TORONTO FC vs HOUSTON DYNAMO

BMO FIELD, Toronto, Ont.

July 28, 2012 (WEEK 21, MLS Game #198)

4:30 p.m. ET (GolTV Can; FS-Hou/MultiM)

Toronto FC and the Houston Dynamo meet for the second time this season when the clubs face off in an Eastern Conference clash Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. TFC have won a season-high three consecutive games, their last match a 2-1 home victory over the Colorado Rapids. The Dynamo are coming off a perfect homestand, rounding it off with a 3-0 victory against Montréal last weekend.

REFEREE: Drew Fischer. SAR (bench): Daniel Belleau; JAR (opposite): Claudio Badea; 4th: Sorin Stoica

MLS Career: 1 game; FC/gm: 29.0; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 0; pens: 0

DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE HERE (PDF)

INJURY REPORT:

TORONTO FC – OUT: GK Stefan Frei (L lower leg); FW Danny Koevermans (L knee ACL tear); QUESTIONABLE: FW Nicholas Lindsay (L knee surgery recovery); DF Jeremy Hall (L hamstring strain)

HOUSTON DYNAMO -- NONE REPORTED

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

SUSPENDED: none

WARNINGS:

SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: TOR: Ashtone Morgan

SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: TOR: Ryan Johnson, Torsten Frings. Richard Eckersley, Reggie Lambe, Terry Dunfield … HOU: Calen Carr, Corey Ashe

HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME (11 meetings): Toronto FC 3 wins, 12 goals …Dynamo 3 wins, 16 goals … Ties 5

AT TORONTO (5 meetings): Toronto FC 2 wins, 6 goals … Dynamo 0 wins, 4 goals … Ties 3

FUTURE MATCH: 8/25: Houston Dynamo vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. CT

• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. The Dynamo came storming back with two late goals to salvage a 3-3 draw in the first meeting, June 20 at BBVA Compass Stadium.

• Houston’s 2-0 victory in the final meeting between at Robertson Stadium, last July 9, was the Dynamo’s first vs. TFC since 2009. Toronto FC had won two in a row vs. Houston after two draws.

• Toronto FC have never lost to Houston at BMO Field, with two victories and three draws in five meetings all-time in Ontario.

• Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. TOR: P11 W3 L3 D5 … Paul Mariner vs. HOU: P1 W0 L0 D1

LAST MEETING (MLS):

6/20: HOU 3, TOR 3 (Boswell 20; Bruin 73, 90 – Hall 13; Koevermans 22, 45)

• Toronto FC took the lead after just 13 minutes. A loose corner was pumped back into the area and eventually fell to Jeremy Hall, who turned and lashed it home. But the home side were level seven minutes later, when Bobby Boswell headed home a Brad Davis corner from the heart of the area.

• Danny Koevermans then put TFC up by two goals before halftime. Freed down the right, Eric Avila drove in a low cross that Koevermans tapped home at the far post for a 22nd-minute lead. Then just before halftime, Koevermans nodded home a cross from Julian de Guzman.

• But the Dynamo began their march back in the 73rd minute. Geoff Cameron hit a long ball over the top to Davis, who weighted a perfect ball into Will Bruin’s stride in the area. The striker had time to pick his spot and blast a shot into the right upper corner.

• In the 90th minute, Bruin did it again. Cameron this time hit a pinpoint cross from the right corner that Bruin nodded home from the heart of the 6-yard box to give the home side a share of the points.

• HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tally Hall - Andre Hainault, Geoff Cameron, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe - Colin Clark (Brian Ownby 77), Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo (Je-Vaughn Watson 57), Brad Davis - Will Bruin, Macoumba Kandji (Brian Ching 63).

• TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Milos Kocic - Jeremy Hall, Doneil Henry, Richard Eckersley, Ashtone Morgan - Terry Dunfield, Torsten Frings, Julian de Guzman (Reggie Lambe 81), Eric Avila - Ryan Johnson, Danny Koevermans (Dicoy Williams 90).

TORONTO FC

Toronto FC extended their winning streak to three games, coming back for a 2-1 win against the Colorado Rapids on July 18 at BMO Field. TFC are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, with 19 points from 20 games.

LAST MATCH

HIGHLIGHTS: TOR 2, COL 1

• Toronto FC won a penalty kick just two minutes into the match after Luis Silva was taken down while rounding Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens. But Ryan Johnson banged the resulting spot kick off the outside of the right post.

• That left it open for Colorado to break through in the 23rd minute. Hunter Freeman found Conor Casey near the penalty spot with a cross from the right, and the striker made no mistake in looping his header over TFC 'keeper Milos Kocic.

• The home side drew level in the 51st minute. A short pass from Silva at the top of the box fell to Johnson after a couple of lucky bounces, and this time he poked the ball past Pickens from close range.

• The Reds took the lead 16 minutes later. Doneil Henry laid a ball back to Silva at the edge of the area. His shot hit off substitute Andrew Wiedeman and pinged off the inside of the post for the match-winner.

• TFC head coach Paul Mariner made one change to the team that got the game’s only goal for a win against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. Eric Avila came into the side for the injured Danny Koevermans.

• TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Milos Kocic - Doneil Henry, Logan Emory, Richard Eckersley, Ashtone Morgan - Reggie Lambe (Matt Stinson 85), Torsten Frings, Terry Dunfield, Eric Avila (Andrew Wiedeman 59) – Luis Silva, Ryan Johnson.



TEAM NEWS

• Toronto FC extended their winning streak to three games, with more victories since July 11 than they had in the opening four months of the season.

• After the season-ending injury to Danny Koevermans, TFC acquired Andrew Wiedeman from FC Dallas for attacking depth – and he scored the game-winning goal on his Reds debut.

• “Definitely a poacher’s goal for sure,” said Wiedeman. “I was just trying to get into a good position and Luis put a good ball across and I thankfully got on the end of it.”

• It was the first professional goal for Wiedeman, who made three substitute appearances in his rookie season of 2011, and made five appearances (one start) with FCD this season.

• "He's deceptively quick,” Mariner said. “He gets around the field very, very well, he's a very intelligent footballer. He's got wonderful feet, his touch is very good and I've been told he's probably one of the best finishers in MLS but he's been behind some very good players in Dallas. We were fortunate to pick him up.”

WATCH: Six things you need to know for Saturday's match

• After scoring goals in back-to-back games, Luis Silva assisted on both TFC goals, and now has been involved in four of TFC’s six goals over the past three games.

• “The guys gave me a lot of balls that I could use to produce and we had a lot of chances in the first half when we weren’t playing well,” said Sliva. “But I think the guys did a great job in the second half coming back and getting the win.”

• Silva started alongside Ryan Johnson in attack, after figuring as a wide midfielder the previous two matches. Johnson netted his fourth goal of the season, his first since June 27.

• “He played well and holds the ball up great and put me through a couple good times from some chances I had,” said Johnson. “It is a great partnership we’re building and he is so versatile he can play on the wings, he’s really an attacking midfielder but he can play anywhere and that is the kind of player this team drafted and will help us anywhere he can on the field.”

• On Saturday, TFC played to a 1-1 with Liverpool FC at Rogers Centre. The newly-acquired Quincy Amarikwa scored the lone goal for TFC in the 58th minute, answered 11 minutes later by Liverpool's Adam Morgan.

• TFC used two separate teams. In the first half, here’s the TFC team: Freddy Hall; Doneil Henry, Richard Eckersley, Logan Emory, Ashtone Morgan (Tyler Pasher 28'); Reggie Lambe, Terry Dunfield, Torsten Frings, Eric Avila; Luis Silva, Ryan Johnson.

• The second half group: Quillan Roberts; Roberto Galle, Dicoy Williams, Ty Harden (Adrian Cann), Tyler Pasher; Josh Janniere (Keith Makubuya), Aaron Maund, Matt Stinson, Andew Wiedeman; Sergio Camargo (Oscar Cordon), Quincy Amarikwa (Ryan Sciacchitano)

HOUSTON DYNAMO

The Houston Dynamo extended their home unbeaten run and their overall undefeated streak, defeating the Montréal Impact 3-0 on Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are in third place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points from 21 games.



LAST MATCH

HIGHLIGHTS: HOU 3, MTL 0

• The Dynamo opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Macoumba Kandji received a pass in the area and, after his first shot was parried by Montreal goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, he found the back of the net when his rebound effort hit both Ricketts and Impact defender Zarek Valentin.

• The Dynamo doubled the lead in the 84th minute when center back Bobby Boswell snapped home a corner kick from second half substitute Brad Davis.

• Kandji capped his brace by streaking down the left side and hitting a powerful right-footed shot into the far upper corner five minutes later.

• Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made one change to the team that got a late goal for a 2-1 win against Sporting Kansas City at BBVA Compass Stadium. Luiz Camargo came into midfield for Brad Davis.

• HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-3-3): Tally Hall - Andre Hainault, Jermaine Taylor, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe - Luiz Camargo (Brad Davis 68), Warren Creavalle, Boniek Garcia - Calen Carr (Je-Vaughn Watson 58), Will Bruin (Brian Ching 82), Macoumba Kandji.



TEAM NEWS

• The Dynamo completed a nine-point homestand, with victories against D.C. United, Sporting KC and Montréal over a seven-day span.

• “This has probably been our most productive week in MLS with the games piled on top of each other,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “To go from 25 [points] to 34 in a span of seven days, it gives us a huge boost in the standings and huge boost confidence wise.”

• The Dynamo remained unbeaten in their BBVA Compass Stadium home, now 7-0-3 in league play, one of two teams without a loss in MLS games at home (New York Red Bulls are also 7-0-3).

• The win extended the Dynamo’s league home unbeaten streak to 18 games, now the longest in the club’s annals (besting a mark of 17 games set June 26, 2008-June 20, 2009, and the fifth-longest in MLS history). The MLS record is 29 games, held by Real Salt Lake.

• “There wasn’t a game I wanted to win more this year than that one tonight and I’m really happy our guys went, out felt the same way and took care of business,” Bobby Boswell said following the Montréal win. “For the people who believe in karma, you say we went up there and didn’t get treated well and wanted to make sure we didn’t treat them well when they came down here. I think 3-0 is a good way to send them home.”

WATCH: Dynamo react to win over Montreal

• The Dynamo have allowed just one goal in their last five games, now six consecutive games without a loss in league play.

• “I think guys are coming in here and making a push to get the first goal, because if you give up a goal to us early it’s tough in the heat to chase the game,” said Boswell. “When you push like that you also take a chance of giving something up and it gave us the opportunity to finish them off.”

• Macoumba Kandji had the second two-goal game of his MLS career, the first coming Oct. 24, 2009, for the New York Red Bulls against Toronto FC.

• “We talk to him all the time and remind him that when he is moving and when he is mobile he is a completely different player,” Kinnear said. “I think his goals definitely showed that tonight.”

• Said defender Andre Hainault: “Mac’s very tough to defend against, he’s a tricky guy and you saw that. I was really happy for him especially on that second goal. I saw him take his shirt off and told him ‘Hey, you’re going to get a yellow card here so show ’em that six pack.’”

• The departure of Geoff Cameron seems imminent, after Dynamo CEO Chris Canetti said Stoke City FC of the English Premier League had agreed to personal terms with the defender/midfielder.