After playing league-leading Houston Dynamo to a tie in the fifth game of a six-game road swing, Toronto FC came into Crew Stadium on Sunday with high hopes. TFC had a four-game unbeaten streak going, but the Crew were one of the league's hottest clubs, having only lost just once in their previous eight games.
After a scoreless first half Columbus midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto netted two goals in six minutes and TFC was unable to rally any sort of comeback, losing 2-0.
"We've been on the road for a while now, and we never performed today," said TFC head coach Mo Johnston.
"Obviously, we need to win games at home now. We've been on a six-game stretch away from home. Now we can go back to Toronto, which is a difficult place for [opposing] teams to play."
Toronto is building a reputation as having one of the most vocal and passionate crowds in MLS, and this has already caught the attention of the league as Toronto has been named as the site of the 2008 MLS All-Star Game, the first time in Canada.
"We have to stop using [the road trip] as an excuse," said forward Danny Dichio after the game. "We know we have fantastic fans, and we know we have a fantastic stadium, but we have to be picking up points on the road."
The Toronto attack was noticeably hobbled against the Crew. Forward Jeff Cunningham barely made it through the opening minutes of the game before having to leave after re-injuring the same adductor that had him listed as questionable earlier in the day. Twenty-year-old Toronto native Andrea Lombardo filled in up front for most of the game, before a less than 100 percent Danny Dichio took over the reins late in the second half, but none could find the net.
"With [injuries] it's been very hard, especially when you come against a team that's playing fairly well," said Johnston.
Dichio was less excusive of his team's performance after falling behind in the match.
"We gave away a goal that we thought was a foul in the box but the referee did not call it and then the second goal kind of killed us," said Dichio. "When a second goal goes in you have to play as a team. We're still in the game at two-nil. If we get a goal back than maybe we can push on and get an equalizer, but that was one of our mistakes. We let our heads drop today, and you shouldn't do that."
Despite the sting of the loss in Columbus, TFC is still returning home to the friendly confines of BMO Field with only two losses on the trip after leaving north of the border more than a month ago without a single point on the road. They can now also look forward to possibly returning the favor when the Crew make their first trip ever to Toronto on September 22, in a game that could have real implications on the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Nathan Linton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
