Toronto FC remains unbeaten at BMO Field

Finally, a return to normalcy.

While Dominique Badji’s late goal allowing the Colorado Rapids to escape Toronto with a 1-1 tie against the Reds Saturday night likely is still stuck in the minds of supporters who went home dissatisfied, remember this: The Reds haven’t been at full strength for more than a month.

Toronto FC basically played — experimented, even — this week with a handful of guys who might not be used come playoff time.

That’s how deep this team is. Regardless, the Reds still managed to deny a top contender full points mid-week and found a way to stay unbeaten at BMO Field this season.

What’s more, Toronto FC didn’t just survive its most daunting stretch of the season, it emerged top of the conference and the Supporters’ Shield race.

But now the Reds look forward, eager to get Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore and Justin Morrow back from international duty before seeing exactly how good they can be down the stretch.

Coach Greg Vanney already declared TFC the “deepest team” in the history of the league. Few have argued with him.

The question now is whether the Reds can be both deep and elite as they go in search of their first Supporters’ Shield and firstround bye in this year’s playoffs.

MAVINGA TACKLE REVIEW

The Reds were lucky not to go down to 10 men midway through the first half of Saturday night’s match.

Colorado’s bench lost their minds after seeing Chris Mavinga arrive late into a sliding tackle against Badji. Don’t be surprised if Major League Soccer’s Disciplinary Committee reviews the incident and replaces the caution Mavinga received with a supplemental red card.

Mavinga’s challenge appeared somewhat retaliatory after Badji arrived late for a tackle on Raheem Edwards seconds earlier. But referee Juan Guzman Jr. elected not to whistle the obvious foul, leading to Mavinga’s foul.

For me, Mavinga could have had no complaints if Guzman Jr. had brandished a red card. His challenge was excessively forceful and endangered Badji’s safety. It’s why Benoit Cheyrou immediately began pleading with Guzman Jr. after witnessing it.

According to league rules, MLS disciplinarians can look at in-game incidents “where the referee sees an incident and either does not act, or rules only a foul or only a yellow card (i.e., anything other than a red card). Upon review, the committee will hand down a suspension if all available video evidence shows “a clear and unequivocal red card.”

THE OTHER CALL

Guzman Jr. had another big decision to make in the second half when Jay Chapman was pulled down inside the penalty area. Many expected the official to point to the spot. Instead, Guzman gave Toronto FC a direct free kick outside the box, claiming he’d played advantage after Chapman was mugged steps before entering the penalty area.

Was it the right decision? Perhaps. Chapman’s “advantage” didn’t materialize seconds later when he was hauled down inside the box by Rapids’ Mike da Fonte.

However, I’m wondering if FIFA needs to take another look at this rule.

The current protocol seemingly rewards the defensive team for preventing what was a promising scoring chance given where Chapman was on the field.

From my eyes, Guzman Jr. played advantage and, in my opinion, that advantage materialized. Chapman then was fouled again by da Fonte inside the penalty area. Why shouldn’t that be a spot kick?

AND ANOTHER THING

Altidore, Bradley and Morrow all should be back in time for a huge MLS match against hard-charging New York City on Sunday.