The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Villalba scores two in tie with Toronto
Road trip reaches halfway mark with pair of draws.
TORONTO — For the second consecutive week, Atlanta United FC held its own against a top-flight club in MLS.
A week after playing to a scoreless draw against defending MLS Cup champion Seattle, Atlanta earned a single point in a 2-2 decision against reigning Eastern Conference champion Toronto FC on Saturday night.
Given the circumstances, Atlanta United coach Gerardo Martino was pleased with the way the first two games of four on the road have gone.
“Two good ties on the road against two of the best teams in the league and in the case of tonight, we were down a man,” said Martino. “We were playing at a disadvantage so in that sense, it was a good point.”
Hector Villalba scored twice for Atlanta United (2-1-2) and keeper Alec Kann made seven saves to preserve the tie.
Kann said the team got careless at times in the opening half.
“We made it a little hard on ourselves losing the ball in the middle of the field, but as the game went on, we worked through it,” he said. “It shows the character of the group; we’re strongwilled.”
Sebastian Giovinco and Justin Morrow had goals for Toronto (1-0-4).
Five observations about the game:
Carded: Jeff Larentowicz was shown a yellow in the ninth minute after taking down Jozy Altidore. Then in the 17th minute, just moments after putting Atlanta on the board, Villalba was shown a yellow for his hard challenge on Altidore.
In the 74th minute, Yamil Asad received a straight red card after appearing to catch Eriq Zavaleta with an elbow to the head. It was the second red card issued to Atlanta United this season.
“I didn’t see the play in the moment and I wasn’t able to see the replay, so I can’t really comment on it,” said Martino. “If the referee made that decision, he must’ve been sure.”
The goals: Atlanta opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Villalba picked up a through ball from Miguel Almiron, outran Toronto defender Chris Mavinga and put a right-footed strike far side past Alex Bono for his second goal of the season.
Five minutes later, the Reds responded as Giovinco picked up a nifty one-touch feed from Altidore and beat Kann for his first of the season.
The goal was the first one conceded by Atlanta in 260 minutes, dating back to the 30th minute of the 6-1 victory over Minnesota on March 12.
Toronto took its only lead in the 44th minute as Morrow redirected a Steven Beitashour strike past Kann for his second of the season.
Villalba’s second goal of the evening and third of the season tied the game 2-2 in the 47th minute. The 22-yearold Argentinian was sent in all alone by Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, fought off Mavinga and beat Bono between the legs for the equalizer.
Martino credited Villalba’s goals to the team’s ability to expose TFC’s defensive formation.
“We had talked to the players about trying to go at Toronto’s back line of three defenders and Tito was able to get into the space,” Martino said. “He has that ability. He’s able to get into the space between the defenders.”
The saves: Kann made several key saves in the second half.
In the 65th minute, with Beitashour charging a loose ball in the area, Kann made an aggressive challenge to get the ball out of harm’s way.
Six minutes later, Victor Vazquez got around an Atlanta defender with some fancy footwork, but his strike went right to Kann’s arms.
Altidore had an excellent chance in the 86th minute off a Giovinco through ball, but couldn’t get his foot on the ball in the area.
Kann credited goalkeeper coach Aron Hyde for having him prepared “for Giovinco, Altidore — all the weapons they have,” Kann said. “We were up against the ropes in the first half and a little bit in the second half and thankfully I was able to keep us in the game.”
The venue: Saturday marked Atlanta United’s first trip to Canada and Toronto’s BMO Field.
Toronto played on its home pitch for the second consecutive game after opening the season with three straight away matches.
The game also saw the debut of Atlanta United’s secondary kit. The uniforms feature gray jerseys and white shorts with a red trim.
The lineup. Atlanta was without Jacob Peterson for the match after the 31-yearold suffered an ankle injury during training.
Peterson scored in Atlanta United’s 6-1 win over Minnesota United FC on March 12 and made his first start of the season March 31 in Seattle. The forward is expected to be available Saturday when Atlanta United continues a stretch of four straight road games by visiting the Montreal Impact.