Carson, CA – Toronto FC and Chivas USA will square off at the StubHub Center on Wednesday as both clubs seek a much-needed victory.
Neither club has had much to celebrate this season as they occupy spots in the bottom-three of the overall MLS table. Chivas sits at the bottom of the Western Conference on 14 points while Toronto, on 13 points, is second from bottom in the East.
Even while Chivas has managed one more point than Toronto this season, things appear to more dire for the Goats ahead of Wednesday's clash.
The club's winless streak was extended to 14 games after Chivas surrendered a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park on Friday, the first time since June 19 that the Goats have conceded more than one goal in a league game.
The final result was made even more disappointing by the fact that Chivas held a one-goal lead on the road and was level with Philadelphia heading into the 82nd minute.
"For me, it's not easy to talk about the final result because Chivas USA, for 70 minutes, was very good," said Chivas head coach Jose Luis Real. "For the last 20 minutes, Philadelphia did very well. We had a little bit of problems at the end of the game."
Chivas' horrid run without a win is one game shy of the club record and tied for the third-longest winless run in MLS history. It also matches the longest ever such streak contained within a single season.
Toronto, meanwhile, is four games without a win after it was upended by Sporting Kansas City in a 3-0 loss at Sporting Park on Saturday.
Ryan Nelsen, head coach of the Canadian club, stated prior to the match that he was happy with the progress his side had made, saying that despite Toronto's numerous losses that they were never really out of a game. The same could not be said after the resounding defeat at the weekend.
"We had a bad day at the office and that is the first time that I have had to say that," Nelsen said. "It's the first time I have had to say that we got turned over. But some very good teams have come into this stadium and been turned over even worse than what we have."
But for all of Nelsen's optimism, Toronto certainly appears to be in the midst of a downslide. The Reds have conceded a season-high three goals in consecutive games and have been blanked on the attacking end in three of the last four games.
"It was a disappointing night for everybody and the players know it," Nelsen said after the defeat at Sporting. "We have the standards that I have set and that they try to adhere to and we didn't get there tonight.
"I think this is the first time we can all hold our hands up. This is when you really measure the true character of guys. It is very easy when things are going well. It is when your backs are against the wall that you have to find out the steel of a player and a person. These are all tests."
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