Toronto FC vs DC United Prediction: Expect a goal fest

The clash between Toronto and DC United is set to take place at the BMO Field on the 1st of September.

Where Toronto FC has stayed a bit more consistent is in the three wins they have managed from their last five games. The fact they can scrape victories over Forge indicates a tight defense could be key in this game.

DC United has just one victory in the last five matches. They have always been involved in high-scoring matches, though. In their previous 10 matches, over 2.5 goals have been witnessed. Open games to a larger extent have been the case as this team has found the back of the net with both teams scoring in 5 of their last 7 matches.

Toronto presently finds themselves eighth in the Eastern Conference with a current record of 10W-3D-14L. Amidst their inconsistent season, Toronto has battled on to win three out of their last five matches, which means they have accumulated a recent record of 3W, 1D, and 1L. Their most recent result was a very good 1-nil home win over Forge in the Canadian Championship and perhaps means they are finding some form, along with a kind of defensive stability. With this position on the table, Toronto are in the hunt for a playoff spot, and that makes this match important since they will try to consolidate their position.

Toronto FC is going to look for home-field advantage coupled with their current form to push onto DC United, especially to unsettle the defensive structure. The concentration for Toronto could be on keeping solidity at the back while taking advantage of DC United's vulnerability in leaking goals.

DC United is having a torrid season, seated 15th in the Eastern Conference with 6 wins, 8 draws, and 12 losses. The form has been rather grim with just one win in the last five matches (1W, 1D, 3L). They are coming from a high-scoring but very disappointing, to say the least, 4-3 loss at home to FC Dallas. This result underlines their defensive vulnerabilities, as they have seen over 2.5 goals in each of their last 10 matches. In fact, such a defensive ineptness has continuously been the theme of the season for DC United; this is positively an area where they must firm up if they hope to salvage anything from the season.

DC United will most probably continue their trend of open, attacking football. Considering the high goal count of their recent games, an aggressive strategy on their part to try and outscore Toronto might be left backfired, thus leaving them exposed at their back.

This is a very competitive rivalry, with the balance of wins to losses being as follows:

Toronto FC has been the winner a total of 6 times; for DC United, it has been 5 times, while 9 matches between them ended in a draw.

That was how their last meeting ended 2-2, highlighting how each of these teams fared in an attacking sense.

They have also not kept a clean sheet in their last 11 meetings, further emphasizing the likelihood of goals on both sides.

The fixture is also a strong indicator of goals, as nine of the past nine matches between the sides have seen over 2.5 goals, while both sides have scored in each of their ten combined recent outings.

DC United would, thus, have a minor psychological advantage of starting fast with their first-time scorers in six of the last eight meetings.

This match is likely to be an open contest with goals at each end. Looking at the form of DC United recently, the home advantage, and the defensive problems, the edge should be for Toronto FC. However, most of the games they have played recently do provide evidence that they usually score in a match.

Taking it all into consideration, the slightly better form of Toronto and home advantage, coupled with some defensive vulnerabilities in the camp of DC United, point to a narrow victory for Toronto in a high-scoring encounter.

Over 2.5 goals and BTTS are very probable; this is based on the general trend lately and from historical head-to-head data.

• Home Win or Draw and Over 2.5 Goals at 2.11 Odds
• Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals at 1.68 Odds
• Toronto to Win 3-2 at 19.00 Odds