Toronto FC - D.C. United live blog

I'll be live-blogging tonight's Toronto FC match against D.C. United (7:30 p.m. Eastern/4:30 p.m. Pacific, Rogers Sportsnet) here and at The 24th Minute. It should be a good one; D.C. leads the East with 13 points from a 3-1-4 record, while TFC is in second with 12 points from a 3-2-3 record. Thus, the winner of this one will take over or hold on to first place. One question for Toronto is if defender Adrian Serioux will be fit to play; he suffered a neck injury against Columbus last week and missed the midweek clash against Vancouver. Sam Cronin also missed the Whitecaps game, but is expected to return to face D.C. tonight.

Another interesting element is what's going on off the pitch. Everyone knows about D.C. United's stadium struggles, and they've led to threats of relocation if they can't find a new stadium. The D.C. United supporters are going to be marching to the match [Jason Davis, MLS Daily] to show their passion for keeping the team in D.C.; Jason's also encouraging MLS fans from across the league to join the cause with banners and such today. It's a great idea in my mind. Yes, D.C. is facing difficulties, but they're one of the league's signature franchises; I remember watching them play Beckham and Real Madrid in Seattle in an exhibition game several years ago, and at that time (with Freddy Adu), that match made more sense than it would have with any other MLS team. To be taken seriously as a league, you have to have substantial franchise stability and you need a couple of flagship franchises that casual fans have heard of. D.C. United is one, and in my mind, their fans deserve all the support they can get.

Come join me for the live blog at 7:30!