At home against a depleted Atlanta United squad, Toronto FC will aim to get back on track Saturday night.
Prior to a 2-1 defeat at NYCFC its last time out, Toronto (2-1-1, seven points) hadn’t allowed a goal through its initial three matches. With his first MLS goal, 19-year-old forward Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty staked his side to an early advantage before the hosts rallied for the win.
Toronto isn’t planning on letting the setback have a longer-lasting effect.
“We all believe in each other,” Marshall-Rutty said. “In the locker room after the game, we all came together in a huddle and said, ‘This is football; this is our journey.’ We didn’t win today, but we’ll be back on the weekend. We just have to keep going.”
Atlanta (2-1-0, six points) will travel to Canada missing six players due to international call-ups. Regulars Luis Abram (Peru), Thiago Almada (Argentina), Ajani Fortune (Trinidad & Tobago), Giorgos Giakoumakis (Greece), Bartosz Slisz (Poland) and Caleb Wiley (United States) are taking a short leave to compete for their countries. Stian Gregersen is out with a knee injury.
For Atlanta, which has won two straight, the challenge is welcome.
“We try to keep our identity when we play away or at home,” midfielder Tristian Muyumba said. “We want to dictate our style of play. I think that is the most important. We won two games at home, now it is a good fight for us to go away.”
Jamal Thiare, who netted multiple goals in preseason play, figures to fill in for Giakoumakis up top.
Toronto has gelled quickly under new head coach John Herdman. Lorenzo Insigne has accounted for two of Toronto’s three goals, the most recent being an impressive curling boot from 25 yards away.
–Field Level Media