• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Toronto FC-Earthquakes Preview

Jul 10, 2009 - 5:51 PM By DAN PIERINGER STATS Writer

Toronto FC (6-6-4) at San Jose (3-8-4), 10:30 p.m. EDT

A last-place finisher in each of its first two seasons, Toronto FC is now in the middle of a tightly-packed Eastern Conference race thanks to its success at home.

To emerge from that group of contenders and make its first postseason appearance, the club will likely need to improve its play outside Toronto during a road-heavy second half schedule.

Toronto FC tries again for its first road win since its season opener Saturday night when it visits the San Jose Earthquakes, winners of consecutive home matches.

Toronto (6-6-4) has the highest home point total in the East with a 5-3-2 record at BMO Field, where it's played 10 of its first 16 matches. The club hasn't been nearly as strong on the road, where it's 0-3-2 since beating Kansas City in its March 21 season opener.

Interim coach Chris Cummins knows improving on the road is key to staying in the playoff hunt, especially with nine of his club's 14 remaining games - and three of its next four - being played south of the border.

"We're aware we need to start winning games or at least taking points on the road," Cummins told the team's official Web site. "We're going to look at travel arrangements and things like that to get the best out of the players once we're there."

Whatever they tried before their last match didn't work. Toronto was outshot 14-7 overall and 8-2 on goal in a 3-0 loss at Real Salt Lake on June 27.

"I don't think it was a lack of effort, we kept trying and trying, and plugged away all the way to the end, but we just didn't have enough legs in us. We didn't create enough chances, or string together enough passes, and on the night, they were a better team than we were," Cummins said.

Toronto hasn't scored a goal in either of its previous matches against San Jose, playing the Earthquakes to a scoreless tie at home last July 19 and falling 2-0 in San Jose on Oct. 25.

The Earthquakes (3-8-4) are still in last place in the West, but they've gone 2-1-2 after losing their previous six matches. They've won their last two matches at Buck Shaw Stadium, where they're 3-2-2 on the season.

San Jose's turnaround lost some of its luster, however, when the Earthquakes booted in an own goal in stoppage time July 3, forcing them to settle for a 1-all tie at Real Salt Lake.

"To concede a goal with an own goal was tough. Tough, tough, tough," said coach Frank Yallop, whose club also blew a one-goal lead in the 87th minute of a tie with Dallas on June 7.

"You work so hard for 90 minutes, and then one ball breaks us down and we score an own goal. We're two or three minutes away from winning the game, and we did the same thing (we did) in Dallas."