Toronto FC 1, Seattle Sounders 1 | 2016 MLS Match Recap

Franco Panizo

Some soccer fans and observers believe teams are at their most vulnerable right after scoring a goal, and Toronto FC only gave that theory more credibility on Saturday.

Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field in Toronto, on Saturday after the two sides traded goals a minute apart in the second half. Jordan Hamilton opened the scoring for Toronto with a strike at the hour mark, but a fantastic finish from Jordan Morris seconds later brought Seattle on level terms again.

Both sides were missing at least one key player, as Clint Dempsey did not dress for the Sounders while Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, and several others were out injured for the Reds.

Box Score

60' - TOR - Jordan Hamilton
61 - SEA - Jordan Morris (Joevin Jones)
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Three Things

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS: The Seattle Sounders struggled to get much going in the opening stanza, but made improvements in the second half. Jordan Morris was more involved in the game in the closing 45 minutes, and the Seattle attack looked more dangerous as players better exploited the space allowed by Toronto FC's defense. Morris' lightning-fast equalizer was also a thing of beauty and a great response to falling behind, and the Sounders could have taken all three points if not for a goal-line clearance from Mark Bloom in the 87th minute.
DIP IN FORM: Toronto playmaker Sebastian Giovinco had some positive moments in the match, but was largely lacking the sharpness that has made him so successful since arriving to MLS. Giovinco struggled to finish off plays throughout his 90-minute shift, be it with a great final ball or shot on frame. He now has recorded just one assist in his last six games, and is also scoreless in that stretch.
ON EVEN TERMS: While Toronto FC will rue not capitalizing on the number of chances they had in the first half, they also gave up several after halftime en route to settling for the draw. The two clubs finished even on total shots (12 each), shots on target (three), and the Sounders won the possession battle by a slim margin (50.6 percent to 49.4).