TORONTO — On a day when Toronto FC preserved their unbeaten record at home, and extended their MLS unbeaten streak to five games, the prevailing feeling in the TFC locker room following Saturday's 0-0 draw against the Kansas City Wizards came down to one word:
Frustration.
Frustration that, while Toronto moved the ball well, they created only three shots on goal. Frustration that, against a Kansas City team that has yet to win away from home, they were forced to settle for a draw.
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“Well, I take this as a loss,” TFC head coach Preki said after the game. “Their goalkeeper made two or three really good saves in the first half, and kept them in the game.”
Preki declined comment on the red card issued to Toronto defender Nick Garcia in the 27th minute, saying he had not yet seen a replay of the play.
“We had to change the way we play a little bit after that, but we still had a couple of good moments in the first half. And then, obviously, the second half was slow and lethargic. Both teams looked tired. Hot weather. Bumpy field.”
Nagging injuries didn't help—although the team was able to keep a clean sheet shorthanded for 30 minutes until Craig Rocastle of the Wizards was ejected from the game by referee Baldomero Toledo in the 57th minute, equaling the manpower situation at 10 a side.
“Chad Barrett had a dead leg. Julian de Guzman hurt his hamsting. Amadou Sanyang felt sick at halftime,” a clearly frustrated Preki said. “Now we have a few weeks to heal all those things, and I look forward to the second part of the year.”
Barrett echoed his coach, but went further on the subject of the officiating.
“Whatever the fans feel, we feel twice as much,” the Toronto striker said. “In the first half, I don't think there was any malicious intent on Garcia's part. It's not like he swung at Kei Kamara's knee. It's just part of the game. It was a foul, maybe a yellow card, I don't know what happened. But credit to the guys, being a man down, and we stopped them and we created some good chances.”
Barrett was kicked in the face by Kansas City defender Jimmy Conrad in the 44th minute, but no caution card was issued.
"He got the stitches of his shoe on my face,” Barrett confirmed. “Whether he thinks he got me or not, I'm not going to go down just for no reason. The referee makes decisions, and you just have to live with it. I thought once they got down to ten men, we controlled the game again.”
Toronto captain Dwyane de Rosario also found the match frustrating.
“I thought we did ever so well, when we were down a man, to contain the pressure we were under,” de Rosario said. “But when it got down to ten vs. ten I thought we got a little too complacent.”
De Rosario also backed Preki's criticism of BMO Field's expensive new grass playing surface.
“The field was not in the best of condition, and I'm disappointed with that as well."
He concluded that Toronto should have taken three points from the Kansas City match.
“There is still work to be done, and hopefully we can take a look at this game and learn from it.”
