Toronto FC can see the lights of BMO Field approaching as there are now only a few road games left in their grueling start to the 2016 season. Now into fixture six of eight away from home, the Reds travel to face a familiar Eastern Conference rival in DC United on Saturday afternoon. A team where despite having a more storied and successful history, DC have been close competition for Toronto for several years, and RFK stadium has been a venue where all points have been taken, as recent as last year.

Keep thinking
Toronto FC head into DC perhaps feeling a bit of resurgence after an inconsistent opening four games to the 2016 season. While points in two of the first four matches on the road is nothing to be discouraged by, expectations are high for the team and widely considered weak opposition in New York and Colorado should have yielded more. However, with this in mind, it was only last weekend where supporters would have seen what could be characterized as the ideal starting eleven for the team, with Jozy Altidore making his first start of the season.

What this column has been noting since week one is that if TFC are going to be a legitimate attacking threat, they will need more options than Sebastian Giovinco. The first four games of the season saw almost every opportunity taken or created by the Italian DP and it was clear in a 4-3-3 formation where his support is the likes of Daniel Lovitz, Tsubasa Endoh or Marky Delgado, opponents were more than willing to focus primarily on Giovinco.

Against New England, hopefully is the start of getting Giovinco and Altidore back in sync and bringing more balance to TFC's offence and taking some of the attention away from the league MVP. Much has been said of the pros and cons of Altidore and his style of play, however, the goal scored in the 1-1 draw with the Revolution is what TFC have been lacking so far this year and what the will need to encourage more of to cause more problems for their opposition. Specifically, on the tying goal was Altidore emerging as a legitimate scoring threat, drawing the attention of two defenders and allowing Giovinco much needed space to come in from behind and strike the well placed ball onto his path.

It is such a detailed incident to highlight when previewing this fixture, but important in the bigger picture of Toronto creating a balanced approach, especially when coming into DC - an opponent many would suggest should be there for taking all three points.

DC United, once perennial challenges for the Eastern Conference and MLS Cup, now struggle for consistency and re emerging as contenders. It has been a slow start to the season, however, TFC need to be wary of a recent big result and the players who were key in the victory.

A 4-0 win last weekend over Vancouver was the first victory of the season for DC and also marked two braces by players Toronto will need to be wary of. There have been some questions answered so far in terms of goalkeeping, but this match will still be a defensive test and DC have some tricky forwards who can cause problems. Formerly key components of Real Salt Lake, both Fabian Espindola and Alvaro Saborio scored last weekend and delivered a glimpse of what is expected of them. The manner in which they scored, as well, with Saborrio making well-timed runs behind defenders will be something Toronto will have to be prepared for.

Losing Perry Kitchen in the offseason certainly is a blow to the midfield and TFC will look to capitalize on what should be an advantage in this area of the pitch. Lamar Neagle is a good pick up, and Nick Deleon offers excellent pace, but it is not biased to suggest Michael Bradley, Will Johnson, Jonathan Osorio and possibly even Benoit Cheyrou, are of a higher calibre. Defensively, the template to look to might be DC`s the 3-0 loss at the hands of FC Dallas as reliable defenders such as Bobby Boswell and Sean Franklin looked a step off against the quick and technical Dallas forwards. This is something TFC should consider, as Giovinco is the obvious fulcrum, but both Jonathan Osorio and Marky Delgado play more of a passing game that could find space against DC`s backline.

Right now though the key is to get Altidore integrated and Toronto`s best starting eleven building cohesion. There was a glimpse of what can be offered from Altidore and Giovinco linking up, but truthfully there will need to be another player involved to truly make Toronto`s attack dangerous. Whether that is Will Johnson or Jonathan Osorio will remain to be see, but if the Reds can diversify their options and ensure the back are mentally prepared for a tricky group of forwards, it should be a strong showing and three points in hand. 

In the end
Toronto head into DC having appeared to be heading in a better direction after their 1-0 loss to Colorado. A come-from-behind draw with New England, a match that saw some good saves from Clint Irwin as well as some opportunities for TFC to get more than a point offers some hope that they are close to putting their best foot forward. Against DC, the Reds will need to be on point, as last weekend it was shown that even off to a slow start, United have some potent attackers who can quickly turn the game around, and also take it out of reach. TFC's approach has been simple for the last few weeks - find an option outside of Giovinco and things will open up. So far, the team has looked good in the midfield and especially between the posts, and if everyone is prepared for the potential threats DC can bring, TFC's quality should see through for a win.

Prediction
Toronto FC 2 – 1 DC United