TFC aims to start new home streak vs. RSL

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Real Salt Lake travels to take on Toronto FC in Major League Soccer action at BMO Field on Saturday night.

RSL, which has just one league loss in its last 16, will be facing a Toronto side that is coming off its first home loss of the season last weekend to New York. The loss snapped a 17-game home unbeaten run for TFC, the fourth-longest in MLS history.

"I don't think we started particularly well, the first five, six minutes we were kind of lethargic," Toronto coach Preki said after the 4-1 home loss to New York. "We could have easily been down in that first five or six minutes. But then we found the life and we had quite a few opportunities.

"We win together, we lose together, and [vs. New York] we lost together. We have to pick ourselves up."

Toronto (7-8-5) is also coming off a 2-1 loss at Panamanian side Arabe Unido in CONCACAF Champions League at mid-week.

RSL (11-4-6) hasn't played a league fixture since a 2-0 win over Columbus on Aug. 20, but it has played a pair of Champions League fixtures since that time.

The first was a 2-1 win over Arabe Unido on Aug. 18, before falling at Cruz Azul, 5-4, on Wednesday. Despite the most recent loss, the defending MLS Cup champions were optimistic about the result.

"I think we have to take a lot of positive things away from this match," RSL coach Jason Kreis said after the loss in Mexico. "We came down here and did what we set out to do, which was not to sit back and defend the entire match. We came out here and tried to put our best foot forward and go on the attack, and if you can put up four goals on Cruz Azul at their place you have to say you've done that."

Despite playing at midweek, RSL is relatively healthy, while Toronto will be without defender Emmanuel Gomez and midfielder Amadou Sanyang, while forward Maicon Santos is probable, all with injuries.