TORONTO — Up against the top team in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference in the middle of a run of three games over seven days and dealing with a slew of injuries, you could understand why Toronto FC would be content with Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw against New York City FC at BMO Field.
But, looking to bounce back from a “pathetic” defensive performance over the weekend, it was a handful of missed opportunities at the other end that coach Greg Vanney will remember about his team’s latest outing.
“I thought we had enough chances again to come away with three points,” Vanney said. “And not just simple chances; I thought we had good chances to come away with [the points].”
“Disappointed we didn’t get three, but you’ve got to make plays at the end of the day to get the three points.”
You can’t argue with that. But it doesn’t mean there weren’t positives: the draw keeps TFC right in the thick of their jam-packed conference and helped restore the defensive identity the team has built for itself so far in this young season.
Maybe most important, the mid-week result displayed a surprising depth to the roster — specifically in attack — that had been in doubt with the loss of Jozy Altidore and the possibility of being without Sebastian Giovinco with the upcoming Euros looming.
“I thought by and large we played pretty well. In this league the margin is not big between winning, losing, tying, and if you’re without a few key guys then that margin becomes paper thin,” said captain Michael Bradley, who will likely miss the better part of a month this summer with the U.S. national team at the Copa America. “I think the response was very good and I think, like I said, by and large it was a good performance.
“On the other hand, it’s not like anybody in here is celebrating a point tonight, that’s for darn sure.”
THE REPLACEMENTS
Without Altidore and midfielder Jonathan Osorio, Vanney made a trio of lineup changes against New York which also included an adjustment in the heart of the defence.
Josh Williams earned the nod in place of Damien Perquis at centre back, and made an instant impact with a long ball over NYC’s back line in the eighth minute, sending Sebastian Giovinco in for a clear breakaway. City keeper Josh Saunders came up with a game-altering save, the first of a few on this night.
While Altidore’s size and strength were truly missed by his squad — “It’s definitely a different look,” Vanney said post-game — Canadian Mo Babouli made an impact in his second start of the season. The 23-year-old played a key role in his side’s lone goal, delivering a splendid cross into Williams at the far post, who slid to save the ball from going out of bounds, putting it right at the feet of Will Johnson for the easy tap-in and the equalizer.
The goal was TFC’s first of the season not to feature Giovinco, ending a record-setting streak.
In the second half, Babouli and Giovinco were clearly more comfortable as TFC increased the pressure, with the pair teaming up for a couple of quality chances, along with rookie Tsubasa Endoh, early in the latter 45, but to no avail.
“I thought [Babouli] had a good night. I thought the only thing he missed through the night was a goal, but I thought he played some very dangerous balls across the face of the goal,” Vanney offered on the Canadian’s progress. “… for Mo it’s just continuing to work, and work with us, and finding his ways to be goal dangerous, and those opportunities will come for him.”
Fellow Canadian Jay Chapman, meanwhile, had an up-and-down night in place of Osorio, but trailed only Giovinco in shots (three) and shots on goal (two).
“I thought Jay did a solid job,” Vanney said. “I thought at times he could be a little more decisive but I thought he showed some composure at times and helped us in terms of possession and play out of things and was able to at times get us going forward.”
RESTING UP FOR THE DERBY
TFC wasn’t the only short-handed team on the pitch Wednesday, as coach Patrick Vieira chose to start both in-form David Villa and playmaker Andrea Pirlo on the bench with a derby against the Red Bulls on Saturday.
New York showed little ill-effect from the adjustment in the opening minutes, pressing TFC’s defence early with results. Villa replacement Patrick Mullins got a wide open look at net in the 13th minute but the shot sailed just wide of Clint Irwin’s outstretched arms and out of bounds.
Not three minutes later the attacking paid off as a Steven Mendoza cross took a deflection of the head of Mullins and fell to Kwadwo Poku, playing in place of Pirlo, who had time to collect himself and blast a stunning curler from just inside the box past Irwin.
“They did what I expected them to do, which is to work hard,” said Vieira of Mullins and Poku after the match. “I knew that physically it would be difficult for them because they didn’t have the rhythm of the games, they didn’t play so much during the season, but I was really pleased.”
But the second half produced little in the way of chances for New York, even after super-sub Villa entered the game (although the crowd of 30, 262 would much rather have seen Pirlo, and made it known with a full serving of boos), who had little impact outside of a yellow card in in the 85th minute.
“I think we maybe didn’t play our best game,” Vieira responded when asked how he felt about the final result. “But I think when you make so many changes, I knew that it would be quite really difficult because we were playing, I think, against one of the best sides in the league.”
RESTORING STABILITY
Fresh off a 4-3 loss to the Whitecaps, TFC’s defence appeared to be in more trouble in the early going on Wednesday night, giving up two clear chances against a DP-less New York side. One such chance translated into the opening goal of the match, the aforementioned shot off the foot of Poku, a play which Toronto’s defenders did a poor job of closing down.
But in the latter part of the first half and deep into the second, Toronto got back to the philosophy that brought much success in the first nine games of the season, containing City’s offence and limiting their chances to just one in the last 45 thanks to organization and stability at the back.
“At the end of the day they had one chance, which was a goal, and maybe one other sort of chance through the course of [the game],” Vanney said in a comparison to TFC’s struggles over the weekend. “But they weren’t that dangerous over the course of the match, which was is clearly better than the last match.”
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