TFC recovers from sluggish start to salvage draw with New York Red Bulls
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An ugly start prompted some harsh words from Toronto FC coach Robin Fraser at halftime Wednesday.
His team responded and, thanks to a 51st-minute goal by Theo Corbeanu, Toronto rallied for a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls.
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“I thought we were terrible in the first half,” Fraser said after the game. “We looked tentative, passive, unsure of ourselves.
“The end of the first half was slightly better. We changed the shape. We looked a little more clear in what we needed to do. And then I thought the second-half response was very good. I thought we came out and pushed the issue from the very beginning.”
Normally even-keeled, Fraser did not hold back at halftime.
“What I do believe in is the character of this group. And they need to believe in it themselves,” he said. “Truly you can put yourself in games, you can win games through mentality. You can will yourself to do it. And I believe that this is a group that’s capable of it.
“But for us to compete, we have to play like we played in the second half. We have to play with that kind of energy and that kind of fire.”
Mohammed Sofo scored for the Red Bulls (8-7-4) in front of an announced crowd of 19,826 at BMO Field.
Toronto outshot New York 13-9 on the night but the Red Bulls had a 5-2 edge in shots on target.
It was Toronto’s first action since a May 31 home loss to Charlotte FC, with the scheduled pause for the Gold Cup and FIFA Club World Cup extended when its June 13 game at Los Angeles FC was postponed to Oct. 8 after LAFC qualified for the Club World Cup.
Toronto (3-10-5) looked rusty to start, giving the ball away, and fell behind in the 20th minute.
Sofo dispossessed Maxime Dominguez, passed the ball to Lewis Morgan and then headed towards goal. Morgan’s shot was stopped by goalkeeper Sean Johnson, but Sofo was Johnny on the Spot to knock the rebound home into the empty goal.
Morgan has eight goal contributions (five goals, three assists) in eight career MLS appearances against Toronto.
The celebration didn’t last long with Morgan forced to leave the game four minutes later. The Scottish international, in his second game back from knee surgery, was on the ball looking to pick up speed when he suddenly put on the brakes.
It was just his second start of the season — and his first since the opening game of the season.
Corbeanu pulled Toronto even in the 51st minute, heading the ball past goalkeeper Carlos Coronel after Alonso Coello, following a corner, found Sigurd Rosted at the far post and the Norwegian defender headed the ball back across goal. Corbeanu rose high for his fourth goal of the season — in TFC’s first effort on target.
Coming into the game, TFC had lost three straight — and four in a row at home.
The Red Bulls’ last game was June 14, a 2-1 loss at Austin FC. The New Yorkers had won four straight across all competitions prior to that.
The Red Bulls arrived in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, six places and 14 points ahead of Toronto. But most of New York’s success has come at Sports Illustrated Stadium where it had gone 7-1-1 compared to 1-6-2 on the road.
Toronto’s home record, at 1-7-2 prior to Wednesday was last in the league — a record exacerbated by five defeats at BMO Field in May when TFC went 2-5-0. Toronto went a disappointing 2-5-0 in May despite playing six of the seven games at home.
It was 28 C, feeling like 37 C, at kickoff for TFC’s annual Pride Night game.
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The Red Bulls were without suspended coach Sandro Schwarz, with assistant coach Volkan Bulut running the sideline.
Toronto defender Zane Monlouis had to be helped off the field late in the first half, grabbing his groin area after tangling with a Red Bulls player in an awkward challenge.
Missing through injury for Toronto were captain Jonathan Osorio, defenders Nicksoen Gomis, Henry Wingo and Kobe Franklin, midfielder Markus Cimermancic and winger Federico Bernardeschi.
Toronto was also without Richie Laryea and Deybi Flores who are away at the Gold Cup with Canada and Honduras, respectively.
To help make up the numbers, Toronto signed TFC II midfielders Michael Sullivan and Malik Henry to MLS short-term agreements. Forward Deandre Kerr, sidelined by a high ankle sprain since March 29, came on in the 76th minute and Henry made his MLS debut in the 87th minute.
Lorenzo Insigne, the league’s second-highest player at US$15.4 million, was left on a Toronto bench whose average age was some 11 years younger than his 34 years.
New York was without suspended midfielder Peter Stroud while Cameroon international forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and winger Cameron Harper wand were out injured.
Toronto has had little success against the Red Bulls in recent years, winless in the last 13 regular-season meetings (0-9-4) since a 3-1 home win on July 17, 2019. New York has outscored TFC 27-7 during that run.
TFC hosts Portland on Saturday.
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