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Seattle aims to put injures behind them at Toronto

Apr 29, 2011 - 8:58 PM Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Seattle Sounders FC will be gunning to extend their five-game unbeaten run Major League Soccer play when they host Toronto FC at Qwest Field on Saturday.

The team is coming off a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids last Friday, but suffered a devastating blow in the win.

Winger Steve Zakuani broke is leg after a horror tackle by Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan that earned the veteran a 10-game suspension from the league. Zakuani is expected to miss the remainder of the season after both his fibula and tibia were broken in the dirty challenge. Also, forward O'Brian White is out for the foreseeable future after having surgery to remove a blood clot.

Missing from a Sounders lineup that has struggled to score this season are two players who have accounted for over half of the goal scoring production.

"We've talked about depth all season," Seattle midfielder Brad Evans told the league's website. "It's something that the coaches brought in: a number of guys who can play at any minute and make an impact. Now it's up to guys stepping in and contributing the best they can."

Toronto is aiming to snap a five-game winless run. Although the team only has one loss in that span, it has been unable to get over the hump and bring home the full points even with four of those five games at BMO Field.

TFC's last draw, 1-1 vs. Columbus, came with them down to 10 men because Tony Tchani was ejected with his second yellow after jumping into the crowd after he scored his first goal for the Canadian club in the first half.

"It was stupid because he had his first yellow card, and you know that when you leave the pitch to jump in the crowd you are going to get your second yellow," TFC manager Aron Winter told the league's website. "At that moment he was emotional because it was his first goal for TFC, and he forgot, but it was not clever."

Early in the second half Edgar Renteria got the equalizer for Columbus.

"It is a pity that we tied, because after last week how we started, compared to now, it was a very good start," Winter said. "Not only the start, but the way we played the first half, it was very good because we were dominating the game at that time,. In the second half we made some changes because we have a very hard period in the coming weeks, and you have to be careful with some players, so we made some changes to at least get one point."

In addition to Tchani, who is suspended for Saturday's game, TFC will be without midfielder Elbekay Bouchiba and forward Keith Makubuya because of injuries. Defenders Adrian Cann and Nana Attakora, forward Alan Gordon and midfielders Alen Stevanovic and Gianluca Zavarise are all questionable with knocks.

Seattle will be without Zakuani and White, while forward Pat Noonan is probable.