Toronto FC wins a waypoint in Colorado

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The high altitude at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, appeared to take the lives of Toronto FC and the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night.

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But to TFC’s credit, the Reds held up well against a strong Colorado team and came out with a close road point in a 0-0 draw, a good showing in a place where Toronto has had very little success throughout. over the years. TFC had two shots on goal in the game, while Colorado had one. Not exactly a nail biter.

“Definitely,” said TFC coach Javier Pérez, when asked if he liked what he saw of his team. “I liked many things. I liked the energy, the intensity. A clean sheet here is very important to us. And I like the way the team is starting to click, how we are organized defensively, how we can organize ourselves, how we can interact with each other. We also had some chances at the end of the game. The game could have gone either way. In the end, I think that 0-0 is a fair result ”.

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Colorado, coached by former TFC assistant Robin Fraser, is playing for playoff position in the MLS Western Conference, while the Reds, last overall in MLS, are essentially playing for pride, and they showed a decent amount. of that at night. A playoff spot is almost out of the question, but the Reds are beginning to turn their season around (too little, too late) and are now on a three-game unbeaten streak. It was Toronto’s first clean sheet in MLS game since May 12 (and the second for keeper Alex Bono) as Colorado keeper William Yarbrough posted his 10th of the season. TFC’s defensive play has completely changed in recent games

“He’s in the back, but not just in the back,” Perez said, when asked about his club’s improved defensive play. “It also comes from the work the players are doing in midfield: Oso (Jonathan Osorio), Mark (Delgado) and Noble (Okello) tonight, plus Michael (Bradley). They do a tremendous job in midfield. And from the beginning, when we put pressure, when we do the work, everyone is engaged. Facilitates the work of the defensive line. And I think we are starting to be rewarded because it is a collective effort. The players are the same, but we know that we know each other much better and we know how we can help each other. And in the end, that’s what a team is about to be. This team is going from being a group of people to being a team. “

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Toronto was coming off back-to-back victories: they defeated York United FC 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship on Wednesday, and a 2-1 victory over Nashville SC last Saturday.

The Reds were left without star offensive midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo (quadruple) for the fifth game. Long-term are forwards Jozy Altidore (foot surgery), Ayo Akinola (torn ACL) and Dom Dwyer, midfielder Ralph Priso (ankle surgery) and winger Tsubasa Endoh (right leg surgery). Bradley left by accumulating yellow cards.

Unfortunately for Pérez, the hits keep coming as he lost two centers in Saturday’s game. In the 33rd minute, Chris Mavinga, Toronto’s best defender, was forced to leave the game with a right calf injury and was replaced by Omar Gonzalez. And then Eriq Zavaleta had to leave in the 75th minute when he received a blow to the head during a corner kick. Pérez hopes that both will return soon. Zavaleta was replaced by Justin Morrow. TFC is heading into another busy time on the schedule, and Perez continues to have to draw a lineup without some of the best players on the team.

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TFC, a club that has conceded more goals than any other club in MLS this season (51), defended well, but there was also little attack from both sides as the two clubs slowly advanced towards a goalless first half, although the forward Yeferson Soteldo created a couple of decent scoring chances with his dribbling and vision around the Colorado goal.

The Rapids came to life in the second half, but didn’t finish in Toronto’s third.

TFC finally had a decent chance to score in the 66th minute when Soteldo, on the left side, crossed a ball that was left-handed towards goal by Patrick Mullins after a good mannequin from midfielder Okello, who started at the center midfield spot to Bradley.

As the timer ticked down, Colorado nearly went ahead when Diego Rubio headed the ball just over the net from very close. Late backups Jacob Shaffelburg and Ifunanyachi Achara created a couple of chances for Toronto in the final minutes.

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Key players who made a stint for the Reds included defender Kemar Lawrence, in one of his best performances for his new club, as well as Soteldo, who continues to work hard to create attacking chances, although his shooting disappointed him in the end. He left the game in the 76th minute, after playing many minutes the past two weeks, and was replaced by Shaffelburg. Mark Delgado, Richie Laryea, Jonathan Osorio and Okello also played well.

“This gives us confidence going into the next game, as Colorado is one of the best teams in the West,” Okello said. “We hit it off pretty well.”

Colorado had a big advantage in possession (62% to 38%) and total shooting (10-8).

Toronto will play this Wednesday (against Cincinnati) and then Sunday (against Chicago), with both games at BMO Field.

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