As far as homecomings go, it wasn't the best.
Toronto FC returned to BMO Field after a six-game road trip to deal with a potential long-term injury to a star striker, a lingering injury to a starting goalkeeper that may end his season and now perhaps a hamstring injury to a star defender.
To top it all off, TFC took a 4-2 loss on Wednesday night in a friendly against English Premier League side Aston Villa that could've easily gone the other way were it not for a few shaky calls from the referee.
Toronto had two would-be goals called back due to the scorer being offside, but it was the first of these (scored by Danny Dichio in the 25th minute) that stood out as being controversial. Replays showed that Dichio was in front of the last Villa defender, and the goal should have counted.
Aston Villa scored the game-winner on, ironically, what appeared to be an offside goal that that referee missed. Forward John Carew looked to be well behind the Toronto defense when he accepted a cross and converted to give Villa a lead that it wouldn't relinquish.
"There were a few dodgy calls as you could see on the TV replays," said Toronto coach Mo Johnston. "I'm not too happy about that.
"I'm still disappointed in terms of how their third goal came around because he was clearly 2-3 yards outside," he added.
The second goal called back for Toronto was put in the net by Dichio's substitute, Andrea Lombardo, in the 57th minute. There was no blaming the referee in this case -- the young forward admitted he was at fault.
"The goal that wasn't counted was pretty stupid on my part," Lombardo said. "I didn't realize I was offside. The ball came off Robbo [Toronto's Carl Robinson] and I should've realized I was in an offside position. I should've left it for him and he would've buried that one and the goal would've counted.
Lombardo made up for his error five minutes later, however, when the Canadian under-20 international picked up a rebound and struck it home to tie the game 2-2. The goal capped off a furious comeback for Toronto FC, who fell behind early on two goals by Aston Villa forward Luke Moore.
Carew's disputed score and Moore's injury-time goal (to net the 21-year-old striker a hat trick) put the game away for Villa, who were playing the first game of their preseason schedule. Johnston was pleased with his team's performance against a storied club favored by many to qualify for Europe out of this year's Premier League.
"I felt our guys held the ball well, created a bunch of chances," Johnston said. "To be honest with you, if we sat up here at the start of the season and I said we're going to hang in there with Aston Villa ... you'd be looking at me as if I was crazy. Overall if I was assessing the game, especially with the talent we were playing against, I'm very happy."
The friendly was Toronto FC's first home game since June 17 due to BMO Field's role in hosting the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. The Reds managed six points and a 1-2-3 record on their six-game road trip, but the long sojourn came at a price. Dichio is battling a sore back and forward Jeff Cunningham might face a long layoff to recover from an injury to his abdominal area. Johnston revealed on Wednesday that Cunningham might miss four to six weeks with the injury that has kept the striker out of three of TFC's last four games.
As well, Johnston also said that goalkeeper Greg Sutton may miss the rest of the season due to the after-effects of a concussion suffered in June.
"[Sutton] keeps getting headaches, which is worrying," said Johnston. "I'm not taking the chance of putting him into training because first and foremost, we have to take care of him."
Wednesday's match saw defender Tyrone Marshall leave the game due to what Johnston described as the effects of a pregame "stomach bug." Perhaps more seriously, defender Marvell Wynne suffered a hamstring injury in the 75th minute and had to be carried off the field.
Wynne seemed in good spirits after the game, however, and he didn't think his injury was enough to keep him out of action for Sunday's game with the Chicago Fire.
"I heard a little pop, but it should be fine," Wynne said. "No worries. I should be back by Sunday, we'll see. I'm getting an MRI just to make sure nothing is really bad."
Multiple injuries to key players are the last thing that Toronto needs as the team puts the road trip behind them and looks for a late-season playoff push. With eight of TFC's last 13 games at BMO Field, Johnston thinks the home field advantage can help get his team into the postseason.
"I believe we have a good squad to go forward and make a real good push for the playoffs, barring injuries," Johnston said. "You see the energy that these fans can give our team. I don't care who it is ... if you get into a playoff situation, I tell you what, none of them are going to like playing here on a wet, cold October night. That's for sure."
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
