The Basics



CONCACAF Champions League, Matchday 5



Toronto FC (1W-1D-2L, 4 points, third place Group A) vs. Real Salt Lake (3W-0D-1L, 9 points, first place Group A) at BMO Field in Toronto.



The all-time series is tied at 3W-2D-3L



BROADCAST INFO



Game Intro



This is a pivotal game for both teams in the quest for one of the group’s two quarterfinal berths.



Knowing a win can guarantee an appearance in the second round, Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis maneuvered his lineup in recent games so his squad would be at full strength for Toronto. RSL lead the group with nine points, two up on Cruz Azul and five ahead of Toronto, with Árabe Unido in the rear at three.





VIDEO: Toronto FC Preview Show on GOL TV Canada looks at the individual match-ups.

A Toronto win will tie them with Cruz Azul, with TFC holding the tiebreaker. However, a loss, coupled with a Cruz Azul win, will eliminate the Reds from quarterfinal contention.



The last time these teams played, RSL scored four unanswered goals in Utah to beat TFC 4-1 to spoil Nick Dasovic’s head coaching debut.



Toronto FC



Dwayne De Rosario’s check-signing gesture after his goal against San Jose last Saturday has been getting a lot of play, dividing media and fans alike. Team officials spoke to him Monday and it remains to be seen whether the furor will motivate DeRo, but any added motivation will help after the club’s disappointing 3-2 loss to the Earthquakes that puts them on the brink of elimination from the MLS playoff picture.



Despite the loss, interim head coach Dasovic was pleased with his team’s performance and looking forward to the game against RSL. TFC will have all their key starters available, but not necessarily the fan support, as discontent grows among the club’s supporters over what’s looking to be another failed season.



“We got a big competition on Tuesday where if we can get the right result, we put ourselves in a great chance to get to that quarterfinal stage," said Dasovic. "But we have two competitions, MLS and CONCACAF, [and] we’ll work towards each one and see how things go.”



Real Salt Lake



Playing a heavy schedule similar to Toronto's, RSL have handled their workload well, leading their CCL group and vying for the MLS Supporters’ Shield. RSL have the second-best record in MLS, and extended their overall unbeaten streak to 10 (24 at home) with a 1-1 home draw against the Rapids Saturday.



Kreis has juggled his roster between MLS and CCL matches, trying to advance to the confederation tournament knockout phase while also attempting to finish atop MLS with the best record. His moves in recent games against Árabe Unido and Colorado had one goal in mind: Wrap up a quarterfinal berth against Toronto to focus on the rest of the MLS season.



After sitting Andy Williams, Nat Borchers and Chris Wingert against Árabe Unido, RSL returned for the Colorado match on the weekend only to see starters Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman, Jamison Olave, Will Johnson and Alvaro Saborio take the bench.



“We’re going to put all of our cards on the table for [the CCL game],” said Kreis after the game against Colorado. “We feel like that's the one that we have to get a result in, and wrap up this Champions League stuff so that we can then turn our attention back to the Supporters’ Shield and the playoffs.”



Heroes & Villains



Dwayne De Rosario vs. Nick Rimando: Despite telling the media he feels underappreciated by the club and hinting he’s underpaid, Toronto’s best player said he’ll continue to give it his all through to the very end. Will the criticism of his actions motivate De Rosario even more? He is already a dangerous weapon and the heat he’s received from his goal celebration could spell trouble for the rested Rimando, who’ll have to be sharp from the start to thwart his determined foe.



Stat that makes you go “Hmm"



Toronto are winless in their last five games overall at BMO Field after going unbeaten in their first 13.