Two of the highest-spending teams in MLS will face off on Saturday, when Toronto FC host the LA Galaxy at BMO Field.
Here are the top five reasons to watch Saturday’s match:
- GIO VS. GIO: Two of the league’s most talented players will face off in this one, with Toronto FC star and reigning MVP Sebastian Giovinco set to clash with LA’s Giovani dos Santos. Giovinco is second in the league with eight goals, while both he and dos Santos – who has six goals of his own – are tied for third in MLS with five assists apiece. Both the Italian Giovinco and the Mexican dos Santos will be playing with a little extra on the line on Saturday, as neither was named to his country’s final roster for Euro 2016 or Copa América Centenario, respectively.
- BIG ABSENCES, BIG QUESTIONS: While Giovinco and dos Santos will provide plenty of star power, both teams will be missing a couple of big-name players on Saturday. TFC will be without captain Michael Bradley, who is with the US national team, and injured Designated Player Jozy Altidore. LA will also be without their captain, Robbie Keane, who is with Ireland at the Euros, and forward Gyasi Zardes, who, like Bradley, is with the USMNT at the Copa América. How the teams fare without those important pieces will be key.
- CUP MAGIC: Both teams enter Saturday’s match on four-game MLS winless runs, but both come into the game on the back of cup wins. Toronto FC impressively took their two-legged Canadian Championship semifinal series against the Montreal Impact earlier this month, while LA needed extra time to beat amateur side La Maquina in the US Open Cup on Tuesday.
- HOME SWEET HOME?: TFC began the season with a mammoth eight-game road trip, finishing the long sojourn away from home with a very respectable – if not downright impressive – 3-3-2 record. They haven’t been so good since returning home, however, posting just a 1-1-2 record in four regular season games at BMO Field. They’ll look to change that home form around on Saturday.
- TFC AIM TO STOP LA’S STREAK: If Toronto do turn around their home form, they’ll have to do it against a Galaxy team they have not beaten in their last 10 MLS meetings. LA have won five of those last 10 regular-season contests with Toronto, with their unbeaten MLS run against the Ontario club dating all the way back to 2008. Toronto did, however, get the best of the Galaxy in the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, thanks to a stunning 2-1 road upset in the second leg.
