TORONTO -- With an early kickoff and traffic snarls expected, Toronto FC will be spending the night in a hotel ahead of their date Saturday with the Portland Timbers.
Manager Greg Vanney said the hotel idea came from the players.
Getting in and out of BMO Field for the 1 p.m. game will be complicated by the weekend closure of the nearby Gardiner Expressway.
Toronto will be missing star striker Jermain Defoe (groin) and midfielder Collen Warner (hamstring) while Brazilian midfielder Jackson is suspended following his red card last weekend.
Toronto, in seventh place with a 10-11-7 record, is three points out of the playoff picture in the East.
The Timbers hold down the last playoff position in the West, sitting in fifth spot with a 9-8-12 record.
