Late goals welcome relief for TFC
• Comeback wins have been hard to come by for Toronto FC in recent times. So has success against Orlando City.
John Herdman’s team managed both Saturday as late goals by Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu, with Italian Federico Bernardeschi serving as playmaker, rallied Toronto to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Orlando in Major League Soccer play.
Duncan Mcguire put Orlando ahead in the 37th minute, only to see Spicer tie it in the 87th minute and Owusu score the winner in the 90th.
The result moved Toronto (5-4-1) into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, which Herdman acknowledged was the team’s goal for the first 10 games of the season. The coach said goalkeeper Sean Johnson spoke of it in the post-game huddle.
WE’RE GOING TO CELEBRATE AND ENJOY THIS MOMENT.
“He let the lads know. We hit our target after the first 10 games,” Herdman related. “We’re right in touch with that top four. So I’m proud of them. They committed tonight. The pre-game conversations, they made some commitments as a collective and individually. Watching them live that was a proud moment as a coach.
“I mean hey, we’re 10 games into the season. We haven’t won the FA Cup or Champions League but we’re going to celebrate and enjoy this moment,” he added with a smile. “Because it’s one of the first times I think this team’s come back for a long time and won.”
It was Toronto’s first win after conceding the first goal since a 2-1 decision over the Philadelphia Union on April 16, 2022. TFC went 0-18-1 last year in regular-season play when scored on first and was 0-3-0 this season in the same scenario. TFC finished last in the league in 2023 at 4-20-10.