Week 4: TFC @ Kansas City preview

By: Sam | April 23rd, 2007

Wednesday, April 25, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri.

In a nutshell:Honestly, must I tell you? Toronto needs a win. Or a point. Or a goal. Or to force a good save from KC’s keeper. We need something. Anything.

Toronto FC’s records:
Last 5 (includes preseason): 2W-3L-0D 5GF-9GA
This season: 0W-2L-0D 0GF-6GA
Against Kansas City: First meeting

Kansas City’s records:
Last 5 (includes preseason): 2W-2L-1D 9GF-8GA
This season: 1W-2L-0D 6GF-6GA
Against Toronto FC: First meeting

My lineup:

1 Sutton
16 Wynne- 3 Braz - 4 Reda - 8 Goldthwaite
7 Welsh - 33 Robinson - 17 Nagamura - 11 Brennan
9 Dichio - 10 Eskandarian

Kansas City’s probable lineup:
(Coming soon, I rely on MLSNet for this…)

Analysis:
How important is this game? On a scale from 1 to 10, I’d say about a six thousand. Toronto’s had quite the month so far. We’ve lost two games out of two, one in quite convincing fashion. The Wizards have lost two straight as well, albeit meriting to hold their heads up after them.

After acquiring four dozen players since being smoked by the Revs, Toronto will be looking for new chemistry in the starting eleven. With Goldthwaite and Wynne coming to the rescue of our frail defense crew, I’m thinking the inexperienced Andrew Boyens relegated to the bench and Jimmy Brennan bumped up to his natural habitat, midfield, although he did a bang-up job of acting as a band-aid for the first two matches.

This would mean that Miguel Canizales would also be taking a seat, after a very, very so-so showing against New England, Khano Smith to be specific. And with Mulrooney gone, I would think that the 3-5-2 would be set aside for at least this game, given the need for better defense and the arrival of our two D-buddies.

I’m not done with the changes here. Buddle out, Dichio in, I say. Buddle played like a pile of shite in the two games, and I don’t trust him nearly as much as I do Eskandarian.

As for Kansas City, don’t expect them to change up too much. Forget the fact that they lost two straight, they’re a very decent team, and with the likes of Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Johnson and Carlos Marinelli, they’ve got firepower offensively. They did put four past DC in their first match.

My prediction: My heart says 1-1, but my brain says 2-1 to Kansas City. Goal for us from… Eskandarian.