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Union want to make up lost points at Toronto

May 27, 2011 - 2:53 PM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Philadelphia is unbeaten at home this year, but Carlos Ruiz believes Saturday's game against Toronto FC at BMO Field gives the Union an opportunity to make up for the points lost in two home draws.

Philadelphia has won four its first six home matches, but the ties against the Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders FC allowed four total points slip away from the club.

The Union (5-3-2) have secured just three of a possible 12 points on the road, but after notching a spectacular goal in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire last week, Ruiz is confident about earning three points on the road.

"We lost a couple points at home," Ruiz said. "This is a chance to make those points up."

Union boss Peter Nowak thought it was important to have more confidence on the road and sees no reason why Philadelphia cannot get positive results away from PPL Park.

"It's important for us to get into this mentality that there shouldn't be the difference playing at home and away," Nowak said. "I don't want to have this feeling among the team that we're still strong at home (and) the away games won't matter at the end of the day."

Philadelphia has climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference - even on points with Red Bull New York - on the strength of its home results. To stay at the top, the Union also need to get results on the road.

In the Union's last two road matches, losses at FC Dallas and the Portland Timbers, the team played "far from what we are capable of," Nowak said.

Although Toronto FC has just one win in its last 10 matches, the Canadian club is 2-1-4 at home this season. TFC tied the Colorado Rapids, 0-0, last week and has failed to score in five of its last eight games.

Philadelphia may have solved its offensive woes, as it scored two goals in one game for the first time last weekend ("It's a good step forward, especially when you score two goals for the first time," Nowak said.).

Toronto actually has three more goals scored - in two more games played - than Philadelphia, but with six draws has let a lot of points slip away. The tie at Colorado wasn't a disappointment, however.

"From the outset we decided to keep it tight and to keep everything wide and think that we did that today. We proved that we could go into games like this, tough games, and keep clean sheets," Toronto defender Richard Eckersley said.

Now Toronto (2-4-6) needs to post victories at home, as it has just two in its seven matches at BMO this season, accumulating just 10 of a possible 18 points in Canada.