With the 2018 MLS All-Star Game moving out of Atlanta, it’s back to business for Atlanta United (14-4-5), who host the reigning MLS Cup Champions in Toronto FC (6-11-4) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday. The teams have played to two thrilling 2-2 draws in both times they’ve played, and while Toronto’s standing in the table doesn’t reflect their historic run last season, they have the talent on the field to go toe-to-toe with anyone.
The match is set to kick off at 4:00 p.m. EST Saturday from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For those who can’t make the trip, tune in on ESPN or stream the match live via WatchESPN. Click here for all the other ways to follow along with the match.
Atlanta United (14-4-5)
Atlanta United sits on top of the Eastern Conference thanks in large part to their recent form, which is up there with the very best in MLS. The Five Stripes have lost just once in their last 11 matches, with six wins along the way. The headline behind the winning streak has to be the unbelievable scoring form of their in-form Venezuelan striker, Josef Martinez, who scored 9 goals in July alone. But scoring is more than a one-man job, and he gets plenty of help from his creators. Miguel Almirón continues his case for an MVP season with 8 goals and 11 assists, Tito Villalba has been potent on the wing since his return from injury and the reigning Rookie of the Year Julian Gressel – whose crosses have been a consistent supply for Josef Martinez’s prolific head all season – is proving worthy of his title once again.
But don’t forget about the back, where the Five Stripes are rising to the top of the league. In that 11-match stretch, they have conceded multiple goals just once, and now sit just 4 goals behind the league’s best in goals conceded. Michael Parkhurst is putting in a season well worthy of his All-Star spot, while his lockdown partner Leandro González Pirez, Brad Guzan in goal, and a rotating squad of players around them due to injury have shown themselves fully capable of stopping any attack in the league. With the addition of Eric Remedi, who had an impressive showing in his first start last weekend, Gressel, or the ever-reliable Jeff Larentowicz next to them in the center of the park, the midfield is just as capable of breaking up the play.
The Five Stripes have overcome injury issues to grow into one of the best all-around teams in MLS, and will be eager to come out of the gates with a win following the unofficial midway point of the season, the MLS All-Star game.
Toronto FC (6-11-4)
Toronto FC are the reigning MLS Cup Champions, coming off a record amount of points in the league season last year. But this year hasn’t lived up to their lofty standards, with Toronto second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference Standings. Two big factors have affected their slow start this season. First, Toronto started the season with a heavy emphasis on the CONCACAF Champions League, often fielding more heavily-rotated lineups in MLS play. And after their cup run came to an end, injuries –– particularly in their back line –– kept them from making the comeback in the table that they were planning.
But the Eastern Conference powerhouses are starting to show signs that they’re ready for a push up the table. Since their three-match losing run came to an end earlier this summer, Toronto have just one loss in their last four matches, with two wins in that time. It’s the first time they’ve won consecutive league games since last September. And 2015 MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco is starting to show the form that has made him a household name among MLS fans. The Italian dynamo has 10 combined goals and assists since the start of June –– after notching just six in the first three months of the season. With his strike partner Jozy Altidore returning to fitness, Toronto’s high-flying attack is rounding into the force we know it can be. Stopping them is a tall task, but if Atlanta United can pull it off it will go a long way to adding another tally in the Five Stripes’ win column in their race for the Supporters’ Shield.
It’s a Saturday Eastern Conference clash you don’t want to miss so make sure to tune in at 4:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. The match will also be available for streaming via WatchESPN, and for all the other ways to follow along with the match, click here.
