Sunderland will be looking to end their pre-season tour of America on a positive note when they take on MLS side Toronto FC on Thursday morning.

Sunderland started their pre-season well with a 4-2 victory over non-league minnows Darlington but since travelling to the states they have failed to win a game. They suffered a 1-0 and a 3-1 defeat to Sacramento Republic and CF Pachuca respectively in San Francisco where they have been based in a weeklong training camp.

One player that will be all but too familiar with the Canadian surroundings is Black Cats striker Jermain Defoe. The 31-year-old played 19 times during the 2014 MLS season, scoring 11 goals before making the switch to the Stadium of Light.

Despite his short time in Canada the former; West Ham, Tottenham and Portsmouth man is very much looking to forward to making a return to play in front of the Toronto crowd telling the club’s official website that he has “Lots of good memories” from his time in Canada and that he is “Really looking forward to going back, it’s a nice place to go and I enjoyed living there.”

Toronto on the other hand are well into their MLS season currently sitting in fourth position in the Eastern conference of the league with head coach Greg Vanney saying that his priority will be given to Saturday’s match with Columbus Crew saying “The most important thing for us is the game at the weekend against Columbus rather than Wednesday, and we will approach it accordingly.”

Like Defoe, another player that could be facing their former employers is striker Jozy Altidore, the striker could make a return after he was released from the USA’s Gold Cup squad to recover from a hamstring problem.

The Striker had a torrid time on Wearside scoring just the once in the Premier League before he made his return to the states with Defoe going the other way, but Vanney is confident that Altidore can return to fitness but still seems to have the same problems that haunted his Sunderland career saying “I just wished he’d have got a goal, because that is the next piece that he needs.”

Toronto FC will host Sunderland at the BMO Field, Toronto on Thursday, July 23 with kick off at midnight. 

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About the author
Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.