After his team's 3-0 defeat at the hands of the New England Revolution, Toronto FC head coach Mo Johnston was visibly upset with his side's efforts.
"I've just lambasted them," Johnston said after his team's defeat. "They believed all the hype. I'm very disappointed."
Promise beckoned after last weekend's 4-0 dismantling of FC Dallas at BMO Field, but TFC failed to build on it with an inept performance south of the border at Gillette Stadium.
"We're very disappointed with our effort," TFC captain Jim Brennan said. "We were second to every ball. We tried to bring our momentum from the last game, but we didn't. We have to go back to the drawing board."
The match got off on the wrong foot for TFC as Andy Dorman put his side ahead in the 13th minute after an Avery John cross was knocked down by Kevin Goldthwaite into the attacking midfielder's path.
"After the first goal, we were chasing the game," Brennan said.
As New England got its second goal from Pat Noonan in the 33rd minute, Toronto was falling farther and farther behind despite creating some first half chances.
Jeff Cunningham had missed a golden chance right after the second tally, but he rolled his effort right into the legs of Reis, while Danny Dichio nearly slid home a loose ball in the 37th minute only for Jay Heaps to clear off the line.
"We created two or three chances in the first half, but we didn't create any chances in the second half," Johnston said.
It was all New England after the break as Toronto FC could not translate possession in the Revolution into clear-cut scoring opportunities as the team continually missed the final pass.
"We couldn't connect with the third or fourth pass in the sequence," Brennan said.
Dorman concluded the scoring with his second and his team's third in the 81st minute to compound TFC's misery.
Johnston was left frustrated by his defense.
"We defended like schoolboys," Johnston said. "We didn't defend well. When you come in here, you need to come in here and defend."
Johnston clamored for an attitude adjustment from his players and threatened further shakeups to his roster.
"We were fairly beaten," Johnston said. "The attitude here needs to change. We were very disappointed with one player in particular. You'll see the effects of that next week."
Johnston said that Trinidad and Tobago international striker Collin Samuel, formerly of Dundee United in the Scottish Premier League, will arrive in Toronto on Monday and be available on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
Less certain is the status of goalkeeper Greg Sutton. Sutton picked up a concussion while on CONCACAF Gold Cup duty with Canada. Johnston said that Sutton's health is "uncertain," leaving his return decidedly up in the air.
The reverse starts a six-game road trip for TFC. The club has only picked up one road point on its travels so far this season (0-4-1) and faces another five contests on the road before returning to BMO Field.
Brennan knows that the team's road form must change if the team is to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season.
"We've been very good at home," Brennan said. "We're tough to be there. But we can't get things right from the get-go on the road. We're away for a while now. We have to get it turned around. We've got to get things right."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
