Toronto FC snapped their three-game losing streak and continued the New York Red Bulls' road woes with a 2-1 result on Saturday evening at BMO Field.
Sam Cronin's first MLS goal, scored just three minutes into the game, got TFC out to an early lead, and Danny Dichio's rebound goal in the 43rd minute proved to be the winner as the Reds held on in the face of solid pressure from New York in the second half.
Toronto has now claimed wins against New York in each of their first three seasons. The Red Bulls saw their losing streak stretch to five games and their winless streak to six games, though Albert Celades' 54th-minute strike at least gave the struggling New Yorkers their first away goal in eight road matches this season.
The loss also made history as New York lost for the 20th consecutive regular-season match on the road, an MLS record, surpassing the mark set by Real Salt Lake. The Red Bulls are 0-14-6 on the road in league play since a 2-1 win last May 10 at the LA Galaxy.
Nick Garcia made his Toronto FC debut, playing alongside Adrian Serioux at center back. With fullbacks Marvell Wynne and Jim Brennan absent due to international duty and injury, respectively, Nana Attakora and Kevin Harmse took their places on the wings. Attakora himself was returning after missing last week's match with a mild concussion.
The other major change in the TFC lineup was up front, where struggling forward Chad Barrett didn't start for the first time this season. Danny Dichio and Pablo Vitti started the match at forward, while Amado Guevara returned from international duty to take his usual attacking midfield position.
For New York, reserve goalkeeper Danny Cepero got the start in the wake of Jon Conway's four goals allowed last weekend against New England. Albert Celades and Jorge Rojas returned from international duty, while Dane Richards was out with a sprained MCL. Defender Kevin Goldthwaite was originally listed in the N.Y. lineup, but due to a right foot injury, was a pregame scratch in favor of Carlos Mendes.
It took just three minutes for TFC to draw first blood. New York midfielder Seth Stammler fell while trying to defend Vitti and touched the ball on the way down, thus drawing a handball foul in the penalty area. Guevara's penalty kick was blocked by Cepero, but Cronin was there to knock in the rebound. It was the first professional goal for Cronin, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft.
With their quickest score of the season out of the way, the Reds also showed some strong defensive prowess early on. Macoumba Kandji was sprung down the right side, but Attakora stayed on an angle and stuck close to the N.Y. forward. As the two approached the right side of the Toronto net, Attakora managed to both take the ball from Kandji and stay inbounds, all on the same impressive tackle.
The two teams roughly split possession over the next 15 minutes, with TFC getting the better of the chances. Guevara had two corner kicks that both required falling grabs from Cepero, and Harmse had both a quality shot on net and also showing some passing skills on the left side.
Toronto nearly extended their lead in the 34th minute. Guevara had a direct free kick from 30 yards out that Dichio deflected towards the top of the net. Cepero timed his jump perfectly, however, and managed to get a hand up to knock the ball over the crossbar.
While TFC was constantly threatening the New York area, the Red Bulls weren't providing much of a counterattack. They managed three shots on goal in the first half, but the only shot that really challenged Toronto 'keeper Stefan Frei was a 40th-minute passing play that left Rojas open in front of the net, but Serioux caught up in time to deflect the shot with his foot.
The Reds cemented their control of the first half with another goal, again off of a big rebound. In the 43rd minute, Guevara sent a pass upfield that sprung Vitti up the middle. Cepero raced to the edge of the penalty area to knock the ball out of Vitti's possession, but the ball went right to a trailing Dichio, who made no mistake in firing the ball into the net.
It was the third goal of the season for Dichio, TFC's all-time leading scorer. It also marked the first time this season that the Reds have scored more than once before halftime.
After the break, however, New York looked much more organized and cut into TFC's lead. In the 54th minute, Celades finally broke the Red Bulls' season-long road scoring drought by putting a quick strike just inside the left post. It was the first away goal by a Red Bulls player in league play this season, and the first MLS score for the former Spanish international.
Marco Velez came into the game for Guevara in the 64th minute, as the Honduras international was undoubtedly a bit tired after playing 90 minutes on Wednesday against El Salvador. Harmse moved up to central midfield to accommodate Velez on the back line, and Harmse nearly capitalized with a 66th minute strike.
Harmse first kept the play alive with a sliding tackle to prevent a turnover, and then after a few passes, took the ball again, carried it to the middle of the field and fired a hard shot from 35 yards that again forced Cepero to make a jumping save to knock high.
Cepero's vertical ability might have been what kept the score close. In addition to the leaping saves on Dichio and Harmse, the New York 'keeper also jumped to stop a Serioux shot just seconds after Harmse's chance, and then made an outstanding save on a Dwayne De Rosario free kick that was hooking dangerously beneath the crossbar.
As the minutes ticked away, the Red Bulls began to control the action as they pressed for the equalizer. They were helped by a bit of sloppy play on Toronto's part, most notably a poor clearance kick from Frei that went straight to Kandji just outside the penalty area. With two Reds defenders nearby, however, Kandji rushed his shot and could only manage a moderately hard strike that Frei was able to gather.
Toronto, intent on protecting their lead, went into a defensive posture in response to the Red Bulls attack. Aside from an impressive challenge on goal from substitute Rohan Ricketts in the 88th minute, TFC's main offensive play in the latter minutes was the midfield clearance. The tactics worked, however, as the Reds held on to claim the victory and the full three points.
The two sides will meet again at BMO Field on June 24, but in the interim, TFC heads to Montreal for the final match of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship on Thursday. Toronto can only win the title if they beat the Impact by at least four goals. The Red Bulls head home for a date with Seattle Sounders FC on June 20.
