The two longest unbeaten streaks in Major League Soccer continued on Saturday when Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew played to a scoreless draw at BMO Field.
Both sides had their share of chances (six shots on goal for TFC, two for Columbus), but were plagued by a lack of finishing and some quality goalkeeping by the Crew's Will Hesmer and TFC's Greg Sutton.
The league-leading Crew had won their previous five games, while the home side hadn't lost in their previous four. The draw extends both unbeaten streaks, and for Toronto, the five-game unbeaten stretch establishes a new club record.
The Reds nearly established an early lead on a quality chance by Amado Guevara in the fifth minute. The ball had been played to striker Danny Dichio in the penalty area, and though the big forward was being covered by two Columbus defenders, Dichio managed to control the pass with a header and then chip it to a trailing Guevara. The Honduran star launched a quick shot, but Hesmer was in position for the point-blank save.
Somewhat surprisingly, it was Toronto who seemed to hold the edge on attack, as the Crew's triple threat of Robbie Rogers, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno were non-factors early on. It wasn't until the 19th minute when Columbus finally got its first offensive opportunity, a Schelotto corner that was knocked aside by TFC's Carl Robinson.
A much more treacherous clearance was required a few minutes later when Rogers found some room on the left side of the box against Reds defender Marvell Wynne. Rogers had both Wynne and Toronto 'keeper Sutton out of position, but his shot was cleared off the line by defender Tyrone Marshall.
The two clubs spent most of the first half jockeying for position, with Toronto holding the advantage in possession. The final few minutes of the half saw the Reds awarded three corners and though TFC held the ball in the Columbus end almost exclusively to the end of the period, the Crew backline kept Toronto from breaking through for a clear chance or even a shot on goal.
The pace of play picked up in the second half, as both sides had opportunities within the first 10 minutes. In the 52nd minute, a Laurent Robert free kick started a scramble in front of the Crew net that bounced to three different TFC players before finding Marshall on the left side. It was a rare scoring chance for the veteran defender, and unfortunately for Marshall, his volley sailed wide and to the right of the net.
Columbus fired back with a chance fueled by the hard work of Moreno. The striker fought off his defender within the TFC penalty area and rifled a shot that sailed diagonally across the net and just past the reach of a rushing Schelotto at the back post.
Both sides clearly had made adjustments to their attacking formations at halftime, as the teams were finding more holes in the opposing defenses. The two sides combined for seven shots in the first 15 minutes of the second half, as opposed to nine shots in the entire first half.
The closest call came in the 60th minute from Laurent Robert. The French midfielder carried the ball up the middle and used some nifty footwork to create some space for himself in front of the Crew penalty area. Robert then sent a low line drive of a shot to the left side of the Columbus net that was stopped not by Hesmer, but by the goal post.
Toronto head coach John Carver sent Jeff Cunningham into the game in the 63rd minute in place of Dichio, in hopes that the veteran striker (who scored 62 goals in his seven seasons with Columbus) could strike back against his former club.
Cunningham caused some problems in the Crew end, at one point almost intercepting a back pass to Hesmer. The forward also started arguably the best chance of the game for TFC when he, Guevara and midfielder Rohan Ricketts were on a 3-on-2 rush. Cunningham passed to Guevara, who passed to a wide-open Ricketts, but the Englishman could manage only a fairly weak shot that was easily handled by Hesmer.
That was the second of three shots on goal within a three-minute span for the Reds, as they kept up the pressure against a Columbus side that seemed temporarily back on its heels.
The draw extended Toronto FC's unbeaten streak at BMO Field to six matches, dating back to 2007. The last visiting team to win in Toronto was, in fact, the Crew, on Sept. 22 of last year.
Toronto FC move on to face D.C. United twice in the next week. United visit BMO Field on Wednesday, and then the Reds head to Washington on Saturday. The Crew will take their first-place position home to Columbus Saturday for their first meeting of the season against the New England Revolution.
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
