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Toronto FC vs Sporting Kansas City: First Game Since 2019

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Toronto FC Forward, Tyrese Spicer, at BMO Field, as TFC Will Play Sporting Kansas City Next

PREVIEW – Toronto FC vs Sporting Kansas City will be the first game between the two sides since 2019. Both teams have also only lost one game each, even though Kansas City only has one win this season.

Toronto FC vs Sporting Kansas City Predictions on March 30, 2024

Toronto FC (3-1-1)

Toronto FC, despite the injury issues, have started off this season really well. Three wins and a draw to start of the 2024 MLS season is something to get excited about for any TFC fan. This is what John Herdman said, as he also mentions assistant coach, Jason De Vos, on TFC’s mentality this year (source: Jams Grossi of Toronto FC):

“I’ve got [Assistant Coach] Jason deVos’ in my ear, he says pretty much every week, ‘Goals win games, but clean-sheets win championships,’” echoed Herdman. “deVo, he’s an absolute warrior when it comes to the details and making sure that guys know exactly what their jobs are going to be in games.”

A big reason for TFC’s positive start this year has been the clean sheets. Four clean sheets in only five games is very impressive, and for a club that struggled to do that last year, makes it even more impressive.

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Another storyline from the last game was Tyrese Spicer, the first draft pick rookie scored his first-ever goal for Toronto FC. A big moment for him as he officially made his mark in MLS (source: James Grossi of Toronto FC):

“When I shot it, all I saw was the keeper touched it a little bit and then it went in. After that I was just frenzy, I was just going crazy.”

Prince Owusu would score the other goal as TFC looks confident heading into Saturday.

READ MORE: Analysis: John Herdman Leaves The CanMNT For Toronto FC

Sporting Kansas City (1-3-1)

Sporting Kansas City enters this game after a heart-breaking loss to the LA Galaxy last week. Kansas City led for most of the game but gave up three goals in the second half and ended up losing their first MLS season game this year. This is what Kansas City head coach, Peter Vermes, said about the game (source: Kurt Austin of Sporting Kansas City):

“You have got to give credit to them as well. They played some good stuff. The sky is not falling, but we gave away a really big opportunity today.”

Austin also said in the same article that for the most part, Kansas City played a good game, with the exception of the 10 minutes from the 70 to the 80th minute mark, where they gave up three goals:

“And for the most part, again, we did a good job. It’s just that 10 minutes.”

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Three goals are the most the team has conceded so far this year, even though they have only one clean sheet to show for five games played. It is also true that Sporting Kansas City only has one win this year and will need to step up next Saturday at BMO Field.

Injuries for Both Teams

As Derek Gagnon of Waking The Red outlined, TFC have quite a few injuries that they need to deal with. This includes players like Sean Johnson, Richie Laryea, Nickseon Gomis, Shane O’Neill, Raoul Petretta, Brandon Servania, and Lorenzo Insigne. In addition, Gagnon in the article outlined that Johnson, Laryea, O’Neill, and Servania will be out for Saturday’s game, with some of them out for a lengthy period of time.

Saying that, there was some good news as Jonathan Osorio came from the bench last Saturday against Atlanta United FC. This is while Sporting Kansas City only has one player injured named Khiry Shelton, a centre-forward, who needed ankle surgery and has been out since February 5, 2024.

Players to Watch For and Head-To-Head Matchups

READ MORE: Three Takeaways: Luka Gavran Earns First-Ever MLS Clean Sheet

For TFC, the player to watch out for is Luka Gavran. He has got two clean sheets so far and it is something to watch for against Sporting Kansas City. Federico Bernardeschi and captain Jonathan Osorio are other players to look at for TFC. With Kansas City, there is Alan Pulido, who led the Kansas City last year in MLS play last year with 14 goals.

Both teams have not faced each other since 2019, when both teams drew 2-2 at BMO Field. Historically, this matchup has been dominated by Sporting Kansas City, who has not lost in Toronto since March 9, 2013 at the Rogers Centre and the last time Sporting Kansas City lost a game at BMO Field was on April 26, 2009.

Toronto FC vs Sporting Kansas City Predictions for March 30

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Predictions: Toronto FC 2 – Sporting Kansas City 0

Yes, Kansas City has the head-to-head history and TFC have lots of injuries right now. However, Toronto’s defence and goalkeeping has been solid, and the fact that they will playing at home will give them an advantage. Also, the head-to-head does not mean much as they have not faced each other for quite awhile.

Both Toronto FC and Sporting Kansas City will kick-off on March 30, 2024 game at 7:30pm ET at BMO Field. The game will be shown live on Apple TV.

 

Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports, of a Tyrese Spicer Headshot, on March 23, 2024.

The post Toronto FC vs Sporting Kansas City: First Game Since 2019 appeared first on Last Word On Soccer.