TORONTO – With Toronto FC’s new high-priced stars forced to watch from a private box at BMO Field, it was a former Red who took centre stage on Saturday.
Missing in action for most of the afternoon, ex-TFC forward Edson Buddle netted the game’s lone goal with 13 minutes left in regulation to lift the Colorado Rapids to a 1-0 win over an injury-depleted Toronto side before 22,591 fans. It was the Reds’ first home loss of the Major League Soccer season.
Toronto (3-2-0) dictated the game for long periods, and did a good job of limiting Colorado’s scoring chances. Really, the final score flattered the Rapids, and Toronto deserved more out of the match, especially considering its makeshift lineup.
“(Colorado) really didn’t have anything the whole game. … It was a bit of a scrappy goal,” TFC coach Ryan Nelsen said of Buddle’s winner.
Toronto was without five key starters, most notably top scorer Jermain Defoe (hamstring) and influential midfielder Michael Bradley (groin and quadriceps). Also missing were central defender Doneil Henry (knee), and midfielder Jonathan Osorio and winger Alvaro Rey (both hamstring).
Bradley has been TFC’s best player through the first four games¸ and a strong argument can be made he’s been the best player in MLS this season. But Nelsen didn’t want to risk playing him on Saturday out of fear for losing him long-term.
“I hope he’ll be alright for next week. But if he (played today) there’s a good chance he would’ve been out for several weeks, pushing on months,” Nelsen explained.
As for Defoe, Nelsen hinted the former Tottenham striker is questionable for next week’s game.
Dwayne De Rosario took Defoe’s spot in the starting lineup for the second straight game. With Osorio and Bradley out, Kyle Bekker and Jeremy Hall started in central midfield. Bradley Orr filled in for Henry in central defence, while Issey Nakajima-Farran took Rey’s place.
De Rosario came out of the game in the 67th minute with a muscle strain in his leg, but he told Sportsnet it wasn’t anything serious.
“Considering the absentees, I thought we played really well and the guys who were on that field were brilliant,” Nelsen offered.
BMO Field’s grass surface was in better shape compared to the Reds’ last home game on March 22 when it resembled a dirt cow patch. But the condition of the field was still pretty poor on this cool afternoon, making it hard for players to put together intricate passing sequences, and leading to plenty of long balls.
“I think both teams struggled with the quality of service (to the forwards) because of the playing surface,” Nelsen opined.
Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni agreed: “There was only a few spells of decent soccer being played out there. The rest of it was grit, rolling up your sleeves, second balls and battles.”
TFC started brightly on Saturday, pinning Colorado inside its half for long stretches and pressuring the Rapids into conceding three corners in the opening 10 minutes. But the first half was a forgettable bore, with neither team forcing its will on proceedings until just before halftime.
Buddle turned TFC defender Steven Caldwell inside-out in the box before forcing a save from goalkeeper Julio Cesar. Moments later, TFC defender Mark Bloom’s delivered a dangerous cross into the box that Gilberto flashed wide of the far post with a diving header.
The second half began like the first—with TFC in control and swarming all over the Rapids. De Rosario’s header on the edge of the six-yard box off a Bekker corner whispered over the crossbar. Bloom proved to be a threat down the right side, making probing runs and delivering dangerous balls into the penalty area.
Colorado experienced another close call when Bekker’s free kick struck the post in the 76th minute.
Toronto was in the ascendency but it was Buddle who broke the deadlock a minute later. TFC failed to clear its lines, and the Rapids did a good job of recycling the ball inside the box before Dillon Powers fed Buddle who slid his shot under Cesar from in close.
“It’s the cruelty of (soccer) isn’t it? When you hit the post and 30 seconds later they score at the other end,” Nelsen offered.
NOTES: Colorado had lost all six of its previous games versus Toronto at BMO Field. The Rapids did beat FC Dallas in the 2010 MLS Cup final held in Toronto… TFC leads the all-time series versus the Rapids with a 7-5-1 record… Toronto returns to action next Saturday when it visits FC Dallas.
