FC Cincinnati will be looking to extend their lead at the Eastern Conference summit when struggling Toronto FC visit TQL Stadium in midweek.
Having lost just one of their 17 league matches this season, Cincinnati sit five points clear of second-placed Nashville SC with a game in hand over the team from Tennessee.
Defenders aren’t ready. pic.twitter.com/EIRpusSVMX— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) June 13, 2023
Defenders aren’t ready. pic.twitter.com/EIRpusSVMX
At the opposite end of the standings, Toronto find themselves third from bottom – four points above bottom club Inter Miami and 21 points shy of Cincinnati.
FC Cincinnati have avoided defeat in each of their last 13 matches across all competitions, picking up 11 wins and two draws in the process.
In addition to taking 23 points from a possible 27 since their only league defeat, Cincy have booked their place in the semi-finals of the US Open Cup.
Cininnati even managed to rack up nine straight victories between early May and early June, keeping four clean sheets for good measure.
Given that Nashville are the only team in the East with a better defensive record than Cincy, the hosts will be confident of extending their hot streak in midweek.
Meanwhile, Toronto FC have only managed to win three of their 18 MLS clashes this season, recording 10 draws and five losses along the way.
Not team has registered more draws than Toronto this season, while only one side in the entire league has picked up fewer wins.
That said, the Reds head into this clash on a four-game unbeaten run, with a 2-1 victory over DC United preceding draws against Chicago Fire, Minnesota United and Nashville.
Having won just one of their last eight league outings, however, TFC will struggle to overcome high-flying Cincinnati.
Head-to-head: FC Cincinnati and Toronto FC have faced each other on eight occasions since the Ohio outfit joined Major League Soccer in 2019.
Both sides have recorded four victories in this fixture, although it is worth noting that Cincinnati have won four of the previous five meetings.
Team news: FC Cincinnati look set to be without injured pair Brenner (ankle) and Sergio Santos (hamstring) for the foreseeable future, while Nick Hagglund (hamstring) is a doubt.
On the flip side, Toronto’s injury list contains Michael Bradley, Alonso Coello, Adama Diomande and Victor Vazquez, while Shane O’Neill and Matt Hedges are doubts.
Given the contrasting form of these two sides, Cincinnati shouldn’t struggle to claim all three points when Toronto visit Ohio.
Forbet predicts that FC Cincinnati will score over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet en route to dispatching Toronto FC.