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Sporting Kansas City are north of the border for a Saturday afternoon lunch date with the worst team in Major League Soccer, 2012. Toronto FC shipped the star faces of Eric Hassli, Ryan Johnson and Joao Plata out of town over the offseason, and axed Paul Mariner in favor of new head coach Ryan Nelsen just days before the preseason began. In short, Toronto are in a heavy transition period for the time being.
Sporting KC picked up last week where they left off during the whole of 2012, winning 3-1 away to Philadelphia Union. TFC lost 1-0 at Vancouver Whitecaps. The three points up for grabs this afternoon are vital for each team's 2013 aspirations, no matter the gulf in class.
Starting lineups for this afternoon's game are as follows:
Starting XI: Nielsen; Myers, Collin, Besler, Sinovic; Rosell, Nagamura, Feilhaber; Zusi, Bieler, Convey. Kickoff in 1 hour. #TORvSKC
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) March 9, 2013
#TFC XI: Bendik; Eckersley, Califf, O'Dea, Morgan; Bostock, Dunfield, Hall, Lambe; Ephraim, Earnshaw .. #TFClive #MLS
— Toronto FC (@torontofc) March 9, 2013
No changes for Sporting KC from the season opener, as predicted.