Chivas USA is in a desperate bid to stay alive in the chase for MLS Cup Playoffs. The Goats host Toronto FC at The Home Depot Center on Saturday evening. Chivas put an end to a four-game losing slide at midweek, coming away from D.C. United with a 2-2 draw that left them five points out of the final wild card spot. Toronto FC are coming off back-to-back wins in MLS for the first time this season, last a 2-1 home win against Colorado.




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TORONTO FC




Toronto FC won for the second match on the trot, defeating the Colorado Rapids 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. TFC has 30 points from 30 games on the season, sitting in a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.




LAST MATCH




• Danny Koevermans put TFC two goals up with a brace inside of eight minute. First, in the 52nd minute, Ashtone Morgan's low cross found Koevermans streaking at the edge of the six-yard box and he diverted home a right-footed effort.




• Then in the 60th minute, the cross came from the other flank as Nick Soolsma found Koevermans completely unmarked and he sent a header into the lower left corner.




• The Rapids were able to pull a goal back nine minutes later. Receiving a cross from Sanna Nyassi, Omar Cummings saw two chances from inside the area blocked by TFC defenders. But the second rolled to Nyassi at the left post, and he drove the ball into the roof of the goal.




• TFC head coach Aron Winter made two changes to the team that defeated the Columbus Crew 4-2 at Crew Stadium. Milos Kocic returned between the posts for Stefan Frei, and Danny Koevermans came into the attack in place of Joao Plata.




• TORONTO FC (3-3-1-3): Milos Kocic - Ashtone Morgan, Torsten Frings, Andy Iro - Richard Eckersley, Julian de Guzman, Ty Harden - Eric Avila (Mikael Yourassowsky 88) - Nick Soolsma (Terry Dunfield 80), Danny Koevermans (Matt Stinson 74), Ryan Johnson.




CHIVAS USA




Chivas USA put an end to their losing streak at four games, coming back for a 2-2 draw with D.C. United on Wednesday evening at RFK Stadium. Chivas USA have 32 points from 30 games on the season, in seventh place in the Western Conference.




LAST MATCH




• United broke through for the opener in the 39th minute. Andy Najar’s curled free kick from just outside the area on the right found the head of Dwayne De Rosario, who glanced it past a sprawling Dan Kennedy in the Chivas goal.




• Two minutes after the second-half restart, United doubled their advantage. De Rosario deflected a Santino Quaranta corner kick on goal, and while Kennedy got a hand to it, D.C. defender Ethan White was on hand to tap the ball home.




• Chivas pulled a goal back in the 57th minute. Spinning away from a defender on the right side of the area, Nick LaBrocca lofted in a beautiful cross that Juan Pablo Ángel headed home from the center of the box.




• Chivas then leveled terms in the 70th minute. A cross from Ante Jazic found Ángel in the box, and when neither White nor Brandon McDonald could clear the ball away, Ángel turned and finished past a lunging Bill Hamid in the United goal.




• United had a glorious chance to win, earning a penalty in stoppage time when Ángel made contact with De Rosario in the box. De Rosario took his own penalty, but Kennedy guessed correctly, diving to his left to make the stop and preserve the draw.




• Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser made four changes to the team that suffered a late 3-2 loss to the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. Heath Pearce and David Junior Lopes returned to the back four in place of Michael Lahoud and Zarek Valentin, and Ben Zemanski and Jorge Flores came back into the midfield for Simon Elliott and Justin Braun.




• CHIVAS USA (4-3-2-1): Dan Kennedy - Michael Umana (Michael Lahoud 84), Heath Pearce, David Junior Lopes, Ante Jazic - Ben Zemanski, Nick LaBrocca, Jorge Flores (Justin Braun 55) - Alejandro Moreno, Marcos Mondaini (Laurent Courtois 62) - Juan Pablo Angel




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LAST MEETING (MLS)




April 2, 2011: Toronto 1-1 Chivas (Gordon 36 – Moreno 2)




• Chivas USA took just two minutes to jump into the lead. Chivas midfielder Jorge Flores pushed into the TFC area, but his shot was blocked. But Alejandro Moreno was first to the loose ball, pivoting around Nana Attakora and poking the ball home past a charging Stefan Frei.




• But the home side pulled even nine minutes before the halftime break when Alan Gordon was left unmarked in the box and easily headed in Jacob Peterson’s freekick from the left side.




• TORONTO FC (4-2-1-3): Stefan Frei – Ty Harden, Nana Attakora (Dicoy Williams 65), Adrian Cann, Danleigh Borman – Jacob Peterson (Julian de Guzman 46), Tony Tchani – Maicon Santos – Javier Martina, Alan Gordon, Alen Stevanovic (Joao Plata 70)




• CHIVAS USA (4-1-3-2): Dan Kennedy – Michael Lahoud, Andrew Boyens, Heath Pearce, Ante Jazic - Ben Zemanski – Nick LaBrocca, Marcos Mondaini (Gerson Mayen 67), Jorge Flores – Alejandro Moreno, Justin Braun (Victor Estupinan 86).




REFEREE




Kevin Stott. SAR (bench): Brian Poeschel; JAR (opposite): Jason Cullum; 4th: Geoff Gamble




Stott MLS Career: 209 games; FC/gm: 25.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 57; pens: 43




INJURY REPORT




CHIVAS – OUT: MF Paulo Nagamura (R foot); PROBABLE: DF Heath Pearce (hamstring)




TORONTO – OUT: MF Elbekay Bouchiba (R knee surgery recovery); DF Adrian Cann (R knee surgery recovery); DF Dicoy Williams (R knee surgery recovery); MF Joao Plata (L hamstring strain); MF Oscar Cordon (R hip flexor); DOUBTFUL: DF Demitrius Omphroy (R knee swelling)




WARNINGS




SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Michael Lahoud, Zarek Valentin, Ben Zemanski … TOR: Danleigh Borman




SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHV: Justin Braun, Simon Elliott, Nick LaBrocca, Michael Umaña … TOR: Julian de Guzman, Terry Dunfield, Ty Harden, Ryan Johnson, Javier Martina, Mikael Yourassowsky




INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES:
none


SUSPENDED:
none




HEAD-TO-HEAD




ALL-TIME (9 meetings): Toronto - 2 wins, 6 goals … Chivas - 6 wins, 16 goals … Ties 1




AT CHIVAS USA (4 meetings): Chivas USA 4 wins, 9 goals … Toronto FC 0 wins, 1 goal … Ties 0




• In the first meeting this season, Alejandro Moreno put Chivas ahead after two minutes but Alan Gordon equalized before halftime, the teams sharing the points in a 1-1 draw, April 2 at BMO Field.




• TFC has lost all four games at Chivas USA. The Reds have been shut out in three of those meetings; they have not scored in their last 240 minutes vs. Chivas at The Home Depot Center.




• Chivas USA won on their first two trips to BMO Field, but Toronto FC won the next two meetings in Canada before the draw this year.




• Coaches record: Aron Winter v CHV: P1 W0 L0 T1 … Robin Fraser vs. TOR: P1 W0 L0 T1