Another game, another loss, another 90 minutes without a goal for injury-hit Toronto FC. Major League Soccer's newest team was dominated from start to finish, outshot 21-3 and dropping a 3-0 decision to a rested New York Red Bulls squad at Giants Stadium on Sunday evening.
New York striker Juan Pablo Angel notched his 10th tally of the season in the first half, and running mate Jozy Altidore added a pair after the intermission for the home team.
TFC played without first-choice forwards Danny Dichio (hip) and Jeff Cunningham (hernia) and influential midfielder Ronnie O'Brien (knee) and has now gone 462 minutes without finding the back of the net during a six-game losing streak. The club hasn't scored since drawing 1-1 at Chicago back on July 7.
As bad as the final scoreline was, it could have been even more lopsided. New York was fresh after a 16-day layoff, and it showed as they came out flying in the opening minutes.
Teenage star Jozy Altidore, the best player on the field Sunday, created a golden chance for Dave van den Bergh just three minutes after kickoff. The 17-year-old collected a ball near the corner flag and out-muscled TFC defender Adam Braz. Altidore found van den Bergh, who beat keeper Kenny Stamatopoulos but not the inside of the left post.
Seconds later, Claudio Reyna picked out a wide open van den Bergh at the top of the box, but the Dutchman's blast was well saved by the visitors' on-loan backstop.
Juan Pablo Angel could have put his team ahead on a half-chance 13 minutes in, when his off-balance header was gathered in by Stamatopoulos.
But in the 24th minute, Angel made amends for his earlier miss. Clint Mathis, who had replaced Reyna moments earlier when the Red Bulls captain went off with a groin injury, drove a hard, low cross from the right side into the area. The ball deflected off TFC defender Tyrone Marshall right to the lurking Angel, who made no mistake from point-blank range.
The Red Bulls nearly doubled their advantage nine minutes before halftime. Altidore, the league's youngest player, played a clever give-and-go with speedy winger Dane Richards and the Jamaican international walked in on goal for a one-on-one with the keeper. But Stamatopoulos alertly came off his line to smother the rookie's shot.
New York went ahead 2-0 before TFC had even registered its first shot. Four minutes after the break, Altidore dispossessed Marshall in midfield and fed Angel on the right side. Angel raced to the end line and sent a cross that Braz inadvertently deflected over the head of his helpless netminder. The ball appeared to enter the goal before Altidore arrived to steer it home, but the youngster was given credit for his fourth goal of the season.
There was no disputing his second tally. In the 63rd minute, Angel won a header that Altidore ran onto with only one defender, Marco Reda, to beat. As an off-balance Reda desperately tried to stop him, Altidore calmly lobbed the ball over the back's head and volleyed home clinically with his right foot, giving Stamatopoulos no chance.
Two minutes after conceding the third goal, things got even worse for the visitors. Trying to thwart a counter, Toronto midfielder Chris Pozniak cut down Richards with a tackle from behind. Referee Alex Prus went immediately to his back pocket, pulling out a red card and reducing the Canadian outfit to 10 men.
Down three goals and a man, Toronto clearly was beaten and the game ended without the Reds seriously testing Red Bulls backup 'keeper Jon Conway. With the loss, TFC (5-10-5) remains in the Eastern Conference cellar with 20 points.
Doug McIntyre is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
