Tosaint Ricketts rose from the bench to snatch an unlikely road triumph for Toronto FC in Ohio on Wednesday night, scoring two late goals to stun Columbus Crew SC with a 2-1 comeback victory at MAPFRE Stadium that extends the Reds' winning streak to a club-record five matches.
Federico Higuain netted an early penalty kick, with a stylish Panenka no less, to give the hosts a lead. And at the other end, goalkeeper Zack Steffen saved Jozy Altidore's spot kick to put Crew SC on course for a useful win.
But TFC coach Greg Vanney made several moves to keep his side in contention and the insertion of Ricketts proved the most decisive as the Canadian international struck twice, the second of which arrived in the final minute of regulation time, to keep Toronto atop the MLS standings.
Goals
- 28' – CLB – Federico Higuain (PK) Watch
- 81' – TOR – Tosaint Ricketts Watch
- 90' – TOR – Tosaint Ricketts Watch
Three Things
ADJUSTMENTS
: With his team playing their third match in eight days, and
Sebastian Giovinco
left at home
due to a heel injury
, Vanney might've overthought his lineup in this one. He tried out
a 3-6-1/5-4-1 look
that just didn't come off, as shown by Crew SC's superiority in the first half. But to his credit, TFC's boss didn't wait to shift things around, making an early sub to get Ricketts on and shift the team's shape to good effect.
May 11, 2017
TOO MANY WEAPONS
: TFC's depth has been
celebrated of late
and it showed again here. Ricketts has been a peripheral figure this year, but was more than ready when called upon.
Benoit Cheyrou
made a decisive impact in the engine room. And offseason acquisition
Victor Vazquez
has quietly climbed to the top of the MLS
assists charts
with 8 helpers, two of them game-winning. These Reds can beat you in so many ways.
The man of the hour, @TosaintRicketts, joins @WheelerTSN to discuss his connection with @Rvheem_ & recap a massive win #TFCLive | #CLBvTORpic.twitter.com/xy6uBhIGuC
— Toronto FC (@torontofc) May 11, 2017
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