A depleted Toronto FC will travel to Charlotte looking to restart after a string of losses

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Back-to-back losses to Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver and a growing injury list have brought Toronto FC back to earth after an impressive 3-1-1 start to the MLS season.

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Coach John Herdman is urging courage and patience from his depleted squad as they look to end the slide at Charlotte FC on Saturday.

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But what Toronto (3-3-1) needs most is time.

A healthy and mature time under the former Canadian coach.

“We're still building as a team,” Herdman said. “This is a team that is two points off the bottom of the league … We just haven't been able to get a consistent, cohesive squad that consistently puts the same guys in key positions.”

The visit to Bank of America Stadium marks TFC's fifth road game in eight matches and its second against Charlotte.

Toronto beat Charlotte 1-0 at home at BMO Field on March 9, thanks to Lorenzo Insigne's 80th minute strike from distance. It was later recognized as the goal of the week.

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The win improved TFC's record to 2-0-1. But Herdman's club has gone 1-3-0 since then, including a 4-0 loss in Vancouver last Saturday.

“We've let ourselves down twice in the last two games, where we didn't have the patience and control when a goal could have changed the game,” Herdman said.

Coming off two recent losses, Toronto is 7-1 entering the weekend in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte (2-3-2) is two points down in ninth place.

Charlotte is winless on the road at 0-3-1 this season, but 2-0-1 at home, with an average attendance of 30,778 this season – second only to Atlanta's 50,961.

Toronto is third at 25,498, just ahead of Vancouver at 25,293. (The Whitecaps announced on Thursday that they had sold more than 16,000 of their season memberships). Montreal has yet to play at home this season.

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Charlotte has gone 1-2-1 since the first meeting with Toronto, most recently losing 1-0 in New England.

Scoring has been a problem for both teams, with just six goals against in seven games – an average of 0.86, which ties the two for 25th in offense. Vancouver leads the league with an average of 2.33 goals per game.

Six different players have scored six goals in Charlotte, with Argentina forward Enzo Copetti, the designated player, yet to score in five games.

“If we don't create chances, that's when you start to worry,” said England midfielder Ashley Westwood, Charlotte's captain. “We are creating good opportunities. It's up to us to work hard in training and get it right.”

“One minute they'll be like London buses, they'll all come at once… We believe we'll be hitting someone for six soon. I told the guys that,” he added. “We are very close to being a really good team. And this is only the last part. That's why the best strikers in the world get the most money because it's the hardest job in football.”

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Toronto continue to search for a centre-forward to complement Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi when the main transfer window closes on April 23.

“We're pushing, absolutely pushing,” Herdman said. “We have money saved up. This pot of money may not be enough to get us what we need. We are still looking at evaluating what we can get out.”

But the club is waiting for the right part, he added.

“We can't band-aid this and just panic and buy,” Herdman said. “I want to be patient and see what happens in the summer (transfer) window. I know this will kill the fans. But it also kills the fans, and if a guy comes in, they feel like there's no rebellion.

The defense was much better for both teams, with Charlotte third in the league in allowing an average of 0.86 goals per game. Toronto's numbers gave up 1.29 goals per game after losing to Vancouver with Herdman's team tied for 12th.

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Toronto is without injured Insigne, Richie Laria, Brandon Servania, Shane O'Neal and Raul Petretta, and Tyrese Spicer is a question mark. The rookie was due to see a foot specialist on Thursday due to a toe injury.

On a positive note, center fielder Nixoen Gomis returned to action wearing a cast to protect his surgically repaired wrist in Vancouver.

Toronto may get their first look at Charlotte's recent acquisition of Israeli international winger Liel Abada. Coach Dean Smith has options: Copetti and 6-footer Patrick Agyemang are both healthy.

“I want it to be a competitive battle,” Smith said of his starting power forward.

Charlotte is without defender Nate Byrne and midfielder Ben Bender, while midfielder Andrew Privett is questionable with a hamstring problem.

Herdman calls Charlotte “a very well-organized department.”

“The tightest team in MLS… They go from front to back. This is live football,” he said.

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