ONE AND DONE
Toronto FC falls 1-0 to FC Dallas for third home defeat of rocky MLS campaign
A defensive miscue by the home side on a Dallas throw-in led to the game’s lone goal, deflected past TFC ‘keeper Clint Irwin by a sliding Maximiliano Urruti in the 11th minute at BMO Field. The injury-riddled Reds, with just three wins on the season, hit the road for seven of their next nine. Full report, S3
Still grinding.
That’s how Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney described his team in the lead-up to Friday night’s home game against FC Dallas. It was as true after the match as it was beforehand, with the Reds dropping the contest by a score of 1-0, their seventh loss of the season and third at BMO Field.
The Reds went into the night with three players listed as questionable because of injuries: Nick Hagglund (hamstring), Justin Morrow (calf ) and Nico Hasler (quadriceps). Another three were definitely out: Jozy Altidore (foot), Drew Moor (quadriceps) and Ashtone Morgan (hamstring). By the time the lineup was released Marky Delgado and Ager Aketxe had been added to that list, off the 18-man roster with minor injuries. And Chris Mavinga, who had only returned to the starting 11 from injury a week earlier, was subbed out before halftime with hamstring tightness. The only silver lining was that he was replaced by Hagglund, who made just his second appearance of the year.
Toronto’s depleted ranks had a ripple effect, with captain Michael Bradley again pushed back into defence from his normal midfield role. It was a defensive miscue by Bradley on a Dallas throw in that led to the visitors’ game-changing counterattack, allowing midfielder Santiago Mosquero to break all the way to TFC’s byline before cutting the ball back into the penalty box for midfielder Kellyn Acosta. Forward Maximiliano Urruti deflected Acosta’s shot past Clint Irwin — starting with regular Alex Bono on U.S. national team duty — and into the net for the winner.
The Reds have allowed six goals this season in the first 11 minutes of play, this time against the run of play.
TFC striker Sebastian Giovinco, who returned from a onegame suspension, had a free kick and a close-range volley stopped by Dallas ’keeper Jesse Gonzalez before the visitors scored. Giovinco also earned a penalty minutes later after he was chopped down in the box, but Gonzalez once again got in front of Giovinco’s shot to preserve the lead.
Toronto finished the night with more than 70 per cent of the possession over 90-plus minutes, with nothing to show for it. Execution as much as injuries has been TFC’s problem, with just 14 goals after 11 league games.
Vanney pulled his second striker, Canadian Tosaint Ricketts, in the 59th minute, re- placed by midfielder Jay Chapman. Ricketts’ best chance came late in the first half, when a cross landed at his feet at the back post, but he couldn’t get the ball up and over a diving Gonzalez despite being just a few yards out.
It was a disappointing result on a night that had all the makings of a celebration. Toronto FC was hosting its second-annual Pride Night, midfielder Jonathan Osorio became the first TFC player to reach 150 league appearances with his start, and the Reds were looking for their first back-to-back wins of the year.
Instead, it devolved into an ugly affair, thanks to Toronto’s struggles in front of net and Dallas’ time-wasting tactics. The strategy was regularly employed by the visitors starting late in the first half, particularly when Gonzalez took free kicks and when the visitors made the most out of fouls called in their favour. It amounted to seven minutes of injury time in the second half.
Toronto will play seven of its next nine matches on the road.