Toronto FC-Union preview

Jozy Altidore and surging Toronto FC visit the Philadelphia Union on Saturday in a showdown between two of the top-four squads on the Eastern Conference table at Chester, Pa.

After a slow, injury-plagued start to the season, Altidore has emerged over the last month, fueling Toronto's push to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Toronto (10-7-7) has four wins and a draw in its last five outings and now trails first-place New York City FC by just one point heading into the weekend. Altidore has three goals and an assist in his last four appearances, and U.S. national teammate Michael Bradley also is in form.

In addition to Altidore and Bradley, Toronto boasts the reigning MVP, Sebastian Giovinco, who is enjoying a brilliant encore to last year's performance. Giovinco has 15 goals, tied for the MLS lead with New York City FC's David Villa, and is second in the league in assists with 11.

"Going to Philadelphia, where it's been a really tough place for teams to play this year and an Eastern Conference rival whom is near the top of the table ... it's an important game for us to assert ourselves as one of the best teams in the East," Toronto's Eriq Zavaleta told the team's website.

The Union (9-8-7) are right on Toronto's heels, three points behind, and added a key acquisition this month in midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, a U.S. national teammate of Altidore and Bradley.

Bedoya made his Union debut last week in 4-0 win over New England. He looked sharp during a 72-minute performance that saw him complete 40 of 45 passes.

"I think you saw with the addition of Alejandro, a guy that can slow the game down when it needs to slow down, and can speed it up when it needs to speed up," Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin told reporters. "It gave us a little bit of a calming presence in possession. I think the guys fed off of that. I thought we were tough to break down all night."

This is the first of two meetings between the two teams. They'll play again Sept. 24 in Toronto.