• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Fire-Toronto FC Preview

May 7, 2010 - 7:17 PM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Chicago (2-2-2) at Toronto FC (2-4-0), 4:00 p.m. EDT

Toronto FC coach Preki made the surprising decision in his team's most recent game to sit its most dynamic offensive player, only to watch the gamble backfire.

Saying he won't repeat the mistake, Preki looks for Toronto to bounce back Saturday in a home game against the Chicago Fire.

Toronto (2-4-0) has the league's second-leading scorer in Dwayne De Rosario, who has six of his team's seven goals this season. However, he and Julian DeGuzman, who had started four of the previous five games, did not enter until the second half last Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake.

Preki said he was trying to focus on boosting a defense that has given up 12 goals this season - second-most in the league - while providing his star player some extra rest. Instead, Toronto quickly fell behind, giving up two goals in the first half.

De Rosario scored in the 88th minute to avoid the shutout, but Toronto was outshot 12-7.

"Overall the experiment I had tried with the group didn't work," Preki told the team's official website. "A lot of guys had played a lot of minutes and we were hoping to give some guys a rest and keep it tight, but unfortunately we gave up the goals and that gave us a mountain to climb."

Coming off its fourth loss in as many road games, Toronto plays two of its next three at home, where it has had much better defensive performances in a 2-1 win over Philadelphia and a 2-0 victory over Seattle.

De Rosario, meanwhile, will try to extend his hot start. He had a goal in Toronto's draw with the Fire (2-2-2) in Chicago last year. The Fire won 2-0 in Toronto earlier that season.

Toronto will be looking to take advantage of a Chicago team that has struggled at times to score in 2010. The Fire, though, vowed to give a better effort in their next contest after a particularly anemic effort in their most recent game.

After back-to-back 2-0 victories over D.C. and Houston, Chicago managed only three shots on goal in a 1-1 draw against Chivas last Saturday. The Fire's Baggio Husidic scored his second goal in as many games.

"I think we just have to do a better job of coming out from our tracks a little quicker and being a lot more alert," forward Patrick Nyarko told the Fire's official website. "I think that was the worst game we played all year."

Nyarko had an assist in the draw, extending his assist streak to four games, one shy of matching the club record. However, he's looking to do more as he remains without a goal after recording four last season.

"It's frustrating not to have scored, especially tied 1-1 when you want to score a goal and make a difference," he said.

Nyarko's last trip to Toronto was frustrating, getting benched in the second half after struggling in the first.