COLUMBUS CREW vs TORONTO FC

COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio

April 5, 2013 (WEEK 5, MLS Game #38)

6 p.m. ET (TWCSN-OH; SNet 360)

The first match in the battle for the Trillium Cup is ahead on Saturday evening when the Columbus Crew entertain Toronto FC in a match of high-flying Eastern Conference teams at Crew Stadium. The Crew have won all three starts for the first time in club history, coming off a late 2-1 win at Seattle last weekend. TFC had their two-game winning streak to start the year – also a club record – put to an end last Saturday in a 3-0 loss at Real Salt Lake.

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REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. AR1 (bench): George Gansner; AR2 (opposite): Jason White; 4th: Sorin Stoica

MLS Career: 25 games; FC/gm: 24.8; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 6; pens: 7

DISABLED LIST: CLB: Matthew Wiet

SUSPENDED: TOR: Steven Caldwell (through April 6)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME (19 meetings): Crew 10 wins, 30 goals … Toronto FC 2 wins, 19 goals … Ties 7

AT COLUMBUS (10 meetings): Crew 7 wins, 20 goals … Toronto FC 1 win, 11 goals … Ties 2

RETURN MATCHES: 5/31: Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew, 5 p.m. ET; 8/9: Columbus Crew vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.

LAST YEAR (MLS)

5/18: TOR 0, CLB 1 (Oduro 42)

7/27: TOR 2, CLB 1 (Osorio 87; Wiedeman 94+ -- Oduro 17)

8/17: CLB 2, TOR 0 (Higuain 19, 67)

The Crew have lost to Toronto FC just twice in 19 meetings all-time. TFC’s 2-1 win last July 27 at BMO Field was their first since a 4-2 win Sept. 10, 2011 at Columbus Crew Stadium, which ended a 12-game TFC winless run vs. Columbus.

The Toronto FC victory last year was their first win ever against the Crew on their home ground, after three losses and five draws.

Coaches record: Gregg Berhalter vs. TOR: first game … Ryan Nelsen v CLB: P3 W1 L2 D0

COLUMBUS CREW

The Columbus Crew extended their season-opening winning streak to three games, getting a dramatic late winner for a 2-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday evening at CenturyLink Field. The Crew sit in a tie atop the Eastern Conference, with nine points from three matches.

LAST MATCH

Seattle opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. A pass from Obafemi Martins from the midway line put Kenny Cooper into space behind the Columbus defense, and after a long run he rifled his shot inside the far post from the left side of the box.

The match took a dramatic turn in the 58th minute. Crew forward Dominic Oduro was able to get behind the Sounders FC defense and drew a penalty from center back Djimi Traore, who was also shown a red card for his foul. Federico Higuain blasted the subsequent penalty into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.

The Crew then scored the winner four minutes into stoppage time. From a short corner, Higuain found Justin Meram unmarked at the top of the penalty area and he curled home a stunning strike from the left side of the box high inside the far post.

Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter made one change to the team that defeated Philadelphia Union 2-1 at Crew Stadium. Dominic Oduro started up top in place of Jairo Arrieta.

COLUMBUS CREW (4-4-1-1): Steve Clark - Josh Williams, Michael Parkhurst, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Waylon Francis - Hector Jimenez (Ethan Finlay 73), Wil Trapp (Justin Meram 89), Tony Tchani, Bernardo Anor - Federico Higuain - Dominic Oduro (Jairo Arrieta 62).

TEAM NEWS

The Crew have now their first three games for the first time in club history, winning for a second successive trip to Seattle in the dramatic 2-1 win.

“Obviously, to get the winner that late is a tremendous result for us, and a great effort,” Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “You see that we wanted to try to play, we wanted to play our game, and we knew it was going to be tough. And we just kept going and we didn't give up. At times, it was a little sloppy. We got punished for turnovers, but in the end we just kept going.”

Justin Meram scored his first goal since last Sept. 4, when he hit the back of the net against Houston, the lone goal he scored in 2013.

“I'm just so excited for this club and the direction we're going. This win – that goal – was not just for myself, but for this team and to be 3-0 is incredible. It's the best way to start,” said Meram. “… It's always tough with all new faces, new coaches. But they've got us in the right system; they believe in us, we believe in each other.”

Federico Higuain converted a penalty kick for his third goal of the season, his second from the spot. Higuain has been involved on the scoresheet in five of the Crew’s seven goals this season, adding an assist on the Meram game-winner.

“We were able to create our own luck because of comprehensive passing. We were a complete team, in the sense of being able to put passes together and because of that, we were able to win,” Higuain said.

Dominic Oduro was given his first start of the season, coming in as the lone striker after two substitute appearances. Jairo Arrieta went to the substitutes’ bench after starting the first two games.

“The guys have accepted the way that we want to play. That's been key because if it doesn't work with the group that you have, it's going to be very difficult,” said Berhalter. “But they've taken it on, they've embraced it and they've put their little touches on it, and that's been nice.”

TORONTO FC

Toronto FC saw their season-opening winning run come to an end, falling 3-0 to Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. TFC sit in a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference, with six points from three matches.

LAST MATCH

Real Salt Lake were in the lead after just 10 minutes. Referee Baldomero Toledo pointed to the spot after Toronto defender Doneil Henry spun Saborio around and flung him to the turf. Saborio took his own penalty and easily sent TFC goalkeeper Julio Cesar the wrong way.

Luis Gil then added a second in the 28th minute. Saborio dummied a ball that made its way to defender Chris Wingert, whose shot rebounded and fell at Gil's feet, and his effort took another deflection on its way to the back of the net.

RSL completed the rout in the 55th minute. Javier Morales popped the ball up over the defenders and inside the area, where Saborio latched onto the pass and flicked it off the inside of the right post for the Real third.

TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen made two changes to the team that defeated D.C. United 1-0 in their home opener at BMO Field. Bradley Orr and Jeremy Hall came into the side, in place of Jackson and Jonathan Osorio.

TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Julio Cesar - Bradley Orr (Issey Nakajima-Farran 59), Doneil Henry, Steven Caldwell, Justin Morrow - Mark Bloom, Jeremy Hall (Kyle Bekker 78), Michael Bradley, Alvaro Rey - Jermain Defoe (Dwayne De Rosario 62), Gilberto.

LAST MATCH