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TFC gunning for first points against Chivas

Apr 13, 2012 - 4:56 PM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Toronto FC is hoping that history will be on its side ahead of Saturday's match against Chivas USA at BMO Field.

The Reds have lost their first four games to start the season, a mark of futility equaled by the club in its inaugural season.

But game number five that year resulted in TFC's first win, which head coach Aron Winter will be hoping his team can duplicate.

Winter's side has matched the worst start to a season in club history by being outscored 9-2 in its first four games and defender Richard Eckersley feels as though the solution is simple.

"We need to take (mistakes) out of the game," Eckersley said. "If we take them out of the game, we will win games. We are getting chances, we are getting opportunities. Mistakes happen you can accept that, but it can't happen every week."

Simple mistakes have played a big part but so too has the fact that TFC has faced a busy early-season schedule.

With the club taking part in the knockout round of the CONCACAF Champions League Winter's team has had little time to regroup from one game to the next. Last Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Montreal was the team's fifth game in 14 days.

Winning on the road is not something easily accomplished in MLS, but Chivas has made it seem routine so far this campaign.

Through the first five games Chivas has lost all three of its home matches at The Home Depot Center, but takes a perfect 2-0-0 mark on the road to Toronto.

A 2-1 win at the Portland Timbers last time out saw the club snap out of its offensive woes with Chivas having scored just once in its first four games.

And now after putting together its best offensive effort of the season Chivas is eyeing back-to-back wins for the first time this year.

The first four games were a major struggle, but according to midfielder Ryan Smith, the win over Portland was a much-needed result that could propel the team forward.

"The guys were saying that last year, this would have been a game that we'd lose normally," Smith told MLSsoccer.com, "and we won today and everyone should be proud of themselves. We needed this big-time, and we delivered."