Toronto FC came up short in a 1-0 loss to Club Atletico Independiente in an international friendly on Tuesday night at BMO Field.
Striker Pablo Vitti's score off of a direct free kick was enough to give the 14-time Argentinean league champions the advantage in their first-ever visit to Toronto. For TFC, it was another disappointing result for a slumping club that has won just one of its last nine matches overall.
As in their July 5 friendly against Mexican side Pachuca, TFC fielded a starting XI filled mostly with reserves, as the team tries to remain fit and fresh in the midst of a stretch of eight games in 25 days. Young players Nana Attakora-Gyan, Tyler Hemming, Tyler Rosenlund and Ibee Ibrahim, all of whom started against Pachuca, were again in the lineup. The 16-year-old Ibrahim became the fifth-youngest player to ever score an MLS goal when he collected his first professional goal in TFC's 2-1 loss to Chicago last Saturday.
The young midfielder nearly scored another goal in the fifth minute against Independiente. The ball was moved upfield to Rosenlund and Jeff Cunningham on the edge of the Diablos' penalty area. Cunningham used some deft footwork to keep possession and direct the ball to Rosenlund, who sent a half-shot, half-pass to the left side of the net, where Ibrahim was positioned. The ball went wide, however, out of the reach of Ibrahim's foot.
Ibrahim figured into the action again a few minutes later. He took the ball near the area and drew the attention of two defenders. This enabled Cunningham to find some room, and Ibrahim smoothly passed the ball to his forward on the left side of the net. Independiente goalkeeper Fabian Assmann was in position to block Cunningham's attempt at close range.
The Diablos, meanwhile, were causing problems of their own. Pablo Vitti nearly collected a long pass that forced Reds 'keeper Brian Edwards to sprint out the penalty area in order to grab the ball and cut off Vitti before the striker could gain possession.
Both teams displayed some aggressiveness in this exhibition match, and each side earned a booking (Rosenlund and Emanual Centurion, respectively) within the first 11 minutes. The BMO Field crowd was into the action as well, directing jeers to Diablos striker Ismael Sosa for what the fans thought was Sosa's exaggerated reaction to a collision with Edwards near the TFC net.
Perhaps the best chance for Toronto in the first half came in the 35th minute. Cunningham carried the ball down the Diablos' right and sent a horizontal shot at Assmann. The 'keeper blocked the ball, but was knocked off balance while two TFC players were in front of him in the goal area. Ibrahim got a foot on the ball, but couldn't capitalize as his shot sailed well over the open left side of the net.
The young Reds were the better side in the first half, outclassing Independiente both on attack and in defending. The Diablos had just two shots (none on goal) in the opening 45 minutes. TFC's back line, with some midfield assistance from Rosenlund and Joey Melo, did an excellent job of closing down on chances before they developed.
Independiente began the second half with a bit more pace on attack. The Argentinean side largely controlled the opening minutes of the half, though they managed only two off-target shots in that span.
The Diablos had a close chance in the 65th minute, when a well-aimed shot from Vitti from just outside the penalty area caught the crossbar and bounced over the Toronto net.
Finally, Independiente and Vitti broke through against a weakening Toronto backline. In the 68th minute, Sosa sent a direct free kick towards a scrum in front of the TFC net, and it was Vitti who came up with the ball and put it past Edwards. Vitti, a member of Argentina's 2005 Under-20 World Cup winning team, also scored for Independiente last week in a friendly against the Columbus Crew.
TFC assistant coach Chris Cummins (acting as head coach for the friendly) substituted several trial players into the lineup, but the lack of regulars didn't keep the Reds from pressing for the tying goal. Maurice Edu had a good opportunity in the 79th minute when he found some space inside the Diablos penalty area, but carried the ball too far to the right and could only manage a shot that found the side of the net.
A few minutes later, defender Julius James nearly converted a direct free kick, but James caught the ball with his back heel and the subsequent shot went off target.
TFC returns to league play on Saturday when the San Jose Earthquakes visit BMO Field. It is the first-ever meeting between the second-year Reds and the expansion Earthquakes. Toronto will be looking to extend its home unbeaten streak in MLS play to 11 games.
The Toronto match marked the end of Independiente's short tour of North America. The Diablos were beaten 2-1 by the Columbus Crew on July 9, and won 2-1 against USL-1 side Atlanta Silverbacks on July 12. Independiente begin the Apertura season in Argentina's Primera Division on August 10 against Velez Sarsfield.
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
