The Columbus Crew dominated the Hell is Real Derby last last Sunday, cruising to a 3-0 victory against rivals FC Cincinnati. The Black & Gold now turn their attention to another rivalry against Toronto FC

TFC comes to Columbus in the midst of a poor season. Sitting second to last in the Eastern Conference, and operating with an interim coach after parting ways with Bob Bradley earlier this year. This match is a great chance for the Crew to take three more points and continue making a climb up the East.

Let’s take a closer look at this game. 

Toronto FC at a Glance:

Record: 3-10-12 (19 Points)

Leading Scorer: Federico Bernardeschi (5)

Assist Leader: Jonathan Osorio (4)

Player to Watch: Federico Bernardeschi

With reports of a disagreement between Lorenzo Insigne and interim head coach Terry Dunfield on Thursday, the Italian’s involvement in this game is questionable. Thus, the attacking load will fall on Bernardeschi’s shoulders.

Bernardeschi joined Toronto last summer from Italian giants Juventus. The 29-year-old Italian has scored 13 goals and recorded four assists in 35 appearances for the club. Bernardeschi is a left-footed player who usually operates on the right wing or central midfield, which allows him the ability to cut inside and attack centrally.

The midfielder excels at receiving the ball in between the midfield and defensive lines and attacking quickly. Bernardeschi’s shooting ability also opens up room for his teammates to attack behind the opponent. The Crew need to keep Bernardeschi at bay on Saturday in order to take all three points. 

How Toronto plays: 

Toronto interim coach Terry Dunfield hasn’t made many changes since taking charge in Toronto. Unfortunately for Dunfield, there hasn’t been much of a difference in results either. Dunfield’s TFC has rotated between a 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 foration in his time in charge, each with little success.

Much of the MO for Toronto has stayed the same tactically. TFC looks to maintain possession and push numbers into attack. The Reds have had a terribly hard time turning this possession into goals as they are in the bottom three in MLS in goals scored and expected goals.

Defensively, Toronto defends in a mid-block and looks to trap the ball in certain areas that differ based on their opponent. 

How the Crew can win:

1. Dominate possession. Both the Crew and Toronto have a high value on keeping possession. If the Black & Gold can keep the majority of the ball, it’ll force TFC to defend for long periods of time. Toronto is 23rd in the league in goals per game (1.4) and is in the top 10 for total xG conceded at 34. If Columbus can force the Reds to defend for much of the game, it should lead to a lot of attacking opportunities for the Black & Gold. 
2. Don’t give away anything cheap. Toronto has been abysmal in the attack in 2023. It’s likely that it will continue on Saturday. The Crew needs to avoid giving away cheap goals on Saturday. This is the most significant area of concern for Black & Gold fans right now, as they’ve seen their team give away multiple cheap goals in 2023. If Columbus turns this around, it will bode well for this match and the rest of the year. 
3. Take chances. The Crew has created all kinds of chances in just about every game in 2023. The Black & Gold did a great job of converting their chances last Sunday and need to do so again against TFC. If Columbus does this, it will put the team in a very comfortable position for all three points on Saturday.