MLS – New England Revolution vs Toronto FC Prediction

In Major League Soccer (MLS), the New England Revolution will host Toronto FC on Wednesday, July 7, at 7:00 pm EST. This Eastern Conference battle pits first place against last place, and will be an opportunity for interim head coach Javier Perez to vie for the head coach position.

New England has had a good season, to say the least, so far, coming off a 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew away in the Crew’s first game in their new stadium. Toronto, however, is coming off a 7-1 loss against D.C. United that was the cherry on top of their disastrous season so far and resulted in the sacking of their first-year head coach Chris Armas.

Toronto has their work cut out for them this game, looking to make a much-needed turn to their season. New England has not had the greatest last two games, so they want to get back to their winning ways.

New England’s Ways to Win

Bruce Arena’s squad will be missing Luis Caicedo in the midfield as well as starting goalkeeper Matt Turner. Two things are certain about this game. New England will score within the first half as they have done many times throughout this season, and if they give up a goal, it will probably come in the second half. Six of their eight conceded goals happened in the second half.

New England needs to play a full 90 minutes to win. They do not have the toughest matchup this week, and they have taken results away from much more talented sides, but that leaves plenty of room to be complacent. This will be a mental test of New England. Can they get the job done against one of the worst teams in the MLS? There’s no doubt they’ll make changes, and no doubt they’ll score them, but they can stay locked in for two full halves and come away with a clean sheet. Bruce Arena has plenty of experience under his belt and should be able to instill into his team of professionals that these games are just as important as those against Orlando or Columbus.

Toronto’s Ways to Win

This will be tough for Toronto. It’s most certainly an uphill battle. They need an entirely new game plan to win. Hopefully, they will depart from the high press that Armas wanted and work to play with a line of confrontation and make other teams beat them. When they pressed high, they left themselves wide open in the midfield and made it too easy for opponents. They need to make their defense compact and slow down their opposition.

At this point, it’s mental for Toronto. If they can make it difficult for the opposition, they might be able to build some confidence and start playing with a little bit more energy and enthusiasm. Against a New England team that has given up twelve fewer goals and scored seven more, Toronto needs a new personality.

New England vs Toronto Prediction

It’s safe to say that Toronto has fallen from grace since last season’s second-seeded finish in the Eastern Conference. A new manager might be the change they need, but Toronto is going to need a few games to make a real culture shift inside their club. Nobody turns around after a 5-point start after 11 games and a 7-1 thrashing and beats the #1 team in the Eastern Conference. This should be a walk in the park for New England, and they will execute as such.

Prediction: New England 3, Toronto 0