Toronto FC couldn't have asked for a more dominating performance against Real Salt Lake. The Reds controlled the pace of play for nearly the entire match, they outshot Real 24-5 (including 13-1 in shots on target) and even had a 55-minute man advantage.
It was a game that had everything for TFC -- except that elusive goal.
"You get the balls out wide, you get the balls in the boxes, you get your shots in," said Toronto defender Jim Brennan. "I couldn't even count the number of shots we had. You do everything right, but it just doesn't go in the back of the net."
The scoreless draw on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field felt more like a loss to the Reds, who saw one of their most impressive performances of the season result in only one point. The Real match is the latest in a series of frustrations for Toronto FC, who have now gone 10 games without a win and an MLS-record 822 consecutive minutes without a goal.
Early on, it seemed like it was going to be just a matter of time before TFC broke through against Real. The Toronto attack swarmed the RSL penalty area with runs from the flanks, crosses and point-blank scoring opportunities. Every time, however, they were denied by either goalkeeper Nick Rimando or by sheer bad luck.
The play that sums up Toronto's day came in the 31st minute. Midfielder Maurice Edu carried the ball down the right side and passed to Andrea Lombardo, who used some skilled ball-handling to get past a Real defender and get into the penalty area. Lombardo sent a cross to TFC defender Todd Dunivant, who was undefended at the left side of the goal and had an open net. Dunivant, however, let the ball bounce once before attempting a strike, which gave time for Rimando to dive across and knock the ball literally off his foot.
"It was a great ball by Lombardo," Dunivant said. "I should've hit it the first time. I was a little behind it, but no excuses. If I hit it the first time, it's a goal. There's not much else you can say. ... All week we were talking about getting in the box and making runs. Mo did, I was in the back post, I took the finish and it wasn't there. I take responsibility."
Dunivant and striker Collin Samuel each had three shots on goal, while Lombardo led the team with four shots stopped by Rimando. Eight different Reds collected at least one shot in the match, but nobody could manage that final touch.
After Real midfielder Fabian Espindola was shown a red card in the 35th minute, Toronto couldn't capitalize with the extra man on the field. Real focused all their efforts on defense in the second half and managed to hold on for the clean sheet.
Coach Mo Johnston was impressed with his side's effort, but said their finishing left much to be desired.
"We should've had three points today, but we haven't," Johnston said. "We know where we need to improve next year -- that's in front of the goal."
Johnston's comment seems to confirm that the club is already looking ahead to the 2008 season. TFC entered the game nine points behind eighth-place Chicago for the last MLS playoff spot, and their slim playoff hopes may have been ended after taking only one point in a very winnable game.
Despite the disappointing result against Real, it is clear the team is heartened by its strong performance in every avenue of the game except finishing. Brennan believes that as long as the team keeps playing as it did against RSL, the slump-busting goal will eventually come.
"You keep plugging away, keep working," Brennan said. "You had enough chances there for three games. It's one of those things. We're in a rook at a moment and we've got to get ourselves out of it. The guys know we played well. We worked hard, we stayed together. We're creating our chances -- yeah, we're not scoring them, but we're getting there."
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
