Reds win, but lose Insigne and O’Neill to injury
Rookie Tyrese Spicer scored in his first MLS start and substitute Prince Owusu added his first MLS goal to help Toronto FC defeat Atlanta United 2-0 in a chilly matchup of depleted teams Saturday.
Both teams were missing players, Toronto (3-1-1) through injury and Atlanta (2-2-0) through international duty. And TFC’s roster problems grew as forward Lorenzo Insigne and defender Shane O’Neill didn’t finish the first half.
A groggy-looking O’Neill, who had concussion issues last season, had to be helped off in the 27th minute after taking a knock to the head. And a distraught Insigne hobbled off in first-half stoppage time, trying not to put weight on his right leg, after pulling up in the Atlanta penalty box on what seemed an innocuous play.
At $15.4 million (U.S.), Insigne’s salary was second only to Lionel Messi’s $20.4 million in MLS last season. And after an injury-interrupted 2023 campaign, the Italian star was off to a fine start this season with two game-winning goals, both of which won MLS goal of the week honours.
Toronto, with Luka Gavran filling in for injured goalkeeper Sean Johnson, collected its fourth shutout in five starts this season. TFC now has 10 points after collecting just 22 in 34 games last year.
It was -1C at kickoff at BMO Field, feeling like -8C with a biting wind. But the snow that fell Friday had largely disappeared.
The two teams pretty well cancelled each other out until the 35th minute when Spicer, a 23-year-old wingback from Trinidad who was the first overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, scored his first goal.
After a good buildup, Insigne fed Deandre Kerr who teed the ball up for Spicer at the edge of the penalty box. Spicer accelerated and found a space between defenders before firing a low shot that beat a diving Brad Guzan.
Spicer made his debut last week, playing 15 minutes off the bench in a 2-1 loss at New York City FC. And while his time on the field has been short — not helped by a toe injury in pre-season — he has shown signs of good things to come with his pace and guile. And in pink boots, he is difficult to miss.
He is the sixth top pick in the MLS draft to score in his first career start. Canadian Cyle Larin did it in 2015 with Orlando.
Owusu, a 27-year-old German forward making his fifth MLS appearance, knocked in a rebound in the 71st minute after Guzan could not hold onto an Alonso Coello shot. The goal came minutes after substitute Jonathon Osorio hammered a shot off the goalpost.
Atlanta United 0 Toronto FC 2