Sporting Kansas City travels to Canada looking for second win of 2013 season

SportingKC.com

Sporting Kansas City will play on the road for the second consecutive match of the 2013 MLS regular season when the club takes on Toronto FC at 12:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Rogers Centre.

The match will be broadcast live locally on KCWE, with coverage beginning at 12 p.m. CT, and can be heard live on ESPN 1510 and La Gran D 1340 AM.

Saturday marks the first of three meetings between the clubs during the 2013 MLS regular season. The teams last met during the preseason in both club's final match of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic when Sporting Kansas City earned a 1-0 victory on a goal from Designated Player Claudio Bieler.

Sporting Kansas City and Toronto FC played three times during the 2012 season, twice at Sporting Park and once at BMO Field.

Sporting Kansas City was victorious in all three meetings in 2012, including a 1-0 victory in the last match-up on Canadian soil, and currently has a seven-game unbeaten streak against Toronto FC that began in 2010.

Saturday's match, the first match of Toronto FC's 2013 home schedule, marks the first time that an MLS regular season match will be played at the Rogers Centre.

The previous seven contests in Toronto were held at BMO Field, where Sporting Kansas City holds a 2-2-3 record including a victory in the first ever MLS match at the stadium.

Sporting Kansas City will return eight starters, to Toronto FC's seven, from the last time the two teams met in 2012, including both goal scorers from the 2-1 victory at Sporting Park in Paulo Nagamura and Oriol Rosell.

Coming off a 3-1 victory in their season opener at Philadelphia, Sporting Kansas City is now undefeated in 13 straight MLS regular season matches dating back to the 2012 season, one shy of the all-time club record.

Toronto FC continues their 2013 campaign with head coach Ryan Nelsen making his home coaching debut on Saturday. Nelsen acquired former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Julio Cesar during an active offseason, though Cesar is one four players questionable for tomorrow's contest due to injury along with Luis Silva, Stefan Frei and Taylor Morgan.

Nelsen also acquired MLS veteran defender Danny Califf in the Re-Entry Draft Stage 2 and midfielder Hogan Ephraim on loan from Queens Park Rangers. Joe Bendik, picked up in an offseason trade with the Portland Timbers, started in net for Toronto FC in their season-opening 1-0 loss at Vancouver last weekend.

Sporting Kansas City supporters can follow the match online via @SKCGameday on Twitter and the MLSSoccer.com MatchCenter, or on mobile devices with the MLS MatchDay app.

Additionally, fans outside the local viewing area can watch live on Direct Kick (free preview on March 9-10) and MLS LIVE.