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Toronto hosts winless Chivas at BMO Field

Apr 1, 2011 - 9:35 PM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Dutchman Javier Martina provided a glimpse of the attacking style countryman Aron Winter hopes to develop as boss of Toronto FC, but "we need more time to work on that," the first-year coach admitted.

Martina scored twice last weekend in a 2-0 victory over the expansion Portland Timbers, as Toronto FC (1-1-0) opened its home slate with a victory - Winter's first as coach.

Winless Chivas USA (0-2-0), which also lost its U.S. Open Cup play-in match on Tuesday against the Timbers, visits BMO Field on Saturday as Toronto plays the second of five home Major League Soccer games during a six-game stretch.

After dropping its opener at the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 4-2, in the first MLS meeting of Canadian clubs, Toronto will try to claim its second in a row before new Chivas coach Robin Fraser can get things settled with his club.

The best sign for Winter is that TFC has scored two goals in each of its first two games. In the opener, Dwayne De Rosario, who led the club with 15 goals in 2010, and Maicon Santos scored.

But Toronto FC traded De Rosario on Friday to Red Bull New York for midfielder Tony Tchani, defender Danleigh Borman and a first-round pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.

Winter knows his system remains a work in progress, and Toronto can take a bit of the pressure off of the learning curve with another win this week. Even as the club begins the post-De Rosario era.

Winter still doesn't have designated player Julian De Guzman available, as he continues to recover from knee surgery, and Belgian Mikael Yourassowsky is out after being sent off last week.

But with Chivas struggling, Toronto has a golden chance to pick up three more points this weekend.

Chivas could be without defender Jimmy Conrad due to a concussion and he would leave a hole in Fraser's defense, which has leaked six combined goals in three games between MLS and the Open Cup.

Fraser's club lost its season opener, 3-2, at home to Sporting Kansas City and dropped last weekend's match at the Home Depot Center to the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids, 1-0.

Although the result against Colorado was better, the 2-0 defeat at Portland in the U.S. Open Cup leaves more concerns about Chivas as the schedule enters its second month. In MLS, just Chivas and Portland are without a point.