• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Toronto FC-Sounders Preview

Aug 28, 2009 - 4:44 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Toronto FC (8-8-6) at Seattle (8-6-9), 4:00 p.m. EDT

In the midst of three straight long trips to face Western Conference clubs, Toronto FC is hoping it can shake off any travel-related issues this week.

Toronto will try to forget a dismal trip from a week ago when it plays the Seattle Sounders FC in a matchup of the two newest MLS teams Saturday at Qwest Field.

Toronto (8-8-6) is trying to reach the playoffs for the first time in its third season and is tied with New England with 30 points for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Seattle (8-6-9), meanwhile, is tied for third in the West with Chivas USA with 33 points. The expansion club and Chivas are two points behind Los Angeles for the second automatic playoff spot in the conference.

Toronto failed to put any of its 13 shots on goal in a 2-0 loss to Chivas last Saturday.

"As a team we just need to come together now," defender Chad Barrett said. "This is the first game of a three-game trip. We can't get too high when we win and we can't get really get that low when we lose because we have to go to Seattle next week and then Colorado the next weekend and we need wins.

"Now that we didn't come away with any points here, we need wins. We need to step up and get the team morale going again for the Seattle trip."

TFC altered its travel plans, leaving for the Pacific Northwest on Thursday to prepare for this contest. The club also believes it has cleared up any issues for rookie forward O'Brian White, a Canadian of Jamaican descent who was forced to go to Los Angeles on his own last weekend due to issues with U.S. customs.

"At the end of the day, we set ourselves targets, and we have to meet those targets," Toronto interim coach Chris Cummins said. "The playoffs is key for us, and that's something we have to do, and if we don't reach it, it's our own faults and it's down to ourselves."

The Sounders got the tying goal from Nate Jaqua in the 70th minute Sunday in a 1-1 draw at Houston after having lost three of the previous four matches.

Seattle played its first road game April 4 at Toronto and won 2-0 on goals by Freddie Ljungberg and rookie Steve Zakuani.

"That (the game at Toronto) and maybe the Houston games are the two best games we've played this season," Ljungberg said. "Both of them are away from home and we played some great football."

Five of Seattle's last seven matches are against Eastern Conference foes, and it will begin the stretch run with a healthy roster.

"We have no suspensions, we have no real injuries of note," goalkeeper Kasey Keller said. "So our fingers are crossed that we take advantage of that."