<h2>
Last Time Out:<br />
</h2>
<p>
Philadelphia crushed Inter Miami 3-0; Toronto handled Columbus 3-1.
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<h2>
Previous Meeting:<br />
</h2>
<p>
Philadelphia beat Toronto 2-1 at BMO Field in Toronto.
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<h2>
About the Matchup:<br />
</h2>
<p>
Second place and possibly first in the East are on the line here as the Union makes the trip to Toronto's American home base. The Reds are currently locked out of Canada thanks to COVID, so like the Blue Jays before them, Toronto FC has found its own home on American soil for 2020. So far, the Reds have taken to Connecticut much like the Blue Jays took to Buffalo, as their first "home" match resulted in a convincing 3-1 win over first-place Columbus.
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<p>
But other than a stalemate at Cincinnati, the Union are coming in hot. Philadelphia has taken 13 points from its past five matches and has looked pretty good doing it, as the Union have scored at least three goals in three of their past five games and won all three by a three-goal margin. For Philadelphia, this game is a true measuring stick, as Toronto has claimed three of the last four Eastern Conference championships and looks very capable of making it four for five. Can the Union make a statement?
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<h2>
Scouting Philadelphia:<br />
</h2>
<p>
Alejandro Bedoya has been quiet as of late, but with the captain not exactly scoring, other players have stepped up in a big way. None has been bigger for Union as of late than Anthony Fontana, who has now scored four goals in Philadelphia's past four matches and appears to be a genuine star in the making. Fontana is a local product, having grown up in Newark, Del., and the 20-year-old has made himself an invaluable part of the Philadelphia lineup over the past month.
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<p>
At the same time, the Union have played rock-solid defense. Philadelphia is working on a shutout streak of 265 minutes since conceding the opening goal to Montreal on Sept. 20, and the Union have established itself as one of the stingiest sides in MLS. A large part of that is because Philadelphia has an outstanding keeper in Andre Blake, but credit also has to go to the Union's back four. As a unit, Philadelphia hasn't allowed anyone but Portland to score more than one goal since COVID.
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<h2>
Scouting Toronto FC:<br />
</h2>
<p>
On the one hand, the fact that Toronto is in second place is expected. After all, the Reds have the highest payroll in the league and have been exclusively playing Montreal and Vancouver, two of the weaker sides, in 2020. On the other, Toronto's travel schedule has been as bad as it gets. The Reds spent four straight matches on the road before coming "home" to Connecticut, where it took a half, but they finally solved Columbus.
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<p>
Toronto now enters this match on a four-match unbeaten streak and is riding the performance of its newest star, midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo. Pozuelo has now scored in four of the last five matches for Toronto, and along with Jozy Altidore, he's shown a flair for finding a late goal. In three of the Reds' past four games, they've scored in the final 15 minutes, and both Pozuelo and Altidore have managed to score in the last two minutes of the match during that stretch.
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<h2>
Dan's Score Prediction:<br />
</h2>
<p>
It's been five matches since the last draw between these teams, but Philadelphia has been quickly making up ground over the past two seasons and now believes that it's ready to play on the same level as Toronto. I don't think they're ready to get a win, but I absolutely see them pushing Toronto to the wire in this one.
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<p>
I'll take this match to finish 1-1 at +650.
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