Toronto FC avenges loss to New England with 2-0 win
TORONTO — Drew Moor scored early and Sebastian Giovinco struck late as Toronto FC survived a tight schedule turnaround to defeat the New England Revolution 2-0 Friday night.
Moor’s 11th-minute goal looked to be the winner, with Toronto goalkeeper Alex Bono preserving the win with a marvellous save of a Teal Bunbury header in the 88th minute.
But Giovinco added an insurance goal deep into stoppage time, bringing down a high ball before beating a defender and banging a left-footed shot home for his 50th goal in MLS regular-season and playoff action.
It marked the seventh straight win at home for league-leading Toronto (10-2-5), extending its unbeaten run at BMO Field this season (7-0-2).
MLS Cup final aside, TFC has not lost at home since Oct. 1, 2016. New England (5-75) has yet to win on the road (0-6-3) this season.
Kickoff came less than 48 hours after the final whistle of Toronto’s 1-1 tie Wednesday in Montreal in the first leg of the Canadian Championship final.
The well-rested Revs had been off since a 2-1 loss Saturday to visiting Chicago.
Toronto, midway through a gruelling stretch of six games in 18 days, hosts Montreal on Tuesday in the Canadian Championship return leg.
The game drew a loud crowd of 27,261 on Pride Night, which came complete with rainbow corner flags.
There wasn’t much tolerance on the field, however.The Revs had ended Toronto’s eight-game league undefeated streak with a 3-0 win June 3 at Gillette Stadium, a result that still ranked Toronto players.
As a result, there were more than a few flashes of ill-temper, not helped by referee Hilario Grajeda’s mercurial handling of the contest.
Armando Cooper set up Moor’s goal, beating Je-Vaughn Watson on the right flank. His cross, with the help of the lightest of Tsubasa Endoh touches, found a lunging Moor at the other side of the goal.
For the 33-year-old defender, who was up for a corner, it was his first goal of the season and 26th of his 14-year MLS career.
New England had its chances but failed to show a cutting edge in front of goal.
Only Moor, Jozy Altidore and Chris Mavinga remained from the starting lineup in Montreal with Bono, Giovinco, Justin Morrow and Victor Vazquez among those coming in. Giovinco, Morrow and Vazquez all saw action off the bench Wednesday.
Benoit Cheyrou captained the team in the absence of the suspended Michael Bradley (yellow card accumulation).
It was an open end-to-end game with both team stroking the ball around.
But Toronto had the better chances early with Vazquez and Cheyrou pulling the strings from midfield.
Altidore, in his 100th MLS regular-season game, almost made it 2-0 in the 14th minute but Revs’ keeper Cody Cropper got a foot to his close-range shot.
Bono was called into action in the 32nd minute, stopping a Lee Nguyen shot after a Toronto giveaway.
Fans screamed for a penalty when Altidore went down in the 33rd after contact with Slovenian defender Antonio Mlinar Delamea in the box but Grajeda waved play on.
There were several meaty challenges in the first half but only Giovinco was cautioned for a kick from behind that landed in Gershon Koffie’s nether-regions rather than the ball.
Neither side seemed happy with Grajeda’s rulings in a chippy second half.
Nguyen headed out a Giovinco free kick off the line in the 59th minute, running back at the last second to take up his position in the corner of the goal.
Nguyen, the pick of the New England players on the night, curled a shot just wide at the other end in the 74th minute.