael Estrada (Personal - OUT)

‍TFC PROJECTED STARTING XI

                           Bono

Marshall-Rutty, O’Neill, Salcedo, Chung

               Bradley       Osorio

Nelson             Pozuelo         Petrasso

                          Jiménez‍

BETTING INFO‍

Toronto FC (+125) | D.C. United (+190) | Draw (+275)

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