Toronto FC chasing Supporter’s Shield, hope to keep rolling in Philadelphia

Toronto FC has its sights set on the Supporter’s Shield.

TFC heads to Philadelphia on Saturday to face a Union side riding a five-game unbeaten streak with the Reds hoping to close in on Major League Soccer’s best regular season record with 10 games remaining. TFC (10-7-7) is eight points back of league-leaders FC Dallas (13-6-6) with a game in hand.

“The way it sets up, if we can continue to be solid at home and do well on these last two road trips that we have, it’s still within reach,” said Reds coach Greg Vanney. “It’s all about accumulating points, not letting it slide now. As (Supporter’s Shield) as a goal, we don’t have a lot of leeway now. We’ve got to be really solid with these matches and take every point that we can along the way.

“I still think it’s within reach, but it’s going to be a very competitive stretch for both conferences.”

The Reds head to Philly (9-8-7) in the second game of a three-game road trip. TFC played to a 1-1 draw against Houston on Sunday after rain postponed Saturday’s match.

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A win, coupled with a draw or loss by New York City FC, would move Toronto into top spot in the Eastern Conference — something players have been keeping a close eye on.

“We’re always looking at (it),” admitted midfielder Marky Delgado. “After every game we’re looking at the scores and seeing who is where, who got points, who dropped — we’re always paying attention to that.”

Philly is 7-2-3 on home turf this season and sit just three points back of the Reds in the conference. The Union enter the match following a 4-0 win over the New England Revolution last Saturday.

Saturday marks the first of two meetings between the two clubs this season with the return match at BMO Field on Sept. 24. Toronto won all three meetings between the two sides last season while limiting the Union to just two goals.

The Reds know this year’s Philly squad is much improved over last year’s, which finished ninth in the Eastern Conference. This year, the Union are just three points shy of matching last season’s point total (37) and rank third in the league with 42 goals for.

“They brought in a bunch of new guys, had faith in keeping the same coach as last year and they’ve had some young players step up for them,” said Reds defender Eriq Zavaleta. “Their new signings have done well and they’re team that understands who they are and plays within themselves and in this league, that’s a recipe for success.”

Note: Toronto formally announced the acquisition of Panamanian international midfielder Armando Cooper on loan from Deportivo Arabe Unido on Thursday. The 28-year-old is on loan for the remainder of the MLS season with an option for next season.

“Armando is a very good player, very versatile. He’s played on the wing, he’s played in the middle of the midfield, he’s played right back; he’s played a number of positions. He comes with a lot of experience,” Vanney said.

Dhiren Mahiban , The Canadian Press