THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. Toronto FC
Saturday, July 28, 3:30 p.m. CT
BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
All-time series: Tied 3-3-5
BROADCAST INFORMATION
FOX Sports Houston - 3:30 p.m. (Click here to view channel guide)
MultiMedios Houston - 3 p.m.
La Ranchera 850 - 3 p.m.
SportsTalk 790 - 3 p.m.
PREVIEW
Toronto FC and the Houston Dynamo meet for the second time this season when the clubs face off in a Eastern Conference clash Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. TFC have won a season-high three consecutive games, their last match a 2-1 home defeat of 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
INJURY REPORT PRESENTED BY THE METHODIST HOSPITAL SYSTEM (As of Tuesday, July 24)
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
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).
