Toronto FC head coach John Herdman has said his side must rediscover their clinical edge upon their MLS return after their Canadian Championship final defeat in midweek.
The Reds were beaten by the Vancouver Whitecaps on penalties after a goalless encounter, with goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer proving to be the hero, making seven saves on the night.
But Herdman was left ruing those missed opportunities as the Whitecaps claimed their third-straight title, insisting his players must respond against the Chicago Fire this weekend.
“We are just not clinical at the moment,” Herdman said. “It’s been a couple games where we’ve been right there knocking on the door but just haven’t been able to find that killer moment or we found a keeper that’s standing on his head.
“That’s the story of TFC at the moment. We’re in the playoff hunt.
“As I said in the dressing room, all I asked is the team showed up, and they did. They have to show up again on Saturday. That’s their next task.”
Chicago, meanwhile, were condemned to back-to-back defeats in the MLS, going down 2-0 to CF Montreal in their last encounter at the Stade Saputo.
That defeat, the Fire’s 16th of the season, leaves them 14th in the Eastern Conference standings, ending their hopes of reaching the playoffs this year.
But with two of their remaining three regular-season fixtures at the SeatGeek Stadium, head coach Frank Klopas has asked his players to give supporters something to cheer after a disappointing campaign.
“We need to finish strong. We need to fight and compete all the way to the end. As long as we have games in front of us, we are professionals and need to play,” Klopas said.
“We need to do our job. We have two home games and regardless of what happens, it’s important, and I have stressed it to the team to finish strongly at home.
“I know it has not been a season with a lot of great moments, but we need to do whatever we can to finish on a positive note and leave a good picture, especially at home.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chicago Fire –Brian Gutierrez
In the absence of top scorer Hugo Cuypers, Gutierrez will be the man tasked with providing the Fire with an attacking spark at the SeatGeek Stadium.
The American notched an assist in their 4-1 win over Toronto earlier in the season, winning three of his five matches against this weekend’s opponents (D1 L1).
Toronto FC – Jonathan Osorio
Osorio has scored six goals against the Fire, his most against any MLS opponent.
However, he hasn’t scored against the Fire since 2019, failing to find the back of the net in his last five appearances against Chicago.
MATCH PREDICTION: CHICAGO FIRE WIN
The Fire have won three of their last four matches against Toronto, including the last two in a row. Prior to the last four meetings, Toronto were unbeaten in 14 straight matches against Chicago (W11 D3).
However, Herdman’s side have lost seven of their last nine matches in all competitions (D1 L1), including the last two in a row. This is the sixth different losing streak of at least two matches for the Fire this season.
Toronto’s 2-0 loss at the Colorado Rapids last Saturday was their 45th regular season road loss since the start of the 2021 season, four more than any other MLS team in that time (Chicago - 41).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Chicago Fire – 48%
Draw – 26%
Toronto FC – 26%
Sahin frustrated by defence despite convincing Dortmund win
Borussia Dortmund staged a convincing 4-2 comeback win over Bochum on Friday, but Nuri Sahin was left frustrated by his side's defensive display.
The Black and Yellow suffered a shock 5-1 defeat at the hands of Stuttgart in their previous Bundesliga game, and got off to a poor start against Bochum, finding themselves 2-0 down after just 21 minutes.
However, a brace from Serhou Guirassy, along with goals from Emre Can and Felix Nmecha, completed the turnaround in a dominant display.
"The supposed scenario of a 3-0, which could have happened, was simply because we defended very, very badly. It was very, very poor defending," Sahin told a press conference.
"We have to develop in this area and defending in depth is always a huge topic. I hope that we improve as quickly as possible, because there's no other way."
Guirassy was the standout performer for Dortmund on Friday with his two goals, as he also had the most shots (six), shots on target (three) and the highest expected goals (1.22). He also had the joint-most touches in the opposition box (nine, level with Jamie Gittens).
Since returning to the Bundesliga in September 2022, Guirassy has scored 42 goals in the top-flight (53 appearances), with no player scoring more in the competition since then.
"We are all very happy that he [Guirassy] is with us. And I'm not just happy that he scores goals, but also how he presents himself," Sahin added.
"I've said that before. And I thought he was also one of those who was clear-headed at half-time.
"That's why we brought him in so that he can help lead here, so that he's not just on the pitch but also off it."
Dortmund are temporarily second in the Bundesliga on 10 points, two behind leaders Bayern Munich. They host Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday before travelling to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga four days later.
Bompastor 'feels wiser' as Chelsea's 100% record continues
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was in a reflective mood after their 7-0 victory at Crystal Palace ensured they continued their perfect start to the Women's Super League.
The former Champions League winner joined the club in May after leading Lyon to a third successive French title, and has won her first two matches in the English top-flight.
Understandably, having never played or managed in England before taking the job at Chelsea, Bompastor spent a lot of time learning about the league before the move.
"I feel wiser," she told Sky Sports after the match.
"Coming to this league, I've spent a lot of time studying the teams, the managers and the way they play.
"I want a lot of information, the most possible. This league is so competitive and if you don't perform you drop points, so you have to prepare properly."
On the performance itself, the Chelsea manager was delighted to keep their 100% record going in such a dominant fashion, but insists there is still more to come from her side.
"It was a great win, three more points and a good performance, even if the first half was a difficult game," she told BBC Sport.
"It is a work in progress. We still have room for improvements for sure, in possession and out of possession.
"We are only at the beginning of the season, it's only the second game. At the high level, it is about getting results, [but] it still takes time to get the right chemistry.
"I think we are getting there, but there is still a lot of work to be done."
New signing Lucy Bronze scored Chelsea's second of the match shortly after half-time and, alongside Johanna Rytting Kaneryd - who scored in the opening match of the season - has impressed down the right-hand side.
The level of understanding they have developed in a short space of time is something that the manager hopes will start to flourish throughout the squad.
"For sure, coming from pre-season and in the last two games, they have a lot of chemistry," she said.
"It's always good for them to know each other and to get used to each other. They understand the way they want to play together and that is good for us.
"We have different options, but this one is a good one."
Luis Enrique relishing Champions League test against 'favourites' Arsenal
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique is relishing his side's Champions League tie with Arsenal next week after brushing aside Rennes on Friday.
The Parisiens maintained their unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season, with Bradley Barcola's brace and Lee Kang-In's header sealing the victory.
PSG are now unbeaten in their first six matches of a league season for the third time in the last four campaigns (L1 in 2023-24), as many as in the previous six.
Luis Enrique's side have also scored at least three goals in five of their six Ligue 1 matches, two more than any other team in the top five European leagues.
But the Parisiens' next assignment sees them travel to the Emirates next Tuesday to face Arsenal, having edged past Girona in their Champions League opener.
The French side have played more games against the Gunners without winning (four) than against any other opponent in European competition. Still, Luis Enrique is confident his side can remain perfect in the competition.
“It was a very complete match from the beginning, we had a lot of chances. We scored three goals, but we could have scored more," Luis Enrique told BeIN Sports.
"The Champions League? We are going to play against another favourite (in Arsenal), it will be a stimulating match, we will prepare ourselves.”
While Barcola's impressive display grabbed the headlines on Friday, Luis Enrique showered praise on striker Kang-In.
The South Korean netted his third league goal of the season against Rennes, but the PSG head coach was also impressed with his defensive display.
Kang-In created more chances (seven) than any other player for the hosts, while also winning seven duels, a total only bettered by Joao Neves (eight) for PSG.
"He was in the right place to score the goal as a clever striker," Luis Enrique added.
"I really liked his performance, he gave us consistency, he held the ball up when we needed him to.
"He is very intelligent with his pressing, he wins back a lot of balls and recovers well.
"I thought he was superb tonight, it’s a pleasure to have players with that level and mentality."
The Parisiens did, however, concede another goal in the league, with Arnaud Kalimuendo's late penalty proving to be a consolation for the visitors.
PSG have managed just one clean sheet from their opening six Ligue 1 matches, but Luis Enrique insisted he was not concerned by his side's defending.
"Football is not being fair to us," Luis Enrique concluded.
"Our opponents are creating very few chances against us, far fewer than last season, and they get there (to set pieces) and they score.
"They scored from a penalty today. We're not perfect and never will be."
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