Reds dig hole in final challenge
Quest to become first MLS club to capture crown much tougher after home loss to Mexicans
As Toronto FCand Chivas de Guadalajara lined up to shake hands ahead of the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final at BMO Field on Tuesday night, captains Michael Bradley and Carlos Salcido stepped forward to a cloaked podium and unveiled the tournament’s new trophy.
Neither one touched the hardware as they pulled the black fabric off the brasscoated cup, adorned with silver and gold plate. They barely looked at it. With 180 minutes to be played, there was much work to be done before either side could lift it in celebration.
Toronto is hoping with a new trophy comes a new era. Nine iterations of this tournament have been won to date, all by Mexican teams. But with 90 minutes in the books, that balance of power hasn’t shifted. The visitors scored a pair of away goals for a 2-1victory and will get the chance to close things out on home turf next Wednesday.
It was TFC’s first home loss of the tournament and now the Reds — who have lost and tied in their two second-leg matches in Mexico in this competition — need a two-goal win down south to capture the trophy outright. A 2-1victory would force overtime.
TFC found itself in a hole early on Tuesday night — just 65 seconds in.
Chivas midfielder Isaac Brizuela took a throw-in deep in Toronto FC’s end. When the ball was knocked back to him on the sideline, Brizuela raced too easily past Reds wingback Ashtone Morgan toward the byline, cutting the ball back into TFC’s box. The low cross went between a Chivas player’s legs before landing at the feet of midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro near the penalty box.
The ball was in the back of the net before TFC goalkeeper Alex Bono could react.
The crowd of 29,925 at BMO Field quieted as the pace of the game became frenetic nearing the 20-minute mark. Toronto was chasing and the visitors were struggling to hold onto their slim leading, making for end-to-end soccer.
Jonathan Osorio breathed life back into the festivities in the 19th minute. The move was started by Marky Delgado at midfield and went through Se- bastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore before landing back with Delgado, who had charged down the wing to the right side of Chivas’ penalty box. He swung a cross through the box to Osorio at the back post.
The Canadian midfielder became the highest scoring player in the tournament when he launched his body at the ball and bundled it across the goal line to tie the game at 1-1.
Altidore had the next best chances before the break, a considerable feat given that he threw up on the pitch midway through the half and seemed to struggle throughout. He was stymied on the six-yard line by goalkeeper Miguel Jimenez, who got the nod after Chivas’ starter, Rodolfo Cota, was suspended for yellow-card accu- mulation about half an hour into the game, before a shot off a give-and-go in the box with Giovinco was saved in the 43rd minute.
Toronto dominated the bulk of the middle of the match, though Chivas began to claw that back after the half. There were chances for TFC along the way and some good looks for Giovinco, but nothing that truly tested Cota.
It was a similar story at the other end until the 72nd minute, when a seemingly harmless foul by defender Drew Moor on the left side of Toronto’s box led to a game-changing moment. Instead of hitting a cross into the melee of Reds and Chivas players lined up in the box, forward Alan Pulido put a shot on net, sailing the ball past Bono into the far side of the net.
Toronto — widely favoured heading into this series after knocking out Chivas’ Liga MX rivals, Tigres UANL and Club America — now has its work cut out.