Nashville ends Toronto FC’S season
A crazy season finally caught up with Toronto FC on Tuesday night.
Though TFC coach Greg Vanney had a relatively full and healthy squad at his disposal for the opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs, his club couldn't get the job done against expansion side SC Nashville.
Nashville came into Toronto's new home ground, Rentschler Field in East Hartford, and played a brilliant road game, defeating TFC 1-0 in extra time on a goal by Daniel Rios.
Of course, when a match goes into added time, the game can go either way. But Nashville truly deserved the victory against a Reds side that sputtered in the final few games of the 2020 regular season. Heading into Tuesday's contest, TFC had lost three out of its past four.
“The disappointment and frustration is big right now,” TFC captain Michael Bradley said afterwards.
It didn't help matters that MLS MVP candidate Alejandro Pozuelo — who tallied nine goals and 10 assists during the regular season — had a relatively quiet game, as did rising fullback standout Richie Laryea. Veteran goal scorer Jozy Altidore started a playoff match for the first time since 2017 and was essentially a non-factor as well, though he didn't get served a lot of chances. Midfielder Jonathan Osorio might have been the best player for the Reds overall.
Nashville scored in the second half of extra time (108th minute) when Rios picked up a loose ball in front of a wideopen net after a great save by TFC goalkeeper Quentin Westberg. Rios guided the ball into the goal after his teammate Hany Mukhtar took the initial shot. Mukhtar had weaved his way to the front of the TFC goal to initiate the scoring chance.
Toronto finished second overall in the MLS standings this season despite having to play its home games in East Hartford in the final part of the season because of Canadian COVID-19 quarantine rules. The Reds also had to largely train away from home between games and be away from friends and families.
“Look, 2020 has been a really difficult year for everybody, everybody in the world,” Bradley said. “It's been a year filled with unprecedented challenges. We tried not to use any of it as an excuse so we're not going to start now.
“(And) we never for one second felt sorry for ourselves and we never for one second wanted anything to end sooner than it had to,” Bradley added when asked if he was somewhat happy that the chaotic season was over.
The Reds caught a number of significant breaks in the match, including three goals by Nashville that were called back on offsides (two by
forward Jhonder Cádiz, one in each half, and another by Mukhtar in extra time), an apparent kick by Osorio to the groin area of Alex Muyl that did not draw a red card from referee Robert Sibiga, and a number of very good chances by Nashville in the dying minutes of the second half which the visitors failed to convert.
The MLS newcomers fired 21 shots in total, compared to 12 by Toronto, while directing six on goal to four by TFC, though the Reds held in the edge in possession, 62-38 per cent.
Vanney played Altidore ahead of young star Ayo Akinola. He was replaced in the 81st minute for Patrick Mullins.